Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

and to make peace as if all the agreements had been made in fire. These things were so, and the emperor on the one hand, having provided a quantity of silver from a most wealthy hand (and why not? but he would have even given up the empire itself, as it seemed, for their peace), ordered the fire-receiving cauldron to be fashioned from silver, and he himself, since the great and holy week had arrived, appointed for that trial a day possessing the greater part of the majesty and being near the day of the resurrection; and it was that of the great Sabbath, of course. On which day, having gathered together, after first beseeching the divinity 62 much concerning the matters at hand, under the eyes of all, with the emperor also being present there, with reverent hands they entrusted the volumes, who indeed also, having cut away every cause of suspicion, cast the documents into the fire, while they called upon God and implored the things dear to God for God to attend and to reveal His own will, having been moved by their long suffering. So when they were cast in, both were as stubble to a furnace, and the fire did not ignore its own power, and it seized them, tightly folded as they were, so that within one or even two hours both became ash. Then, indeed, having completely given up hope, in the manner of the volumes, just as those yielded to the fire, so these yielded to the emperor and were clearly submitting to the patriarch. The emperor, however, being elated, as it were, from that, as if having done something wonderful (for it seemed wonderful that strong opinions were softened in an instant), as if he had already succeeded in the whole matter, he rushed to bring them to the patriarch as he was, having been taken as spoils from it, and he paid no heed to the freezing snow, and taking them with him, walking on foot late on Saturday, he presented them to the patriarch. 63 Who indeed also, immediately approaching, both partook of the blessing and received a piece of the sacred bread, and they were clear from what they both said and did in abandoning everything on which strong grounds at first they had split from a very great necessity. The day dawned, and that warm and intense feeling toward peace began to grow cold and slacken, and as if they had been tricked, they paid attention to themselves. But keeping the matter of their change of mind hidden for the time being, (for they judged peace to be a possession of persuasion and not of chance) barely until the evening of that day, as having fallen unguardedly, considering it a terrible thing, they waited, and in the morning all except a few had changed their minds. So the ruler, when he realized that he had done everything in vain, both gathers the leaders and addresses them. And the patriarch, on the one hand, having hidden somewhere inside, dressed in sacred vestments, he ordered to remain quiet, but turning to them as if with a double meaning, and contriving as he was against their duplicities, he inquired what their opinion was of the one who was patriarch. But for them, not to confess him as patriarch, the consecration and the blessing from him stood in the way, but to confess him, but for the time being to have some things they might also say which would provide scandal, at which indeed many 64 taking offense would refuse harmony, seeming a plausible pretext, nevertheless they were surrounded on both sides and sought escape. So for the time being they confessed Gregory as patriarch; for this was his monastic name, from George. And he, immediately appearing unexpectedly, the emperor having arranged it perfectly, and hearing again that he was called patriarch, immediately accused them of apostasy and the violation of the agreements, as having been false not to men but to God, and he immediately brings on the excommunication, thinking to win over reverent men by these means, and especially those around Hyacinthus and Lependrenus, who indeed were also dragging the rest along. But this was rather for them an incitement to apostasy, and they apostatized, caring little for those excommunications. But some also remained, with whom indeed they were pleased as with them all. And they too demanded the terrible things concerning the church, which indeed had been omitted when many of the first demands were fulfilled. And these were that every ordination of John be void, whether he himself was the one who ordained or whether others ordained at his urging, except for those within the great city, but for those outside who had been censured at the time to be released and

καὶ εἰρηνεύειν ὡς ἐν πυρὶ γεγονυιῶν τῶν συνθεσιῶν ἁπασῶν. ἦν ταῦτα, καὶ βασιλεὺς μὲν ὁλκὴν παρα σχὼν ἀργύρου ἐξ ἀφνειοτάτης χειρὸς (καὶ τί γάρ; ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν βασιλείαν προεῖτο ἄν, ὡς ἐδόκει, τῆς εἰρήνης ἐκείνων) τὸν πυ ροδέκμονα λέβητα ἐκέλευεν ἀργυροτυποῦσθαι, αὐτὸς δέ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἁγία ἑβδομὰς ἐφειστήκει, ἡμέραν ἔχουσαν τὸ πλέον τοῦ μεγαλείου καὶ πρὸς τῇ ἀναστασίμῳ οὖσαν εἰς τὴν δο κιμὴν ἐκείνην ἐπέταττεν· ἡ δ' ἦν ἡ τοῦ μεγάλου πάντως σαββάτου. καθ' ἣν συναχθέντες ἅμα, πρότερον πολλὰ τὸ θεῖον 62 περὶ τῶν προκειμένων λιτανεύσαντες, ὑπὸ τοῖς ἁπάντων ὀφθαλ μοῖς, παρόντος ἐκεῖ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, εὐλαβῶν χερσὶν τοὺς τό μους ἐπίστευον, οἳ δὴ καὶ πᾶσαν ὑπονοίας αἰτίαν ὑποτεμόμενοι ἐμβάλλουσι τῷ πυρὶ τοὺς χάρτας, θεοκλυτούντων ἐκείνων καὶ τὰ θεοφιλῆ ποτνιωμένων ἐφ' ᾧ προσχεῖν τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἐμφανίσαι τὴν οἰκείαν βούλησιν, τὴν μακρὰν σφῶν ταλαιπωρίαν δυσωπη θέντα. ὡς γοῦν ἐνεβλήθησαν, καλάμη ἦσαν πρὸς κάμινον καὶ ἀμφότεροι, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐκ ἠγνόει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν, καὶ συνεπτυγμένων ἀραρότως ἐπελαμβάνετο, ὥστε καὶ μιᾶς ἢ καὶ δευτέρας ὥρας σποδὸν γενέσθαι καὶ ἀμφοτέρους. τότε γοῦν τελέως ἀποκαραδοκήσαντες, τρόπον τῶν τόμων, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι πυρί, οὕτως οὗτοι βασιλεῖ ἐνεδίδουν καὶ δῆλοι ἦσαν ὑποκλινοῦν τες τῷ πατριάρχῃ. ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεὺς διαχυθεὶς οἷον ἐκεῖθεν ὥς τι δράσας τῶν θαυμαστῶν (θαυμαστὸν γὰρ ἐδόκει γνώμας ἰσχυρὰς ἐν ἀκαρεῖ μαλαχθῆναι), ὡς ἤδη τὸ ὅλον κατωρθωκὼς ἐξ αὐτῆς λαφυραγωγηθέντας προσάγειν τῷ πατριάρχῃ ὡς εἶχεν ὥρμα, καὶ κρυμώδη κατανίφοντος ἠφροντίστει, καὶ λαβὼν ἐκεί νους ἅμα πεζῇ βαδίζων ὀψὲ σαββάτου τῷ πατριάρχῃ παρίστησιν. 63 οἳ δὴ καὶ αὐτόθεν προσιόντες εὐλογίας τε μεταλαγχάνουσι καὶ ἱεροῦ μεταλαμβάνουσι κλάσματος, δῆλοί τε ἦσαν ἐξ ὧν ἔλεγόν τε καὶ ἔπραττον πάντ' ἐῶντες ἐφ' οἷς τὸ πρῶτον ὡς ἰσχυροῖς ἐξ ἀνάγκης μεγίστης ἐσχίζοντο. ἐπέφωσκεν ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ τὸ θερ μὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἔντονον πρὸς εἰρήνην ψυχροῦσθαι καὶ καταχαλᾶν ἤρχετο, καὶ ὡς κατασοφισθεῖσι σφίσιν ἑαυτοῖς προσεῖχον. ἐν ἀφανεῖ δὲ τέως τὰ τῆς μεταβολῆς ἔχοντες, (κτῆμα γὰρ εἶναι πει θοῦς τὴν εἰρήνην ἀλλ' οὐ τύχης ἔκρινον) μόλις καὶ ἐς ἐκείνης ἡμέρας ἑσπέραν, ὡς ἀφυλάκτως ἐμπεσόντες, ἐν δεινῷ τιθέμενοι ἔμενον, πρωΐας δὲ πλὴν ὀλίγων πάντες παρεκεκίνηντο. ὁ γοῦν κρατῶν ἐπεὶ ἔγνω τὸ πᾶν εἰργασμένος μάτην, συνάγει τε τοὺς προύχοντας καὶ δημηγορεῖ. καὶ τὸν μὲν πατριάρχην ἔσω που πα ραβύσας ἐστολισμένον στολαῖς ἱεραῖς προσέταττεν ἠρεμεῖν, αὐ τοῖς δὲ στρέφων οἷον διττά, καὶ τεχνιτεύων ὡς ἦν πρὸς τὰς ἐκεί νων διπλόας, ὅπως ἂν ἔχοιεν γνώμης τὸν πατριαρχοῦντα διεπυν θάνετο. τοῖς δὲ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν μὲν ἐκεῖνον πατριάρχην ὁ παρ' ἐκείνου ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἡ εὐλογία προσίστατο, ὁμολογεῖν δέ, τέως δ' ἔχειν ἅττα καὶ λέξειαν σκανδάλου παρεκτικά, οἷς δὴ καὶ πολ 64 λοὶ προσκρούοντες τὴν ὁμόνοιαν ἀπαναίνοιντο, εὔσχημον δοκοῦν, ὅμως ἀμφοτέρωθεν περιΐσταντο καὶ ἐξέφευγον. ὡμολόγουν δὲ τέως τὸν Γρηγόριον πατριάρχην· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ἐκείνῳ καὶ τὸ ἐκ Γεωργίου μοναχικὸν ὄνομα. καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπροόπτως παραστὰς ἐκεῖνος πάνυ τοῦ βασιλέως οἰκονομήσαντος, καὶ αὖθις ἀκούσας ὡς πατριάρχης λέγοιτο, ἐπεγκαλεῖ μὲν αὐτίκα σφίσι τὴν ἀποστα σίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν συνθηκῶν παράβασιν, ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρώποις δια ψευσαμένων ἀλλὰ θεῷ, ἐπιφέρει δὲ εὐθὺς τὸν ἀφορισμόν, ἄν δρας εὐλαβεῖς διὰ ταῦτα οἰηθεὶς προσάξασθαι, καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ὑάκινθον καὶ τὸν Λεπενδρηνόν, οἳ δὴ καὶ τοὺς λοι ποὺς ἐπεσύροντο. τὸ δ' ἄρ' ἦν μᾶλλον ἐκείνοις πρὸς ἀποστα σίαν παρότρυνσις, καὶ ἀφίσταντο μικρὰ τῶν ἀφορισμῶν ἐκείνων φροντίσαντες. ἐπέμειναν δὲ καί τινες, οἷς δὴ ὡς πᾶσιν ἠσμένι ζον. ἀπῄτουν δὲ κἀκεῖνοι τὰ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ δεινά, ἃ δὴ πολ λοῖς ἐμπλησθέντων τῶν πρώτων ἐλείφθησαν. τὰ δ' ἦσαν χει ροτονίαν μὲν πᾶσαν τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀργεῖν, κἂν αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ χειρο τονητὴς κἂν ἐκ προτροπῆς ἐχειροτόνουν ἕτεροι, πλὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐν τὸς τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως, τοῖς δ' ἐκτὸς ἐπιτιμηθεῖσι κατὰ καιρὸν ἀνίεσθαί τε καὶ