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and having caught the Latins outside, they put them all entirely to the sword. And the Genoese surrendered the city and they themselves came to the emperor.

49 And the emperor made treaties with the despot Michael and entered into a marriage alliance, taking his son Nikephoros as son-in-law for the daughter of his own son, Maria, and he makes the betrothal near Pegai. But the saying of the proverb was proven true also in Michael's case, a crooked piece of wood is never straight, and an Ethiopian does not know how to be made white. Then Michael proceeded to revolt, using his uncle Theodore as an advisor. The emperor, learning this, crosses the Hellespont, and having seized Thessalonica, he encamped at Bodenoi. And Theodore Angelos fled from there. And having set himself to the siege of Bodenoi, he subdued the city. And encamping by Lake Ostrovo, he sends Alexios Komnenos Strategopoulos, Michael Palaiologos, John Makrenos, and Gouleses Tyrannos, to plunder Michael's lands. And the emperor, encamped there, was despondent because he had accomplished nothing worthy. And he remedied the lack of necessities with mules and camels from Berroia. And there came to him as a refugee John Glabas from Kastoria, and subsequently Theodore Petraliphas, the brother-in-law of Michael. When he approached the emperor, the Deaboleis, both the lesser and the greater, became the emperor's. And Goulamos from Albanon, passing by Kastoria with an army, having as wife the niece of the empress Eirene herself, daughter of her first cousin, approached the emperor. And Michael, seeing his affairs in a tight spot, sent an embassy to the emperor, and Michael released to the emperor Prilapon and Veleson and the fortress in Albanon, Kroas. And written oaths came forth from the emperor, and the emperor honored his son as despot on account of his granddaughter. And the emperor, having wintered in Bodenoi with a modest force, went away to Achrida and to Deabolis and to Kastoria.

50 And passing by Thessalonica and Bisaltia, he pitched his tent at Philippi. For Nikolaos Manglavites had denounced Michael Palaiologos, whom the emperor also wished to examine. When therefore the aforementioned were examined, the one refuted his accuser, while the other confessed to have spoken, but not with the knowledge of Michael Palaiologos. And having armed themselves and joined battle, the accused is defeated, and having been captured alive, he again denied it. He was condemned to die, and again with oaths he said that Michael Komnenos did not know. So the examination turned to Michael Komnenos and the proof by hot iron. But he said, "If someone were accusing me, I would fight against him; but to hold the red-hot iron is for some wonder-worker, such as Pheidias and Praxiteles were." And Phokas of Philadelphia advised him to do this. But he said, "I do not know how such a thing is called holy, but I am a sinful man and cannot perform such wonders. But if you, being a metropolitan and a man of God, advise me to perform this, you yourself put on your sacred vestment, then with your own hands make the iron red-hot for me and with these place it on my hand. And if it is done thus, I am confident in my Lord Christ, that he will overlook my sin, and work a miracle for the truth." And the metropolitan said, "This is not of our and the Roman state, nor of the ecclesiastical tradition, but it has been introduced by barbarian tradition." And he said, "If I were born of barbarians, I would have my justice exacted in a barbarian way." And the metropolitan, coming to the emperor, said these things. And the emperor said, "Alas for the pity of it, from what glory has he fallen!"

51 And he crosses over to the east and joins in marriage to Michael Komnenos as wife the granddaughter of his brother the sebastokrator Isaakios, Theodora, whom

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καὶ τοὺς Λατίνους ἔξω καταλαβόντες ἄρδην πάντας σπάθης ἔργον ἐποίησαν. οἱ δὲ Γενουῖται παρέδωκαν τὸ ἄστυ καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς βασιλέα ἀφίκοντο.

49 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ συνθήκας ἐποίησε καὶ εἰς κήδους κοινωνίαν συνῆλθε, τὸν υἱὸν τού του τὸν Νικηφόρον γαμβρὸν λαβὼν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ θυγατρὶ Μαρίᾳ, καὶ περὶ Πηγὰς τὴν μνηστείαν ποιεῖ. ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς παροιμίας κἀπὶ τῷ Μιχαὴλ ἐπαληθεῦον ἦν, στρεβλὸν ξύλον οὐδέποτ' ὀρθόν, καὶ Αἰθίοψ οὐκ οἶδε λευκαίνεσθαι. εἶτα εἰς ἀποστασίαν ἐχώρησεν ὁ Μιχαὴλ τῷ θείῳ αὐτοῦ Θεοδώρῳ συμβούλῳ χρησάμενος. ὃ γνοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς δια περαιοῦται τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, καὶ καταλαβὼν Θεσσαλονίκην ἐν τοῖς Βοδηνοῖς ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. ἀπέδρα δ' ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἄγγελος Θεόδωρος. εἰς δὲ πολιορκίαν Βοδηνῶν καταστὰς τὸ ἄστυ παρεστήσατο. καὶ ἐν λίμνῃ Ὀστροβῷ παραστρατο πεδεύσας πέμπει τὸν Κομνηνὸν Ἀλέξιον τὸν Στρατηγόπουλον Μιχαὴλ τὸν Παλαιολόγον, τὸν Μακρηνὸν Ἰωάννην, τὸν Τύραννον Γουδέλην, ἵνα ληίζοντο τὰ τοῦ Μιχαήλ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖ σκηνῶν ἠθύμει, ὅτι μὴ ἄξιόν τι εἰργάσατο. τὴν δὲ τῶν χρειωδῶν σπάνιν ἡμιόνοις καὶ καμήλοις ἐκ Βερροίας ἐθεράπευσεν. ἧκε δ' αὐτῷ πρόσφυξ ὁ Γλαβᾶς Ἰωάννης ἐκ Καστορίας, καὶ συνεχῶς ὁ Πετραλίφας Θεόδω ρος ὁ γυναικαδελφὸς τοῦ Μιχαήλ. ὃς ἐπεὶ προσέλθοι τῷ βασιλεῖ, αἱ ∆εαβόλεις, ἥ τε μικρὰ καὶ μεγάλη, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένοντο. καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ Ἀλβάνου Γουλάμος μετὰ στρατοῦ πρὸς Καστορίαν διάγων, σύζυγον ἔχων καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀνεψιὰν τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης πρωτεξαδέλφης αὐτῆς θυγατέρα, προσῄει τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὁ δὲ Μιχαὴλ ἐν στενῷ ὁρῶν τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐστείλατο, καὶ ἀπέλυσε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὁ Μιχαὴλ Πρίλαπον καὶ Βελεσὸν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἀλβάνῳ φρούριον τὰς Κροάς. καὶ προέβησαν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔγγραφοι ὅρκοι, καὶ δεσπότην τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱὸν τιμήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὴν ἐγγόνην. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν Βοδηνοῖς παραχειμάσας μετὰ μετρίου στρατεύματος ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Ἀχρίδαν καὶ εἰς ∆εάβολιν καὶ εἰς Καστορίαν.

50 Καὶ παραμείψας Θεσσαλονίκην καὶ Βισαλτίαν εἰς Φιλίππους ἐπήξατο τὴν σκηνήν. ὁ γὰρ Μαγκλαβίτης Νικόλαος κατεῖπε Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Παλαιολόγου, ὃν καὶ ἤθελεν ἐξετάσαι ὁ βασιλεύς. ἐτασθέντων οὖν τῶν εἰρημένων ὁ μὲν ἤλεγχε τὸν εἰπόντα, ὁ δὲ ὡμολόγει εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰδήσει τοῦ Παλαιολόγου Μιχαήλ. καὶ ὁπλισθέντες καὶ συμβαλόντες ἥττηται ὁ κατηγορούμενος, καὶ συλληφθεὶς ζωὸς αὖθις ἠρ νεῖτο. κατεκρίθη θανεῖν, καὶ αὖθις μεθ' ὅρκων μὴ εἰδέναι τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαὴλ ἔλεγεν. ἡ οὖν ἐξέτασις πρὸς τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαὴλ καὶ ἡ διὰ μύδρου ἀπόδειξις. ὁ δὲ «εἰ μὲν κατηγορεῖ μέ τις, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἂν ἐμαχεσάμην, τὸ δὲ μύδρου κρατῆσαι τερατουργοῦ τινος, οἷος ἦν Φειδίας καὶ Πραξιτέλης.» ὁ δὲ Φιλαδελφείας Φωκᾶς συνεβούλευε τούτῳ τὸ τοιοῦτον. ὁ δὲ «οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως τὸ τοιοῦτον κέκληται ἅγιον» ἔφη, «ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι ἄνθρωπος καὶ τερα τουργεῖν τοιαῦτα οὐ δύναμαι. εἰ δέ μοι συμβουλεύῃ μητρο πολίτης ὢν καὶ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος τουτὶ διαπράξασθαι, ἔνδυσαι μὲν αὐτὸς τὴν ἱεράν σου στολήν, εἶτα ταῖς σαῖς χερσὶν ἐκπύρωσόν μοι τὸν σίδηρον καὶ ταύταις ἐπίθες τῇ χειρί μου τοῦτον. καὶ εἰ οὕτω γένηται, τεθάρρηκα τῷ δεσπότῃ μου Χριστῷ, ὡς τὴν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν μου παροράσεται, θαυ ματουργήσει δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν.» καὶ ὁ μητροπολίτης «οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῆς καταστάσεως οὐδὲ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς παραδόσεως, βαρβαρικῇ δὲ παραδόσει παρῆκται.» καὶ ὃς «εἰ μὲν ἐκ βαρβάρων γεγένημαι, βαρ βαρικῶς ἂν ἐκτισάμην τὴν δίκην μου.» καὶ ὁ μητροπολίτης πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθὼν ταῦτ' εἶπε. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς «αἲ τὸ ἐλεεινόν, οἵας δόξης ἐξέπεσε.»

51 Καὶ εἰς ἕω διαπεραιοῦται καὶ συζεύγνυσι τῷ Μιχαὴλ Κομνηνῷ εἰς γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σεβαστοκράτο ρος Ἰσαακίου ἐγγόνην τὴν Θεοδώραν, ἣν