of your son-in-law, was destitute and had much debt on her revenues and want in all things. And my lord the emperor is a new lord and needs a time of peace, to set her affairs in order; and if God allows him to be overcome by his youth and wickedness and to rush against the City, I do not know what would happen. Yes, if God had been pleased that this one, his son, should die, behold, truly joyful news, since he had no other and from grief he would have become weaker and shorter-lived; and in the midst of this that house would have recovered and, upon his death, would have gone on to great honor. And he says to me: ‘You are one of the prudent and first lords of that house and you would know better in such matters; nevertheless God is able to do it for the good.’ And I said: ‘So it is, as you command.’ And it was left to him.

31.1 But when I heard this and that the wife of the emir, the daughter of the despot of Serbia, had honorably and well returned to her parents, since I was about to remain in Trebizond for many reasons, but as a ship was departing for the City, I was sending both horses and two boys, which the king of Iberia, having gone to Samaxi, had seized and sent to me as a favor, and certain other things, which we both were given as gifts and acquired in other ways; I sat down and wrote to my lord the emperor, both what I had done in Iberia and what I suspect I am about to do in Trebizond, and the reason for my waiting there. 31.2 I also wrote another report, concerning what I am about to declare; and giving the letters to one of the young nobles with me, I sent him, instructing him, that ‘the one you should give to our lord the emperor, when you have paid homage to him; and by word of mouth report all our affairs; but on the morrow give him the other.’ 31.3 It was written thus: ‘I learned of the death of the emir, having arrived here in Trebizond, from the emperor; I also learned of the return of his cousin the emira to her homeland and her parents. Therefore, having considered it, her affair seems to me better and more profitable in many respects, if you should find a way to do it, than the matters here. 31.4 For I find only four obstacles: the inferiority of her lineage; the matter of the church on account of kinship; the fact that she has had a husband; and fourth, that she is of a greater age and there is a consideration that, when the time comes to bear a child, she might be in danger, as the natural philosophers write, that this happens for the most part. 31.5 Therefore, concerning the first I say that there is nothing strange, since she is of no lesser lineage than my lady and your late mother; concerning the second, even if we hope at all that the Church will permit the matter of Trebizond, if it happens, upon money being given to both the churches and to the poor, much more will it permit that of the despot of Serbia, whom both the church and the hieromonks and monks and nuns and the poor revere and owe so many favors. 31.6 Concerning the third, there is also nothing strange, since the lady Eudokia had a Turk for a husband before, the lord of a small and insignificant place, and she had children after him; and your grandfather took her to wife. But she was the wife of such a great lord and, as we hear, did not even remain with him. Concerning the fourth, let this too be up to God and as He may be pleased. 31.7 And since in all other respects it will be more advantageous, and her parents will most joyfully accept this, send someone either from your house or of the monks and let him see what comes of this; and let there be no delay, but do it. 31.8 When the letter-bearers, therefore, arrived in the City on the 28th of May, while the emperor was at a boar hunt, when it was said that those who went to Iberia had come, he finished and came from home, rejoicing because of the business of Serbia, as the narrative will declare below. 31.9 It happened that on the very evening of the 28th it appears to me in

τοῦ γαμβροῦ σου, ἠπορημένη καὶ χρέος εἰς τὰ εἰσο δήματα ἐκείνης πολὺ καὶ ἀπορία εἰς πάντα. Καὶ ὁ αὐθέντης μου ὁ βα σιλεὺς νέος αὐθέντης καὶ θέλει καιρὸν εἰρηνικόν, νὰ ἐξοικονομήσῃ τὰ ἐκείνης· καὶ ἂν παραχωρήσῃ ὁ θεὸς νὰ νικηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς νεότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ κακίας καὶ νὰ ὁρμήσῃ κατὰ τῆς Πόλεως, οὐκ οἶδα, τὶ νὰ γένηται; Ναί, ἂν εἶχεν εὐδοκήσειν ὁ θεός, νὰ ἀπέθνησκεν οὗτος, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ἰδοὺ εὐφρόσυνος κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἀγγελία, ἐπεὶ ἄλλον οὐκ εἶχε καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς λύπης ἤθελε γενεῖν καὶ ἀσθενέστερος καὶ ὀλιγοχρονιώτερος· καὶ μέ σον τούτου ἤθελεν ἀναῤῥωσθῆναι καὶ τὸ ὁσπίτιον ἐκεῖνο καί, ἀποθανόν τος ἐκείνου, ἤθελεν ὑπάγειν εἰς προτίμησιν μεγάλην. Καὶ λέγει μοι· Σὺ ἦσαι καὶ τῶν φρονίμων καὶ τῶν πρώτων ἀρχόντων τοῦ ὁσπιτίου ἐκεί νου καὶ θέλεις γινώσκειν καὶ εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα καλίω· ὅμως ὁ θεὸς δυνα τὸς ἔνι νὰ τὸ ποιήσῃ διὰ καλόν. Καὶ εἶπον· Οὕτως ἔνι, ὡς ὁρίζεις. Καὶ ἀπέμεινεν εἰς ἐκεῖνον.

31.1 Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἤκουσα τοῦτο καὶ ὅτι ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ, ἡ θυγάτηρ δεσπότου Σερβίας, ἐντίμως καὶ καλῶς ἐπανέστρεψεν εἰς τοὺς γονεῖς αὑτῆς, ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ ἔμελλον μεῖναι εἰς τὴν Τραπεζοῦντα διὰ αἴτια πολ λά, πλεύσιμον δὲ ἀπερχόμενον εἰς τὴν Πόλιν, ἔστελλον καὶ ἄλογα καὶ παιδία δύο, ἅτινα ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰβηρίας ἀπελθῶν περὶ τὸ Σαμαχὶν ἐκρού σευσε καὶ ἔστειλέ μοι χάριν, καὶ ἄλλα τινά, ἃ καὶ ἐχαρίσθημεν καὶ ἐκ τησάμεθα ἀλλοτρόπως· καθίσας ἔγραψα πρὸς τὸν αὐθέντην μου τὸν βα σιλέα, ὅσα καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἰβηρίαν ἔπραξα καὶ ὅσα εἰς τὴν Τραπεζοῦντα ὑποπτεύω, ὅτι μέλλω πράξειν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐκεῖσε προσμονῆς. 31.2 Ἔγραψα καὶ ἑτέραν ἀναφοράν, περὶ ὧν μέλλω δηλώσειν· καὶ δοὺς τὰς γραφὰς ἑνὶ τῶν σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀρχοντοπούλων ἔστειλα αὐτὸν παραγγείλας, ὅτι τὴν μὲν μίαν δὸς τῷ αὐθέντῃ ἡμῶν βασιλεῖ, ὡσὰν προσκυνήσῃς αὐτῷ· καὶ διὰ στόματος πάντα καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀνάφερε· ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν αὔριον δὸς τὴν ἑτέραν. 31.3 Ἔγραφε δὲ οὕτως· Ἐγὼ ἔμαθον τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ, φθά- σας ἐνταῦθα εἰς τὴν Τραπεζοῦντα, παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως· ἔμαθον καὶ τῆς ἐξαδέλφης αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀμηρίσσας ἐπαναστροφὴν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτῆς. Λοιπὸν συλλογισάμενος, φαίνεταί μοι κάλλιον καὶ ὠφέλι μον εἰς πολλὰ τὸ ἐκείνης, ἂν τὸ εὕρῃς νὰ τὸ πράξῃς παρὰ τὰ ἐνταῦθα. 31.4 Τέσσαρα γὰρ μόνον εὑρίσκω τὰ προσιστάμενα· τὸ ἔλαττον τοῦ γένους, τῆς ἐκκλησίας διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν, τὸ ὅτι εἶχεν ἄνδρα καὶ δ-ον ὅτι ἔνι χρόνου πλείονος καὶ ἔνι λογισμός, μήποτε ἐλθόντος καιροῦ τοῦ τεκεῖν παιδίον κινδυνεύσῃ, ὡς οἱ φυσικοὶ γράφουσιν, ὅτι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖ στον ἐπισυμβαίνει. 31.5 Λοιπὸν περὶ τοῦ πρώτου λέγω, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔνι παράδοξον, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ἔνι ἐλάττονος γένους τῆς κυρίας μου καὶ ἀοιδίμου μητρός σου· περὶ τοῦ δευτέρου, καὶ ἂν ὅλως ἐλπίζωμεν, ὅτι τὸ τῆς Τραπεζοῦντος, ἂν γένηται, θέλει συγχωρήσει αὐτὸ ἡ ἐκκλησία, δοθέντων χρημάτων εἴς τε τὰς ἐκκλησίας καὶ εἰς τοὺς πτωχούς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον θέλει συγχωρή σει τὸ τοῦ δεσπότου Σερβίας, ὁποῦ τὸν ἐντρέπονται καὶ χρεωστοῦσι το σαύτας χάριτας καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία καὶ ἱερομόναχοι καὶ μοναχοὶ καὶ μονα χαὶ καὶ πτωχοί. 31.6 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ τρίτου καὶ οὐδὲν ἔνι παράδοξον, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ δέσποι να κυρὰ Εὐδοκία ἄνδρα προεῖχε Τοῦρκον καὶ μικροῦ καὶ ὀλίγου τόπου αὐθέντην καὶ παιδία μετ' ἐκεῖνον ἐποίησεν· ἀπῆρε δὲ αὐτὴν εἰς γυναῖκαν ὁ πάππος σου. Αὕτη δὲ ἦν τοιούτου μεγάλου αὐθεντὸς γυνὴ καὶ οὐδὲ κἂν μετ' ἐκεῖνον, ὡς ἠκούομεν, ἔμεινε. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ δ-ου, καὶ τοῦτο ἂς ἔνι εἰς θεὸν καὶ ὡσὰν τοῦτο εὐδοκήσῃ. 31.7 Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἄλλα πάντα θέλει εἶσθεν συμφερώτερον καὶ οἱ γονεῖς περιχαρῶς θέλουν δέξεσθεν τοῦτο, στεῖλέ τινα ἢ τῶν τοῦ ὁσπι τίου σου ἢ τῶν μοναχῶν καὶ ἂς ἴδῃ τὶ περὶ τούτου· καὶ μηδὲν γένηται ἀναβολή, ἀλλὰ πρᾶξαι αὐτό. 31.8 Ἀποσωθέντων οὖν τῶν γραμματοκομιστῶν ἐν τῇ Πόλει τῇ κη-ῃ Μαΐου, τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ὄντος εἰς χοιροκυνήγιον, ὡς ἐλαλήθη, ὅτι ἦλ θον οἱ εἰς τὴν Ἰβηρίαν, σχολάσας ἦλθεν οἴκοθεν, χαίρων διὰ τὴν τῆς Σερβίας δουλείαν, ὡς παρακατιὼν ὁ λόγος δηλώσει. 31.9 Ἔτυχε δὲ ὅτι τὴν αὐτὴν δὴ τῆς κη-ης ἑσπέραν φαίνεταί μοι καθ'