The megas doux was informed through his and my synteknos, the hieromonk and spiritual father Neophytos of the Charsianites. He indeed agreed, willingly unwillingly, I do not know; and rather he showed that he too wished to do this, and only to bring honor to his sons. And so it was, although nothing was accomplished, as misfortunes came upon all together. 33.6 And he decreed that I am to be the one; and that he is considering Nikolaos Goudeles. And if the companionship is pleasing, let there also be a marriage-alliance between us, my son his daughter. And this was the business that he decreed, that they would cease the ambassadorships for me. 33.7 And he decreed to me that I was to send to the Morea, even some of these supposed elders, but I am to give my own handwritten instruction having 5 points, so that he may state the 1st for a compromise; if not, the 2nd or the 3rd or the 4th or out of necessity the 5th. And I think that whomever I send without you, if they promise him some land by a silver-sealed bull or promise that he and his children will have such and such, he will immediately give the 5th, which will be burdensome to me. 33.8 Regarding that of Cyprus, and do you know the monk who met with me on such-and-such a day? He told me from my niece that she has none of the necessities; which she wanted, either, if it were possible, to tell me by her own mouth, or at least to report it through a faithful and prudent person of hers, if she had one. Since she has not the one, and the other is impossible, I am to send him who will seem suitable to me, to hear it. 33.9 Who then is more suitable for this? For the third, this also needs no discussion, for you, who both acted and established and saw the person and met and were informed, how can the end of the business be brought about by another? I reported to him: This is admittedly so, as you decree; and your servant, my companion, consents to it, since the matter also requires it and because through this she will have both what you promised me, and place and honor and sponsorship more than the other ladies. But as for the other things I know nothing of what to report to you. It being time for lunch, I went home.

34.1 But after lunch, when the megas doux arrived, he decreed to him what he had decreed with me concerning the ambassadorships, for me to depart, but not the reasons. And he added this too, that there is also a need for us to honor him; for in the office that he has, he owes no thanks to us, except to the emperor my brother. Therefore see him about this and hear which of the offices he desires and we shall listen to him. 34.2 He therefore met with me and I said to him that I had in mind to ask him to grant me a greater office, however one that another neither has, nor will grant during my lifetime, because thus it seems fitting to me and I would like it; and especially since I went to Trebizond and heard so many reproaches and accusations, how for the one and same office there are three lords here, my thought was further confirmed in the desire which I had. Therefore let him grant me the office of megas konostavlos. 34.3 He went and reported these things to the emperor and he decrees to him: This, Notaras, I will give to no one, because my first father-in-law was megas konostavlos, having been made so by my lord the emperor my father at the Hexamilion; but I will give him one greater than this so that I may make him megas logothetes, which is the 4th office and that of the megas konostavlos is the 7th. 34.4 The megas doux says to him: And what is to become of Palaiologos Metochites, since you appointed the son of Kantakouzenos, at the request of the despot your brother, because of the kinship of the marriage-alliance and because of his protostrator father? And he will go give his soul to the devil, if you now also make Sphrantzes megas logothetes, which is also first before that of the megas stratopedarches. What will

ἐμηνύθη ὁ μέγας δοὺξ διὰ τοῦ συντέκνου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμοῦ, ἱερομονάχου καὶ πνευματικοῦ Νεοφύτου τοῦ εἰς τὴν Χαρσιανίτου. Ὁ δὴ καὶ ἔστερξεν, ἑκουσίως ἀκουσίως, οὐκ οἶδα· καὶ μᾶλλον ἔδειξεν, ὅτι κἀκεῖνος ἐβούλετο τοῦτο ποιῆσαι καὶ ὅτι μόνον νὰ ποιήσῃ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τιμῆν. Καὶ ἐστάθη, εἰ καὶ οὐδὲν ἐτελέσθη, ἐπελθοῦσαι αἱ συμ φοραὶ εἰς πάντας ὁμοῦ. 33.6 Καὶ ὥριζεν, ὅτι ἐγὼ μὲν θέλω εἶσθαι ὁ εἷς· καὶ ὅτι στοχάζεται πρὸς τὸν Γουδέλην Νικόλαον. Καὶ ἂν ἀρεστὴ ἔνι ἡ συντροφία, νὰ γέ νηται καὶ μέσον ἡμῶν συμπεθέριον, ὁ υἱός μου τὴν ἐκείνου θυγατέραν. Καὶ αὕτη μὲν ἦν ἡ δουλεία, ὁποῦ ὥριζεν, ὅτι ἤθελαν παύειν εἰς ἐμὲ τὰ ἀποκρισιαρίκια. 33.7 Ὥρισέ μοι δὲ ὅτι πέμψειν ἤθελα εἰς τὸν Μορέαν καὶ ἀπὸ τούτους τάχα τοὺς γεραιτέρους, ἀλλὰ θέλω νὰ δώσω οἰκειόχειρόν μου ἀνάθεσιν ἔχουσαν κεφάλαια εʹ, ἵνα εἶπῃ τὸ α-ον εἰς συμβίβασιν· εἰ δ' οὖν, τὸ β-ον ἢ τὸ γ-ον ἢ τὸ δ-ον ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης τὸ ε-ον Καὶ δοξάζω, ὅτι οἷον ἀποστείλω ἄνευ σοῦ, θέλει ὑπάγειν καὶ τὸν νὰ τον τάξουν κανένα χωρίον ἀργυρο βούλλῳ ἢ ὅτι θέλει ἔχει ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτοῦ οὕτως καὶ οὕτως, εὐθὺς θέλει δώσειν τὸ ε-ον, ὅπερ θέλει εἶσθεν εἰς ἐμὲ βαρύ. 33.8 Εἰς τὸ τῆς Κύπρου, καὶ ἐπίστασαι τὸν καλόγερον, ὅς μοι συνε τύχενε τὴν δεῖνα ἡμέραν; Εἶπέ μοι ἀπὸ τὴν ἀνεψιάν μου, ὅτι τίποτε ἔχει τῶν ἀναγκαίων· ὁποῦ ἤθελεν, ἤ, ἂν ἦν τῶν δυνατῶν, νά με τὸ ἔλεγε διὰ στόματος αὐτῆς, ἢ κἂν νὰ τὸ ἐμήνυε διὰ πιστοῦ καὶ φρονίμου ἀνθρώπου αὐτῆς, ἂν εἶχεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ μὲν οὐκ ἔχει, τὸ δὲ ἔνι ἀδύνατον, νὰ στείλω ἐγὼ τόν, ὅν με θέλει φανεῖν ἁρμόδιον, νά το ἀκούσῃ. 33.9 Τὶς οὖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἁρμοδιώτερος; Εἰς τὸ τρίτον καὶ τοῦτο λόγου οὐ δέεται, σὺ γάρ, ὁποῦ καὶ ἔπραξας καὶ ἔστησας καὶ εἶδες τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ συνέτυχες καὶ ἐπληροφορήθης, πῶς ἠμπορεῖ τὸ τέλος τῆς δουλείας νὰ γένηται παρ' ἄλλου; Ἀνέφερον αὐτῷ· Τοῦτο ὁμολογουμένως οὕτως ἔχει, ὡς ὁρίζεις· καὶ συγκατατίθεταί το καὶ ἡ δούλη σου ἡ σύντροφός μου, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀπαιτεῖ καὶ ὅτι διὰ τούτου θέλει ἔχειν, καὶ ἅπερ μου ἔταξας, καὶ τόπον καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ἀναδοχὴν πλείω τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχον τισσῶν. Ἀμὴ εἰς τὰ ἄλλα οὐδὲν ἠξεύρω, τὶ νά σε ἀναφέρω. Καιροῦ δ' ὄντος τοῦ ἀρίστου, ἀπῆλθον ἐγὼ οἴκαδε.

34.1 Ἀπὸ δὲ γεύματος ἐλθόντος τοῦ μεγάλου δουκός, ὥρισε πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅσα μετ' ἐμοῦ περὶ τῶν ἀποκρισιαρικίων ὥρισε, πρὸς τὸ νὰ ἀπέλθω, οὐ μὴν τὰ αἰτία. Καὶ προσέθηκε καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔνι καὶ χρεία, καὶ ἡμεῖς νά τον τιμήσωμεν· εἰς γὰρ τὸ ὀφφίκιον, ὁποῦ ἔχει, χάρις ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ἔχει, εἰ μὴ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἀδελφόν μου. Λοιπὸν ἰδὲ αὐτὸν πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ ἐγροίκησον, ποῖον τῶν ὀφφικίων νὰ ὀρέγεται καὶ πρὸς οὗ ἀ κούσωμεν. 34.2 Συνέτυχέ μοι οὖν καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν νῷ εἶχον, ὅτι νά τον ζητήσω νά με εὐεργετήσῃ ὀφφίκιον μεγαλώτερον, πλὴν ὅπερ ἄλ λος οὔτε ἔχει, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ νά το εὐεργετήσῃ ζῶντός μου, διότι καὶ οὕτως μοι φαίνεται πρέπον καὶ ἠγάπουν· καὶ ἀφ' οὗ μάλιστα εἰς τὴν Τραπεζοῦν ταν ἀπῆλθον καὶ τοσαῦτα ὀνείδη καὶ κατηγορίας ἤκουσα, πῶς εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἓν ὀφφίκιον εἰσὶν ἄρχοντες τρεῖς ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἔτι ἐβεβαιώθη ὁ λογισμός μου εἰς τὴν ὄρεξιν, ἢν εἶχον. Λοιπὸν ἄς με εὐεργητήσῃ τὸ ὀφ φίκιον τοῦ μεγάλου κοντοσταύλου. 34.3 Ἀπῆλθε καὶ ἀνέφερε ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὁρίζει πρὸς αὐτόν· Τοῦτο, Νοταρᾶ, τινὰ οὐδὲν τὸ θέλω δώσειν, διότι ὁ πρῶτός μου πενθε ρὸς ἦν μέγας κοντόσταυλος γεγονὼς παρὰ τοῦ αὐθεντός μου τοῦ βασι λέως τοῦ πατρός μου εἰς τὸ Ἑξαμίλιον· ἀμὴ νά τον δώσω μεγαλώτερον τούτου ἵνα τὸν ποιήσω μέγαν λογοθέτην, ὅπερ ἔνι ὀφφίκιον δ-ον καὶ τὸ τοῦ μεγάλου κοντοσταύλου ἔνι ζ-ον. 34.4 Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ μέγας δούξ· Καὶ τὶ νὰ γένηται μετὰ τὸν Παλαιο λόγον τὸν Μετοχίτην, ὁποῦ ἐποίησας τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ, ζη τήσει τοῦ δεσπότου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν τῆς συγγαμ βρίας καὶ διὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα πρωτοστράτορα; Καὶ ἐκεῖνος ὑπάγει νὰ δώσῃ τὴν ψυχήν του τὸν διάβολον, ἂν καὶ νῦν ποιήσῃς καὶ τὸν Σφραν τζῆν μέγαν λογοθέτην, ὁποῦ ἔνι καὶ αὐτὸ πρῶτον ἀπὸ τὸ του μεγάλου στρατοπεδάρχη. Τὶ θέλει