my children having been captured by old and good Turks and by them sold again to the emir's mirahor, that is, the count of his horses, who also bought many other beautiful noblewomen and gained much from them. 35.12 And since the beauty and other good qualities of my children could not be hidden, the emir, having learned about them, took them away, giving to the mirahor many thousands of aspers. And the wretched mother remained alone with only one of her nurses, while the others were divided up.

36.1 But someone might ask, what had been done by the emperor during the time of the battle, in which time and season the emir was making preparations, and what did the Christians from abroad do to help? 36.2 And as for the Christians from abroad, it is clear, that they did nothing, but rather, when a commander of the emir was sent to George, the Despot of Serbia, so that he might mediate a peace with the Hungarians, a Christian secretary who accompanied the departing ambassador was instructed by some of the Turkish councillors to tell the Despot to find a way to postpone the peace, because, if the peace with the Hungarians is made, the emir will immediately go against Constantinople, and he paid no heed, the wretched man not knowing that, if the head of a body should be removed, the limbs are dead. 36.3 In Venice, when a great council was also held, the Doge Francesco Foscari objected, not out of ignorance, for both the emperor lord John swore to us, as did others who had seen and spoken with him, that they had not seen a wiser man in Italy, but out of malice and envy; for envy does not know to prefer what is expedient. And this was the reason: when that Alvise Diedo was acting as an intermediary, so that my late master lord Constantine, being despot and ruler in the Morea, might take to wife the daughter of that very doge, and with a large dowry, my master, therefore, not for this reason, but so that he and his land might become one, as it were, with Venice, consented to such a marriage-alliance, with me more than others consenting to this and urging it; and behold, it was about to happen 36.4 But when he became emperor and went to the City, this was again unsuitable. For which of the lords or ladies of the city would have accepted as mistress and lady the daughter of a Venetian, of a glorious one perhaps, and a doge, but only for a time? Or his other sons-in-law as fellow sons-in-law, or his sons as brothers-in-law of the emperor? Therefore, when this was sought, he was rejected and the man became an enemy. And although the lords Alvise Loredan and Antonio Diedo and many others said much and demonstrated, that, if Constantinople were captured, it would be to the great detriment of their own authority, they did not prevail. 36.5 And the Church of Rome, what did it care about this? For when the Cardinal of Russia was in the City, I acted as an intermediary on his behalf to my ever-memorable and blessed master the emperor, that he might become patriarch; and that such and such things might be done by him and the then pope, or at least that the pope be commemorated a second time. 36.6 And after many words and much counsel and deliberation, it seemed good to the ever-memorable emperor that the one thing should be omitted entirely, because if he became patriarch there is a need for all either to obey him, or for enmity and conflict to arise between him and those not obeying him. And in such a time, when an external war presses upon us, to have an internal war also, how evil; as for the commemoration, let it be done for the hope of our aid in necessity. And as many as do this in Hagia Sophia, the others will be blameless and peaceful. And when this was done on the 12th of the month of December, behold, six months passed and they took as much thought for aid as the Sultan of Carea took. 36.7 And from Serbia, though it was possible to send

τῶν παιδίων μου ὑπὸ γερόντων καὶ καλῶν Τουρκῶν ἁλωθέντων καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν πάλιν πραθέντων εἰς τὸν τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ μεραχούρην, ἤγουν κόμητα τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀλό γων, ὃς καὶ πολλὰς καὶ καλὰς ἄλλας τῶν ἀρχοντισσῶν ἠγόρασε καὶ πολ λὰ ἐκέρδισεν ἐπ' αὐταῖς. 35.12 Τοῦ δὲ κάλλους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν τῶν παιδίων μου οὐ δυ ναμένου κρυβῆναι, μαθόντος περὶ αὐτῶν τοῦ ἀμηρᾶς ἀπῆρεν αὐτὰ δοὺς πρὸς τὸν μεραχούρην ἄσπρας χιλιάδας πολλάς. Ἐναπέμεινε δὲ ἡ ἀθλία μήτηρ μόνη μετὰ μιᾶς καὶ μόνης ἀνατροφῆς αὐτῆς, αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι διεμερί σθησαν.

36.1 Ἐρωτήσειε δ' ἄν τις, καὶ τί ἐγεγόνει παρὰ τοῦ βασι λέως τὸν δία μέσου καιρὸν τῆς μάχης, ἐν ᾧ δὴ χρόνῳ καὶ καιρῷ ὁ ἀμη ρᾶς παρεσκευάζετο, καὶ τί πρὸς βοήθειαν ἐποίησαν οἱ ἔξωθεν χριστιανοί; 36.2 Καὶ τῶν μὲν ἔξωθεν Χριστιανῶν, δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐδὲ τίποτε, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ εἰς τὸν τῆς Σερβίας δεσπότην Γεώργιον ἀποσταλεὶς ἄρχων τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ, ἵνα γένηται μέσος εἰς ἀγάπην μετὰ τῶν Οὐγκρῶν, ἦν ἀνατεθειμένος ὁ μετὰ τοῦ ἀποκρισιαρίου τοῦ ἀπερχομένου γραμματικὸς Χριστιανὸς παρά τινων Τουρκῶν τῶν τῆς βουλῆς, ἵνα εἴπῃ τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ ποιήσῃ τρόπον ἀναβολῆς εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅτι, ἂν γένηται ἡ μετὰ τῶν Οὐγκρῶν ἀγάπη, εὐθὺς ὑπάγει ὁ ἀμηρᾶς κατὰ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπό λεως, καὶ ἐκεῖνος λόγον οὐκ ἐποιήσατο, οὐκ εἰδότος τοῦ ἀθλίου, ὅτι, ἂν τυχὸν ἀφαιρεθῇ ἡ κεφαλὴ σώματος, τὰ μέλη εἰσὶ νεκρά. 36.3 Εἰς τὴν Βενετίαν καὶ βουλῆς γενομένης μεγάλης ἀντέστη ὁ δὸξ Φραντζέσκω Φούσκαρις οὐ κατ' ἄγνοιαν, καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κὺρ Ἰωάννης ὥριζέ μας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοι οἱ ἰδόντες καὶ ὁμιλίσαντες αὐτόν, ὅτι φρονιμώτερον ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν οὐκ εἶδον, ἀλλὰ διὰ κακίαν καὶ φθόνον· οὐκ οἶδε γὰρ ὁ φθόνος προτιμᾶν τὸ συμφέρον. Ἦν δὲ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦτο· τοῦ Ἀλωΐζου ∆ιέδου ἐκείνου μέσου γεγονότος, ἵνα ὁ μα καρίτης αὐθέντης μου κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνος, δεσπότης ὢν καὶ εἰς τὸν Μο ρέαν αὐθέντης εὑρισκόμενος, ἐπάρῃ εἰς γυναῖκαν αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ δουκὸς τὴν θυγατέραν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς προικός, ὁ αὐθέντης μου οὗν οὐ διὰ τοῦ το, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ γενέσθαι οἱονεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ τόπος αὑτοῦ μετὰ τῆς Βενετίας ἕν, συνεκατέβαινε τὸ τοιοῦτον συμπενθέριον, ἐμοῦ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων συναινοῦντος τοῦτο καὶ ἀναγκάζοντος· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦν, ἵνα γίνηται 36.4 Ὡς δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐγεγόνει καὶ εἰς τὴν Πόλιν ἀπῆλθε, τοῦτο ἦν πάλιν ἀνοίκειον. Τὶς γὰρ τῶν τῆς πόλεως ἀρχόντων ἢ ἀρχοντισσῶν κυ ρίαν καὶ δέσποιναν κατεδέξατο Βενετίκου θυγατέραν, ἐνδόξου μὲν ἴσως καὶ δουκός, ἀλλὰ προσκαίρως; ἢ τοὺς γαμβροὺς τοὺς ἄλλους αὐτοῦ ὡς συγγάμβρους ἢ τοὺς υἱοὺς ὡς γυναικαδελφοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως; Λοιπὸν τοῦ το γυρεύσαντος ἀπεπέμφθη καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐχθρός. Καὶ πολλὰ εἰπόντων τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ Ἀλωΐζου Λουρδᾶ καὶ Ἀντωνίου ∆ιέδου καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν καὶ ἀποδειξάντων, ὅτι, ἂν ἁλωθῆ ἡ Κωνσταντινούπολις, εἰς πολλὴν ζημίαν θέλει εἶσθεν καὶ τῆς αὐθεντίας αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. 36.5 Ἡ ἐκκλησία τῆς Ῥώμης καὶ τί περὶ τούτου ἐφρόντισεν; Εὑρε-θέντος καὶ γὰρ τοῦ καρδηναλίου Ῥωσσίας εἰς τὴν Πόλιν, μέσος ἐγὼ παρ' αὐτοῦ γέγονα εἰς τὸν ἀοίδιμον καὶ μακαρίτην αὐθέντην μου τὸν βα σιλέα, ἵνα γένηται πατριάρχης· καὶ τὰ καὶ τὰ γένωνται παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ τότε πάπα, ἢ κἂν ἐκ δευτέρου νὰ μνημονευθῇ ὁ πάπας. 36.6 Καὶ πολλῶν λόγων καὶ βουλῆς καὶ μελέτης γενομένης ἔδοξε τῷ ἀοιδίμῳ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι τὸ ἓν νὰ λείψῃ παντελῶς, διότι πατριάρχου γενο μένου ἔνι χρεία πάντες, ἢ νὰ πείθωνται αὐτῷ, ἢ ἔχθρα νὰ γένηται καὶ πόλεμος μέσον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν μὴ πειθομένων αὐτῶν. Καὶ εἰς τοιοῦτον καιρόν, ὁποῦ μᾶς ἐπεμβαίνει ἔξωθεν πόλεμος, νὰ ἔχωμεν καὶ ἔσωθεν πό λεμον, πόσον κακόν· τοῦ δὲ μνημοσύνου, ἂς γένηται διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς βοηθείας ἡμῶν εἰς ἀνάγκην. Καὶ ὅσοι ποιήσουν τοῦτο εἰς τὴν Ἁγίαν Σοφίαν, οἱ ἄλλοι θέλωσιν εἶσθεν ἀναίτιοι καὶ εἰρηνικοί. Καὶ γενομένου τῇ ιβ-ῃ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνός, διέβησαν ἰδοὺ μῆνες ἓξ καὶ τοσοῦτον λόγον ἐποιήσαντο ὑπὲρ βοιηθείας, ὅσον ἐποιήσατο ὁ σουλτάνος τοῦ Κάρεως. 36.7 Ἀπὸ δὲ τὴς Σερβίας δυνατοῦ ὄντος νὰ ἀποστείλῃ