money and secretly from many places and people likewise in another way, did anyone see one obol? Yes, truly they sent much, both money and men, to the emir who was besieging the city. And the Turks made a triumph of them and showed that, "behold, the Serbs too are against you." 36.8 Which of the Christians, or perhaps of the emperor of Trebizond or of the Vlachs or of the Iberians, sent one obol or one man as aid, either openly or secretly? 36.9 The Hungarians perhaps sent envoys, saying that if the City is saved, so that you may have peace with it, we too have made peace with you; but if not, we wish to break it. The embassy arrived almost in the week in which they were about to fight, so that, if they should take it, they might say to them: "Behold, we have taken it, and you depart and, as you wish, have with us either peace or battle." Which indeed also happened; and this was said to them. But if they did not take it, they were to rise and say that "we have risen both for the sake of your peace and the word of the agreement;" or also to make peace, as we heard, that he said, that "if I do not take it, I shall immediately make a peace that will stand for my whole life." 36.10 But my late lord the emperor, what did he not do secretly and openly for the aid of his own house and of the Christians or of his own life? Or did he think that, if anything should happen, he might flee, it being possible and easy? 36.11 For who of all the others, except John Kantakouzenos and me, knew that Iancu had requested him to give him either Selymbria or Mesembria and to be one of his subjects and have many of his men there, and in time of battle with the Turks to be an enemy of theirs and an ally of the city. And when the battle occurred, Mesembria was given to him, and the chrysobull was written by me; and the son-in-law of Theodosius the Cypriot, the son of Michael, delivered it to him. 36.12 Who knew of the request of the king of the Catalans, that Lemnos be given to him and that he be always against the Turks at sea and in necessity an ally for the City? And it was being done. 36.13 Who knew how much money and how many promises he gave and sent to Chios by way of Galata, so that they might send men, and they did not send them? 36.14 Who performed fasts and prayers, both by himself and through the priests, giving them money, or ministered more to the poor, or made more promises to God for the Christians to be freed from the captivity of the Turks? But nevertheless God overlooked all these things—by what judgments, I do not know—while men were ignorant of them and each said what he wanted against him. But let us return to the subject at hand.

37.1 In that same autumn of the 62nd year, that is, the Albanians of the Morea rose up completely against their despots and masters and made—I do not know what to say—Manuel Kantakouzenos a despot, forsooth. 37.2 But in December of the same year, the son of Turahan came again with an army to aid the despots and, after doing a little harm to the Albanians and receiving his captive brother as a favor, he returned. 37.3 In which year and month the most impious and cruel emir killed with his own hand my dearest son John, on the pretext that the boy wanted to do this against him—alas for me, his unfortunate and wretched father—being fourteen years and eight months old less a day, having the mind and body of one many years older. 37.4 In that same December I too went to Leontarion and did obeisance to the Despot, lord Thomas Porphyrogennetos; and he accepted me into his service and bestowed the village of Kertezi with a silver-sealed bull; and he prepared for me to go in the spring of that same year to the despots of Serbia, his father-in-law and brother-in-law, for many necessary and beneficial services

χρήματα καὶ κρυφίως ἀπὸ πολλὰ μέρη καὶ ἀνθρώπους ὁμοίως δι' ἄλλου τρόπου, εἶδε τίς ἕνα ὄβολον; Ναί, ἀληθῶς ἔστειλαν πολλὰ καὶ χρήματα καὶ ἀνθρώ πους εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν πολιορκοῦντα τὴν πόλιν. Καὶ ἐθριάμβευσαν αὐτοὺς οἱ Τοῦρκοι καὶ ἔδειξαν, ὅτι ἰδοὺ καὶ οἱ Σέρβοι καθ' ὑμῶν εἰσι. 36.8 Τὶς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἢ τάχα τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Τραπεζοῦντος ἢ τῶν Βλαχῶν ἢ τῶν Ἰβήρων ἀπέστειλαν ἕνα ὄβολον ἢ ἕνα ἄνθρωπον εἰς βοήθειαν ἢ φανερῶς ἢ κρυφίως; 36.9 Οἱ Οὔγγαροι ἔστειλαν ἴσως ἀποκρισιαρίους, λέγοντες ὅτι σω ζομένου τοῦ νὰ ἔχετε καὶ μετὰ τῆς Πόλεως ἀγάπην, ἐποιήσαμεν καὶ ἡ μεῖς μεθ' ὑμῶν τὴν ἀγάπην· εἰ δ' οὖν, θέλομεν τὴν χαλάσειν. Ἦλθε τὸ ἀποκρισιαρίκιον σχεδὸν κατὰ τὴν ἑβδομάδαν, ἐν ᾗ ἔμελλον, ἵνα πολεμή σουν, καί, εἰ μὲν ἐπάρουν αὐτήν, ἵνα εἴπωσι πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἰδοὺ ἀπή ραμεν αὐτὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀπέλθατε καί, ὡσὰν θέλετε, ἔχετε ἡμᾶς ἢ ἀγά πην ἢ μάχην. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐγένετο· καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐῤῥέθη. Εἰ δὲ καὶ οὐδὲν τὴν ἔπερνον, νὰ σηκωθῶσι καὶ νὰ εἴπωσιν, ὅτι καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην καὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς συμφωνίας ἐσηκώθημεν· ἢ καὶ νὰ ποίῃ καὶ ἀγάπην, ὡς ἠκούομεν, ὅτι ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἂν οὐδὲν ἐπάρω αὐτήν, εὐθὺς νὰ ποιήσω ἀγάπην, ὅ τι εἰς πᾶσάν μου τὴν ζωὴν νὰ ἴσταται. 36.10 Ὁ δὲ μακαρίτης καὶ αὐθέντης μου ὁ βασιλεύς, τί οὐκ ἔπραξε κρυφίως καὶ φανερῶς πρὸς βοήθειαν τοῦ ὁσπιτίου αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν Χρι στιανῶν ἢ τῆς ζωῆς αὑτοῦ; Ἢ ἐνεθυμεῖτο ὅτι, ἐὰν ἐπισυμβῇ τίποτε, νὰ φύγῃ, δυνατοῦ καὶ εὐκόλου ὄντος; 36.11 Τὶς γὰρ ἠπίστατο τῶν ἄλλων πάντων πάρεξ τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ Ἰωάννου καὶ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ὁ Ἰάγκος προεζήτησε νὰ τὸν δώσῃ ἢ τὴν Ση-λυβρίαν ἢ τὴν Μεσέμβριαν καὶ νὰ ἔνι εἶς τῶν ὑποχειρίων αὐτοῦ καὶ πολ λοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖσε ἔχῃ καὶ εἰς καιρὸν μάχης τῶν Τουρ κῶν νὰ ἔνι ἐχθρὸς ἐκείνων καὶ βοηθὸς τῆς πόλεως. Καὶ ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ μά χη, ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἡ Μεσέμβρια καὶ τὸ χρυσόβουλλον δι' ἐμοῦ ἐγράφη· καὶ ὁ γαμβρὸς Θεοδοσίου τοῦ Κυπρίου, ὁ τοῦ Μιχαήλου υἱός, ἐκόμισεν εἰς ἐκεῖνον. 36.12 Τὶς ἠπίστατο τὴν τοῦ ῥηγὸς ζήτησιν τῶν Καταλάνων, ὅτι νὰ δοθῇ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἡ Λῆμνος καὶ νὰ ἔνι κατὰ τῶν Τουρκῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσ σῃ ἀεὶ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς Πόλεως ἐν ἀνάγκῃ βοηθός; Καὶ ἐπράττετο. 36.13 Τὶς ἠπίστατο, ὅσα δὴ καὶ χρήματα καὶ ἐπαγγελίας δέδωκε καὶ ἔστειλεν εἰς τὴν Χίον διὰ τοῦ Γαλατᾶ, ἵνα στείλωσιν ἀνθρώπους καὶ οὐκ ἔστειλαν; 36.14 Τὶς καὶ νηστείας καὶ δεήσεις ἐποιεῖτο καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἱερέων διδοὺς αὐτοῖς χρήματα, ἢ τοῖς πτωχοῖς πλείω ἐθεράπευσεν, ἢ ἐπαγγελίας ἐποιήσατο πλείους εἰς θεὸν εἰς τὸ ἐλευθερωθῆναι τοὺς Χρι στιανοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν Τουρκῶν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως πάντα ταῦτα μὲν παρεῖδε θεός, τίσι κρίμασιν, οὐκ οἶδα, τὰ δὲ ἠγνοοῦσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἕκαστος ἔλεγε κατ' ἐκείνου τὸ ἤθελεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον τοῦ λόγου ἐπανέλθωμεν.

37.1 Τῷ αὐτῷ δὴ φθινοπώρῳ τοῦ ξβ-ου ἔτους δηλονότι τε λείως ἐπανέστησαν οἱ τοῦ Μορέως Ἀλβανῖται κατὰ τῶν δεσποτῶν καὶ αὐθεντῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τόν, οὐκ οἶδα τί εἰπεῖν, Καντακουζηνὸν Μανουὴλ δεσπότην τάχα πεποιήκασι. 37.2 Τὸν δὲ ∆εκέμβριον τοῦ αὐτοῦ χρόνου ἐλθόντος πάλιν τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Τουραχάνη μετὰ φωσάτου ὑπὲρ βοηθείας τῶν δεσποτῶν καὶ κακώσαν τος μικρὸν τοὺς Ἀλβανίτας καὶ τὸν αἰχμάλωτον αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸν χάριτα λαβὼν ἐπανέστρεψεν. 37.3 Ἐν ᾧ δὴ χρόνῳ καὶ μηνὶ ἀνεῖλεν αὐτοχειρίᾳ τὸν φίλτατόν μου υἱὸν Ἰωάννην ὁ ἀσεβέστατος καὶ ἀπηνέστατος ἀμηρᾶς ὡς δῆθεν βουλη θέντος τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι κατ' αὐτοῦ, οἴμοι τῷ δυστυχεῖ καὶ ἀθλίῳ γενέτῃ, χρόνου ὄντος ιδ-ου καὶ μηνῶν ηʹ παρὰ ἡμέραν, φρόνημα καὶ κορμὶν ἔχων πολῷ πλειόνων χρονῶν. 37.4 Τῷ αὐτῷ δὴ ∆εκεμβρίῳ καὶ εἰς τὸ Λεοντάριν ἀπῆλθον κἀγὼ καὶ τὸν δεσπότην κὺρ Θωμᾶν τὸν πορφυρογέννητον προσεκύνησα· καὶ εἰς τὴν δουλοσύνην αὑτοῦ με προσεδέξατο καὶ τὸ χωρίον Κέρτεζιν εὐεργέ τησεν ἀργυροβούλλῳ· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς δεσπότας Σερβίας, τὸν συμπένθερον καὶ γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ, ἑτοίμασεν ἀπελθεῖν με τῷ ἔαρι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους διὰ πολλὰς καὶ ἀναγκαίας δουλείας καὶ ὠφελίμους