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the city, and of some of the better men thinking it was a visit of the emperor. However, the elder emperor, learning of his grandson's flight, was for a short time shaken in his thoughts, then, recovering himself, and not considering it a great task to subdue his grandson, since both the army and the 1.91 entire administration were under his control, one of the senators, Manuel Tagaris the grand stratopedarch, who, though sprung from a mean and obscure family, had by his own efforts advanced to the greatest renown through his courage and boldness in battle, for in Philadelphia in Lydia he had displayed many deeds of prowess, boldness, and strategic experience against the Persians, so that as a result of these he was admired and obtained an illustrious marriage; for he was married to the emperor's niece, Theodora Asanina; summoning this man, the emperor said, "My grandson has departed, fleeing this city by night. Where he might be staying, it is not possible to know for sure; but of this I am firmly convinced, that within a few days he will be brought back a prisoner. For the present, you yourself, taking as much of the army as you think will be sufficient for the task, march against them in hot pursuit; and if you only manage to encounter them, nothing remains but to return having taken them all captive; for it would never occur to them not only to defend themselves, but even to look you in the face." Tagaris, however, being prudent and skilled in battles, said, "To you, O most mighty emperor, it seems to be a task requiring little effort that your grandson be brought back seized as a prisoner, but to me it seems quite the opposite. I wish, then, to prove 1.92 myself false, and not you in your hope, O emperor. How this may turn out, the event itself, as they say, will show. But since you have ordered me to take an army and pursue them, on the grounds that, if we happen to encounter them, they will not only not defend themselves, but will not even dare to look us in the face, I will state what my opinion is on these matters. Your grandson and those with him, knowing well the number of the army present here, and not only that but also its experience and boldness, would not have dared to turn to flight unless they had first staked their lives on their spear-points, and so incited themselves to defend themselves to the death against all who might come against them. For they know well that, if they are captured, they will suffer a fate by no means gentler than death. Therefore they will fight as men doomed to die and beyond their strength, being reckless of their own lives. For anyone to engage with men who are courting death with equal numbers would seem not far from madness. For in such cases, it is necessary for the opposing force to exceed them greatly in number, and to be equal in resolve; and both of these things are uncertain for us. For we do not know the number of those with them, and of those under our command, we are ignorant as to whose side their sentiments incline. And besides, since they departed around midnight, as it was possible to learn from the guards of the gates, and we would not be able to set out in pursuit before late evening, the result for them will be to be in safety, while for us it will be to attempt the impossible; 1.93 and one of two things will happen: either we will arrive too late and return having accomplished nothing, which would itself be a sign of defeat, or we will overtake them, be defeated, and fall. For these reasons, it seems to me that we must not pursue them in a frontal assault, but wage war against them in some other way." 19. When the senators who were present also spoke in support of these words, the emperor abandoned his plan for pursuit, and ordered all those under him to swear that no one would take the side of Andronikos Palaiologos—for it was so commanded that he no longer be named emperor—but to consider him an enemy, as one who had rebelled against the emperor. The oaths, therefore, were administered, but they accomplished nothing more. For not only did many desert daily from Byzantium and the senate and the army to the young Andronikos, but also from the other provinces and cities subject to the Romans they flocked to him in bands, so that in a short time a formidable army was gathered around him. However, in connection with the revolution, there were plunderings and destructions

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τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τῶν κρειττόνων τινὸς τὴν βασιλέως οἰηθέντων ἐπιδημίαν. ὁ μέντοι πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς τὸν τοῦ ἐγγόνου δρασμὸν γνωρίσας, διασέσειστο μὲν ἐπ' ὀλίγον τοὺς λογισμοὺς, εἶτ' ἀναλαβὼν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ οὐ μέγα ἔργον ἡγησάμενος τὸ τὸν ἔγγονον χειρώσασθαι, ἅτε καὶ στρατιᾶς καὶ τῆς 1.91 ἀρχῆς ἁπάσης ὑφ' αὑτῷ οὔσης, ἕνα τῶν συγκλητικῶν Μανουὴλ Τάγαριν τὸν μέγαν στρατοπεδάρχην, γένους μὲν ὡρμημένον ἐκ φαύλου καὶ ἀφανοῦς, ἀνδρίᾳ δὲ καὶ τόλμῃ τῇ περὶ τὰς μάχας ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δόξης αὐτὸν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ προελθόντα, ἐν γὰρ Φιλαδελφείᾳ τῇ κατὰ Λυδίαν πολλὰ καὶ χειρὸς καὶ τόλμης καὶ στρατηγικῆς ἐμπειρίας κατὰ Περσῶν ἐνεδείξατο ἔργα, ὡς ἐκ τούτων θαυμασθέντα καὶ γάμου τυχεῖν ἐπιφανοῦς· τῇ γὰρ ἀνεψιᾷ συνέζευκτο βασιλέως Θεοδώρᾳ τῇ Ἀσανίνῃ· τοῦτον δὴ μετακαλεσάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, «ὁ ἐμὸς ἔγγονος» ἔφη «νυκτὸς ᾤχετο ἀποδρὰς τῆς πόλεως ταυτησίν. ὅπου μὲν οὖν ἂν διατρίβῃ, οὐκ ἔστιν εἰδέναι σαφῶς· τοῦτο δὲ πέπεισμαι ἀκριβῶς, ὡς ὀλίγων ἀχθήσεται δεσμώτης ἡμερῶν εἴσω. τὸ δὲ νῦν ἔχον αὐτὸς ἀναλαβὼν στρατιὰν ὅσην οἴει πρὸς τὸ ἔργον ἀρκέσειν, ἐπιστράτευσον αὐτοῖς καταπόδας· κἂν μόνον ἐγγένηται συντυχεῖν, οὐδὲν λοιπὸν ἢ δοριαλώτους ὑποστρέψαι λαβόντα πάντας· ἐκείνοις γὰρ οὐχ ὅτι ἀμύνασθαι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀντιβλέψαι ἄν ποτε παρασταίη.» ὁ Τάγαρις μέντοι, συνετὸς ὢν καὶ πρὸς μάχας ἐξησκημένος· «σοὶ μὲν, ὦ κράτιστε βασιλεῦ,» ἔφη «τῶν ὀλίγου πόνου δεομένων ἔργων εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ τὸν σὸν ἔγγονον ἀχθῆναι συλληφθέντα δεσμώτην, ἐμοὶ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν. βούλομαι δὴ ἐμὲ ψεύ 1.92 σασθαι, καὶ μὴ σὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος, ὦ βασιλεῦ. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ὁποῖον ἄν ποτε ἀποβαίη, αὐτό, φασι, δείξει. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐπέταξας στρατιὰν ἀναλαβόντα καταδιώκειν αὐτοὺς, ὡς, ἂν ἐγγένηται συντυχεῖν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀμυνουμένων, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀντιβλέψαι τολμησόντων· ὡς ἔχω καὶ περὶ τούτων γνώμης, ἐρῶ. τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῆς παρούσης ἐνταυθοῖ στρατιᾶς, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν καὶ τόλμαν ὁ σὸς ἔγγονος καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν σαφῶς εἰδότες, οὐκ ἂν ἐτόλμησαν τραπέσθαι πρὸς τὴν φυγὴν, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἐπ' ἄκροις δόρασιν ἐξαρτήσαντες τὴν ζωὴν, οὕτω παρέθηξαν ἑαυτοὺς, ὡς πᾶσιν, οἳ ἂν ἐπίωσιν, ἀμυνούμενοι μέχρι τοῦ πεσεῖν. ἴσασι γὰρ σαφῶς ὡς, ἂν ἁλῶσιν, ἥκιστα τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν πείσονται μετριώτερα. διόπερ ὡς τεθνηξόμενοι μαχοῦνται καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ἀφειδοῦντες ἑαυτῶν. θανατῶσιν οὖν ἀνθρώποις ἐξ ἴσου τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ συμπλέκεσθαί τινα, οὐδὲ πόῤῥω μανίας δόξειεν ἄν. ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους καὶ τῷ πλήθει πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ χρεὼν ὑπερέχειν, καὶ ταῖς προθυμίαις ἴσους εἶναι· ἃ δὴ καὶ ἀμφότερα ἡμῖν ἐν ἀμφιβόλῳ κεῖται. τῶν τε γὰρ συνόντων αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἴσμεν τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τῶν ὑφ' ἡμῖν τεταγμένων, ὁποτέροις πρόσκεινται τὰς γνώμας, ἀγνοοῦμεν. ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ μέσας νύκτας αὐτῶν ἐξελθόντων, ὡς παρὰ τῶν φυλάκων τῶν πυλῶν ἐξεγένετο μαθεῖν, ἡμῶν δ' οὐ μέχρι βαθείας ἑσπέρας δυνησομένων ἂν πρὸς τὴν δίωξιν καταστῆναι, ἐκείνοις μὲν τὸ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ περιστήσεται εἶναι, ἡμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀνεφίκτοις ἐπιχει 1.93 ρεῖν· καὶ δυοῖν ἕτερον συμβήσεται, ἢ ὑστερήσαντας ἀπράκτους ἐπανελθεῖν, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ σημεῖον ἂν ἥττης εἴη, ἢ καταλαβόντας, ἡττηθέντας πεσεῖν. τούτων δὴ ἕνεκα οὐ καταδιώκειν ἐξ ἐφόδου, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τινα τρόπον πρὸς αὐτοὺς πολεμητέον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ.» ιθʹ. Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις καὶ τῶν παρόντων συνειπόντων συγκλητικῶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς μὲν πρὸς τὴν δίωξιν βουλῆς ἀπέστη, ὀμνύναι δ' ἐκέλευσε πάντας τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν, ὡς οὐδεὶς ἂν ἕλοιτο τὰ Παλαιολόγου τοῦ Ἀνδρονίκου, οὕτω γὰρ προσετέτακτο μηκέτι βασιλέα κατονομάζειν, ἀλλὰ πολέμιον ἡγεῖσθαι ὡς τοῦ βασιλέως ἀφεστηκότα. οἱ ὅρκοι μὲν οὖν ἐτελοῦντο, ἤνυον δὲ πλέον οὐδέν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐκ Βυζαντίου καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ὁσημέραι πολλοὶ πρὸς τὸν νέον Ἀνδρόνικον ἠυτομόλουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπαρχιῶν τε καὶ πόλεων τῶν ὑπηκόων Ῥωμαίοις συνέῤῥεον κατὰ συστάσεις, ὡς ἐν ὀλίγῳ περὶ αὐτὸν στρατιὰν ἀξιόμαχον ἀθροισθῆναι. ἐγένοντο μέντοι πρὸς τὸν νεωτερισμὸν ἁρπαγαὶ καὶ φθοραὶ