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from him, he on his part rejects that one; However, he promised to accomplish many things, to exalt the church as much as possible, and to honor the clergy even more than is moderate, and to advance the worthy among the officials to the greatest dignities and to accept exceedingly just judgments and to establish those who would judge impartially, among whom especially and first of all was Kakos Michael, also called Sennacherim, who was well-versed in speeches and laws, by giving him also the office of *protoasekretis*, a dignity long extinguished, and wishing to subordinate the *asekretai* to him, so that they might judge incorruptibly and without intrigue; furthermore, to honor learning and to hold those learned in higher esteem than all others; to love the military exceedingly and their provisions, and if they should fall in war, or if they should die, to establish parental care for their children, even if some of their wives were carrying the unborn child in their womb; that there should not even be a name for unjust exactions, nor to give place to slanders, the judicial combat on these grounds being abolished, and the trial by iron also being abolished, as a very great danger was attached, if any of the powerful and those in office should dare to compel [someone] to undergo the ordeal by red-hot iron; and that the affairs of the state would be so fearlessly maintained in peace that even the wealthy, having sufficient property, could display their possessions with pride and 133 not be afraid at all; above all, to obey the church and to consider it a mother, as is fitting, and to strive for everything that contributes to its stability. And he added these things, that the pre-emperor was under suspicion of scorning its privileges and of being royally arrogant, so that the patriarch was grieved by many things and feigned to reject the protection of the people, since nothing he said, even if he spoke justly on behalf of some, was heeded. Therefore, at that time, the patriarch and those of the high priests who were provident for the future had certain twofold reasonings, striking at both sides and strong from either direction; for when they looked to the perfection of the empire, they understood that to be ruled by both emperors, the one being newly established, the other acting, was both good and salutary for the subject; and as for what would happen in the future, both from the sufficient assurance they had long had concerning the man, and also from what they then heard him promise, they seemed to accept exceedingly what was to be done. But when, on the other hand, they considered the incontestable and intrigue-free nature of one ruler and the seditious and contentious nature of two, and the plots from both sides and the suspicions of one against the other, and finally the danger to one from the victor, they disagreed and forbade it; for the empire was in itself a thing desirable and worth everything, but also suspicious, so as to create an image of wickedness even where it did not exist, through suspicion, and to prepare the one in power to pursue it where it did exist, as if he would rule safely only in this way, if he pursued even non-existent things as if they existed; and for what reason would one shrink from these things? Lest he seem unjust to some by attacking the monarchy, knowing a certain wise and ancient saying from tragedy that removes the blame for the reputation of injustice, saying, "if one must do wrong, it is best to do wrong for the sake of a tyranny." As they considered these things, fear came upon them; and despite these things, they were close to acting, but when these things clashed with their reasonings, they were idle towards acting 135, even those who were eager to speak. But nevertheless, fate prevails. And so the majority, and almost all, were for entrusting the rule to him; however, they thought it reasonable to confirm it with dreadful oaths and to have one bound by a curse on behalf of the other, that the emperors should not plot anything terrible against each other.

2. How they released Palaiologos from the curses to which he was subject. And they readily removed that which seemed to stand in the way of the actions, in their desire for these things to happen. For as the agreements made by Palaiologos with the emperor's grandfather and the confirmations by excommunications indeed [bound him] not [to do] anything against the royal family

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αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖνον ἀποψηφίζεται· πλὴν καὶ πολλά τινα κατορθοῦν ὑπισχνεῖτο, τὴν μὲν ἐκκλησίαν ἀνυψοῦν ὅσον, τοὺς δ' ἱερωμένους καὶ πλέον τοῦ μετρίου τιμᾶν, ἀξίαις τε μεγίσταις τοὺς ἀξίους τῶν ἐν τέλει προβιβάζειν καὶ κρίσεις ὑπεραποδέχεσθαι δικαίας καὶ τοὺς ἀρρεπῶς κρινοῦν τας ἐγκαθιστᾶν, ὧν καὶ μάλα καὶ πρώτιστον τὸν Κακὸν Μιχαήλ, τὸν καὶ Σενα χηρεὶμ ἐπικεκλημένον, εὖ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν νόμων ἔχοντα, ἐν τῷ δοῦναί οἱ καὶ πρωτοασηκρῆτις πάλαι σβεσθὲν ἀξίωμα καί οἱ θέλειν ἀσηκρῆτις ὑποτάξαι, ἐφ' ᾧ ἀδεκάστως καὶ ἀνεριθεύτως κρίνοιεν· ἔτι τε λόγον τιμῆσαι καὶ τοὺς ἐν λόγῳ περὶ πλείστου τῶν ἄλλων ποιεῖν· τὸ δέ γε στρατιωτικὸν ὑπεραγαπᾶν καὶ τὰς ἐκείνων προνοίας, κἂν ἐν πολέμῳ πίπτοιεν, κἂν ἀποθνῄσκοιεν, γονικὰς ἐγκαθιστᾶν τοῖς παισί, κἄν τισιν αἱ γυναῖκες κατὰ γαστρὸς ἔχοιεν τὸ κυοφο ρούμενον· εἰσπράξεων δ' ἀδίκων μηδ' ὄνομα εἶναι, μηδὲ χώραν διδόναι δια βολαῖς, ἀργοῦντος μὲν τοῦ ἐπὶ ταύταις μονομαχίου, ἀργοῦντος δὲ καὶ τοῦ σιδήρου, ὡς ἐπηρτημένου καὶ κινδύνου μεγίστου, εἴ τις τολμῴη τῶν δυνα μένων καὶ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ὑπέχειν τὸν μύδρον καταναγκάζειν· τὰ δὲ τῆς πολιτείας οὕτως ἀφόβως ἐν εἰρήνῃ διατηρεῖσθαι ὥστε καὶ τοὺς εὐποροῦντας, ἱκανῶς τῆς περιουσίας ἔχοντας, ἐπιδεικνυμένους τὰ ὑπάρχοντα κυδροῦσθαι καὶ τὸ 133 παράπαν μὴ δεδιέναι· ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὑπακούειν τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ μητέρα ταύτην ὡς εἰκὸς ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ πᾶν τὸ εἰς κατάστασιν αὐτῆς πραγματεύεσθαι. Ταῦτα δὲ προσετίθει, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ὑπονοίαις ὁ προβασιλεύων ἦν τοῦ καταφρονεῖν τῶν ἐκείνης προνομίων καὶ βασιλικῶς κατεπαίρεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ πολλοῖς τὸν πατριάρχην λυπεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ προστασίαν ἀποπροσποιεῖσθαι, μηδέν, κἂν δικαίως ὑπέρ τινων λέγοι, εἰσακουόμενον. Ἦσαν οὖν τότε τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ οἷς τῶν ἀρχιερέων τὸ εἰς τὸ μέλλον προμηθὲς ἦν διττοί τινες λογισμοί, πρὸς ἀμφότερα κρούοντες καὶ ἑκατέρωθεν ἰσχυροί· ὅτε γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἐντέλειαν ἀποβλέψαιεν, καὶ τὸ παρ' ἀμφοῖν βασιλέοιν, τοῦ μὲν νεοκομουμένου, τοῦ δ' ἐνεργοῦντος, ἄρχεσθαι ὡς καλὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ τῷ ὑπηκόῳ σωτήριον κατενόουν· πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προσγενήσεσθαι, ἅμα μὲν ἐξ ὧν τὴν ἱκανὴν πληροφορίαν ἐπὶ τἀνδρὶ εἶχον ἐκ πλείστου, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἐξ ὧν τότε ὑπισχνουμένου κατήκουον, ὑπεραποδεχομένοις ἐῴκεσαν πραχθησόμενα. Ὅτε δ' αὖ πάλιν πρός τε τὸ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀφιλονείκητόν τε καὶ ἀνερίθευτον καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ δυσὶ στασιαστικόν τε καὶ μάχιμον ἐννοήσαιεν, τάς θ' ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποψίας ἑνὸς ἐπὶ θάτερον καὶ τέλος τὸν ἐφ' ἑνὶ κίνδυνον παρὰ τοῦ κρατήσαντος, διεφώνουν καὶ ἀπηγόρευον· εἶναι γὰρ τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ ἄλλως χρῆμα μὲν ὀρεκτὸν καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἄξιον, ὑποπτικὸν δ' ἄλλως, ὥστε καὶ μὴ οὖσαν κακίαν εἰδωλοποιῆσαι διὰ τὴν ὑποψίαν καὶ οὖσαν μετιέναι παρασκευάζειν τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὡς οὕτω μόνως ἀσφαλῶς βασιλεύσοντα, ἂν καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα μετίῃ· ᾧ δέ τις πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ ὑποστέλλοιτ' ἄν; Ἐπὶ τῷ μή τισιν ἄδικος δόξαι τῇ μοναρχίᾳ ἐπιτιθέμενος, σοφόν τιν' εἰδὼς λόγον καὶ παλαιὸν ἐκ τραγῳδίας εἶναι τὸν ἐξαιροῦντα τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ δόξῃ τῆς ἀδικίας μῶμον, λέγοντα, εἴπερ ἀδικεῖν δέοι, ὑπὲρ τυραννίδος κάλλιστον ἀδικεῖν. Ταῦτ' ἐκείνοις λογιζομένοις δέος ἐπῄει· καὶ παρὰ ταῦτα μὲν πλησίον ἦσαν τοῦ πράττειν, τούτων δὲ προσκρουόντων τοὺς λογισμούς, ἀργοὶ πρὸς τὸ δρᾶν 135 ἦσαν, κἂν ὅσοι καὶ ὥρμων λέγειν. Νικᾷ δ' ὅμως τὸ μόρσιμον. Καὶ τοῦ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγχειρίζειν ἐκείνῳ οἱ πλεῖστοι γίνονται, καὶ σχεδὸν πάντες· ὅμως δ' ἐμπεδοῦν ὅρκοις φρικώδεσι καὶ ἀραῖον ἔχειν ὑπὲρ θατέρου θάτερον τοῦ μή τι δεινὸν βουλεύσασθαι κατ' ἀλλήλων τοὺς βασιλέας, τῶν εἰκότων ἐνόμισαν.

βʹ. Ὅπως ἀνίεσαν τὸν Παλαιολόγον ταῖς ἀραῖς αἷς ὑπέκειτο. Ἑτοίμως δ' ἀφῄρουν καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν τοῖς πραττομένοις προσίστασθαι, ἐφέσει τοῦ ταῦτα γενέσθαι. Ὡς γὰρ αἱ γεγονυῖαι συνθεσίαι τοῦ Παλαιολόγου πρὸς τὸν πάππον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ αἱ δι' ἀφορισμῶν ἐμπεδώσεις ἦ μὴν μή τι κατὰ τοῦ γένους τοῦ βασιλείου