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and those living in the palace [expected] to obtain many good things from the new emperor; and if anyone had been grieved by that father or had suffered the loss of money or even of possessions, he had hopes of finding a release from his troubles. Thus, therefore, everyone hoped. For his youthfulness and his charm towards everyone and his gentle demeanor with his associates and his cheerful conversation with those he met, all of which were a sham and a hypocritical mask, made them imagine these things. But they missed the mark, and as the proverb says, coals appeared to them from treasures. For such he appeared to his subjects and thus he treated those under his hand, that all considered his father blessed and an emperor; and if anyone had suffered very terrible things from that man, he would have loved for himself to pass from among men before his death and prayed to end his life and be numbered among the majority.

53 Thus, therefore, the emperor Theodore had taken hold of the imperial thrones. Therefore, having paid the customary holy rites to the emperor and his father, and having been seated on a shield as was the custom and proclaimed autocrat by all, he departed from Nymphaion and arrived at Philadelphia. This is a very great and populous city, having inhabitants able to bear arms and especially practicing archery; and bordering on the Persian frontiers, it causes them always to fight with their adversaries and makes them veterans of wars. Therefore, after remaining there for a short time, long enough to send an embassy to the sultan, he proceeded to the parts of Bithynia and to Nicaea, the leading city of this country. But since the church was widowed of its patriarch—for the patriarch Manuel had happened to die a little before the emperor John—it was necessary first for a patriarch to be appointed, so that he might perform the coronation for the emperor in the holy sanctuary; a man worthy of such a throne was being sought, and the opinion of the majority fell upon Nikephoros Blemmydes, my teacher of the discourses and doctrines of philosophy, a man who from his youth had taken up the yoke of the monastic life and was famous for both his learning and his virtue, even if the envy of some, and especially of the leading men, not only did not make his virtues apparent, but even attached certain vices to him. This man, therefore, was on friendly terms with the emperor Theodore and was loved by him; for he also styled him his teacher of the discourses in which he mostly prided himself. But he, seeing the character of the emperor, was rather hesitant about the matter. Nevertheless, the emperor himself also made a rather weak attempt on him; for it was more in accordance with his will that he should not accept the office. For rulers wish those who serve as patriarchs to be more humble and modest in spirit and to yield easily to their own wishes as if to commands. And the more unlearned are more prone to this, for they cannot be confident in their reasonings; but those versed in letters appear more unbending and oppose their decrees. At any rate, the emperor Theodore for these reasons, having made a small test of the man, turned to others. And since he was displeased in many things, having learned that there was a certain monk in the lake of Apollonias with experience of a few letters—for he had only touched upon a grammatical education—performing unholy rites and named Arsenios, he sent men to bring him with all speed. And he arrived. And since he was hastening his departure from Nicaea, the emperor quickly ordered the bishops to ordain him patriarch; and so they did, consecrating him deacon and priest and patriarch in one day.

54 The reason for hastening the departure from Nicaea was this. Michael the ruler of the Bulgarians, who was the brother-in-law of the emperor Theodore, born to his father-in-law Ivan Asan by the daughter of Theodore Angelos,

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καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις διάγουσι πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν πρὸς τοῦ νέου ἐπιτεύξασθαι βασιλέως· καὶ εἴ τις ἦν πρὸς τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκείνου λελυπημένος ἢ στέρησιν χρημάτων πεπονθὼς ἢ καὶ κτημάτων, ἐλπίδας εἶχε λύσιν εὑρεῖν τῶν κακῶν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ πάντες ἤλπιζον. τό τε γὰρ νέον τῆς ἡλικίας καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἅπαντας χαρίεν καὶ τὸ πράως τοῖς ξυνιοῦσι προσφέρεσθαι καὶ ἱλαρῶς τοῖς συντυγχάνουσιν ὁμιλεῖν, ἃ δὴ πάντα φενάκη ἦν καὶ ὑποκριτικὸν προσω πεῖον, ταῦτα ἐποίουν φαντάζεσθαι. ἀλλ' ἥμαρτον τοῦ σκοποῦ, καὶ τὸ τῆς παροιμίας ἄνθρακες αὐτοῖς ἐκ θησαυ ρῶν ἀνεφάνησαν. τοιοῦτος γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἐφάνη καὶ οὑτωσὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἐχρήσατο, ὡς πάντας τὸν πα τέρα μακαρίζειν καὶ βασιλέα· καὶ εἰ λίαν ὑπῆρξέ τις δεινὰ παρ' ἐκείνου παθών, πρὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γενέσθαι ἑαυτὸν ἠγάπα καὶ ηὔχετο τὴν ζωὴν καταλῦσαι καὶ συναριθμηθῆναι τοῖς πλείοσιν.

53 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρος τῶν βασιλείων ἐπείληπτο θρόνων. τὴν νενομισμένην γοῦν ὁσίαν ἀπο δοὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πατρὶ καὶ καθεσθεὶς ἐπ' ἀσπίδος ὡς ἔθος καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων φημισθεὶς αὐτοκράτωρ, τοῦ Νυμ φαίου ἀπάρας ἐπὶ τὴν Φιλαδέλφειαν ἀφίκετο. μεγίστη δὲ αὕτη πόλις καὶ πολυάνθρωπος καὶ ὁπλίζεσθαι δεδυνημέ νους οἰκήτορας ἔχουσα καὶ μάλιστα τοξείαν ἀσκοῦντας· ἀγχι τερμονοῦσα δὲ τοῖς Περσικοῖς ὁρίοις ἀεὶ διαμάχεσθαι τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις τούτους ποιεῖ καὶ ἐθάδας πολέμων ἐργάζεται. ἐκεῖσε οὖν διακαρτερήσας μικρὸν καὶ ὅσον πρεσβείαν στεῖ λαι πρὸς τὸν σουλτάν, περὶ τὰ Βιθυνῶν κεχώρηκε μέρη καὶ τὴν τῆς χώρας ταύτης προκαθημένην πόλιν τὴν Νίκαιαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐχήρευε τοῦ πατριαρχοῦντος ἡ ἐκκλησία-πέφθακε γὰρ ὁ πατριάρχης Μανουὴλ μικρόν τι τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάν νου προτελευτῆσαι-ἔδει δὲ πρῶτον πατριάρχην προβλη θῆναι, ἵν' ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν στεφηφορίαν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τελεσιουργήσῃ τεμένει, ἐζητεῖτο μὲν ὁ ἄξιος τοῦ τοιούτου θρόνου, ἡ δόξα δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπὶ τῷ Βλεμμύδῃ ἐτύγχανε Νικηφόρῳ, τῷ ἐμῷ διδασκάλῳ τῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας λόγων τε καὶ δογμάτων, ἀνδρὶ ἐκ νεότητος τὸν ζυγὸν ἀραμένῳ τοῦ μονήρους βίου καὶ περιβοήτῳ τυγχάνοντι καὶ περὶ λό γον καὶ ἀρετήν, κἂν ἐνίων ὁ φθόνος καὶ μάλιστα τῶν προυχόντων οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐκφανῆ τούτῳ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐποίει, ἀλλὰ καὶ κακίας τινὰς αὐτῷ προσεκόλλα. οὗτος οὖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Θεόδωρον φιλίως διέκειτο καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐφιλεῖτο· τῶν γὰρ λόγων, ἐν οἷς τὰ πολλὰ ἐβρενθύετο, διδάσκαλον καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπεγράφετο. ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἦθος τοῦ βασιλέως ὁρῶν ὀκνηρότερος περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐτύγχανεν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς μαλακώτερον αὐτοῦ ἐπει ρᾶτο· μᾶλλον γὰρ πρὸς βουλήσεως ἦν αὐτῷ τὴν προστασίαν μὴ καταδέξασθαι. ταπεινοτέρους γὰρ καὶ μετρίους εἶναι τὸ φρόνημα τοὺς πατριαρχεύοντας οἱ κρατοῦντες ἐθέλουσι καὶ προσπίπτειν εὐχερῶς τοῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν βουλήμασιν ὡς προστάγμασι. τοῦτο δὲ μᾶλλον οἱ ἀγροικότεροι πάσχουσιν, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχουσι τοῖς λόγοις θαρρεῖν· οἱ δὲ περὶ λόγους ἀκαμπέστεροι φαίνονται καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ὁρισμοῖς ἀντι πίπτουσιν. ὁ γοῦν βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρος διὰ ταῦτα μικράν τινα πεῖραν λαβὼν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐφ' ἑτέρους ἐτράπετο. καὶ ἐπεὶ δυσαρεστῶν ἐτύγχανεν ἐν πολλοῖς, μοναχόν τινα εἶναι μαθὼν ἐν τῇ τῆς Ἀπολλωνιάδος λίμνῃ ὀλίγων γραμμάτων πεῖραν ἔχοντα-μόνον καὶ γὰρ ἐφήψατο τῆς γραμματικῆς παιδείας-ἀνίερον τελοῦντα καὶ Ἀρσένιον ὀνομαζόμενον, ὡς εἶχε τάχους στέλλει τοὺς αὐτὸν ἄξοντας. καὶ ὃς ἀφί κετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Νικαίας ἔξοδον ἔσπευδε, διὰ τάχους τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι προστάττει χειροτονῆσαι πατριάρχην αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεύς· οἳ καὶ οὑτωσὶ διεπράξαντο, ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ διάκονον καὶ ἱερέα καὶ πατριάρχην αὐτὸν ἐκτελέσαντες.

54 Ἡ δ' αἰτία τοῦ ἐπισπεύδειν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Νικαίας ἔξοδον ἦν αὕτη. ὁ βουλγαράρχης Μιχαήλ, ὃς γυναικά δελφος τοῦ βασιλέως ἐτύγχανε Θεοδώρου, τῷ πενθερῷ αὐτοῦ Ἀσὰν Ἰωάννῃ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἀγγέλου Θεοδώρου θυγατρὸς γεννηθείς,