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what was done by your grandson was that of a youth, to suppress the war, having broken the treaty for no apparent reason and openly waging war, we are disheartened, as is natural, and we consider the breaking of the treaty the beginning of calamities. For which reason indeed we beseech you, O Emperor, by God himself, the overseer of oaths, who both is and is called Peace, to put down the war, and not to allow your subjects to fall into incurable evils on account of your rivalry. If, therefore, being persuaded by our words, you embrace peace rather than war, and concord and fellowship with your grandson, we too will show ourselves ready, readily giving up our very lives, if possible, for the interests of both you and your grandson. But if, which may it not happen, some evil demon having cast a spell, you should reject our embassy, and be persuaded to war by the evil men who incite 1.128 and rejoice in evils, we swear to you by the all-seeing God who brings justice upon all that is done, that either we shall all fall fighting, or we shall make it manifest by our very deeds that we were right to be heard when we sent an embassy concerning peace. For then you yourself will send an embassy to us, at a time when you will judge it better had you not started the war against us in the first place. Furthermore, be not persuaded, either of yourself, or by hearing from others, that you will be able to draw away any of us and make us desert the young emperor, either by gifts and promises, or by terror and cowardice, or by any other method or stratagem. For we ourselves have invoked the most avenging curses upon ourselves, that we would indeed abide by our oaths until death and not desert the young emperor, and that the one who does so be subject to the curses. Since, therefore, this is our resolve, we exhort you yourself both to will and to do what is necessary, and not, deceived by non-existent suspicions, to do anything that will cause regret later.” Having sent such things in writing as an embassy to the elder emperor, all the members of the senate and the leaders of the army, then having also confirmed the letter with their own signatures so that it might be credible, and having entrusted it to the aforementioned Kalochairetes, send him to Byzantium to the emperor. And when he arrived at the palace, a rumor arose from everyone and a confused cry, that Palaiologos the emperor’s grandson 1.129 (for they did not deign to call him emperor again), having sent an embassy to the emperor, was asking to receive pardon, but he would not receive it, unless he himself, having shown himself a prisoner, should throw himself at the emperor’s feet; for only thus might he barely receive it. But the emperor, having learned what the cause of the disturbance was, ordered the disorderly and shouting people to be silent, and informs Kalochairetes that since he was occupied with some necessary matters, and it was not the right time to meet with him, he should send the grandson's letter. But he answered that he would not hand over the letter to anyone else except the emperor himself; for so had it been commanded him. 26. The emperor was occupied at that time in sending his son Constantine the despot with long triremes to the west, to govern Thessalonica and the other western cities, and in bringing the empress, the wife of the emperor Michael and mother of the young Andronikos, from there to Byzantium. And this, having happened according to the emperor’s command, grieved her son, the emperor Andronikos, not a little, who had heard that his mother had been dragged away by force. For when the empress learned the reason for which the despot had arrived, and the appointed day was at hand, on which she had to be called for the voyage, she entered the sanctuary and, clinging to the icon of the Mother of God, said that she would not let go, no matter what might happen. But the despot, having come, first tried to persuade her with words; but when 1.130 he did not persuade her, he used force and his hands. And when even so he accomplished nothing, he entrusted the dragging of the empress to the megas papias Palaiologos and to the protallagator Senachereim and to John Zarides. who indeed, having torn her by force from the icon and brought her down to the sea, entrusted her to the trierarchs to be brought to the emperor.

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τοῦ ἐγγόνου τοῦ σοῦ ἐπράττετο οἷα νέου, τὸν πόλεμον καταστέλλειν, ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας προφανοῦς τάς τε σπονδὰς λελυκότα καὶ πολεμοῦντα φανερῶς, ἀθυμοῦμέν τε, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ συμφορῶν ἀρχὴν ἡγούμεθα τὴν λύσιν τῶν σπονδῶν. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ δεόμεθά σου, βασιλεῦ, πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ τῶν ὅρκων ἐφόρου θεοῦ, τοῦ καὶ ὄντος εἰρήνης καὶ καλουμένου, τὸν πόλεμον καταθεῖναι, καὶ μὴ περιϊδεῖν τὸ ὑπήκοον διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν φιλονεικίαν ἀνηκέστοις κακοῖς περιπεσόν. εἰ μὲν οὖν πεισθεὶς τοῖς ἡμετέροις λόγοις τὴν εἰρήνην ἀντὶ τοῦ πολέμου μᾶλλον ἀσπάσῃ καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον τὸν σὸν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ κοινωνίαν, καὶ αὐτοὶ προθύμους παρέξομεν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτὰς, εἰ οἷόν τε, ὑπὲρ τῶν σοί τε καὶ τῷ ἐγγόνῳ τῷ σῷ συμφερόντων ῥᾳδίως προϊεμένους. ἂν δ', ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, πονηροῦ τινος βασκήναντος δαίμονος, τὴν ἡμετέραν μὲν ἀπώσῃ πρεσβείαν, τοῖς δ' ἐνά 1.128 γουσι πονηροῖς καὶ χαίρουσι τοῖς κακοῖς πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον πεισθῇς, τὸν πάντ' ἐφορῶντα θεὸν καὶ τοῖς πραττομένοις πᾶσιν ἐπάγοντα δίκην ὄμνυμέν σοι, ὡς ἢ πεσούμεθα μαχόμενοι πάντες, ἢ ποιήσομεν καταφανὲς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς, ὡς δίκαιοι ἦμεν περὶ εἰρήνης πρεσβεύοντες εἰσακούεσθαι. τότε γὰρ αὐτὸς πρεσβεύσεις πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅτε εἰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκίνεις πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν πόλεμον βέλτιον κρινεῖς. ἔτι δὲ μὴν μήτ' οἴκοθεν αὐτὸς, μήτε παρ' ἑτέρων ἀκούων πεισθῇς, ὡς ἢ δώροις καὶ ὑποσχέσεσιν ἢ ἐκπλήξει τε καὶ δειλίᾳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ ἢ περινοίᾳ τινὰς ἡμῶν παρασπάσαι καὶ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἀποστῆσαι δυνήσῃ. αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἀρὰς ἠρασάμεθα καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὰς παλαμναιοτάτας, ἦ μὴν ἐμμενεῖν τοῖς ὀμωμοσμένοις ἄχρι θανάτου καὶ μὴ ἀποστήσεσθαι τοῦ νέου βασιλέως, ἢ τὸν τοῦτο δράσοντα ἐνέχεσθαι ταῖς ἀραῖς. ὡς οὖν οὕτω γνώμης ἡμῶν ἐχόντων, καὶ αὐτόν σε καὶ βούλεσθαι καὶ πράττειν τὰ δέοντα παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ μὴ ταῖς μὴ οὔσαις ὑπονοίαις ἐξαπατηθέντα πρᾶξαί τι τῶν ἐν ὑστέρῳ μετάμελον παρασχησόντων.» Τοιαῦτα πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πρεσβύτερον οἱ τῆς συγκλήτου πάντες καὶ οἱ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεμόνες ἐγγράφως διαπρεσβευσάμενοι, εἶτα καὶ ὑπογραφαῖς οἰκείαις ἵν' ᾖ πιστὸν ἐπιβεβαιώσαντες τὸ γράμμα, καὶ ἐγχειρίσαντες τῷ εἰρημένῳ Καλοχαιρέτῃ, πέμπουσιν εἰς Βυζάντιον πρὸς βασιλέα. ἀφικομένου πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια δ' αὐτοῦ, θροῦς ἤρθη παρὰ πάντων καὶ βοὴ συμμιγὴς, ὡς Παλαιολόγος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἔγγονος 1.129 οὐ γὰρ ἠξίουν αὖθις αὐτὸν βασιλέα καλεῖν, πρὸς βασιλέα πέμψας πρεσβείαν, συγγνώμης δεῖται τυχεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν τύχοι, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀποδείξας δεσμώτην, πρὸς τοὺς πόδας ῥίψειε βασιλέως· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μόλις τυχεῖν. ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἥτις ἦν ἡ αἰτία πυθόμενος τοῦ θορύβου, τοῖς μὲν ἀτάκτοις καὶ κεκραγόσιν ἐπέταττε σιγᾷν, τῷ δὲ Καλοχαιρέτῃ μηνύει, ὡς ἀναγκαίων τινῶν πέρι ἀσχολουμένῳ, ἐπεὶ μὴ καιρὸν εἶναι συντυχεῖν αὐτῷ, τὰ τοῦ ἐγγόνου γράμματα ἀποστεῖλαι. ὁ δ' ἀπεκρίνατο, ἑτέρῳ μηδενὶ ἂν τὰ γράμματα ἐγχειρίσαι εἰ μὴ αὐτῷ βασιλεῖ· οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι προστεταγμένον αὐτῷ. κϛʹ. Ἠσχολεῖτο δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ, ὅπως τὸν μὲν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν δεσπότην τριήρεσι μακραῖς πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐκπέμψῃ, Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἑσπερίων πόλεων ἐπιτροπεύσοντα, βασιλίδα δὲ τὴν Μιχαὴλ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως γαμετὴν, Ἀνδρονίκου δὲ τοῦ νέου μητέρα, ἐκεῖθεν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀναγάγῃ. ὃ δὲ καὶ γεγονὸς κατὰ τὸ ἐπίταγμα βασιλέως, ἐλύπησεν οὐ μετρίως τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν βασιλέα, βίᾳ τὴν μητέρα ἑλκυσθεῖσαν ἀκηκοότα. ὡς γὰρ ἡ βασιλὶς τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπύθετο, δι' ἣν ὁ δεσπότης ἀφῖκτο, καὶ ἡ κυρία παρῆν, ἐν ᾗ πρὸς τὸν πλοῦν ἔδει καλεῖσθαι, εἰσελθοῦσα τὸν ἱερὸν καὶ τῇ τῆς θεομήτορος εἰκόνι προσφῦσα, οὐδ' ἂν εἴ τι γένοιτο μεθήσειν ἔφασκεν. ὁ δεσπότης δὲ ἐλθὼν, πρῶτα μὲν λόγοις ἐπεχείρει πείθειν· ὡς 1.130 δ' οὐκ ἔπειθεν, ἐβιάζετο καὶ χερσίν. ὡς δ' ἤνυε καὶ οὕτως οὐδὲν, τῷ μεγάλῳ παπίᾳ Παλαιολόγῳ καὶ τῷ πρωταλλαγάτορι Σεναχηρεὶμ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ Ζαρίδῃ τὸν ἑλκυσμὸν ἐπέτρεπε τῆς βασιλίδος. οἳ δὴ καὶ βίᾳ τῆς εἰκόνος ἀποσπάσαντες εἰς θάλασσάν τε καταγαγόντες, ἐπέτρεψαν τοῖς τριηράρχαις ἀχθησομένην ὡς βασιλέα.