Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

It seemed that the goal for the patriarch was to remove indifference from their midst, whether real or apparent, which had crept in from old through the negligence, as he thought, or 151 even the custom of the spiritual leaders. Whence they too, having seized upon a plausible pretext, would do such things, if ever anyone received an accusation of indifference. For the time being, however, he himself became embittered towards not a few on account of such an accusation, reproaching their indifference, not judging, I suppose, that indifference, lying in the middle of bad and good, is opposed to each of the extremes; and if indeed it is considered bad in relation to the good, yet in relation to the bad it is good, and it would be desirable if we acted with moderation, not attaining to impassibility. But he himself, under the rule of his own apparent disposition, or even judgment, wished to correct the ways of others. And from this, the many were awakened and held the one correcting them in the greatest suspicion. And that which vexed them was, first, his harshness and difficult-to-approach nature in everything, which seemed to some to be from virtue, to others from an innate disposition, and to others from his custom of asceticism and solitude (for everything unaccustomed is hard to bear), and then also his secretiveness and obscurity in all things, both when he was chanting and when eating and when living 152 alone, as he had both practiced and was accustomed. Nevertheless (for what is necessary is irresistible) they endured that harsh pastoring as if by an iron rod, the more fair-minded among them attributing the cause to themselves, that is, those who had no mind to judge the affairs of others but to turn to themselves and to examine themselves as was proper, and if to examine one another, it was only for the incitement of love, for the time being tolerating what was happening, but not meddling with those who were doing it, whatever they might do. But for others it came to mind to be meddlesome and to retaliate when they suffered and to receive reports from others, plausible enough from the likelihoods since he was unknown to many on account of his solitude in asceticism.

17. While these things were so, the patriarch Gregory, worn out by a lengthy illness, and as some said, also out of faintheartedness on account of the neglect, not long after ended his life. And they allowed him to be buried with psalmody, as was fitting, but as for burying him as a high priest, just as he too thought he was retaining the priesthood, the emperor sent many men and forbade it, and he gave a binding command to his first cousin, who was a Raoulaina, not to perform any such thing, which indeed happened. 153 18. But he himself, arriving in the east, having sent the porphyrogennetos who had his wife from the family of Raoul, having driven them out, set out for the east. And having passed through the parts of Bithynia, and having done all that was said a little before concerning Bekkos and the rest, he arrives at Nymphaion, bringing also Mouzalon, who in addition to the dignity of Grand Logothete was also acclaimed protovestiarios. And having encamped there, administering the affairs of the east from there, he was also considering the matter of his son Michael, to bring to him to be his wife the one from the king of Apulia, she from the son of Baldwin and the daughter of Charles, Catherine, who in addition to her maternal uncle, the son of Charles, had as an aunt the daughter of the king of Hungary, who was also the maternal aunt of the emperor Michael, who was also pressing for the marriages of two siblings respectively. Whence the emperor leaves him in the city, but brought the Italians who were mediating the marriage alliance to Nymphaion, spending much and showing favor, being wholly inclined to this and all but making binding agreements. For they also importuned him for a long time, and the transaction seemed exceedingly beneficial and worthy of an emperor. And the emperor held out good 154 hopes to them, and they were delighted with what was to come as being inevitable. Whence, when the writer later visited Nymphaion, they, learning that he had come from the City, asked the emperor as he was sitting at lunch to allow them to ask how the young emperor was in his health, and where

ἐῴκει, ὁ σκοπὸς τῷ πατριαρχεύοντι ἐκ μέσου θεῖναι τὸ ἀδιάφορον, εἴτε ὂν εἴτε δοκοῦν, ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐπεισφρῆσαν διὰ τὴν τῶν πνευματικῶν προστατῶν, ὡς ᾤετο, ἀτημελησίαν ἢ 151 καὶ συνήθειαν. ὅθεν κἀκεῖνοι ἐπειλημμένοι προφάσεως εὐπροσώ που τοιαῦτ' ἔδρων, ἤν πού τις αἰτίαν ἀδιαφορίας εἰλήφει. τέως δὲ περὶ τὴν τοιαύτην αἰτίαν οὐκ ὀλίγοις καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνεπικραίνετο τὸ ἀδιάφορον ὀνειδίζων, μὴ κρίνων, οἶμαι, ὡς μέσον κακοῦ τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ τὸ ἀδιάφορον κείμενον πρὸς ἑκάτερον ἐναντιοῦται τῶν ἄκρων, καὶ εἴγε πρὸς τἀγαθὸν κακὸν νομίζεται, ἀλλ' οὖν καὶ πρὸς τὸ κακὸν ἀγαθόν, καὶ ἀγαπητὸν ἂν μετριοπαθοῖμεν, μὴ τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς ἐφικνούμενοι. αὐτὸς δ' ὑπὸ κανόνι τῇ φαινο μένῃ ἰδίᾳ ἕξει, εἴτε καὶ γνώμονι, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἤθελεν ἀπευθύ νειν. κἀντεῦθεν καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ διυπνίζοντο καὶ ἐν ὑπονοίαις ἦγον μεγίσταις τὸν ἀπευθύνοντα. ἦν δ' ἐκείνους τὸ ἐφορμοῦν πρῶ τον μὲν τὸ ἀπ' ἐκείνου ἀτηρὸν καὶ πρὸς ἅπαν δυσέντευκτον, τοῖς μὲν ἐξ ἀρετῆς δοκοῦν, τοῖς δ' ἐκ γνώμης ἐμφύτου, τοῖς δὲ καὶ ἐκ συνηθείας τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἄσκησιν καὶ μονώσεως (ἅπαν γὰρ δύσοιστον τὸ μὴ σύνηθες), εἶτα δέ γε καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὅλοις κρυ πτόν τε καὶ ἀφανὲς καὶ ψάλλοντος καὶ ἐσθίοντος καὶ κατὰ μόνας 152 διάγοντος, ὥσπερ ἤσκητό τε καὶ εἴθιστο. ὅμως (τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἐστὶν ἀδήριτον) τὴν σκληρὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ὡς ἐν σιδηρᾷ ῥάβδῳ διέφερον ποίμανσιν, οἱ μὲν εὐγνωμονέστεροι σφίσιν ἑαυ τοῖς τὴν αἰτίαν προστρίβοντες, ὅσοις δηλαδὴ μὴ ἦν ἐν νῷ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων κρίνειν ἀλλ' εἰς ἑαυτοὺς νεύειν καὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον κατανοεῖν, εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀλλήλους κατανοεῖν, εἰς παρο ξυσμὸν ἀγάπης καὶ μόνον, συγχωροῦσι τέως τοῖς γιγνομένοις, ἀλλ' οὐ περιεργαζομένοις τοὺς ἐργαζομένους, κἂν ὅ τι ποιοῖεν. τοῖς δὲ καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν ἐπῄει καὶ ἀνταμύνεσθαι πάσχουσι καὶ λαμβάνειν λόγους ἐξ ἄλλων, πιθανοὺς ἄλλως ἐκ τῶν εἰκότων ὡς ἀγνῶτος πολλοῖς ὄντος ἐκείνου διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσκήσει μόνωσιν.

17. Τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων ὁ μὲν πατριαρχεύσας Γρη γόριος νόσῳ πολυημέρῳ κατεργασθείς, ὡς δέ τινες ἔλεγον, καὶ διὰ τὴν παρόρασιν ἐκ μικροψυχίας, μετ' οὐ πολὺ τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐν ψαλμῳδίαις θάπτειν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐδίδουν, τὸ δ' ὡς ἀρχιερέα, ὥσπερ δὴ κἀκεῖνος ᾤετο τὴν ἱερωσύνην πα ρακατέχων, συχνοὺς ὁ κρατῶν ἀποστέλλων ἀπέλεγε, καὶ τῇ αὐ τανεψίᾳ ἐπέσκηπτεν ἐπιτάττων, ἥ τις ἦν Ῥαούλαινα, μή τι τοιοῦτον ἐπιτελεῖν, ὃ δὴ καὶ γίνεται. 153 18. Αὐτὸς δὲ φθάσας ἐπ' ἀνατολῆς, τὸν πορφυρογέν νητον ἀποστείλας ἔχοντα καὶ τὴν συνοικοῦσαν ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Ῥαοὺλ κατὰ γένος, ἐξεληλακὼς ἐπ' ἀνατολῆς ὥρμα. καὶ διελθὼν τὰ τῆς Βιθυνίας μέρη, καὶ ὅσα πρὸ μικροῦ ἐρρέθη ἐπί τε τῷ Βέκκῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς εἰργασμένος, τῷ Νυμφαίῳ ἐφίσταται, φέρων καὶ τὸν Μουζάλωνα πρὸς τῷ τοῦ μεγάλου λογοθέτου σεμνώματι καὶ πρωτοβεστιάριον κλεϊζόμενον. οὗ δὴ καὶ σκηνήσας, ἐκεῖθεν τὰ κατ' ἀνατολὴν διοικούμενος, ἐσκέπτετο καὶ περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ Μιχαήλ, ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐκείνῳ ἐκ τοῦ ῥηγὸς Πουλίας τὴν συνοική σουσαν, ἡ ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Βαλδουΐνου καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ Καρούλου, Αἰκατερίνα, ἥτις καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πρὸς μητρὸς θείῳ τῷ υἱῷ Καρούλου θείαν εἶχε τὴν τοῦ τῆς Οὐγγρίας ῥηγὸς θυγατέρα, θείαν οὖσαν πρὸς μητρὸς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαήλ, ἥτις καὶ τοὺς γάμους δυοῖν ἀδελφοῖν ἀνὰ μέρος κατήπειγεν. ὅθεν καὶ αὐτὸν μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως καταλείπει ὁ βασιλεύς, τοὺς δέ γε τῷ κήδει μεσιτεύοντας Ἰταλοὺς ἐπήγετο πρὸς τὸ Νύμφαιον, συχνὰ κατα ναλίσκων καὶ προσφιλοτιμούμενος, νεύων ὅλος εἰς τοῦτο καὶ μό νον οὐ καὶ συνδέσμους τῶν ἀναγκαίων ποιούμενος. ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ καὶ προσελιπάρουν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ συμφέρον παμπληθὲς ἐδόκει καὶ βασιλέως ἄξιον τὸ συνάλλαγμα. ὑπέτεινε δὲ καὶ χρηστὰς τὰς 154 ἐλπίδας ἐκείνοις ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἐνησμένιζον τοῖς μέλλουσιν ὡς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐσομένοις. ὅθεν καὶ τοῦ συγγραφέως τῷ Νυμφαίῳ ἐσύστερον ἐνδημήσαντος, ἐκεῖνοι μαθόντες πολίηθεν ἐλθόντα ἀξιοῦσι βασιλέα ἐπ' ἀρίστῳ καθήμενον ἐρωτᾶν ἐφεῖναι ὅπως ἔχοι τῶν ὑγειῶν ὁ νέος βασιλεύς, καὶ ὅπῃ