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from the midst of our land would carry out the war, but not fighting, unless they wanted to make war. But since the rulers were also stingy about these things, and with difficulty and overdue and less than the ancient custom was what was given, for which reason also the leaders of the armies from time to to time made themselves partners in theft, their multitude was lost, some becoming the work of the sword, others going over to the enemy, and still others somewhere else, since for those who remained there the terrible things were not avoidable, having migrated and living their lives as they could, and in the great absence of anyone to prevent them, the enemy seized the strongholds, from which they were also able to make raids, whenever they wished, and to do harm not only to their neighbors—for these they had right there—but also to those from whom they were far away. And they caused no small trouble for the Roman armies, which were always inclined toward holding them back and had let go of other things, needing no little assistance, and especially those in the west, which indeed, since the eastern regiments there had been emptied before these things happened, not only did they further damage the eastern parts, but were also in difficulty on their own, with the western peoples turning now against us, now against them, and by the instability of their sentiment causing delay for both sides, so that, when the armies were present, they yielded without compulsion, but when a short truce occurred, they would again easily turn to the other side, if only they came against them with arms. With matters in the east being so and with such difficulties arising, we shall speak again later of what fortune the affairs there advanced to, adding also the causes; for the time being, however, taking up the account again, we shall establish the beginning, from which it is not worse to begin. 37

7. How, during the reign of Emperor John, Michael Palaiologos was secured in his loyalty to the emperors. Indeed, when Theodore Laskaris was already ruling after his father, Michael Palaiologos, the son-in-law of his first cousin through his daughter, was distinguished by the dignity of grand constable—a dignity which had the ancient privilege for its holder of taking into his hands the entire Italian military and subject force—was always suspected of aiming for the throne and it was clear, from the way he bided his time, that he would start a revolution, if he got the chance, but he had given pledges to the father of the ruler with sure oaths and indeed was bound by pontifical curses excommunicating him from the faithful, if he should ever choose to revolt and be disloyal at all to the reigning emperors. And these things were done when, having been entrusted by the emperor with the command of the western regions, he was accused of making secret treaties with the despot of the western regions, Michael Angelos, to the effect that the despot betrothed his own daughter to him in marriage, and he would hand over the emperor's territory and, having come under him, would naturally share the rule with the despot and his father-in-law. Having been reported for this to the emperor by a servant, to whom indeed the matters of counsel, as the accuser said, were also entrusted, he was immediately seized, deprived of his command, and cast into prison in iron chains. But since the accusation could not be made clear, it being uncertain whether the informant was telling the truth, as he insisted, or was slandering, as Palaiologos, arguing in turn, was ready to fight a duel for the truth according to an ancient custom that prevailed among the emperors for uncertain accusations, 39 nevertheless he could not slip free of the suspicion and completely escape the charge of disloyalty, but for a considerable time he was held prisoner in the jail, and the suspicion remained. As it was not proper for another to dare to intercede for him with the emperor, Manuel, who was patriarch at that time, having spent many months with the emperor in Lydia, since he was on the point of departure and it was clear that the ruler was eager to do some favor for the priest, immediately he, setting other things aside, introduced the intercession for the man in chains and begged him to have mercy on him as one who was slandered.

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μέσου τῆς ἡμετέρας τὸν πόλεμον ἐξενέγκαιεν, μὴ μαχουμένων δέ, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνοι θέλοιεν πολεμεῖν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ περὶ ταύτας οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐγλισχρεύοντο, καὶ μόλις καὶ ὑπερήμερον καὶ παρὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον μεῖον ἦν τὸ διδόμενον, ἐφ' ᾧπερ καὶ οἱ κατὰ καιροὺς τῶν στρατευμάτων ἡγεμόνες μερίτας ἐκ κλεμμάτων ἑαυτοὺς εἰσῆγον, ἀπώλετο μὲν ἡ πληθὺς ἐκείνων, τῶν μὲν ἔργον μαχαίρας γεγονότων, τῶν δὲ καὶ προσχωρησάντων τοῖς ἐναντίοις, ἄλλων δὲ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ που, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖσε προσμένουσι φευκτὰ τὰ δεινά, μετοικησάντων καὶ ὡς εἶχον διαγαγόντων τὸν βίον, κατὰ πολλὴν δὲ τοῦ κωλύσοντος ἐρημίαν κατέσχον οἱ ἐναντίοι τὰ ὀχυρώματα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ κατατρέχειν οἷοί τ' ἦσαν, ὁσάκις ἦν αὐτοῖς βουλομένοις, καὶ κακῶς ποιεῖν οὐχ ὅπως τοὺς προσχώρουςτούτους γὰρ εἶχον αὐτόθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὧν ἐς μακρὰν ἀπεῖχον. Τοῖς δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατεύμασιν ἀσχολίαν παρεῖχον οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, πρὸς ἐκείνους ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἐπίσχειν ἐς ἀεὶ ῥέπουσι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀφεμένοις, οὐκ ὀλίγης χρῃζόντων ἐπικουρίας, καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν πρὸς δύσιν, ἃ δὴ καὶ κενωθέντων τῶν ἀνατολικῶν ἐκεῖσε τάξεων πρότερον ἢ ταῦτα γενέσθαι, μὴ ὅτι γε τὰ ἑῷα προσεζημίουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' αὑτὰ ἀπόρως εἶχον, τῶν δυτικῶν ποτὲ μὲν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ποτὲ δ' ἐπ' ἐκείνους τρεπομένων, καὶ τῇ τῆς γνώμης ἀστασίᾳ τριβὴν ἐμποιούντων καὶ ἀμφοτέροις, ὡς, παρόντων μὲν τῶν στρατευμάτων, χωρὶς ὑποκλίνειν ἀνάγκης, ἀνακωχῆς δὲ γενομένης ἐπὶ σμικρόν, πρὸς θάτερα αὖθις ῥᾳδίως τρέπεσθαι, εἰ μόνον ἴοιεν μεθ' ὅπλων ἐπ' αὐτούς. Οὕτω δ' ἐχόντων τῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς καὶ οὕτω τῶν δυσχερῶν ἐπιόντων, ἐς ὃ τύχης ὕστερον τἀκεῖθι πράγματα προὔβησαν ἐσαῦθις ἐροῦμεν, προσθέντες καὶ τὰς αἰτίας· τέως δ' οὖν ἐπαναλαβόντες τὸν λόγον, τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐξ οὗπερ καὶ οὐ χεῖρον ἄρχεσθαι, καταστήσομεν. 37

ζʹ. Ὅπως ἐπὶ βασιλέως τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἐπὶ τῇ εἰς βασιλεῖς πίστει ὁ Παλαιολόγος Μιχαὴλ κατησφαλίζετο. Ἤδη μὲν αὐτοκρατοῦντος μετὰ πατέρα τοῦ Λάσκαρι Θεοδώρου, ὁ ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ αὐτανεψίου ἐκείνου γαμβρὸς ὁ Παλαιολόγος Μιχαὴλ τῷ τοῦ μεγάλου κονοσταύλου διέπρεπεν ἀξιώματιτὸ δ' ἀξίωμα προνόμιον εἶχεν ἐκ παλαιοῦ εἰς χεῖρας ἄγειν τὸν ἔχοντα τοῦτο ἅπαν τὸ ἐξ Ἰταλῶν στρατιωτικὸν καὶ ὑπήκοον, ὕποπτος μὲν εἰς βασιλείαν ἀεί ποτ' ὢν καὶ δῆλος, ἐξ ὧν ὑποκαθημένως εἶχε, νεωτερίσων, εἰ καιροῦ λάβηται, τὰ πιστὰ δὲ δοὺς τῷ τοῦ κρατοῦντος πατρὶ ἀσφαλέσιν ὅρκοις καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀρχιερατικαῖς ἐμπεδωθεὶς ἀφοριζούσαις τῶν πιστῶν ἐκεῖνον ἀραῖς, εἴ που καὶ ἀποστατεῖν προαιροῖτο καὶ δυσνοεῖν ὅλως τοῖς βασιλεύουσι. Καὶ ταῦτ' ἐπράττετο, ὅτε, τὴν τῶν δυσικῶν ἐμπεπιστευμένος παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀρχήν, αἰτίαν ἔσχε τοῦ συνθήκας ποιεῖν δι' ἀπορρήτων πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην τῶν δυσικῶν Μιχαὴλ τὸν Ἄγγελον, ἐφ' ᾧ κατεγγυῆσαι μὲν τὸν δεσπότην ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἰδίαν παῖδα πρὸς γάμον, αὐτὸν δὲ παραδοῦναι τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως χώραν καί, ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ γενόμενον, συμπράττειν ὡς εἰκὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ πενθερῷ. Προσαγγελθεὶς δ' ἐπὶ τούτῳ πρὸς βασιλέα πρὸς οἰκέτου, ᾧ δὴ καὶ τὰ τῆς βουλῆς, ὡς ἐκεῖνος κατηγορῶν ἔλεγε, προσανετίθετο, ἀνήρπαστό τε τὴν ταχίστην, παραλυθεὶς τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ τῇ φυλακῇ σιδη ρόδετος ἐρριπτεῖτο. Μὴ δήλου δὲ γενέσθαι δυναμένου τοῦ κατηγορήματος, ἄδηλον ὂν εἴτ' ἀληθεύοι ὁ προσαγγέλλων, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἰσχυρίζετο, εἴτε συκοφαντοίη, ὡς ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἀντεπιφέρων ἕτοιμος ἦν ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας μονομαχεῖν κατά τι κρατῆσαν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδήλοις τῶν προσαγγελιῶν ἀρχαῖον ἔθος τοῖς 39 βασιλεῦσιν, ὅμως τὴν ὑποψίαν οὐκ εἶχε διολισθαίνειν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας ἔγκλημα εἰς τέλος διαδιδράσκειν, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἱκανὸν χρόνον τῇ φυλακῇ κατείχετο δέσμιος, καὶ ἡ ὑποψία προσῆν. Ὡς δ' οὐ χρῆν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου ἄλλον τολμᾶν καὶ πρεσβεύειν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὁ τηνικάδε πατριαρχεύων Μανουήλ, ἐπὶ μησὶ πλείστοις συνδιάγων κατὰ Λυδίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐπεὶ πρὸς ἔξοδον ἦν καὶ δῆλος ἦν ὁ κρατῶν πρὸς χάριν τελεῖν τι τῷ ἱερεῖ προθυμούμενος, αὐτίκ' ἐκεῖνος, ἀφεὶς τἆλλα, τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ σιδηροδέτου πρεσβείαν εἰσῆγε καὶ ὡς συκοφαντούμενον ἱκέτευε κατοικτείρειν.