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telling me to abandon my harsh opinion and to join the emperor and again to be driven with him under the yoke of servitude, they found me not at all compliant; for I said that 'even if the emperor were to show me the very best things, such as no other of those who have reigned has shown to any of those who served him, or were to work upon me the worse and most evil things, such as no other of those renowned for evil has done to anyone at all, neither in this way nor in that would I serve the emperor in any way.' I, therefore, was of this mind and unchangeable purpose. But when the month of September had arrived and Theodora, the wife of the despot Michael, came to the emperor with her son Nikephoros, to fulfill the marriage alliance with the emperor, which the emperor John, the father of the reigning emperor, had agreed upon some years before, the emperor for his part hastened to reach Thessalonica, where he wished to celebrate the wedding. And so, departing from the place where he was, he took the road leading to Thessalonica; and on the way he made the agreements with the wife of the despot. Theodora, the wife of the despot, therefore, even unwillingly, went along with the emperor’s words; for being in his hands and all but in a prison, she could do nothing else. She agreed, at any rate, to give to the emperor the fortress of Servia and with it Dyrrachion as well. Upon these terms, oaths were also set forth in writing and were sent to the despot Michael. And he, as the poet says, 'willingly with an unwilling spirit' agreed to the sworn terms; for he prayed for his son and wife to be freed and to be with him. In such discussions the emperor, having pried me out of the firmness which I held, won me over. For having sent his maternal uncle Manuel Laskaris and his protovestiarios George Mouzalon, he used certain cheerful and simple words, and he won me, and those sent brought me to him. And so, approaching the emperor and bowing my head as was custom, I stood at a greater distance. And the emperor said: 'Do you not know where you are accustomed to stand? You know your place, so come forward.' Yielding, then, to the emperor's command, I went and stood at his side as was also my custom. Then, indeed, the emperor communicated to me all the affairs of the despot Michael and related from the beginning how they had proceeded. These things, then, happened in the region of Langadas—this is a place situated somewhere near Thessalonica.

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And when the emperor had reached Thessalonica, he celebrated the wedding of his daughter Maria with Nikephoros, the son of the despot Michael, whom he also honored with the title of despot. While the emperor was engaged in these matters, a certain letter was sent to him from those who were in the regions of Bithynia and had been ordered to be on guard of the place, stating that Michael Komnenos Palaiologos, whom the account has already shown to have been honored as megas konostablos by the emperor John and to have been entrusted with the command of this entire region, had gone into exile and was departing for the territory of the Muslims. The emperor, therefore, was not a little disturbed at this, and summoning me, he said, 'Have you yourself learned what has happened?' 'Not at all,' I said, 'O emperor; what is it that has recently happened?' And he says: 'The megas konostablos has fled and has gone to the lands of the Muslims. What, then, do you think about such a thing? Will he perhaps, having obtained an army from the Muslims, march against our country?' 'It does not seem to me at all, O emperor,' I said, 'that he would do such a thing; for I have come to know the mind of the man and I understand that his spirit is pro-Roman.' And the emperor said: 'For what reason then did he become a fugitive from our people?' 'Because,' I said, 'as you know, O emperor, not once or twice but myriad times you threatened him with the most terrible things and were grievously angry with him, and in

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λέγοντες τὸ ἀπόκροτον καταλιπεῖν με τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ξυνελ θεῖν καὶ αὖθις αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν τῆς δουλείας συνελαθῆναι ζυγόν, οὐχ εὕρισκον ὅλως πειθήνιον· ἔφασκον γὰρ ὡς «εἴπερ μοι τὰ χρηστότατα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιδείξαιτο, ὁποῖα οὐδεὶς ἄλλος τῶν βεβασιλευκότων ἐπί τινι τῶν ὑπηρετη σάντων αὐτῷ ἐπιδέδειχεν, ἢ τὰ χείρω καὶ κάκιστα ἐν ἐμοὶ κατεργάσαιτο, οἷα οὐδεὶς ἄλλος τῶν ἐπὶ κακίᾳ περιβοήτων ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν ἁπάντων πεποίηκεν, οὔθ' οὕτως οὔτ' ἐκεί νως τῷ βασιλεῖ κατά τι δουλεύσαιμι.» ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὕτως εἶχον γνώμης καὶ ἀμεταθέτου σκοποῦ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Σεπτέβριος ἐφεστήκει μὴν καὶ ἡ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ σύζυγος Θεοδώρα παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα ἀφί κετο μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς Νικηφόρου, τὸ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κῆδος ἀποπληρώσοντες, ὅπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης ὁ τοῦ βασι λεύοντος πατὴρ πρὸ χρόνων τινῶν συμπεφώνηκεν, ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἔσπευδε τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καταλαβεῖν, ἔνθα καὶ τοὺς γάμους ποιῆσαι βεβούληται. καὶ δήπερ ἀπάρας ἐξ οὗ περ ἔκειτο τόπου τῆς εἰς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην φερούσης ἥπτετο· καθ' ὁδὸν δὲ μετὰ τῆς τοῦ δεσπότου συζύγου τὰς συμβιβά σεις ἐποίει. ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ δεσπότου σύζυγος Θεοδώρα καὶ ἄκουσα τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως λόγοις συνήρχετο· ἐντὸς γὰρ τῶν ἐκείνου χειρῶν οὖσα καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν ὡς ἐν εἱρκτῇ τυγχά νουσα οὐκ εἶχέ τι ἄλλο δρᾶσαι. συμπεφώνηκε γοῦν δοῦναι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸ κάστρον τὰ Σέρβια καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ∆υρράχιον. ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ὅρκοι ἐγγράφως προέ βησαν καὶ ἀπεστάλησαν πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην Μιχαήλ. ὁ δέ, ὅ φησιν ὁ ποίησις, ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ τοῖς ὀμωμοσμέ νοις συνῆλθεν· ηὔχετο γὰρ ἐλευθερωθῆναι καὶ παρ' αὐ τὸν γενέσθαι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὴν σύζυγον. Ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν λόγων ὁ βασιλεὺς κἀμὲ τῆς ἧς εἶχον ἐκμοχλεύσας στερρότητος ἐχειρώσατο. ἐξαποστείλας γὰρ τὸν πρὸς πάππου αὐτοῦ θεῖον τὸν Λάσκαριν Μανουὴλ καὶ τὸν πρωτοβεστιάριον αὐτοῦ τὸν Μουζάλωνα Γεώργιον ἱλα ροῖς καὶ ἁπλοῖς τισιν ἐχρήσατο λόγοις, καί με εἷλε, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ ἀποσταλέντες ἀπήγαγον. καὶ γοῦν προσιὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὡς ἔθος κλίνας τὴν κεφαλὴν μακρότερον ἔστην. καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς· «οὐκ οἶδας ὅπῃ εἰώθεις ἵστασθαι; τὸν τόπον σου γινώσκεις, καὶ πρόσιθι.» τῇ προσταγῇ γοῦν ὑπείξας τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπελθὼν ἔστην ἐκ πλαγίου αὐτοῦ καθώσπερ εἶχον καὶ ἔθος. τότε γοῦν μοι ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς τοῦ δεσπό του Μιχαὴλ ὑποθέσεις πάσας ἀνεκοινώσατο καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὅπως προέβησαν διηγήσατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Λαγκαδᾶ-τόπος δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ἐγγύς που τυγχάνων τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης-ἐγένετο.

64 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην κατείληφε, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ Μαρίᾳ γάμους μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ Νικηφόρου, ὃν καὶ δεσπότην τετίμηκεν, ἐκπεπλήρωκεν. Ἐν τούτοις δὲ ὄντος τοῦ βασιλέως γραφή τις πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐξεπέμφθη παρὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς Βιθυνίας μέρεσιν ὄντων καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν εἶναι τοῦ τόπου προστεταγμέ νων, ὡς ὁ Μιχαὴλ Κομνηνὸς ὁ Παλαιολόγος, ὃν καὶ μέγαν κονοστάβλον πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου ὁ λόγος φθάσας τετιμῆσθαι δεδήλωκε καὶ τὴν τῆς ἁπάσης ταύτης χώρας ἡγεμονίαν ἐμπεπιστεῦσθαι, φυγὰς ᾤχετο καὶ περὶ τὸν τῶν Μουσουλμάνων ἀπῄει χῶρον. ἐταράχθη γοῦν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐ μικρῶς, καί με προσκαλεσάμενος «ἔγνως,» ἔφη, «τί γέγονε καὶ αὐτός;» «οὐδαμῶς» ἔφην, «ὦ βασιλεῦ· τί δέ ἐστι τὸ προσφάτως γεγενημένον;» ὁ δέ φησιν· «ὁ μέγας κονοστάβλος ἀπέδρα καὶ περὶ τὰ τῶν Μουσουλ μάνων κεχώρηκε. τί γοῦν ἄρα περὶ τοῦ τοιούτου διανοῇ; μῶν πρὸς Μουσουλμάνων προσλαβόμενος στράτευμα καθ' ἡμετέρας χωρήσει χώρας;» «οὐδαμῶς μοι δοκεῖ τοιοῦτον, ὦ βασιλεῦ,» ἔφην, «αὐτὸν διαπράξασθαι· τὴν γὰρ γνώμην τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπέγνων καὶ τὸ τοῦ φρονήματος ἐπίσταμαι φιλορώ μαιον.» καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς· «τίνος οὖν χάριν φυγὰς τῶν ἡμε τέρων ἐγένετο;» «ὅτιπερ,» ἔφην, «ὡς οἶσθα, ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὐχ ἅπαξ οὐδὲ δὶς ἀλλὰ καὶ μυριάκις ἠπείλεις αὐτῷ τὰ δεινότατα καὶ ὠργίζου κατ' αὐτοῦ χαλεπῶς, καὶ ἐν