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“But if not, he said, but if he is not purely released from suspicion by you, O emperor, then he will give a pledge for the future, accepting upon himself the penances of the church; by which being very much confirmed, he will not even entertain the unformed thought in his mind concerning apostasy, but as a Christian he will observe the judgment of God and will abide guilelessly by the oaths regarding his faith to you and to your family.” When he had spoken thus, the ruler was swayed by the request and assented to showing compassion for the condemned man, guaranteeing that his own soul would be altogether benevolent toward him, if he too would make good his promises of future goodwill towards him, as the priest had promised. And indeed when the priest was somewhere around Achyraous, together with very many bishops, he sent to the ruler—for so had the ruler arranged with the high priest and so ordered—one of his own relations who was also adorned with the priesthood, whom the ruler received and immediately released the prisoner from his bonds, and gladly sent him off to the hierarch, sending guards out with him. As soon as he arrived, at the same time, having heard from the synod what was fitting, he received their penance as a sure confirmation of his own oaths to the emperor. And returning again to the ruler, he received much goodwill from him. Being thus disposed and thus hastening to keep himself 41 above all evil suspicion, and especially because he had attained the greatest office, he was much more on his guard against being caught in suspicions by the one holding power after him.

8. How the second Lascaris, scorning many of those in office, appointed others in their place. But since he was impetuous in all things, and also had the reputation of being contemptuous—for his illness, which had set in and was wearing him down even more, persuaded him to suspect terrible things—he relieved of his office Alexios Raoul, who was appointed to the dignity of *protovestiarios*, and appointed in his place George Mouzalon from Adramyttion, marrying to him Theodora of the Kantakouzenoi, who was the niece of Palaiologos, and he appointed the next brother, Andronikos, as *megas domestikos*, joining to him the daughter of Raoul, and the third of the brothers he advanced to *protoierakarios*—men who had no share of nobility at all, but were assigned to him as pages when he was a princeling. However, he deprived two of the magnates of their eyes, of whom the one was the son of Alexios Strategopoulos, Constantine, who was also thought worthy of a marriage alliance—for he had the niece of the emperor John, given by him—who was very distinguished and most brilliant, and the other was Theodore Philes. And he introduced many other innovations, 43 humbling the pride of his blood relatives and thereby, as he thought, providing for his own security; for his illness did not allow him to breathe, as he imagined evil things night and day.

9. How Kotys prepared Palaiologos to desert to the Persians. At that time, when Palaiologos had been appointed commander of Mesothynia and of the Optimatoi by his order, and was engaged in many actions against the Italians, a certain man from the palace came to him, Kotys was the man's surname and he was one of his greatest friends, and it was clear that he was anxious about this from what he related to him. And: “Unless you take to flight,” he said, “in a few days your affairs will advance to a great disaster; but it is not safe for me to remain here either, but we must both desert to the Persians, if you care for your eyes.” This he said and, being a friend, persuaded him by fully informing him, who was always in fear for himself on account of the underlying suspicion of the government; for not even his uncle, appointed as *megas chartoularios*, Michael Palaiologos, though he himself was hearing of it, did suspicion leave unharmed, but, having been asked about the imperial power, he is said to have stated simply that, if it is owed to someone by God to rule, the one who is called is blameless; for which reason he was also rebuked, as it were, by the ruler, for being such a person and raising his mind to such things, and was given over to imprisonment

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«Εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ παρὰ σοὶ καθαρῶς, ἔφη, τῆς ὑποψίας ἀφεῖται, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τὸ πιστὸν δώσει πρὸς τοὐπιόν, τὰς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐπιτιμήσεις καταδεξάμενος· αἷς καὶ μάλα κατεμπεδούμενος, καὶ αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ ἀκατέργαστον τοῦ νοὸς περὶ ἀποστασίας ἐνθύμιον οὐ προσήσεται, ἀλλά γε χριστιανὸς ὢν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δίκην φυλάξεται καὶ ἀδόλως ἐμμενεῖ τοῖς ὅρκοις εἰς τὴν πρὸς σὲ πίστιν καὶ τὸ γένος τὸ σόν.» Οὕτως εἰπόντος, δυσωπεῖται τὴν δέησιν ὁ κρατῶν καὶ ἐπινεύει πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κατακρίτου συμπάθειαν, εὐμενῆ συνόλως ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἰδίαν γενέσθαι ψυχὴν κατεγγυησάμενος, εἰ κἀκεῖνος τὰ τῆς εἰσέπειτα πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας, ὡς ὁ ἱερεὺς ὑπέσχετο, πιστὰ καταστήσειε. Καὶ δὴ περί που τὴν Ἀχυράους ὁ ἱερεὺς γεγονώς, συνάμα καὶ πλείστοις ἀρχιερεῦσι, στέλλει πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα, οὕτως ἐκείνου πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιθύτην συνταξαμένου καὶ οὕτω τάξαντος, τινὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ οἰκείων καὶ ἱερωσύνῃ κοσμούμενον, ὃν ὁ κρατῶν δεξάμενος ἀνίησι μὲν παραυτίκα τὸν κατεχόμενον τῶν δεσμῶν, ἀπολύει δ' ἀσμένως πρὸς τὸν ἱεράρχην, ὁπαδοὺς αὐτῷ συνεξαγαγών. Ἅμα γοῦν ἐπέστη καὶ ἅμα, παρὰ τῆς συνόδου τὰ εἰκότα ἐνωτισάμενος, τὴν ἐκείνων ἐπιτίμησιν εἰς ἀσφαλῆ τῶν πρὸς βασιλέα ἰδίων ὅρκων βεβαίωσιν δέχεται. Καὶ πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα αὖθις ἐπανιών, πολλῆς τῆς παρ' ἐκείνου εὐμενείας ἐτύγχανεν. Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν ἔχων καὶ οὕτω σπεύδων ἑαυτὸν φυλάττειν 41 πάσης καχυποψίας ἀνώτερον, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ ἀξιώματος ἐπέβη μεγίστου, πολλῷ πλέον πρὸς τὸν μετ' αὐτὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα ἁλῶναι ταῖς ὑποψίαις διεφυλάττετο.

ηʹ. Ὅπως ὁ δεύτερος Λάσκαρις, πολλοὺς τῶν ἐν ἀξιώμασιν ὑπερορῶν, ἑτέρους ἀντικαθίστη. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ θερμὸς ἦν ἐκεῖνος πρὸς πάντα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ κατα φρονεῖσθαι δόξανἡ γὰρ νόσος ἐπεισπεσοῦσα καὶ μᾶλλον τρύχουσα ἔπειθε δεινὰ ὑπιδέσθαι, παραλύει μὲν τοῦ ἀξιώματος εἰς πρωτοβεστιαρίου τεταγμένον τιμὴν τὸν Ῥαοὺλ Ἀλέξιον, ἀντεισάγει δ' εἰς ταύτην τὸν ἐξ Ἀτραμμυτίου Γεώργιον τὸν Μουζάλωνα, συνοικίσας αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἐκ Καντακουζηνῶν Θεοδώραν, τοῦ Παλαιολόγου οὖσαν ἀδελφιδῆν, τὸν δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνον Ἀνδρόνικον μέγαν δομέστικον καθιστᾷ, τὴν τοῦ Ῥαοὺλ θυγατέρα οἱ συναρμόσας, τὸν δέ γε τρίτον τῶν ἀδελφῶν προβάλλεται πρωθιερακάριον, ἄνδρας οὐκ εὐγενείας μὲν μετέχοντας τὸ παράπαν, εἰς παιδοπούλους δὲ αὐθεντοπουλευομένῳ τεταγμένους αὐτῷ. ∆ύο μέντοι γε τῶν μεγιστάνων τῶν ὀμμάτων στερεῖ, ὧν ὁ μὲν εἷς υἱὸς ἦν τοῦ Στρατηγο πούλου Ἀλεξίου, ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος, ὃς ἠξιοῦτο καὶ κήδουςτὴν γὰρ ἀδελφιδῆν τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου, ἐκείνου διδόντος, εἶχεπεριφανοῦς καὶ μάλα λαμπροῦ, ἅτερος δὲ ὁ Φιλῆς ἦν Θεόδωρος. Καὶ πόλλ' ἄττα ἐκαινοτόμει, 43 τὴν ὀφρὺν τῶν πρὸς αἵματος καθαιρῶν καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἐντεῦθεν ἑαυτῷ, ὡς ᾤετο, προμηθούμενος· οὐ γὰρ ἀναπνεῖν εἴα ἐκεῖνον ἡ νόσος, νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν τὰ μὴ καλὰ φανταζόμενον.

θʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Κότυς τὸν Παλαιολόγον παρασκευάζει αὐτομολῆσαι πρὸς Πέρσας. Τότε δὴ καὶ τοῦ Παλαιολόγου εἰς κεφαλὴν τεταγμένου Μεσοθινίας καὶ αὐτῶν Ὀπτιμάτων, ἐκείνου προστάξαντος, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ κατ' Ἰταλῶν πράττοντος, προσῄει τις τῶν ἐκ τοῦ παλατίου, Κότυς ἐπώνυμον τῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ ἐς τὰ μάλιστά οἱ τῶν φίλων ὤν, καὶ δῆλος ἦν περὶ τούτῳ ἀγωνιῶν ἐξ ὧν πρὸς αὐτὸν διεξῄει. Καί· «Εἰ μὴ φυγαδείᾳ χρήσαιο, ἔλεγεν, ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων εἰς μέγα συμφορᾶς τὰ κατὰ σὲ προβήσεται· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐμοὶ τοὐντεῦθεν ἀκίνδυνον μένειν, ἀλλ' αὐτομολητέον πρὸς Πέρσας καὶ ἀμφοτέροις, εἴ σοι μέλει τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν.» Ταῦτα λέγει καὶ πείθει πληροφορῶν, φίλος ὤν, τὸν ἀεὶ περὶ ἑαυτῷ δεδιότα διὰ τὴν ὑποτρέχουσαν τῆς ἀρχῆς ὑποψίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὸν θεῖον τούτου, εἰς μέγαν χαρτουλάριον τεταγμένον, Παλαιολόγον Μιχαὴλ καὶ αὐτὸν ἀκούοντα, ἀκίνδυνον εἴα ἡ ὑποψία, ἀλλά, περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐρωτηθέντα, ἁπλοϊκῶς φάναι λέγεται ὡς, εἰ κεχρεώστηταί τῳ πρὸς Θεοῦ τὸ ἄρξαι, ἀνυπαίτιος ὁ καλούμενος· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ νεμεσηθεὶς οἷον παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος, εἰ τοιοῦτος ὢν τοιούτοις μετεωρίζει τὸν νοῦν, τῇ φυλακῇ δίδοται