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a prisoner. Then, therefore, having learned and, as was likely, having feared, if he remained he would be in danger, he considered it terrible and very pitiable, but to desert again to foreigners he judged to be a means of salvation, yet blameworthy. For the time being, of the two considered evils, with fear added, he chose the lesser. And indeed, after taking many precautions, as best he could, for secrecy, taking with him some of his household and having crossed the Sangarius river, he rushed with all his might straight for Persia and went over to the sultan 45. The latter gladly received him and honored him with the appropriate honors. For the time being, however, even in the foreign land, having drawn up in battle array with them under the royal standards, he fought valiantly against the sultan's enemies, thereby placating the emperor, if he should ever hear of it. Then, as if having repented and choosing to return, he approached the then [bishop] of Iconium and used him as a mediator to the emperor, if somehow, with the emperor giving his pledge in writing to completely restrain his anger, it might be possible for him to return again. And when the hierarch had drafted the embassy in a letter, the ruler granted his compassion, and he returned under the security of an imperial letter, that he would not suffer any irreparable harm from anger; and the emperor willingly received him, humbled, and embraced him as he approached and confessed that he knew himself to have committed an unpardonable fault, and sympathized with him, and held him in his former honor.

10. How Palaiologos, having returned and been received, is sent as general to the western regions. Since Epidamnos in the west had been captured by our forces, the event was announced, and there was need there of both a high priest and a commander and a military contingent; when Chalkoutzes, who held the honor of great skeuophylax of the great church, was proclaimed high priest, he also sent him with him to command the forces there, ordering him to cooperate in what seemed best with the other commanders there, but especially with the priest. So, when they quickly entered Thessaly and were now about to cross the Vardar river, the commander crossed first with his contingents, 47 and found matters on this side in confusion and inclined to distrust, at which time Manuel, the obscure illegitimate son of the Despot Michael, happening to be there with a considerable army and having engaged in battle, at first, having charged the commander, pushed and threw him with his spear, but then, when he stood up and mounted his horse, he was struck a mortal blow by him, not receiving an equal one in return.

11. How Chadinos is sent to bring him back in chains. But with the [archbishop] of Dyrrachium having turned back towards Thessalonica because of the confusion and he, as was likely, being troubled that the resistance might be checked, a rumor ran ahead announcing that Chadinos, the count of the imperial horses, was just about to reach Thessalonica, for no other reason than to apprehend Palaiologos and bring him as a prisoner to the emperor; and he, for he happened to be staying in Thessalonica at the time, hearing what was rumored, was terribly distraught and was turning over in his mind what on earth had seemed good to the emperor, that he was not bringing him back as he had sent him, but having sent him forth with honor, he wished to compel him to return with dishonor and, him whom he had deemed worthy of sympathy through letters and thus seemed to have completely forgotten his past deeds, so as even to deem him worthy of a very great command, this man, revoking the agreements, he was condemning as if for confessed acts of treason. Nevertheless, not knowing where to turn in his thoughts or his paths, he decided to take refuge in God; and he communicated his thoughts to the [archbishop] of Dyrrachium and begged him to join him in supplication to the divine. Immediately, therefore—for the matter seemed right away to be pleasing to God—a supplication was sung at the monastery of Akapnion at night, from evening on, with the archbishop intending to celebrate the sacred mystery on the following day. So, when the day dawned and the archbishop was about to pass the customary hours in order to celebrate the liturgy, he enjoined silence on those outside, while he himself

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δέσμιος. Τότε τοίνυν μαθὼν καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς δείσας, εἰ μένων μὲν κινδυνεύοι, δεινὸν ἡγεῖτο καὶ λίαν ἐλεεινόν, τὸ δ' αὐτομολεῖν αὖθις πρὸς ἀλλοτρίους σωτήριον μέν, ἀλλ' ἐπίμωμον ἔκρινε. Τέως δὲ δυοῖν νομιζομένοιν κακοῖν, τοῦ φόβου προστεθέντος, αἱρεῖται τοὔλαττον. Καὶ δὴ ἐκ πολλῶν, ὡς εἶχε, προμηθευ σάμενος τὸ ἀφώρατον, παραλαβὼν καί τινας τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν περαιωθεὶς Σάγγαριν, τὴν εὐθὺ Περσίδος ἀνὰ κράτος ἵεται καὶ τῷ σουλτὰν 45 προσχωρεῖ. Ὁ δ' ἀσμένως δέχεται τοῦτον καὶ τιμᾷ τοῖς προσήκουσι. Τέως δέ γε κἀν τῇ ἀλλοδαπῇ σημαίαις βασιλικαῖς παραταξάμενος σὺν ἐκείνοις, κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ σουλτὰν ἀριστεύει, τὸν βασιλέα, εἴ που ἀκούσοι, ἐντεῦθεν ἐκμειλισσόμενος. Εἶτα μεταμεληθεὶς οἷον καὶ παλινδρομεῖν προαιρούμενος, τῷ τηνικάδε Ἰκονίου προσέρχεται καί οἱ μεσίτῃ χρᾶται πρὸς βασιλέα, εἴ πως, τὰ πιστὰ γράμμασι δόντος ἐκείνου ἦ μὴν τὴν ὀργὴν καθαρῶς ἀνασχεῖν, αὐτῷ καὶ πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν γένοιτο. Τοῦ δ' ἱεράρχου γράμμασι σχεδιάσαντος τὴν πρεσβείαν, ὁ κρατῶν κατένευσε τὴν συμπάθειαν, καὶ βασιλικαῖς συλλαβαῖς ἐπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ τοῦ μή τι παθεῖν ἀνήκεστον ἐξ ὀργῆς ἐπάνεισιν· ὁ δὲ καὶ δέχεται τοῦτον πρόφρων ταπεινωθέντα καὶ ἀγκαλίζεται προσιόντα καὶ ὁμολογοῦντα ὡς ἑαυτῷ σύνοιδε πταίσας ἀσύγγνω στα συμπαθεῖ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἔχων τιμῆς.

ιʹ. Ὅπως ἐπανελθὼν ὁ Παλαιολόγος καὶ δεχθεὶς στέλλεται στρατηγὸς ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν δύσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῆς κατὰ δύσιν Ἐπιδάμνου κατειλημμένης πρὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἠγγέλλετο τὸ συμβάν, καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε ἔδει μὲν ἀρχιερέως, ἔδει δ' ἡγεμόνος καὶ στρατιώτιδος τάξεως, ἀρχιερέως ἐπικηρυχθέντος τοῦ Χαλκούτζη, ὃς καὶ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου σκευοφύλακος ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας εἶχε τιμήν, τούτῳ συνεκπέμπει κἀκεῖνον ἡγεμονεύσοντα τῶν ἐκεῖ, προστάξας συμπράτ τειν τὸ δόξαν καὶ ἄλλοις μὲν ἀρχηγοῖς τοῖς ἐκεῖ, μάλιστα δέ γε τῷ ἱερεῖ. Ὡς γοῦν Θετταλίας διὰ ταχέων ἐπέβησαν καὶ ἤδη πρὸς τῷ περαιοῦσθαι τὸν ποταμὸν Βαρδάριον ἦσαν, περαιοῦται μὲν ὁ ἡγεμὼν σὺν ταῖς τάξεσι πρότερον, 47 εὑρίσκει δὲ τὰ τῇδε συγκεχυμένα καὶ πρὸς ἀπιστίαν κλίναντα, ὅτε καὶ ὁ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ ἐκ νοθείας σκότιος παῖς Μανουήλ, τυχὼν ἐκεῖσε σὺν ἱκανῷ στρατεύματι καὶ συμπλακεὶς τῷ πολέμῳ, τὰ πρῶτα μέν, ὁμόσε χωρήσας τῷ ἡγεμόνι, τῷ κοντῷ συνωθεῖ καὶ ῥιπτεῖ, ἔπειτα δέ, συστάντος καὶ ἐπικαθεσθέντος τῷ ἵππῳ, παρ' ἐκείνου καιρίαν βάλλεται, μὴ λαβὼν ἴσην.

ιαʹ. Ὅπως ἀποστέλλεται Χαδηνὸς ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν σιδηρόδετον. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ὑποστραφέντος διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν κἀκείνου ὡς εἰκὸς διαπονουμένου, ἐφ' ᾧ συσταλείη τὸ ἀνθιστάμενον, φήμη προτρέχει τὸν τῶν βασιλικῶν ἵππων κόμητα Χαδηνὸν ὅσον οὐκ ἤδη καταλαμβάνειν Θεσσαλονίκην ἀγγέλλουσα, οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν ἢ τοῦ τὸν Παλαιολόγον καθέξοντα ὡς βασιλέα δέσμιον ἐνεγκεῖν· καὶ ὅςἔφθασε γὰρ διατρίβων ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ τῷ τηνικάδε, ἀκούσας τὸ φημιζόμενον, δεινὰ ἐποίει καὶ στρέφων ἦν ἐπὶ λογισμῶν τί ποτε ἄρα τῷ βασιλεῖ δόξαν, ὡς ἑαυτὸν οὐχ ὡς ἔπεμψεν ἐπανάγει, ἀλλὰ τιμῇ προπέμψας ἐπανελθεῖν ἀναγκά ζειν θέλει μετ' ἀτιμίας καί, ὃν συμπαθείας ἠξίου διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ οὕτω καθαρῶς ἀμνημονεῖν ἐῴκει τῶν πεπραγμένων, ὡς καὶ ἡγεμονίας ἀξιοῦν μεγίστης, τοῦτον, τὰς συνθήκας ἀναλαμβάνων, ὡς ἐφ' ὁμολογουμέναις καθοσιώσεσι κατακρίνει. Ὅμως οὐκ ἔχων ὅποι τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τῶν ὁδῶν τράποιτο, ἐπὶ Θεὸν καταφεύγειν ἔγνω· κοινοῦταί τε τῷ ∆υρραχίου τὰ κατὰ γνώμην καί οἱ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἱκετείας συνάρασθαι δέεται. Εὐθὺς τοίνυνἐδόκει γὰρ αὐτόθεν καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα θεοφιλέςἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἀκαπνίου μονῆς ὑμνολογεῖται παράκλησις νυκτὸς ἀφ' ἑσπέρας, τῆς ἐπιγενησομένης ἡμέρας ἐν νῷ θέντος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τὴν ἱερὰν τελέσαι μυσταγωγίαν. Ὡς γοῦν ἐπέφωσκεν ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ τὰς νομιζομένας ὥρας διελθεῖν ἔμελλεν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, ἐφ' ᾧ λειτουργήσειε, σιγὴν μὲν ἐπισκήπτει τοῖς ἔξωθεν, αὐτὸς