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he was speaking alone with God and was offering the customary and preliminary prayers with the greatest possible quiet. 49 Then, indeed, then it is said that he heard that same voice for a third time, not simultaneously, but with some interval of time in between; and the voice was a word not of a common sort, nor indeed did it seem to belong not only to the Greek language, but not to any other language either; for it was said to be *marpou*, and there was nothing more; whereupon, the astonished archbishop immediately went to the one of Thessalonica—this was Manuel Disypatos—and reported how he had stood for entreaty with God through psalmody and how the voice had arrived unexpectedly, while he was thinking about what he said he was thinking. And he, after considering the word for some time, took what happened with the ancient *beklas* into consideration and, having unfolded the letters of the word, said plainly that the empire of the Romans was being promised to Palaiologos; for Michael, emperor of the Romans, Palaiologos, will soon be praised, as he said the word signifies. But there are some who say that neither did the one of Dyrrachium hear such things, nor did the one of Thessalonica prophesy such things, but rather that he, being a wise man and versed in such books, which indeed also set forth future kingdoms, being stirred up, investigating more diligently, had learned about such matters. And indeed, wishing to make these things known to him to whom the dignity of the empire was guaranteed and to relieve him, as it were, of his grief, since he feared even for his very life, he thought that to say he knew it from books would not be believed by him, but to say he heard it clearly from God, lest the account should fail—for he did not firmly trust in books concerning uncertain outcomes—he was afraid, and for these reasons, having communicated about such things with the one of Dyrrachium, he himself proposed to say that he had heard the voice, while the other pretended to interpret the word, which he himself had composed, to the very end he desired. Believing these things secretly, both of them kept Palaiologos buoyed up with good hopes, and for themselves, 51 if things did not turn out so, they left an excuse, as having erred in the interpretation, the voice perhaps signifying something other than how it was interpreted by them. Nevertheless, in the meantime, the count of the imperial horses, the aforementioned Chadinos, arrives and enters Thessalonica with wingless speed and immediately showed the truth of the report by his action, taking Palaiologos into safe custody. He did not, however, decide to bind his two feet with irons, as indeed he had been ordered, I know not whether out of respect for the man’s noble birth, or because he had some friendship for him; for suspicions about his good intentions did not allow for acts of anger. For the time being, having paid him the honors as securely as possible, lest he be dishonored among many within the city by being fettered with irons, he goes out by night. And when they were sufficiently departed from the city, the one makes known the orders and how he, in some foresight for the sake of the other’s honor, had disregarded the orders, but he did not wish to proceed further with his daring—for it was not safe for either of them. The other, in turn, as if knowing great thanks for this, offered himself ready for him to carry out what was commanded. And indeed, putting irons around him, so that he sat on the other side of the horse, thus they both completed the journey with him. It happened then too, as they were completing the journey, as it is said, a good omen and, as it were, a pre-prophecy of what would happen a little later. And it was this: they were traveling along, as was likely, the one grieving for the future, the other raising him from his grief as best he could and trying to change his mood to a more cheerful one. But when at one point, having recovered from his great grief, he ordered him to sing and to sing beautifully whatever came to his mind—for, as it seems, the one carrying him also had knowledge of these things—so that, he says, we might be a little relieved from this, then it immediately came to him to sing melodiously, Now the prophetic prediction hastens to be fulfilled, not otherwise loosely and protracted, but as if very enthusiastically, shouting it out and beyond his power; whereupon the prisoner then also changed to a more cheerful mood and

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δὲ κατὰ μόνας ὡμίλει Θεῷ καὶ τὰς συνήθεις καὶ προτελε στικὰς εὐχὰς μεθ' ὅτι πλείστης ἀπεδίδου τῆς ἡσυχίας. 49 Τότε δὴ τότε λέγεται ἀκοῦσαι φωνῆς τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκεῖνον ἐκ τρίτου, οὐχ ἅμα, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ καιροῦ τινος διαλείποντος· καὶ ἡ φωνὴ λέξις ἦν οὐ συνήθης, οὔτε μὴν οὐχ ὅπως Ἑλληνικῇ, ἀλλ' οὐδέ τινι ἑτέρᾳ γλώσσῃ προσήκειν δοκοῦσα· μάρπου γὰρ ἐλέγετο, καὶ πλέον οὐκ ἦν· ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ θαυμάσαντα τὸν ἀρχιερέα εὐθὺς προσελθεῖν τῷ Θεσσαλονίκηςὁ ∆ισύπατος δ' ἦν Μανουήλκαὶ ἀπαγγεῖλαι ὅπως τε σταθείη εἰς τὴν διὰ ψαλμῳδίας ἐντυχίαν Θεοῦ καὶ ὅπως ἀπροόπτως ἀφίκοιτο ἡ φωνή, λογιζομένῳ περὶ ὧν λογίζεσθαι ἔφη· καὶ τόν, ἐφ' ἱκανὸν τὴν λέξιν σκεψάμενον, τὸ συμβὰν ἐπὶ τῷ πάλαι βεκλᾶς λαβεῖν ἐπὶ λογισμῶν καί, τὰ στοιχεῖα τῆς λέξεως ἀναπτύξαντα, ἀριδήλως φάναι τὴν βασιλείαν Ῥωμαίων τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ μνηστεύεσθαι· Μιχαὴλ γὰρ ἄναξ Ῥωμαίων Παλαιολόγος ὀξέως ὑμνηθή σεται, ὡς ἔλεγε, τὴν λέξιν δηλοῦν. Εἰσὶ δ' οἵτινες λέγουσι μήτε τὸν ∆υρραχίου τοιαῦτ' ἀκοῦσαι, μήτε τὸν Θεσσαλονίκης τοιαῦτα φοιβάσασθαι, ἀλλά, σοφὸν ἐκεῖνον ὄντα καὶ περὶ τοιαύτας βίβλους, αἳ δὴ καὶ βασιλείας τὰς ἐς τοὐπιὸν διατυποῦσιν, ἐπτοημένον, φιλοπονώτερον ἐρευνῶντα, περὶ τοιούτων ἐγνωκέναι καὶ δή, γνωρίσαι θέλοντα ταῦτα ᾧ γε καὶ ἡ τῆς βασιλείας κατηγγυᾶτο περιωπὴ καὶ ἀναφέρειν οἷον ἐκεῖνον τῆς λύπης, ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ζωῇ ἐδεδοίκει, τὸ μὲν ἐκ βίβλων εἰδέναι λέγειν, μὴ ἔχειν ἐκείνῳ πιστεύειν, τὸ δ' ἐκ Θεοῦ φανερῶς ἀκοῦσαι, μὴ καὶ πολλάκις τὸν λόγον οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀραρότως εἶχε ταῖς βίβλοις ἐπ' ἀδήλοις ταῖς ἀποβάσεσι πιστεύεινδιαπεσεῖν δεδοικέναι, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα, τῷ ∆υρραχίου περὶ τῶν τοιούτων κοινολογησάμενον, αὐτῷ μὲν ὑποθέσθαι λέγειν τῆς φωνῆς ἀκοῦσαι, ἐκεῖνον δ' ἀναπτύσσειν προσποιεῖσθαι πρὸς ὅπερ καὶ βούλοιτο τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ συντεθεῖσαν λέξιν. Ἃ δὴ τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ μυστικῶς πιστεύοντες καὶ ἀμφότεροι, ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἐπ' ἀγαθαῖς ἐλπίσιν εἶχον μετεωρίζειν, ἑαυτοῖς δέ, 51 εἰ μὴ οὕτως ἀποβαίη, παραίτησιν ὑπελείποντο ὡς ἁμαρτοῦσι τῆς ἐξηγήσεως, ἄλλο τι τῆς φωνῆς τάχα δηλούσης ἢ ὡς ἐκείνοις ἐξήγητο. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐν τοσούτῳ φθάνει καὶ ὁ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἵππων κόμης, ὁ δηλω θεὶς Χαδηνός, καὶ ἐπιβαίνει ἀπτέρῳ τάχει Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ αὐτίκα τὸ πιστὸν τῆς φήμης ἔδειξε πράξας, τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ κατασχών. Σιδήροις μέντοι οὐκ ἔγνω δεσμεύειν τὼ πόδε, ὡς δή οἱ καὶ προστεταγμένον ἦν, οὐκ οἶδ' εἴτε τὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδούμενος εὐγενές, εἴτε τι καὶ φιλίας πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔχων· τὸ γὰρ ὑπονοεῖν τι περὶ ἐκείνου τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς οὐκ ἐδίδουν. Τέως δ' ἀφοσιωσάμενος ἐκείνῳ τὰ τῆς τιμῆς ὡς οἷόν τε ἀσφαλῶς, μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἐντὸς ἀτιμῷτο τῆς πόλεως τοῖς σιδήροις πεδούμενος, νυκτὸς ἔξεισιν. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἱκανῶς τῆς πόλεως ἀπηλλαττέτην, ὁ μὲν γνωρίζει τὰ ὁρισθέντα καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐν προνοίᾳ τινὶ τῆς ἐκείνου χάριν τιμῆς καταπεφρονήκει τῶν ὁρισθέντων, οὐκ ἐς πλέον δὲ τὰ τῆς τόλμης οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλὲς ἀμφοτέροιςπροβαίνειν ἐβούλετο· ὁ δ' αὖθις καὶ χάριν ὑπὲρ τούτου πολλὴν ἐοικὼς εἰδότι, ἕτοιμον παρεῖχεν ἑαυτὸν ἐκείνῳ τοῦ τὸ προσταττόμενον ἐκτελεῖν. Καὶ δὴ σιδήροις περιβαλών, ὥστ' ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἐπὶ θάτερα τῶν πλευρῶν τῷ ἵππῳ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι, οὕτω σὺν ἐκείνῳ τὴν ὁδὸν ἤνυον καὶ ἀμφότεροι. Συνέβαινε δὲ καί τις τότε, τὴν ὁδὸν ἀνυόντων, ὡς λέγεται, ἀγαθὸς ὄρνις καὶ οἷον προφοίβασμα τοῖς μικρὸν γενησομένοις ὕστερον. Τὸ δ' ἦν· διήρχοντο μὲν ὡς εἰκός, ὁ μὲν πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀλύων, ὁ δ' ἀναφέρων ὡς εἶχε τῆς λύπης ἐκεῖνον καὶ μεταβάλλειν πειρώμενος πρὸς τὸ εὐθυμότερον. Ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε τῆς πολλῆς ἀνανεύσας ἐκεῖνος λύπης προσέταττε ψάλλειν καὶ ὃ παρασταίη κατὰ νοῦν ἐκείνῳ καλλιφωνεῖνἦν γάρ, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ εἴδησιν ἔχων ὁ φέρων πρὸς ταῦτα, ὡς ἄν, φησίν, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ μικρὸν ἀνεθείημεν, τηνικάδ' ἐπῄει ἐκείνῳ παραυτίκα ἐμμελῶς ψάλλειν Νῦν προφητικὴ πρόρρησις πληρωθῆναι ἐπείγεται, οὐκ ἀνειμένως ἄλλως καὶ ἀναβεβλημένως, ἀλλ' ἐνθουσιαστικῶς οἷον μάλα ὑπερφωνοῦντι καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν· ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ καὶ τὸν δεσμώτην τότε μεταβαλεῖν πρὸς τὸ εὐθυμότερον καὶ