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he was doing these things in the presence of the common council, and he did not think it right that Palaiologos, having been appointed over common affairs, should be above the others, except also with the greatest dignities and being famed as father-of-the-emperor. And these were the nocturnal missions and deliberations with those men, and promises for the future with the greatest organized factions.

27. How those speaking on behalf of the grand duke won over the majority with demagoguery, and he became despotes. For by the cunning of his mind and by the flattering nature of his manners, all were so captivated that, when an assembly was held for the purpose of the hierarchs together with those in authority to deliberate concerning the government—and the time demanded someone to lead affairs—all of those on the sacred roll spoke on his behalf, even when he himself was not speaking: that it is not right for the regent of the empire, especially being such a man, to be on the same level as the others, but, being set apart from the multitude, should be honored with the greatest and imperial dignity. For to what end would he who has undertaken such a burden labor daily in his cares and draw upon himself the greatest fear, if he were not to have something to gain? And besides, in this way his power of command would be effective, if indeed, being above the others, he were to give commands. It is good for the regent of the emperor to be honored with the rank of despotes; for thus he himself 107 will keep his goodwill untroubled toward the one who rules by birth, considering the dignity a worthy reward. And what is strange about him being called despotes, for whom indeed his maternal grandfather was a despotes and achieved the greatest successes against the Italians? For do we not know this man to be beloved of God, to have zeal for what is good, to be a friend of monks, and to revere the affairs of the church exceedingly? His innate humility, affability, and cheerfulness toward all bear witness, while his love of giving and generosity will render his estate most impoverished, so that it would be well and advantageous for affairs if, in addition to the dignity of father-of-the-emperor, the regent of the emperor were also worthily honored. When some proposed these things, many of the high priests agreed with the arguments, as they seemed just, and some of those in authority also concurred; but the others were contentious and their opinions did not in the least agree with one another. For on the one hand, and especially the Tzamantouroi of the Laskaris family, along with George Nostongos, conceded, though with difficulty and unwillingly, that he be and be named father-of-the-emperor, but they insisted that the great dignity of duke was sufficient for the regent; but for him to be honored with an office bearing an imperial name and to be honored with such dignities, which were greater than his station, lest there be a transgression against the greatest and most honorable things. For there were princesses of marriageable age, who must be married to those who seemed to be preeminent; and if so, that they themselves had a great right to be honored with such dignities along with their husbands, being sisters of the emperor and princesses of the third or even rather the fourth imperial generation. But the party of Alexios Strategopoulos and that of Philes, and with them the Tornikioi and especially the blinded, who indeed, having suffered, wished to avenge themselves, and with them all who were attached to the Palaiologoi by kinship, either existing or hoped for, strongly objected, saying that it was just and otherwise advantageous for the one who was close to the emperor and bore the name of father to be honored also with the rank of despotes; for thus was the authority conceded to him by 109 all, and thus affairs would be rightly directed. For who would pay attention to a child unable to think for himself? And if the one giving orders in his stead were a private citizen, there will be nothing to compel obedience. Therefore, one must imitate those on ships; for they, though being free and independent in themselves, when they have embarked on a necessary voyage, choose a guardian and set him over their affairs, to whom indeed they obey, having willingly enslaved themselves, whatever he might say; and the one who disobeys pays a worthy penalty, as having committed the greatest offenses against a master. However, they do not appoint him as one of themselves and as one among all, but they transform him to something more august, and by the greater majesty of his appointment, they fashion the fear that emanates from him towards the others.

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παρόντα ἐπὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ συνεδρίου ἐποίει καὶ ὃς οὐκ ἠξίου ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἐπὶ τῶν κοινῶν εἶναι κατασταθέντα, πλὴν καὶ ἐπὶ μεγίσταις ἀξίαις καὶ βασιλεωπάτορα φημιζόμενον. Ταῦτα δ' ἦσαν αἱ νυκτεριναὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους πέμψεις καὶ σκέψεις καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ὑποσχέσεις μεγίσταις συγκροτήσεσι.

κζʹ. Ὅπως κατεδημαγώγουν τοὺς πλείστους οἱ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς λέγοντες καὶ δεσπότης γέγονεν. Τῷ γὰρ ὑπούλῳ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῷ τῶν τρόπων θωπευτικῷ οὕτως ἑάλωσαν πάντες ὡς, ἐκκλησίας γενομένης, ἐφ' ᾧ τοὺς ἱεράρχας συνάμα τοῖς ἐν τέλει περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς σκέπτεσθαικαὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐζήτει τὸν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀφηγησόμενον, τοὺς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταλόγου πάντας ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου λέγειν καὶ μὴ λαλοῦντος· ὡς οὐ χρὴ τὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπίτροπον, καὶ ταῦτα τοιοῦτον ὄντα, κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἐξῃρημένον τῶν πολλῶν, μεγίστῳ σεμνύνεσθαι καὶ βασιλικῷ ἀξιώματι. Ἐπὶ τί γὰρ καὶ φροντίζων ὁσημέραι πονοίη καὶ φόβον ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν τὸν μέγιστον ἕλκοι, εἰ μή τι καὶ κερδαίνειν ἔχοι ὁ τόσον ὄχλον ἀναδεξάμενος; Καὶ ἄλλως οὕτως αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιταγῆς ἀνυστόν, εἴπερ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους ὢν ἐπιτάττοι. Καλὸν σεμνύνεσθαι δεσποτείᾳ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπίτροπον· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς 107 τηρήσει τὰ τῆς εὐνοίας ἀθόλωτα πρὸς τὸν ἐκ γένους βασιλεύοντα, ἀξίαν νομί ζων ἀμοιβὴν τὸ ἀξίωμα. Τί δὲ καὶ ξένον κεκλῆσθαι δεσπότῃ ᾧ δὴ καὶ ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς πάππος δεσπότης ἦν καὶ κατ' Ἰταλῶν κατώρθου τὰ μέγιστα; Ἦ γὰρ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τοῦτον ὡς θεοφιλῆ, ὡς ζῆλον ἔχοντα τοῦ καλοῦ, ὡς φιλομόναχον καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκτόπως σέβοντα; Μαρτυρεῖ τὸ προσὸν αὐτῷ ταπεινὸν καὶ δημοτικὸν καὶ ἱλαρὸν πρὸς ἅπαντας, τὸ δέ γε φιλόδωρόν τε καὶ μεταδοτικὸν τὸ τῆς περιουσίας πενέστατον παραστήσει, ὥστε καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι καὶ συμφερόντως τοῖς πράγμασιν, εἰ πρὸς τῇ βασιλεωπατορίᾳ καὶ ἀξίως τιμῷτο ὁ ἐπιτροπεύων τοῦ βασιλεύοντος. Ταῦτά τινων προτεινόντων, πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἀρχιερέων ὡς δικαίοις δοκοῦσι τοῖς λόγοις συνῄνουν, καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει τισὶ συνεδέδοκτο· οἱ ἄλλοι δὲ διεφιλονείκουν καὶ τὰς γνώμας ἀλλήλοις οὐμενοῦν οὐ συνέβαινον. Οἱ μὲν γάρ, καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ ἐκ τῶν Λασκαρίων Τζαμάντουροι, σὺν οἷς καὶ ὁ Νοστόγγος Γεώργιος, τὸ μὲν βασιλεωπάτορα καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι μόλις μέν, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μὴ θέλοντες ἐνεδίδουν, ἱκανὸν δ' εἶναι τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ τὸ τῆς δουκικῆς μεγαλεῖον ἀξίας διισχυρίζοντο· ὀφφικίῳ δὲ βασιλείας φέροντι ὄνομα σεμνύνεσθαι τοῦτον καὶ τοιαύταις ἀξίαις τιμᾶσθαι κρείττοσιν ἢ κατ' αὐτόν, μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις τε καὶ τιμίοις παράβασις εἴη· εἶναι γὰρ βασιλίδας ὡραίας γάμων, ἃς ἀνάγκη γαμεῖσθαι τοῖς προέχειν δοκοῦσιν· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐταῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν μέγα τὸ δίκαιον ἔχειν τοιούτοις μετὰ τῶν συζύγων σεμνύνεσθαι ἀξιώμασιν, αὐταδέλφαις βασιλέως οὔσαις καὶ βασιλίσιν ἐκ τριγονίας ἢ καὶ τετραγονίας μᾶλλον βασιλικῆς. Οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Στρατηγόπουλον δὲ Ἀλέξιον καὶ οἱ τοῦ Φιλῆ, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς οἱ Τορνίκιοι καὶ οἱ τυφλοὶ μᾶλλον, οἳ δὴ καὶ παθόντες ἀμύνειν ἤθελον, σὺν δ' αὐτοῖς καὶ ὅσοι κατὰ συγγένειαν ἢ οὖσαν ἢ ἐλπιζομένην τοῖς Παλαιολόγοις προσέκειντο, ἰσχυρῶς ἀντέσπων, δίκαιον εἶναι λέγοντες καὶ ἄλλως συμφέρον τὸν ἐγγὺς βασιλέως ὄντα καὶ πατρὸς ὄνομα φέροντα τιμᾶσθαι καὶ δεσποτείᾳ· οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι τὸ συγκεχωρηκὸς αὐτῷ παρὰ 109 πάντων καὶ οὕτω τὰ πράγματα διιθύνεσθαι. Παιδὶ γὰρ μὴ οἵῳ τε φρονεῖν τίς ἂν καὶ προσέξοι; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀντ' ἐκείνου προστάσσων ἰδιώτης εἴη, οὐδὲν τὸ πρὸς ἀνάγκην πεῖθον ἐσεῖται. Μιμητέον τοίνυν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν νεῶν· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ καθ' αὑτοὺς τὸ ἐλεύθερον ἔχοντες καὶ αὐτόγνωμον, κατὰ πλοῦν ἀναγκαῖον ἐμβάντες, ἐπίτροπον ἐκλεξάμενοι ἐφιστᾶσι τοῖς σφῶν πράγμασιν, ᾧ δὴ καὶ πείθονται δουλωθέντες ἑκόντες, εἴ τι καὶ λέγοι· ὁ δέ γ' ἀπειθῶν δίδωσι τὰς δίκας ἀξίας, ὡς εἰς δεσπότην τὰ μέγιστα ἁμαρτών. Πλὴν οὐ καθ' αὑτοὺς καὶ ὡς ἕνα πάντων αὐτὸν καθιστᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ σεμνότερον μετασχηματίζουσι καὶ τῷ τῆς καταστάσεως μεγαλειοτέρῳ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀπ' αὐτοῦ φοβερὸν σχεδιάζουσιν.