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he made use also of an alliance from the Prince of Achaea, and moreover from those around the then sebastokrator John Palaeologus; having been much afflicted afterwards, so as to be completely in a tight spot regarding both his lands and his military force itself, he sent to Manfred, the king of Apulia and his own son-in-law by his daughter, and having received a very large alliance, he handed over his forces to his son Nicephorus, he himself also cooperating, who, having engaged those around the Caesar near Trikoryphon and joined a terrible battle, caused very many of the Nicaeans to fall, and slaying some of the very many others, 127 and surrounding others, he also captured the Caesar himself. But when he was released again after truces were made, at that time he cooperated in matters concerning the city, about which we will speak presently, but later, having again attacked the westerners, he was captured again and at that time he was sent by the Despot Michael to the king of Apulia, Manfred, and was given over to his custody; but after some time, he was exchanged for the Despoina Anna, who was the sister of Manfred. But of these things we will speak later. 129

{SECOND BOOK OF THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE}. How the patriarch Arsenios was concerned about the imperial power. For Arsenios

the patriarch, the necessity of Palaeologus' establishment in the imperial office, being a certain great and unavoidable one, was the beginning of new anxieties. For except for a few, and these not having the opportunity because of the will of the others, who were many and great, to hold back, all the others were openly of one mind and opinion, being content if they were to be ruled by him; for the best rule is not that from lineage, nor yet that which is allotted, which even the unworthy can obtain by some slip of fortune, into which the very worst men, having crept in, often go unnoticed, whom indeed the good ruler would reject and judge to be in the lot of subjects, but that which comes from virtue and the best approval of those whom he is to rule. For this is also advantageous to the masses, when those established in power understand for what reason they were called. For we would not say that a physician is adequate for making the sick healthy either by chance or by birth; and if we were to select one who will pilot from his lineage, we would place a sinker rather than a pilot over the ship. And thus he who is especially in need of purification, or rather education, in order to rule well is in danger of being most impure, being born and at the same time taken up by royal luxuries and extravagances, while flattery lies in wait, but truth is out of the way, and the worst things are spoken of euphemistically as the best. As the old saying has it, when he who was at once ruler and at once suffering could hear from flatterers that even his cough was melodious, and if someone admonishing should mutter, he was slandered as ill-willed and most wicked, as though their advice 131 were a command. But those who are displeased at what has happened flatter no less, exaggerating the ruler's dignity beyond measure, and increase his arrogance; but they, as if putting on different masks on a stage, think that lineage is a guarantee for ruling excellently, as if in the very first implantings of seeds certain royal powers for the best leadership were inherent. Saying these things, they were all the more intent on seeing the despot also crowned, and they accomplished it, constantly applying pressure. For Palaeologus, too, having been rallied by this, was saying the same things and that, if he were not judged worthy of leadership and the one from

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ἐχρᾶτο καὶ παρὰ τοῦ τῆς Ἀχαΐας πρίγκιπος τῇ συμμαχίᾳ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν τότε σεβαστοκράτορα Ἰωάννην τὸν Παλαιολόγον μεθ' ὕστερον τὰ πολλὰ κακωθείς, ὡς καὶ ἐν στενῷ καταστῆναι πάμπαν τῶν τε χωρῶν καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς στρατιωτικῆς δυνάμεως, πέμψας πρὸς Μαφρέ, τὸν τῆς Πουλείας ῥῆγα καί γ' ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ γαμβρὸν ἑαυ τοῦ, καὶ πλείστην συμμαχίαν λαβών, παραδίδωσι τὰς δυνάμεις τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρῳσυμπράττων κἀκεῖνος, ὃς καί, συμβαλὼν περὶ τὴν Τρικό ρυφον τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν καίσαρα καὶ μάχην συρράξας δεινήν, πλείστους τε πεσεῖν τῶν Νικαέων παρεσκεύασε, πλείστους τε καὶ ἄλλους οὓς μὲν φονεύσας, 127 οὓς δὲ περισχών, καὶ αὐτὸν αἱρεῖ καίσαρα. Ὡς δ' αὖθις σπονδῶν γενομένων ἐλύετο, τότε μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν συμπράττει, περὶ ὧν αὐτίκα ῥηθήσεται, ὕστερον δ' αὖθις τοῖς δυτικοῖς προσβαλὼν αἱρεῖται πάλιν καὶ τότε παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ πρὸς τὸν ῥῆγα Πουλείας τὸν Μαφρὲ ἀποστέλλεται καί γε τῇ παρ' ἐκείνῳ δίδοται φυλακῇ· χρόνῳ δ' ὕστερον τῆς δεσποίνης Ἄννης, ἀδελφῆς οὔσης Μαφρέ, ἀνταμείβεται. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐσαῦθις ἐροῦμεν. 129

{ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΙΚΩΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΑ}. Ὅπως ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀρσένιος ἐν φροντίσιν ἦν περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς. Ἀρσενίῳ δὲ

τῷ πατριαρχοῦντι νέων ἦρξε φροντίδων ἡ τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ καταστάσεως τοῦ Παλαιολόγου ἀνάγκη, μεγάλη τις οὖσα καὶ ἀπαραίτητος. Πλὴν γὰρ ὀλίγων, καὶ τούτων καιρὸν οὐκ ἐχόντων διὰ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων, πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ὄντων, βούλησιν ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπίσχοιεν, φανερῶς οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες μιᾶς βουλῆς ἦσαν καὶ γνώμης, ἀγαπητῶς ἔχοντες, εἰ βασιλεύοιντο ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ· ἀρίστην γὰρ βασιλείαν εἶναι οὐ τὴν ἀπὸ γένους, οὐδέ γε τὴν κληρωτήν, ἣν ὀλίσθῳ τύχης τινὶ ἔστι λαγχάνειν καὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον, εἰς ἣν παρεισφθαρέντες πολλάκις λανθάνουσι καὶ οἱ κάκιστοι, οὓς δὴ καὶ ἀπο δοκιμάσειεν ἂν ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄρχων καὶ ἐν ὑπηκόων ἐξετάζεσθαι μοίρᾳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρετῆς καὶ δοκιμασίας ἀρίστης ὧν ἄρχειν μέλλει. Αὕτη γὰρ καὶ λυσιτελὴς τοῖς πλήθεσιν, ἐνδόντων τῶν εἰς ἀρχὴν καταστάντων ἐπὶ τίνι καὶ προσεκλήθησαν. Ἰατρὸν γὰρ οὔτε τὸν ἐκ τύχης οὔτε τὸν ἐκ γένους εἰς τὸ ποιεῖν ὑγείαν τοῖς νοσοῦσιν ἀξιόχρεων εἴποιμεν· καὶ εἰ ἐκ γένους τὸν κυβερνή σοντα ἐγκρινοῦμεν, καταποντιστὴν μᾶλλον ἢ κυβερνήτην ἐπιστήσομεν τῇ νηΐ. Κινδυνεύειν δ' οὕτως καὶ τὸν μᾶλλον καθάρσεως, εἴτ' οὖν παιδεύσεως, εἰς τὸ καλῶς βασιλεύειν δεόμενον ἀκάθαρτον εἶναι μάλιστα, ἅμα γεννηθέντα καὶ ἅμα τρυφαῖς καὶ σπατάλαις παραληφθέντα βασιλικαῖς, ἐφεδρευούσης τε κολακείας, ἐκποδὼν δ' οὔσης ἀληθείας καὶ τῶν κακίστων ὡς καλλίστων ὑποκοριζομένων. Ὡς ὁ παλαιὸς λόγος ἔχει, ὅτε καὶ τὸ ἐμμελῶς βήττειν ἀκούειν ἦν ἐκ κολάκων τῷ ἅμα μὲν ἄρχοντι, ἅμα δὲ πάσχοντι, κἄν τις νουθετῶν ὑπογρύξοι, ὡς δύσνους καὶ κάκιστος διεβάλλετο, ὡς τὴν παραί 131 νεσιν πρόσταξιν ἐχόντων. Οἱ δὲ καὶ τὰ γενόμενα δυσχεραίνοντες οὐδὲν ἧττον κολακεύουσιν, ἀποσεμνύνοντες πλέον τοῦ μετρίου τὸν ἄρχοντα, καὶ τὸν τῦφον συναύξουσιν· ἐκεῖνοι δέ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς διάφορα προσωπεῖα περιτιθέμενοι, πρὸς τὸ ἀρίστως βασιλεύειν τὸ γένος ἐχέγγυον οἴονται, ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς πρώταις τῶν σπερμάτων καταβολαῖς βασιλικῶν τινων δυνάμεων εἰς ἀρίστην ἡγεμονίαν ἐνουσῶν. Ταῦτα λέγοντες, ἐπέκειντο πλέον ἰδεῖν τὸν δεσπότην καὶ στεφηφόρον καὶ ἤνυτον, προσαναγκάζοντες συνεχῶς. Ἦν γὰρ καὶ ὁ Παλαιολόγος, ἐντεῦθεν συγκροτηθείς, τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων καὶ ὡς, εἰ μὴ ἄξιος τῆς ἡγεμονίας κριθείη καὶ ὁ ἐξ