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he promoted, so that he also called the logothete of the herds, Hagiotheodorites, promoting him to logothete of the 157 domestics, and Michael the Bad, having appointed him *protasekretis*, he joined in marriage to a noble maiden from the family of the Philanthropenoi, and in general he was very busy welcoming the rulers.

14. How the emperor was zealous to take the city and how he took Selymbria. Therefore, it was of the greatest zeal for him to take the city, and he compelled, inventing methods of battle against the Italians, and he hurried to seize the surrounding areas first. Since Selymbria was still held by the Italians, having sent men he takes it by force and makes the city Roman without a struggle. And still our men advanced nearer and held the areas outside the city in their hands, except for Apameia, a strong fortress held by the Italians. There were some inhabitants from Chryseia and beyond, having free opinions, whether they wished to incline towards the Romans or towards the Italians, the Romans being attached to them as they were Romans, and the Italians believing they had protection from these men because of their familiarity with them; for it was not possible to trust others. But to drive out the inhabitants, lest danger also arise from the desolation. They were, at any rate, between the Romans and the Italians and for this reason they were also called *thelematarioi*, enjoying the fruit of the land outside the city and living from it, and remaining at ease from both sides, as both needed their goodwill, so that they might not be harmed; for it was clear they would hold those who were not their own in hatred. For the Italians were harmed by those men withdrawing from there, as the place was deserted, and the Romans, if they should attempt anything, would not only not be helped, but would even be forcefully restrained by them because of their hatred for them, being purely attached to the Italians. After the capture of Selymbria, at any rate, there was nothing between them and our men, but if they met each other anywhere, they were friendly towards them and they towards them, and neither plundered the other in a warlike manner. 159 It seemed good, therefore, to the emperor, having crossed the Hellespont, to occupy the newly captured Selymbria and, sitting there, to work out how the city might be captured by the Romans. But the event concerning the church did not allow him to cross over.

15. How the patriarch Arsenios withdrew from the patriarchate. For the patriarch Arsenios, whether considering what had been done regarding the emperor, that he himself had been deceived, while the scion of the empire remained unhonored and despised, with all affairs being managed by Palaiologos, or whether someone else had prodded him, that he had dozed off, having done very great and unforgettable things, or whether there was something else that was grievous—for he did not make clear why he was withdrawing, but he invented reasons, such as that he was being despised and that he could accomplish nothing with the emperor, speaking on behalf of the church's dues, as soon as he spoke to the clergy, he set out, he reaches the gate of the city of Nicaea on foot and, having shaken off the crowd around him as best he could, he rushes off without turning back, having few followers. And having settled at a certain monastery near the wall, that of the Statue, he entrusts his journey to the night and bringing himself, he gives himself to the monastery of Paschasios, a monastery well-suited for tranquility, having on one side the sea, and on the other being built up above the Drakon river, and he sat there in tranquility. And he, thus finding peace in that place, did not touch any of the duties of the patriarchate, having left everything, speaking only to himself and to God. But the members of the clergy and as many of the high priests as were staying in Nicaea considered the event terrible and sent messages beseeching, lest the emperor, on hearing of it, should also consider the deed terrible; and otherwise it was right, if anyone should cause grief, to remain at the patriarchate itself and to censure the one who was vexatiously troublesome, reporting it also to the emperor; but if he himself were the only one causing trouble, to admonish, censure, and exhort him, with them assisting

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προσανε βίβαζεν, ὡς καὶ τὸν λογοθέτην τῶν ἀγελῶν Ἁγιοθεοδωρίτην λογοθέτην τῶν 157 οἰκειακῶν ἐπαναβιβάζων ἐκάλει καὶ Μιχαὴλ τὸν Κακόν, πρωτασηκρῆτις ἀναδείξας, εὐγενεῖ συνήρμοττε κόρῃ ἐκ τοῦ τῶν Φιλανθρωπηνῶν γένους, καὶ ἁπλῶς πολὺς ἦν τοὺς ἄρχοντας δεξιούμενος.

ιδʹ. Ὅπως διὰ σπουδῆς εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ τὴν πόλιν ἑλεῖν καὶ ὅπως Σηλυβρίαν εἷλεν. Ἦν οὖν αὐτῷ διὰ σπουδῆς μεγίστης καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἑλεῖν, καὶ προσηνάγ καζε, τρόπους ἐφευρίσκων μάχης πρὸς Ἰταλούς, καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ ταύτης προκαταλαβεῖν ἠπείγετο. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἔτι παρ' Ἰταλῶν ἡ Σηλυβρία κατείχετο, πέμψας αἱρεῖ κατὰ κράτος καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ποιεῖται τὴν πόλιν ἀκονιτί. Ἔτι τε προσεχώρουν ἐγγύτερον οἱ ἡμέτεροι καὶ τὰ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐν χερσὶν εἶχον πλὴν Ἀφαμείας, ἰσχυροῦ φρουρίου κατεχομένου τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς. Ἦσαν δέ τινες κατοικοῦντες ἀπὸ Χρυσείας τε καὶ ἐπέκεινα, ἀνέτους τὰς γνώμας ἔχοντες, εἴτε πρὸς Ῥωμαίους εἴτε πρὸς Ἰταλοὺς ἐθέλοιεν ἀποκλίνειν, τῶν μὲν Ῥωμαίων προσκειμένων αὐτοῖς οὖσι Ῥωμαίοις, τῶν δ' Ἰταλῶνφυλακὴν ἐκ τούτων πιστευόντων ἔχειν διὰ τὸ πρὸς αὐτοὺς σύνηθες· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἑτέροις πιστεύειν. Τὸ δὲ καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐκδιῶξαι, μὴ καὶ κίνδυνος ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας προσέσται. Ἦσαν γοῦν μεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἰταλῶν καὶ διὰτοῦτο ἐκέκληντο καὶ θεληματάριοι, τὴν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως γῆν καρπιζόμενοι καὶ διαζῶντες ἐκεῖθεν καὶ παρ' ἀμφοτέρων εἰς ἄνεσιν μένοντες, χρῃζόντων ἑκατέρων τῆς ἐκείνων ἀγάπης, ὡς ἄν γε μὴ βλάπτοιντο· δῆλοι γὰρ ἦσαν διὰ μίσους τοὺς οὐκ οἰκείους ἕξοντες. Ἦν γὰρ καὶ τοὺς Ἰταλοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ἀναχωρεῖν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκείνους βλάπτεσθαι, ἐρημωθέντος τοῦ τόπου, καὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, εἰ ἐγχειροῖεν ἐπί τι, μὴ ὅπως γε συνεργεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ κράτος εἴργε σθαι παρ' αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἐκείνους μῖσος καθαρῶς προσκειμένων τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς. Μετὰ γοῦν τὴν τῆς Σηλυβρίας ἅλωσιν οὐδὲν ἦν μέσον αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἀλλ' εἴ που συντύχοιεν ἀλλήλοις, φιλικῶς εἶχον αὐτοί τε πρὸς ἐκείνους κἀκεῖνοι πρὸς τούτους, καὶ τρόπον μάχης οὐδέτεροι θατέρους ἐσκύ λευον. 159 Ἐδόκει γοῦν τῷ βασιλεῖ δι' Ἑλλησπόντου περαιωθέντα τὴν Σηλυβρίαν ἄρτι ἁλοῦσαν καταλαβεῖν καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ πῶς ἂν ἡ πόλις Ῥωμαίοις ἁλῴη, ἐκεῖ καθήμενον, πραγματεύεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συμβὰν οὐκ εἴα τοῦτον διαπερᾶν.

ιεʹ. Ὅπως ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀρσένιος τοῦ πατριαρχείου ὑπεξίσταται. Ὁ γὰρ πατριάρχης Ἀρσένιος, εἴτ' ἐπιλογισάμενος τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ πραχθέν, ὡς ἐξηπάτηται μὲν αὐτός, ὁ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ὄρπηξ ἀγέραστος μένει περιφρονούμενος, τῶν πραγμάτων ὅλων ὑπὸ τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ διοικου μένων, εἴτε καὶ ἄλλου νύξαντος, ὡς ἐπινυστάξειε, μέγιστα πράξας καὶ ἄληστα, εἴτε τι καὶ ἄλλο τι τὸ λυποῦν ἦνοὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος δῆλον ἦν ποιῶν ἐφ' ᾧ ἐξεχώρει, αἰτίας δ' ἐπλάττετο, ὡς καταφρονοῖτο καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν παρὰ βασιλεῖ ἀνύτοι, λέγων ὑπὲρ τῶν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καθηκόντων, ἅμ' εἰπὼν πρὸς τὸν κλῆρον καὶ ἅμ' ὁρμήσας, τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως Νικαίας καταλαμβάνει πεζῇ καί, ὡς εἶχε τὸν περὶ αὐτὸν ὄχλον ἀποτιναξάμενος, ἀμεταστρεπτὶ ἵεται, ὀλίγους ἔχων τοὺς συνεπομένους. Καί τινι πρὸς τῷ τείχει, τῇ τοῦ Ἀγαλμά του, προσκαθίσας μονῇ, νυκτὶ τὴν πορείαν πιστεύει καὶ φέρων ἑαυτὸν τῇ τοῦ Πασχασίου μονῇ δίδωσι, μονῇ πρὸς ἡσυχίαν εὐθέτῳ, ἔνθεν μὲν ἐχούσῃ τὴν θάλασσαν, ἔνθεν δ' ὑπερανῳκισμένῃ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ∆ράκοντος, καὶ ἐφ' ἡσυχίας ἐκεῖσε καθῆστο. Καὶ ὁ μέν, οὕτως τῷ τόπῳ ἐνησυχάζων, οὐδενὸς τῶν καθηκόντων τῇ πατριαρχίᾳ ἥπτετο, πάντ' ἐάσας, ἑαυτῷ δὲ μόνῳ προσλα λῶν καὶ Θεῷ. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ κλήρου καὶ ὅσοι τῶν ἀρχιερέων τῇ Νικαίᾳ ἐπεδήμουν δεινὸν τὸ συμβὰν ἡγοῦντο καὶ προσεπέστελλον ἱκετεύοντες, μή που καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας ἐν δεινῷ τὸ πραχθὲν ποιήσοι· καὶ ἄλλως δίκαιον εἶναι, εἴ τίς που καὶ λυποίη, αὐτοῦ που τοῦ πατριαρχείου καθῆσθαι καί γε ἐλέγχειν τὸν κατ' ἐπήρειαν ἐνοχλοῦντα, προσαναφέροντα καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ· εἰ δ' αὐτὸς καὶ μόνος εἴη ὁ ἐνοχλῶν, αὐτὸν νουθετεῖν, ἐλέγχειν, παρακαλεῖν, συλλαμ βανόντων