Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

these things were no less clear to the patriarch than the sands of the sea, as it is said, going out as if to give his farewells to the emperor, he wished to raise the matters concerning this first of all. For the emperor, since many obstacles to the marriage contract appeared, namely that the Kral had taken the daughter of Terter under dreadful oaths, and that they seemed to be legally joined, and the minority of the girl, and that the Serb had previously known carnally the sister-in-law of his brother Stephen, or rather of the emperor himself, the daughter of the king of Hungary, who had come to the regions of Serbia for some purpose and was dressed as a nun. These things, taken together, seemed to present sufficient obstacles to the affair. The emperor, therefore, on account of these things, while on the one hand attending to many matters, on the other hand also reasoned that if the Kral should break the agreements made between him and Terter, there would be no hatred for the church, since it would not be necessary to commemorate him in the sacred rites because of his excommunication; because of these things, confident in what he had reasoned, he neither communicated the affair to the patriarch and with full impulse proceeded to carry out the marriage contract. But the patriarch, on the other hand, perhaps feeling insulted at being slighted in such matters where his opinion was especially needed, and thinking he had something worthy to say, in order to show that he was no less involved in such things, although he had previously absolved the Kral's mother from the charges for which she was held on account of Terter's daughter, when she had requested it, he seemed to speak reasonably. Therefore, since the emperor knew that the patriarch was of this mind, he sent him ahead to Selyvria, while he himself was still staying at Dripeia. And when the first week of the fast began, the patriarch, having reached Selyvria and also awaiting the emperor, kept quiet for the time being,

(2) but the emperor approached slowly, little by little, arriving at Selyvria late on Saturday. The next day after this (which was the Day of Orthodoxy) arrived, and then after midday, when the sacred liturgy was celebrated according to custom, he met with the patriarch in the church there of the monastery of the Savior, and conversed for as long as was possible. It was by no means possible then for the patriarch to bring up the things he wished to raise at a suitable leisure, of which there were two most important matters, which he was most eager to bring up, one concerning John Tarchaneiotes (for he still, as he was sent, was governing the eastern parts) that it was not right in other respects nor reasonable for a man who was separated from the church, and who along with others had vehemently assailed the patriarch himself with insults, to be in the greatest positions of authority and to rise up unrestrained against the many, and especially against the bishops there, as he said, and the second was about the marriage contract; for there were for him many obstacles, which indeed it was necessary to give to consideration and thus for what seemed safe to be done out of respect for the laws. While the patriarch had these things in mind, since the sacred ceremony had reached its end and the emperor was already preparing to depart from there, he both spoke a few things with the patriarch about certain matters, and at the same time, as if cutting his words short, sought a blessing and took his leave. But he, constrained by the occasion, sought to see and bless the bride; for it was not likely that just now, for the first time after her passing of age, so to speak, and not long after the naming ceremony, the patriarch would not see and bless her. He wished for the act to stir up from there words about the things being done, in order to speak when the emperor paused. So when she appeared he blessed her and somehow touched upon the subjects, but since the emperor decided to withdraw because of the time, he hastened to proceed on his intended journey, assuring the patriarch of the hearing which the occasion pressed for concerning what was said. But he, being rebuffed beyond all expectation of what he was hoping for, began to be distressed, and he threatened not to return, both because of John governing in such a way and because of the present matters. For when he raised these issues and heard the remedies in response, feeling nothing more than additional pain that as the time was being cut short of the

εἶχε τὸ δῆλα γίνεσθαι ταῦτα τῷ πα τριάρχῃ οὐχ ἧττον ἢ καὶ τοὺς τῆς θαλάσσης χόας, ὡς λέγεται, ἐξιὼν ὡς δῆθεν συντακτηρίους ἀποδώσων τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὰ περὶ τούτου κινεῖν ἐν πρώτοις ἐβούλετο. βασιλεὺς μὲν γάρ, ἐπεὶ πόλλ' ἄττα τὰ προσιστάμενα τῷ συναλλάγματι κατεφαίνετο, τό τ' ἐφ' ὁρκωμοσίαις τὸν κράλην φρικταῖς τὴν τοῦ Τερτερῆ προσ λαβέσθαι, τό τε νομίμως δοκεῖν συνεζεῦχθαι, ἥ τ' ἀφηλικίωσις τῆς νεάνιδος, καὶ τὸ φθάσαι τὸν Σέρβον τὴν τἀδελφοῦ Στεφά νου γυναικαδέλφην, εἴτ' οὖν καὶ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως, τὴν τοῦ ῥη 280 γὸς Οὐγγρίας κόρην, κατὰ χρείαν τοῖς τῆς Σερβίας τόποις ἐπι στᾶσαν καὶ τὰ μοναχικὰ ἠμφιεσμένην πορνικῶς γνῶναι. ταῦτ' εἰς ἓν συναγόμενα αὐτάρκη τῇ πράξει προσίστασθαι κατεφαίνετο. ὁ γοῦν βασιλεὺς διὰ ταῦτα, ἅμα μὲν τὰ πολλὰ θεραπεύων, ἅμα δέ γε καὶ λογιζόμενος ὡς εἴ τι καὶ παρασπονδοίη ὁ κράλης ἐπὶ τοῖς συγκειμένοις αὐτῷ τε καὶ Τερτερῇ, οὐδὲν ἐσεῖται μῖσος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μὴ ἀνάγκην ἐχούσῃ καθ' ἱερὰς τελετὰς διὰ τὴν ἀμιξίαν ἐκείνου μιμνήσκεσθαι, διὰ ταῦτα θαρρῶν οἷς ἐλογίζετο, οὔτ' ἐκοινοῦτο τῷ πατριάρχῃ τὴν πρᾶξιν καὶ ὅλαις ὁρμαῖς ἐχώρει διαπραξόμενος τὸ συνάλλαγμα. πατριάρχης δ' αὖθις ὑβριοπα θῶν ἴσως ὑπερφρονούμενος ἐν τοιούτοις οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον ἔδει τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης, δοκῶν δὲ καί τι λέγειν ἄξιον εἰς τὸ καὶ ἑαυτὸν δεικνύναι μετεῖναι τῶν τοιούτων οὐχ ἧττον, καίτοι γε καὶ τῶν ἐνοχῶν ἀνεὶς τὴν τοῦ κράλη μητέρα ἀξιώσασαν πρότερον ἐφ' οἷς ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Τερτερῆ ἐνείχετο, εὔλογα λέγειν ἐδόκει. ὡς τοίνυν βασιλεὺς ᾔδει εἰς τοῦτ' ὄντα τὸν πατριάρχην, προῆγε τοῦτον εἰς Σηλυβρίαν, αὐτὸς ἐν ∆ριπείᾳ καὶ ἔτι παρακαθήμενος. ὡς δὲ 281 τῆς πρώτης ἑβδομάδος ἐνστάσης τῶν νηστειῶν ὁ μὲν πατριάρχης καταλαβὼν τὴν Σηλυβρίαν καὶ βασιλέα προσαπεκδεχόμενος τῷ τέως ἡσύχαζε,

(2) βασιλεὺς δὲ σχολαίως κατὰ μικρὸν προσῄει, Σηλυβρίας ὀψὲ σαββάτου ἐπέβαινεν. ἡ μετ' αὐτὴν μὲν καὶ ὑστε ραία (ἡ δ' ἦν ἡ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἡμέρα) ἐφίσταται, καὶ τότε μετὰ μεσημβρίαν κατ' ἔθος τῆς ἱερᾶς τελουμένης λειτουργίας ἐπιμι γνύει τῷ πατριάρχῃ κατὰ τὸν ἐκεῖσε νεὼν τῆς μονῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος, καὶ ὅσον ἦν ὁμιλεῖ. οὐκ ἦν δὲ πάντως τότε προσαναφέρειν πα τριάρχην ἃ δὴ κατὰ σχολὴν τὴν πρέπουσαν κινεῖν ἠβούλετο, ὧν ἦσαν δύο τὰ μέγιστα, περὶ ὧν ἐσπουδάκει πλέον προσαναφέρειν, ἓν μὲν περὶ τοῦ Ταρχανειώτου Ἰωάννου (ἔτι γάρ, ὡς ἐπέμφθη, τῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς μερῶν ἡγεμόνευεν) ὡς οὐ δίκαιον ὂν ἄλλως οὐδ' εὔλογον ἄνδρα τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποσχιζόμενον, καὶ πολλὰ σὺν ἄλλοις καὶ αὐτοῦ πατριάρχου λιπαρῶς ἐφ' ὕβρεσι καθαπτόμενον, ἐν ἀξίαις εἶναι μεγίσταις ἡγεμονίας καὶ ἀνέδην κατεπαίρεσθαι τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἀρχιερέων, ὡς ἔλεγε, δεύ τερον δὲ τὸ περὶ τοῦ συναλλάγματος· εἶναι γὰρ αὐτῷ πόλλ' ἄττα τὰ προσιστάμενα, ἃ δὴ καὶ χρῆναι σκέψει διδόναι καὶ οὕτω τὸ φανὲν ἀσφαλὲς ὑπ' αἰδοῖ τῶν νόμων καὶ διαπράττεσθαι. τούτων ὄντων τῷ πατριάρχῃ διὰ σκοποῦ, ἐπεὶ τὰ τῆς ἱερᾶς τελετῆς τέλος 282 εἶχε καὶ ἤδη ἀπαίρειν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡτοιμάζετο, ἅμα τε ὀλίγ' ἄττα τῷ πατριάρχῃ περί των ὡμίλησε, καὶ ἅμα ὥσπερ ὑποτεμνό μενος τοὺς λόγους ἐκείνῳ εὐλογίαν ἐζήτει καὶ συνετάττετο. ὁ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ συγκλασθεὶς τὸ νυμφίον ἐζήτει βλέπειν καὶ εὐλογεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰκὸς εἶναι ἄρτι πρώτως μετὰ τὴν ἡλικιῶτιν σχεδὸν με τάβασιν, καὶ οὐ πολλῷ τινὶ χρόνῳ μετὰ τὰ ἀμφιδρόμια, μὴ τὸν πατριάρχην βλέπειν καὶ εὐλογεῖν. ἠβούλετο δέ οἱ τὸ δρᾶμα λό γους ἐντεῦθεν ἀνακινηθῆναι τῶν τελουμένων, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ λαλῆσαι βασιλέως ἐπισχόντος. ὡς γοῦν φανεῖσαν ηὐλόγει καὶ ἀμηγέπη τῶν λόγων ἥπτετο, δόξαν ἀναχωρεῖν βασιλεῖ διὰ τὸν καιρόν, θεραπείας ἧς ἤπειγεν ὁ καιρὸς ἀξιῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις τὸν πα τριάρχην, τὴν προκειμένην βαδίζειν ἠπείγετο. ἐκεῖνος δὲ παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τῶν προσδοκωμένων ἀποκρουσθεὶς ἀλύειν ἤρξατο, καὶ μὴ ὑποστρέφειν ἠπείλει καὶ δι' Ἰωάννην οὕτως ἡγεμονεύοντα καὶ διὰ τὰ παρόντα. ὡς γὰρ καὶ περὶ τούτων κινῶν τὰς θερα πείας ἤκουεν ἀπαντώσας, οὐδὲν πλέον ἢ προσαλγήσας ὅτι συν τέμνοντος τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν