Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

to make him obedient to the emperor as it was not otherwise possible to disobey. Therefore, when the emperor let her go, she used a ship and went there. How, then, upon returning she was disposed towards what she had promised, those there would know; but the affair showed that she who was going to dissolve it chose the opposite, even if the whole of the disobedience was laid upon the child. Therefore, the emperor, having despaired from that quarter, since not even from the church was the dissolution of the marriage considered certain on the whole, honoring the girl once and for all with the rank of despotes, he kept her for this purpose again, and gave hopes of marrying her to his son John, who was also a despot; for in addition to the other things, her dowry was large and not at all far from being fitting and attracting the sons of emperors. And the emperor in many ways was making it clear that he would accept the daughter of the kanikleios as a bride for his son, but the mother and despotes, with great 290 pride, refused and postponed, not judging the match worthy in the slightest. And for this reason, the emperor also maintained great secrecy about such matters, and somewhere and often skillfully revealed his intention, however, he judged the match with the princess of Achaia, already widowed of her husband, more worthy, and except only for the unseasonableness of the woman, since he himself was a young man just past his youth, he already wished to make the match.

8. Meanwhile, since it was necessary for them to return, having settled the affairs concerning the krales and having arranged western affairs as well as possible, bringing with them the daughter of Terter, and also bringing Kotanitzes under appropriate guard, they encamped somewhere outside the city. And the main reception was at hand; it was the twenty-second of the month Mounychion. The whole city, like some river stream from different springs of its own houses coming together into one, poured out beyond the gates of Charisios, and was preparing itself more lavishly for the reception of the emperors, who had now been away for nearly two years. And the entire populace, having spent the whole day there for a long time, both the Roman part and the others from other races 291 and tongues, and especially the Italian, along with the distinguished part of the city and all the clergy and bishops, stood in suspense, about to welcome the emperors lavishly. But something happened then, I do not know if anything else in addition to this (it was that, since there was an infinite crowd, someone was tripped up and fell into the ditch and was on the brink of danger), therefore, having heard this, I think, or for some other reason it happened, it persuades the emperor suddenly to send away the entire populace by messages, having already accepted their kindness and goodwill, but he wished to ride in when everyone had been dispersed. And when this indeed had happened, as that infinite crowd also passed through the gates with difficulty, late in the day the emperors with their entourage entered the city. But since all things there had proceeded according to the emperor's mind, and only the matter of the patriarch was of concern, who was sitting in a corner in the monastery of the Pammakaristos, for these reasons he sent often and asked him, having put aside all faintheartedness, to depart from there and move to the patriarchate. But he did not persuade him, though he asked many times. And some thought was given of being distraught on account of the things that had happened, 292 but not of those bare and alone, but weaving in certain other things, on account of which he requested that the emperor should come, and that some of the clergy should come, and as many of the bishops as seemed to be sufficient, and that discussions be started, and that the patriarch, having been appeased in this way, if it were possible, should take up his own ministry again, as he said, but if not, then to resign and to spend the rest of his life in peace.

(9) At any rate, on the first of Lenaion late at night this happens; for it was of the greatest concern to the emperor that the patriarch not resign at that time, and for it to seem to many that he had resigned for no other reason than the affair concerning the krales, and that from this a scandal would arise for the affairs of the church. For this reason, also between two things, both the flattery towards him and the justification that seemed right to him,

ποιεῖν τῷ βα σιλεῖ πειθήνιον ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως ἐνὸν ἀπειθεῖν. τῷ τοι καὶ βασι λέως ἀφέντος πλῷ χρησαμένη πρὸς τἀκεῖ γίνεται. ὅπως οὖν ἐπανήκουσα πρὸς τὰ ὑπεσχημένα διετέθη, εἰδεῖεν ἂν οἱ ἐκεῖσε· τὸ δὲ πρᾶγμα ἔδειξε τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ λύειν ἰοῦσαν τἀναντία προαιρουμέ νην, εἰ καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἀπειθείας ἐπὶ τῷ παιδὶ τέθειτο. ἀπε γνωκὼς οὖν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀναμφίβολος ἡ τοῦ γάμου λύσις τὸ σύνολον ἐλογίζετο, τὴν μὲν κόρην καθάπαξ εἰς δεσποτείαν τιμήσας εἰς τοῦτ' ἐτήρει καὶ αὖ θις, ἐλπίδας δ' ἐδίδου συζευγνύειν ταύτην δεσπότῃ γε ὄντι τῷ υἱῷ Ἰωάννῃ· πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τὸ εἰς προῖκα πολὺ ἦν καὶ οὐ πόρρω πάνυ τοῦ πρέπειν καὶ βασιλέων υἱοὺς ἐπάγεσθαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐν πολλοῖς ἐδήλου τὴν τοῦ κανικλείου προση σόμενος ἐφ' υἱεῖ νύμφην, ἡ δέ γε μήτηρ καὶ δέσποινα ἐκ μεγάλου 290 τοῦ φρονήματος ἀπεπροσποιεῖτο καὶ ἀνεβάλλετο, οὐδ' ἴκταρ ἄξιον κρίνουσα τὸ συνάλλαγμα. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ βασιλεῖ πολλή τις ἦν ἡ ἐχεμυθία περὶ τῶν τοιούτων, καί που καὶ εὐμεθόδως πολλάκις παρεγύμνου τὸ βούλημα, τὸ μέντοι γε πρὸς τὴν πριγ κίπισσαν Ἀχαΐας ἤδη κεχηρωμένην ἀνδρὸς κῆδος ἀξιώτερον ἔκρι νε, καὶ παρὰ μόνον τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἔξωρον, αὐτοῦ γε νεανίσκου ὄντος καὶ τὸν ἔφηβον παραλλάττοντος, ἤδη ἤθελε συναλλάττειν.

8. Τέως δ' ἐπεὶ καὶ ὑποστροφῆς ἔδει τούτοις τὰ περὶ τὸν κράλην διευθετήσασι καὶ τὰ δυτικὰ ὡς οἷόν τε καταστήσασιν, ἐπαγόμενοι μὲν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Τερτερῆ, ἐπαγόμενοι δὲ καὶ τὸν Κο τανίτζην ἐν τηρήσεσι προσηκούσαις, ἔξω που τῆς πόλεως κα τεσκήνουν. καὶ ἡ κυρία τῆς ὑπαντῆς ἐνειστήκει· ἡ δ' ἦν ἡ μη νὸς Μουνυχιῶνος εἰκοστὴ δευτέρα. ἡ μὲν πόλις πᾶσα καθάπερ τι ῥεῦμα ποτάμιον ἀπὸ διαφόρων πηγῶν τῶν ἰδίων οἰκιῶν εἰς ἓν συνελθοῦσα ἔξω πυλῶν τῶν τοῦ Χαρσίου ἐχέετο, καὶ φιλοτιμό τερον πρὸς τὴν τῶν βασιλέων ὑποδοχὴν ηὐτρεπίζετο, ἐν δυσὶ χρόνοις ἐγγὺς ἐκδημούντων ἤδη. καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἅπας διημερεύ σας ἐπὶ πολύ, ὅσος τε Ῥωμαϊκὸς καὶ ὅσος ἄλλος ἐξ ἄλλων γενῶν τε 291 καὶ γλωσσῶν, καὶ μᾶλλον Ἰταλικός, σὺν τῷ περιφανεῖ μέρει τῆς πόλεως καὶ κλήρῳ παντὶ καὶ ἀρχιερεῦσι, μετέωρος ἵστατο ὅσον οὔπω τοὺς βασιλεῖς φιλοτίμως ὑποδεξόμενος. συμβὰν δέ τι τότε, οὐκ οἶδ' εἰ καὶ ἄλλο πρὸς τούτῳ (τὸ δ' ἦν ὅτι πλήθους ὄντος ἀπείρου συμποδισθείς τις ἐμπίπτει τῇ τάφρῳ καὶ ἐν χρῷ τοῦ κινδύνου γίνεται), ἀκουσθὲν τοιγαροῦν τοῦτο, οἶμαι, ἢ καὶ ἄλλως συμβὰν βασιλέα πείθει ἐξαπιναίως ἀποπέμψαι ἐκ μη νυμάτων τὸν λαὸν ἅπαντα, δεξάμενον μὲν τὴν αὐτῶν φιλοφρο σύνην ἤδη καὶ εὔνοιαν, πλὴν διασκεδασθέντων τῶν ὅλων ἤθελεν εἰσελαύνειν. οὗ δὴ καὶ γεγονότος, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαις δυσ χερῶς διεκπαίειν τὸ ἄπειρον πλῆθος ἐκεῖνο, ὀψὲ τῆς ἡμέρας οἱ βασιλεῖς σὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτοὺς τὴν πόλιν εἰσίασιν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα τἀκεῖ τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ νοῦν προκεχωρήκει, καὶ μόνον τὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου διὰ φροντίδος ἦν, ὑπὸ γωνίᾳ κα θημένου τῇ τῆς Παμμακαρίστου μονῇ, διὰ ταῦτα πέμπων πολ λάκις ἠξίου μικροψυχίας πάσης ἀφέμενον ἀπαίρειν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ πρὸς τὸ πατριαρχεῖον μετασκηνοῦν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπειθεν ἀξιῶν πολλάκις. ἐδίδοτο δέ τις καὶ ἔννοια τοῦ ἀλύειν χάριν τῶν γεγο 292 νότων, πλὴν οὐ γυμνῶν καὶ μόνων ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καί τιν' ἄλλα συμπλέκοντος, ἐφ' οἷς προσελθεῖν μὲν βασιλέα ἠξίου, προσελ θεῖν δὲ καί τινας τῶν τοῦ κλήρου, καὶ ἀρχιερέων ὁπόσοι καὶ δόξειαν ἀποχρώντως ἔχειν, καὶ λόγους κινηθῆναι, καὶ οὕτω πως θεραπευθέντα τὸν πατριάρχην, εἰ ἐγχωροίη, τὴν οἰκείαν δια κονίαν ἀναλαμβάνειν, ὡς ἔλεγεν, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ παραιτεῖσθαι καὶ καθ' ἡσυχίαν τὸ λοιπὸν διαφέρειν τοῦ βίου.

(9) πρώτῃ γοῦν Ληναιῶνος ὀψὲ τῆς νυκτὸς γίνεται τοῦτο· διὰ σπουδῆς γὰρ ἦν βασιλεῖ τῆς μεγίστης ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ τηνικάδε παραιτεῖσθαι τὸν πατριάρχην, καὶ πολλοῖς δόξαι ὡς οὐδενὸς χάριν ἄλλου ἢ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν κράλην συναλλάγματος παρῃτήσατο, κἀντεῦθεν σκάν δαλον συμβῆναι γενέσθαι τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας πράγμασι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ δυοῖν μεταξύ, τῆς τε πρὸς τοῦτον θωπείας καὶ τῆς δοκούσης αὐτῷ δικαιολογίας,