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he was able to make the excuse that, with the king being somewhere outside of his country, 273 he too would be justified in holding the parts. And he embarked the sebastokrator Constantine on ships and sent him out to Monemvasia, having handed over to him as many of the Romans from Magnesia as there were and all the Persians; for the Italian contingent, not being suitable for an Italian battle, the despot took with him. Accompanying the despot were many others of the magnates and Michael Kantakouzenos, who was later grand konostaulos, his cousins the Tarchaneiotes and many others from the west who had joined the emperor, while with the sebastokrator were very many others and the grand domestic Alexios Philes, and with him also Makrenos, whom the sovereign had as parakoimomenos. The navy sailed from spring to autumn and was successful in many things. Leading it was the protostrator Alexios Philanthropenos, a venerable and noble man, prevented from priding himself on the dignity of megas doux only insofar as there was another in the office, the brother of the old emperor Laskaris, already past his prime and advanced in age, living in Constantinople, assisting the emperor with counsels in tranquility with the care of common affairs as far as was possible. Philanthropenos, however, was related by marriage to the emperor; for he had as son-in-law the emperor's cousin, Michael the son of Martha. And so this man held command of the fleet and, equipping the armament in the spring, sailed away. Nevertheless, later on, when Laskaris died, he received the dignity of megas doux from the emperor as a reward for his labors, as will be told. 275 But these men, organized in three parts, in turn attended to affairs in the west. And the despot attacked the despot Michael and tried to reclaim his land, as belonging to the empire of old. And he had formerly been able to make excuses and did so, arguing plausibly that it was not necessary, since the emperor himself did not possess the throne of the empire—which was Constantinople—for the remainder to be demanded of him; for the throne should rather be demanded from the Italians than the western lands from him, being so entirely detached and barely bounded by Thessalonica. Such, at any rate, were his defenses previously. But at that time, a land which his parents had acquired with toils and sweat alone, not dripping with blood, and had left as an inheritance to their children, how could he, being asked, justly give it up? For having taken it from Italians and not Romans, he justly held it and would leave it to his successors as his own inheritance by virtue of valor; for it has been well said that nothing belongs to anyone except to him who strives in war. And so, while they were disputing, the Roman armies of the despot were being worn down. And the sebastokrator, besieging Monemvasia and its environs, waged daily wars against the prince—for not being content with part of the island, but wishing to control it all—having as his subordinates both the grand domestic Philes and the parakoimomenos Makrenos, he fought as best he could.

17. Concerning the parakoimomenos John Makrenos. The parakoimomenos was held in high esteem and had a name among the enemies for his military skill and showed himself to be formidable, so that also, after the sebastokrator had withdrawn from there, they were left behind to command the army and, fighting often, they were indeed successful, but making one mistake in war they were both defeated. Then, while they were held in prison for a short time, the grand domestic died, but his mother-in-law Eulogia made terrible trouble for the emperor, reporting that the parakoimomenos had betrayed her son-in-law and that he had deliberately been defeated in battle, digging a pit for his fellow general, and as it was truly alleged on these grounds, having talks and agreements with the prince to take the 277 daughter of the emperor Theodore Laskaris—for she was widowed of her husband, living somewhere there—and to be with them, having handed over the country, and to act against the

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ἦν αὐτὸν προφασίζεσθαι ὅτι, ἔξω που τῆς πατρίδος ὄντος 273 τοῦ βασιλέως, δικαιοῖτ' ἂν κἀκεῖνος τὰ μέρη κατέχειν. Τὸν δέ γε σεβα στοκράτορα Κωνσταντῖνον, ναυσὶν ἐμβιβάσας, ἐπὶ Μονεμβασίας ἐκπέμπει, παραδοὺς κἀκείνῳ ὅσον ἦν ἐκ Μαγεδῶνος Ῥωμαίων καὶ τὸ Περσικὸν ἅπαν· τὸ γὰρ Ἰταλικόν, μὴ ἁρμόζον πρὸς μάχην Ἰταλικήν, ὁ δεσπότης συνεπεφέρετο. Συνῆσαν δὲ τῷ μὲν δεσπότῃ πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν μεγιστάνων καὶ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς Μιχαὴλ ὁ καὶ μέγας ἐν ὑστέρῳ κονοσταῦλος, οἱ ἀνεψιοὶ ἐκείνου Ταρχανειῶται καὶ ἄλλοι συχνοὶ ἐκ τῆς δύσεως τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρή σαντες, τῷ δέ γε σεβαστοκράτορι ἄλλοι τε πλεῖστοι καὶ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ὁ Φιλῆς Ἀλέξιος, σὺν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ὁ Μακρηνός, ὃν παρακοιμώμενον ὁ κρατῶν εἶχε. Τὸ δέ γε ναυτικὸν ἔπλει ἐξ ἦρος ἐς ἀρκτοῦρον κἀν πολλοῖς ηὐστόχει. Ἦγε δὲ τοῦτο ὁ Φιλανθρωπηνὸς ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ Ἀλέξιος, ἀνὴρ γεραρὸς καὶ γενναῖος, παρὰ τοσοῦτον εἰργόμενος τῷ μεγαλοδουκάτῳ σεμνύνεσθαι ἀξιώματι παρ' ὅσον ἦν ἄλλος ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀξιώματος, ὁ τοῦ παλαιοῦ Λάσκαρι τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτάδελφος, ἔξωρος ἤδη καὶ παρηβηκώς, ἐπὶ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου καθήμενος, βουλαῖς καθ' ἡσυχίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς τῶν κοινῶν φροντίδος ὡς ἐνὸν συναιρόμενος. Ὁ μέντοι γε Φιλανθρωπηνὸς ἀγχιστεύων τῷ βασιλεῖ· τὸν γὰρ ἀνεψιὸν ἐκείνου, τὸν τῆς Μάρθας υἱὸν Μιχαήλ, εἶχε γαμβρὸν ἐπὶ θυγατρί. Ὁ γοῦν τοιοῦτος κατεῖχε τὸ πλόϊμον καὶ ἦρος ἐξαρτυόμενος στόλον ἀπέπλεεν. Ὅμως δ' ἐσύστερον, θανόντος τοῦ Λάσκαρι, τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς ἀξίαν παρὰ βασιλέως εἰς ἀμοιβὴν τῶν κόπων ἐλάμβανεν, ὡς ῥηθήσεται. 275 Ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν τριχῇ κοσμούμενοι ἀνὰ μέρος τὰ κατὰ δύσιν μεθεῖπον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν δεσπότης τῷ Μιχαὴλ δεσπότῃ ἐπεῖχε καὶ ἀνεκαλεῖτο τὴν ἐκείνου χώραν, ὡς πάλαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ προσήκουσαν. Ὁ δὲ εἶχε μὲν πρότερον προ φασίζεσθαι καὶ ἐπροφασίζετο πιθανολογούμενος ὡς οὐκ ἀνάγκη, αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν τῆς βασιλείας θρόνονὁ δ' ἦν ἡ Κωνσταντινούπολιςμὴ κατέχοντος, αὐτὸν ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τὸ λεῖπον· ἀπαιτητέα γὰρ εἶναι μᾶλλον τὸν θρόνον τοὺς Ἰταλοὺς ἢ ἐκεῖνον τὰ κατὰ δύσιν, οὕτως ἀνηρτημένους πάμπαν καὶ μόλις ὁριζομένους Θεσσαλονίκῃ. Τοιαῦτα γοῦν ἀπελογεῖτο πρότερον. Τότε δὲ ἀλλὰ χώραν ἣν οἱ γονεῖς ἐκείνου πόνοις καὶ ἱδρῶσι καὶ μόνον, οὐχ αἵμασι στάζοντες, προσεκτήσαντο καὶ κλῆρον κατέλιπον τοῖς παισί, πῶς ἂν καὶ δικαίως ἀπαιτούμενος ἀποδῴη; Ἰταλοὺς γὰρ ἀφαιρου μένους καὶ μὴ Ῥωμαίους κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἔχειν καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων εἰς διαδοχὴν καταλείπειν ὡς σφέτερον κλῆρον ἐξ ἀρετῆς· εὖ γὰρ καὶ λελέχθαι ὡς οὐδὲν οὐδενὸς πλὴν τοῦ σπουδάζοντος κατὰ πόλεμον. Καὶ οὕτω μὲν διαμφισβητούντων, τὰ Ῥωμαίων τῷ δεσπότῃ στρατεύματα κατετρίβοντο. Ὁ δέ γε σεβαστοκράτωρ, τῇ Μονεμβασίᾳ καὶ τοῖς πέριξ προσκαθήμενος, καθημερινοὺς πολέμους πρὸς τὸν πρίντζην ἐξῆγεμηδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ μέρει τῆς νήσου, πᾶσαν δὲ κρατῆσαι θέλων, ὑπάρχους ἔχων τόν τε μέγαν δομέστικον τὸν Φιλῆν καὶ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον Μακρηνόν, ὡς ἐνὸν ἠγωνίζετο.

ιζʹ. Τὰ κατὰ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον Μακρηνὸν Ἰωάννην. Ἦν δ' εὐδοκιμῶν ὁ παρακοιμώμενος καὶ παρ' ἐχθροῖς ὄνομα ἔχων ἐπὶ στρατείᾳ καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὥστε καί, τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος ἐκεῖ θεν ἐπαναζεύξαντος ὕστερον, αὐτοὺς ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι καὶ τοῦ στρατεύματος ἄρχειν καὶ δὴ μαχομένους πολλάκις μὲν εὐστοχεῖν, μίαν δέ γε σφαλέντας κατὰ πόλεμον κρατηθῆναι καὶ ἀμφοτέρους. Τότε τοίνυν ἐπ' ὀλίγον κατεχο μένων ἐν φυλακαῖς, ὁ μὲν μέγας δομέστικος ἀποθνῄσκει, ἡ δ' ἐκείνου πενθερὰ Εὐλογία δεινὰ ἐποίει τῷ βασιλεῖ προσαγγέλλουσα ὡς προδῴη μὲν ὁ παρα κοιμώμενος τὸν ἐκείνης γαμβρὸν καὶ ὡς ἐπίτηδες κρατηθείη καὶ οὗτος εἰς πόλεμον, ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ συστρατήγῳ, καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ τούτοις κατηγορεῖται, λόγους ἔχων καὶ συμφωνίας πρὸς τὸν πρίντζην λαμβάνειν τὴν 277 τοῦ Λάσκαρι Θεοδώρου τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατέρακεχήρωτο γὰρ τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἐκεῖσέ που διάγουσαν, καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν εἶναι, παραδόντα τὴν χώραν, καὶ ἀντιπράττειν τῷ