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Then I leave you the Grand Domestic as leader and protector in my place.” After this, taking his hands and placing them in 1.394 the hands of the empress, who was pregnant with their daughter Maria, who was later given in marriage to Michael of Alexander, king of the Mysians, and with the icon standing by of the one who supernaturally for the salvation of men bore God, the Lord Jesus Christ, “to you,” he said, “I entrust her and all the Romans, and from now on you shall care for them.” Then a loud lamentation was immediately raised by all and all turned to wailing, and there was nothing to see but men beating their chests and tearing their hair, and the lamentation of all pervaded the air for a long time and everything was heard in confusion; and no one, unless he had a soul of stone, would have been able to control himself and not weep at what was happening. For a considerable time, then, all remained in their lamentations, as no one was able to offer a reply to what had been said; but late, recovering themselves, they agreed to carry out what had been commanded, and each one, bidding a final farewell to the emperor, departed bathed in tears. And throughout this entire day, as had been so ordered by the emperor, the palace doors having been thrown open, all entered unhindered and greeted the emperor and bade him a final farewell, and he, greeting them in return, urged them to accept what had been ordained by him. Thus, then, the emperor continued throughout the whole day taking leave of everyone. After this, calling the physicians, he adjured them 1.395 by God who will judge the living and the dead, not to deprive him of the monastic habit, but to permit him to be deemed worthy of it. He said that he did not desire such a life as if he were already dying, nor should they look to that, as if to permit it if there were no hope of his surviving, but on the contrary to forbid it, but to do it now without any delay; for this was more to his pleasure; and he affirmed with oaths, that he would rather, living on for however many years in this habit, correct himself for his former sins and through repentance reconcile himself to God, than to depart as soon as he had put it on and not work further on the gift. The physicians at first comforted him, saying that nothing terrible would happen, then as he insisted vehemently, they promised to do what he asked; but he was not persuaded at all, unless he could also bind them with oaths, that they would surely not deprive him of his good desire. 15. The illness, however, grew more intense and progressed for the worse; and his aunt, the Palaiologina Kantakouzene, who was present, asked about the empress-mother Xene, if he would make any arrangements concerning her. When he answered “nothing,” thinking that because of the illness he did not understand what was being said, she asked again about the same things, and a third time; but he answered that he could not place two in charge of affairs, and they being women. But the Grand Domestic, going out, ordered oaths to be taken 1.396 according to the custom that had prevailed from the beginning upon the death of an emperor. And they were to these terms: to accept Anna the empress, as mistress and ruler of affairs, and to keep pure and guileless faith with her; and to obey the Grand Domestic in everything and to do what was commanded by him without any contradiction. Thus, then, were the oaths taken, with all swearing in succession. And he himself administered affairs as seemed best to him and entrusted the governorships of the cities to whomever he judged it necessary; and from others he took them away. But as many of the Romans as happened to be present then in Didymoteichon, not only of the senate, but also of the army, came together and tried to force the Grand Domestic to put on the imperial insignia; arguing both other things that it was just and that the emperor had so commanded. But he refused and ordered them not to trouble him, as they were asking for impossible things. But Constantine the despot, whom we said at the beginning of the history was brought as a prisoner from Thessalonica in particular, wearing the habit of a monk and [named] Kallistos

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ἔπειτα δὲ ἡγεμόνα καὶ προστάτην ἀντ' ἐμοῦ τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ἀφίημι ὑμῖν.» Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο τῶν αὐτοῦ λαβόμενος χειρῶν καὶ ταῖς 1.394 χερσὶ τῆς βασιλίδος περιαγαγὼν, ἐχούσης ἐν γαστρὶ Μαρίαν τὴν θυγατέρα, ἣ καὶ ὕστερον Μιχαὴλ πρὸς γάμον ἐξεδόθη τῷ Μυσῶν βασιλέως Ἀλεξάνδρου, καὶ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐφεστηκυίας τῆς ὑπερφυῶς διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν τετοκυίας θεὸν τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν «σοὶ ταύτην» ἔφη «παραδίδωμι καὶ πάντας Ῥωμαίους, καὶ τοαποτοῦδέ σοι μελήσει περὶ αὐτῶν.» θρῆνος μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ὑπὸ πάντων ᾖρτο λαμπρὸς καὶ πάντες ἐτράποντο πρὸς οἰμωγὰς, καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ὁρᾷν εἰ μὴ κοπτομένους καὶ κατατιλλομένους, καὶ ὁ διὰ πάντων ὀλοφυρμὸς ἐπιπολὺ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐχώρει καὶ πάντα ἐξηκούετο συμμιγῆ· καὶ οὐδεὶς εἰ μὴ αὐτολιθίνην εἶχε ψυχὴν, ἴσχυσεν ἂν ἐγκρατὴς ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐπιδακρῦσαι τοῖς γινομένοις. ἐφ' ἱκανὸν μὲν οὖν πάντες ἐνέμειναν τοῖς ὀλοφυρμοῖς, οὐδενὸς ἰσχύσαντος ἀπολογίαν πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα παρασχεῖν· ὀψὲ δὲ ἀναλαβόντες ἑαυτοὺς, συνέθεντο τὰ διατεταγμένα ἐκπληροῦν, καὶ προσαγορεύοντες τὰ τελευταῖα ἕκαστος βασιλέα, δάκρυσι περιῤῥεόμενοι ἀνεχώρουν. διὰ πάσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ταυτησὶν, οὕτω προστεταγμένον ὑπὸ βασιλέως, τῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις θυρῶν ἀναπετασθεισῶν, πάντες εἰσιόντες ἀκωλύτως προσηγόρευον βασιλέα καὶ ἠσπάζοντο τὰ τελευταῖα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀντασπαζόμενος αὐτοὺς, τὰ διατεταγμένα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παρηγγύα στέργειν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας τοῖς πᾶσι συνταττόμενος διετέλεσεν ὁ βασιλεύς. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἰατροὺς, ὥρκιζεν αὐτοὺς 1.395 θεὸν τὸν ζῶντας κρινοῦντα καὶ νεκροὺς, μὴ ἀποστερῆσαι τοῦ σχήματος τῶν μοναχῶν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτρέψαι οἱ τούτου ἀξιωθῆναι. ἔφασκε δὲ μὴ ὡς ἤδη τελευτῶν ἐφίεσθαι τοῦ τοιούτου βίου, μηδ' αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἐκεῖνο ἀποβλέπειν, ὡς εἰ μὲν μηδεμία εἴη τοῦ περιγενήσεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐλπὶς, ἐπιτρέπειν, τοὐναντίον δὲ κωλύειν, ἀλλ' ἤδη πράττειν μηδὲν ἀναβαλλομένους· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εἶναι πρὸς ἡδονήν· καὶ ὅρκοις ἰσχυρίζετο, ἦ μὴν αἱρεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι ὅσα δήποτε ἔτη ἐπιβιοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν πρότερον πεπλημμελημένων εὐθύνειν ἑαυτὸν καὶ διὰ μετανοίας θεῷ προσοικειοῦν, ἢ ἅμα τῷ περιβαλέσθαι ἀπελθόντα μὴ προσεπεργάσασθαι τῷ χαρίσματι. Ἀσκληπιάδαι δὲ πρῶτα μὲν παρεμυθοῦντο, ὡς μηδενὸς δεινοῦ συμβησομένου, ἔπειτα ὡς ἐπέκειτο σφοδρῶς, καὶ ἃ ἐδεῖτο ὑπισχνοῦντο πράττειν· ὁ δ' οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἐπείθετο, εἰ μὴ καὶ ὅρκοις αὐτοὺς καταλάβοι, ἦ μὴν αὐτὸν τῆς καλῆς ἐπιθυμίας μὴ ἀποστερήσειν. ιεʹ. Ἡ νόσος δὲ ἐπετείνετο μᾶλλον καὶ προέκοπτεν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον· ἡ θεία δὲ αὐτῷ Παλαιολογίνα παροῦσα ἡ Καντακουζηνὴ ᾔρετο περὶ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς βασιλίδος Ξένης, εἴ τι διατάττοιτο περὶ αὐτῆς. ἀποκριναμένου δὲ «μηδὲν», νομίσασα ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου μὴ ἐπαισθάνεσθαι τῶν λεγομένων, αὖθις περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπανῄρετο, καὶ τρίτον· ὁ δ' ἀπεκρίνατο, μὴ δύνασθαι δύο τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐφιστάναι, καὶ ταῦτα γυναῖκας οὔσας. ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ἐξελθὼν, ὅρκους προσέταξε 1.396 γίνεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἐπικρατῆσαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔθος ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλέως τελευτῇ. καὶ ἐγίνοντο ἐπὶ τοῖσδε· στέργειν Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα, κυρίαν καὶ δεσπόζουσαν τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ τὴν πίστιν αὐτῇ καθαρὰν καὶ ἄδολον τηρεῖν· πείθεσθαι δὲ πάντα καὶ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ καὶ τὰ κελευόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μηδὲν ἀντιλέγοντας ποιεῖν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐγίνοντο οἱ ὅρκοι, πάντων ὀμνυόντων ἐφεξῆς. αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ πράγματα διῴκει ᾗ αὐτῷ ἄριστα ἐδόκει ἔχειν καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐπέτρεπε τῶν πόλεων, οἷς ἔκρινε δεῖν· τῶν δὲ ἀφῃρεῖτο. ὅσοι δὲ Ῥωμαίων εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἔτυχον τότε παρόντες, οὐ τῆς συγκλήτου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς, τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ἠνάγκαζον συνελθόντες τὰ βασιλικὰ σύμβολα περιθέσθαι· τά τε ἄλλα ἰσχυριζόμενοι δίκαιον εἶναι καὶ ὅτι οὕτω διατάξαιτο βασιλεύς. ὁ δ' ἀνένευέ τε καὶ ἐκέλευε μὴ παρενοχλεῖν ὡς ἀδύνατα ἀξιοῦσι. Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ ὁ δεσπότης, ὃν ἐν ἀρχαῖς τῆς ἱστορίας μάλιστα ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἔφημεν ἀχθῆναι δεσμώτην, σχῆμά τε ἠμφιεσμένον μοναχῶν καὶ Κάλλιστον