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to dawn the day and to dismiss, nor for any of the outsiders to meet. But now from midnight to midday we stand, both laity and the multitude and the bells, and not everything that is performed is prayer, but there is also beautiful singing and readings and sitting and rest in between, during which it is possible for others both to say and to do what presents itself as necessary. For neither do we have other stewards, so that being dismissed from here we might stand over ready tables, but perhaps we will take care of things in the intervals as is 649 likely. Do not then wish to hold us, who are lowly and worldly, to this high and greatest standard, and do not set the things of necessity as a condemnation of negligence. For we will grow weak, believe me. And if we are to be condemned from this, let your holiness seek no more for a ready condemnation. Order is good, prayer is good, piety is good, each of the good things is good. But what are these things to us who are tempest-tossed because of the cooling of love, as the Lord said? As long as the ship is being saved, then both sailor and helmsman must hasten to the salvation of the one being tossed by the waves, but when the sea prevails with its waves and misfortunes, the effort is in vain. And how we have now ended up, our very huts will bear witness. These things, at any rate, we are about to report to our holy lord and emperor. And if his holy majesty decides that we should suffer such things, perhaps we shall endure even unwillingly; for to those unworthy of life and honor, not even death is unwelcome. But if we should receive some humane treatment, thanks be to God, and thanks also to his majesty. The sum of the words. Either be persuaded as to heirs, and 650 take thought that for the future we may be enrolled in this spiritual warfare, if you desire it, but according to the possibility of our strength, and not thus by compulsion and with greater commands; for we know that what will be given is far deficient for the commands. Or, as to men already corrupted by such warfare and as deserters, give us the letter of dismissal. And if then you give anything for our sustenance, let it not be reckoned as pay, for which great services are also demanded in return, not so much out of need, as we think, or out of insolence, but as a requital for pre-existing toils and long-standing labors. And in any case, peaceful old age is among the honorable things on account of what has gone before." 36. But these things so far are for a moderate demonstration of the vexations that have befallen those of the church. But for us it is another labor to bring to an end the accounts that dissolve the history. But nevertheless we pray again for better things. And if God awards it, we would not hold back our hand from eagerly composing the things of the re 651 call, as much as we are able. For it would be terrible if we undertook to write of these common misfortunes, terrible both for the world and for us, but should grow numb if God were to grant good things, and this while the emperor expects better things from his very great hope and faith in God, he himself not slumbering at all, but as much as possible fighting against the most difficult circumstances. Now, however, better things are reasonably rumored, and from that quarter that nearly thirty thousand Tochars sent by Charbandas are beginning to work a great, and as no one had hoped, check on the Persians, so that as many Roman fortresses as had been captured before, were stuffed into the strongholds of Olympus. And from the west the Almogavars, leaving what they held, are crossing the Maritsa river, in order that, having passed through the things there, they might depart, as best they could, and as they said, homeward, in order to attack Athos, if for the time being it might be possible for them to pass through the intervening mountain passes without bloodshed. But these are the things of rumor; 652 But they, having departed from Ainos, Rocafort with the Turks, Berenguer with Ferran Ximenis and Gidas, having enmity toward one another, but thus having departed arrived in Kassandreia, and there they intrigued against one another. For Rocafort with the Turks around him was hostile to Berenguer, Ferran Ximenis and Gidas, and they

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ἐπιφώσκειν τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ἀπολύειν, μηδέ τινας τῶν ἔξω προσαπαντᾶν. νῦν δὲ ἐκ μεσονυκτίου ἐς μέσην ἡμέραν ἱστάμεθα, καὶ λαὸς καὶ πλῆθος καὶ κώδωνες, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τὸ ἐνεργούμενον πᾶν προσευχή, ἀλλ' ἔστι καὶ καλλιφωνία καὶ ἀναγνώσματα καὶ καθέδρα καὶ ἄνεσις διὰ μέσου, καθ' ἃ ἄλλους μὲν ἔξεστι καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν τὸ παριστάμενον ὡς ἀναγκαῖον. οὐδὲ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἄλλους τοὺς οἰκονόμους ἔχομεν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἀπολυομένους τραπέζαις ἑτοίμαις ἐφίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ τυχὸν ἐκ διαλειμμάτων κατὰ 649 τὸ εἰκὸς φροντίσομεν. μὴ οὖν κατὰ τὴν ὑψηλὴν ταύτην δὴ καὶ μεγίστην καὶ τοὺς χθαμαλοὺς ἡμᾶς καὶ βιωτικοὺς ἔχειν θέλε, καὶ εἰς κατάγνωσιν ἀμελείας τίθει τὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης. ἀτονήσομεν γάρ, πίστευσον. καὶ ἐὰν μέλλωμεν ἐντεῦθεν κατακρίνεσθαι, πλέον μὴ ζητείτω ἡ ἁγιωσύνη σου εἰς ἑτοίμην κατάγνωσιν. καλὸν τάξις, καλὸν προσευχή, καλὸν εὐλάβεια, καλὸν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕκαστον. ἀλλὰ τί ταῦτα τοῖς κυμαγωγουμένοις ἡμῖν διὰ τὴν ψῦξιν τῆς ἀγάπης, ὡς ὁ κύριος ἔφησεν; ἔστ' ἂν τὸ σκάφος σώζηται, τότε χρὴ καὶ ναύτην καὶ κυβερνήτην σπεύδειν πρὸς σωτηρίαν τοῦ κλυδωνιζομένου, ὅταν δ' ἡ θάλασσα ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων καὶ συμφορῶν περιγένηται, μάταιος ἡ σπουδή. ὅπως δὲ κατηντήσαμεν νῦν, καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα καλύβια μαρτυρήσουσιν. ταῦτα γοῦν προσαναφέρειν μέλλομεν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἡμῶν δεσπότῃ καὶ βασιλεῖ. καὶ εἰ μὲν διακρινεῖ ἡ ἁγία αὐτοῦ βασιλεία πάσχειν ἡμᾶς τοιαῦτα, ἴσως ὑποστησόμεθα καὶ μὴ θέλοντες· τοῖς γὰρ ζωῆς καὶ τιμῆς ἀναξίοις οὐκ ἀποθύμιος οὐδὲ ὁ θάνατος. εἰ δέ τι καὶ φιλανθρωπευθείημεν χάρις μὲν θεῷ, χάρις δὲ καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ βασιλείᾳ. κεφάλαιον τῶν λόγων. ἢ ὡς κληρονόμους δυσωπήθητε, καὶ 650 φροντίδα θέσθ' ὅπως καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν στρατολογοίμεθα ταύτην δὲ τὴν πνευματικὴν στρατείαν, εἰ ὀρέγεσθε, πλὴν κατὰ τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ μὴ ἀναγκαστῶς οὕτω καὶ μετ' ἐπιταγμάτων μειζόνων· πολλῷ γὰρ ἐλλεῖπον πρὸς τὰς ἐπιταγὰς καὶ τὸ δοθησόμενον οἴδαμεν. ἢ ὡς κατασαπεῖσιν ἤδη τῇ τοιαύτῃ στρατείᾳ καὶ ἀποτάκτοις τὸ γράμμα δότε τὸ τῆς ἀφέσεως. κἄν τι τότε καὶ διδῶτε πρὸς σιτισμόν, μὴ ὡς μισθὸς λογιζέσθω, ὡς προσαπαιτεῖσθαι μεγάλας καὶ τὰς δουλείας, οὐ κατὰ χρείαν τόσον, ὡς οἰόμεθα, ἢ κατ' ἐπήρειαν, ἀλλ' ὡς προϋπηργμένων πόνων τε καὶ καμάτων πολυχρονίων ἀντέκτισις. πάντως δέ γε καὶ τὸ ἀπόλεμον γῆρας ἐν τοῖς τιμίοις διὰ τὰ φθάσαντα." 36. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐς τοσοῦτον εἰς δεῖξιν μετρίαν τῶν καταλαβουσῶν τοὺς τῆς ἐκκλησίας παραλυπήσεων. ἡμῖν δὲ πόνος ἄλλως εἰς τέλος τοὺς καταλύσαντες τῆς ἱστορίας λόγους. πλὴν ἀλλ' εὐχόμεθα πάλιν καὶ τὰ βελτίονα. καὶ εἰ θεὸς βραβεύει, οὐκ ἂν τὴν χεῖρα ἐφέξομεν τοῦ μὴ προθύμως τὰ τῆς ἐπα 651 νακλήσεως καθόσον εὐποροῦμεν συντάττεσθαι. δεινὸν γὰρ εἰ συμφορὰς μὲν ὑπέστημεν γράφειν ταύτας κοινάς, δεινὰς δὲ καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ, δεινὰς δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν, ἀποναρκοίημεν δὲ εἰ θεὸς διδοίη τὰ καλά, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς θεὸν μεγίστης ἐλπίδος καὶ πίστεως προσδοκῶντος τὰ βελτίονα, μηδὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ παράπαν ἐπινυστάζοντος, ἀλλ' ὡς δυνατὸν ἀντιμαχομένου πρὸς τὰ παγχάλεπα. νῦν δὲ ἐπιεικῶς φημίζονται καὶ τὰ βελτίω, καὶ ἔνθεν μὲν ὡς ἐγγὺς τρισμύριοι Τόχαροι πεμφθέντες παρὰ τοῦ Χαρμπαντᾶ μεγάλην, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἤλπισέ τις ἀναστολὴν ἐργάζεσθαι ἄρχονται τῶν Περσῶν, ὥστε καὶ ὅσα φρούρια Ῥωμαίων ἑαλώκεσαν πρότερον, ἀνὰ δὲ τὰ ὀχυρὰ τοῦ Ὀλύμπου παραβυσθῆναι. ἐκ δύσεως δὲ Ἀμογάβαροι ἀφέντες ἃ κατεῖχον, τὸν ποταμὸν περῶσι Μαρίτζαν, ἐς ὃ τἀκεῖ διελθόντες ἀπαλλαγεῖεν, ὡς ἄν τε καὶ δύναιντο, καὶ ὡς μὲν οἴκαδε, ὡς δὲ ἔλεγον, ἐφ' ᾧ προσβάλλοιεν Ἄθῳ, εἰ τέως αὐτοῖς ἀναιμωτὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ κλεισωρείας διελθεῖν γένοιτο. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ τῆς φήμης· 652 ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀπάραντες ἀπὸ τῆς Αἴνου, Ῥομοφόρτος σὺν τοῖς Τούρκοις, Μπυριγέριος σὺν Φαρέντᾳ Τζιμῇ καὶ Γίδας, ἔχθραν δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχοντες, ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν ἀπελθόντες κατήντησαν εἰς Κασάνδρειαν, κἀκεῖ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διετεχνάζοντο. ὁ γὰρ Ῥομοφόρτος σὺν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν Τούρκοις ἐχθραίνων ἦν Μπυριγέριον, Φαρέντα Τζιμῆν καὶ Γίδαν, κἀκεῖνοι