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Bringing Gabriel Sphrantzes, who, being the first cousin of the already blinded John, he had previously held in the honor of parakoimomenos of the great sling, but later he blinded him on certain charges, he paired him with John, who was a relative 623, and taking him with himself, he marched towards Nicomedia and the regions around it. But the Patriarch, having crossed the neck of the sea at Kibotos, set out straight for Nicaea. And indeed the emperor, leading the blind men, was considering where he might confine them; but John, not bearing the punishment and feeling utterly ill-treated, would not accept food, nor paid heed to drink, nor allowed anything else to be done for the care of his injured eyes, but being led as an empty burden, wherever there happened to be ground or even rocks, he was frequently dashing his head as if he meant to die. And perhaps from these actions his death would have very soon resulted, if he had not been restrained by his guards. However, what was done little by little and frequently, having been summed up into a very great amount, brought on death; and so he was released from a painful life, and the emperor was also released from his care for him. But he, having made a tour of the region along the Sangarius and having secured the fortresses there by his own presence, returned to the city in the month of Gamelion. But the Patriarch, having come near Nicaea and having camped at Ennaton, judged it not necessary to enter the city at that time; for he wished to have things to give and indeed to bestow benefits on acquaintances and relatives, but at that time he was not well-supplied with anything. And to enter and then not bestow benefits as was worthy, he thought unworthy of himself and unfitting for his affairs. Therefore, having turned his back, so to speak, he went to Pylopythia and decided to return with all speed; for the feast of the Exaltation prevented him from delaying. Therefore he himself also, close behind, on the thirteenth of Gamelion, returned to the city. But being circumspect about his own affairs, so that he might not seem to be neglectful because of what was happening, as soon as he disembarked from the ship he went to the emperor, and spent the day paying his respects and, having been invited by the emperor to the feast, he was ready to come and perform it; for he humbled himself in every way, ever since he had encountered troubles, and the greatest part of his hopes 625 for living moderately appeared to be his conciliation toward the emperor. So then, he had less concern for the honor, but to be troubled in vain while being patriarch he considered equal even to death; which indeed was suspected from the circumstances, with the emperor being utterly enraged. For the fact that even his own household was being shaken and those whom he trusted more, as having been raised by him and having obtained glory, did not at all make him break the agreements; but to bring charges against the patriarch—for the reference of the scandal for them was to him, as they said, judging the Latins to be secure in themselves, apart from only the addition in the Creed—was easy and obvious; and from both sides, both from the emperor and from those who were suffering, trouble surrounded him, from the one, because he had lost the goodwill of his own people, from the others, because they were suffering on his account, not allowing what had been done to be relaxed more with time.

20. The affair of the logothete of the genikon Mouzalon. This happened to many others as well, and it also happened to both Constantine Akropolites and Theodore Mouzalon, the first of whom, having received him from his father the great logothete, he raised, educating him and making him one of his own household as much as possible, the other, having taken him from military rank and allowed him to apply himself to studies, he honored as logothete of the genikon, joining him in marriage to the daughter of Kantakouzenos, and used him as an intermediary in public affairs. Akropolites then he also pretended to disregard and he considered him superior to his anger against him, but with Mouzalon he was exceedingly angry. Therefore, when the occasion of an embassy to Rome arose, having let the others go, the emperor, as a test, I think, pressed this man more to undertake the embassy. As

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Σφραντζῆν ἀγαγὼν Γαβριήλ, ὅν, αὐτανέψιον ὄντα τοῦ ἤδη τυφλωθέντος Ἰωάννου, εἶχε μὲν πρότερον ἐν τῇ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου τῆς μεγάλης σφενδόνης τιμῇ, ὕστερον δ' ἐπ' αἰτίαις ἐξετύφλου, συνδυάζει συγγενεῖ γε 623 ὄντι τῷ Ἰωάννῃ καί, μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐπαγόμενος, τὴν πρὸς τὴν Νικομήδους καὶ τὰ περὶ ἐκείνην ἤλαυνε. Πατριάρχης δέ, τὸν κατὰ τὴν Κιβωτὸν τῆς θαλάσσης τράχηλον διαπεραιωσάμενος, εὐθὺ Νικαίας ὥρμα. Καὶ δὴ ὁ μὲν βασιλεύς, τοὺς τυφλοὺς ἄγων, ὅπῃ καὶ περιορίσειε διεσκόπει· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης, τὴν ποινὴν μὴ φέρων καὶ ἀναξιοπαθῶν ὅλως, οὐ τροφὴν προσίετο, οὐ πόσει προσεῖχεν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν εἰς ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν παθόντων ὀφθαλμῶν εἴα γίνεσθαι, μόνον δὲ κενὸς φόρτος ἀγόμενος, ὅπῃ τετυχήκει γῆς ἢ καὶ πέτρας, συχνάκις τὴν κεφαλὴν προσαράττων ὡς τεθνηξόμενος ἦν. Καὶ τάχ' ἂν ἐκ τούτων ἐκ πλείστου οἱ ξυνέβαινε τὸ θανεῖν, εἰ μὴ παρὰ τῶν φυλαττόντων ἐπείχετο. Πλὴν τὸ κατ' ὀλίγον καὶ συχνάκις γινόμενον, εἰς ὅσον πλεῖστον συγκεφαλαιωθέν, τὸ θανεῖν ἐπῆγε· κἀντεῦθεν ἀπήλλακτο μὲν ἐκεῖνος ζωῆς ἐπωδύνου, ἀπήλλακτο δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς τῆς ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ φροντίδος. Αὐτὸς δέ, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σάγγαριν περιηγησάμενος καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε φρούρια ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίᾳ θέμενος, γαμηλιῶνος μηνὸς ὑποστρέφει πρὸς πόλιν. Πατριάρχης δέ, πλησίον ἐλθὼν Νικαίας καὶ τῷ Ἐννάτῳ ἐναυλι σάμενος, εἰσελθεῖν τὴν πόλιν οὐκ ἔκρινε τό γ' ἐκεῖνο δεῖν· θέλειν γὰρ ἔχειν διδόναι καί γ' ἐν γνωρίμοις καὶ προσγενέσιν εὐεργετεῖν, μηδὲν δὲ τὸ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ εὐπορεῖν. Τὸ δ' εἰσελθόντα πάλιν μὴ εὐεργετεῖν ὡς ἄξιον, ἀνάξιον ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν μὴ πρεπόντων τοῖς ἐκείνου πράγμασιν ᾤετο. Ὅθεν καὶ πρύμναν, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, κρουσάμενος, Πυλοπυθίων τε ἐπέβαινε καὶ τὴν ταχίστην ὑποστρέφειν ἔγνω· ἡ γὰρ τῆς Ὑψώσεως ἑορτὴ ἀπεῖργε τοῦ μὴ βραδύνειν. Τῷ τοι καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ πόδας, τρισκαιδεκάτῃ γαμηλιῶνος, ἀπήντα πρὸς πόλιν. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ καθ' αὑτὸν ὑποστελλόμενος, ὡς μὴ διὰ τὰ συμβαί νοντα ὀλιγώρως ἔχειν δοκοίη, ἅμα τῷ τῆς νεὼς ἀποβῆναι πρὸς βασιλέα ἤιε, διημέρευέ τε πρὸς χάριν καί, πρὸς τὴν ἑορτὴν κεκλημένος πρὸς βασιλέως, ἕτοιμος ἦν ἐλθὼν ἐκτελεῖν· παντὶ γὰρ ὑπέστελλεν ἑαυτὸν τρόπῳ, ἐξ ὅτου περ τοῖς ὀχληροῖς προσέκυρσε, καὶ μεγίστη μοῖρα τῶν εἰς τὸ μετρίως διάγειν 625 ἐλπίδων ἡ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὑποποίησις κατεφαίνετο. Τῆς μὲν οὖν τιμῆς ἐκείνῳ ἐλάττων φροντὶς ἦν, τὸ δὲ πατριαρχεύοντα διακενῆς ἐνοχλεῖσθαι ἶσα καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ ἐτίθει· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προστυχόντος ὑπονοούμενον ἦν, τεθυμωμένου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς ἅπαν. Τὸ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους διασείεσθαι καὶ οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἐθάρρει μᾶλλον, ὡς παρ' ἐκείνῳ τεθραμμένοις καὶ δόξης τυχοῦσιν, ἀθετεῖν μὲν τὰ συγκείμενα οὐδ' ὅλως ἐποίει· τὸ δὲ πρὸς τὸν πατριαρχεύοντα τὰς αἰτίας ἄγεινἡ γὰρ ἀναφορὰ τοῦ σκανδάλου σφίσι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἦν, ὡς ἔλεγον, ἀσφαλεῖς τὸ καθ' αὑτὸν Λατίνους, παρὰ μόνην τὴν ἐν τῷ συμβόλῳ πρόσθεσιν, κρίνονταἕτοιμον ἦν ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾷστα καὶ προφανῶς· καὶ ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ἔκ τε βασιλέως καὶ τῶν πασχόντων, ὁ ὄχλος αὐτῷ περιίστατο, ἐκείνου μὲν ὡς τὴν τῶν οἰκείων ἀπολωλότος εὔνοιαν, τῶν δὲ ὡς δι' αὐτὸν πασχόντων, μὴ ἐῶντα τὰ πεπραγμένα μᾶλλον τῷ χρόνῳ ὑποχαλᾶσθαι.

κʹ. Τὰ κατὰ τὸν λογοθέτην τοῦ γενικοῦ Μουζάλωνα. Τοῦτο ξυνέβη καὶ ἄλλοις πλείστοις, ξυμβεβήκει δὲ καὶ Κωνσταντίνῳ τε τῷ Ἀκροπολίτῃ καὶ τῷ Θεοδώρῳ Μουζάλωνι, ὧν τὸν μέν, παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ μεγάλου λογοθέτου λαβών, ἀνῆγε παιδεύων καὶ οἰκεῖον ἀποκαθιστῶν ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα, τὸν δέ, ἐκ στρατιωτικῆς μοίρας ἀναλαβὼν καὶ τοῖς μαθήμασιν ἐνδοὺς ἐνσχολάσαι, λογοθέτην τε τῶν γενικῶν ἐτίμα, συζεύξας εἰς γυναῖκά οἱ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ θυγατέρα, καὶ μεσίτῃ τῶν κοινῶν ἐχρᾶτο. Τὸν μὲν οὖν Ἀκροπολίτην καὶ ἀποπροσεποιεῖτο καὶ κρείττω τῶν κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν θυμὸν ἦγε, τῷ δὲ Μουζάλωνι καὶ λίαν χολούμενος ἦν. Τῷ τοι καὶ ἐνστάντος καιροῦ πρεσβείας πρὸς Ῥώμην, ἀφειμένος τῶν ἄλλων, ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ πεῖραν, οἶμαι, πλέον ἐπεῖχε τούτῳ τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας ἀναδέξασθαι. Ὡς