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Andronikos the son and the wife of Matthew, the first of the sons, she also being in Byzantium, they placed a guard around them and kept them under guard while they stayed at home. And having appointed Apokaukos the *parakoimomenos* as ruler of Byzantium, they ordered him to start the war, from wherever 2.137 it might seem best to him. And the war began at the beginning of October. But Apokaukos, knowing that especially all those of any account would not endure being led by him, decided it was necessary to rouse the populace to war, a populace not only irrationally carried toward anything whatsoever for the sake of a little profit, but also one that would readily submit to his commands. And first he gathered around himself some resourceless and talkative men, who were ready on account of poverty to dare even the most terrible things. Then, having thrown the populace into confusion through them and having brought on a great multitude, he arrived at the house of the grand domestic and ordered them to plunder the possessions and to tear down the house. But they, being conscious of none of the arrangements and still being terrified of the grand domestic's power, advanced as far as the courtyard, then stopped, being at a loss as to what to do. But when the mother of the grand domestic inquired from the rooms above what their arrival meant, they prudently and sensibly said that they did not know for what they had been summoned; but now that they knew, they were withdrawing, not daring to attempt such things. So they, as the mother of the grand domestic expressed her thanks to them for their respect toward her, departed from there and dispersed to their homes. But the patriarch and the conspiracy, since the movement of the populace did not end according to their mind, turned against those who were friendly to the grand 2.138 domestic, and arresting some on that very day, they put them under guard and plundered their properties. But the rest, seeing themselves already standing on the brink of danger and fearing lest they too, being seized, should wrestle with countless evils—for a common and immediate total destruction had been decreed against the friends of the grand domestic—, having cut through the postern gate called that of the Porphyrogennetos, and they were forty-two in number, with Apelmenes leading the action, who was one of the closest associates of the grand domestic, they got outside the walls of Byzantium. But since they were freed from the expected terrors, it seemed necessary to send an embassy to the empress, on the one hand asking pardon for what they had dared, saying that they had dared it not through malice, but fearing the danger, and on the other hand also asking her, that, if she would grant a pardon, they would return to their homes. For they feared, lest, although driven to such things by necessity, they might be called to account even by the grand domestic on account of what they had dared, as revolutionaries. And since this was decided, having chosen Nikephoros Kantakouzenos, who was a cousin to the grand domestic, and Gabalas, who had not yet up to then been openly shown to be an enemy of the grand domestic, but seemed still to be counted among his friends, they send them to the empress. And when they arrived, Gabalas, since he was privy to their secrets, both openly denounced the faithlessness of those who had escaped and, saying the same things as the others against the grand domestic, seemed worthy of belief 2.139 to the empress. And being openly allied with the patriarch and the others, as far as it was up to him, he neglected nothing of the things being done against the grand domestic. Wherefore also as a reward for his good will toward the empress, he received the dignity of *protosebastos*, and later in time also that of grand logothete. But Nikephoros Kantakouzenos is shut up in prison. 23. Those fugitives, however, when they learned that the one of the ambassadors was imprisoned, and that Gabalas was openly allied with those warring against the grand domestic, despairing of their return, come to the grand domestic at Didymoteichon and report all that had happened and the war that had been stirred up against him. But he was unwilling to believe because of the absurdity of the things being reported. but thought that they, having given some offense to the empress, had run away, fearing the danger, and were pleading their own case,

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Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα Ματθαίου τοῦ πρώτου τῶν υἱῶν, ἐν Βυζαντίῳ οὖσαν καὶ αὐτὴν, φρουρὰν περιστήσαντες, ἐφύλαττον οἴκοι διατρίβοντας. Ἀπόκαυκον δὲ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον ἄρχοντα Βυζαντίου ἀποδείξαντες, ἐκέλευον τὸν πόλεμον κινεῖν, ὅθεν ἂν 2.137 αὐτῷ δοκοίη βέλτιον. καὶ ἤρχετο ὁ πόλεμος ἀρχομένου Ὀκτωβρίου. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ τοὺς ἐν λόγῳ μάλιστα πάντας εἰδὼς οὐκ ἂν ἀνασχομένους ὑπ' ἐκείνου ἄγεσθαι, ἔγνω δεῖν τὸν δῆμον ἐρεθίζειν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, οὐ μόνον ἀλόγως πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν φερόμενον κέρδους ἕνεκα ὀλίγου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥᾳδίως ὑποκεισόμενον τοῖς προστάγμασιν ἐκείνου. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἀπόρους τινὰς καὶ λάλους περιέστησεν ἑαυτῷ, ἑτοίμως ἔχοντας ὑπὸ πενίας καὶ τῶν δεινοτάτων κατατολμᾷν. ἔπειτα δι' ἐκείνων τὸν δῆμον συνταράξας καὶ πλῆθος ἐπαγαγόμενος πολὺ, πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀφῖκτο τὴν μεγάλου δομεστίκου καὶ διαρπάζειν ἐκέλευε τὰ ὄντα καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν καταστρέφειν. οἱ δὲ τῶν συνεσκευασμένων συνειδότες μηδὲν καὶ τὴν μεγάλου δομεστίκου δύναμιν κατεπτηχότες ἔτι, μέχρι μὲν αὐλῆς προῆλθον, ἔπειθ' ἔστησαν, ἀπορούμενοι πρὸς ὅ,τι τράπωνται. τῆς μεγάλου δομεστίκου δὲ μητρὸς ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν οἰκημάτων τὴν ἄφιξιν αὐτῶν πυνθανομένης ὅ, τι εἴη, σωφρόνως ἐκεῖνοι καὶ συνετῶς, ἀγνοεῖν μὲν ἐφ' ὅ, τι, ἔφασαν, κληθεῖεν· νυνὶ δὲ γνόντες, ἀναχωρεῖν, μὴ τοιούτοις ἐπιχειρεῖν τολμῶντες. οἱ μὲν οὖν, τῆς μεγάλου δομεστίκου μητρὸς χάριτας αὐτοῖς ὁμολογούσης τῆς εἰς αὐτὴν αἰδοῦς, ἐκεῖθεν ἀνεχώρουν καὶ διελύοντο κατ' οἴκους. πατριάρχης δὲ καὶ ἡ συνωμοσία, ἐπεὶ μὴ κατὰ νοῦν αὐτοῖς ἡ τοῦ δήμου κίνησις ἐτελεύτα, πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιτηδείως ἔχοντας ἐτράποντο τῷ μεγάλῳ δομε 2.138 στίκῳ, καί τινας κρατήσαντες αὐθημερὸν, ἐνέθεσαν φρουρᾷ καὶ διήρπαζον τὰς οὐσίας. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὁρῶντες ἐν χρῷ κινδύνου καθεστῶτας ἤδη καὶ δείσαντες, μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ κατασχεθέντες μυρίοις προσπαλαίσωσι κακοῖς, κοινὴ γὰρ εὐθὺς πανωλεθρία τῶν μεγάλου δομεστίκου φίλων κατεψηφίσθη, τὴν τοῦ Πορφυρογεννήτου προσαγορευομένην πυλίδα διατεμόντες, ἦσαν δὲ δύο καὶ τεσσαράκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν, Ἀπελμενὲ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἡγουμένου, ὃς τῶν οἰκειοτάτων τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ ἦν, ἔξω τειχῶν ἐγένοντο Βυζαντίου. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν προσδοκωμένων ἀπηλλάττοντο δεινῶν, ἐδόκει δεῖν πρεσβείαν ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα, τοῦτο μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν τετολμημένων παραιτούμενοι, ὡς οὐ διὰ κακίαν, ἀλλὰ δείσαντες τὸν κίνδυνον τολμήσαιεν, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ δεόμενοι αὐτῆς, ὡς, εἰ παράσχοιτο συγγνώμην, ἐπανήξοντες πρὸς τὰς οἰκίας. ἐδεδίεσαν γὰρ, μὴ, καίτοι πρὸς ἀνάγκην εἰς τοιαῦτα συνελαθέντες, καὶ παρὰ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ τῶν τετολμημένων ἕνεκα ὡς νεωτερίζοντες εὐθύνοιντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἔδοξε, τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν ἀπολεξάμενοι Νικηφόρον, ὃς ἐξάδελφος τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ ἦν, καὶ Γαβαλᾶν, οὔπω μέχρι τότε τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ πολέμιον ἀναδεδειγμένον φανερῶς, ἀλλ' ἔτι τοῖς ἐκείνου φίλοις συνεξετάζεσθαι δοκοῦντα, πέμπουσι πρὸς βασιλίδα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφίκοντο, Γαβαλᾶς μὲν, οἷα δὴ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐκείνοις συνειδὼς, τῶν τε διαδράντων ἀπιστίαν κατηγόρει προφανῶς καὶ κατὰ μεγάλου δομεστίκου τὰ ἴσα τοῖς ἄλλοις λέγων, ἐδόκει ἀξιόχρεως εἰς πίστιν 2.139 βασιλίδι. καὶ πατριάρχῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φανερῶς συντεταγμένος, τό γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον οὐδὲν ἠμέλει τῶν κατὰ μεγάλου δομεστίκου πραττομένων. ὅθεν καὶ τῆς εἰς βασιλίδα εὐνοίας ἆθλον, τὸ πρωτοσεβαστοῦ ἀξίωμα εἰλήφει, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ τὸ μεγάλου λογοθέτου. Νικηφόρος δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ κατακλείεται. κγ. Οἱ φυγάδες μέντοι γε ἐκεῖνοι, ἐπεὶ τῶν πρέσβεων τὸν μὲν ἐπύθοντο εἱργμένον, Γαβαλᾶν δὲ τοῖς μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ πολεμοῦσι συντεταγμένον φανερῶς, ἀπογνόντες τὴν ἐπάνοδον, εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον παρὰ τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ἀφικνοῦνται καὶ τὰ γεγενημένα πάντα ἀπαγγέλλουσι καὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν κεκινημένον πρὸς αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ πιστεύειν οὐκ ἠβούλετο διὰ τῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων τὴν ἀτοπίαν. ἀλλ' ᾤετο αὐτούς τι βασιλίδι προσκεκρουκότας διαδρᾶναι, δείσαντας τὸν κίνδυνον, καὶ συνηγοροῦντας ἑαυτοῖς,