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they carried out lavishly, for no useful purpose for the common good, but favoring both themselves and others, those who had undertaken the war and had been entrusted to manage affairs. And after this, searching out the friends and associates of the Grand Domestic, they found a very great quantity of money, some of which the owners themselves betrayed in the hope that they too would gain some of the money, since it was provided to those who knew nothing of how much there had been in the beginning; and other parts they were forced to reveal through outrages and rackings and all kinds of tortures. And many, although possessing none of his property, endured incurable sufferings, being suspected merely because of their association with him. In Byzantium, therefore, such things were happening and an Iliad of woes surrounded the friends of the Grand Domestic. 27. But in Didymoteichon, since the imperial garments had been prepared, and the appointed time for the proclamation of the new emperor had arrived, all were present at his house, as many as 2.166 were staying in Didymoteichon at that time, not only the well-born and blood relations of the emperor, but also the other senators and the army. And the new emperor, first putting on the imperial robe, then in the sight of all adorned his feet with the red boots, putting on one with the help of his closest blood relatives, and the other with the help of the foremost among the Latin mercenaries for their noble birth and splendor. And the imperial cap, lying on the ground before the icon of the immaculate Mother of God, he took with his own hand and placed it on his head. And immediately those accustomed to sing such things began the acclamations of the emperors. And first the Empress Anna was acclaimed, and after her, her son John the emperor, and third, Kantakouzenos John the emperor along with the Empress Eirene. And in the same way, during the sacred rites, they made the commemoration of the emperors, and likewise of Patriarch John. And after the acclamation, the emperor mounted a horse, and with all the others who were there following on horseback, he came to the church of the great martyr George, called Palaiokastrites, and paid his respects and bestowed the honor of knighthood upon some from the Latin army, performing for them all the customary rites. Returning from there to the palace, he feasted splendidly with the empress his wife, with everyone attending according to the customs for emperors. And they were served 2.167 at the feast by the empress’s brothers, John and Manuel, and the emperor’s nephew, John Angelos. Therefore, on that day the new emperor and empress celebrated splendidly, wearing gold, and those with them, both of the senate and of the army, omitted nothing by which they could brighten the day of the festival. But on the next day, taking off their gold-embroidered garments, they put on white clothes, which is a sign of mourning emperors. And the emperor explained the reason for the change to those present, that on the previous day he had put on those splendid garments for the sake of the festival, but now that it had passed, it was necessary again to mourn the death of his brother and emperor. And it is worthwhile to mention some things which many are accustomed to note at the proclamations of emperors, believing them to be certain signs of the subsequent good fortune or misfortune of the proclaimed emperors, if indeed one ought to think such things are ordained by providence from above, and do not happen automatically as chance would have it, since the providence of God concerning human affairs lies in mystery and is manifest only to those whose minds are purified and who have been judged worthy of such gifts by God. For on the day of the proclamation, when the new emperor had to change into the imperial robe, it happened that the inner garment was much tighter than it should have been, so that it could not even cover his body, although it was stretched a lot, 2.168 but the outer one was quite the opposite, much wider than it should have been, although indeed both of the many

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ἐξεφόρουν ἀφειδῶς, πρὸς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον τῷ κοινῷ, ἀλλὰ σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις χαριζόμενοι οἱ τὸν πόλεμον ἀνῃρημένοι καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἐπιτετραμμένοι διοικεῖν. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς φίλους καὶ συνήθεις διερευνώμενοι τοὺς μεγάλου δομεστίκου, πολύ τι πλῆθος εὕρισκον χρημάτων, τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν τῶν ἐχόντων προδιδόντων ἐλπίδι τοῦ καὶ αὐτούς τι τῶν χρημάτων παρακερδαίνειν, ἅτε πρὸς οὐδὲν εἰδότας παρεχόμενα ὅσα ἦσαν τὴν ἀρχήν· τὰ δ' αἰκίαις καὶ στρεβλώσεσι καὶ παντοίοις βασανιστηρίων εἴδεσι καταναγκαζομένων φανεροῦν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἐκείνου ἔχοντες, τὰ ἀνήκεστα ὑπέμενον ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μόνον συνηθείας ὑποπτευόμενοι. ἐν Βυζαντίῳ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα ἐτελεῖτο καὶ κακῶν ἰλιὰς περιειστήκει τοὺς μεγάλου δομεστίκου φίλους. κζʹ. Ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰ βασιλικὰ ἐνδύματα παρεσκευασμένα ἦν, ἥ τε προθεσμία τῆς τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἥκει ἀναῤῥήσεως, πάντες μὲν παρῆσαν ἐκείνου τῇ οἰκίᾳ, ὅσοι 2.166 διέτριβον ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ τότε, οὐ τῶν εὖ γεγονότων μόνον καὶ καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων βασιλεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συγκλητικῶν καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς. ὁ νέος δὲ βασιλεὺς πρότερον ἐσθῆτα βασιλικὴν ἐνδὺς, ἔπειτα ὑπ' ὄψεσι ταῖς ἁπάντων ταῖς ἐρυθραῖς κρηπῖσι τοὺς πόδας κατεκόσμει, τὸν ἕτερον μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἄγχιστα καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων ὑποδυόμενος, τὸν δὲ λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ πρῶτα φερομένων ἐπ' εὐγενείᾳ καὶ λαμπρότητι μισθοφόρων Λατίνων. τὸν δὲ βασιλικὸν πῖλον πρὸ τῆς ἀχράντου καὶ θεομήτορος τῆς εἰκόνος κείμενον ἐπ' ἐδάφους, αὐτοχειρίᾳ λαβὼν αὐτὸς ἐπέθηκε τῇ κεφαλῇ. αὐτίκα δὲ οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα ᾄδειν εἰθισμένοι τῆς τῶν βασιλέων ἦρχον εὐφημίας. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἡ βασιλὶς Ἄννα εὐφημεῖτο καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννης ὁ βασιλεὺς, τρίτος δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς Ἰωάννης ὁ βασιλεὺς ἅμα Εἰρήνῃ τῇ βασιλίδι. τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἱεροτελεστίας τὴν τῶν βασιλέων μνήμην ἐποιοῦντο, ὁμοίως καὶ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου. μετὰ δὲ τὴν εὐφημίαν ἔφιππος γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ἑπομένων ἐφ' ἵπποις ὅσοι ἦσαν, πρὸς τὸν ναόν τε τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος ἐγένετο Γεωργίου τοῦ Παλαιοκαστρίτου προσαγορευομένου, καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν ἀπεδίδου καί τισι τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Λατινικῆς στρατιᾶς τὴν καβαλαρίων παρεῖχε τιμὴν, πάντα ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὰ εἰθισμένα πράττων. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ἐπανελθὼν, ἅμα βασιλίδι τῇ γαμετῇ λαμπρῶς εἱστιᾶτο, πάντων παρισταμένων κατὰ τὰ νενομισμένα βασιλεῦσιν. ὑπηρετοῦντο 2.167 δὲ αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὴν ἑστίασιν οἵ τε τῆς βασιλίδος ἀδελφοὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ Μανουὴλ καὶ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνεψιὸς ὁ Ἄγγελος Ἰωάννης. τὴν μὲν οὖν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην οἵ τε νέοι βασιλεῖς λαμπρῶς ἐπανηγύριζον χρυσοφοροῦντες, καὶ οἱ συνόντες αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπον, ἐξ ὧν ἐνῆν φαιδρύνειν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἑορτῆς. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ τὰ χρυσόπαστα ἀποδυσάμενοι, λευκὰς περιεβάλλοντο ἐσθῆτας, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τεκμήριον πενθούντων βασιλέων. ἐδήλου δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς μεταβολῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας, ὡς τῇ μὲν προτεραίᾳ τῆς ἑορτῆς ἕνεκα τὰ λαμπρὰ ἐκεῖνα περιβάλλοιτο, νυνὶ δὲ ἐκείνης παρελθούσης, ἀναγκαῖον πάλιν τὴν ἀδελφοῦ καὶ βασιλέως τελευτὴν πενθεῖν. ἄξιον δὲ καί τινων ἐπιμνησθῆναι, ὧν πρὸς τὰς τῶν βασιλέων ἀναῤῥήσεις εἰώθασιν οἱ πολλοὶ ἐπισημαίνεσθαι, ἀψευδῆ τινα οἰόμενοι τεκμήρια τῆς εἰσέπειτα τῶν ἀναγορευομένων βασιλέων ἢ εὐτυχίας ἢ κακοπραγίας, εἴγε χρὴ τοιαῦτα ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν προνοίας οἴεσθαι οἰκονομεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ μὴ αὐτόματα συμβαίνειν ὡς ἂν τύχῃ, τῆς περὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ κειμένης καὶ μόνοις οὔσης φανερᾶς τοῖς τὴν διάνοιαν κεκαθαρμένοις καὶ τῶν τοιούτων δωρεῶν ἀξίοις κεκριμένοις παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῆς ἀναῤῥήσεως ἡμέρᾳ, ἡνίκα ἔδει βασιλέα τὸν νέον τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐσθῆτα μεταμπισχέσθαι, συνέβαινε τὴν μὲν ἐνδοτέραν μᾶλλον εἶναι τοῦ δέοντος στενὴν, ὡς μηδὲ τὸ σῶμα, καίτοι πολλὰ 2.168 κατατεινομένην, δύνασθαι περικαλύπτειν, τὴν ἐξωτέραν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν, πολλῷ τοῦ δέοντος εὐρυτέραν, καίτοι γε ἀμφοτέρας τοῦ πολλὰς