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and having recounted my zeal and haste towards you, I have not yet had my fill of continually speaking about the same things. Wherefore, even now I make him who clearly knows all things before they happen a witness of what is said, that not even in thought am I conscious in myself of having turned aside from right 2.174 reasonings, but I exercised all forethought and diligence, not only to increase the affairs of the Romans, but also to preserve the empire for the empress and her son, and, as far as it depended on me, to allow no one to be wronged. Which things she ought to have considered, to think true and just things concerning me and not thus to condemn me unheard, having been persuaded by slanderous men. But since she, running past the truth, chose the lie, and voted me an enemy—me, who had done no wrong, nor offered any pretext for war—and proclaimed to all the cities not to receive me, but to fight with all their might; what seemed advantageous to you in the present circumstances, and to me as well, we have done, being driven by necessity. Therefore, for your zeal and for your goodwill towards me, I acknowledge many thanks to you. And I consider it just, showing equal care for you myself, both to advise and to permit what I think will be of benefit to each of you. For it would not be the act of a friend, if for the sake of any of my own private interests I were to neglect the salvation of others. Therefore, as many of you as have houses and children and wives and the other means of life in cities or villages not subject to us, ought not for the sake of goodwill towards us, by remaining here, to lose your own possessions. For it would be absurd for your friendship towards me to be seen as the cause of great misfortunes for you. For they will refrain from no terrible act, these men who dare all things and are revolutionary beyond 2.175 measure. But go away to your homes, preserve the same goodwill for us, and, when the opportunity calls, demonstrate it.” Then he ordered the treasurers to pay the mercenaries whatever of their pay was owed, and in addition he was lavish; and to the others, as many as had revenues from their lands, having also distributed sufficient gold to them, he sent them away to their homes, and they professed many and great thanks for his care and promised that, if they should seize an opportunity, they would show themselves worthy of his beneficence. But as many as did not have wives and children, he kept with him, and if anyone else willingly remained behind. And after this, having selected an army from those present into sixteen battalions, and having appointed as generals both the cupbearer John and his wife's brother, Manuel Asan, he ordered them to invade the territory of Byzantium and, having encamped around the Melas river, to check the army from Byzantium, so that they might not go out against the cities that had gone over to him. And he himself prepared so that with the remaining soldiers, having passed through Perinthus and Selymbria (for they were wavering and not clearly adhering to either emperor) and having won them over, he might go with the generals, the cupbearer and Asan, up to the walls of Byzantium to test whether it would submit. But in Adrianople, when letters arrived 2.176 from the Emperor Cantacuzenus, just as in the other cities, ordering them to adhere to him, now that he had become emperor, the powerful among the citizens received them eagerly and ordered the letters to be read in the church. But the people were not pleased, and it was clear they were about to revolt; and some of them even spoke against it openly. Whom the powerful drove away in anger, using not only insults but also the whip. And for a time they endured the insolence of the powerful, both fearing them since they were not few, and since there were no longer any demagogues who would stir them to anger. But when night came on, a certain Branos by name, one of the people, who attended to his mattock and his hands and from these things meagerly provided his livelihood, and having won over two others, who were called Mougdouphes and Phrangopoulos, going around the houses of the commoners by night and persuading them not to be idle, but to rise up against the powerful, as they would not only be freed from their insolence, but would also plunder their property, and no small band

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καὶ προθυμίαν καὶ σπουδὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς διεξελθὼν, οὐδέπω μέχρι νῦν ἔσχηκα κόρον τοῦ μὴ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀεὶ διεξιέναι. διὸ καὶ νυνὶ τὸν τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσθαι σαφῶς εἰδότα τῶν λεγομένων μάρτυρα ποιοῦμαι, ὡς οὐδὲ μέχρι διανοίας ἐμαυτῷ τι σύνοιδα τῶν ὀρθῶν 2.174 παρατραπέντι λογισμῶν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν πρόνοιαν ἐποιούμην καὶ σπουδὴν, οὐ μόνον τὰ Ῥωμαίων αὔξειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλίδι καὶ υἱῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν διασώζειν καὶ μηδένα, τό γε εἰς ἐμὲ ἧκον, ἀδικεῖν ἐᾷν. ἃ ἐχρῆν κἀκείνην συνορῶσαν, τἀληθῆ καὶ δίκαια λογίζεσθαι περὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ μὴ οὕτως ἐρήμην καταψηφίζεσθαι, ἀνθρώποις πεισθεῖσαν συκοφάνταις. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκείνη τἀληθὲς παραδραμοῦσα προείλετο τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότα, μήτε πρόφασιν πολέμου παρεσχημένον οὐδεμίαν, πολέμιον ἐψηφίσατο αὐτὴ καὶ πάσαις πόλεσιν ἐκήρυξε μὴ δέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ παντὶ σθένει πολεμεῖν· ἃ ὑμῖν λυσιτελεῖν πρὸς τὰ παρόντα καὶ ἐμοὶ συνέδοξεν, ἀνάγκῃ συνελαυνόμενοι, ἐπράξαμεν. τῆς μὲν οὖν προθυμίας ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς περὶ ἐμὲ εὐνοίας χάριτας ὑμῖν πολλὰς ὁμολογῶ. δίκαιον δὲ ἡγοῦμαι, τὴν ἴσην καὶ αὐτὸν περὶ ὑμᾶς ἐπιδεικνύμενον κηδεμονίαν, ἃ συνοίσειν οἴομαι ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ καὶ παραινεῖν καὶ ἐπιτρέπειν. οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴη φιλοῦντος, εἰ τῶν ἰδίᾳ τι ἐμοὶ διαφερόντων ἕνεκα τῆς τῶν ἄλλων σωτηρίας ἀμελοίην. ὅσοις τοίνυν ὑμῶν ἐν αἷς οὐχ ὑπόκεινται πόλεσιν ἡμῖν ἢ κώμαις οἰκίαι τέ εἰσι καὶ τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ ἡ ἄλλη τοῦ βίου ἀφορμὴ, οὐ χρὴ τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς εὐνοίας ἕνεκα ἐνταῦθα καρτεροῦντας, τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀπολύειν. ἄτοπον γὰρ τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ φιλίαν μεγάλων αἰτίαν ὑμῖν ὀφθῆναι συμφορῶν. οὐ γὰρ ἀποσχήσονται οὐδενὸς δεινοῦ, οἱ πάντα οὗτοι τολμηταὶ καὶ πέρα τοῦ 2.175 μετρίου νεωτεροποιοί. ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ἀπελθόντες, τὴν ἴσην εὔνοιαν διασώζετε ἡμῖν καὶ, καιροῦ καλοῦντος, ἐπιδείξασθε.» ἔπειτα τοῖς τῶν χρημάτων ἐκέλευε ταμίαις, τοῖς μὲν μισθοφόροις, εἴ τι τοῦ μισθοῦ ὠφείλετο, ἀποδιδόναι καὶ προσέτι ἐπεδαψιλεύετο· τοῖς δ' ἄλλοις, ὅσοι ἐκ χωρίων τὰς προσόδους εἶχον, καὶ αὐτοῖς χρυσίον διανείμας ἱκανὸν, ἀπέπεμπε πρὸς τὰς οἰκίας, πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας τῆς κηδεμονίας ἕνεκα τὰς χάριτας ὁμολογοῦντας καὶ ὡς, ἢν λάβωνται καιροῦ, τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἄξιοι φανεῖσθαι ἐπαγγελλομένους. ὅσοις δὲ μὴ γυναῖκες ἦσαν καὶ τέκνα, κατεῖχε παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ εἴ τις ἕτερος ἑκὼν εἶναι ὑπελείπετο. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο στρατιὰν ἀπολεξάμενος ἐκ τῆς παρούσης εἰς τάγματα ἑκκαίδεκα, καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπιστήσας τόν τε πιγκέρνην Ἰωάννην καὶ τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν Ἀσάνην τὸν Μανουὴλ, ἐκέλευεν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐμβαλόντας καὶ περὶ τὸν Μέλανα ποταμὸν στρατοπεδευσαμένους εἴργειν τὴν ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατιὰν, ὅπως μὴ ἐξίοιεν ἐπὶ τὰς αὐτῷ προσχωρησάσας πόλεις. αὐτὸς δὲ παρεσκευάζετο ὡς ἅμα τοῖς ἐπιλοίποις στρατιώταις διὰ Πειρίνθου καὶ Σηλυβρίας ἦσαν γὰρ ἐπαμφοτερίζουσαι καὶ μηδετέρῳ βασιλέων καθαρῶς προσέχουσαι, διελθὼν καὶ ὑποποιησάμενος, ἅμα πιγκέρνῃ καὶ Ἀσάνῃ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ἄχρι Βυζαντίου τῶν τειχῶν ἔλθῃ ἀποπειρασόμενος, εἰ προσχωροίη. ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει δὲ ἐπεὶ τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ βασιλέως ἥκει 2.176 γράμματα, ὥσπερ κἀν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι κελεύοντα αὐτῷ προσέχειν ἤδη βασιλεῖ γεγενημένῳ, οἱ δυνατοὶ μὲν τῶν πολιτῶν ἐδέξαντο προθύμως καὶ ἐκέλευον τὰ γράμματα ἀναγινώσκεσθαι ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας. ὁ δῆμος δὲ οὐχ ἡδέως εἶχε, καὶ δῆλοι ἦσαν ὡς νεωτερίσοντες· οἱ δέ τινες αὐτῶν καὶ φανερῶς ἀντεῖπον. οὓς ἀπήλαυνον πρὸς ὀργὴν οἱ δυνατοὶ οὐ λοιδορίαις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάστιγι χρησάμενοι. οἱ δὲ τέως μὲν πρὸς τὴν ὕβριν τῶν δυνατῶν διεκαρτέρουν, δεδιότες τε αὐτοὺς οὐκ ὀλίγους ὄντας, καὶ δημαγωγῶν οὐκ ὄντων ἔτι, οἳ πρὸς ὀργὴν διερεθίσουσιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπεγένετο ἡ νὺξ, Βράνος τις τοὔνομα τοῦ δήμου εἷς, σκαπάνῃ προσέχων καὶ χερσὶ καὶ γλίσχρως ἐκ τούτων ποριζόμενος τὸν βίον, καὶ δύο προσεταιρισάμενός τινας ἑτέρους, οἳ Μουγδουφὴς καὶ Φραγγόπουλος προσηγορεύοντο, νυκτός τε τῶν δημοτῶν τὰς οἰκίας περιιόντες καὶ πείσαντες μὴ ῥᾳθυμεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπανίστασθαι τοῖς δυνατοῖς, ὡς οὐκ ἀπαλλαξόμενοι μόνον τῆς ὕβρεως ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς οὐσίας διαρπάσοντες, καὶ χεῖρα οὐκ ὀλίγην