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having formed a mob, attack the powerful and seize control of everything, except for a few, who, having sensed the plot, escaped the danger by hiding themselves. And having locked them in the towers of the city and having set guards, since it was already day, they descended all together upon the houses of the captured, and they plundered their property, then also demolished their houses, not only stripping off the woodwork, but out of madness also tearing down the walls to 2.177 their very foundations. And there was nothing terrible that was not dared against those who had chosen the side of the emperor Kantakouzenos. And many, on account of their own private disputes, took advantage of the people's onslaught; while others, because of money owed to them, were accused of Kantakouzenism by their debtors. Thus a harsh sedition was immediately kindled from the beginning. And it seemed indeed even more harsh from the fact that it was the first to occur among them, since later on the entire Roman world turned to far more savage and harsh things, with the common people everywhere thinking it necessary to acclaim the emperor Palaiologos as their master, and the aristocrats either in truth being attached to the emperor Kantakouzenos, or the poor and those wishing for revolution bringing the same accusation against them without any proof. And the accusations against them were made easily, since they had money which the poor had to plunder, and since they were unwilling to act indecently like the others. And the common people, having great enmity towards the aristocrats even before, because they were led and driven by them in times of peace, and especially since they hoped to plunder their possessions, which were extensive, were ready for seditions and on the slightest pretext dared the most terrible things. And the seditionists, being for the most part of the poorest sort, and clothes-stealers and burglars, themselves being compelled by poverty, left nothing undared, and incited the common people to the same things, 2.178 feigning loyalty to the emperor Palaiologos. Wherefore also they called themselves the most faithful. But later, like some malignant and terrible disease spreading over the whole Roman empire, it summoned to the same insolence many of those who previously seemed moderate and reasonable. For in peace and in the absence of wars, both cities and private individuals have better judgment and would least be led into shameful and base deeds, because they do not fall into involuntary necessities. But war, by stripping away the easy supply of daily needs, is a violent teacher and becomes one of things previously considered undareable. Therefore all the cities were engaged in sedition together against the aristocrats, and those who came later in learning of what had already happened showed great excess and proceeded even to murders, and inhuman ones at that, and irrational impulse was considered manliness, and insensibility toward kin and lack of compassion [was considered] firm loyalty to the emperor; and he who was harsh toward the emperor Kantakouzenos and was led into shameful and harsh insolences seemed loyal, but he who was moderate and controlled his tongue and preserved a proper character was immediately suspect. And likewise, to plot and to fabricate lies and slanders provided an appearance of intelligence. And the betrayal of one's closest relations was practiced as something good under a fair-sounding name. Thus every 2.179 form of wickedness was then displayed in the cities on account of the seditions, and there was nothing that the more reasonable people did not endure. For the aristocrats were immediately being destroyed, either being accused of their former goodwill toward the emperor Kantakouzenos, or for not immediately making war on him; while the middle class of citizens, either because they did not side with the seditionists, or out of envy for their prosperity. And human nature, always accustomed to do wrong even contrary to the laws, then especially seemed to be unrestrained in its anger if it is not disciplined by its rulers, stronger than justice, the laws concerning it having been abolished, and hostile to what is superior, if it is permitted to get the upper hand. 29. The people in Adrianople, however, since their powerful men as prisoners to Byzantium

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συστησάμενοι δημώδη, ἐπιτίθενται τοῖς δυνατοῖς καὶ πάντων κρατοῦσι, πλὴν ὀλίγων, οἳ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν αἰσθόμενοι, τὸν κίνδυνον διέφυγον, κατακρύψαντες ἑαυτούς. κατακλείσαντες δὲ ἐν τοῖς πύργοις τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐπιστήσαντες φρουρὰς, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμέρα ἤδη ἦν, πανδημεὶ ταῖς οἰκίαις τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἐπελθόντες, τάς τε οὐσίας διήρπαζον, ἔπειτα καὶ τὰς οἰκίας καθῄρουν, οὐ μόνον τὰς ξυλώσεις περιαιροῦντες, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ μανίας καὶ τοίχους ἄχρι 2.177 θεμελίων διαλύοντες. καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ὅ, τι δεινὸν μὴ ἐτολμᾶτο κατὰ τῶν τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ᾑρημένων. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἰδίων ἕνεκα διαφορῶν παραπήλαυσαν τῆς τοῦ δήμου φορᾶς· ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ χρημάτων σφίσιν ὀφειλομένων, ὑπὸ τῶν λαβόντων ᾐτιάθησαν Καντακουζηνισμόν. οὕτω χαλεπὴ στάσις ἐξαρχῆς εὐθὺς ἀνήφθη. ἔδοξε δὴ καὶ μᾶλλον χαλεπωτέρα ἐκ τοῦ πρώτη παρ' αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι, ἐπεὶ ὕστερόν γε καὶ πᾶν τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν εἰς ὠμότερα πολλῷ καὶ χαλεπώτερα ἐξετράπη, τῶν μὲν ἑκασταχοῦ δήμων τὸν βασιλέα Παλαιολόγον δεῖν οἰομένων ἑαυτοῖς δεσπότην ἐπιφημίζειν, τῶν ἀρίστων δὲ ἢ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ προσκειμένων βασιλεῖ, ἢ τῶν ἀπόρων καὶ νεωτερίζειν βουλομένων τὴν ἴσην αἰτίαν ἐπαγόντων οὐκ ἔκ τινος ἐλέγχου. ῥᾷσται δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐγίνοντο αἱ ἐπαγωγαὶ χρήματά τε ἔχουσιν, ἃ ἔδει τοὺς ἀπόρους διαρπάζειν, καὶ μὴ βουλομένοις τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁμοίως συνασχημονεῖν. καὶ οἵ τε δῆμοι καὶ πρότερον πρὸς τοὺς ἀρίστους ἐκ τοῦ παρ' αὐτῶν ἄγεσθαι καὶ φέρεσθαι ἐν τῆς εἰρήνης τοῖς καιροῖς πολλὴν ἔχοντες ἀπέχθειαν, ἄλλως τε καὶ διαρπάζειν τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν ἐλπίζοντες πολλὰς οὔσας, ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν πρὸς τὰς στάσεις καὶ ἐξ ἐλαχίστης προφάσεως καὶ τὰ δεινότατα ἐτόλμων. οἵ τε στασιασταὶ ὡς ἐπιπολὺ τῶν ἀπορωτάτων καὶ λωποδυτῶν καὶ τοιχωρύχων ὄντες, αὐτοί τε ὑπὸ τῆς πενίας ἀναγκαζόμενοι οὐδὲν εἴασαν ἀτόλμητον, καὶ τοὺς δήμους ἐνῆγον πρὸς τὰ ἴσα, 2.178 τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν Παλαιολόγον εὔνοιαν ὑποκρινόμενοι. διὸ καὶ πιστοτάτους ἑαυτοὺς προσηγορεύκασιν. ὕστερον δὲ ὥσπερ τι νόσημα κακόηθες καὶ δεινὸν τὴν πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν ἐπινεμόμενον Ῥωμαίων, καὶ τῶν πρότερον δοκούντων μετρίων καὶ ἐπιεικῶν πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν ὕβριν ἐξεκαλέσατο πολλούς. ἐν μὲν γὰρ εἰρήνῃ καὶ πολέμων ἀπουσίᾳ αἵ τε πόλεις καὶ οἱ ἰδιῶται ἀμείνους ἔχουσι τὰς γνώμας καὶ πρὸς αἰσχρὰς καὶ φαύλας πράξεις ἥκιστα ἂν ἐξάγοιντο διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐς ἀκουσίους ἀνάγκας περιπίπτειν. ὁ δὲ πόλεμος τὴν καθημέραν ἀπορίαν ὑφαιρούμενος, βίαιος διδάσκαλος καὶ τῶν πρότερον δοκούντων ἀτολμήτων γίνεται. ἐστασίαζον οὖν αἱ πόλεις πᾶσαι κοινῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἀρίστους, καὶ οἱ ὑστερίζοντές που πύστει τῶν προγεγενημένων πολλὴν ἐπεδείκνυντο ὑπερβολὴν καὶ μέχρι φόνων ἐχώρησαν, καὶ τούτων ἀπανθρώπων, καὶ ἥ, τε ἀλόγιστος ὁρμὴ ἀνδρία ἐνομίσθη καὶ ἡ ἀναλγησία πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς καὶ ἀσυμπάθεια βεβαία πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πίστις· καὶ ὁ μὲν πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν χαλεπαίνων καὶ πρὸς ὕβρεις ἐξαγόμενος αἰσχρὰς καὶ χαλεπὰς, πιστὸς ἐδόκει, ὁ σωφρονῶν δὲ καὶ γλώσσης κρατῶν καὶ τὸ προσῆκον ἦθος διασώζων ὕποπτος ἦν εὐθύς. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐπιβουλεῦσαι καὶ ψεύδη καὶ συκοφαντίας πλάσασθαι δόκησιν συνέσεως παρεῖχε. καὶ ἡ προδοσία τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ὥσπερ τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπετηδεύετο μετὰ ὀνόματος εὐπρεποῦς. οὕτω πᾶσα 2.179 ἰδέα κακοτροπίας διὰ τὰς στάσεις ταῖς πόλεσι τότε ἐπεδείχθη καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν, ὅ, τι μὴ οἱ ἐπιεικέστεροι ὑπέμενον. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄριστοι αὐτίκα διεφθείροντο, ἢ τὴν προτέραν πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν εὔνοιαν ἐπικαλούμενοι, ἢ τὸ μὴ ἐν τῷ αὐτίκα ἐκείνῳ πολεμεῖν· οἱ μέσοι δὲ τῶν πολιτῶν, ἢ ὅτι οὐ συνηγωνίζοντο τοῖς στασιάζουσιν, ἢ φθόνῳ τοῦ περιεῖναι. καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπεία φύσις εἰωθυῖα καὶ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους ἀδικεῖν ἀεὶ, τότε μᾶλλον ἔδοξεν ἀκρατὴς μὲν οὖσα πρὸς ὀργὴν, ἢν μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων σωφρονίζηται, κρείσσων δὲ τοῦ δικαίου, τῶν περὶ τούτου νομίμων ἀνῃρημένων, πολεμία δὲ τοῦ κρείττονος, ἂν περιγίνεσθαι ἐξῇ. κθʹ. Ὁ μέντοι ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει δῆμος ἐπεὶ τοὺς δυνατοὺς αὐτῶν δεσμώτας εἰς Βυζάντιον