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to him who had revolted because he was not able to bear the deprivation of his possessions and his dearest ones and his wife, they had nevertheless not persuaded him at all to trust them regarding themselves, but were seeking some pretext, from which they might destroy him. For which reasons not even for the sake of peace, as he said, was he able to come to Byzantium. But the emperor said that he desired peace very much, not for his own sake more than for the benefit of others, but that he would force no one to cast himself into obvious danger, and harming no one, at least as far as it depended on him, he would entrust his affairs to God who oversees all things. 33. Not only then was emperor Kantakouzenos seen to be amenable concerning a reconciliation, but also while still staying in Didymoteichon, after sending an embassy once and twice to the empress concerning peace, since nothing favorable was reported to have been done concerning the ambassadors, he secretly sent letters to the patriarch concerning peace, in which he reminded him of the oaths that had been made 2.200 in his presence between the empress and himself. which he said he himself was observing scrupulously, while being warred against by the empress who was breaking the treaty, persuaded as she was by slanderous and corrupt men; and furthermore of the oaths made by him to him, that he would not overlook him being slandered by sycophants, but would show all zeal on his behalf, or to speak more truly, on behalf of his just cause. which things indeed had turned to the opposite, and the war had its beginning from him, by whom it was more just that it should have been prevented. And he besought him not to overlook such things happening, but, taking pity on the men who were perishing contrary to all reason of justice, to stand against the disaster and to prevent the much more terrible things that were to come, by putting an end to the war and becoming a reconciler between the empress and himself, which was especially fitting for him, as a common father and teacher of justice appointed by God. In any case it would be no great task, nor would many words to him be needed, but it is sufficient only to be seen, and every pretext for war will be removed. But if, then, he should care for none of these things, nor show the fitting zeal concerning peace, he himself hesitated to say, but it was obvious to all even if he were silent, that from his hands God, the just judge, will demand the blood of men that would be shed. And he requested him not to think that he was making such requests out of cowardice; for 2.201 his army far surpassed theirs in number; but seeing the war, that it would be the cause of great disasters for the Romans, and fearing the torment for men's lives that would come from it, he was trying to provide, as much as possible, no cause for the expected evils. As for the excommunication which he had pronounced against him and his companions, he considered it terrible, for how could he not? but it was nothing to him. For if, as they themselves say, he had plotted against the emperor's children, having forsworn himself, the things that were said would have some power against him. But if he had neither done nor thought any of these things, while he himself remained true to his original commitments and was keeping his oaths steadfastly, and they, moved by envy and slander, have kindled a flame that is already now consuming the entire Roman dominion and will consume it even more, unless God, looking down from above, graciously extinguishes it, it must be considered whether it is not more fitting for them, rather than for him, to be separated from God, as they have become the cause of the evils. For the divine does not follow the irrational impulses of high priests, Dionysius the Great declared. And again he besought him, seeing that the things dared up to now were terrible, and that the future things are expected to be by a great measure worse, to come to her and put an end to the disasters for the Romans, as he was the only one able to accomplish such things. But if not, at least for his own part everything necessary has been done both toward God 2.202 and toward those who are now themselves directing the affairs of the Romans. They themselves would know whether it is necessary to show themselves zealous for peace rather than for war, being most clearly convinced of this one thing, that for the things being done by them, they themselves will pay the penalty before God, and for anything contrary to what is proper that he himself should also do, being driven into necessity by them. Such were the things

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ἀφεστηκότι διὰ τὸ μὴ τὴν τῶν ὄντων στέρησιν καὶ φιλτάτων καὶ γυναικὸς φέρειν δύνασθαι, ὅμως οὐδὲν πεπεικέναι ὡς πιστῷ περὶ αὐτοὺς προσέχειν, ἀλλὰ πρόφασίν τινα ζητεῖν, ἐξ ἧς διαφθεροῦσιν. ὧν ἕνεκα οὐδ' ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰρήνης, ὥσπερ εἶπεν, εἰς Βυζάντιον δύνασθαι ἐλθεῖν. βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰρήνης μὲν ἔφασκε καὶ μάλιστα ἐπιθυμεῖν οὐχ ἑαυτοῦ μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν ἄλλων ὠφελείας ἕνεκα, εἰς προὖπτον δὲ κίνδυνον ἐμβάλλειν ἑαυτὸν οὐδένα ἀναγκάσειν, βλάπτοντα δὲ μηδένα, τό γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον, θεῷ τῷ πάντα ἐφορῶντι ἐπιτρέψειν τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. λγʹ. Οὐ τότε δὲ μόνον περὶ τὴν διάλυσιν εὐχερὴς Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡρᾶτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ ἐνδιατρίβων ἔτι, μετὰ τὸ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς πρὸς βασιλίδα πρεσβεύσασθαι περὶ εἰρήνης, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιεικὲς περὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις ἠγγέλλετο εἰργασμένον, πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην κρύφα γράμματα διεπέμπετο περὶ εἰρήνης, ἐν οἷς τῶν τε ἐπ' αὐτοῦ γε 2.200 γενημένων ὅρκων ἀνεμίμνησκε μεταξὺ βασιλίδος καὶ αὐτοῦ. οὓς ἔφασκεν ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸς τηρῶν, ὑπὸ βασιλίδος παρασπονδούσης πολεμεῖσθαι, συκοφάνταις ἀνθρώποις καὶ διεφθορόσι πεπεισμένης· ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ γεγενημένων ὅρκων πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς οὐ περιόψεται ὑπὸ συκοφαντῶν αὐτὸν διαβαλλόμενον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἐνδείξεται σπουδὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ἢ τἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δικαίου. ἃ δὴ εἰς τοὐναντίον περιέστη, καὶ ὁ πόλεμος ἐξ ἐκείνου ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὑφ' οὗ κωλύεσθαι δικαιότερος μᾶλλον ἦν. ἐδεῖτό τε μὴ τοιαῦτα γινόμενα περιορᾷν, ἀλλ' ἔλεον λαβόντα τῶν ἀπολλυμένων ἀνθρώπων παρὰ πάντα τοῦ δικαίου λόγον, στῆναι πρὸς τὴν συμφορὰν καὶ τὰ πολλῷ δεινότερα ἐσόμενα κωλῦσαι, καταλύσαντα τὸν πόλεμον καὶ διαλλακτὴν γεγενημένον βασιλίδος καὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ μάλιστα αὐτῷ προσήκειν, πατρὶ κοινῷ καὶ διδασκάλῳ δικαιοσύνης ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κεχειροτονημένῳ. πάντως δὲ οὐδὲν ἔργον ἔσται, οὐδὲ πολλῶν δεήσεται λόγων πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ μόνον ὀφθῆναι, καὶ πᾶσα πρόφασις πολέμου περιαιρεθήσεται. εἰ δ' ἄρα τούτων μηδενὸς μελήσει, μηδὲ τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐνδείξεται σπουδὴν, αὐτὸν μὲν ὀκνεῖν εἰπεῖν, πᾶσι δὲ εἶναι καὶ σιγήσαντος καταφανὲς, ὡς ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ χειρῶν τὰ ἐκχυθησόμενα τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἵματα θεὸς ὁ δίκαιος ἐκζητήσει κριτής. ἠξίου τε, μὴ διὰ δειλίαν τὰ τοιαῦτα νομίζειν δεῖσθαι· τὴν 2.201 γὰρ ἐκείνου στρατιὰν πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἐκείνων ὑπερέχειν· ἀλλ' ὁρῶντα τὸν πόλεμον, ὡς μεγάλων ἔσται συμφορῶν αἴτιος Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ δεδοικότα τὴν ἐκεῖθεν βεβιωμένων βάσανον ἀνθρώποις μηδεμίαν ὡς οἷόντε μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς προσδοκωμένοις κακοῖς αἰτίαν παρέχεσθαι πειρᾶσθαι. ὃν δὲ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξεῖπε καὶ τῶν συνόντων ἀφορισμὸν, ἡγεῖσθαι μὲν δεινὸν, πῶς γὰρ οὔ; οὐδὲν δὲ εἶναι πρὸς αὐτόν. εἰ γὰρ βασιλέως, ὥσπερ αὐτοί φασιν, ἐπεβούλευσε τοῖς παισὶν ἐπιορκήσας, εἶχεν ἄν τινα πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δύναμιν τὰ εἰρημένα. εἰ δὲ τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν οὔτε εἴργαστο, οὔτε ἐνεθυμήθη, ἐμμένοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐξαρχῆς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους τηροῦντος βεβαίως, ὑπὸ φθόνου καὶ συκοφαντίας αὐτοὶ κεκινημένοι, τὴν πᾶσαν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν νῦν τε ἤδη νεμομένην καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον δαπανήσουσαν ἤγειραν φλόγα, ἢν μὴ θεὸς ἄνωθεν ἐπιβλέψας ἵλεων κατασβέσῃ, σκοπητέον, εἰ μὴ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς, ἢ ἐκείνῳ τὸ ἀπὸ θεοῦ χωρίζεσθαι προσήκει, τοῖς αἰτίοις τῶν κακῶν γεγενημένοις. οὐ γὰρ ἕπεσθαι τὸ θεῖον ταῖς παραλόγοις τῶν ἀρχιερέων ὁρμαῖς, ∆ιονύσιος ὁ μέγας ἀπεφθέγξατο. αὖθίς τε ἐδεῖτο, τά τε μέχρι νῦν τετολμημένα συνιδόντα ὡς δεινὰ, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ χείρω προσδοκᾶται, ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ διαλύειν τὰς συμφορὰς Ῥωμαίοις, μόνον ὄντα δυνατὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα καταπράττεσθαι. εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ μὲν ἅπαν εἴργασται τὸ δέον πρός τε θεὸν 2.202 ὁμοῦ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα ἄγοντας αὐτοὺς νυνί. αὐτοὶ δ' ἂν εἰδεῖεν, εἰ χρὴ πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην μᾶλλον, ἢ τὸν πόλεμον προθύμους παρέχειν ἑαυτοὺς, ἓν τοῦτο σαφέστατα πεπεισμένους, ὡς τῶν τε πραττομένων ὑπ' αὐτῶν εὐθύνας αὐτοὶ τίσουσι παρὰ θεῷ, καὶ εἴ τι παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον, ὑπ' αὐτῶν συνελαυνόμενος εἰς ἀνάγκην, δρῴη καὶ αὐτός. τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ