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The empress, becoming alarmed and as if not perceiving the deceit, but thinking that if peace should appear better than war, they too would be persuaded, accepts what was said. And immediately they commanded her to swear that she would never do anything contrary to what had been promised. But she, unaware of the ambush, added oaths to what had been said, and the patriarch immediately pronounced an excommunication, if what had been sworn should be transgressed. And from that time, they never left the empress alone, so that she might have leisure to deliberate by herself on any necessary matter; but during the day they themselves were with her in succession, one succeeding another and dividing the time of the day. And at night, some of the empress's maidservants were appointed for this purpose, who received no mean reward of gold from the conspirators for their treachery, and who were required, while being with the empress, to report to the patriarch if she should utter anything, so that through him all that was said might become known to the others as well. For the patriarch, having completely abandoned his stay at home, was living in the palace, on the pretext, indeed, of restraining the impulses of conspirators, if anyone should wish to start a revolution, but in truth, appointed by the conspiracy as a guard of the empress, so that she might not secretly do anything that was not according to their mind. These things, then, were being done while the emperor Kantakouzenos was staying in Didymoteichon. But at the time 2.209 when he was besieging Peritheorion, writing to those on Mount Athos who excelled the other monks in virtue, he begged them too not to overlook the blood of the Christian people being shed daily, but, filled with zeal for the truth, to come to Byzantium and to teach the empress the absurdity of what was being done, if somehow, persuaded at least by them, she might extinguish the flame that was consuming the Roman empire, a flame kindled not from any true cause, but by slander and calumny. For although he himself had tried many times, he had accomplished nothing more, since those who were then governing the Roman empire were not only giving no answer to the embassy, but were also torturing the ambassadors most cruelly, showing every kind of drunken violence towards them, and finally holding them in prisons in chains. Which when those on Athos read, and thinking that zeal and eagerness for such matters was fitting for them, as it would be for the common good, and having spurred one another on, they chose from among all of them the Protos Isaac, an honorable man who had reached the height of virtue, and Makarios, the hegoumen of the Lavra, and not a few others of the heads of the monastic houses on the mountain; and with these, also Kallistos, who later became patriarch of the church in Constantinople, at that time still numbered in the rank of priests, and Sabas, who pursued the ascetic course near the monastery of Vatopedi and had shown many wondrous struggles for virtue, arrived in Byzantium. 2.210 And having met with the empress, with the patriarch and the conspirators around him being present, 'We,' they said, 'seeing the disaster that has befallen the Romans, we thought the things being done terrible and beyond terrible. But being able to contribute nothing more toward the relief and aversion of these terrible things, neglecting all else, we prayed to God for the common good, who alone is able to stop the expected disasters. But now, seeing the estranged part of the Romans gladly proceeding toward peace, and especially that part which was thought to have provided the cause of the strife, and having confessed many thanks to God, the giver of peace, and disregarding our old age and bodily weakness and the toils of the journey, we have come to beg you also to accept the peace and not, through contentiousness, to overlook the Roman empire now being destroyed and expecting to suffer still more terrible things, if the war is not quickly ended. Therefore, you too, taking pity on the blood shed daily and on those held in prisons and on those driven into exile and on the people suffering incurable ills, ratify the peace and of the many and harsh dangers

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ὑποπτήξασα ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ τῆς ἀπάτης ὥσπερ οὐκ αἰσθομένη, ἀλλ' οἰηθεῖσα, εἰ βελτίων τοῦ πολέμου ἡ εἰρήνη φαίνοιτο, πεισθήσεσθαι καὶ αὐτοὺς, δέχεται τὰ εἰρημένα. αὐτίκα τε ἐκέλευον ὀμνύειν, ὡς οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε παρὰ τὰ ὑπεσχημένα πρᾶξαι. ἡ δ' ἀγνοήσασα τὴν ἐνέδραν, καὶ ὅρκους προσετίθει τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης εὐθὺς ἀφορισμὸν ἐπεφώνει, εἰ παραβαθείη τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα. ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ οὐδέποτε κατέλιπον τὴν βασιλίδα μόνην, ὥστε σχολὴν ἄγουσαν τῶν δεόντων τι βουλεύσασθαι πρὸς ἑαυτήν· ἀλλ' ἡμέρας μὲν αὐτοὶ συνῆσαν ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἄλλον ἄλλος διαδεχόμενοι καὶ συμμεριζόμενοι τὸν χρόνον τῆς ἡμέρας. νυκτὸς δὲ τῶν τῆς βασιλίδος οἰκετίδων ἦσαν πρὸς τοῦτο τεταγμέναι, αἳ μισθὸν οὐ φαῦλον τῆς προδοσίας εἶχον χρυσίον παρὰ τῶν συνωμοτῶν, ἃς ἔδει τῇ βασιλίδι συνούσας, εἴ τι φθέγξαιτο, μηνύειν πατριάρχῃ, ὥστε δι' ἐκείνου καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πάντα δῆλα γίνεσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα. ὁ πατριάρχης γὰρ τὴν οἴκοι παντάπασι διατριβὴν καταλιπὼν, βασιλείοις ἐνδιῃτᾶτο, πρόφασιν μὲν, ὡς τῶν ἐπιβούλων καθέξων τὰς ὁρμὰς, εἴ τις βούλοιτο νεωτερίζειν, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, βασιλίδος φύλαξ ὑπὸ τῆς συνωμοσίας τεταγμένος, ἵνα μὴ λαθοῦσα πράξῃ τῶν μὴ κατὰ γνώμην ὄντων τι αὐτοῖς. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ ἐνδιατρίβοντος, ἐπράττετο. ὑφ' ὃν δὲ 2.209 χρόνον Περιθεώριον ἐπολιόρκει, πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ἄθῳ τῷ ὄρει τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῇ προέχοντας γράψας μοναζόντων, ἐδεῖτο καὶ αὐτῶν, μὴ περιορᾷν τὸ τῶν χριστωνύμων αἷμα χεόμενον ὁσημέραι, ἀλλὰ ζῆλον ἀληθείας ὑποδυσαμένους, πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἀφικέσθαι καὶ βασιλίδα διδάξαι τὴν τῶν πραττομένων ἀτοπίαν, εἴ πως πειθομένη γοῦν αὐτοῖς, τὴν νεμομένην τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν φλόγα κατασβέσῃ, ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς προφάσεως ἀληθοῦς, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ συκοφαντίας καὶ διαβολῆς κεκινημένην. αὐτὸν γὰρ ἐπιχειρήσαντα πολλάκις, ἠνυκέναι πλέον οὐδὲν, τῶν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἄρτι διοικούντων πρὸς μὲν τὴν πρεσβείαν μηδὲν ἀποκρινομένων, τοὺς πρέσβεις δὲ μόνον ὠμότατα αἰκιζομένων καὶ πᾶσαν παροινίαν ἐνδεικνυμένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ τελευταῖον ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις κατεχόντων ὑπὸ κλοιοῖς. ἃ οἱ ἐν Ἄθῳ ἀναγνόντες καὶ προσήκουσαν αὐτοῖς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν τοιούτων σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν οἰηθέντες, οἷα δὴ ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς ὠφελείας ἐσομένην, καὶ παραθήξαντες ἀλλήλους, ἐκ πάντων ὅ,τε πρῶτος ἐκλεγέντες Ἰσαὰκ, ἀνὴρ τίμιος καὶ ἀρετῆς εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλακὼς, καὶ ὁ τῆς Λαύρας ἡγούμενος Μακάριος, καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν κατὰ τὸ ὄρος φροντιστηρίων ἡγουμένων οὐκ ὀλίγοι· σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὁ χρόνῳ ὕστερον τῆς ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐκκλησίας πατριάρχης γεγονὼς, εἰς τὸν ἱερέων ἔτι τότε χορὸν τελῶν Κάλλιστος, καὶ Σαβὰς, ὃς πρὸς τῇ Βατοπεδίου μονῇ τὸν ἀσκητικὸν ἤνυε δρόμον καὶ πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς καὶ θαυμασίους ἐπεδείξατο ἀγῶνας, εἰς Βυζάν 2.210 τιον ἀφίκοντο. βασιλίδι τε συγγενόμενοι, καὶ πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν συνωμοτῶν παρόντων, «ἡμεῖς» ἔφασαν «τὴν κατασχοῦσαν Ῥωμαίους ὁρῶντες συμφορὰν, δεινὰ μὲν ᾠόμεθα τὰ πραττόμενα καὶ πέρα δεινῶν. οὐδὲν δὲ πλέον πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν καὶ ἀποτροπὴν τῶν δεινῶν δυνάμενοι συμβάλλεσθαι, τῶν ἄλλων ἀμελήσαντες, ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων ἐδεόμεθα θεοῦ, τοῦ μόνου στῆσαι δυναμένου τὰς προσδοκωμένας συμφοράς. νυνὶ δὲ τὸ διεστηκὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἰδόντες μέρος ἀσμένως χωροῦν πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ μάλιστα ὅπερ δόκησιν παρεῖχε τὴν αἰτίαν παρασχέσθαι τῆς διαφορᾶς, καὶ θεῷ τῷ τῆς εἰρήνης χορηγῷ πολλὰς χάριτας ὁμολογήσαντες καὶ γῆρας καὶ σωματικὴν ἀσθένειαν καὶ τοὺς πρὸς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν πόνους παριδόντες, ἥκομεν δεησόμενοι καὶ ὑμῶν, δέχεσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ μὴ διὰ φιλονεικίαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν νῦν τε διαφθειρομένην περιορᾷν καὶ ἔτι δεινότερα προσδοκωμένην πάσχειν, ἂν μὴ ταχέως ὁ πόλεμος καταλυθῇ. ἔλεον οὖν καὶ αὐτοὶ λαβόντες τῶν ὁσημέραι χεομένων αἱμάτων καὶ τῶν δεσμωτηρίοις κατεχομένων καὶ τῶν ἐλαυνομένων καὶ ἀνήκεστα πασχόντων ἀνθρώπων, κυρώσατε τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ χαλεπῶν κινδύνων