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deliver the Romans, so that God, the provider of peace, may be glorified and the empress and patriarch and you, the senate, may receive worthy thanks not only from all the Romans, but also from us, the humble, for your zeal for good things and for the 2.211 care of the innocent people being destroyed everywhere by the war.” At this the empress was not displeased at all, but even thought that the words had been spoken according to her own mind. For, having condemned the great villainy and deceit of the patriarch and the others, she was eager, if she could in any way end the war, to make a treaty of peace with the emperor Kantakouzenos. But being constrained by the oaths to which they had deceitfully subjected her, that if peace were not chosen by all, she herself should not vote for it, she of necessity awaited the vote from the council. 35. But the patriarch and the conspiracy considered what had been said most dreadful and thought it brought the ultimate danger upon them. For to speak openly against peace seemed not only rash, but also malicious. And they considered if they could in some other way try to dissolve the unanimity of the monks. And at that time, having praised their zeal for the common good, they ordered them to get some rest, putting aside the weariness from their journey. And later they promised that after deliberation they would provide a response concerning their reason for coming. But they did not allow them to be lodged in the same place, but scattered them to different places, so that with the separation of their bodies they might also be divided in their opinions, each one being corrupted privately by promises and words. So time was wasted and there was no concern for what had been said, nor was any account taken of the monks. 2.212 But they, seeing that war was more preferable to them than peace, after having pleaded much for it, when they saw them resorting to excuses and pretexts and nothing sound, asked for their return. But not even this seemed advantageous to them, that the monks, having departed, should attribute the cause of the war to them, and on the other hand bear witness that the emperor Kantakouzenos preferred peace and demanded just and advantageous terms for all. For they thought this would be no small hindrance to them in agitating the people and stirring up the war. For they themselves deliberately sent certain talkers into the cities proclaiming that Kantakouzenos would not even listen to peace with the tips of his ears, but threatened to do the most terrible things to the emperor's children, if he should prevail in the war, and to the others, all those who, acting justly, had fought against him on their behalf. And they exhorted the people to be indignant on behalf of the emperor's children, who were fatherless orphans, and to defend themselves against the wrongdoer. For which reason, indeed, they planned to set the monks against each other. And having appointed Makarios, the hegoumen of the Lavra, as metropolitan of Thessaloniki, they persuaded him not only to be at variance with the other monks and to accuse them of 'Kantakouzenism,' on the grounds that, seeing their friend in danger of perishing from the common war, they had come with a portion of zeal and with counsel for the better 2.213 to help him; but also to pour out many insults against the emperor and to fall short of them in nothing regarding bitterness towards him. Whence, having arrived in Thessaloniki, he fell short of none of the deeds notoriously committed there in cruelty and wickedness. And first they condemned him to remain in the monastery called Petra, without being allowed to go out, depriving him of none of the proper care for his body. But Sabas, because he surpassed the others in virtue and was the most well-known of the emperor's friends, since he did not wish to agree with them, they voted for him also to remain in another monastery called Chora, without being allowed to go out. And when they wished to deem him worthy of much care, he did not accept it, saying that it was not right to receive anything from those who rejoice in blood and murder. And having said only this, that it is not possible for one guarded by God to be destroyed by anyone through any device, he kept quiet. But to all the others, not being especially noteworthy, the

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ἀπαλλάξατε Ῥωμαίους, ὡς ἂν θεός τε ὁ τῆς εἰρήνης χορηγὸς δοξασθῇ καὶ βασιλίς τε καὶ πατριάρχης καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡ σύγκλητος οὐ παρὰ πάντων μόνον Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ταπεινῶν ἀξίας κομίζησθε εὐχαριστίας τῆς προθυμίας τῆς περὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τῆς 2.211 κηδεμονίας τῶν διὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἁπανταχοῦ διαφθειρομένων ἀνθρώπων ἀναιτίων.» πρὸς ταῦτα βασιλὶς μὲν οὐδὲν ἔπασχε δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ γνώμην ᾤετο εἰρῆσθαι αὐτῇ τοὺς λόγους. πολλὴν γὰρ πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πανουργίαν καὶ ἀπάτην καταγνοῦσα, ἔσπευδεν, εἰ δύναιτο τρόπῳ δή τινι τὸν πόλεμον καταλύσασα, σπονδὰς πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν θέσθαι περὶ εἰρήνης. εἰργομένη δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ὅρκων, οἷς ὑπήγαγον ἐξαπατήσαντες, ὡς, εἰ μὴ πᾶσιν αἱρετέα εἴη ἡ εἰρήνη, μηδ' αὐτὴν ἐπιψηφίζεσθαι, τὴν ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς ψῆφον ἀναγκαίως περιέμενε. λεʹ. Πατριάρχης δὲ καὶ ἡ συνωμοσία ἐν δεινῷ μάλιστα ἐτίθεντο τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ τὸν ἔσχατον ᾤοντο κίνδυνον αὐτοῖς ἐπάγειν. προφανῶς μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην ἀντιλέγειν οὐχ ἰταμὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλομόχθηρον ἐδόκει. ἐσκέψαντο δὲ, εἰ δύναιντο τρόπῳ δή τινι ἑτέρῳ τῶν μοναχῶν τὴν ὁμόνοιαν πειρᾶσθαι διαλύειν. καὶ τότε μὲν ἐπαινέσαντες τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ σπουδὴν, ἐκέλευον ἀναπαύλης τινὸς τυγχάνειν, τὸν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας πόνον ἀποτιθεμένους. ὕστερον δὲ ἐπηγγέλλοντο σκεψαμένους περὶ ὧν ἥκουσι τὴν ἀπολογίαν παρασχεῖν. ξενίζεσθαι δὲ οὐκ εἴασαν ἐπὶ ταὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἄλλον ἄλλοσε διέσπειραν, ὡς ἂν τῇ διαστάσει τῶν σωμάτων καὶ ταῖς γνώμαις διαστῶσιν, ὑποσχέσεσι καὶ λόγοις ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος διαφθαρέντες. ἐτρίβετο μὲν οὖν ὁ χρόνος καὶ οὐδεμία τῶν εἰρημένων ἦν φροντὶς, οὐδέ τις λόγος ἐγίνετο τῶν μοναχῶν. 2.212 ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ὁρῶντες, ὡς μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς αἱρετέος ἐστὶν ὁ πόλεμος, ἢ ἡ εἰρήνη, μετὰ τὸ πολλὰ δεηθῆναι περὶ αὐτῆς, ἐπεὶ πρὸς σκήψεις καὶ προφάσεις καὶ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἑώρων καταφεύγοντας, τὴν ἐπάνοδον ᾐτοῦντο. τοῖς δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο λυσιτελεῖν ἐδόκει, ὥστε ἀπελθόντας τοὺς μοναχοὺς αὐτοῖς μὲν ἀνατιθέναι τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ πολέμου, Καντακουζηνῷ δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ μᾶλλον αἱρεῖσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ δίκαια καὶ συμφέροντα τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀξιοῦν συμμαρτυρεῖν. οὐδὲ γὰρ μέτριά τινα προστήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐνόμιζον πρὸς τὸ τοὺς δήμους ἐκταράττειν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον κινεῖν. ἐξεπίτηδες γὰρ αὐτοὶ λάλους τινὰς καθίεσαν εἰς τὰς πόλεις κηρύττοντας, ὡς Καντακουζηνὸς οὐδ' ἄκροις ὠσὶ τὴν εἰρήνην παραδέχοιτο, ἀλλὰ τὰ δεινότατα τοὺς βασιλέως παῖδας διαθήσειν ἀπειλεῖ, εἰ περιγένοιτο ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ὅσοι δίκαια ποιοῦντες ἐκείνῳ πεπολεμήκασιν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. παρεκάλουν τε τοὺς δήμους ὑπὲρ τῶν βασιλέως παίδων ὀρφανῶν ὄντων πατρὸς ἀγανακτεῖν καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι τὸν ἀδικοῦντα. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα ἐσκέψαντο συγκρούειν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς μοναχούς. καὶ Μακάριον μὲν τὸν Λαύρας ἡγούμενον, Θεσσαλονίκης μητροπολίτην ἀποδείξαντες, ἔπεισαν οὐ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους μόνον διενεχθῆναι μοναχοὺς καὶ Καντακουζηνισμὸν αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖν, ὅτι δὴ τὸν φίλον ὁρῶντες ἀπολεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ πολέμου κινδυνεύοντα, ἐν ζήλου μοίρᾳ καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ βελ 2.213 τίω συμβουλῆς ἥκουσιν ἐκείνῳ βοηθήσοντες· ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλέως πολλὰς καταχέειν λοιδορίας καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκείνων ἀπολείπεσθαι τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πικρίαν. ὅθεν καὶ γενόμενος ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ οὐδενὸς τῶν ἐκεῖσε τολμηθέντων ἐπὶ ὠμότητι καὶ πονηρίᾳ βεβοημένων ἀπελείπετο. πρῶτον δὲ ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῇ προσαγορευομένῃ Πέτρᾳ ἀπρόϊτον μένειν κατεδίκασαν, προνοίας τῆς εἰς τὸ σῶμα προσηκούσης οὐδεμιᾶς ἀποστερήσαντες. Σαβὰν δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀρετῇ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερέχειν καὶ γνωριμώτατον τῶν βασιλέως φίλων εἶναι, ἐπεὶ μὴ συμφρονεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐβούλετο, ἐν ἑτέρᾳ μονῇ τῇ Χώρᾳ προσαγορευομένῃ μένειν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐψηφίσαντο ἀπρόϊτον. βουλομένων δὲ καὶ προνοίας ἀξιοῦν πολλῆς, οὐ κατεδέξατο, μὴ δίκαιον εἶναι, φάσκων, ἐκ τῶν αἵμασι καὶ φόνοις χαιρόντων τι λαβεῖν. τοῦτο δὲ μόνον εἰπὼν, ὡς τὸν ὑπὸ θεοῦ φρουρούμενον οὐδεμιᾷ τινι μηχανῇ δυνατὸν ὑπ' οὐδενὸς διαφθαρῆναι, ἡσυχίαν ἦγε. τοῖς δ' ἄλλοις ἅπασιν οὐ μάλιστα ἀξιολόγοις οὖσι, τὴν εἰς