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you bear witness that I have never lied. That the argument concerning oaths is of this kind, as has been said, is on the one hand obvious from the matter itself; but I will try to make it clearer also from a most true example. For if our God is the true God, and is called and is Truth itself, and is worthy to be believed even without oaths; and yet He 2.231 swore by Himself not only to Abraham that He would surely multiply his seed, but also later to David, for it says, "the Lord swore to David in truth, and He will not turn from it," it is clear that He made the oaths not for His own sake, but on account of the faintheartedness of His hearers and their doubt concerning the things promised. And Paul later, the disciple and herald of the truth, about to narrate the things he saw when he was caught up to the third heaven, although he was conscious of great truth in himself, nevertheless for the benefit of his hearers, said, "blessed be God, that I do not lie," as if insisting under God as witness to say what he was about to say, and for this reason demanding to be believed. For it is always the custom of unbelief to do great harm to matters. It is possible for you, therefore, to consider that it was fitting to blame yourselves rather than me on account of the oaths. But you, just as in other matters having condemned justice to perpetual exile and having driven it from the rule of the Romans, have always used friendly falsehood and slanders, not even remembering this, at least, that we all will be held to account for the things lived here after our departure from hence. But I, just as before, so also now say under God as witness, that from the very beginning after the emperor's death, I intended nothing other, and was eager to do nothing other, than what is advantageous for the empress and her children and for all Romans in common. But since they have been moved to war against me 2.232 for no true reason, but by slander, I myself of necessity also do those things from which I think to provide salvation for myself and for those with me. 38. In this way, therefore, he was demonstrating that they had condemned nothing sound of his. But he himself, since his friends in Melenikon were calling him, as one who would take the city, sent an army and occupied it, and then he also appointed his wife's brother, John Asan, as ruler of the city; a thing despaired of before it happened, but having happened, it nevertheless provided no small comfort. For immediately sending to Chreles, he ordered him to come to him, as what was sought had now been accomplished. And he seemed to be pleased that the emperor held Melenikon, and he said that every pretext had been removed for him; yet still he delayed, pretending, indeed, that he was about to arrange his affairs, since he was now about to engage in war and campaigning, but in truth, not wishing to cast himself into dangers, but to reap the emperor's favor without toils. But when the emperor saw him proceeding with delays, having guessed his intention from what had been said, he left his wife's brother, John Asan, as ruler of Melenikon with an army, as large as he thought would suffice for the defense of the city; and he himself, having ordered the rest of the army to remain in the camp, taking along with his sons Matthew and Manuel only three hundred men, and having journeyed swiftly, on the next day arrived where Chreles was staying. Since he 2.233 received him gladly, he spent the day and the night with him, and on the next day, having him also with his army, he returned again to the camp and filled the army with great pleasure, having arrived with Chreles. For he was not only powerful in arms and horses and money, but also most excellently trained in strategy and the sort of man to know best how to benefit his friends and harm his enemies. For which reasons also his alliance seemed to them much sought after. But in Thessalonica the protostrator, as we said, being in doubt and openly considering to which of the emperors he should attach himself, both handled matters more softly and overlooked the so-called Zealots, who on behalf of the emperor Palaiologos chose to fight against the emperor Kantakouzenos, as they gradually grew in number, on the one hand,

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συμμαρτυρεῖτε τὸ μηδέποτε ἐψεῦσθαι. ὅτι δ' ὁ περὶ τῶν ὅρκων λόγος τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, καὶ αὐτόθεν μὲν καταφανές· πειράσομαι δὲ καὶ ἐκ παραδείγματος μάλιστα ἀληθεστάτου καταφανέστερον ποιεῖν. εἰ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν θεός ἐστιν ἀληθινὸς, καὶ αὐτοαλήθεια καὶ καλεῖται καί ἐστι, καὶ δίκαιός ἐστι πιστεύεσθαι καὶ ὅρκων χωρίς· ὁ δὲ οὐ τῷ 2.231 Ἀβραὰμ μόνον ὤμοσε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἦ μὴν πληθυνεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸ σπέρμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ∆αυὶδ ὕστερον, ὤμοσε γάρ, φησι, κύριος τῷ ∆αυὶδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσῃ αὐτὴν, δῆλον ὡς οὐχ ἑαυτοῦ, τῆς μικροψυχίας δὲ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς περὶ τὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενα ἀμφιβολίας τοὺς ὅρκους ἐποιεῖτο. καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὕστερον ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας μαθητὴς καὶ κήρυξ περὶ ὧν εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν ἁρπαγεὶς εἶδε, μέλλων διηγεῖσθαι, καίτοι γε ἑαυτῷ πολλὴν συνειδὼς ἀλήθειαν, ὅμως τῆς ὠφελείας ἕνεκα τῶν ἀκουόντων, εὐλογητὸς, εἶπεν, ὁ θεὸς, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι, ὡς ἂν ὑπὸ μάρτυρι θεῷ ἰσχυριζόμενος λέγειν ἃ ἐρεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀξιῶν πιστεύεσθαι. ἔθος γὰρ ἀεὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ μεγάλα τοῖς πράγμασι λυμαίνεσθαι. ἔξεστιν οὖν ὑμῖν σκοπεῖν, ὡς σφίσιν αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐμοὶ τῶν ὅρκων ἕνεκα μέμφεσθαι προσῆκεν. ὑμεῖς δ' ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀειφυγίᾳ τὸ δίκαιον καταδικάσαντες καὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀπελάσαντες ἀρχῆς, τῷ φίλῳ ψεύδει κέχρησθε ἀεὶ καὶ ταῖς συκοφαντίαις, οὐδὲ τοῦτο μεμνημένοι γοῦν, ὅτι τῶν τῇδε βεβιωμένων ἅπαντες ὑφέξομεν εὐθύνας μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγήν. ἐγὼ δ' ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ὑπὸ μάρτυρι τῷ θεῷ λέγω, ὡς οὐδὲν ἕτερον εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς μετὰ τὴν βασιλέως τελευτὴν, ἢ ὅσα βασιλίδι καὶ παισὶ συμφέρει καὶ πᾶσι κοινῇ Ῥωμαίοις, διενοούμην τε καὶ πράττειν εἶχον διὰ σπουδῆς. ἐκείνων δὲ ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας ἀληθοῦς, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ συκοφαντίας πρὸς τὸν κατ' ἐμοῦ 2.232 κεκινημένων πόλεμον, ἀναγκαίως καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ ὧν νομίζω ἐμαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς συνοῦσι τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐκπορίζειν πράττω. ληʹ. Ἐκείνους μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἀπεδείκνυε μηδὲν ὑγιὲς αὐτοῦ κατεγνωκότας. αὐτὸς δὲ, ἐπεὶ οἱ ἐν Μελενίκῳ φίλοι ἐκάλουν, ὡς παραληψόμενον τὴν πόλιν, πέμψας στρατιὰν κατέσχεν, ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀσάνην ἄρχοντα τῆς πόλεως καθίστη· πρᾶγμα δυσέλπιστον πρὶν γενέσθαι, γενόμενον δὲ ὅμως οὐ μετρίαν παρέσχετο παραψυχήν. αὐτίκα γὰρ πρὸς Χρέλην πέμψας, ἐκέλευεν ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς ἤδη τοῦ ζητουμένου ἠνυσμένου. ὁ δ' ἐδόκει μὲν ἥδεσθαι τοῦ βασιλέα Μελενίκον ἔχειν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἔλεγε πρόφασιν αὐτῷ περιῃρῆσθαι· ἔτι δ' ὅμως ἀνεβάλλετο, τὸ δοκεῖν μὲν, ὡς τὰ ὄντα διαθησόμενος, μέλλων ἤδη ἅπτεσθαι πολέμου καὶ στρατείας, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, οὐκ ἐθέλων εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους ἐμβάλλειν ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἄνευ πόνων τὴν βασιλέως εὔνοιαν καρποῦσθαι. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὡς εἶδε χωροῦντα πρὸς ἀναβολὰς, τῆς διανοίας ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων στοχασάμενος, Μελενίκου μὲν ἄρχοντα τὸν γυναικὸς κατέλιπεν ἀδελφὸν Ἀσάνην τὸν Ἰωάννην μετὰ στρατιᾶς, ὅσης ᾤετο ἀρκέσειν εἰς φρουρὰν τῇ πόλει· αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν ἄλλην στρατιὰν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ κελεύσας μένειν, ἅμα τοῖς υἱέσι Ματθαίῳ καὶ Μανουὴλ τριακοσίους μόνον παραλαβὼν, συντόνως τε ὁδεύσας, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν, ἔνθα ὁ Χρέλης διατρίβων ἦν, ἀφίκετο. ἐκείνου δὲ 2.233 ἀσμένως ὑποδεξαμένου συνδιημερεύσας αὐτῷ καὶ συνδιανυκτερεύσας, τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸν μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς, αὖθις εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐπανῆκε καὶ πολλῆς ἐνέπλησε τὴν στρατιὰν ἡδονῆς μετὰ Χρέλη ἀφιγμένος. ἦν γὰρ οὐ δυνατὸς μόνον καὶ ὅπλοις καὶ ἵπποις καὶ χρήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ στρατηγίας κάλλιστα ἐξησκημένος καὶ οἷος τούς τε φίλους ὠφελεῖν καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους βλάπτειν μάλιστα εἰδέναι. δι' ἃ καὶ περιμάχητος αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει ἡ ἐκείνου συμμαχία. ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ δὲ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, ἀμφίβολος ὢν καὶ περὶ τῶν βασιλέων ὅτῳ πρόσθηται φανερῶς διασκεπτόμενος, μαλακώτερόν τε τῶν πραγμάτων ἥπτετο καὶ τοὺς λεγομένους Ζηλωτὰς, οἳ ὑπὲρ βασιλέως τοῦ Παλαιολόγου βασιλεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ ᾑροῦντο πολεμεῖν, αὐξανομένους κατὰ μικρὸν περιεώρα, τοῦτο μὲν,