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they had spoken about this at all, but although he had sent an embassy twice, as we said, and three times, they neither answered anything, but also having greatly insulted the ambassadors, they mistreated them in prisons as much as possible. And they spoke daily in secret with his companions and promised to do very many good things for them if they deserted him, and on the contrary, if they were not persuaded, they would not only take away their property and hand over their possessions to others, but also bring their children and wives to an experience of many pains. These things seemed especially terrible to the nobler men who were being deprived of great revenues. Remembering these things then, they tried by all means to prevent the emperor from setting out on campaigns beyond the borders, thinking that if they should prevent him, he would turn to something else more profitable. But the emperor, sticking to his original plans as having been well-advised, having set out from the camp, came to the Axios as if to cross it, and the others followed along, some willingly, others by necessity. But as it happened, torrential rains having broken out around the mountainous regions, the river appeared impassable due to flooding. And having encamped there, they waited, intending to cross once the waters had subsided. But they swelled no less and gave the suspicion that they would not provide a passage in a short time. And the grain had already begun to fail the army. And the emperor, seeing that the 2.243 crossing was not easy for them, and that the army was in need of provisions, unwillingly and being not moderately displeased and turning over in his mind the hindrance that had previously occurred at the Hebros, and fearing lest the present circumstances might again become the cause of great evils, he said to himself that in those things in which God is well-pleased, all creation serves, but in those to which He is opposed, creation likewise shows itself difficult. Nevertheless, he turned back, therefore, to Gynaikokastron, with the intention that, once grain was procured for the army, he might come back again. For he hoped that by then the river too would yield for the crossing. But the protostrator and the rest were pleased at the failure and returned rejoicing. 40. On the same day Apokaukos the megas doux arrived at Thessalonica from Euboea with seventy ships. For thinking he would accomplish nothing profitable for the emperor's war, since his force was a naval one, while the emperor Kantakouzenos was campaigning from the mainland, he went around the islands displaying his power and advanced as far as Euboea. And from there, since it was time to return, it seemed necessary to go also to Thessalonica, to display his power there too. And as soon as he arrived, the dissension in the emperor's army was reported to him. And he immediately made his arrival known to the protostrator and the others and promised many things if they would desert the emperor for him, or else he threatened to inflict the worst on their 2.244 relatives and to display all cruelty. But the protostrator, who was already dreading the campaign with the emperor because of his relatives, as we said, and did not wish to engage in foreign campaigns and toils for his sake, immediately received the proposal gladly and asked for oaths from the megas doux concerning what had been done before. And he gladly gave them then and promised everything eagerly. And when the deed had been immediately reported to the others, as many as chose the same things as the protostrator, there was immediately no small disturbance throughout the army and terrible confusion and disorder, with some having already decided to proceed to desertion, and the others, as was likely, being shaken by their withdrawal and conceiving evil hopes about the future. But when the emperor saw the army in confusion, having gathered around him those most responsible for the desertion, "Men," he said, "friends, nothing is so conducive to cowardice and faintheartedness as loving one's life and growing soft at the prospect of losing one's possessions. But the Romans before us, not being so disposed, subjugated almost the entire inhabited world, but by enduring every toil for the sake of honor and of not seeming to appear inferior to their enemies. From which not only from the

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διειλέχθησαν περὶ τοῦτο παράπαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ δὶς, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, καὶ τρὶς πρεσβείαν πεπομφότος, οὔτε ἀπεκρίναντο οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις πολλὰ περιυβρίσαντες, ἐκάκουν ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις ὅσα δυνατά. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς συνόντας ὁσημέραι κρύφα διελέγοντο καὶ πλεῖστά τε ἐπηγγέλλοντο εὖ ποιήσειν ἐκείνου ἀποστάντας, καὶ τοὐναντίον, εἰ μὴ πείθοιντο, οὐ τὰ ὄντα μόνον ἀφαιρήσεσθαι καὶ κτήσεις ἑτέροις παραδώσειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας εἰς πεῖραν ἄξειν ἀλγεινῶν πολλῶν. ἃ ἐδόκει φοβερὰ τοῖς εὐγενεστέροις μάλιστα προσόδων μεγάλων ἀποστερουμένοις. ὧν καὶ τότε μεμνημένοι, κωλύειν διὰ πάντων ἐπεχείρουν βασιλέα πρὸς ὑπερορίους ἐξορμᾷν στρατείας, οἰόμενοι, ἂν κωλύσωσι, πρὸς ἕτερόν τι τρέψεσθαι λυσιτελέστερον. βασιλεὺς δὲ τοῖς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐμμένων ὡς καλῶς βεβουλευμένοις, ἄρας ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου, ἧκε πρὸς Ἀξιὸν ὡς διαβησόμενος, συνείποντο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι, οἱ μὲν ἑκόντες, οἱ δ' ἀνάγκῃ. συμβὰν δὲ οὕτω, περὶ τὰ ὀρεινὰ ὄμβρων ῥαγδαίων καταῤῥαγέντων, ἄπορος ἐφαίνετο ὁ ποταμὸς ὑπὸ πλημμύρας. στρατοπεδευσάμενοι δὲ ἐκεῖ, περιέμενον ὡς λωφησάντων περαιωσόμενοι τῶν ὑδάτων. τὰ δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐπληθύνετο καὶ ὑποψίαν παρεῖχεν, ὡς οὐκ ἐν ὀλίγῳ δίοδον παρέξοντα. ἐπιλελοίπει τε ἤδη καὶ ὁ σῖτος τὴν στρατιάν. ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὡς ὅ,τε πό 2.243 ρος οὐ ῥᾴδιος αὐτοῖς, καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων δέοιτο ἡ στρατιὰ, ἄκων μὲν καὶ δυσχεραίνων οὐ μετρίως καὶ τὴν γεγενημένην πρότερον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἕβρον κωλύμην στρέφων ἐπὶ νοῦν, καὶ δεδοικὼς, μὴ καὶ αὖθις τὰ παρόντα κακῶν αἴτια μεγάλων καταστῇ, ἐπέλεγέ τε ἑαυτῷ, ὡς ἐν οἷς μὲν ὁ θεὸς εὐδοκεῖ, καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἅπασα ὑπηρετεῖ, οἷς δὲ ἀντιτάττεται, καὶ ἡ κτίσις δύσκολον ὁμοίως ἑαυτὴν παρέχεται. ἀνέστρεφε δ' οὖν ὅμως εἰς Γυναικόκαστρον, γνώμην ἔχων, ὡς, τῇ στρατιᾷ σίτου πορισθέντος, αὖθις ἐπανέλθοι. ἤλπιζε γὰρ, ἄχρι τότε καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐνδώσειν πρὸς τὸν πόρον. πρωτοστράτωρ δὲ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἥδοντο πρὸς τὴν ἀποτυχίαν καὶ χαίροντες ἐπανῄεσαν. μʹ. Τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ ἡμέρας καὶ Ἀπόκαυκος ὁ μέγας δοὺξ ἑβδομήκοντα ναυσὶ πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ἧκεν ἐξ Εὐβοίας. πρὸς γὰρ τὸν βασιλέως πόλεμον οὐδὲν οἰόμενος λυσιτελήσειν, οἷα δὴ ναυτικῆς οὔσης τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῷ, Καντακουζηνοῦ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξ ἠπείρου στρατευομένου, τὰς νήσους περιιὼν ἐπεδείκνυτο τὴν δύναμιν καὶ προῆλθεν ἄχρι τῆς Εὐβοίας. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐπεὶ ἀναστρέφειν ἦν καιρὸς, ἐδόκει δεῖν καὶ πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ἐλθεῖν, ἐπιδειξόμενος κἀκεῖ τὴν δύναμιν. ἐλθόντι δὲ εὐθὺς ἡ περὶ τὴν βασιλέως στρατιὰν ἐμηνύετο διχοστασία. ὁ δ' αὐτίκα πρωτοστράτορί τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τὴν ἄφιξιν αὐτοῦ ἐδήλου καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο πολλὰ, εἰ βασιλέως ἀποσταῖεν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἢ τὰ ἔσχατα ἠπείλει διαθήσειν τοὺς οἰ 2.244 κείους καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπιδείξεσθαι ὠμότητα. πρωτοστράτωρ δὲ καὶ πρότερον τὴν μετὰ βασιλέως ὀῤῥωδῶν στρατείαν διὰ τοὺς οἰκείους, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, καὶ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι ὑπερορίαις καὶ πόνοις διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν προσομιλεῖν, ἄσμενός τε εὐθὺς ἐδέχετο τὸν λόγον καὶ ὅρκους ᾔτει παρὰ μεγάλου δουκὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰργασμένοις πρότερον. ὁ δὲ παρεῖχε τότε χαίρων καὶ πάντα ἐπηγγέλλετο προθύμως. τοῦ πεπραγμένου δὲ εὐθὺς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους διαδοθέντος, ὅσοι τὰ αὐτὰ ᾑροῦντο πρωτοστράτορι, τάραχός τε ἦν εὐθὺς οὐ μικρὸς κατὰ τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ σύγχυσις δεινὴ καὶ ἀταξία, τῶν μὲν ἤδη πρὸς ἀποστασίαν χωρεῖν βεβουλευμένων, τῶν δ' ἄλλων, ὥσπερ ἦν εἰκὸς, διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀποχώρησιν κλονουμένων καὶ πονηρὰς περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος τὰς ἐλπίδας λαμβανόντων. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὡς τὸ στράτευμα ἑώρα συγχυθὲν, τοὺς μάλιστα αἰτίους τῆς ἀποστασίας περιστησάμενος, «ἄνδρες» εἶπε «φίλοι, οὐδὲν οὕτω πρὸς ἀνανδρίαν καὶ μικροψυχίαν ἐπαγωγὸν, ὡς τὸ φιλοψυχεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀποβολὴν τῶν ὄντων μαλακίζεσθαι. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ οἱ πρὸ ἡμῶν οὐχ οὕτω διακείμενοι, τὴν οἰκουμένην μικροῦ δεῖν πᾶσαν παρεστήσαντο, ἀλλὰ πάντα πόνον ὑπομένοντες ὑπὲρ φιλοτιμίας καὶ τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν ἥσσους φαίνεσθαι τῶν πολεμίων. ὅθεν οὐ μόνον ἐκ τοῦ