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subject to the Romans, and this to be the emperor's and to be returned when he demands it, without any meddling. Kral himself was to be an enemy to both the empress Anna and her son, the emperor John, and never to make a truce, but to do them harm as much as possible, helping the emperor Kantakouzenos in whatever way he most powerfully could. And when Kantakouzenos was established as emperor in power, to ally with Kral as much as possible, if anyone should attack him, and to consider as an enemy the one campaigning against him. And when no little discussion arose concerning Hrelja the Triballian, 2.274 with Kral laying claim to him because of their common race, but the emperor insisting that he had deserted while the emperor Andronikos was still alive, and now he was not only under Roman rule, but also had privately come over to him and had chosen to act on his behalf, and furthermore pointing out the oaths, by which Hrelja had agreed to serve the emperor Kantakouzenos, since he seemed to speak justly, Kral also agreed and was himself added to the oaths. The oaths, therefore, were written thus. And it was necessary for the archbishop of the Triballians to be present, as the oaths were to be made before him. And when Kral summoned him, he himself also arrived before long. And when he was present in Kral's house, that one came forward to the middle of the courtyard, and took the reins of the horse which the archbishop was riding, and led it to where he was accustomed to dismount, then, having greeted him, he was blessed by him. But he did not allow the emperor to come forth from the buildings, but according to the custom of the Roman emperors he met him inside the building and having greeted him, he too was blessed. And when they were about to swear the oaths on the next day, Hrelja, sending to Kral, asked for pledges, that he himself would serve him again and would hand over Melnik. For Hrelja very much wanted the emperor Kantakouzenos to hold the Roman 2.275 rule and to be led by him; but he was not willing to risk himself for him. But when the events at Gynaikokastron concerning the emperor happened and he arrived among the Triballians, thinking that, being forced by Kral, he would of necessity cede certain other places belonging to the Romans and hand him over, for he knew that Kral did not consider his defection a small matter, and fearing that he himself might perish from his friendship towards the emperor, he considered whether he could seize Melnik, so that by handing it over he would have a sufficient excuse to Kral for his defection. But realizing that it would not be captured by arms because of its exceedingly natural and man-made strength, but rather by lack of grain, first he prevented grain from being brought in, and then he pressed on, openly warring. But Asanes and the garrison with him, seeing that they would not hold out against the siege because of the lack of grain, for it was not possible for the emperor to help because of what had happened, and something else also happening to them, handed over the city to Hrelja. And he, sending to Kral, discussed terms and openly went over to him. Kral therefore was overjoyed at what had happened and immediately offered oaths to Hrelja and was winning him over. But what happened grieved the emperor not a little. For on the next day when they came to swear the oaths according to the agreements, Kral demanded that both Melnik and Hrelja be transferred in the oaths as belong 2.276 ing to him; for they had come over before the oaths were taken. But the emperor argued against it, saying that Kral was acting unjustly and breaking the treaty. For from the time the agreements were made, each side must be content with what they had agreed to. But if he wished to commit some moderate injustice, he might have Hrelja, being of the same race and having deserted to the Romans a short time before, but to leave Melnik, which for many years now had been subject to the Roman emperors. But Kral said that he would use no other, but him as an arbitrator concerning the things they were disputing. For the oaths concerning the truce had been written on the previous day, in which it was written, that he should have the cities seized by him from the Roman empire and that none should be demanded back from him, but that the emperor should have the ones still subject to the Romans; so that he would not be acting unjustly, many before

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Ῥωμαίοις ὑπηκόων, καὶ ταύτην εἶναι βασιλέως καὶ ἀποδιδόναι ἀπαιτοῦντι, μηδὲν πολυπραγμονοῦντας. αὐτὸν δὲ Κράλην πολέμιον εἶναι Ἄννῃ τε τῇ βασιλίδι καὶ τῷ υἱῷ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ σπένδεσθαι μηδέποτε, ἀλλὰ κακοῦν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν βοηθοῦντα Καντακουζηνῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ, τρόπῳ ὁποίῳ ἂν δύναιτο ἰσχυροτάτῳ. καταστάντος δὲ καὶ Καντακουζηνοῦ βασιλέως ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, Κράλῃ συμμαχεῖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν, ἄν τις ἐπίῃ ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ πολέμιον ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν αὐτῷ ἐπιστρατεύσοντα. γενομένου δὲ καὶ περὶ Χρέλη τοῦ Τριβαλοῦ λόγου οὐκ ὀλίγου, 2.274 καὶ Κράλη μὲν αὐτὸν ἀντιποιουμένου διὰ τὸ ὁμόφυλον, βασιλέως δὲ ὡς ἔτι Ἀνδρονίκου περιόντος τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτομολήσειεν ἰσχυριζομένου, καὶ νῦν οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων τελοίη ἡγεμονίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰδίως αὐτῷ προσχωρήσοι καὶ ἕλοιτο πράττειν τὰ αὐτοῦ, προσέτι δὲ καὶ ὅρκους ὑποδεικνύντος, δι' ὧν συνέθετο ὁ Χρέλης δουλεύειν Καντακουζηνῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐπεὶ δίκαια ἐδόκει λέγειν, συνέθετο καὶ ὁ Κράλης καὶ προσεγράφετο καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ὅρκοις. οἱ μὲν οὖν ὅρκοι οὕτως ἐγράφοντο. ἔδει δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀρχιεπίσκοπον τῶν Τριβαλῶν παρεῖναι, ὡς γενησομένων ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τῶν ὅρκων. καὶ μεταπεμψαμένου τοῦ Κράλη, παρῆν καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἐν μακρῷ. ἐπεὶ δὲ παρῆν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ Κράλη, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἄχρι τοῦ μέσου προελθὼν τῆς αὐλῆς, ἐπελάβετό τε τῶν χαλινῶν τοῦ ἵππου, ᾧ ὠχεῖτο ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος, καὶ προήγαγεν ἄχρι οὗ εἰώθει ἀποβαίνειν, ἔπειτα προσαγορεύσας, εὐλογεῖτο παρ' ἐκείνου. βασιλέα δὲ οὐκ εἴασε τῶν οἰκημάτων προελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ Ῥωμαίων βασιλέων ἔθος ὑπήντα τε ἔνδον τοῦ οἰκήματος καὶ προσαγορεύσας εὐλογεῖτο καὶ αὐτός. μελλόντων δὲ ἤδη εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ὀμνύειν τοὺς ὅρκους, πέμψας ὁ Χρέλης πρὸς Κράλην, πίστεις ᾔτει, ὡς αὐτός τε δουλεύσων αὖθις καὶ Μελενίκον παραδώσων. Χρέλης γὰρ μάλιστα μὲν ἠβούλετο βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἔχειν ἀρ 2.275 χὴν καὶ ὑπ' ἐκείνου ἄγεσθαι· διακινδυνεύειν δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου. ἐπεὶ δὲ συμβαίη τὰ κατὰ Γυναικόκαστρον περὶ βασιλέα καὶ ἀφίκοιτο εἰς Τριβαλοὺς, νομίσας ὑπὸ Κράλη βιαζόμενον ἑτέρων τέ τινων Ῥωμαίοις προσηκόντων ἀνάγκῃ παραχωρήσειν καὶ ἐκεῖνον παραδώσειν, ᾔδει γὰρ οὐ περὶ ἐλάττονος τιθέμενον Κράλην τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀποστασίαν, καὶ δείσας, μὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς εἰς βασιλέα παραπόληται φιλίας, ἐσκέψατο, εἰ δύναιτο Μελενίκον κατασχεῖν, ἵν' αὐτῷ πρὸς Κράλην ἀρκοῦσα παραίτησις εἴη τῆς ἀποστασίας παραδόντι. συνιδὼν δὲ, ὡς ὅπλοις μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη ἁλωτὸς διὰ τὴν ἄγαν φυσικήν τε καὶ κατεσκευασμένην ὀχυρότητα, σίτου δὲ ἐνδείᾳ μᾶλλον, πρῶτα μὲν ἐκώλυσε σῖτον εἰσκομίζειν, ἔπειτα δὲ ἐπέκειτο καὶ φανερῶς πολεμῶν. Ἀσάνης δὲ καὶ ἡ περὶ αὐτὸν φρουρὰ ὁρῶντες, ὡς οὐκ ἀντισχήσουσι πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν διὰ σίτου ἀπορίαν, βασιλεῖ γὰρ διὰ τὰ συμβεβηκότα βοηθεῖν οὐκ ἐνῆν, συμβὰν δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον περὶ αὐτοὺς, παρέδοσαν τὴν πόλιν Χρέλῃ. ὁ δὲ πρὸς Κράλην πέμψας, διελέγετο περὶ συμβάσεων καὶ προσεχώρει φανερῶς. Κράλης μὲν οὖν ὑπερήσθη τοῖς γεγενημένοις καὶ ὅρκους παρείχετο αὐτίκα Χρέλῃ καὶ ὑπεποιεῖτο. βασιλέα δὲ ἐλύπησεν οὐκ ὀλίγα τὸ συμβάν. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν γὰρ ἐπεὶ ἧκον ὀμόσοντες τοὺς ὅρκους κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας, Κράλης μὲν ἠξίου Μελενίκον τε καὶ Χρέλην τοῖς ὅρκοις μετεγγραφῆναι ὡς προσή 2.276 κοντας αὐτῷ· πρὶν γὰρ τοὺς ὅρκους γενέσθαι προσεχώρησαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀντέλεγεν, ἀδικεῖν φάσκων Κράλην καὶ παρασπονδεῖν. ἐξ ὅτου γὰρ ἐγένοντο αἱ συμβάσεις, δεῖν ἑκατέρους στέργειν οἷς συνέθεντο. εἰ δ' ἄρα καὶ μέτριά τινα ἐθέλοι ἀδικεῖν, Χρέλην μὲν ἔχειν, ὁμόφυλόν τε ὄντα καὶ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον αὐτομολήσαντα Ῥωμαίοις, Μελενίκον δὲ ἐᾷν, ἐξ ἐτῶν ἤδη παλαιῶν ὑπήκοον ὄντα τοῖς Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῦσι. Κράλης δὲ οὐχ ἑτέρῳ ἔφασκεν, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ χρήσεσθαι διαιτητῇ περὶ ὧν ἀμφισβητοῦσι. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ὅρκους τοὺς περὶ τῶν σπονδῶν τῇ προτεραίᾳ γεγράφθαι, οἷς ἐγγέγραπται, τὰς μὲν ἡρπασμένας αὐτῷ ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας πόλεις ἔχειν καὶ μηδεμίαν ἀπαιτεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ, τὰς δ' ἔτι τελούσας ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις βασιλέα ἔχειν· ὥστ' οὐκ ἂν ἀδικοίη, πολλαῖς πρότερον