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to the great church of God, and that they may possess inalienably the things belonging to them through various rights. So that, if someone is sent by my majesty to the despotate, either her much-desired son-in-law the lord Nikephoros the doukas, or another, he may have friendship with him and each may proceed to his own rights. But if perhaps some difference and dispute should occur between the two, let the matter concerning this be referred to my majesty and let she herself correct this, as God may grant to her understanding. And let the borders of Vlachia and of the despotate be preserved, as before, for the sake of avoiding scandal, so that, if he should take over the castles within the defined territory of Vlachia, he may have these also in his domain as also the rest of Vlachia, as 2.322 has been declared. And as for the other castles situated beyond Patras, if my majesty has peace with the Catalans, he too should have it, but if war, he too should make war; and whatever should come into the service of my majesty, either in some other way, or through this very brother of my majesty, she shall have permission to appoint as head, according to her own will, whomever she may wish. So that, if any of the archons in Vlachia wish to receive offices from my majesty and to come and do obeisance to her, they may have permission for this and may not be hindered by him in any way. So that in all the western parts, wherever my majesty should need them, he should serve with himself and with the entire army, both Roman and Albanian; but beyond Christoupolis, if my majesty should have need, he should serve with himself, but with as much of the army as he is able.” To John Angelos, therefore, on such conditions the emperor handed over the rule of Thessaly. And the Thessalians received Angelos eagerly, as one who had come from the emperor, and they promised to do all that had been commanded. 54. But those in Didymoteichon, since the war surrounded them on all sides and no truce whatever was apparent, unless the emperor should return to them quickly, send Manuel Tarchaneiotes to him, on the one hand to inform him how things were with them, and on the other hand to urge him 2.323 more strongly to return, as the affairs at Didymoteichon were in great need of him. And the emperor, even before, had made it a matter of great concern to set out for Didymoteichon, and then, being urged by Tarchaneiotes, he hastened his return all the more and he summoned Kral to do the same. And the army was already prepared which was about to join the emperor for the return. And Tarchaneiotes, having filled the emperor and those around him with much pleasure and enthusiasm—for since the emperor had come among the Triballi, no one of consequence had arrived to him from home for fear of those holding the roads—returned again to Didymoteichon, having escaped the notice of the enemy, and reported more clearly the news about the emperor and that he was prepared to return with an army a little later. And Apokaukos the megas doux, having sent to Kral, declared both that he would come with ships to Macedonia and that he wished to meet with him, to make agreements, which would be most pleasing to him. And Kral, having first asked the emperor about the meeting, if he permitted it, as he did not forbid it, but rather gave way, arranged to meet each other at Amphipolis, the one with ships from the sea, and Kral on horseback from the mainland. But the purpose of the meeting for both was, for Kral, if he could capture Apokaukos the megas doux alive, to avenge the war against the emperor; and for Apokaukos, to persuade Kral not to start a war against him, wishing to proclaim his son-in-law Andronikos 2.324 Palaiologos emperor of the Romans, and to keep out emperor Kantakouzenos and not allow him to return to the land of the Romans, as he would be an obstacle to his son-in-law for the throne; for he took no account of any of the others. This, then, whether the megas doux truly wished it or not, did not become clear, since Hrelja, who was serving in this matter and knew the secrets, previously

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τοῦ θεοῦ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ, νέμωνταί τε ἀναφαιρέτως καὶ τὰ προσόντα αὐτοῖς διὰ διαφόρων δικαιωμάτων. ἵνα, ἐὰν ἀποσταλῇ παρὰ τῆς βασιλείας μου εἰς τὸ δεσποτάτον ἢ ὁ περιπόθητος γαμβρὸς αὐτῆς κύριος Νικηφόρος ὁ δούκας, ἢ ἕτερος, ἔχῃ φιλίαν μετ' ἐκείνου καὶ χωρῆται ἑκάτερος εἰς τὰ δίκαια αὐτοῦ. εἰ δ' ἴσως συμβαίη διαφορά τις καὶ διένεξις ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων, ἀκουμβίζῃ τὰ περὶ τούτου εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν μου καὶ διορθοῖτο τοῦτο αὐτὴ, καθάπερ ἂν χορηγήσῃ ὁ θεὸς τῇ ταύτης γνώσει. περισώζηται δὲ καὶ τὰ σύνορα τῆς Βλαχίας καὶ τοῦ δεσποτάτου, ὡς τὸ πρότερον διὰ τὸ ἀσκανδάλιστον, ἵνα, ἐὰν παραλάβῃ τὰ ἐν τῷ περιορισμῷ τῆς Βλαχίας κάστρα, ἔχῃ καὶ ταῦτα εἰς τὸ κεφαλαττίκιον αὐτοῦ ὡς καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν Βλαχίαν, καθὰ 2.322 δεδήλωται. εἰς δὲ τὰ ἄλλα κάστρα τὰ μετὰ τὴν Πάτραν διακείμενα, εἰ μὲν ἔχει ἀγάπην ἡ βασιλεία μου μετὰ τῶν Κατελάνων, ἔχῃ καὶ αὐτὸς, εἰ δὲ μάχην, μάχηται καὶ αὐτός· καὶ ὅσα ἂν προσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν δουλοσύνην τῆς βασιλείας μου, εἴτε ἀλλοτρόπως, εἴτε καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῦ αὐταδελφοῦ τῆς βασιλείας μου, ἔχῃ ἄδειαν αὕτη τάττειν εἰς κεφαλὴν ἰδιοῤῥύθμως, ὃν ἂν ἐθελήσειεν. ἵνα, ἐὰν θέλωσί τινες τῶν ἐν τῇ Βλαχίᾳ ἀρχόντων τυγχάνειν ὀφφικίων παρὰ τῆς βασιλείας μου ἔρχεσθαί τε καὶ εἰς προσκύνησιν αὐτῆς, ἔχωσι τοῦτο ἐπ' ἀδείας καὶ οὐδὲν κωλύωνται παρ' αὐτοῦ. ἵνα ἐπὶ μὲν ἅπασι τοῖς δυτικοῖς μέρεσιν, ἔνθα ἂν χρῄζῃ αὐτῶν ἡ βασιλεία μου, δουλεύῃ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ παντὸς τοῦ φωσσάτου Ῥωμαϊκοῦ τε καὶ Ἀλβανιτικοῦ· ἀνωτέρω δὲ τῆς Χριστουπόλεως ἐὰν χρῄζῃ ἡ βασιλεία μου, δουλεύῃ μὲν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, φωσσάτου δὲ ὅσου ἂν δύνηται.» Ἀγγέλῳ μὲν οὖν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἐπὶ τοιαύταις συνθήκαις παρεδίδου Θετταλίας τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ βασιλεύς. Θετταλοί τε τόν τε Ἄγγελον ἐδέχοντο προθύμως, ὡς παρὰ βασιλέως ἥκοντα, καὶ τὰ προστεταγμένα πάντα ἐπηγγέλλοντο ποιεῖν. νδʹ. Οἱ ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ δὲ ἐπεὶ πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς ὁ πόλεμος περιειστήκει καὶ οὐδεμία τις ἐφαίνετο ἀνακωχὴ, εἰ μὴ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ταχέως ἐπανέλθοι βασιλεὺς, τὸν Ταρχανειώτην Μανουὴλ πέμπουσι πρὸς αὐτὸν, τοῦτο μὲν καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς διδάξοντα ὡς εἶχε, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐξορμήσοντα 2.323 πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ὡς τῶν κατὰ ∆ιδυμότειχον πραγμάτων ἐκείνου πάνυ δεομένων. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἐν μεγάλῃ ἐτίθετο φροντίδι τὸ πρὸς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἀπαίρειν, καὶ τότε δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ταρχανειώτου παρακληθεὶς, μᾶλλον τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐπέσπευδε καὶ Κράλην ἐπὶ τὰ ἴσα παρεκάλει. καὶ παρεσκεύαστο ἤδη ἡ στρατιὰ ἡ μέλλουσα συναίρεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον. καὶ Ταρχανειώτης μὲν βασιλέα τε καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν πολλῆς ἐμπλήσας ἡδονῆς καὶ προθυμίας, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξ ὅτου βασιλεὺς εἰς Τριβαλοὺς ἧκεν, ἀξιόχρεώς τις οἴκοθεν ἀφῖκτο πρὸς αὐτὸν δέει τῶν κατεχόντων τὰς ὁδοὺς, αὖθις ἐπανῆκε πρὸς ∆ιδυμότειχον διαλαθὼν τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ ἀπήγγελλε σαφέστερον τὰ περὶ βασιλέως καὶ ὡς εἴη παρεσκευασμένος ἐπανήκειν ἅμα στρατιᾷ ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ πρὸς Κράλην πέμψας, ἐδήλου τε ὅτι ἥξει ναυσὶ πρὸς τὴν Μακεδονίαν καὶ ὡς βούλοιτο συντυχεῖν αὐτῷ, συνθήκας ποιησόμενος, αἳ μάλιστα ἔσονται αὐτῷ καθ' ἡδονήν. Κράλης δὲ περὶ τῆς συντυχίας πρότερον ἐρόμενος, εἰ ἐπιτρέπει, βασιλέα, ὡς οὐκ ἐκώλυεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐνεδίδου, πρὸς Ἀμφίπολιν συντέθειτο ἀλλήλοις συντυχεῖν, ὁ μὲν ναυσὶν ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης, ἵππῳ δὲ ὁ Κράλης ἐξ ἠπείρου. σκοπὸς δὲ ἦν τῆς συντυχίας ἀμφοτέροις, Κράλῃ μὲν, εἰ δύναιτο Ἀπόκαυκον τὸν μέγαν δοῦκα ζωγρεῖν, ἀμυνομένῳ τοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα ἕνεκα πολέμου· Ἀποκαύκῳ δὲ, ὥστε Κράλην πείθειν, πόλεμόν τε μὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν κινεῖν, Παλαιολόγον 2.324 Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν γαμβρὸν βουλόμενον βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀπο2.324 φαίνειν, καὶ βασιλέα εἴργειν Καντακουζηνὸν καὶ μὴ ἐᾷν εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐπανήκειν, κώλυμα ἐσόμενον γαμβρῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀρχήν· τῶν ἄλλων γὰρ οὐδένα ἐποιεῖτο λόγον. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν, εἴτε ἀληθῶς ἐβούλετο ὁ μέγας δοὺξ, εἴτε μὴ, φανερὸν οὐκ ἐξεγένετο, τοῦ περὶ ταῦτα διακονουμένου καὶ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα συνειδότος Χρέλη πρότερον