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of the unpleasant things that had happened, with his mother having died in prison, and his son Andronikos having already long suffered in chains, and by other mistreatment with infinite sums of money having been seized, and with many other shameful things having been done to insult him, and with his friends especially and relatives, some having been destroyed along with their very fortunes, and others, from being most distinguished and wealthy, being held destitute and in chains, she did not easily hope that the emperor Kantakouzenos would be persuaded to peace, but would seek revenge in every way, and would repay like for like. These things made her numb and shrink from deliberating about peace, thinking she was toiling in vain. Since indeed, before those around her had proceeded to such a degree of atrocity and had shown every cruelty and insolence towards the emperor, she herself had chosen peace more than the others, she had produced many proofs, having herself been accurately persuaded that the war was begun in the first place out of envy for the emperor, and not that he was plotting against her and her children, as the slanderers alleged. At that time, therefore, however, she postponed deliberation about peace. But Apokaukos the megas doux, since the triremes were equipped, sailed away to Amphipolis, ostensibly to discuss with the Kral about matters against the emperor Kantakouzenos and to persuade him to betray him. 2.328 But as the Kral was insisting, that he would not make war on his son-in-law, the emperor who was about to be proclaimed of the Romans. This, therefore, could not proceed to any manifest result; for while time was being spent, Hrelja died, who shared in their secrets, and the megas doux departed from Amphipolis for Byzantium, having dared to entrust the secrets to no one else. And the Kral occupied himself with the care of the cities, which he himself took after Hrelja's death, while Hrelja was holding them; and from those assigned to the emperor's aid, selecting the best men, he left a garrison in them. But he himself, having the remaining men, came with the emperor to Pherai. 55. And before harming the country at all, having sent an embassy to the people of Pherai, he advised them to hand over the city to the emperor. For oaths had been made between them that he himself would be an ally and friend of the cities which would go over to the emperor, but an enemy to those choosing to fight. If, therefore, they too were persuaded and would willingly go over to the emperor, he promised both to withdraw from them now as quickly as possible and never to harm them later; but if they were unreasonable and would not be persuaded, he threatened to ravage their land and inflict the worst upon them. But the people of Pherai sent the embassy away, saying they would endure anything rather than serve Kantakouzenos. And what led them to this was no less their unreasonableness and lack of judgment, in choosing to endure the worst because of their hatred for the em 2.329 peror, when it was possible to put it aside and be saved; but especially Constantine Palaiologos, who led the city at that time, being a very great friend to Apokaukos and a sharer of his secrets and keeping his faith and good will pure for him, who was related by marriage to his son Andronikos, and the metropolitan, who had undertaken from the very beginning a truceless war against the emperor for no reason. But the emperor, since they had sent the embassy away, seeing into what evils they were being driven by their insensibility, and how a great and beautiful city of the Roman empire was about to be taken away, forced by the siege to serve the Triballians, sending one of his own men, he urged them to spare themselves and not, out of hatred for him, to inflict irreparable harm upon themselves, but for now to take some thought for themselves and to receive into the city neither him, nor a garrison, nor a governor, but only with the empress Anne and the emperor her son being acclaimed, to deem him also worthy of acclamation along with them and to commemorate him in the sacred rites, and in this way to be rid of the evils of the siege. For the Triballians would no longer harm them at all on account of the oaths and treaty with him. And when he had withdrawn to Thrace, if indeed he should appear to be in control of the rest of the Roman empire, they too should submit. But if anything concerning him

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γεγενημένων δυσχερῶν, καὶ τῆς τε μητρὸς δεσμωτηρίῳ ἐναποθανούσης, καὶ Ἀνδρονίκου τοῦ υἱοῦ πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον δεσμοῖς προσταλαιπωρήσαντος, καὶ ἄλλῃ κακώσει χρημάτων τε ἀπείρων ἡρπασμένων, καὶ πολλῶν ἀτόπων ἄλλων ἐφ' ὕβρει ἐκείνου εἰργασμένων, καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων μάλιστα καὶ συγγενῶν τῶν μὲν αὐταῖς οὐσίαις συναπολωλότων, τῶν δ' ἐκ περιφανεστάτων καὶ πλουσίων ἀπόρων καὶ δεσμωτῶν κατεχομένων, οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἤλπιζε Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα πεισθήσεσθαι πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀλλ' ἀμυνεῖσθαι παντὶ τρόπῳ, καὶ ἴσ' ἀντ' ἴσων ἀποδώσειν. ἃ ναρκᾷν αὐτὴν ἐποίει καὶ ἀποκνεῖν πρὸς τὸ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ εἰρήνης οἰομένην ἀνήνυτα πονεῖν. ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε πρὶν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀτοπίας ἐξεληλακέναι καὶ πᾶσαν ὠμότητα καὶ ὕβριν τοὺς περὶ αὐτὴν ἐνδείξασθαι πρὸς βασιλέα, τῶν ἄλλων αὐτὴ μᾶλλον ᾑρεῖτο τὴν εἰρήνην, πολλὰ δείγματα ἐξενήνοχεν αὐτὴ πεισθεῖσα ἀκριβῶς, ὡς φθόνῳ τῷ πρὸς βασιλέα ὁ πόλεμος ἐκινήθη τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνος ἐπεβούλευεν αὐτῇ καὶ τοῖς παισὶν, ὡς οἱ συκοφάνται κατηγόρουν. τότε δ' οὖν ὅμως τὴν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ὑπερέθετο διάσκεψιν. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ, ἐπεὶ ἐφωπλισμέναι ἦσαν αἱ τριήρεις, ἀπέπλευσεν εἰς Ἀμφίπολιν, τὸ μὲν δοκεῖν, ὡς κατὰ βασιλέως Καντακουζηνοῦ τῷ Κράλῃ διαλεξόμενος καὶ πείσων προδιδόναι. 2.328 ὡς δὲ διισχυρίζετο ὁ Κράλης, ἵνα μὴ πολεμοίη τῷ γαμβρῷ βασιλεῖ μέλλοντι Ῥωμαίων ἀναδείκνυσθαι. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν εἴς τι προφανὲς οὐκ ἠδυνήθη προελθεῖν· μεταξὺ γὰρ τοῦ χρόνου τριβομένου ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ Χρέλης, ὃς αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἐκοινώνει, καὶ ὁ μέγας τε δοὺξ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐξ Ἀμφιπόλεως ἀπῇρε μηδενὶ θαῤῥήσας ἑτέρῳ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα. καὶ ὁ Κράλης περὶ τῶν πόλεων ἠσχόλητο τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ἃς Χρέλη κατέχοντος ἐλάμβανεν αὐτὸς μετὰ τὴν τελευτήν· καὶ ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν βασιλέως τεταγμένων τοὺς βελτίστους ἀπολεγόμενος, κατέλιπεν αὐταῖς φρουράν. αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐπιλοίπους ἔχων, μετὰ βασιλέως ἧκον εἰς Φεράς. νεʹ. Καὶ πρίν τι κακοῦν τὴν χώραν, πρεσβείαν πρὸς Φεραίους πέμψας, παρῄνει βασιλεῖ τὴν πόλιν ἐγχειρίζειν. ὅρκους γὰρ αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους γεγενῆσθαι, σύμμαχον καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ φίλον εἶναι τῶν πόλεων, αἳ προσχωρήσουσι βασιλεῖ, πολέμιον δὲ ταῖς ᾑρημέναις πολεμεῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτοὶ πειθόμενοι προσχωρήσουσιν ἑκόντες βασιλεῖ, νῦν τε ὡς τάχιστα ἀναχωρεῖν αὐτῶν, καὶ ὕστερον μηδέποτε κακώσειν ἐπηγγέλετο· εἰ δ' ἀγνωμονοῖεν καὶ μὴ πείθοιντο, τεμεῖν αὐτοῖς τὴν γῆν ἠπείλει καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα διαθήσειν. Φεραῖοι δὲ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἀπεπέμψαντο, πάντα οἴσειν πρότερον εἰπόντες, ἢ Καντακουζηνῷ δουλεύσειν. ἐνῆγε δὲ αὐτοὺς πρὸς τοῦτο οὐχ ἧττον μὲν καὶ ἡ ἀλογία καὶ ἡ ἀκρισία, διὰ τὸ πρὸς βα 2.329 σιλέα ἔχθος τὰ ἔσχατα αἱρουμένους ὑπομένειν, ἐνὸν ἀποθεμένους σώζεσθαι· μάλιστα δὲ ὁ Παλαιολόγος Κωνσταντῖνος, ὃς ἦγε τὴν πόλιν τότε, Ἀποκαύκῳ τε ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλος ὢν καὶ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων κοινωνὸς καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτῷ τηρῶν ὄντι κηδεστῇ Ἀνδρονίκῳ τῷ υἱῷ, καὶ ὁ μητροπολίτης, πόλεμον ἄσπονδον πρὸς βασιλέα ἐξαρχῆς εὐθὺς ἀνῃρημένος ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας. βασιλεὺς δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνοι τὴν πρεσβείαν ἀπεπέμψαντο, συνορῶν οἷ κακῶν ὑπ' ἀναισθησίας συνελαύνονται, καὶ ὡς Ῥωμαίων τῆς ἀρχῆς πόλις μεγάλη καὶ καλὴ μέλλει ἀφαιρεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς πολιορκίας ἀνάγκῃ Τριβαλοῖς δουλεύσουσα, τῶν οἰκείων πέμψας ἕνα, παρεκάλει φείδεσθαι αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ μίσει τῷ εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὰ ἀνήκεστα σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διατιθέναι, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν πρόνοιάν τινα αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ μήτε δέχεσθαι εἰς τὴν πόλιν μήτ' αὐτὸν, μήτε φρουρὰν, μήτε ἡγεμόνα, ἀλλὰ μόνον τῆς βασιλίδος Ἄννης καὶ βασιλέως τοῦ υἱοῦ φημιζομένων, εὐφημίας καὶ αὐτὸν ἅμα ἐκείνοις ἀξιοῦν καὶ μνημονεύειν ἐν τελεταῖς ταῖς ἱεραῖς, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον τῶν ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι κακῶν. οὐκέτι γὰρ ἀδικήσουσιν οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς οἱ Τριβαλοὶ διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ σπονδὰς τὰς πρὸς αὐτόν. ἀναχωρήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πρὸς Θρᾴκην, ἂν μὲν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρχῆς φαίνοιτο Ῥωμαίων ἐγκρατὴς, ὑπείκειν καὶ αὐτούς. εἰ δέ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ