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they wrote against the protostrator, claiming that he had willingly helped Kantakouzenos, having secretly chosen his side. But he affirmed with oaths that he was conscious of no such thing, but as if led by some greater power he had been brought to this, thinking he would check Kantakouzenos, who was coming with a heavy force, if he could persuade him to turn back by frightening him. So these things had been done in this way, and the emperor Kantakouzenos returned again to the Kral. But Apokaukos the megas doux sailed away to Byzantium, and the people in Byzantium received him with much applause and wonderful encomia 2.336, calling him savior and champion and liberator. And it was announced everywhere, that Kantakouzenos, not even being able to look the megas doux in the face, had turned back, despairing of his own safety, and would go to the holy mountain truly to put on the monastic habit; for otherwise it would not be possible for him to survive. And festivals were held everywhere on account of the good news. But the megas doux a little later, invoking as a charge against the megas stratopedarches Choumnos the peace that was planned with the emperor Kantakouzenos—for it did not escape his notice what he had previously said to the empress about the peace—shut up both him and his son in their house, forbidding them to leave; and after him also Constantine Asan and his son, and he was paying them a worthy reward for having assisted him in causing so much destruction to the Romans. Then he also went after the others, like a flame always seizing on what it touches. 50. But the people in Didymoteichon, having learned that the emperor had again returned to the Triballi, were taking it hard and were full of uproar and confusion. But the empress Eirene, perceiving this, and showing greater than a woman's spirit, called everyone together and exhorted them not to consider what was happening to be among the most terrible things; for perhaps it might seem to God that this would be more advantageous; and she urged them to rise up and not to lose heart, as many and great hopes still remained. For the emperor would not give up on his return, but 2.337 would come after a little while, and would reward them worthily for their loyalty to him and their courage and endurance. And with these words she revived them not a little and persuaded them to hope for better things. And it seemed necessary, as they deliberated together, to send an embassy to Alexander, the emperor of the Mysians, and to make a treaty with him on these terms, that he be an ally and friend to them and help them against their enemies and neglect none of the things that a friend ought to do for them. And if the emperor Kantakouzenos returned, he himself would repay him the favors for the alliance and friendship; but if it should happen that he died, either in war or in some other way, before returning, they would hand over the city to him and withdraw from the rule of the Romans. But they had not decided to do this truly and in this way, but they were trying to deceive the Mysian for two reasons, both so that he, for the sake of the hope, would provide them with some benefit, and so that the empress Anna and the Romans who were besieging them, learning that they were making agreements with the Mysians about a surrender, would not attack them too harshly, but would grant some truce, fearing that out of anger they might hand over both themselves and the city to the Mysians. So with such an intention they made the treaty, with the king of the Mysians also accepting it gladly and announcing that he would be an ally in every way. But it turned out the opposite of what they had thought. For Alexander, since the people in Didymoteichon had made the treaty that, if the emperor Kan 2.338 takouzenos did not return, they would hand over the city to him, thinking that, if he could somehow destroy him, he would already surely have the city, moved every rope to prevent his return or, if he could, even to destroy him; and sending frequent embassies to the Kral and to his sister Helen, who was married to the Kral, he advised them not to let the emperor Kantakouzenos go, but to bind him and guard him in prison or even to kill him; for thus it would be possible to have the rule of the Romans without trouble. The Kral, then, his wicked advice

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πρωτοστράτορα ἐγράφοντο, ὡς ἑκὼν εἶναι Καντακουζηνὸν ὠφελήσειεν ἰσχυριζόμενοι κρύφα τὰ ἐκείνου ᾑρημένος. ὁ δ' ὅρκοις διεβεβαιοῦτο, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τοιοῦτον συνειδείη, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος ἀγόμενος δυνάμεως κρείττονος εἰς τοῦτο προαχθείη, νομίζων σφάλλειν Καντακουζηνὸν μετὰ βαρείας ἥκοντα δυνάμεως, εἰ πείσειεν ἀναστρέφειν ἐκφοβήσας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τοῦτον ἐπέπρακτο τὸν τρόπον, καὶ Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς αὖθις εἰς Κράλην ἐπανῆκεν. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀπέπλευσε, καὶ ὑπεδέχοντο αὐτὸν οἱ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ μετὰ κρότων πολλῶν καὶ θαυμασίων τῶν ἐγκω 2.336 μίων, σωτῆρα καὶ πρόμαχον καὶ ἐλευθερωτὴν ἀποκαλοῦντες. περιηγγέλλετό τε πανταχόθεν, ὡς Καντακουζηνὸς οὐδ' ἀντιβλέψαι δυνηθεὶς πρὸς μέγαν δοῦκα, ὑπέστρεψε τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας ἀπογνοὺς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ὄρος ἀφίξεται ὄντως μοναχῶν σχῆμα ἐνδυσόμενος· ἄλλως γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἐξέσται περιεῖναι. καὶ ἑορταὶ πανταχοῦ συνεκροτοῦντο τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἕνεκα. ὁ μέγας δὲ δοὺξ ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον μεγάλῳ στρατοπεδάρχῃ τῷ Χούμνῳ τὴν πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν βασιλέα βουλευθεῖσαν εἰρήνην ὥς τι ἔγκλημα ἐπικαλέσας, οὐ γὰρ διέλαθεν αὐτὸν, ἃ πρὸς βασιλίδα πρότερον εἰρήκει περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, κατέκλεισεν αὐτόν τε καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἀπρόϊτον εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν· μετ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ καὶ Ἀσάνην τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ ἀξίας ἀπετίννυεν αὐτοῖς ἀντιμισθίας τοῦ πρὸς τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν Ῥωμαίων φθορὰν αὐτῷ συνάρασθαι. εἶτα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπῄει, ὥσπερ φλὸξ ἀεὶ τῶν προσαπτομένων ἐπιλαμβανομένη. νʹ. Οἱ ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ δὲ πυθόμενοι, ὡς αὖθις ὑποστρέψειεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Τριβαλοὺς, δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο καὶ θορύβου ἦσαν μεστοὶ καὶ ταραχῆς. αἰσθομένη δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς Εἰρήνη, καὶ μεῖζον ἐπιδειξαμένη ἢ κατὰ γυναικεῖον φρόνημα, συνεκάλει πάντας καὶ παρῄνει, μὴ τὰ πραττόμενα ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν ἄγαν δεινοτάτων· ἴσως γάρ τοι μᾶλλον ἂν οὕτω λυσιτελεῖν δόξειε θεῷ· ἐκέλευέ τε διανίστασθαι καὶ μὴ καταπίπτειν, ὡς πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἐλπίδων ἔτι ὑπολειπομένων. βασιλέα γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον οὐκ ἀπαγορεύσειν, ἀλλ' 2.337 ἥξειν τε μετὰ μικρὸν, καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ τῆς ἀνδρίας καὶ τῆς καρτερίας ἀμείψεσθαι ἀξίως. καὶ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ἀνεκτᾶτό τε οὐ μετρίως καὶ χρηστότερα ἐλπίζειν ἔπειθεν. ἐδόκει δὲ δεῖν κοινῇ βουλευομένοις, καὶ πρεσβείαν πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν βασιλέα Μυσῶν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ συνθήκας τίθεσθαι ἐπὶ τούτοις πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὥστε σύμμαχον αὐτοῖς εἶναι καὶ φίλον καὶ βοηθεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ μηδενὸς ἀμελεῖν ὧν προσήκει φίλῳ πρὸς αὐτούς. κἂν μὲν ἐπανέλθῃ βασιλεὺς ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς, αὐτὸν αὐτῷ τῆς συμμαχίας καὶ τῆς φιλίας τὰς χάριτας ἐκτίνειν· εἰ δὲ συμβαίη, ἢ πολέμῳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τρόπῳ πρὶν ἐπανήκειν τελευτᾷν, αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀφίστασθαι Ῥωμαίων. τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ οὕτω καὶ ἀληθῶς αὐτοῖς ἐδέδοκτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ φενακίζειν ἐπειρῶντο τὸν Μυσὸν ἕνεκα δυοῖν, τοῦ τε αὐτὸν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἕνεκα αὐτοῖς ὠφέλειάν τινα παρέχειν, καὶ τοῦ βασιλίδα τὴν Ἄνναν καὶ Ῥωμαίους τοὺς αὐτοὺς πολιορκοῦντας πυθομένους, ὡς συμβάσεις περὶ παραδόσεως ποιοῦνται πρὸς Μυσοὺς, μὴ λίαν ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀνακωχήν τινα παρέχειν, δεδιότας μὴ δι' ὀργὴν σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς Μυσοῖς καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδῶσιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν τοιαύτῃ γνώμῃ τὰς συνθήκας ἐποιοῦντο, ἀσμένως καὶ τοῦ Μυσῶν βασιλέως δεξαμένου καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ συμμαχήσειν ἀπαγγελλομένου. τὸ δ' ἀπέβαινεν ἐναντίως, ἢ ᾠήθησαν αὐτοί. Ἀλέξανδρος γὰρ, ἐπεὶ οἱ ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ τὰς συνθήκας ἐποιήσαντο, ὡς, εἰ μὴ Καν 2.338 τακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπανήξει, παραδώσειν αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν, νομίσας, εἰ τρόπῳ δή τινι ἐκεῖνον διαφθείρειε, βεβαίως τὴν πόλιν ἤδη ἔχειν, πάντα κάλων ἐκίνει κωλύειν τὴν ἐπάνοδον αὐτῷ ἢ, εἰ δύναιτο, καὶ διαφθείρειν· καὶ πρεσβείας πρὸς Κράλην πέμπων συχνὰς καὶ Ἑλένην τὴν ἀδελφὴν Κράλῃ συνοικοῦσαν, παρῄνει Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα μὴ ἀνιέναι, ἀλλὰ δήσαντας ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ φρουρεῖν ἢ καὶ ἀποκτείνειν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἐξέσται τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἔχειν ἀρχὴν ἀπονητί. Κράλης μὲν οὖν αὐτοῦ τὰς παραινέσεις φαύλας