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words, but of necessity words are also made to conform to the nature of things. For if it were possible, while making speeches for pleasure, for things also to change along with them, nothing would be more foolish than not choosing this way of giving counsel. But now, as we see, the penalty for this pleasure is not small, but death for those who choose it. When this civil war, then, had been set in motion, Kantakouzenos, invested with great power, came here right from the start, a power which all of us together were not even able to face. But at Gynaikokastro, when the rebellion around him occurred and such misfortune beset him as would have justly disturbed even the most steadfast man, he did not despair in the face of disaster nor did he yield, but together with those who remained he withdrew to the Triballoi in good order, as if nothing unusual had happened, even though we were pressing hard and causing a disturbance after such great confusion and the dissension of the ar 2.370 my around him. And when he came among the Triballoi, he so attached everyone to himself and the powerful among the Triballoi showed such goodwill, that he seemed not to be a foreigner who, having met with misfortune, had fled to them for refuge, but that the rule over them belonged to him by paternal inheritance, and they all regarded him as a master and did everything for him. And this is clear; for when we sent an embassy to them once and twice and offered many cities in return for destroying this man, they did not accept, but as if by a common signal they preferred his salvation to increasing their own dominion. And now a little earlier, when the people of Berroia received him, he grew so strong in a short time, that if you had not come to us most opportunely and checked the momentum of his success, he would have been lord of many cities by now. For all the cities in the west especially support him, and now indeed Thessaly is subject to him, as are the towns and fortresses around Berroia. But if you yourself withdraw out of necessity, for the expense will not allow you to remain for very long, Akarnania will most easily go over to him, and the rest of Epirus. For they have long been awaiting his arrival, and they show great goodwill towards him, as I myself know clearly, having spent a long time among them. Therefore, if they should go over to him and not to the Triballoi, for one of the two is necessary, then having come under his rule they will again be under the 2.371 dominion of the Romans; but if the Kral makes them his subjects, the Roman empire will be diminished by its greatest part. Nevertheless, even if this should happen, which seems the best outcome, it will prove most unprofitable for us. For having already become great and leading a great force from there, not only will he be ruler of Macedonia in a short time, but I fear that he may also come against us as a formidable foe. For many of those who now seem to be loyal to the empress will go over to him. For both the greater part of the army and the other best men of the Romans especially support him, as we ourselves are not ignorant. These things I think it is fitting to consider and not to wait for necessity, but to discuss peace with him and to end the war. For now, while matters are still in doubt and the future is uncertain for both sides, he will be easily persuaded, although even before, as I hear, he was of his own accord moved to this. But if he should gain some power and come to hope that he will be completely victorious in the war, I fear that in seeking peace then, we may labor in vain and prove to be the cause of great dangers both for ourselves and for the other Romans. For if he should prevail over us, with everyone going over to him, in addition to the shame, it also holds no ordinary danger; and if we should hold out in the war, the cities will suffer great disasters, being besieged by both sides and en 2.372 slaved and enduring the worst, and the Roman empire will fall upon itself and will be destroyed by a pointless rivalry. If then from the empress and the patriarch and the others, whoever are in charge of affairs,

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λόγοι, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων φύσει ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ οἱ λόγοι συνεξομοιοῦνται. εἰ γὰρ ἐξῆν, πρὸς ἡδονὴν τῶν λόγων γινομένων, καὶ τὰ πράγματα συμμεταβάλλεσθαι, οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν ἀνοητότερον τοῦ μὴ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον αἱρουμένου συμβουλεύειν. νυνὶ δὲ, ὡς ὁρῶμεν, οὐ μικρά τις ἡ ζημία ταύτης τῆς ἡδονῆς, ἀλλὰ θάνατος τῶν ἑλομένων. τοῦ πολέμου τοίνυν τοῦ ἐμφυλίου τούτου κεκινημένου, δύναμιν μεγάλην περιβεβλημένος ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐνθάδε ἧκεν εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς, πρὸς ἣν οὐδὲ ἀντιβλέπειν σύμπαντες ἠδυνήθημεν ἡμεῖς. ἐν Γυναικοκάστρῳ δὲ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν συμβάσης ἀποστασίας καὶ τοιαύτης περισχούσης κακοπραγίας, οἵα καὶ τὸν μάλιστα καρτερικώτατον ἐθορύβησεν ἂν δικαίως, ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀπεῖπε πρὸς τὴν συμφορὰν οὐδὲ ἐνέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ἅμα τοῖς περιλειφθεῖσιν ἀπεχώρει πρὸς Τριβαλοὺς συντεταγμένος, ὥσπερ μηδενὸς καινοῦ γεγενημένου, ἡμῶν μάλιστα ἐπικειμένων καὶ θορυβούντων μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην ταραχὴν καὶ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν στρατοπέ 2.370 δου τὴν διχοστασίαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο ἐν Τριβαλοῖς, οὕτω πάντας ἐξήρτησεν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τοσαύτην ἐπεδείξαντο τὴν εὔνοιαν οἱ δυνατοὶ τῶν Τριβαλῶν, ὡς δοκεῖν οὐκ ἔπηλυν εἶναι καὶ συμφοραῖς χρησάμενον πρὸς αὐτοὺς καταφυγεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐκ πατρῴου κλήρου τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ προσήκειν ἐκείνων, καὶ πάντες ὡς δεσπότῃ προσεῖχον καὶ πάντα ἔπραττον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. δῆλον δέ· καὶ γὰρ ἡμῶν πρεσβείαν καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς πεποιημένων καὶ πολλῶν παραχωρούντων πόλεων ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοῦτον διαφθείρειν, οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐκ συνθήματος κοινοῦ τὴν ἐκείνου σωτηρίαν τοῦ τὴν σφετέραν αὔξειν ἀρχὴν προείλοντο. νυνί τε ὀλίγῳ πρότερον, ἐπεὶ Βεῤῥοιῶται εἰσεδέξαντο, οὕτως ἠύξητο ἐν χρόνῳ βραχεῖ, ὥστ' εἰ μὴ σὺ ἐπικαιρότατα ἐγένου πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν φορὰν ἀνέστειλας τῆς εὐτυχίας, πολλῶν ἂν ἦν κύριος πόλεων ἄχρι νῦν. αἱ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν πᾶσαι μάλιστα αὐτῷ προσέχουσι, καὶ νῦν μὲν Θετταλία τέ ἐστιν αὐτῷ ὑπήκοος καὶ αἱ περὶ Βέῤῥοιαν πολίχναι καὶ τὰ φρούρια. ἂν δ' αὐτὸς ὑπ' ἀνάγκης ἀναχωρήσῃς, μένειν γὰρ ἡ δαπάνη οὐκ ἐάσει ἐπιπλεῖστον, Ἀκαρνανία ῥᾷστα προσχωρήσει καὶ ἡ ἄλλη ἤπειρος. πάλαι γὰρ προσδέχονται αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄφιξιν, καὶ πολλὴν αἱ περὶ αὐτὸν ἐνδείκνυνται τὴν εὔνοιαν, ὥσπερ οἶδα σαφῶς αὐτὸς πολὺν παρ' ἐκείνοις διατρίψας χρόνον. εἴτε μὲν οὖν ἐκείνῳ προσχωρήσαιεν καὶ μὴ Τριβαλοῖς, δυοῖν γὰρ θάτερον ἀνάγκη, καὶ ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ μὲν γεγενημέναι ὑπὸ τὴν 2.371 Ῥωμαίων αὖθις τελέσουσιν ἡγεμονίαν· ἂν δὲ Κράλης αὐτὰς ὑποποιήσηται, τῷ μεγίστῳ μέρει ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ ἐλάττων ἔσται ἑαυτῆς. ὅμως εἰ καὶ τοῦτο γένοιτο, τὸ βέλτιστον δοκοῦν, ἀλυσιτελέστατον ἡμῖν φανεῖται. μέγας γὰρ ἤδη γεγενημένος καὶ πολλὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἄγων δύναμιν, οὐ μόνον Μακεδονίας ἔσται ἄρχων ἐν ὀλίγῳ, ἀλλὰ δέδοικα, μὴ καὶ ἡμῖν ἐπέλθῃ φοβερός. πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν δοκούντων εὔνων εἶναι βασιλίδι νῦν, ἐκείνῳ προσχωρήσουσι. στρατιᾶς τε γὰρ τὸ πλεῖστον καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἄριστοι ἐκείνῳ μάλιστα προσέχουσιν, ὥσπερ ἀγνοοῦμεν οὐδ' αὐτοί. ἃ προσήκειν οἴομαι σκοπεῖν καὶ μὴ περιμένειν τὴν ἀνάγκην, ἀλλὰ διαλέγεσθαι αὐτῷ περὶ εἰρήνης καὶ τὸν πόλεμον καταλύειν. νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἔτι τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπαμφοτεριζόντων καὶ ἀδήλου τοῦ μέλλοντος ὄντος ἑκατέροις, πεισθήσεται ῥᾳδίως, καίτοι καὶ πρότερον, ὡς ἀκούω, πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ οἴκοθεν κεκινημένος. ἂν δὲ δύναμίν τινα προσλάβηται καὶ ἐν ἐλπίσι γένηται τοῦ πάντως περιέσεσθαι ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, δέδοικα, μὴ ξητοῦντες τότε τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀνήνυτα πονῶμεν καὶ σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς μεγάλων αἴτιοι κινδύνων καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φαινώμεθα Ῥωμαίοις. ἄν τε γὰρ ἡμῶν περιγένηται πάντων αὐτῷ προσχωρησάντων, πρὸς τῷ αἰσχρῷ καὶ κίνδυνον οὐ τὸν τυχόντα ἔχει· ἄν τε πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἀντίσχωμεν, μεγάλας ὑποστήσονται συμφορὰς αἱ πόλεις ὑφ' ἑκατέρων πολιορκούμεναι καὶ ἐξαν 2.372 δραποδιζόμεναι καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὑπομένουσαι, καὶ ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴ αὐτὴ ἑαυτῇ περιπεσεῖται καὶ διαφθαρήσεται ὑπ' ἀνονήτου φιλονεικίας. εἰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ βασιλίδος καὶ πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοι τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρχουσιν,