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you have unaccountable authority and it is possible to deliberate with a view to what is expedient in the present circumstances, send an embassy to him now concerning peace, and let nothing disturb you. For you will be deliberating what is at once best and most expedient for the empress and for all the others in common. But if you do not wish to offend them, being ignorant of the opinion they hold concerning peace, but I beg you to provide me one trireme, so that having gone to Byzantium and given counsel on whatever I think is better, within a few days I may return, bringing their vote concerning the peace.” Monomachus, then, spoke such things about the peace with frankness; for due to his character he reaped the greatest respect from all, and the others who were present said that he had deliberated well, and they were persuaded; but they referred the power to accept or not accept the peace to the megas doux. But he, showing only the disposition of one shaking off the words and saying, “what sort of peace could there be with Kantakouzenos?” and adding nothing else, dissolved the council, saying nothing to Monomachus either in anger or with insolence, as he was accustomed to do with others, if anyone made such arguments to him. 61. By sending frequent embassies to the Kral, 2.373 he persuaded him openly, partly by giving and partly by promising much money, to take up war against the emperor Kantakouzenos. And first, sending envoys to Beroea, he demanded the children of the nobles as hostages, on the pretext that he was acting on behalf of the emperor, lest he be plotted against by them, but in truth, intending to make the Beroeans hostile to him, as one who had deliberated badly concerning them and had given away their children to the Triballi for his own benefit. But when the emperor openly refused the hostages, and had acknowledged many thanks for their goodwill and forethought for him, and told them to be of good courage, as nothing difficult would come to him from the Beroeans, since they strove on his behalf with one mind and showed every goodwill, that man turned to a second attempt and summoned the emperor to him, as if to deliberate about some necessary matters, especially as he was staying nearby. For he said that some revolutionary movements had been started by the Paeonians in his dominion, and that it was causing him great disturbance. Because of which he thought it necessary to consider it together, for he trusted no one more than the emperor on account of both his existing goodwill and his great understanding and experience in such matters, to choose what seemed expedient. But the emperor's friends secretly reported the plot, for he had planned to arrest him if he could, and they advised him to be on his guard as he was ill-disposed. But the emperor, so that he might not seem to provide any pretext for war, feigned ignorance of it all. 2.374 And sending Manuel, the younger of his sons, and Angelos his nephew, he made it known that he himself was unable to leave the city, which had recently come over to him and was not yet firmly established in its goodwill toward him, especially since the enemy was pressing and they were expected to campaign against them. He had sent his son and his nephew so that, learning through them about the things on which he needed to give counsel, he might offer the opinion that would be most beneficial to him. But since he had nothing to deliberate about, for such things were excuses and pretexts and concealments of his plot, after conversing with them about certain other matters hardly consistent with what he had previously requested, he sent them homeward. A little later, since he was unable to accomplish anything by plotting, he cast off his mask and openly declared war. For sending an embassy to the emperor, he broke the peace and the treaties and the oaths with him, saying that he would ally himself with the empress, if he could do anything; and that he should deliberate for himself whatever seemed to be expedient. So the many were not moderately disturbed at the news of the Triballian war; but the emperor and the best of those around him acknowledged many thanks to God for His providence concerning them. For if He from above had not saved them, holding out a hand, what would have prevented the Kral, when he had them in his hands and could most easily, from destroying them?

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ἀνυπεύθυνον ἔχεις τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ πρὸς τὰ φαινόμενα λυσιτελεῖν ἔξεστι βουλεύεσθαι, πρεσβείαν ἤδη πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ποιοῦ περὶ εἰρήνης καὶ μηδέν σε θορυβείτω. βέλτιστά τε γὰρ ὁμοῦ καὶ λυσιτελέστατα καὶ βασιλίδι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις κοινῇ βουλεύσῃ. εἰ δὲ προσκρούειν ἐκείνοις οὐκ ἐθέλεις, τὴν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ἣν ἔχουσι γνώμην ἀγνοῶν, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ δέομαι τριήρη μίαν παρασχεῖν, ὡς ἂν γενόμενος ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καὶ συμβουλεύσας, ὅσα μοι δοκῶ βελτίω εἶναι, ὀλίγων εἴσω ἡμερῶν τὴν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐκείνων ψῆφον φέρων ἐπανήξω.» Μονομάχος μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης διειλέχθη μετὰ παῤῥησίας· ἦν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν τρόπων πλείστην παρὰ πᾶσι τὴν αἰδῶ καρπούμενος, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι οἱ παρόντες εὖ μὲν ἔφασαν ἐκεῖνον βεβουλεῦσθαι, καὶ ἐπείθοντο· τὴν δὲ τοῦ δέχεσθαι ἢ μὴ τὴν εἰρήνην δύναμιν τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀνετίθεσαν δουκί. ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἦθος μόνον τοὺς λόγους ἀποσειομένου δείξας καὶ, ποία τις ἂν εἰρήνη γένοιτο πρὸς Καντακουζηνόν; εἰπὼν, ἄλλο δὲ μηδὲν προσθεὶς, διέλυσε τὸν σύλλογον, μηδὲν πρὸς Μονομάχον μήτε πρὸς ὀργὴν, μήτε πρὸς ὕβριν φάμενος, ὥσπερ εἰώθει πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους, εἴ τις περὶ τοιούτων ποιοῖτο λόγους πρὸς αὐτόν. ξαʹ. Πρὸς Κράλην δὲ πρεσβείας ποιούμενος συχνὰς, 2.373 ἔπεισε καὶ φανερῶς, χρήματα πολλὰ τὰ μὲν διδοὺς, τὰ δὲ ἐπαγγελλόμενος, πόλεμον ἄρασθαι πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν πρέσβεις πέμψας εἰς Βέῤῥοιαν, ὁμήρους ᾔτει τοὺς παῖδας τῶν ἀρίστων, πρόφασιν μὲν, ὡς σπουδάζων ὑπὲρ βασιλέως, μὴ παρ' ἐκείνων ἐπιβουλευθῇ, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, Βεῤῥοιώτας αὐτῷ ἐκπολεμῶσαι διανοηθεὶς, ὡς κακῶς περὶ αὐτῶν βουλευσαμένῳ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἰδίας ἕνεκα ὠφελείας καταπροεμένῳ Τριβαλοῖς. βασιλέως δὲ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ὁμήρους φανερῶς ἀπαγορεύσαντος, τῆς δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ προνοίας ὡμολογηκότος χάριτας πολλὰς, θαῤῥεῖν τε εἰπόντος, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἐκ Βεῤῥοιωτῶν ἀπαντήσει δυσχερὲς, μιᾷ γνώμῃ σπουδαζόντων ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένων εὔνοιαν, ἐκεῖνος ἐτρέπετο πρὸς δευτέραν πεῖραν καὶ μετεκαλεῖτο βασιλέα πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς περί τινων ἀναγκαίων βουλευσόμενον μάλιστα διατρίβοντα ἐγγύς. ἔφασκε γὰρ ἐκ Παιόνων τῆς ἀρχῆς νεώτερά τινα κεκινῆσθαι, καὶ πολὺν αὐτῷ τὸν θόρυβον παρέχειν. δι' ἃ ᾠήθη ἀναγκαῖον κοινῇ σκεψαμένους, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἑτέρῳ μᾶλλον πεποιθέναι βασιλέως διά τε τὴν προσοῦσαν εὔνοιαν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα σύνεσιν πολλὴν καὶ ἐμπειρίαν, ἃ δοκεῖ λυσιτελεῖν ἑλέσθαι. βασιλέως δὲ οἱ φίλοι κρύφα τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐμήνυον, ἐβουλεύσατο γὰρ, εἰ δύναιτο συλλαμβάνειν, καὶ παρῄνουν φυλάττεσθαι ὡς δύσνουν. βασιλεὺς δὲ, ἵνα μηδεμίαν πρόφασιν δοκῇ παρέχειν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, ἄγνοιαν ἁπάντων ὑπεκρί 2.374 νετο. πέμψας δὲ Μανουὴλ τὸν νεώτερον τῶν υἱῶν καὶ Ἄγγελον τὸν ἀνεψιὸν, ἐδήλου, ὡς αὐτὸς ἀδύνατος εἴη τὴν πόλιν ἄρτι προσχωρήσασαν καὶ οὔπω πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ εὔνοιαν βεβαίως ἡδρασμένην καταλείπειν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπικειμένων καὶ προσδοκίμων ὄντων αὐτοῖς ἐπιστρατεύσειν. τὸν υἱὸν δὲ πέμψειε καὶ τὸν ἀνεψιὸν, ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν πυθόμενος περὶ ὧν αὐτῷ δέοι συμβουλεύειν, γνώμην ἐξενέγκῃ τὴν μάλιστα αὐτῷ συνοίσουσαν. ὁ δ' ἐπεὶ βουλεύεσθαι εἶχε περὶ οὐδενὸς, σκήψεις γὰρ καὶ προφάσεις τὰ τοιαῦτα ἦσαν καὶ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς περικαλύμματα, περὶ ἄλλων τινῶν αὐτοῖς διαλεχθεὶς ἥκιστα συμβαινόντων οἷς ἠξίου πρότερον, οἴκαδε ἀπέπεμπεν. ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγῳ, ἐπεὶ ἐπιβουλεύων ἀνύειν ἠδύνατο οὐδὲν, τὸ προσωπεῖον ἀποθέμενος, κατήγγελλε φανερῶς τὸν πόλεμον. πέμψας γὰρ πρεσβείαν πρὸς βασιλέα, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς διέλυε καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους, βασιλίδι φάσκων συμμαχήσειν, εἴ τι δύναιτο· αὐτὸν δὲ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ βουλεύεσθαι ἅττα ἂν λυσιτελεῖν δοκῇ. οἱ μὲν οὖν πολλοὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀγγελίαν τοῦ Τριβαλικοῦ πολέμου ἐθορυβοῦντο οὐ μετρίως· βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν οἱ ἄριστοι πολλὰς ὡμολόγουν χάριτας θεῷ τῆς προνοίας τῆς περὶ αὐτούς. εἰ μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἄνωθεν διέσωζε χεῖρα ὑπερέχων, τί ἐκώλυε Κράλην, ἡνίκα ἔχων ἐν χερσὶν αὐτοὺς καὶ ῥᾷστα δυνάμενος, διαφθείρειν;