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having promised him and his family many things, if he would secretly wound the emperor with an arrow smeared with poison, such as he was accustomed to use against wild beasts. and he advised him to be bold, as he would accomplish the deed most easily and with no effort. For he heard that the emperor 2.378 Kantakouzenos was accustomed, especially at the beginning of the night, to stand in a certain place, having taken off his clothes, a place conveniently situated for cooling the heat from the summer, where he could easily be shot at. which things he taught that archer, who was not ignorant of the place itself. But he, considering his release from bonds of greatest importance and thinking of the magnitude of the benefits which the grand duke promised him, undertook the attempt. And having arrived in Berroia, when night had already come on, he came to the place and attempted to shoot the emperor, standing as was his custom and conversing with his companions; and when he was already about to set to work and draw the bow, the arrow slipped and fell from the string. But he, having no way to retrieve the arrow—for he was standing on the city wall and it fell inside—and fearing lest he be discovered doing such evil things, waited until the emperor had passed, picked up the arrow, and returned home, with the intention of trying again the next day. And when the second night came on, he again attempted the same things, and the arrow, similarly slipping from his hands, made him return without success. And when the third night came, he went to the task again and made the greatest haste not to suffer the same things as on the previous nights. but as he was already drawing the bow, the string suddenly broke, as if someone had cut it; and it was, as he said, still new and very durable. When this 2.379 had happened, a thought entered him, that neither the present nor the previous events had happened in vain, but that there was some divine power protecting the emperor, by which he himself was thwarted in attempting such unholy deeds. and immediately, holding the arrow and the bow, he fell at the emperor's feet and narrated from the beginning everything that had happened: that he had been persuaded by many promises from the grand duke, if he could kill him; how the arrow had twice fallen from his hands, and finally now the breaking of the string, which it should not have sustained by any account. and he begged to receive some pardon, as one who had raised an unjust hand not so much against the emperor as against God. but if he were judged worthy of punishment, he would bear all whatever the emperor might decree, as being just. As the man narrated such things, the others present uttered many voices of thanksgiving to God for the miraculous salvation of the emperor; and many were openly moved to tears, coming to the thought of the just judgment of God, and how nothing of what exists has escaped His providence. And the emperor himself with groans confessed many thanks to God, because He so mercifully delivers from those who unjustly plot; and the man he deemed worthy not only of pardon but also of many gifts, because he did not conceal the wonders of God, grudging the benefit to the many. 62. But when the grand duke learned that this plot 2.380 also had been frustrated in vain, he took counsel with his companions on what should be done. But Monomachos, the grand constable, since having previously spoken much about peace he knew that his words had not been pleasing to the grand duke, did not even mention peace a second time, but advised, either to sit in Thessaloniki and secretly negotiate and corrupt the emperor's companions, for which they would need much time and great expenses, or if these things were difficult due to the lack of money, to prepare and go against him, as in this battle they would contend with him for everything. For he knew that he would not withdraw from the battle, nor endure being besieged within the walls, even if he knew most clearly that he would fall fighting that day, especially since he had announced that after the third day he would come to our camp to fight. Therefore all the others voted in agreement and said that it was not fitting for them to do anything apart from these things.

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πολλὰ ἐπαγγειλάμενος αὐτὸν καὶ γένος, εἰ βέλει τρώσειε λάθρα βασιλέα δηλητηρίῳ κεχρισμένῳ, οἷς χρῆσθαι εἴωθεν ἐπὶ θηρία. παρῄνει τε θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς ῥᾷστα καὶ σὺν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα διανύσοντα. ἤκουε γὰρ, βασιλέα 2.378 Καντακουζηνὸν εἰωθέναι μάλιστα ἀρχομένης τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπί τινος ἑστάναι τόπου τὴν ἐσθῆτα ἀποδύντα, εὐφυῶς πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θέρους ἀλέαν καταψύχειν ἔχοντα, ἐφ' οὗ δύναιτ' ἂν βάλλεσθαι ῥᾳδίως. ἃ ἐδίδασκε τὸν τοξότην ἐκεῖνον, οὐδὲ αὐτὸν τὸν τόπον ἀγνοοῦντα. ὁ δὲ τὸ ἀπολύεσθαι τῶν δεσμῶν ποιούμενος περὶ πλείστου καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τὸ μέγεθος ἐννοῶν, ἃς αὐτῷ ἐπηγγέλλετο ὁ μέγας δοὺξ, ὑπέσχετο τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν. καὶ γενόμενος ἐν Βεῤῥοίᾳ, νυκτὸς ἤδη ἐπιγενομένης, παρὰ τὸν τόπον τε ἐγένετο καὶ βάλλειν ἐπεχείρει βασιλέα συνήθως ἑστῶτα καὶ τοῖς συνοῦσι προσδιαλεγόμενον· καὶ μέλλοντι ἤδη ἔργου ἔχεσθαι καὶ τείνειν τὸ τόξον, τὸ βέλος ἐξέπιπτε τῆς νευρᾶς λαθόν. ἐκεῖνος δὲ μὴ ἔχων ὅπως ἀνέλοιτο τὸ βέλος, ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους γὰρ τῆς πόλεως ἦν ἑστὼς, τὸ δὲ κατέπιπτεν ἐντὸς, ἐδεδίει δὲ, μὴ φωραθείη τοιαῦτα κακουργῶν, περιμείνας ἄχρι παρελθεῖν τὸν βασιλέα, τὸ βέλος ἀνελόμενος, οἴκαδε ἀνεχώρει, γνώμην ἔχων, ὡς αὖθις εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἐπιχειρήσων. ἐπιγενομένης δὲ καὶ τῆς δευτέρας νυκτὸς, ἐκεῖνός τε αὖθις τοῖς ἴσοις ἐπεχείρει, καὶ τὸ βέλος, τῶν χειρῶν ὁμοίως ἐκπεσὸν, ἄπρακτον ἐποίει ἐπανήκειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ τρίτη ἥκει, ὁ μὲν ἐχώρει πρὸς τὸ ἔργον αὖθις καὶ σπουδὴν ἐποιεῖτο πλείστην, μὴ τὰ ἴσα ταῖς προτέραις νυξὶ παθεῖν. ἕλκοντι δὲ τὸ τόξον ἤδη ἐῤῥήγνυτο ἀθρόον ἡ νευρὰ, ὥσπερ τινὸς αὐτὴν διατεμόντος· ἦν δὲ, ὡς ἔφασκε, καινὴ ἔτι καὶ δυσπαθεστάτη. τούτου δὲ 2.379 γεγενημένου, ἔννοιά τις αὐτὸν εἰσῄει, μὴ μάτην τά τε νῦν καὶ τὰ πρότερα γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ θείαν τινὰ δύναμιν εἶναι τὴν φρουροῦσαν βασιλέα, ὑφ' ἧς σφάλλεται αὐτὸς τοιούτοις ἀνοσίοις ἔργοις ἐγχειρῶν. αὐτίκα τε τὸ βέλος ἔχων καὶ τὸ τόξον, τοῖς βασιλέως προσέπιπτε ποσὶ καὶ πάντα ὅσα συμβαίη διηγεῖτο ἀπαρχῆς, τὸ παραπεπεῖσθαι πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσι παρὰ μεγάλου δουκὸς, εἰ δυνηθείη ἀνελεῖν· τὸ βέλος ὡς δὶς ἐκπέσοι τῶν χειρῶν, καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα νῦν τῆς νευρᾶς τὴν ῥῆξιν, ἣν ὑποσταίη κατ' οὐδένα λόγον. καὶ ἐδεῖτο συγγνώμης τινὸς τυχεῖν, ὡς οὐ κατὰ βασιλέως μᾶλλον, ἢ κατὰ θεοῦ χεῖρα ἄδικον κεκινηκώς. εἰ δὲ καὶ τιμωρίας ἄξιος κριθείη, πάντα οἴσειν, ὅσα ἂν βασιλεὺς ἐπιψηφίσαιτο, ὡς δίκαια. τοιαῦτα διηγουμένου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οἵ τε ἄλλοι οἱ παρόντες πολλὰς ἠφίεσαν φωνὰς εὐχαριστηρίους θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ παραδόξῳ τοῦ βασιλέως σωτηρίᾳ· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ εἰς δάκρυα φανερῶς ἐνήγοντο, εἰς ἔννοιαν ἐρχόμενοι τῆς δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων λέληθε τὴν πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ. καὶ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς μετὰ στεναγμῶν ὡμολόγει χάριτας πολλὰς θεῷ, ὅτι οὕτω φιλανθρώπως ῥύεται ἐκ τῶν ἀδίκως ἐπιβουλευόντων· τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον οὐ συγγνώμης ἠξίου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δωρεῶν πολλῶν, ὅτι μὴ συνέκρυπτε τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ παράδοξα, φθονήσας τοῖς πολλοῖς τῆς ὠφελείας. ξβʹ. ∆οὺξ δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐπεὶ μάθοι καὶ ταύτην ἐσκαιω 2.380 ρημένην τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν εἰκῆ, ἐβουλεύετο μετὰ τῶν συνόντων, ὅ,τι δέοι πράττειν. Μονομάχος δὲ ὁ μέγας κονοσταῦλος, ἐπεὶ πρότερον περὶ εἰρήνης πολλὰ διαλεχθεὶς, ἔγνω μὴ καθ' ἡδονὴν τοὺς λόγους δουκὶ τῷ μεγάλῳ γεγενῆσθαι, περὶ εἰρήνης μὲν τὸ δεύτερον οὐδὲ ἐπεμνήσθη, συνεβούλευε δὲ, ἢ καθημένους ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ κρύφα διαλέγεσθαι καὶ διαφθείρειν τοὺς συνόντας βασιλεῖ, ἐφ' οἷς πολλοῦ τε χρόνου καὶ μεγάλων δεήσονται ἀναλωμάτων, ἢ εἰ ταῦτα δυσχερῆ διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν τῶν χρημάτων, παρασκευασαμένους ἰέναι ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον, ὡς ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ περὶ τῶν ὅλων διαγωνισομένους πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐκεῖνον γὰρ εἰδέναι οὐκ ἂν ἀποστησόμενον τῆς μάχης, οὐδὲ ὑπομενοῦντα τειχῶν ἐντὸς πολιορκεῖσθαι, κἂν εἰδείη καὶ σαφέστατα ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν μαχόμενος πεσεῖσθαι, μάλιστα ἐπαγγειλάμενον μετὰ τρίτην ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον ἥξειν στρατόπεδον μαχούμενον. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες συνεπεψηφίζοντο καὶ οὐδ' αὐτοί τι τούτων χωρὶς πράττειν ἔφασαν προσῆκον εἶναι.