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and ordering him to construct a small boat inside a house, so that many would not be aware, he sent him out to sail away to Smyrna, ordering Amour by letter to prepare as quickly as possible and come to him. Pringyps, therefore, did according to what was ordered and having constructed the small boat inside a house, and having put in the sails and the rest of the equipment, then having brought it down to the sea on a wagon by night, as far away as possible from the guard ships and those enrolled in the same, he embarked and put to sea; and using a favorable wind, he eluded the 2.384 guard triremes and was brought to Smyrna a little later, with the wind always at his stern. And when Amour received the emperor's letter and the embassy, he poured dust upon his head and gave many thanks to God for the message. For he had previously heard that the emperor Kantakouzenos had died while staying among the Triballians; for so it had been ordered by the megas doux, for all those crossing to Asia to say this by prearrangement. And he immediately prepared a fleet of ships, a little less than two hundred. And the megas doux, since it was not possible to be ignorant of what had happened, with many from Asia reporting the preparation of the fleet, sent an embassy from Thessalonica to Amour, and some money he gave, and some he promised, if he would not start a war against him, nor ally with Kantakouzenos. But he sent the embassy away, saying that they were asking impossible things. For he himself would ally with the emperor with all his might. And when the ambassadors asked him to accept the gifts, he did not accept them, saying it was the act of an unfree man and one enslaved by money to appear to be accepting gifts now for the sake of friendship, and a little later to be waging war. And having prepared in a short time and having put much money and the other necessities on the ships, as if he would spend a long time in the emperor's alliance, he set sail from Smyrna and proceeded as far as Euboea, having met with favorable weather. But when contrary winds blew there, he remained for many days. And the 2.385 megas doux, when he learned that the barbarians were approaching, having left two of the triremes in Thessalonica, sailed away with the remainder to Byzantium, fearing lest he be besieged in Thessalonica by both the barbarians and the emperor. But Amour, tarrying at Euboea because of the contrary winds, was unbearably distressed. And another thing happened that persuaded him to be angry in no small measure. For when a ship from Pteleon had been captured and the prisoners were being brought to him, he inquired if they knew anything about the emperor. And they said that they had learned from some people who had arrived from Thessalonica that the megas doux, leading a large force of both cavalry and infantry and Persians as allies, had marched against the emperor Kantakouzenos while he was in Beroea; but that they knew nothing more. And he, guessing from what was said that the emperor was in a struggle, was more distressed because he was not able to help quickly. And having gathered an assembly from the best of the Persians and having come forward himself into their midst, he spoke as follows. "I would condemn that man for great folly and cowardice, whoever, having set out for something, does not consider all other things of secondary importance, nor appears to show all zeal, so as to bring to fruition what has been planned. For if one intends to attempt those things that are accomplished with ease, but if some obstacle occurs, either to give up completely, or to neglect it, becoming soft, and to await the outcome of events, 2.386 shrinking from the toils, he will differ in no way from the many, nor could he ever achieve anything great and worthy of mention. And if the enterprise is about great matters and the preparation is wonderful and the expense great, and then through the lack of counsel and the cowardice of the general that army accomplishes nothing worthy of itself, he is justly reviled and insulted, not only by others but also by those whom he leads, because by his own cowardice he deprives them of the praises from their deeds and the prizes from their labors. Therefore, the purpose of this our campaign is none other than to come to the aid of the emperor Kantakouzenos,

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καὶ κελεύσας οἰκίας ἔνδον ἀκάτιον κατασκευασάμενον, ἵνα μὴ πολλοὶ συνειδεῖεν, εἰς Σμύρναν ἀποπλέειν ἐξέπεμπε, γράμμασι κελεύσας Ἀμοὺρ τάχιστα παρασκευασάμενον ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν. Πρίγγυψ μὲν οὖν ἐποίει κατὰ τὰ κεκελευσμένα καὶ τὸ ἀκάτιον ἔνδον οἰκίας κατασκευασάμενος, ἱστία τε ἐνθέμενος καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀποσκευὴν, ἔπειτα νυκτὸς ἐφ' ἁμάξης ἐπὶ θάλασσαν καταγαγὼν, ὡς ποῤῥωτάτω μάλιστα τῶν φρουρουσῶν νεῶν καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν κατειλεγμένων, ἀνήγετο ἐμβάς· καὶ πνεύματι χρησάμενος ἐπιφόρῳ, τάς τε φρουρούσας διέλαθε 2.384 τριήρεις καὶ εἰς Σμύρναν κατήγετο ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον, τοῦ πνεύματος ἀεὶ κατὰ πρύμναν ἱσταμένου. Ἀμοὺρ δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰ βασιλέως γράμματα δέξαιτο καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν, κόνιν μὲν κατεχέατο τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ θεῷ πολλὰς ὡμολόγει χάριτας τῆς ἀγγελίας. ἦν γὰρ πρότερον ἀκηκοὼς, ὡς Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τελευτήσειε διατρίβων περὶ Τριβαλούς· οὕτω γὰρ ἦν προστεταγμένον ὑπὸ μεγάλου δουκὸς, τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν διαβαίνοντας ἐκ συνθήματος πάντας λέγειν. αὐτίκα τε παρεσκευάζετο στόλον νεῶν, ὀλίγῳ δεουσῶν διακοσίων. καὶ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ ἐπεὶ ἀγνοεῖν τὰ γεγενημένα οὐκ ἐνῆν, πολλῶν Ἀσίαθεν τὴν παρασκευὴν τοῦ στόλου ἀγγελλόντων, πρεσβείαν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἐποιεῖτο πρὸς Ἀμοὺρ, καὶ χρήματα τὰ μὲν ἐδίδου, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο, εἰ μὴ πόλεμον κινοίη πρὸς αὐτὸν, μηδὲ συμμαχοίη Καντακουζηνῷ. ὁ δ' ἀπεπέμψατο τὴν πρεσβείαν, ἀδύνατα φάμενος αἰτεῖν. αὐτὸν γὰρ παντὶ σθένει συμμαχήσειν βασιλεῖ. δεομένων δὲ τῶν πρέσβεων τὰ δῶρα δέχεσθαι, οὐ κατεδέξατο, ἀνελευθέρου φήσας εἶναι καὶ χρήμασι δεδουλωμένου νῦν μὲν φιλίας ἕνεκα δῶρα φαίνεσθαι δεχόμενον, ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγῳ πολεμοῦντα. παρασκευασάμενος δὲ ἐν βραχεῖ καὶ χρήματά τε πολλὰ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐνθέμενος καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐπιτήδεια, ὡς χρονίσων εἰς τὴν βασιλέως συμμαχίαν, ἀνήγετο ἐκ Σμύρνης καὶ προῆλθεν ἄχρις Εὐβοίας καιροῦ τυχών ἐπιτηδείου. ἀνέμων δὲ ἐκεῖ πνευσάντων ἐναντίων, ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ συχνὰς ἡμέρας. δοὺξ 2.385 δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐπεὶ μάθοι τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπιόντας, δύο τῶν τριηρέων ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ καταλιπὼν, ἀπέπλευσε ταῖς ἐπιλοίποις εἰς Βυζάντιον, δείσας μὴ ὑπό τε τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ βασιλέως ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ πολιορκοῖτο. Ἀμοὺρ δὲ Εὐβοίᾳ ἐνδιατρίβων διὰ τῶν ἀνέμων τὴν ἀντίπνοιαν, ἐδυσχέραινεν οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς. συμβὰν δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον οὐ μετρίως ἔπειθεν ἀγανακτεῖν. ἐκ γὰρ Πτελεοῦ πλοίου συλληφθέντος καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἀγομένων πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐπυνθάνετο, εἴ τι εἰδεῖεν περὶ βασιλέως. οἱ δ' ἔφασαν, ὅτι τινῶν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἀφιγμένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς πύθοιντο, ὡς ὁ μέγας δοὺξ πολλὴν ἄγων δύναμιν ἱππικήν τε ἅμα καὶ πεζὴν καὶ Πέρσας κατὰ συμμαχίαν, βασιλεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ ἐπιστρατεύσειεν ὄντι ἐν Βεῤῥοίᾳ· πλέον δὲ μηδὲν εἰδέναι. ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων στοχαζόμενος ἐν ἀγῶνι εἶναι βασιλέα, μᾶλλον ἐδυσχέραινεν, ὅτι μὴ ταχέως εἶχε βοηθεῖν. ἐκ τῶν ἀρίστων δὲ τῶν Περσῶν ἐκκλησίαν συναθροίσας καὶ παρελθὼν αὐτὸς εἰς μέσους, ἔλεξε τοιάδε. «πολλὴν ἄνοιαν ἐγὼ καὶ ἀνανδρίαν ἐκείνου καταψηφισαίμην ἂν, ὅστις ἐπί τι ὡρμημένος, μὴ πάντα δεύτερα ἡγοῖτο, μηδὲ πᾶσαν φαίνοιτο σπουδὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ὥστε ἄγειν εἰς ἔργον τὰ βεβουλευμένα. εἰ γὰρ μέλλοι τοῖς μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾴστου περιγινομένοις ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἂν δέ τι συμβαίνῃ κώλυμα, ἢ παντάπασιν ἀπαγορεύειν, ἢ ἀμελεῖν μαλακιζόμενον καὶ περιμένειν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔκβα 2.386 σιν ἀποκνοῦντα πρὸς τοὺς πόνους, οὐδὲν διοίσει τῶν πολλῶν, οὐδὲ μέγα τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον κατορθώσειεν ἄν ποτε. ἂν δὲ καὶ περί τινων μεγάλων ᾖ ἡ ἐπιχείρησις καὶ ἡ παρασκευὴ θαυμασία καὶ μεγάλη ἡ δαπάνη, ἔπειτα ἀβουλίᾳ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ ἀτολμίᾳ μηδὲν ἄξιον ἑαυτῆς ἡ στρατιὰ ἐκείνη πράττῃ, οὐ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν, ὧν ἄγει, πολλὰ δίκαιος λοιδορεῖσθαι καὶ περιυβρίζεσθαι, ὅτι τῇ σφετέρᾳ ἀτολμίᾳ τῶν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἐπαίνων καὶ τῶν ἄθλων τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν πόνων αὐτοὺς ἀποστερεῖ. ἡ μὲν οὖν ὑπόθεσις τῆς ἡμετέρας στρατείας ταυτησὶ οὐδεμία τίς ἐστιν ἑτέρα, ἢ βασιλεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ ἥκειν ἐπὶ συμμαχίᾳ,