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had been enslaved by the Persians, and only cities were left, and they themselves expected to suffer in no way more leniently than those in the villages, and considering such a great disaster a terrible thing, they no longer thought it tolerable, but advised the empress to make treaties and peace with the emperor Kantakouzenos. For if, they said, we overcome him, we will have nothing to rule, since everything will have been utterly destroyed; and if we are defeated, in addition to the other things we will also destroy ourselves. And their counsel seemed just and advantageous to the empress also; and Gabalas the grand logothete especially urged this and persuaded the others. 2.438 But the megas doux, since it was not possible to be ignorant of these things, proceeded to Byzantium with great haste, having neglected all other things. But when he was inside, he did not come to the empress to greet her, as was his custom, but having gone to the sanctuary of the Hodegetria, the Mother of God, and worshipped, he then came to the tower in Mangana, which he held while the emperor Andronikos was alive, it being one of the enclosures of Byzantium, but which during the times of the civil war he had repaired and made as strong as possible, placing in it arms and other necessary supplies, so that it would be able to withstand both a siege and assaults on the walls; he occupied it, having brought in a garrison. Then, having come into it, he passed the night. On the next day, when the patriarch came to him, first he reproached his fickleness and his change of attitude toward him. For he thought, he said, that their two souls, having been fused together, moved the bodies of each, and that both of them planned and chose the same and equal things; but now the complete opposite had appeared. For he had heard that he too had been persuaded by those discussing peace with Kantakouzenos, a thing which he ought not to have done; for he knew most clearly that if he himself had not begun the war against Kantakouzenos, having labored much and moved every device, Palamas would long ago have been seated on the patriarchal throne, with him having been cast out. But now, in addition to ruling the church, he is no less master of political 2.439 affairs, having become conspicuous among all the Romans and being addressed as father and guardian of the emperor; which things he ought to consider, and not, while expecting benefit for others, to give up his own salvation. For before the war had been stirred up, Kantakouzenos would have stopped his anger at deposition; but now after he has endured so many insolent and terrible things, for which, he said, you yourself were no less responsible, do not think the punishment for so many evils will be in any way humane and tolerable, but an insolent death for yourself and the utter destruction of your whole family. For thus we have heard from many of those who have arrived from there, that he holds great hatred against us who have waged war. For which reasons I myself have resolved to war against him to the very end, and I advise the same to you, and not to meddle in things that are distant and will bring no benefit, but to take thought for ourselves, how we shall be saved. And this will come about in no other way than by always striving for there to be war against him. For consider the so-called peace to be nothing other than the manifest destruction of ourselves and our children and our households.” Such things he said to the patriarch, and he persuaded him, who was not himself very eager for peace, but was of necessity following the others who were speaking of it. Then he used him also as an ambassador to the empress, and he reported to the empress through him that he was at a loss as to why he himself chose every danger and toil on behalf of her and her children, 2.440 but they did not seem to show the same zeal for themselves. For he himself, immediately after the death of the emperor, seeing that Kantakouzenos was intending unjust and violent things and wishing to deprive her and her children not only of the empire but also of life itself, although he had previously been much benefited by him and it was right for him to choose every danger on his behalf in repayment for his kindness, he instead chose to risk danger on their behalf, rather than to enjoy the first honors from him, of the

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ἀνδραποδισθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν, καὶ πόλεις μόνας περιλειπομένας, καὶ αὐτὰς οὐδαμῶς ἐπιεικέστερα τῶν ἐν ταῖς κώμαις προσδοκώσας πείσεσθαι, καὶ ἐν δεινῷ τὴν τηλικαύτην συμφορὰν τιθέμενοι, οὐκέτι ἀνεκτὸν ἡγοῦντο, ἀλλὰ βασιλίδι συνεβούλευον σπονδὰς τίθεσθαι καὶ εἰρήνην πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα. ἄν τε γὰρ, ἔφασαν, ἐκείνου περιγενώμεθα, οὐχ ἕξομεν ὧν ἄρξομεν, πάντων ἄρδην ἀπολωλότων· ἄν τε ἡττηθῶμεν, πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ ἑαυτοὺς συναπολοῦμεν. καὶ ἐδόκουν δίκαια καὶ λυσιτελῆ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ βασιλίδι· μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο Γαβαλᾶς ὁ μέγας ἐνῆγε λογοθέτης καὶ τοὺς ἄλ 2.438 λους ἔπειθεν. ὁ μέγας δὲ δοὺξ, ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἀγνοεῖν οὐκ ἦν, σπουδῇ πολλῇ ἐχώρει πρὸς Βυζάντιον, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀμελήσας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦν ἐντὸς, οὐ πρὸς βασιλίδα ἧκεν, ὥσπερ εἴωθε, προσαγορεύσων, ἀλλ' ἐν Ὁδηγητρίας τῆς θεομήτορος γενόμενος τῷ τεμένει καὶ προσκυνήσας, ἔπειτα εἰς τὸν ἐν Μαγγάνοις ἧκε πύργον, ὃν περιόντος μὲν Ἀνδρονίκου τοῦ βασιλέως εἶχε, τοῦ Βυζαντίου περιβόλου ὄντα ἕνα, ἐν δὲ τοῖς τοῦ ἐμφυλίου πολέμου χρόνοις ἐπισκευάσας καὶ ὀχυρώτατον ἀπεργασάμενος, ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν, ὅπλα τε ἐνθέμενος καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐπιτήδεια, ὥστε δυνήσεσθαι καὶ πρὸς πολιορκίαν καὶ τειχομαχίας ἀντισχήσειν, κατεῖχε φρουρὰν εἰσαγαγών. τότε δὲ εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἐλθὼν, διήγαγε τὴν νύκτα. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ τοῦ πατριάρχου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθόντος, πρῶτα μὲν ὠνείδιζε τὴν εὐκολίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν μεταβολήν. οἴεσθαι γὰρ, ἔφασκε, τὰς ἀμφοτέρων συντακείσας ψυχὰς ἑκατέρων τὰ σώματα κινεῖν, καὶ ταὐτὰ καὶ ἴσα ἀμφοτέρους καὶ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ αἱρεῖσθαι· νυνὶ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν πεφηνέναι. ἀκηκοέναι γὰρ πεπεῖσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν τοῖς περὶ τῆς πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν εἰρήνης διαλεγομένοις, ἅπερ οὐκ ἐχρῆν ποιεῖν· εἰδέναι γὰρ σαφέστατα αὐτὸνʹ, ὡς, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνος τοῦ πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν πολέμου ἤρχετο πολλὰ πραγματευσάμενος καὶ πᾶσαν μηχανὴν κεκινηκὼς, πάλαι ἂν ἐπεκάθητο Παλαμᾶς τοῖς πατριαρχικοῖς θρόνοις, αὐτοῦ ἐκβεβλημένου. νυνὶ δὲ πρὸς τῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἄρχειν, καὶ τῶν πολιτικῶν πρα 2.439 γμάτων οὐδὲν ἧττόν ἐστι κύριος, περίβλεπτος ἐν πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις γεγενημένος καὶ πατὴρ καὶ κηδεμὼν βασιλέως προσαγορευόμενος· ἃ ἐχρῆν σκοπεῖν, καὶ μὴ, προσδοκωμένης ἄλλων ὠφελείας, τὴν οἰκείαν προΐεσθαι σωτηρίαν. πρὶν μὲν γὰρ τὸν πόλεμον κεκινῆσθαι μέχρι καθαιρέσεως ἔστησεν ἂν τὴν ὀργὴν ὁ Καντακουζηνός· νυνὶ δὲ μετὰ τὸ τοσαῦτα ἐκεῖνον ἐφύβριστα καὶ δεινὰ ὑπομεμενηκέναι, ὧν, ἔφασκεν, οὐδὲν ἧττον αἴτιος ἦσθα καὶ αὐτὸς, μὴ φιλάνθρωπόν τινα καὶ ἀνεκτὴν οἴου τῶν τοσούτων κακῶν ἔσεσθαι τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ θάνατόν τε ἐφύβριστον σαυτοῦ καὶ τοῦ γένους ἐξώλειαν παντός. οὕτω γὰρ ἀκηκόαμεν ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφιγμένων, ὡς μεγάλην καθ' ἡμῶν τῶν πεπολεμηκότων ἔχει τὴν ἀπέχθειαν. δι' ἃ αὐτός τε ἔγνωκα μέχρι παντὸς ἐκείνῳ πολεμεῖν, καὶ σοὶ τὰ ἴσα συμβουλεύω, καὶ μὴ τὰ πόῤῥω καὶ μηδὲν ὀνήσοντα πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι, ὅπως σωθησόμεθα. τοῦτο δὲ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἕτερον περιέσται, ἢ ἀεὶ σπουδάζουσι τὸν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἶναι πόλεμον. τὴν γὰρ λεγομένην εἰρήνην μηδὲν ἕτερον οἴου εἶναι, ἢ φανερὰν ἡμῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ παίδων καὶ οἰκείων διαφθοράν.» τοιαῦτα μὲν ἔλεγε πρὸς πατριάρχην, καὶ ἔπειθεν, οὐδ' αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην πάνυ ὡρμημένον, ἀλλὰ λέγουσι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναγκαίως συνεπόμενον. ἔπειτα ἐχρῆτο καὶ πρὸς βασιλίδα πρεσβευτῇ, ἐμήνυέ τε βασιλίδι δι' αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀποροίη, ὅτου ἕνεκα αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς καὶ παίδων 2.440 ἕλοιτο πάντα κίνδυνον καὶ πόνον, αὐτοῖς δὲ μὴ τὴν ἴσην ἔδοξε σπουδὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι περὶ ἑαυτῶν. αὐτὸς γὰρ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν βασιλέως τελευτὴν, ἰδὼν τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν ἄδικα καὶ βίαια διανοούμενον καὶ οὐ μόνον βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωῆς αὐτῆς ἀποστερεῖν βουλόμενον αὐτὴν καὶ παῖδας, καίτοι πολλὰ πρότερον ὑπ' ἐκείνου εὐεργετηθεὶς καὶ δίκαιος ὢν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου πάντα κίνδυνον αἱρεῖσθαι, ἀμειβόμενος τῆς εὐποιίας, ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον εἵλετο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν διακινδυνεύειν, ἢ τιμὰς τὰς πρώτας καρποῦσθαι παρ' αὐτῷ, τῶν