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abhorring communion with wicked deeds; and he openly began a war against him, while all the others were shrinking back and dreading his power, and he drove him into such a predicament that he was forced to ask for aid first from the Triballians, and lately now from the Persians. But he himself with much zeal and sagacity turned everything to the contrary for him, and showed that all were his enemies instead of allies, and has now brought him to such a predicament that he has promised to lay aside the imperial office and live the life of a private citizen. But when, after toiling and struggling much and enduring so many dangers, he brought the enterprise to a good end, they then overturned everything through their ill-advisedness. For having learned that they had decided to make peace and a treaty with him on the condition that he be emperor, he had left everything and come here, and having returned home was considering the future. For he was afraid to go to her, lest, 2.441 what they had voted for in words in his absence might be accomplished in deeds in his presence, and he himself, holding the contrary opinion, might perish. If therefore, he said, you yourselves abstain from such things as most unprofitable, and choose the war against Cantacuzenus as from the beginning—for this is most profitable for us—he himself was ready, after receiving assurances from her that no trouble would befall him, to do with the others whatever they might think advantageous. But if she has decided otherwise and would rather choose the peace, which will be the cause of many and great misfortunes for us, he himself would consider and do whatever seemed profitable. And in any case, he was able, better than the others, to arrange his own affairs well. Such things were communicated to the empress through the patriarch. And when Gabalas the grand logothete also came to him, he said that he had been greatly deceived about him, thinking that he far surpassed the others in intelligence and experience in dealing with great affairs. For that he, having received such great benefits from Cantacuzenus, then having contrived the war and the plot against him, and having been the chief cause of many and great misfortunes and outrages for him, should then now think that, if peace were made with him, he would find him mild and gentle, and not that he would destroy him and his family in some new way and in a manner worthy of the outrage against him, one would not attribute to a man of sound mind, nor to one who reasons 2.442 correctly about affairs. For war was much more profitable for them than peace. For while at war it would be possible to be saved to the end and to be in control of affairs. But if their possessions become less than they are, they ought not on this account to throw away their own salvation. For it is better to rule over a few things, than for those things to be increased under others, while they themselves die ingloriously. But by making peace with him, there is no way to be exempt from dangers. And he advised him to embrace the war again and stir it up and to renew their oaths to one another, and to take his daughter in marriage and jointly to undertake the war and to direct the Roman empire. On these terms he persuaded him, and they voted jointly for the war, and swore oaths, that Gabalas would support the grand duke in the war, and would never himself deliberate about peace, nor be persuaded by another speaking of it; and that he would give his daughter to him, and that for no reason would the marriage be hindered, but even if his limbs should be ravaged by the sacred disease, or if epilepsy or melancholy or any other disease should befall him, none of these things would be an impediment to the marriage. 73. And when he had arranged matters with Gabalas as he most wished, having presented him to the patriarch, he sent him to the empress. And when they came, first they reported his words to the empress, then they advised that the demand was just and 2.443 the war was more to be chosen. And that no one else would be able to stand against Cantacuzenus except the grand duke, as had become clear from events. Therefore it was just to have him well-disposed towards her and supporting her against the

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ἀτόπων ἔργων βδελυττόμενος τὴν κοινωνίαν· πόλεμόν τε ἤρατο πρὸς ἐκεῖνον φανερῶς, τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ἀποκνούντων καὶ τὴν δύναμιν πεφρικότων, καὶ ἐς τοσαύτην συνήλασεν ἀπορίαν, ὥστε πρότερόν τε Τριβαλῶν πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν δεηθῆναι, καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα νῦν Περσῶν. αὐτὸς δὲ σπουδῇ πολλῇ καὶ ἀγχινοίᾳ εἰς τοὐναντίον αὐτῷ ἅπαντα περιτρέψαι, καὶ πολεμίους αὐτῷ ἀντὶ συμμάχων πάντας ἀποδεῖξαι, καὶ νῦν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀπορίας ἀγαγεῖν, ὥστε ἐπαγγείλασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποθέμενον βίον ἰδιώτου ζῇν. ὅτε δὲ πολλὰ καμὼν καὶ ἀγωνισάμενος καὶ κινδύνους τοσούτους ὑπομείνας ἤγαγεν εἰς τέλος ἀγαθὸν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν, τότ' αὐτοὶ ὑπ' ἀβουλίας ἅπαντα ἀνέτρεψαν. πυθόμενον γὰρ αὐτὸν, ὡς βουλεύσαιντο εἰρήνην τίθεσθαι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον καὶ σπονδὰς ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλέα εἶναι, πάντα καταλιπόντα ἐνθάδε ἥκειν, καὶ οἴκοι γενόμενον τὸ μέλλον ἀποσκοπεῖν. δεδιέναι γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐλθεῖν, μὴ, 2.441 ἃ αὐτοῦ ἀπόντος λόγοις ἐψηφίσαντο, ἔργοις παρόντος τελεσθῇ, καὶ ἀπόληται αὐτὸς τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην ἔχων. εἰ μὲν οὖν, ἔφασκε, τῶν τοιούτων ὡς ἀλυσιτελεστάτων ἀπόσχησθε καὶ αὐτοὶ, καὶ τὸν πόλεμον, ὥσπερ ἐξαρχῆς, ἕλοισθε πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν λυσιτελέστατόν ἐστι, καὶ αὐτὸν ἕτοιμον εἶναι, πίστεις παρ' αὐτῆς δεξάμενον, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἀπαντήσει δυσχερὲς, πράττειν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσα ἂν οἴωνται συμφέρειν. εἰ δ' ἄρα ἄλλως ἔγνωκεν αὐτὴ καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην αἱροῖτο μᾶλλον, ἣ πολλῶν ἡμῖν ἔσται καὶ μεγάλων αἰτία συμφορῶν, σκεψάμενον καὶ αὐτὸν πράττειν ὅ,τι ἂν δοκῇ λυσιτελεῖν. πάντως δὲ δύνασθαι καὶ αὐτὸν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων εὖ διαθέσθαι τὰ καθ' ἑαυτόν. τοιαῦτα μὲν καὶ πρὸς βασιλίδα διὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου ἐπρεσβεύετο. παραγενομένου δὲ καὶ Γαβαλᾶ τοῦ μεγάλου λογοθέτου πρὸς αὐτὸν, τὰ μέγιστα ἔφασκεν ἐξηπατῆσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ, νομίζων πολὺ τοὺς ἄλλους παρελαύνειν συνέσει τε καὶ τῇ περὶ τὸ πράγμασι μεγάλοις χρῆσθαι ἐμπειρίᾳ. τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοσαῦτα εὐεργετηθέντα, ἔπειτα τὸν κατ' ἐκείνου πόλεμον συσκευασάμενον καὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν, καὶ πολλῶν αὐτῷ καὶ μεγάλων αἰτιώτατον συμφορῶν καὶ ὕβρεων γεγενημένον, ἔπειτα νῦν οἴεσθαι, εἰ γένοιτο εἰρήνη πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἡμέρου πειράσεσθαι καὶ προσηνοῦς, ἀλλὰ μὴ αὐτὸν καὶ γένος καινῷ τινι τρόπῳ καὶ ἀξίως τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὕβρεως διαφθερεῖν, οὐ σωφρονοῦντος ἄν τις τιθείη, οὐδὲ ὀρθῶς τὰ 2.442 πράγματα λογιζομένου. πολὺ γὰρ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς τὸν πόλεμον λυσιτελεῖν, ἢ τὴν εἰρήνην. πολεμοῦσι μὲν γὰρ ἐξέσται διασώζεσθαι μέχρι παντὸς καὶ ἄρχειν τῶν πραγμάτων. ἂν δ' ἐλάσσω γίνωνται τῶν ὄντων, οὐ χρὴ διὰ τοῦτο τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτοὺς καταπροΐεσθαι σωτηρίαν. βέλτιον γὰρ ὀλίγων ἄρχειν, ἢ ἐκείνων αὐξανομένων ὑπ' ἄλλοις εἶναι, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἀποθνήσκειν ἀκλεῶς. εἰρήνην δὲ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ποιουμένους, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅ,τι τῶν κινδύνων ἐξαιρήσεται. συνεβούλευέ τε αὐτῷ προσθέμενον αὖθις τὸν πόλεμον ἀνακινεῖν καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀνανεοῦν τοὺς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, λαμβάνειν τε τὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα πρὸς γάμον καὶ κοινῇ τόν τε πόλεμον ἀναδέχεσθαι καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἰθύνειν. ἐπὶ τούτοις ἔπειθε, καὶ ἐψηφίσαντο κοινῇ τὸν πόλεμον, ὤμνυόν τε τοὺς ὅρκους, ὥστε Γαβαλᾶν μὲν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον τῷ μεγάλῳ συναίρεσθαι δουκὶ, καὶ μηδέποτε περὶ εἰρήνης μήτ' αὐτὸν βουλεύσεσθαι, μήθ' ἑτέρῳ λέγοντι πεισθήσεσθαι· ἐκεῖνον δὲ αὐτῷ ἐκδοῦναι τὴν θυγατέρα, καὶ κατὰ μηδεμίαν πρόφασιν τὸν γάμον κωλυθῆναι, ἀλλὰ κἂν ὑπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς νόσου τὰ μέλη διαλωβηθῇ, κἂν ἐπιληψία ἢ μελαγχολία ἢ ὁποιαδήποτε νόσος ἐπιγένηται αὐτῷ, μηδὲν εἶναι τῶν τοιούτων κώλυμα τῷ γάμῳ. ογʹ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ Γαβαλᾶν διῴκει ᾗ μάλιστα ἐβούλετο, συστήσας τῷ πατριάρχῃ, ἔπεμπε πρὸς βασιλίδα. οἱ δὲ ἐλθόντες πρῶτα μὲν ἀπήγγελλον τοὺς ἐκείνου λόγους βασιλίδι, ἔπειτα συνεβούλευον, ὡς δικαία εἴη ἡ ἀξίωσις καὶ 2.443 ὁ πόλεμος μᾶλλον αἱρετέος. Καντακουζηνῷ δὲ οὐδένα ἕτερον δυνήσεσθαι ἀντιστήσεσθαι, ἢ τὸν μέγαν δοῦκα, ὡς ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων γέγονε καταφανές. ὅθεν δίκαιον ἐκεῖνον εὐνοοῦντα ἑαυτῇ καὶ συναιρόμενον ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν