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that you will lay aside both the imperial power and the rule and will surrender the cities unjustly held and tyrannized over, and you yourself will live the life of a monk dwelling on holy Athos or somewhere else, wherever it may seem best, we ourselves are content with this, and nothing else remains than to give a deadline, by which you will surrender the cities to us. And concerning edicts and rights and of those held in prisons, whether they will be released, or whether we will restore to them what was justly taken away, and concerning provision for your companions you make no mention. For we are capable of considering such things and of doing whatever seems expedient and just.” Having written such things and having signed them themselves with their own signatures, after summoning the Latin, they said they had done everything that he himself had requested and Kantakouzenos had begged for, and they showed the letters, signed, as if all the terms concerning the peace were contained in them; and at the same time they gave them to him. But he, being entirely unacquainted with the Greek dialect and letters, satisfied with the words and the signatures, having professed many thanks to them for their goodwill and concern for the Romans, 2.521 departed. And with great haste he came to Didymoteichon, also carrying the letters. And meeting the emperor and addressing him, he said, “Behold, I have come bringing you good news concerning the peace. For the patriarch and the megas doux, along with the others of the senate, have eagerly accomplished all that you yourself asked, and with letters they themselves have especially made the end of the war certain.” And he immediately presented the letters. And when the emperor had read them, smiling slightly, "Have you read," he said, "the letters, for which you have traveled so great a distance, or did you simply and without examining them, employing your familiar and companionable simplicity, come carrying them, knowing nothing of what was written in them?” And when he said that he had understood nothing, nor had he supposed anything bad about them, but that he had been persuaded without examination and simply by the words and signatures of the patriarch, just as he would rightly do also with the Pope, and by those of the megas doux and the other officials, and had come to him with all haste and eagerness, as if everything which he himself considered most important had already been accomplished; the emperor explained everything point by point and interpreted the meaning of what was written. And as he was indignant at the deception and astonished at their shamelessness and the wickedness of their ways, “One should not be surprised,” said the emperor, “nor be distressed at being deceived, if you yourself have chosen to live for truth, while they have cared for falsehood, slander, and deception throughout their lives; but from these few things in particular one can understand what sort of deeds were committed concerning the other matters during 2.522 the time of the war. For they have spared no excess of deceit and falsehood up to now since the death of the emperor, by which means they persuaded the empress to choose war in the beginning and even now, by deceiving her, they do not allow a settlement with me. So for them, who have chosen such things and are kindling the war, may God measure out rewards worthy of their choice, and all the Romans will know that the war and the destruction and the enslavements are not because of him, but because of them. And you should even be grateful to them for deceiving you, because they have caused you to come to us. After the emperor had said such things to Arrigo concerning the letters, he turned to other matters, such as are fitting for friends with one another. 85. And while these things were being accomplished, the megas doux also marched against the fortress of Empyrion and having besieged it for three days and having made an attempt on the walls, since he accomplished nothing, as those inside defended themselves vigorously, he departed again for Byzantium. And having come to Hieron, a city lying at the mouth of the Pontus, he attempted, as he claimed, to demand tribute from all who sailed to the Pontus for trade. But this was impossible, as he did not rule the sea. And he, already perceiving that the emperor had subjected all the cities on the mainland except for a few, and that after a short time he would also have those, and Byzantium would be besieged by the frequent

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ὡς ἀποθήσῃ τε τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὰς ἀδίκως κατεχομένας καὶ τυραννουμένας πόλεις παραδώσεις, αὐτὸς δὲ μονάζοντος βίον ζήσεις ἐν Ἄθῳ τῷ ἱερῷ ἢ ἄλλοθί που, ὅπη ἂν δοκῇ, καθήμενος, στέργομεν καὶ αὐτοὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο λείπεται, ἢ διδόναι προθεσμίαν, καθ' ἣν ἡμῖν τὰς πόλεις παραδώσεις. περὶ δὲ προγραμμάτων καὶ δικαιωμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις κατεχομένων, εἰ ἀπολυθήσονται, ἢ εἰ ἀποδώσομεν αὐτοῖς τὰ δικαίως ἀφῃρημένα, καὶ περὶ προνοίας τῶν σοὶ συνόντων μηδένα λόγον σὺ ποιοῦ. ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἱκανοὶ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων σκέπτεσθαι καὶ ποιεῖν, ἅττα ἂν δοκῇ λυσιτελῆ καὶ δίκαια.» τοιαῦτα γράψαντες καὶ οἰκείαις καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑποσημηνάμενοι ὑπογραφαῖς, τὸν Λατῖνον μεταπεμψάμενοι, πάντα, ἔφασαν, ἅ τε αὐτὸς ἠξίου καὶ Καντακουζηνὸς ἱκέτευε, πεποιηκέναι, καὶ ἐδείκνυσαν τὰ γράμματα ὑπογεγραμμένα, ὡς αὐτοῖς τῶν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης λόγων πάντων περιειλημμένων· ἅμα δὲ καὶ παρείχοντο αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ διαλέκτου τε τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς καὶ γραμμάτων ὢν ἄπειρος παντάπασι, τοῖς λόγοις ἀρκεσθεὶς καὶ ταῖς ὑπογραφαῖς, πολλὰς αὐτοῖς ὁμολογήσας χάριτας τῆς εὐγνωμοσύνης καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων τῆς κηδεμο 2.521 νίας, ἀπεχώρει. καὶ σπουδῇ πολλῇ πρὸς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἧκεν ἔχων καὶ τὰ γράμματα. συντυχὼν δὲ βασιλεῖ καὶ προσφθεγξάμενος, «ἰδού σοι» εἶπεν «εὐαγγέλια κομίζων ἥκω περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης. πάντα γὰρ, ὅσαπερ αὐτὸς ᾔτου, πατριάρχης τε καὶ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῆς συγκλήτου κατεπράξαντο προθύμως καὶ γράμμασι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν διάλυσιν βεβαίαν τοῦ πολέμου μάλιστα πεποίηνται.» παρείχετό τε καὶ τὰ γράμματα αὐτίκα. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἀνέγνω, μικρὸν ὑπομειδιάσας, «ἀνέγνως» εἶπε «τὰ γράμματα, ἃ τοσαύτην ἔχων ἤνυσας ὁδὸν, ἢ ἁπλῶς οὕτω καὶ ἀπεριέργως, τῇ φίλῃ καὶ συντρόφῳ χρώμενος ἁπλότητι, μηδὲν εἰδὼς τῶν ἐγγεγραμμένων, ἧκες ἔχων;» τοῦ δὲ μηδὲν περινενοημένον, μηδὲ φαῦλον περὶ αὐτῶν εἰπόντος οἰηθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἀπεριέργως καὶ ἁπλῶς τοῖς τε λόγοις καὶ ταῖς ὑπογραφαῖς πεισθῆναι πατριάρχου, ὥσπερ ἂν δικαίως ἐποίει καὶ πρὸς Πάπαν, καὶ ταῖς μεγάλου δουκὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐν τέλει, καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν, ὡς πάντων ἤδη ἠνυσμένων, ἃ αὐτὸς ἡγεῖτο περὶ πλείστου· πάντα ὁ βασιλεὺς καθ' ἕκαστον ἐξηγεῖτο καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἡρμήνευε τῶν γεγραμμένων. τοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάτην ἀγανακτοῦντος καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀναισχυντίαν καὶ τὸ κακόηθες τῶν τρόπων ἐκπληττομένου, «οὐ χρὴ θαυμάζειν,» εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς «οὐδ' ἀνιᾶσθαι ἀπατώμενον, εἰ αὐτὸς μὲν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν εἵλετο ζῇν, ἐκείνοις δὲ ψεύδους καὶ συκοφαντίας καὶ ἀπάτης ἐμέλησε παρὰ τὸν βίον· ἀλλ' ἐκ τούτων μάλιστα τῶν ὀλίγων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν κατὰ 2.522 τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον εἰργασμένων συνορᾷν ὁποῖα ἦν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδεμιᾶς ἐφείσαντο ὑπερβολῆς ἀπάτης καὶ ψεύδους εἰς δεῦρο ἐκ τῆς βασιλέως τελευτῆς, ἐξ ὧν βασιλίδα τε ἔπεισαν τὸν πόλεμον ἑλέσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ μέχρι νῦν ἐξαπατῶντες οὐκ ἐῶσι διαλύεσθαι ἐμοί. ἐκείνοις μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα ᾑρημένοις καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἀνάπτουσι, θεός τε τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀντιμετρήσειε τῆς προαιρέσεως ἀξίας, καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι πάντες εἴσονται, ὡς οὐ δι' αὐτὸν ὁ πόλεμος καὶ ἡ φθορὰ καὶ οἱ ἀνδραποδισμοὶ, ἀλλὰ δι' ἐκείνους γίνεται. αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ χάριν αὐτοῖς ἐξαπατήσασιν εἰδέναι, ὅτι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφικέσθαι παρεσκεύασαν. τοιαῦτα πρὸς Ἀρῆγον περὶ τῶν γραμμάτων ὁ βασιλεὺς διαλεχθεὶς, ἐτράπετο ἐφ' ἕτερα, ἃ προσήκει φίλοις πρὸς ἀλλήλους. πεʹ. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐτελεῖτο, καὶ ὁ μέγας δοὺξ ἐστράτευσε κατὰ Ἐμπυρίτου τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ πολιορκήσας ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις καὶ ἀποπειράσας τῶν τειχῶν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲν ἤνυε, τῶν ἔνδον εὐρώστως ἀμυνομένων, αὖθις εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀπῆρε. καὶ πρὸς τῷ Ἱερῷ γενόμενος, κατὰ τὸ στόμα τοῦ Πόντου κειμένῃ πόλει, ἐπεχείρει, ὥσπερ ἔφασκε, τοὺς κατ' ἐμπορίαν πλέοντας ἐπὶ τὸν Πόντον πάντας φόρους ἀπαιτεῖν. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἀδύνατον, μὴ θαλασσοκρατοῦντα. ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἤδη συνορῶν, ὡς τὰς μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἤπειρον πάσας πόλεις ὑπεποιήσατο πλὴν ὀλίγων ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἔμελλε δὲ μετὰ μικρὸν κἀκείνας, καὶ Βυζάντιον πολιορκοίη ταῖς συχναῖς