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of him, he withdrew again. For there was nothing that he could take outside the walls. And when he came to Adrianople, that city also came over to him, with Paraspondylos, its ruler, managing it, and the other fortresses, which were situated around it as around a mother city 2.526. And Tzernomianon also came over, being unable to hold out against the war, which was ruled by Hierax, who was one of the retainers of Emperor Andronikos, and who had done and said many things in the war against Emperor Kantakouzenos. In Adrianople there was also another of Emperor Andronikos' retainers, named Mankaphas. The emperor therefore summoned these three, Mankaphas, Hierax, and Paraspondylos, and said that he was not unaware that throughout the entire time of the war they had fought against him on behalf of the emperor with all zeal and eagerness. He was not, however, angry with them on this account, but rather praised them for having shown the zeal befitting retainers. For he was not angry either with the *parakoimomenos* or the others because they fought, but because they had slandered him from the beginning and continue to slander him now, stitching lie to lie and not allowing the war to be brought to an end. But nevertheless, even to those who had shown such ingratitude toward him, if they had wished to desist from their deceits and slanders and be reconciled with him concerning both public and private matters, he would have shown no bitterness, nor would he have remembered the many painful things done by them during the war, but would have regarded them gladly and with good will, and would have deemed them worthy of his former friendship and intimacy. Toward them, however, he bore not a trace of wrath or anger, nor did he consider that they had offended him, 2.527 because they had fought so much against him on behalf of the emperor, for they had done what was just and proper for loyal servants, especially since he himself was not an enemy of the emperor's children nor had he chosen to destroy them by every means, but rather had previously been eager for what was most beneficial to them and to the Romans, and now no less so, after so great a war and the unspeakable ingratitude and madness, which had been displayed by those who had started the war, supposedly on their behalf, but in truth against them. For he would now reveal his secret to them, that he had decided, if indeed it was in accordance with the will of God, if he should prevail over his enemies and become master of the emperor's children, having brought the entire Roman empire under his control, not to deprive them of their paternal rule, but, having administered affairs until the young Emperor John reached a mature age capable of governing the empire; then to hand over the rule to him. Since this was truly what he had decided, he was neither angry with those who had previously fought on his behalf, nor did he think that those who were with him and helping him conquer the empire were sinning against the young emperor, if they were rather going to help preserve the empire for him. For these reasons, he neither held any enmity toward them for what had happened before, nor did he think that in the future, if they wished to be with him, they would become 2.528 enemies of the young emperor, but that the choice of either course was up to them. For if they wished to stay with him, he would be pleased; and if they wished to withdraw to Byzantium, he would in no way hinder them, but would even give them gifts and send them off with good will. Such things the emperor said to them, and he gave them a deadline of three days, so that within this time they might consider and choose what seemed profitable. And they, acknowledging many thanks to the emperor for his good will and his providence toward them, decided after consideration that it was better to remain with the emperor, and on the third day they came and announced their decision, that they preferred to stay with him and were ready to endure every danger and hardship on his behalf, as he was both doing and wishing what was better and more profitable both for the Romans in common and for the emperor's children. For they themselves knew that those in charge of affairs in Byzantium had no sound intentions, but rather on the common misfortune all

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αὐτοῦ, αὖθις ἀνεχώρει. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἦν, ὃ λήψεται ἐκτὸς τειχῶν. καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ἐλθόντι, ἐκείνη τε ἡ πόλις προσεχώρει, τοῦ ταύτης ἄρχοντος Παρασπονδύλου πράττοντος, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα φρούρια, ἃ περὶ αὐτὴν ὡς περὶ μητέρα 2.526 ᾤκουν. καὶ ἡ Τζερνομιάνου δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ προσεχώρησεν, ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον μὴ δυναμένη, ἧς ἦρχεν ὁ Ἱέραξ, τῶν οἰκετῶν ὢν βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου, καὶ πολλὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον κατὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως πράξας καὶ εἰπών. ἐν τῇ Ἀδριανοῦ δὲ καὶ ἕτερός τις ἦν τῶν βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου οἰκετῶν, Μαγκαφᾶς ὠνομασμένος. τούτους δὴ οὖν τοὺς τρεῖς, Μαγκαφᾶν τε καὶ Ἱέρακα καὶ Παρασπόνδυλον, ὁ βασιλεὺς μεταπεμψάμενος, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖν μὲν ἔφασκεν, ὡς παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον πάντα πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ καὶ σπουδῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ βασιλέως ἐπολέμησαν. οὐ μέντοι διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὀργίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινεῖν, τὴν προσήκουσαν οἰκέταις ἐπιδεδειγμένους προθυμίαν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ παρακοιμωμένῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅτι ἐπολέμησαν ὀργίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅτι σεσυκοφαντήκασί τε ἐξαρχῆς καὶ ἄχρι νῦν συκοφαντοῦσι, ψεύδει ψεῦδος συῤῥάπτοντες καὶ τὸν πόλεμον οὐκ ἐῶντες καταλύεσθαι. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ κἀκείνοις τοσαύτην πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγνωμοσύνην ἐπιδεδειγμένοις, εἰ τῶν δόλων καὶ τῶν συκοφαντιῶν ἠθέλησαν ἀποστάντες διαλύεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν περί τε τῶν κοινῶν καὶ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς, οὐδεμίαν ἂν ἐνεδείξατο πικρίαν, οὐδὲ ἐπεμνήσθη τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον γεγενημένων παρ' αὐτῶν τοσούτων ἀλγεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἡδέως ἂν εἶδε καὶ εὐμενῶς, καὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας ἠξίωσε φιλίας καὶ συνηθείας πρὸς αὐτόν. πρὸς δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐδὲ ἴχνος μήνιδος φέρειν ἢ ὀργῆς, οὐδὲ προσκεκρουκέναι αὐτῷ νομίζειν, 2.527 ὅτι ὑπὲρ βασιλέως αὐτῷ τοσαῦτα ἐπολέμησαν, τὰ γὰρ δίκαια καὶ τὰ προσήκοντα δούλοις εὐγνώμοσι πεποιηκέναι, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι οὐδ' αὐτός ἐστι πολέμιος τῶν βασιλέως παίδων καὶ διαφθείρειν ἐκείνους ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ᾑρημένος, ἀλλὰ πρότερόν τε τὰ μάλιστα ἐκείνοις καὶ Ῥωμαίοις συνοίσοντα σπουδάζειν, καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἧττον μετὰ τὸν τοσοῦτον πόλεμον καὶ τὴν ἄφατον ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ μανίαν, ἣν οἱ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων δῆθεν, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ κατ' ἐκείνων τὸν πόλεμον κεκινηκότες ἐνεδείξαντο. ἐκκαλύψειν γὰρ ἤδη τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον αὐτοῖς, ὡς εἴη βεβουλευμένος, εἴγε καὶ κατὰ γνώμην εἴη θεῷ, εἰ περιγένοιτο τῶν πολεμούντων καὶ κύριος τῶν βασιλέως παίδων κατασταίη, πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν Ῥωμαίων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν πεποιημένος, μὴ τῆς πατρῴας ἀρχῆς ἀποστερεῖν, ἀλλὰ διοικήσαντα τὰ πράγματα ἄχρις ἂν βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος Ἰωάννης πρὸς ἡλικίαν εὔφρονα ἀφίκηται καὶ δυναμένην ἄγειν τὴν ἀρχήν· ἔπειτα αὐτῷ παραδιδόναι τὴν ἡγεμονίαν. τούτου γοῦν ἀληθῶς οὕτω κεκριμένου παρ' αὐτῷ, οὔτε τοῖς πρότερον ὀργίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου πεπολεμηκόσιν, οὔτε τοὺς συνόντας καὶ συγκατακτωμένους τὴν ἀρχὴν πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν νέον οἴεσθαι ἐξαμαρτάνειν, εἰ μέλλουσιν ἐκείνῳ μᾶλλον τὴν ἀρχὴν συνδιασώζειν. ὧν ἕνεκα καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὔτε περὶ τῶν πρὶν γεγενημένων ἀπεχθάνεσθαι, οὔτε τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον, ἂν αὐτῷ βούλωνται συνεῖναι, βασιλεῖ τῷ νέῳ οἴεσθαι 2.528 πολεμίους γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὴν αἵρεσιν εἶναι ἑκατέρου. ἄν τε γὰρ βούλωνται συνεῖναι, ἡδέως ἔχειν· ἄν τε πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἀναχωρεῖν, οὐδὲν κωλύσειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δῶρα παρασχόμενον, μετ' εὐμενείας ἀποπέμψειν. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς ἐκείνους διειλέχθη, καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν παρείχετο προθεσμίαν, ὡς ἐν ταύταις διασκεψάμενοι τὰ δοκοῦντα ἕλοιντο λυσιτελεῖν. οἱ δὲ πολλὰς ὁμολογοῦντες χάριτας τῆς εὐμενείας βασιλεῖ καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς προνοίας, ἐπισκεψαμένοις ἐδέδοκτο μᾶλλον συνεῖναι βασιλεῖ, μετὰ τὴν τρίτην προσελθόντες ἀπήγγελλον τὴν γνώμην, ὡς μᾶλλον αἱροῦνται τὸ αὐτῷ συνδιατρίβειν καὶ πρόθυμοι εἶναι πάντα κίνδυνον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ πόνον ὑπομένειν, ὡς τὰ βελτίω καὶ λυσιτελοῦντα καὶ Ῥωμαίοις κοινῇ καὶ τοῖς βασιλέως παισὶ καὶ πράττοντι καὶ βουλομένῳ. τοὺς γὰρ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρχοντας εἰδέναι καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς διανενοημένους, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ κοινῇ κακοπραγίᾳ πάντα