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At first, knowing nothing about Momitzilos, they inquired about where he might be. But when they learned that he and the entire army had fallen during the battle, they lamented the death of their own, and surrendered the city to the emperor. And the emperor showed great clemency towards Momitzilos’ wife. For he ordered that none of her possessions be taken away, but that, keeping everything, she could either remain on Roman land if she wished, or return to her homeland; for she was from Mysia. And she preferred to withdraw to her homeland, and taking everything, she departed for the Mysians. 37. But the emperor, since he had disposed of Momitzilos, thought it necessary to also pursue Krales, who was committing injustices and breaking treaties. For he, seeing that the war among the Romans was utterly destroying all their affairs, 2.535 paid little heed to the agreements with the emperor, seized other cities subject to the Romans, and besieging Pherae for a long time, reduced it to great want and was now in hopes of taking it shortly; and at the same time some were plotting from within, that the people of Pherae, having revolted from Roman rule, would willingly join the Triballians, as Krales promised them to appoint them rulers of the city, if they persuaded the citizens to this; of whom the leader was Manuel Asanes, paternal uncle to the empress Irene. But Constantine Palaiologos, the uncle of the emperor Andronikos, and Demetrios Tzamblakon the megas stratopedarches, his son-in-law, being loyal to the Roman cause, both opposed those plotting for the Triballians and made every effort so that such a city would not be lost to Roman rule, and sent to the emperor asking for help. The emperor, knowing these things, judged it necessary to send an embassy to Krales, and if he would withdraw from Pherae, he himself would also keep the oaths and the treaties; but if the other broke them first, to march against him with the Persian army. And when this was decided, sending John Bryennios, he ordered him to withdraw from Pherae, as the city belonged to him, and for the future to trouble in no way neither it, nor any other of the cities subject to the Romans. For he himself always remembered the goodwill and honor which he had enjoyed while staying with him, and he thought it just to be mindful of the good deed. Therefore, when he had renounced the trea 2.536 ties at Berroia and afterwards openly made war and had manifestly broken the oaths and the treaties, he himself was not moved to anger, nor wished to retaliate, but to renew the treaties and the oaths, and to return as much favor as possible for his friendship. But if he himself would not be persuaded, nor wish to desist from breaking treaties and committing injustices, but would besiege the cities, he should not bring blame upon him, if he were to defend himself, as one who had transgressed the treaties and acted ungratefully toward his benefactor, when he was most in need. Such things the emperor conveyed through his embassy to Krales. At the same time, having his army, he advanced toward Christopolis, and encamped in a village called Gabriel, intending to arrive at Pherae and to take thought for the other cities, as many as were faring badly under the Triballian war. While these things were happening, Apokaukos the megas doux, seeing now that the emperor Kantakouzenos had brought all the mainland cities under his control, and that he had almost the entire Roman army and such a great alliance from the barbarians, and that it was impossible for him to oppose him from the mainland, first considered persuading the Byzantines to heed him through strictness and justice in legal cases; then he also deceived them with empty hopes, as if in dreams promising to make the most destitute very rich, if he should set up the transport ship that would 2.537 collect money from the merchants. But when everything was exposed as deceit and trickery, and everyone now mocked him without fear, fearing that some revolt might arise against him, he planned to transfer all his power to the sea and to change the government into a tyranny. And first to establish a navy and hoplites, and with these for the triremes

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πρῶτα μὲν, οὐδὲν εἰδότες περὶ Μομιτζίλου, ἐπυνθάνοντο περὶ ἐκείνου ὅπη εἴη. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἐπύθοντο πεσόντα αὐτὸν καὶ σύμπαν τὸ στρατόπεδον, τῶν μὲν οἰκείων ἀπωδύροντο τὴν τελευτὴν, βασιλεῖ δὲ τὴν πόλιν παρεδίδουν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς πολλὴν περὶ τὴν Μομιτζίλου γυναῖκα ἐπεδείκνυτο τὴν ἐπιείκειαν. ἐκέλευε γὰρ μηδὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀφαιρεῖν αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἔχουσαν, ἢ μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἂν ἐθέλῃ γῆς, ἢ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανέρχεσθαι· ἐκ Μυσίας γὰρ ἦν. ἡ δὲ μᾶλλον εἵλετο τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀναχώρησιν, καὶ πάντα ἔχουσα, ἀπῇρεν εἰς Μυσούς. πζʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἀπεσκεύαστο Μομιτζίλον, ἐδόκει δεῖν καὶ Κράλην μετιέναι ἀδικοῦντα καὶ παρασπονδοῦντα. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ τὸν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμον ὁρῶν πάντα τὰ αὐτῶν διαφθεροῦντα ἄρδην, ὀλίγα τῶν πρὸς βασιλέα συνθηκῶν 2.535 φροντίζων, ἄλλας τε πόλεις τῶν Ῥωμαίοις ὑπηκόων εἷλε, καὶ Φερὰς ἐπὶ χρόνον συχνὸν πολιορκῶν, ἐν μεγάλῃ κατέστησεν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ ἤδη ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἦν μετὰ μικρὸν ἑλεῖν· ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔνδον ἔπραττόν τινες, ὡς Φεραῖοι, τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἀποστάντες, προσχωρήσουσιν ἑκόντες Τριβαλοῖς, τοῦ Κράλη αὐτοῖς ὑποσχομένου τῆς πόλεως ἀποδείξειν ἄρχοντας, ἂν τοιαῦτα τοὺς πολίτας πείθωσιν· ὧν ἦν κεφάλαιον Ἀσάνης ὁ Μανουὴλ, θεῖος πρὸς πατρὸς Εἰρήνῃ τῇ βασιλίδι. Παλαιολόγος δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου θεῖος, καὶ Τζαμπλάκων ∆ημήτριος μέγας στρατοπεδάρχης ὁ τούτου γαμβρὸς τὰ Ῥωμαίων φρονοῦντες, ἀντέπραττόν τε τοῖς πράττουσι τὰ Τριβαλλῶν, καὶ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν εἰσῆγον, ὥστε μὴ τοιαύτην πόλιν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα ἔπεμπον δεόμενοι βοηθεῖν. ἃ εἰδὼς βασιλεὺς ἔκρινε δεῖν πρεσβείαν ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς Κράλην, κἂν μὲν ἀπόσχηται Φερῶν, τηρεῖν καὶ αὐτὸν τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τὰς σπονδάς· ἂν δ' ἐκεῖνος διαλύῃ πρότερος, χωρεῖν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἅμα στρατιᾷ τῇ Περσικῇ. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐδέδοκτο, πέμψας Ἰωάννην τὸν Βρυέννιον, ἐκέλευεν ἀναχωρεῖν Φερῶν, ὡς αὐτῷ τῆς πόλεως διαφερούσης, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ μηδὲν παρενοχλεῖν μήτ' αὐτὴν, μήτ' ἄλλην τῶν Ῥωμαίοις ὑπηκόων πόλεων. αὐτὸν μὲν γὰρ ἀεὶ μεμνῆσθαι τῆς εὐνοίας καὶ τιμῆς, ἧς ἀπέλαυσε διατρίβων παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ δίκαιον εἶναι οἴεσθαι τῆς εὐποιΐας ἀπομνημονεύειν. διόπερ αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς Βεῤῥοίᾳ τὰς σπον 2.536 δὰς ἀπειπαμένου καὶ ὕστερον πεπολεμηκότος φανερῶς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους καταλελυκότος προφανῶς καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς, αὐτὸν μὴ κεκινῆσθαι πρὸς ὀργὴν, μηδὲ ἀμύνεσθαι ἐθέλειν, ἀλλὰ τὰς σπονδὰς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀνανεοῦν, καὶ χάριν ἀποδιδόναι τῆς φιλίας ὅση δυνατή. ἂν δὲ μὴ πείθηται αὐτὸς, μηδὲ ἀφίστασθαι ἐθέλῃ τοῦ παρασπονδεῖν καὶ ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ πολιορκῇ τὰς πόλεις, μὴ αὐτῷ ἐπάγειν αἰτίαν, ἂν ἀμύνηται, ὡς παραβεβηκότι τὰς σπονδὰς καὶ ἀγνωμονοῦντι πρὸς τὸν εὖ πεποιηκότα, ἡνίκα μάλιστα ἐδεῖτο. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπρεσβεύετο πρὸς Κράλην. ἅμα δὲ ἔχων καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν, πρὸς Χριστούπολιν ἐχώρει, καὶ ἐστρατοπεδεύετο ἐν κώμῃ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ προσαγορευομένῃ, ὡς ἀφιξόμενος εἰς Φερὰς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων πρόνοιαν ποιησόμενος, ὅσαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Τριβαλικοῦ πολέμου ἔπραττον κακῶς. τούτων δὲ πραττομένων, Ἀπόκαυκος ὁ μέγας δοὺξ ὁρῶν ἤδη τὰς μὲν ἠπειρώτιδας πόλεις πάσας Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν πεποιημένον, καὶ τήν τε Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰν ὀλίγου δεῖν ἅπασαν ἔχοντα αὐτὸν καὶ τοσαύτην ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων συμμαχίαν, καὶ ὡς ἀδύνατον αὐτῷ ἀντικαθίστασθαι ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου, πρῶτα μὲν ἐσκέψατο διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὰς δίκας ἀκριβείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης πείθειν Βυζαντίους αὐτῷ προσέχειν· ἔπειτα καὶ κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐξηπάτα, ὥσπερ ἐν ὀνείροις πλουσιωτάτους ἐξ ἀπόρων ἐπαγγελλόμενος ποιήσειν, ἂν τὴν ὁλκάδα στήσῃ τὴν 2.537 ἀργυρολογήσουσαν τοὺς ἐμπόρους. ὡς δὲ πάντα ἐξηλέγχετο ἀπάτη καὶ φενακισμοὶ, καὶ πάντες ἤδη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπέσκωπτον ἀδεῶς, δείσας μή τι νεωτερισθῇ περὶ αὐτὸν, ἐσκέψατο πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν μετάγειν καὶ πρὸς τυραννίδα τὴν πολιτείαν μεθιστᾷν. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ναυτικὸν συστήσασθαι καὶ ὁπλίτας, καὶ τούτοις πρός τε τὰς τριήρεις