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he would be killed, he would attack, while he was away with his army, and would subdue the cities in revenge. For which reasons it seemed necessary to return home as quickly as possible before the news concerning Suleiman became public. Amur, therefore, for such a reason, withdrew again to Ionia, although he had intended to remain with the emperor until the war was ended. And he with difficulty persuaded Sarhanes, providing great assurances that he himself had done no harm to his son, but was being slandered by those who had spoken. But the emperor came to Didymoteichon, greatly distressed about Pherai and the other cities in Macedonia. For he feared that they would be captured by the Triballi, which indeed happened a little later. For when the Kral learned that the Persian force had crossed to the east, he attacked Pherai again and took it, as those inside who had chosen his side acted when they seized the opportunity. And after this, being already arrogant and having seized the greater part of the Roman dominion, 2.552 he proclaimed himself emperor of the Romans and Triballi, and he bestowed the title of Kral on his son. ʹ. But Vatatzes the grand stratopedarch, having been left behind by the emperor with an army to raid and harass Byzantium, at first did damage to the country and plundered it with frequent attacks; but when the Byzantines, whose general was Aplesphares, marched against him, he joined battle and was victorious, and he both took many prisoners alive and killed many in the battle, and the general was also captured. But after the defeat of the Byzantines, Vatatzes, thinking that if he went over to the empress, he would be first and would rule over all securely, since the others were worthless in battles and wars, and especially because the patriarch was related to him by birth—for the son of Vatatzes had married his daughter—would especially cooperate with him toward his rule, sent to the empress and discussed agreements, and promised to oppose the emperor Cantacuzenus, being able himself to lead an army from the Persians against him. For he had a friendship with some of the satraps, both because he knew their language and spoke Persian, and especially because the emperor, for this reason, had ordered him to always be with the Persians during the time of the war; from which he came to be on familiar terms with them. The empress both gladly received his proposal and pro- 2.553 mised eagerly to do all that Vatatzes asked; for she considered it of the greatest importance that there be those who opposed the emperor. For the patriarch and the other rulers of the state utterly terrified her, telling many lies about the emperor, and they persuaded her that, if he should in some way subdue Byzantium, he would immediately kill her and her children in revenge for the outrages and the other evils that had been committed against him and his relatives. Therefore, she herself, out of cowardice, was now irreconcilably opposed to peace, although the emperor was always asking for it and sending letters to the patriarch about peace, which the bearers, upon arriving, would secretly throw near the patriarch's throne or somewhere else where it was least possible for them to go unnoticed; for they were afraid to deliver them openly, receiving no gentle returns for their embassies, even though he was always doing the opposite, fanning the flames of war as much as possible. Vatatzes, therefore, for the sake of such great hopes, chose to make war again on the emperor, and sending to the satrap of Lydia, he asked for an army as an alliance. But the emperor, since he was not unaware of Vatatzes' actions, as many were reporting them, sent Kalothetos the protosebastos and denounced his ingratitude and apostasy, and he attempted to persuade him not to commit such evil deeds, but to keep the oaths and agreements made to him, and he ordered him to come to him, as he would do everything that he might ask. But Vatatzes refused for the present 2.554 to come to him; for he said he was afraid to come to him so rashly and without oaths; for he did not deny that he had spoken with the empress about going over to her, but he promised to send to the emperor after a short time, to ask for oaths of amnesty for his apostasy. But these were excuses and pretexts; but the one from Lydia

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αὐτοῦ ἀναιρεθείη, ἐπίθηται, αὐτοῦ ἀπόντος μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ ὑπαγάγηται τὰς πόλεις ἀμυνόμενος. δι' ἃ ἐδόκει δεῖν τὴν ταχίστην οἴκαδε ἀναχωρεῖν πρὶν ἔκπυστα γενέσθαι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σουλιμάν. Ἀμοὺρ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τοιαύτης αἰτίας αὖθις εἰς Ἰωνίαν ἀπεχώρει, καίτοι γνώμην ἔχων, ἄχρις ἂν ὁ πόλεμος καταλυθῇ, συνέσεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ μόλις ἔπειθε Σαρχάνην, πίστεις μεγάλας παρεχόμενος, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτὸς περὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκείνου κακουργήσειεν, ἀλλὰ συκοφαντοῖτο ὑπὸ τῶν εἰπόντων. βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἧκεν, ἀνιώμενος πολλὰ περὶ Φερῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν κατὰ Μακεδονίαν πόλεων. ἐδεδίει γὰρ, μὴ ἁλῶσι Τριβαλοῖς, ὅπερ δὴ ἐγένετο ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐπύθετο ὁ Κράλης εἰς τὴν ἕω διαβὰν τὸ Περσικὸν, αὖθις ἐπιθέμενος Φεραῖς, εἷλε, τῶν τὰ ἐκείνου ᾑρημένων ἔνδον πραξάντων, ὡς ἐλάβοντο καιροῦ. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνος ἤδη μέγα φρονῶν καὶ τοῦ πλείονος μέρους τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς 2.552 ἐπειλημμένος, βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ἀνηγόρευε Ῥωμαίων καὶ Τριβαλῶν, τῷ δὲ υἱῷ τὴν τοῦ Κράλη παρείχετο προσηγορίαν. ʹ. Βατάτζης δὲ ὁ μέγας στρατοπεδάρχης, ὑπὸ βασιλέως καταλελειμμένος μετὰ στρατιᾶς, ὥστε κατατρέχειν Βυζάντιον καὶ κακοῦν, πρῶτα μὲν ἐποίει κακῶς τὴν χώραν καὶ ἐληΐζετο συχναῖς ἐφόδοις· ἐπιστρατευσάντων δὲ αὐτῷ τῶν Βυζαντίων, ὧν ἐστρατήγει Ἀπλησφάρης, ἐνίκησε συμβαλὼν καὶ ζῶντάς τε ἐκράτησε πολλοὺς καὶ ἀπέκτεινε κατὰ τὴν μάχην, ἑάλω δὲ καὶ ὁ στρατηγός. μετὰ δὲ τὴν Βυζαντίων ἧτταν ὁ Βατάτζης οἰηθεὶς, εἰ προσχωρήσει βασιλίδι, πρῶτος ἔσεσθαι αὐτὸς καὶ πάντων βεβαίως ἄρξειν, τῶν ἄλλων περὶ μάχας καὶ πολέμους οὐδενὸς ἀξίων ὄντων, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ πατριάρχης κατὰ γένος αὐτῷ προσήκων, τὴν γὰρ ἐκείνου θυγατέρα ὁ Βατάτζη ἔγημεν υἱὸς, πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ μάλιστα συμπράξειε, πέμψας πρὸς βασιλίδα διελέγετο περὶ συμβάσεων, καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο Καντακουζηνῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀντιτάξεσθαι, αὐτὸς δυνάμενος ἐκ Περσῶν στρατιὰν ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ἀγαγεῖν. ἦν γὰρ πρός τινας τῶν σατραπῶν φιλίαν ἔχων τῷ τε τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῶν εἰδέναι καὶ διαλέγεσθαι Περσιστὶ, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ βασιλεὺς παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐκέλευεν ἀεὶ συνεῖναι· ἐξ ὧν ἐγίνετο ἐν συνηθείᾳ πρὸς αὐτούς. ἡ βασιλὶς δὲ ἀσμένως τε ἐδέξατο τὸν λόγον καὶ πάντα προ 2.553 θύμως ἐπηγγέλλετο ποιήσειν, ὅσα ὁ Βατάτζης ᾔτει· περὶ πλείστου γὰρ ἐποιεῖτο τὸ τοὺς ἀνθισταμένους εἶναι βασιλεῖ. ἐξεφόβουν γὰρ κατάκρας πατριάρχης τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρχοντες, πολλὰ καταψευδόμενοι βασιλέως, καὶ ἔπειθον ἐκείνην, ὡς, εἰ τρόπῳ δή τινι Βυζάντιον ἐκεῖνος ὑποποιήσαιτο, αὐτὴν αὐτίκα καὶ παῖδας ἀποκτενεῖ τῶν ὕβρεων ἕνεκα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κακῶν τῶν εἰς ἐκεῖνον καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς γεγενημένων ἀμυνόμενος. διὸ πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην ἤδη καὶ αὐτὴ ὑπὸ δειλίας ἀσυμβάτως εἶχε, καίτοι βασιλέως ἀεὶ δεομένου καὶ γράμματα πατριάρχῃ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης πέμποντος, ἃ οἱ ἄγοντες παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πατριάρχου θρόνον ἢ ἄλλοθί που, ἔνθα μάλιστα οὐκ ἐνῆν λαθεῖν, λάθρα ἔῤῥιπτον ἐρχόμενοι· ἐδεδίεσαν γὰρ φανερῶς παρέχεσθαι, οὐχ ἡμέρους ἀμοιβὰς δεχόμενοι τῶν πρεσβειῶν, κἂν ἐκεῖνος τἀναντία ἔπραττεν ἀεὶ, τὸν πόλεμον ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν ἀνάπτων. Βατάτζης μὲν οὖν ἐλπίδων οὕτω μεγάλων ἕνεκα πολεμεῖν αὖθις ᾑρεῖτο βασιλεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Λυδίας σατράπην πέμψας, ᾔτει κατὰ συμμαχίαν στρατιάν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰ κατὰ Βατάτζην οὐκ ἠγνόει, πολλῶν ἀπαγγελλόντων, Καλόθετον τὸν πρωτοσέβαστον πέμψας, κατηγόρει τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ τὴν ἀποστασίαν, ἐπεχείρει τε πείθειν, μὴ τοιαῦτα κακουργεῖν, ἀλλὰ τηρεῖν τοὺς ὅρκους τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς συνθήκας, ἥκειν τε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκέλευεν, ὡς πάντα πράξων, ὧν ἂν δέοιτο. Βατάτζης δὲ ἀπηγόρευε τὸ νῦν ἔχον 2.554 ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν· δεδοικέναι γὰρ ἀπερισκέπτως οὕτω καὶ χωρὶς ὅρκων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξηρνεῖτο τὸ τῇ βασιλίδι περὶ τοῦ προσχωρεῖν αὐτῇ διαλεχθῆναι, μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ ἐπηγγέλλετο πρὸς βασιλέα πέμψειν, ὅρκους αἰτήσων ἀμνηστίας περὶ τῆς ἀποστασίας. ταῦτα δὲ σκήψεις καὶ προφάσεις ἦσαν· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ Λυδίας