394

for such a reason. The son of the megas doux, John Apokaukos, holding the dignity of megas primmikerios, having been entrusted with the rule of Thessalonica, was neither so disposed as to rage against those who seemed to have chosen the side of Emperor Kantakouzenos, nor did he openly cooperate with them. But seeing that the Zealots were growing very strong and were controlling the whole city by themselves, while for him only the empty name of rule was left over, he took it terribly 2.569 and was not moderately vexed. For Michael Palaiologos, who was a leader of the Zealots and had been appointed to rule jointly with him, was especially troublesome, using his authority inequitably. Therefore, he did not try to openly oppose them with war. For he feared the Zealots, who were many, and the populace which was led by them, especially because his father was still alive. But he planned to destroy them in some other way and to transfer the entire rule of affairs to himself, and he won over and made companions of the most prominent men and those who seemed to have chosen the side of Emperor Kantakouzenos, conversing with them pleasantly and hinting obscurely that he himself chose the same side as them. Since they very easily came over to his side and a not ignoble faction was formed around him, he immediately plotted to kill his co-ruler. And his friends especially urged him on, being hostile towards that man with all excess. For that man had omitted no act of drunken violence and bitterness against them during the time of the war, confiscating their properties, locking them in prisons, and sending most of them into exile, and showing every excess of wickedness. For he was especially clever at doing evil, and for a small cause and for suspicion alone, he would exact great penalties. When it was decided to kill him, and one of those who had previously suffered many evils from him undertook the deed, Apokaukos, having all his men armed indoors, so that 2.570 they would not be caught in the act of rebellion, withdrew to the most uninhabited parts of the city, suspecting a movement of the populace and the disturbance arising from the murder; and feigning to deliberate on some public matters, he summoned his co-ruler, as if to share in the council. But he, knowing nothing of what had been wickedly plotted, came to him with a few men around him. When ambiguous words were exchanged, Palaiologos, as he was accustomed to speaking to others from a position of superiority, then also made his replies harsher; but they, all the more, deliberately provoked him, turning to insults. And he, suspecting what was the case, that they wished to start a rebellion, started to flee, threatening to inflict the worst. But that man who had undertaken the deed, getting there first, thrust his sword into his bowels and killed him. Immediately, then, the Zealots withdrew and hid themselves in holes, and the populace was not at all vexed on behalf of the fallen man. For it had not previously been well disposed towards the Zealots. For they were acting insolently in divine matters just as in human ones, and displaying much wickedness. For not only did they commit injustice without fear and ravage the country by attacking it, and make public misfortunes the occasions for their own private prosperity, but also in the streets, filling certain cisterns with water, then lighting candles, seizing some of those who seemed to have chosen the side of Emperor Kantakouzenos, being from the populace, they re-baptized them as having 2.571 abjured their baptism on account of their association with him; and they ordered those passing by to deposit a specified amount of money for the festival. And it was necessary to act according to their command, or one was immediately suspected of having chosen the side of Emperor Kantakouzenos and of being vexed at their mockery. After this, getting drunk in taverns, they also made a mockery of the other Christian mysteries, while justice held back and the thunderbolts were neglectful. The populace also, hating their absurdity, and having previously been stirred up for certain reasons, mercilessly slaughtered some of the Zealots in the precinct of the Theotokos Acheiropoietos, and dragged one through the marketplace, striking him with stones and any pieces of wood at hand, until he expired while being dragged; and then not even

394

αἰτίας τοιαύτης. ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς υἱὸς Ἀπόκαυκος ὁ Ἰωάννης, μέγας ὢν πριμμικήριος τὴν ἀξίαν, τὴν ἀρχὴν Θεσσαλονίκης ἐπιτετραμμένος, οὔθ' οὕτως εἶχεν, ὥστε μαίνεσθαι κατὰ τῶν ᾑρῆσθαι δοκούντων τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως, οὔτε φανερῶς συνέπραττεν αὐτοῖς. ὁρῶν δὲ τοὺς Ζηλωτὰς ἰσχύοντας ἐπιπολὺ καὶ τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν ἄγοντας δι' ἑαυτῶν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ κενὸν ὄνομα τῆς ἀρχῆς περιλειπόμενον, δεινὰ ἐποιεῖτο 2.569 καὶ ἠγανάκτει οὐ μετρίως. Παλαιολόγος γὰρ ὁ Μιχαὴλ, κεφάλαιον ὢν τῶν Ζηλωτῶν καὶ συνάρχειν ἐκείνῳ τεταγμένος, λυπηρὸς ἦν μάλιστα, τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ χρώμενος οὐκ ἴσως. τὸ μὲν οὖν φανερῶς ἀντικαθίστασθαι πρὸς πόλεμον οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζεν. ἐδεδίει γὰρ πολλοὺς ὄντας τοὺς Ζηλωτὰς καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀγόμενον ὑπ' ἐκείνων, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐκείνῳ ἔτι ἔζη. ἐσκέψατο δὲ τρόπῳ δή τινι ἐτέρῳ διαφθείρειν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἅπασαν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν μετάγειν τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ τοὺς μάλιστα ἀρίστους καὶ τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ δοκοῦντας ᾑρῆσθαι τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπεποιεῖτο καὶ προσηταιρίζετο, συνομιλῶν ἡδέως καὶ παραφαίνων ἀμυδρῶς, ὡς τὰ ἴσα καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς αἱροῖτο. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκεῖνοι ῥᾷστα προσεχώρουν καὶ σύστημα ἦν περὶ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀγεννὲς, ἐπεβούλευεν εὐθέως ἀποκτείνειν τὸν συνάρχοντα. συνεξώρμων δὲ μάλιστα καὶ οἱ φίλοι, ἀπεχθῶς περὶ ἐκεῖνον μετὰ πάσης ἔχοντες ὑπερβολῆς. οὐδὲν γὰρ παροινίας καὶ πικρίας ἐκεῖνος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐνέλιπε κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον, τάς τε οὐσίας δημεύων καὶ δεσμωτηρίοις κατακλείων καὶ ὑπερορίους ποιῶν τοὺς πλείους, καὶ πᾶσαν κακίας ἐνδεικνύμενος ὑπερβολήν. ἦν γὰρ μάλιστα ἔχων εὐφυῶς περὶ τὸ κακουργεῖν, καὶ μικρᾶς ἕνεκα αἰτίας καὶ ὑποψίας μόνης μεγάλας δίκας ἀπαιτῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐδέδοκτο ἀποκτείνειν, καὶ ὑφίστατο τὸ ἔργον τις τῶν πρότερον ὑπ' ἐκείνου πολλὰ κεκακωμένων, Ἀπόκαυκος τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ἔχων πάντας ἔνδον ὡπλισμένους, ἵνα 2.570 μὴ ὦσι κατάφωροι νεωτερίζοντες, πρὸς τὰ τῆς πόλεως μάλιστα ἀοίκητα μέρη ὑπεχώρει, τοῦ δήμου τὴν κίνησιν ὑποπτεύων καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ φόνου ταραχήν· σκηψάμενος δέ τι βουλεύεσθαι τῶν κοινῶν, μετεκαλεῖτο καὶ τὸν συνάρχοντα, ὡς κοινωνήσοι τῆς βουλῆς. ὁ δὲ μηδὲν εἰδὼς τῶν ἐσκαιωρημένων ὀλίγους ἔχων περὶ αὐτὸν, ἧκε πρὸς ἐκεῖνον. λόγων δὲ ἀμφιβόλων κεκινημένων, ὁ Παλαιολόγος, οἷα δὴ πρότερον ἐκ τοῦ ὑπερέχοντος τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰθισμένος ὁμιλεῖν, καὶ τότε τραχυτέρας τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἐποιεῖτο· οἱ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐξεπίτηδες ἠρέθιζον τρεπόμενοι πρὸς ὕβρεις. ὁ δὲ ὑποπτεύσας ὅπερ ἦν, νεωτερίζειν βούλεσθαι ἐκείνους, ὥρμητο μὲν πρὸς φυγὴν, τὰ ἔσχατα διαθήσειν ἀπειλῶν. φθάσας δὲ ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὸ ἔργον ὑποστὰς, ὤθησε τὸ ξίφος κατὰ τῶν σπλάγχνων καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν. εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν οἱ Ζηλωταὶ ὑπεχώρουν καὶ κατεδύοντο εἰς χηραμοὺς, ὅ,τε δῆμος οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πεσόντος ἠγανάκτησεν. ἦν γὰρ οὐδὲ πρότερον καλῶς διακείμενος περὶ τοὺς Ζηλωτάς. ἦσαν γὰρ ὁμοίως καὶ περὶ τὰ θεῖα ὥσπερ καὶ περὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ὑβρίζοντες καὶ πολλὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι τὴν μοχθηρίαν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἠδίκουν ἀδεῶς καὶ διεπόρθουν τὴν χώραν ἐπιόντες, καὶ τὰς κοινὰς συμφορὰς ἀφορμὰς ποιούμενοι ἰδίας εὐπραγίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἀγυιὰς, δεξαμενάς τινας ὕδατος πληροῦντες, εἶτα καὶ ὑφάπτοντες κηροὺς, τινὰς τῶν τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ ᾑρῆσθαι δοκούντων βασιλέως συλλαμβάνοντες, ὄντας ἐκ τοῦ δήμου, ἀνεβάπτιζον ὡς ἀπο 2.571 μοσαμένους τὸ βάπτισμα διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου κοινωνίαν· τούς τε παριόντας ἐκέλευον ἀργύριον ῥητὸν κατατίθεσθαι εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν. καὶ ἦν ἀνάγκη πράττειν κατὰ τὸ ἐκείνων κέλευσμα, ἢ ὑποπτεύεσθαι αὐτίκα ἦν, ὡς τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ᾑρημένον καὶ ἀχθόμενον πρὸς τὴν ἐρεσχελίαν. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ μεθύοντες ἐν καπηλείοις, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐξωρχοῦντο τῶν Χριστιανῶν μυστήρια, τῆς δίκης ἀνεχομένης καὶ ἀμελούντων τῶν κεραυνῶν. ὧν τὴν ἀτοπίαν μισήσας καὶ ὁ δῆμος, πρότερόν τε ἔκ τινων αἰτιῶν κεκινημένος, τῶν Ζηλωτῶν τινας ἐν τῷ τῆς θεοτόκου τῆς ἀχειροποιήτου τεμένει τοὺς μὲν ἀπέσφαξαν ἀνηλεῶς, ἕνα δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατέσυραν, λίθοις βάλλοντες καὶ ξύλοις τοῖς προστυχοῦσιν, ἕως ἀπέπνευσε συρόμενος· καὶ τότε οὐδὲ