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would consider fitting and possible; but to accept it and in no way attempt to overturn it. The Thessalonians, knowing this, sent envoys to him and requested not only tax exemption for the city in common, but also for the great primicerius and the other powerful men privately the appropriate honors and revenues, and for the army and the others after them, to each according to his rank. The son of the emperor, thinking it right not to be stingy, since he was about to bring so great a city to his father the emperor, granted everything the envoys requested, and showed great generosity in his benefactions. When the envoys returned to Thessalonica bearing the emperor's benefactions, the whole city was already openly acclaiming the emperor, and he was praised by every tongue, and the army and all the others were content with the honors given. But Andreas 2.575 Palaiologos was displeased that others were preferred, whom he thought he himself had a right to surpass, and he spoke out openly when all were gathered in the house of Apokaukos; and when a dissension arose, he withdrew in disorder. But those left behind only caused a disturbance and did nothing of what was necessary; and Palaiologos, fearing that he might perish while they were quarreling, immediately seized the gate toward the sea, as if it were a sort of garrison; around which live all the naval folk, who are very numerous and quick to murder, especially since they are all armed, as they are the strongest part of the populace, and in almost all seditions they themselves lead the entire multitude, which eagerly follows wherever they themselves may lead; they also have their own command, separate from that of the rest of the city; of which he was then in charge. Therefore, both because he was their commander and because of the other goodwill they had for him, they eagerly took up arms on his behalf and were ready to defend themselves against anyone who came against them. Kokalas, for his part, did not decide to remain quiet in the present circumstances, but was plotting against Apokaukos for the command; for he thought it belonged more to himself than to him. It was said that he also suspected he had been wronged by him concerning the marriage; for which reason he wished, if he could, to destroy him. Openly, therefore, he did not seem to oppose him, but by acting as an envoy between both parties for the purpose of reconciliation, he rather stirred up conflict and provoked the war. 2.576 Palaiologos summoned the Zealots, as many as were around Thessalonica; and some who had been hiding in sanctuaries suddenly appeared. And the entire populace was stirred up by them, and it was clear they would again move against the aristocrats. The great primicerius with the other citizens and the army, numbering over eight hundred, as it was said, thought it a terrible thing if they, being so many, should be defeated by Palaiologos alone with the men of the coast, for the rest of the populace had not yet clearly sided with either party; nevertheless Apokaukos did not neglect to proceed to negotiations, but sent Koteanitzes, a leader of the army, as an envoy to Palaiologos to discuss peace. But before he could say anything to him, the Zealots, falling upon him, for peace did not seem profitable to them, inflicted many blows with both swords and spears; but they were unable to strike him down as he was armored underneath, but he escaped, wounded only in the hand at the wrist. When Apokaukos learned of this outrage, he was eager to attack the men of the coast and the Zealots arrayed under Palaiologos, and he would have easily prevailed, attacking them while they were still unprepared, and since the entire populace was not yet arrayed with them; but Kokalas restrained him, deceiving him under the pretense of giving counsel. For he promised that he himself, without bloodshed, would persuade Palaiologos to come to them and be of one mind. At the same time, since night 2.577 had already fallen, Apokaukos with the army and the other citizens camped for the night armed before the acropolis. Palaiologos, in turn, passed the night at the gate toward the sea with the men of the coast and the Zealots, and a terrible confusion and disorder the

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νομίζοι προσήκοντα καὶ δυνατά· στέργειν δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον πειρᾶσθαι καταλύειν. ἃ καὶ Θεσσαλονικεῖς εἰδότες, ἔπεμπον τοὺς πρέσβεις πρὸς ἐκεῖνον καὶ ᾐτοῦντο οὐ μόνον ἀτέλειαν κοινῇ τῇ πόλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πριμμικηρίῳ τε τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τῶν δυνατωτέρων ἰδίᾳ τιμὰς καὶ προσόδους τὰς προσηκούσας καὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μετ' ἐκείνους ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν. ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως δὲ υἱὸς δίκαιον νομίσας μηδὲν μικρολογεῖν, τηλικαύτην γε πόλιν μέλλων προσάγειν πατρὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ, πάντα ὅσα ᾐτοῦντο παρείχετο οἱ πρέσβεις, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν φιλοτιμίαν περὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἐπεδείκνυτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην οἱ πρέσβεις ἐπανῆκον φέροντες καὶ τὰς βασιλέως εὐεργεσίας, ἡ πόλις μὲν ἤδη πᾶσα φανερῶς εὐφήμει βασιλέα, καὶ διὰ πάσης γλώσσης ᾔδετο, καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ταῖς δεδομέναις τιμαῖς ἠρκοῦντο. Ἀνδρέας δὲ 2.575 ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἐδυσχέραινεν ἄλλων προτιμωμένων, ὧν ᾤετο αὐτὸς δίκαιος εἶναι ὑπερέχειν, καὶ ἀντεῖπε φανερῶς πάντων ἠθροισμένων ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαύκου οἰκίᾳ· καὶ διχοστασίας γενομένης, ἀσυντάκτως ἀνεχώρει. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ὑπολειφθέντες, ἐθορύβουν μόνον καὶ τῶν δεόντων οὐδὲν ἐποίουν· δείσας δὲ ὁ Παλαιολόγος μὴ ὑπ' ἐκείνων διαφερομένων παραπόληται, αὐτίκα τὴν πρὸς θάλασσαν πύλην, ὥσπερ τινὰ κατελάμβανε φυλακήν· περὶ ἣν οἰκοῦσι πᾶν τὸ ναυτικὸν, οἱ πλεῖστοί τε ὄντες καὶ πρὸς φόνους εὐχερεῖς, ἄλλως τε καὶ ὡπλισμένοι πάντες, ὥσπερ τὸ κράτιστόν εἰσι τοῦ δήμου, καὶ σχεδὸν ἐν ταῖς στάσεσι πάσαις αὐτοὶ τοῦ παντὸς πλήθους ἐξηγοῦνται προθύμως ἑπομένου, ᾗ ἂν ἄγωσιν αὐτοί· ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ ἰδιάζουσαν ἀρχὴν αὐτοὶ παρὰ τὴν τῆς ἄλλης πόλεως· ὧν ἐκεῖνος τότε ἦρχε. διά τε οὖν τὸ ἄρχειν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην εὔνοιαν, ἣν εἶχον πρὸς αὐτὸν, προθύμως ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου ἀνελάμβανον τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι ἦσαν ἕτοιμοι παντὶ τῷ ἐπιόντι. Κωκαλᾶς δὲ οὐδ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἡσυχάζειν ἐγίνωσκεν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπεβούλευεν Ἀποκαύκῳ· μᾶλλον γὰρ ἑαυτῷ ἢ ἐκείνῳ ᾤετο προσήκειν. ἐλέγετο δὲ καὶ ὑπωπτευκέναι ἠδικῆσθαι παρ' ἐκείνου πρὸς τὸν γάμον· δι' ἃ ἐβούλετο εἰ δύναιτο διαφθείρειν. φανερῶς μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀντικαθίστασθαι ἐδόκει, ἀλλὰ πρεσβεύων παρ' ἑκατέροις ἐπὶ τῷ διαλύειν, μᾶλλον συνέκρουε καὶ παρώξυνε τὸν πόλε 2.576 μον. Παλαιολόγος δὲ τοὺς Ζηλωτὰς, ὅσοι περὶ Θεσσαλονίκην ἦσαν, μετεκαλεῖτο· ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ κατακρυπτόμενοι ἐν ἀδύτοις ἐξαίφνης ἀνεφαίνοντο. καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἅπας ἐξεκυμαίνετο ὑπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ δῆλοι ἦσαν αὖθις χωρήσοντες ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀρίστους. ὁ μέγας δὲ πριμμικήριος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ὑπὲρ ὀκτακοσίους ὄντες, ὡς ἐλέγετο, δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο, εἰ Παλαιολόγου μόνου μετὰ τῶν παραθαλασσίων, ὁ γὰρ ἄλλος δῆμος οὐδέπω οὐδετέροις καθαρῶς προσέκειτο, τοσοῦτοι ὄντες ἡττηθεῖεν· ὅμως Ἀπόκαυκος οὐκ ἠμέλει τοῦ μὴ χωρεῖν πρὸς τὰς συμβάσεις, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἔπεμπε τὸν Κοτεανίτζην πρεσβευτὴν, τῆς στρατιᾶς ὄντα ἡγεμόνα, διαλεξόμενον περὶ εἰρήνης. πρὶν δέ τι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἰπεῖν, οἱ Ζηλωταὶ προσπεσόντες, οὐ γὰρ ἐδόκει ἡ εἰρήνη αὐτοῖς λυσιτελεῖν, πολλὰς μὲν προσήνεγκαν πληγὰς καὶ ξίφεσι καὶ δορατίοις· καταβαλεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν τεθωρακισμένον ἔνδον ὄντα, ἀλλ' ἐξέφυγε, τὴν χεῖρα μόνην ἐπὶ τῷ καρπῷ τραυματισθείς. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ ἐπεὶ τὴν αὐθάδειαν ἐπύθετο, ὥρμησε μὲν ἐπελθεῖν τοῖς παραθαλασσίοις καὶ τοῖς Ζηλωταῖς ὑπὸ Παλαιολόγον τεταγμένοις, καὶ ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἐκράτησεν, ἔτι ἀπαρασκεύοις ἐπελθὼν, τοῦ τε δήμου μήπω παντὸς αὐτοῖς συντεταγμένου· ἐπέσχε δὲ ὁ Κωκαλᾶς ἀπατήσας ἐν προσχήματι βουλῆς. ἐπηγγέλλετο γὰρ αὐτὸς χωρὶς αἱμάτων Παλαιολόγον πείσειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐλθεῖν καὶ συμφρονῆσαι. ἅμα δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἤδη ἐπεγένετο καὶ ἡ 2.577 νὺξ, Ἀπόκαυκος μὲν μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν πρὸ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως ηὐλίσαντο τὴν νύκτα ὡπλισμένοι. Παλαιολόγος δὲ αὖθις ἐπὶ τῆς πρὸς θάλασσαν πύλης μετὰ τῶν παραθαλασσίων καὶ τῶν Ζηλωτῶν διενυκτέρευε, καὶ σύγχυσις δεινὴ καὶ ἀταξία τὴν