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having it from the Romans and he enjoyed the honor he deserved from the empress; but Theodore the brother returned to his own land, with the remaining army. After this, Orhan sent an embassy to the emperor Kantakouzenos and asked him to give his daughter to him in marriage; and he promised, if he would grant it, to eagerly ally with the Romans against every enemy; for he would no longer be an ally and friend, but a son, and would eagerly serve, both himself and his entire army, wherever he might command. But the emperor neither rejected the embassy, nor immediately agreed to the marriage, but having treated the ambassa 2.586 dors kindly and gently and having given them gifts, said that for now he would give no answer, but a little later he would make his response by sending an embassy. So Orhan's ambassadors returned to their own land. And the emperor deliberated with his household and those in office about the marriage, whether it was right to give his daughter to Orhan, and all, as if by a prearranged signal, said it was best to have Orhan as a steadfast ally and friend. The emperor also sent an embassy to Umur and inquired if it also seemed best to him to marry his daughter to Orhan. And he considered it best and advised to accept the marriage alliance. For the friendship and kinship of the barbarian, who was able to provide great help against the enemies of the Romans, was most advantageous for him. For even if he did not now need barbarians for the war against his countrymen, since they were already humbled and unable to resist him, yet if the entire Roman empire should come under his rule, he would have need of the Persian power against the neighboring rulers, who had done many wrongs and had torn away many cities and lands of the Romans. So he said he knew that, no matter what might happen, Orhan would not be able to show as much goodwill as he himself had toward the emperor. But nevertheless, that one was easily able to help. But he himself required much effort, coming to him through foreign land; but for Orhan, 2.587 who had subjected the continent opposite Thrace to himself, it was easy, whenever he wished, to provide ready assistance. For which reasons he advised to carry out the marriage alliance, as it would be most advantageous for the Romans; and even if it were not entirely to his liking, he would do nothing worthy of blame, since not a few of those who had reigned before him had given their own daughters to Scythians and certain other barbarians for the benefit of their subjects. Such things did Umur advise. And the emperor admired both the moderate spirit of Umur, because he admitted that Orhan was more advantageous than himself, and the guileless and pure nature of his judgment, because he did not hide what seemed advantageous, and he was persuaded by the advice. And sending an embassy to Orhan, he both betrothed his daughter, and ordered him to send an army, which would bring the woman to him. And he immediately sent thirty ships and not a few horsemen and the most distinguished of those under him. And the emperor, with as much of the Roman army as there was, came to Selymbria with his wife the empress and their daughters, and he ordered a platform to be made of wood before the city in the plain, so that upon it the emperor's daughter who was being married, standing, might become visible to all; for thus was it the custom for emperors to do for their daughters being led to marriage. Then he ordered the royal tent also to be pitched nearby. And when they were prepared, the empress with her daughters lodged for the night in the tent, 2.588 and the emperor with the army. And on the next day, the empress remained in the tent with her two remaining daughters, but Theodora, who was being married, went up onto the platform, and the emperor stood alone on horseback; and all the others were on foot. And so when the curtains were drawn aside—for the platform was covered on all sides with silken and gold-embroidered fabrics—the bride was revealed. And torches were lit around her on either side, which eunuchs, holding them while kneeling on one knee, were not visible. And trumpets sounded for a very long time and pipes and

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ἔχων ἐκ Ῥωμαίων καὶ τιμῆς ἀπέλαυε παρὰ βασιλίδος τῆς ἀξίας· Θεόδωρος δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἀνέστρεφεν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, τὴν ὑπολελειμμένην ἔχων στρατιάν. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ Ὀρχάνης πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα πρεσβείαν πέμψας ἠξίου ἐκδοῦναί οἱ πρὸς γάμον τὴν θυγατέρα· ἐπηγγέλλετό τε, εἰ παράσχοιτο, προθύμως συμμαχήσειν κατὰ παντὸς πολεμίου τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις· οὐκέτι γὰρ ἔσεσθαι σύμμαχον καὶ φίλον, ἀλλὰ υἱὸν, καὶ προθύμως δουλεύσειν αὐτόν τε καὶ τὴν σύμπασαν στρατιὰν, οἷ ἂν κελεύοι. βασιλεὺς δὲ οὔτε ἀπείπατο τὴν πρεσβείαν, οὔτ' εὐθὺς συνέθετο πρὸς τὴν ἐπιγαμίαν, ἀλλὰ προσηνῶς τε καὶ ἡμέρως τοῖς πρέ 2.586 σβεσι χρηματίσας καὶ δῶρα παρασχόμενος, νῦν μὲν ἔλεγε μηδὲν ἀποκρινεῖσθαι, ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγῳ πέμψας πρεσβείαν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ποιήσεσθαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν Ὀρχάνη πρέσβεις ἀνέστρεφον εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει ἐβουλεύετο περὶ τοῦ γάμου, εἰ χρὴ τὴν θυγατέρα τῷ Ὀρχάνῃ ἐκδιδόναι, καὶ πάντες ὥσπερ ἐκ συνθήματος κράτιστον εἶναι ἔλεγον Ὀρχάνην ἔχειν σύμμαχον καὶ φίλον βέβαιον. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ πρὸς Ἀμοὺρ πρεσβείαν πέμψας, εἰ δοκοίη βέλτιον εἶναι καὶ αὐτῷ τὴν θυγατέρα συνοικίζειν ἐπυνθάνετο Ὀρχάνῃ. ὁ δὲ ἄριστον ἡγεῖτο καὶ συνεβούλευε δέχεσθαι τὸ κῆδος. μάλιστα γὰρ αὐτῷ λυσιτελεῖν τὴν φιλίαν καὶ τὴν οἰκειότητα τοῦ βαρβάρου μεγάλα δυναμένου ὠφελεῖν κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίοις πολεμίων. εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ δέοιτο νυνὶ βαρβάρων πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὁμοφύλων πόλεμον, τεταπεινωμένων ἤδη καὶ μὴ δυναμένων ἀντικαθίστασθαι αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὖν εἰ πᾶσα ἡ Ῥωμαίων ὑπ' αὐτὸν γένοιτο ἡγεμονία, πρὸς τοὺς ὁμόρους δυνάστας δεήσεσθαι τῆς Περσικῆς δυνάμεως, πολλὰ ἠδικηκότας καὶ πολλὰς πόλεις καὶ χώρας τῆς Ῥωμαίων παρασπασαμένους. εἰδέναι μὲν οὖν ἔφασκεν, ὡς οὐδ' ἂν εἴτι γένοιτο, τοσαύτην Ὀρχάνης εὔνοιαν ἐπιδείξεσθαι δύναιτο, ὅσην αὐτὸς πρὸς βασιλέα. ἀλλ' οὖν εὐχερῶς ἐκεῖνον ἔχειν βοηθεῖν. αὐτὸν δὲ πολλῆς δεῖσθαι πραγματείας διὰ ἀλλοτρίας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰόντα γῆς· Ὀρχάνῃ δὲ τὴν ἀντι 2.587 πέραν Θρᾴκης ἤπειρον ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν πεποιημένῳ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι, ὅτε βούλοιτο, ῥᾳδίαν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπικουρίαν. δι' ἃ συνεβούλευε τὸ κῆδος ἐκτελεῖν, ὡς τὰ κράτιστα λυσιτελῆσον τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις· κἂν μὴ καὶ πάνυ κατὰ γνώμην ᾖ, οὐδὲν δὲ ποιήσειν ἄξιον αἰτίας, εἰ καὶ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βεβασιλευκότων οὐκ ὀλίγοι Σκύθαις καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ βαρβάροις τὰς θυγατέρας ἐξέδωκαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελοῦν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀμοὺρ παρῄνει. βασιλεὺς δὲ τό,τε μέτριον τοῦ φρονήματος ἐθαύμαζεν Ἀμοὺρ, ὅτι Ὀρχάνην αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ὡμολόγει λυσιτελεῖν, καὶ τὸ ἄδολον καὶ καθαρὸν τῆς γνώμης, ὅτι ἃ ἐδόκει λυσιτελεῖν, οὐκ ἀπεκρύπτετο, καὶ ἐπείθετο πρὸς τὴν παραίνεσιν. πέμψας δὲ πρεσβείαν πρὸς Ὀρχάνην, τήν τε θυγατέρα κατηγγυᾶτο, καὶ στρατιὰν ἐκέλευε πέμπειν, ἥτις ἄξει τὴν γυναῖκα πρὸς αὐτόν. ὁ δ' ἔπεμπεν αὐτίκα ναῦς τε τριάκοντα καὶ ἱππέας οὐκ ὀλίγους καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστέρους τῶν ὑπ' αὐτόν. βασιλεύς τε μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς Ῥωμαίων ὅση ἦν, ἧκεν εἰς Σηλυμβρίαν μετὰ γυναικὸς τῆς βασιλίδος καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων, καὶ ἐκέλευε πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ πρόκυψιν ποιεῖν ἐκ ξύλων, ἵν' ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἡ βασιλέως νυμφευομένη θυγάτηρ στᾶσα πᾶσι γένοιτο καταφανής· οὕτω γὰρ ἔθος εἶναι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι ποιεῖν ἐπὶ ταῖς θυγατράσι πρὸς γάμον ἀγομέναις. ἔπειτα ἐκέλευε καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν σκηνὴν ἐγγὺς ἱστᾷν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦσαν παρεσκευασμένα, ἡ βασιλὶς μὲν μετὰ τῶν θυγατέρων ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς ηὐλίσατο 2.588 τὴν νύκτα, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ βασιλὶς μὲν ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλοίπων δύο θυγατέρων, Θεοδῶρα δὲ ἡ νυμφευομένη ἐπὶ τὴν πρόκυψιν ἀνῆλθε, βασιλεὺς δὲ εἱστήκει ἔφιππος μόνος· οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἅπαντες πεζοί. οὕτω δὲ τῶν παραπετασμάτων περιαιρεθέντων, περικεκάλυπτο γὰρ ἡ πρόκυψις πανταχόθεν ὑφάσμασι σηρικοῖς καὶ διαχρύσοις, ἀνεφαίνετο ἡ νύμφη. καὶ λαμπάδες ἦσαν περὶ αὐτὴν ἡμμέναι ἑκατέρωθεν, ἃς εὐνοῦχοι κατέχοντες ἐπὶ γόνυ κεκλιμένοι οὐκ ἐφαίνοντο. σάλπιγγες δὲ ἤχησαν ἐπιπλεῖστον καὶ αὐλοὶ καὶ