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having it to bring to the emperor. So the plot was as follows. And Monomachos acted according to what had been commanded, and he revealed the plot, saying that he found the inhumanity and wickedness of those who sent him intolerably abominable and that he preferred to be with the emperor on account of the gentleness and goodness of his character, and he offered the poison in a glass vessel. The emperor, therefore, praised Monomachos for his fairness, and immediately rewarded him with gifts for revealing the plot, and he was going to treat him even better still. He ordered Potamiates to take the poison and bury it; and going out of the city, he buried it. But upon returning, he touched food without washing his hands; for he did not suspect it had such power, that, while enclosed in glass and contained by many other coverings, it could do harm from touch alone. But it was so potent and active, that Pota 2.598 miates was barely able to escape the danger from it. For continuous diarrhea of the bowels and severe pains of the stomach seized him, and his entire mouth had broken out in blisters. And his teeth seemed to be falling out, with the surrounding membranes having become necrotic. But by using theriacs and other antidotes, he barely escaped death. He was sick for no short time; and everything around his mouth was so numbed, that for a long time he could sense no quality of taste. The poison, therefore, had such power. But his friends from Byzantium advised the emperor not to trust Monomachos, but to be on his guard against the man; for it had been so arranged by those who sent him, that he should first willingly hand over the poison, so that he might be thought to be loyal, but later, however, to bring another, more dangerous than that one. The emperor, immediately sending for him, inquired whether the things written about him by his friends were true. He denied it, but offered weak defenses and of such a kind as to arouse suspicion. But the emperor did him no harm, but only ordered him to withdraw and not to remain with him, and he withdrew immediately. So the emperor spent the greater part of the time in Selymbria, so that he could communicate with his friends in Byzantium. But a certain Tzyrakes, one of the empress's servants, being displeased with what was being done and pitying the great misfortune of the Romans, and seeing that the rulers in Byzantium were neither able 2.599 to resist the emperor, nor were they making any account of peace, but had decided only this: to rule affairs themselves, and they took no thought for anything else, and thinking that if the emperor Kantakouzenos should in some way rule all affairs, the misfortunes of the Romans would be resolved, and the empire, which had experienced misfortunes of such magnitude from the continuous wars, would proceed to something better, and having won over not a few others as associates, he was taking action so that Byzantium might come under the emperor, and sending word, he made it known to the emperor who was staying in Selymbria. And he accepted the plan, and promised to do all that they asked. But the Latins in Galata, as we have said, being exceedingly hostile toward Phakeolatos because their countrymen had been killed, were themselves eager to kill him, and sending frequent embassies to the empress they asked for Phakeolatos to be handed over to them, if she did not wish to have them as enemies. But the empress, being unwilling to give up Phakeolatos (for he himself was at that time one of those chosen to rule and was cooperating with the mystikos Kinnamos and the panhypersebastos Asan in the war against the emperor), and also thinking that to be at war with the Latins was not profitable for her rule, neither sent them away openly, as though they were making unjust demands, nor did she yield to do anything against Phakeolatos, but wished somehow to resolve the dispute gently and graciously. And she said she would reply to the Latins after first properly considering 2.600 what they were asking. But she ordered Phakeolatos to take precautions for himself, lest he be plotted against by the Latins attacking by day or by night. So he immediately surrounded himself with a guard, and was suspected by no one, likewise in the palace

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ἔχοντα προσάγειν βασιλεῖ. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπιβουλὴ τοιαύτη ἦν. καὶ ὁ Μονομάχος ἐποίει κατὰ τὰ κεκελευσμένα, καὶ τήν τε ἐπιβουλὴν ἐμήνυε, τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν καὶ μοχθηρίαν τῶν πεμψάντων φάσκων βδελύξασθαι οὐ ἀνεκτῶς καὶ μᾶλλον βούλεσθαι συνεῖναι βασιλεῖ διὰ τὴν ἡμερότητα καὶ χρηστότητα τῶν τρόπων, καὶ τὸ φάρμακον παρεῖχεν ἐν ἀγγείῳ ὑελίνῳ. τὸν μὲν οὖν Μονομάχον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπῄνει τῆς ἐπιεικείας, καὶ αὐτίκα ἠμείβετο δωρεαῖς διὰ τὴν μήνυσιν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς καὶ ἔτι ἔμελλε μᾶλλον εὖ ποιήσειν. τὸ δὲ φάρμακον τὸν Ποταμιάτην ἐκέλευε λαβόντα κατορύττειν· καὶ κατώρυττε τῆς πόλεως ἐξελθών. ἀναστρέψας δὲ ἥπτετο τροφῆς μὴ νιψάμενος τὰς χεῖρας· οὐ γὰρ ὑπώπτευε τοσαύτην ἔχειν δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐν ὑελίνῳ κατακεκλεισμένον, καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἑτέρων περιεχόμενον ἐπιβλημάτων, ἀπὸ μόνης βλάπτειν δύνασθαι ἁφῆς. τὸ δὲ οὕτως ἄρα ἐνεργὸν καὶ δραστήριον ἦν, ὡς μόλις δυνηθῆναι Ποτα 2.598 μιάτην τὸν παρ' ἐκείνου κίνδυνον διαφυγεῖν. διάῤῥοιαί τε γὰρ κοιλίας κατέσχον συνεχεῖς καὶ περιωδυνίαι τοῦ στομάχου, καὶ ἅπαν τὸ στόμα φλυκτίδας ἦν ἐξηνθηκός. καὶ οἱ ὀδόντες ἐδόκουν καταπίπτειν, τῶν περιεχόντων ὑμένων νεκρωθέντων. θηριακαῖς δὲ χρησάμενος καὶ ἑτέροις ἀντιδότοις μόλις τὸ ἀποθανεῖν διέφυγεν. ἐνόσησε δὲ οὐκ ὀλίγον χρόνον· οὕτω δὲ νενάρκωτο τὰ περὶ τὸ στόμα πάντα, ὡς ἐπιπολὺ μηδεμιᾶς αἰσθάνεσθαι ποιότητος. τὸ μὲν οὖν δηλητήριον τοιαύτην εἶχε τὴν δύναμιν. οἱ φίλοι δὲ ἐκ Βυζαντίου βασιλεῖ μὴ θαῤῥεῖν παρῄνουν Μονομάχῳ, ἀλλὰ φυλάττεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα· οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι συνεσκευασμένον παρὰ τῶν πεμψάντων, ὥστ' αὐτὸν μὲν πρότερον ἑκόντα παρασχεῖν τὸ φάρμακον, ὡς ἂν νομίζοιτο εὔνους εἶναι, ὕστερον μέντοι προσάγειν ἕτερον ἐκείνου χαλεπώτερον. ὃν αὐτίκα μεταπεμψάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, εἰ ἀληθῆ τὰ περὶ ἐκείνου γεγραμμένα ἐπυνθάνετο παρὰ τῶν φίλων εἴη. ὁ δ' ἠρνεῖτο μὲν, σαθρὰς δὲ παρείχετο ἀπολογίας καὶ οἵας ὑποπτεύεσθαι. βασιλεὺς δὲ κακῶς μὲν οὐδὲν ἐποίει, ἀναχωρεῖν δὲ μόνον ἐκέλευε καὶ μὴ αὐτῷ συνεῖναι καὶ αὐτίκα ἀνεχώρει. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν τὸν πλείω χρόνον διέτριβεν ἐν Σηλυμβρίᾳ, ἵν' ἐξῇ τοῖς ἐν Βυζαντίῳ φίλοις διαλέγεσθαι. Τζυράκης δέ τις τῶν βασιλίδος οἰκετῶν, δυσανασχετῶν πρὸς τὰ πραττόμενα καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην Ῥωμαίων οἰκτείρων κακοπραγίαν, συνορῶν τε, ὡς οἱ μὲν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἄρχοντες οὔτ' ἀντέχειν πρὸς βασιλέα οἷοίτε 2.599 εἰσὶν, οὔτε περὶ εἰρήνης οὐδένα ποιοῦνται λόγον, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μόνον ἐγνώκασι τὸ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτοὶ ἄρχειν, τῶν δ' ἄλλων οὐδενὸς πρόνοιαν ποιοῦνται, καὶ νομίσας, εἰ Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τρόπῳ δή τινι τῶν πραγμάτων συμπάντων ἄρξειε, λυθήσεσθαι Ῥωμαίοις τὰς συμφορὰς, καὶ ἐπί τι βέλτιον χωρήσειν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, ὑπὸ τῶν συνεχῶν πολέμων τοσούτῳ μεγέθει χρησαμένην συμφορῶν, καὶ ἄλλους οὐκ ὀλίγους προσεταιρισάμενος, ἔπραττεν, ὅπως ὑπὸ βασιλέα γένοιτο Βυζάντιον, καὶ πέμψας ἐδήλου βασιλεῖ κατὰ Σηλυμβρίαν διατρίβοντι. ὁ δὲ ἐδέχετό τε τὴν πρᾶξιν, καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ᾐτοῦντο, ἐπηγγέλλετο ποιήσειν. οἱ ἐν Γαλατᾷ δὲ, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, Λατῖνοι ἀπεχθῶς ἄγαν πρὸς Φακεωλάτον διακείμενοι διὰ τὸ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἀνῃρῆσθαι, αὐτοί τε ἐσπούδαζον ἀποκτείνειν, καὶ πρὸς βασιλίδα συχνὰς ποιούμενοι πρεσβείας ἐκδοθῆναι σφίσι τὸν Φακεωλάτον ᾔτουν, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο πολεμίους ἔχειν. βασιλὶς δὲ Φακεωλάτον τε προΐεσθαι μὴ βουλομένη, ἦν γὰρ τότε καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν ᾑρημένων ἄρχειν καὶ μυστικῷ τῷ Κιννάμῳ καὶ Ἀσάνῃ τῷ πανυπερσεβάστῳ συμπράττων πρὸς τὸν κατὰ βασιλέως πόλεμον, τό,τε Λατίνοις πολεμεῖν οὐ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτῇ νομίζουσα πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὔτ' ἀπέπεμπε φανερῶς, ὡς ἄδικα πρεσβεύοντας, οὔτ' ἐνεδίδου τι κατὰ Φακεωλάτου πράττειν, ἀλλ' ἠπίως πως καὶ προσηνῶς ἠβούλετο διαλύειν τὴν διαφοράν. καὶ Λατίνοις μὲν ἔφασκεν ἀποκρινεῖσθαι πρότερον καλῶς περὶ ὧν ἀξιοῦσι διασκεψαμέ 2.600 νην. Φακεωλάτῳ δὲ ἐκέλευε πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι, μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν Λατίνων ἐπιβουλευθῇ ἡμέρας ἢ νυκτὸς ἐπιθεμένων. ὁ μὲν οὖν αὐτίκα περιέστησεν ἑαυτῷ φρουρὰν, καὶ ὑπωπτεύετο παρ' οὐδενὸς, ὁμοίως ἐν βασιλείοις