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And the patriarch, siding with the one accusing Palamas and those around him of heresy, for he did not even keep his hands off God because of his hatred for the emperor Kantakouzenos, even though he himself had driven Barlaam out of the flock like a pestilence and a plague and had passed judgment against him, while the blessed emperor Andronikos was still alive and had not only condemned Barlaam but had also convicted him of heresy with scriptural proofs and logical necessities, he held Palamas in prison, as well as all those who held the same beliefs as him about the faith, and mistreated them as much as he could; and he stirred up a war against the church similar to the imperial one. For, needing no trial, nor refutations, nor proofs, he condemned in absentia not a few of the bishops and of the chosen monks, and he raged greatly against piety throughout the entire time of the war, with not a few of the magistrates supporting him in these matters. For they saw that this faction, too, contributed not a little to the war against the emperor. For the emperor Kantakouzenos seemed wronged by all alike, and they were eager to put an end to the kindled civil war, as it would be the cause of many evils; evils which it seemed unprofitable for the magistrates to hear mentioned, either in the presence of the empress or other Romans. Therefore, throughout the time of the war, against 2.604 those who had not chosen the side of Akindynos, the patriarch showed great madness, both against monks and bishops alike. The empress was not entirely unaware of the things being dared; but she thought the monks were suffering such things because they had chosen the side of Kantakouzenos. But when the evil had grown to a great extent, those bishops who were not themselves corrupted in their doctrines made the matters concerning the patriarch clear to the empress in letters, and they accused him of great malice and distortion of the right doctrines. And she, as soon as she learned of it, did not resort to delays, nor did she consider matters concerning God worthy of little concern, but putting every other concern in second place, she attended to this one thing alone: to stop the evil for the church which was suffering badly and being warred against. And summoning the bishops who brought the letter, since she heard terrible things in their accusations, it seemed necessary to gather a synod from those present and to call the patriarch for his defense. Therefore, the bishops gathered in the palace at the empress's command, except for those who had openly chosen the side of the emperor Kantakouzenos. For those were shut up in their dwellings and did not go out; but even in their absence they made clear the opinion they held concerning the matter. The synod, with the empress and her son the emperor presiding, undertook the examination of the doctrines. 9. While these things were being carried out, someone came from Selymbria 2.605 and reported that on this night Kantakouzenos would be near the walls of Byzantium, 2.605 and that the empress must be on guard. And he insisted that he knew this most clearly, having been sent by those who shared his secrets. But the empress, when she heard, thinking it was a deception contrived by the patriarch’s friends so that, while she was disturbed by the news, he might escape paying the penalty for what he had dared against God, said she would not get up, even if she knew for certain that Kantakouzenos would be within the walls that night. So she spoke thus, thinking the news was not true. But it was, in fact, true. For after arranging from Selymbria a deadline with those who were arranging the capture, at which he was to be present and they were to break through the Golden Gate which had been walled up, he set out for Adrianople, having selected the best of the army, numbering over a thousand, so that he would not be conspicuous by bringing many; and having traveled through uninhabited and untrodden ways, he was late for the appointed time by one day, delayed by some necessity; and he struggled with many thoughts, fearing that his agents, having broken through the gate according to the signal, he might be absent, and they might be caught in the act and killed by the people. and he was unbearably distressed not only because of the failure

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Παλαμᾷ δὲ καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν κακοδοξίαν ἐγκαλοῦντι, προσθέμενος καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης, οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ θεοῦ ἀπέσχετο διὰ τὸ πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἔχθος, καίτοι γε αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ Βαρλαὰμ τῆς ποίμνης οἷα λύμην ἀπελάσας καὶ φθορὰν καὶ δίκην κατ' ἐκείνου πεποιημένος, ἔτι καὶ βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου τοῦ μακαρίου περιόντος καὶ Βαρλαὰμ οὐ μόνον καταψηφισαμένου, ἀλλὰ καὶ γραφικαῖς ἀποδείξεσι καὶ ἀνάγκαις λογικαῖς ἀπελέγξαντος κακοδοξεῖν, Παλαμᾶν τε ὁμοίως καὶ ὅσοι τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ περὶ τῆς πίστεως ἐφρόνουν, ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις εἶχε καὶ ἐκάκου ὅσα δυνατά· καὶ πόλεμον ἐκίνει κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῷ βασιλικῷ παρόμοιον. δίκης γὰρ οὐδεμιᾶς οὐδ' ἐλέγχων, οὐδ' ἀποδείξεων δεόμενος, τῶν τε ἐπισκόπων οὐκ ὀλίγων καὶ τῶν λογάδων τῶν μοναχῶν κατεψηφίζετο ἐρήμην, καὶ πολὺς ἔπνει παρὰ πάντα τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν οὐκ ὀλίγα συναιρομένων. ἑώρων γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ὀλίγα συναιρόμενον πρὸς τὸν πρὸς βασιλέα πόλεμον. πᾶσι γὰρ ὁμοίως ἀδικεῖσθαι Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδόκει, καὶ διὰ σπουδῆς ἦγον τὸ καταλύεσθαι τὸν ἀναῤῥιπισθέντα πόλεμον συγγενικὸν, ὡς αἴτιον ἐσόμενον πολλῶν κακῶν· ἃ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν οὐ λυσιτελεῖν οὔτε πρὸς βασιλίδα, οὔτε πρὸς ἄλλους Ῥωμαίους ἀκούεσθαι ἐδόκει. πολλὴν μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον κατὰ 2.604 τῶν μὴ τὰ Ἀκινδύνου ᾑρημένων τὴν μανίαν ἐπεδείκνυτο ὁ πατριάρχης ὁμοίως κατά τε μοναχῶν καὶ ἐπισκόπων. ἡ βασιλὶς δὲ ἀνήκοος μὲν οὐ παντάπασι τῶν τολμωμένων ἦν· ᾤετο δὲ τοὺς μοναχοὺς διὰ τὸ τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ ᾑρῆσθαι τοιαῦτα ὑπομένειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ηὔξητο ἐπὶ μέγα τὸ κακὸν, ὅσοι τῶν ἐπισκόπων μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ διεφθαρμένοι ἦσαν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι, τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην γράμμασιν ἐποίουν βασιλίδι δῆλα, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν κακοήθειαν καὶ τὴν διαστροφὴν τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων ἐνεκάλουν. ἡ δὲ, ὡς ἐπύθετο μόνον, οὐ πρὸς ἀναβολὰς ἐχώρησεν, οὐδὲ ὀλίγης ἄξια φροντίδος ἡγήσατο εἶναι τὰ περὶ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἄλλην σπουδὴν ἐν δευτέρῳ τιθεμένη, ἑνὶ τούτῳ προσεῖχε μόνῳ, τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ κακῶς πασχούσῃ καὶ πολεμουμένῃ στῆσαι τὸ κακόν. καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφέροντας τὴν γραφὴν μεταπεμψαμένη ἐπισκόπους, ἐπεὶ δεινὰ ἤκουε κατηγορούντων, ἐδόκει δεῖν σύνοδον ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων συναθροίζειν καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην καλεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν. ἐγένοντο μὲν οὖν ἐν βασιλείοις οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, κελευούσης βασιλίδος, πλὴν τῶν ὅσοι ἦσαν φανερῶς τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ᾑρημένοι. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἀπρόϊτοι ἐν οἰκήσεσι κατεκλείοντο· πλὴν καὶ ἀπόντες τὴν γνώμην, ἣν ἔχουσι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος, ἐδήλουν. ἡ σύνοδος δὲ, προκαθημένης βασιλίδος καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ βασιλέως, τὴν ἐξέτασιν τῶν δογμάτων ἐποιεῖτο. θʹ. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐτελεῖτο, ἐκ Σηλυμβρίας τις ἐλθὼν 2.605 ἐμήνυεν, ὡς ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐγγὺς εἴη Βυζαντίου τειχῶν 2.605 ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς, ὃ φυλάξασθαι δέον βασιλίδα. ἰσχυρίζετό τε σαφέστατα εἰδέναι παρὰ τῶν τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα κοινωνούντων αὐτῷ πεμφθείς. βασιλὶς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο, ἀπάτην εἶναι οἰηθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῶν πατριάρχου φίλων συνεσκευασμένην, ἵν', αὐτῆς πρὸς τὴν ἀγγελίαν θορυβηθείσης, τὸ δοῦναι δίκην ἐκεῖνος διαδρῴη ἐφ' οἷς ἐτόλμησε κατὰ θεοῦ, οὐκ ἔφη ἀναστήσεσθαι, εἰ καὶ σαφῶς εἰδείη ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ Καντακουζηνὸν ἐσόμενον ἐντὸς τειχῶν. ἡ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα ἀπεφθέγξατο μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ τὴν ἀγγελίαν οἰηθεῖσα. τὸ δὲ ἦν ἄρα ἀληθές· ὡς γὰρ ἐκ Σηλυμβρίας μετὰ τὸ προθεσμίαν συνθέσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πράττοντας τὴν ἅλωσιν, ἐν ᾗ αὐτόν τε παρεῖναι ἔδει κἀκείνους τὴν χρυσῆν πύλην διορύττειν ἀπῳκοδομημένην, εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν ἀπῇρε, τὸ κάλλιστον ἀπολεξάμενος τῆς στρατιᾶς ὑπὲρ χιλίους ὄντας, ἵνα μὴ κατάφωρος εἴη ἐπαγόμενος πολλούς· καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀοικήτων καὶ ἀτριβῶν ὁδεύσας ὑστέρησε μὲν τῆς προθεσμίας ὑπό τινος ἀνάγκης κωλυθεὶς ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ· καὶ πολλοῖς ἐπάλαιε λογισμοῖς, δεδοικὼς, μὴ διορύξαντες οἱ τὰ ἐκείνου πράττοντες κατὰ τὸ σύνθημα τὴν πύλην, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπῇ, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου διαφθαρῶσιν ἁλόντες ἐπ' αὐτοφώρῳ. καὶ ἐδυσχέραινεν οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἀποτυχίαν