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having given up their possessions and families and themselves for the sake of defeating the enemy, then when they thought they had won, to suddenly appear completely defeated and enslaved to those whom it was possible to be enslaved to even before, if they had wished, having been freed from those many hardships. For three days, then, they contended, not to do the same as the others, nor to subject themselves to servitude under the new emperor. But the emperor Cantacuzenus, seeing their opposition, issued a certain concise decision, and one full of austerity. For he ordered those not wishing to submit to his son-in-law to depart from him as well. For he said he did not wish to compel anyone to serve him, just as before, but if anyone wished to be ranked under him, it was entirely necessary to also consider the emperor, his son-in-law, as lord; but if one did not wish to submit to him, to also withdraw from him, 3.11 since it was not possible otherwise, than in this way, for the dissensions and the strife to be removed from their midst. So the emperor said such things in anger. But those who had previously resisted, fearing the emperor's threat, both yielded and swore the oaths as the emperor commanded. After this, he decreed that no one should trouble anyone about things seized during the war except for properties; for those holding these were to return them to their owners. But if any had sold or destroyed them, they were neither to return the purchase price, nor indeed to be compelled to restore them to their original condition. So to those who had done wrong and seized things, the emperor granted such a favor, but for those who had been wronged and deprived of their own things, he remedied their want in other ways. And in this way, in a short time, he removed all dispute and pretext for disturbance, and the affairs of the Romans were again in order and peace. Then he sent to summon the empress his wife with their daughters from Adrianople. And when they were present in the sanctuary of the Mother of God before the city, which is also called the Spring of abundant healings, with the empress Anne having come out and the emperors being present together and all those in office and the illustrious, Helen, who was about to be married to the new emperor, at the command of her father and the empress Anne, was adorned with the imperial insignia and was proclaimed empress of the Romans. Then in the palace, with all the emperors being together, the wedding 3.12 of the new emperor was being prepared, and all were in better hopes, having taken a breath from the hardships of the war. For not only did the Romans cease from their dispute and strife with one another, but also the foreign enemies, having learned that the entire rule of the Romans had come to be under the emperor Cantacuzenus, ceased from making war. For not only were the neighboring potentates attempting to tear away some part of the Roman dominion, but also the marquis, the ruler of Lombardy, being the grandson of the first emperor Andronicus and deeming that the rule of the Romans belonged to him more than to others, for indeed his father Theodore had disputed with the new emperor Andronicus over the rule of the Romans, having learned that Cantacuzenus had become emperor among the Romans and had taken away all the other dominion from the emperor's children, and only Byzantium and Thessalonica and Ainos remained, he considered that he himself, by attacking with a naval force, could take possession of these remaining cities, which belonged to him more by paternal inheritance than for the emperor Cantacuzenus to have them. And he was especially urged to this also by his wife's brother Cumintzes, called Cardinalis, who was providing much money for the fleet and much other contribution for the preparation. And he was already prepared, so that at the beginning of spring of that year he would sail against the Byzantines with a great naval force. 2. But having learned from a certain Bartholomew, that the emperor Cantacuzenus had already subjugated Byzantium and all the other dominion of the Romans, he refrained from the undertaking. For this Bartholomew, having come as an ambassador from the Dauphin of Vienne to the empress Anne, since while he was serving as ambassador the emperor Cantacuzenus prevailed

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χρήματα προέμενοι καὶ οἰκείους καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ νικᾷν τοὺς πολεμίους, ἔπειτα ὅτε ἔδοξαν κεκρατηκέναι, ἀθρόον φαίνεσθαι κατάκρας ἡττημένους καὶ δουλεύοντας ἐκείνοις, οἷς ἐξῆν καὶ πρότερον δουλεύειν, εἰ ἐβούλοντο, τῶν πολλῶν ἐκείνων δυσχερῶν ἀπαλλαγέντας. ἐπὶ τρισὶ μὲν οὖν ἡμέραις ἐφιλονείκουν, μὴ ταὐτὰ ποιεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις, μηδὲ ὑπάγειν ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν νέον δουλείᾳ. Καντακουζηνὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἔνστασιν ὁρῶν, σύντομόν τινα τὴν ἀπόφασιν καὶ αὐστηρίας ἐξήνεγκε μεστήν. τοὺς γὰρ μὴ βουλομένους τῷ γαμβρῷ ὑπείκειν ἐκέλευε καὶ αὐτοῦ ἀναχωρεῖν. βιάζεσθαι γὰρ οὐκ ἐθέλειν ἔφασκέ τινα αὐτῷ δουλεύειν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ πρότερον, ἀλλ' εἰ μέν τις βούλοιτο τετάχθαι ὑπ' αὐτῷ, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα καὶ βασιλέα τὸν γαμβρὸν ἡγεῖσθαι κύριον· εἰ δ' ἐκείνῳ μὴ βούλοιτο ὑπείκειν, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἀφίστασθαι, 3.11 ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν ἄλλως, ἢ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, τὰς διχοστασίας καὶ τὴν ἔριν ἐκ μέσου γίνεσθαι. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς τοιαῦτα εἶπε πρὸς ὀργήν. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οἱ πρότερον ἀνθιστάμενοι, δείσαντες τὴν βασιλέως ἀπειλὴν, εἶκόν τε καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀπεδίδοσαν ᾗ ἐκέλευεν ὁ βασιλεύς. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐθέσπιζε μηδένα μηδενὶ παρενοχλεῖν περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἡρπασμένων πλὴν τῶν κτήσεων· ταύτας γὰρ τοὺς ἔχοντας ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς κυρίοις. εἰ δέ τινες ἀπέδοντο ἢ διέφθειραν, μήτε τὴν ὠνὴν ἀποδιδόναι, μήτε μὴν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον σχῆμα ἀναγκάζεσθαι καθιστᾷν. τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἀδικήσασι καὶ ἡρπακόσιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοιαύτην παρείχετο φιλοτιμίαν, τοῖς δὲ ἀδικηθεῖσι καὶ ἀποστερουμένοις τῶν οἰκείων ἑτέροις τρόποις ἐθεράπευσε τὴν ἔνδειαν. καὶ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ πᾶσαν ἀμφισβήτησιν περιεῖλε καὶ πρόφασιν θορύβου, καὶ ἐν εὐταξίᾳ πάλιν καὶ εἰρήνῃ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἦν. ἔπειτα ἐκ τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ βασιλίδα τὴν γαμετὴν μετὰ τῶν θυγατέρων μετεκαλεῖτο πέμψας. ἐπεὶ δὲ παρῆσαν ἐν τῷ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως τῆς θεομήτορος τεμένει, ὃ πηγή τέ ἐστιν ἀφθόνων ἰαμάτων καὶ καλεῖται, βασιλίδος Ἄννης ἐξελθούσης καὶ τῶν βασιλέων συμπαρόντων καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει πάντων καὶ ἐπιφανῶν, Ἑλένη ἡ τῷ νέῳ μέλλουσα βασιλεῖ συνοικεῖν, προστεταχότος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Ἄννης τῆς βασιλίδος, ἐπισήμοις ἐκοσμεῖτο βασιλικοῖς καὶ Ῥωμαίων βασιλὶς προσηγορεύετο. ἔπειτα εἰς τὰ βασίλεια πάντων ἅμα βασιλέων γενομένων, οἱ γάμοι 3.12 τοῦ νέου βασιλέως παρεσκευάζοντο, καὶ πάντες ἐν ἐλπίσι χρηστοτέραις ἦσαν, ἀναπνεύσαντες ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ πολέμου δυσχερῶν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπαύοντο διαφορᾶς καὶ στάσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν πολέμιοι πυθόμενοι, ὡς ὑπὸ βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν ἅπασα ἡ Ῥωμαίων γένοιτο ἡγεμονία, ἐπαύοντο πολεμεῖν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ οἱ ὅμοροι δυνάσται παρασπᾷν τι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἐπεχείρουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαρκέσης ὁ Λουμπαρδίας ἄρχων, υἱωνὸς ὢν τοῦ πρώτου βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ προσήκειν τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον ἀξιῶν, καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῷ Θεόδωρος Ἀνδρονίκῳ τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ περὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἠμφισβήτει, πυθόμενος, ὡς βασιλεύσειε παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς καὶ τὴν μὲν ἄλλην ἅπασαν ἀρχὴν ἀφέλοιτο τῶν βασιλέως παίδων, Βυζάντιον δὲ μόνον καὶ Θεσσαλονίκη καὶ Αἶνος ὑπολείποιτο, ἐσκέπτετο, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπελθὼν δυνάμει ναυτικῇ τῶν ὑπολελειμμένων τουτωνὶ πόλεων κρατήσειε μᾶλλον αὐτῷ προσηκουσῶν ἐκ κλήρου πατρῴου, ἢ Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἔχειν. ἐνήγετο δὲ μάλιστα πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ τοῦ γυναικὸς ἀδελφοῦ Κουμίντζη, προσαγορευομένου Καρδιναλίου, χρήματά τε πολλὰ πρὸς τὸν στόλον παρεχομένου καὶ ἄλλην συντέλειαν πολλὴν πρὸς τὴν παρασκευήν. καὶ ἤδη παρεσκεύαστο, ὡς ἅμα ἦρι τοῦ ἔτους ἐκείνου μεγάλῃ δυνάμει ναυτικῇ ἐπιπλεύσων Βυζαντίοις. βʹ. Πυθόμενος δὲ παρὰ Βαρθολομαίου τινὸς, ὡς Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς Βυζάντιόν τε ἤδη καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπα 3.13 σαν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ὑποποιήσαιτο, ἀπέσχετο τοῦ ἔργου. Βαρθολομαῖος γὰρ οὑτοσὶν, ἐκ ∆ελφίνου Ντεβιάνα πρὸς Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα ἥκων πρεσβευτὴς, ἐπεὶ μεταξὺ πρεσβεύοντος Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκράτει