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to the bishops, who, having received many benefits from the emperor both before and when they were about to depart, set sail for their own country; and having come to the pope, they reported on the embassy, and they recounted many praises on behalf of the emperor, showing the written journals. And the pope himself, saying that he was pleased with the synod, quickly sent men to tell the emperor that the advice seemed best to him also, and that he considered the assembly of bishops to be of the greatest importance. It was necessary, however, for all those under him to come together in the same place, and to ratify a place and a time at which it would be. And not much time having passed in the meanwhile, a letter again came to the emperor from the pope, declaring that the postponement of the synod should not seem to be happening out of neglect. For he himself considered the union of the churches a matter of priority over all 3.62 things and thought it to be among the most necessary. But since a great war had been stirred up in Italy, with the greatest kings among them having gone to war with each other and being about to attack each other with many myriads, it was most fitting for him, being a spiritual father, to discuss peace with the combatants and to persuade them to lay down the war. And when this was done according to his will, nothing else would be a matter of greater concern to him than, after deliberating about the synod with those under him, to declare both the time and the place in which they would assemble and act for the concord and peace of the churches. And at this, the emperor sent to the pope one of his friends who were staying in Galata, John by name, who was of the order of heralds, and he expressed many thanks for the zeal and eagerness which he was showing for the peace of the churches. and again he asked him to hold to the same things, and not through indifference to overlook the war that had been brought upon the churches, when they were able to end it. 10. While time was being spent on such things, Pope Clement died in the meantime, and the concern for the synod was again dissolved. And the emperor, taking the young emperor his son-in-law with him, marched against Medeia, a coastal city on the Pontus, of which Tomprotitzas, having been appointed ruler by the empress Anna during the time of the war, was not willing to submit to the emperor Cantacuzenus even 3.63 after the concord of the emperors, but having gathered a large band of robbers around him, he was plundering the neighboring cities and causing no little harm. Whom the emperor had previously overlooked, being pressed by other more necessary matters; but since the robberies from Medeia were causing no small damage, first he sent an army by land and sea and besieged it, then, having left his son the despot Manuel as ruler in Byzantium and having ordered triremes to be built, putting Phakeolatos the protostrator in charge of the work, for he saw very clearly that the Roman empire was in need of a naval force, he himself marched out, having with him also the young emperor, and when he arrived at Medeia, he brought proposals to Tomprotitzas about submitting to him and surrendering the city. And he, seeing that he was unable to take up arms against the emperor, came over by agreement and handed over the city. Whom the emperor deemed worthy of fitting goodwill and providence, and enrolled him among the most distinguished of the Romans. And when he held Medeia, he ordered the young emperor to return home and disbanded the greater part of the army to their cities, but he himself with a few men proceeded to Adrianople for certain public concerns. But while he was on the way, it was reported that a Persian cavalry force of a little less than two thousand chosen men had crossed the Hellespont and turned to plunder the cities of Thrace. Therefore the em 3.64 peror was immediately vexed at the disbandment of the army; for it was not possible to summon it again, since there was not enough time. For he feared that, while he spent time gathering the army, the Persians might cross back into Asia with their booty, and he would arrive too late. Wherefore, being driven by necessity, he went against them with what men he had, and on the next day came near the Persians, who were encamped at the of the

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ἐπισκόποις, οἳ πολλῶν πρότερόν τε καὶ μέλλοντες ἀναχωρεῖν παρὰ βασιλέως εὐεργεσιῶν τυχόντες, ἀπῆραν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν· καὶ παραγενόμενοι πρὸς πάπαν, τήν τε πρεσβείαν ἀπήγγελλον, καὶ πολλοὺς διεξῄεσαν ἐπαίνους ὑπὲρ βασιλέως καὶ τὰς γεγραμμένας ἐφημερίδας ἐπιδεικνύντες. πάπας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον φάμενος ἡδέως ἔχειν, ἔπεμπε κατὰ τάχος τοὺς ἐροῦντας βασιλεῖ, ὡς δοκοίη καὶ αὐτῷ βελτίστη ἡ παραίνεσις, καὶ τὴν συνέλευσιν τῶν ἐπισκόπων ποιοῖτο περὶ πλείστου. δέον μέντοι τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἅπαντας γενομένους ἐν ταὐτῷ, τόπον τε κυροῦν καὶ χρόνον, καθ' ὃν ἔσται. οὐ πολλοῦ δὲ χρόνου παρελθόντος ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ, γράμματα αὖθις ἧκε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα παρὰ πάπα, τῆς συνόδου τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν μὴ δοκεῖν ὑπ' ἀμελείας γίνεσθαι δηλοῦντα. αὐτὸν μὲν γὰρ προὔργου παν 3.62 τὸς ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τὴν ἕνωσιν καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων μάλιστα νομίζειν εἶναι. πολέμου δὲ μεγάλου κεκινημένου κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν, τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς μεγίστων ῥηγῶν ἀλλήλοις ἐκπολεμωθέντων καὶ μελλόντων μυριάσι πολλαῖς ἀλλήλοις ἐπιέναι, προσήκειν μάλιστα αὐτῷ, πατρί γε ὄντι πνευματικῷ, περὶ εἰρήνης τοῖς μαχομένοις διαλέγεσθαι καὶ πείθειν κατατίθεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον. τούτου δὲ πραχθέντος κατὰ γνώμην, οὐδὲν ἕτερον αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἔσεσθαι διὰ σπουδῆς, ἢ βουλευσαμένῳ περὶ τῆς συνόδου μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν, δηλοῦν καὶ χρόνον καὶ τόπον, ἐν ᾧ συνελθόντες, περὶ ὁμονοίας καὶ εἰρήνης πράξουσι ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐν Γαλατᾷ διατριβόντων φίλων Ἰωάννην ὄνομα, τῆς τάξεως ὄντα τῶν κηρύκων, πρὸς πάπαν πέμψας, χάριτάς τε ὡμολόγει πολλὰς τῆς προθυμίας τε καὶ τῆς σπουδῆς, ἧς περὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπιδείκνυται. καὶ αὖθις ἠξίου τῶν ἴσων ἔχεσθαι, καὶ μὴ διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν πόλεμον εἰσενηνεγμένον ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις περιορᾷν, δυναμένους καταλύειν. ιʹ. Τοῦ χρόνου δὲ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις τριβομένου, Κλήμης ὁ πάπας ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ, καὶ ἡ περὶ τῆς συνόδου αὖθις διελύετο φροντίς. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ βασιλέα ἐπαγόμενος τὸν γαμβρὸν, ἐπεστράτευσε Μηδείᾳ τῇ κατὰ τὸν Πόντον παραλίῳ πόλει, ἧς κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον ἄρχων ὁ Τομπροτίτζας ὑπὸ βασιλίδος Ἄννης ἀναδειχθεὶς, οὐδὲ 3.63 μετὰ τῶν βασιλέων τὴν ὁμόνοιαν ὑπείκειν βασιλεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ ἠβούλετο, ἀλλὰ χεῖρα λῃστρικὴν πολλὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ἀθροίσας, τὰς περιοίκους πόλεις ἐληΐζετο καὶ ἐκάκου οὐκ ὀλίγα. ὃν πρότερον μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπ' ἄλλων ἀναγκαιοτέρων ἐπειγόμενος περιεώρα· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔβλαπτον αἱ ἐκ Μηδείας λῃστεῖαι οὐ μικρὰ, πρῶτα μὲν ἐκ γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης πέμψας στρατιὰν ἐπολιόρκει, ἔπειτα Μανουὴλ δεσπότην τὸν υἱὸν ἄρχοντα καταλιπὼν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καὶ τριήρεις κελεύσας ναυπηγεῖσθαι, Φακεωλάτον τὸν πρωτοστράτορα τῷ ἔργῳ ἐπιστήσας, πάνυ γὰρ ξυνεώρα ναυτικῆς δυνάμεως τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν δεομένην, ἐξεστράτευσεν αὐτὸς, ἔχων καὶ τὸν νέον βασιλέα, καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐγένετο ἐν Μηδείᾳ, λόγους προσῆγε Τομπροτίτζᾳ περὶ τοῦ αὐτῷ ὑπείκειν καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι. ὁρῶν δὲ ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἀδύνατος εἴη ὅπλα ἀνταίρειν βασιλεῖ, προσεχώρησεν ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐνεχείρισεν. ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς εὐμενείας τε καὶ προνοίας ἠξίωσε τῆς προσηκούσης, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιφανεστέροις συγκατέλεξε Ῥωμαίων. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶχε Μήδειαν, βασιλέα μὲν τὸν νέον οἴκαδε ἐκέλευεν ἐπανιέναι καὶ τὸ πολὺ διέλυε τῆς στρατιᾶς κατὰ τὰς πόλεις, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὀλίγους ἔχων, ἐπὶ Ἀδριανούπολιν ἐχώρει δημοσίων ἕνεκά τινων φροντίδων. μεταξὺ δὲ ὁδεύοντι ἠγγέλλετο, ὡς κατὰ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον στρατιὰ Περσῶν ἱππικὴ περαιωθεῖσα ὀλίγῳ ἐλάσσους δισχιλίων ἐπιλέκτων, ἐτράπετο ἐπὶ λεηλασίαν κατὰ τὰς τῆς Θρᾴκης πόλεις. ἤχθετο μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ὁ βα 3.64 σιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς τῇ διαλύσει· μεταπέμπεσθαι γὰρ αὖθις οὐκ ἐνῆν, οὐκ ἐξαρκοῦντος τοῦ χρόνου. ἐδεδίει γὰρ, μὴ ἐν ᾧ τὴν στρατιὰν συλλέγων διατρίβοι, οἱ Πέρσαι μὲν τὴν λείαν ἄγοντες αὖθις περαιωθῶσιν εἰς Ἀσίαν, ὑστερήσῃ δὲ ἐλθών. ὅθεν εἰς ἀνάγκην συνωθούμενος, ἐχώρει μεθ' ὧν εἶχεν ἐπ' ἐκείνους, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἐγγὺς ἐγένετο Περσῶν, οἳ ἐστρατοπεδευμένοι ἦσαν κατὰ τὸ τοῦ