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having been overlooked by the despot. Then having approached and beseeched and given pledges, that he would never engage in any revolutionary activity, but would remain very well-disposed to him and among those who loved him, he was taken back and restored to his former fortune, the despot providing him with many opportunities to grow rich. And he was now a worthy opponent to his adversaries. For neither misfortune, nor prosperity, nor time which dissolves all things, can dissolve their enmity toward one another, but they are enemies to one another throughout their lives, and after death they leave their dispute with certain people to their children like some ancestral inheritance. And having neglected all 3.87 the laws of Lycurgus, they adhere closely to only one of those of Solon the Athenian, who makes citizens who belong to no faction in a civil strife disenfranchised. But when the despot, on account of the raids of the Persians—for being few they made many and continual raids, crossing over from Asia both by land and by sea—thought it necessary to build triremes so that they might sail around the island and hinder the pirates, since it seemed profitable to all, and everyone had to contribute money, Lampoudios voluntarily undertook the collection, beseeching the despot many times, on the grounds that he himself would accomplish it better than the others because of his experience and his goodwill towards him. And having obtained immunity, going around the entire Peloponnese, he stirred up war against the despot, reproaching all the cities and villages for their voluntary servitude, and for not striving for freedom in a manner worthy of their ancestors, but like slaves enduring to be led and carried off by the despot, and finally he persuaded everyone alike to make war on the despot, asserting that either he would not hold out warring against everyone combined, but would flee, leaving the Peloponnese behind, thinking it a fine thing to be saved, or he would be destroyed if he remained, with the war flowing in from all sides. Thus he persuaded them and gave a common signal to all, so that on the same day everyone, having attacked their own rulers, would first gain control of them, 3.88 and then march against the despot, who had now become weaker. 3.88 And everything was accomplished according to his advice. For on the same day they overpowered all those who ruled cities or villages; then, having gathered from all quarters, a vast number of infantry and cavalry advanced against the despot, with Lampoudios leading along with the other most powerful men. But the despot, having armed his own men who had followed him from Byzantium, about three hundred picked men in all, marched out against the Peloponnesians, also having a few Acarnanian mercenaries. But they, not even enduring to come into sight, were turned to flight and were dispersed to their cities; and some immediately came over, begging for pardon, and obtained forgiveness, but as many as were bolder toward revolution, having seized the cities, foolishly did not receive the despot. For those who had been unable to hold out all together, these, having been divided into small groups, hoped to prevail. Later, however, even they, after much suffering and continual raids and plundering, seeing what was expedient, came over to the despot, asking to receive pardon. And he granted it to all, not so much hating them as pitying their folly, because when it was possible to be saved without danger, they perished by attempting things beyond their power. And they were quiet for no short time, bearing their servitude under the despot not so much from good judgment as from fear. But when the war of the emperors against each other 3.89 flared up again, and the new emperor Palaiologos began to rule affairs, again the Peloponnesians, thinking that because the emperor his father had ceased from rule they would be able to do something more, especially since the sons of Isaakios Asan were urging them to war, who had been sent there by the new emperor to govern the Peloponnese, they all revolted together from the despot, except for one city, whose garrison held the acropolis, which was impregnable on account of its strength, both natural and man-made. But he, using his own power alone, again conquered all of them with his arms

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δεσπότου παροφθείς. εἶτα προσελθὼν καὶ δεηθεὶς καὶ πίστεις παρασχόμενος, ὡς οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε νεωτερίσειεν, ἀλλ' εὔνους αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν φιλούντων ἄγαν μενεῖ, ἀνελαμβάνετό τε καὶ εἰς τὴν προτέραν τύχην ἤγετο, πολλὰς ἀφορμὰς εἰς τὸ πλουτεῖν παρεχομένου τοῦ δεσπότου. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπάλους ἀξιόμαχος ἤδη ἦν. οὔτε γὰρ κακοπραγία, οὔτ' εὐημερία, οὔτε χρόνος ὁ πάντα λύων διαλύειν δύναται αὐτοῖς τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχθραν, ἀλλὰ διὰ βίου τε πολέμιοί εἰσιν ἀλλήλοις, καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν ὥσπερ τινὰ πατρῷον κλῆρον καταλείποντες τοῖς παισὶ τὴν πρός τινας διαφοράν. καὶ τῶν Λυκούργου νόμων πάν 3.87 των ἀμελήσαντες, ἑνὸς μόνου τῶν Σόλωνος ἐξέχονται τοῦ Ἀθηναίου ἀκριβῶς, ὃς ἀτίμους ποιεῖ τῶν πολιτῶν τοὺς ἐν στάσει μηδεμιᾷ μερίδι προσκειμένους. τοῦ δεσπότου δὲ διὰ τὰς λῃστείας τῶν Περσῶν, ἐποιοῦντο γὰρ πολλὰς καὶ συνεχεῖς ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας περαιούμενοι ὀλίγοι καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν, δεῖν οἰομένου τριήρεις κατασκευάζειν ἐφ' ᾧ περιπλέοιεν τὴν νῆσον καὶ κωλύοιεν τοὺς πειρατὰς, ἐπεὶ πᾶσι λυσιτελεῖν ἐδόκει, καὶ ἔδει πάντας χρήματα εἰσφέρειν, ὁ Λαμπούδιος ὑπέρχεται τὴν εἴσπραξιν ἑκοντὶ, πολλὰ τοῦ δεσπότου δεηθεὶς, ὡς τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον αὐτὸς καταπραξόμενος βέλτιον διὰ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εὔνοιαν. ἀδείας δὲ τυχὼν, τὴν Πελοπόννησον ἅπασαν περιιὼν, ἐξεπολέμου τῷ δεσπότῃ, καὶ πόλεσιν ἁπάσαις καὶ κώμαις τὴν ἐθελοδουλίαν ὀνειδίζων, καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀξίως τῶν προγόνων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν προθυμεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀνδράποδα ἀνέχεσθαι ἄγεσθαι καὶ φέρεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου, καὶ τέλος πάντας ἔπειθεν ὁμοίως τῷ δεσπότῃ πολεμεῖν, ἰσχυριζόμενος, ὡς ἢ οὐκ ἀντισχήσει κοινῇ πρὸς πάντας πολεμῶν, ἀλλὰ φεύξεται καταλιπὼν τὴν Πελοπόννησον, ἀγαπητὸν ἡγούμενος τὸ σώζεσθαι, ἢ διαφθαρήσεται μένων, πανταχόθεν τοῦ πολέμου περιῤῥέοντος. οὕτω μὲν ἐκείνους ἔπειθε καὶ πᾶσιν ἔδωκε σύνθημα κοινὸν, ἵν' ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῇ αὐτῇ τοῖς σφισιν ἄρχουσι πάντες ἐπιθέμενοι, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῶν κρατήσωσιν, 3.88 ἔπειτα ἐπιστρατεύσωσι δεσπότῃ, ἀσθενεστέρῳ γεγενημένῳ ἤδη. 3.88 καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνου παραίνεσιν πάντα ἐτελεῖτο. ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ τῇ αὐτῇ πάντων ἐκράτησαν, ὅσοι πόλεων ἦρχον ἢ κωμῶν· ἔπειτα ἁπανταχόθεν ἀθροισθέντες παμπληθεῖς πεζοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ἐπῄεσαν δεσπότῃ, Λαμπουδίου μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν δυνατωτέρων ἡγουμένου. δεσπότης δὲ τοὺς ἰδίους ἐφοπλίσας, ὅσοι εἵποντο ἐκ Βυζαντίου, περὶ τριακοσίους ὄντας λογάδας πάντας, ἀντεπεξῄει τοῖς Πελοποννησίοις, καὶ μισθοφόρους ἔχων ὀλίγους Ἀκαρνᾶνας. οἱ δὲ οὐδὲ εἰς ὄψιν ὑπομείναντες ἐλθεῖν, εἰς φυγήν τε ἐτράποντο καὶ διελύθησαν κατὰ πόλεις· καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτίκα προσεχώρουν παραιτούμενοι καὶ ἐτύγχανον συγγνώμης, ὅσοι δὲ ἦσαν τολμηρότεροι πρὸς νεωτερισμοὺς, τὰς πόλεις κατασχόντες, οὐκ ἐδέχοντο δεσπότην ἀνοήτως. οἳ γὰρ ὁμοῦ σύμπαντες ἀντισχεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, οὗτοι κατ' ὀλίγους διαιρεθέντες, ἤλπισαν περιγενήσεσθαι. ὕστερον μέντοι καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ πολλὴν κάκωσιν καὶ τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐπιδρομὰς καὶ λεηλασίας τὸ συνοῖσον συνιδόντες, προσεχώρουν τῷ δεσπότῃ δεόμενοι τυχεῖν συγγνώμης. ὁ δὲ παρείχετο πᾶσιν, οὐ μισῶν μᾶλλον, ἢ τῆς ἀνοίας ἐλεῶν, ὅτι ἀκινδύνως σώζεσθαι ἐνὸν, ἀπώλοντο τοῖς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐπιχειροῦντες. ἡσύχασαν δὲ χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον, τὴν ὑπὸ δεσπότῃ δουλείαν οὐ μᾶλλον ὑπ' εὐγνωμοσύνης εὐμαρῶς φέροντες, ὅσον ὑπὸ δέους. τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δὲ τῶν βασιλέων αὖθις πολέμου 3.89 ἀναῤῥιπισθέντος, καὶ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως τοῦ Παλαιολόγου τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρξαντος, αὖθις οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι διὰ τὸ βασιλέα τὸν πατέρα πεπαῦσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς δυνήσεσθαί τι πλέον οἰηθέντες, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν Ἀσάνη τοῦ Ἰσαακίου υἱῶν ἐναγόντων πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, οἳ ἦσαν ἐκεῖ ὑπὸ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου ἐπιτροπεύειν πεμφθέντες τῆς Πελοποννήσου, σύμπαντες ὁμοῦ ἀπέστησαν δεσπότου, πλὴν μιᾶς πόλεως, ἧς φρουρὰ κατεῖχε τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀνάλωτον οὖσαν διὰ καρτερότητα τήν τε φυσικὴν καὶ τὴν κατεσκευασμένην. ὁ δὲ τῇ σφετέρᾳ χρώμενος δυνάμει μόνῃ, αὖθίς τε ἐκράτει συμπάντων καὶ τοῖς ὅπλοις