439

he used to enslave. From that time, having completely renounced making war against him, they embrace peace with one another and goodwill towards him, and they have benefited greatly from this, having turned to agriculture and the care of livestock, and they acquired many possessions in the fields, whereas before, at the time the despot arrived, there was nothing except for the cities, and these were ruined by civil strife. The Latins who were subject to the prince at first were themselves also eager to fight the despot and to harm the cities, not having been neglectful of this before either. But in a short time, the entire bold enterprise turned out the opposite for them. For they themselves were rather suffering badly during the war. Realizing that the war was causing them no small amount of damage, having sent embassies and having pleaded much with the despot, they persuaded him to make peaceful treaties with them, so that they would be subjects of the prince, but friends and allies to him, 3.90 and to ally eagerly both within the Peloponnese, wherever he might need them, being supported from their own resources, and likewise outside. Whence they often fought as allies with him as he fought against the Persians who were attacking with ships, and they shared in many trophies with him against the barbarians, and they invaded Boeotia with him as he was warring against one of the Latin lords there, called Roger de Lluria, and they acquired great goodwill towards him on account of his fairness and love of truth. For in what was now no short time, he had never appeared to have been false in any of his promises. Therefore they do not require oaths, if they need something of him, but his simple word issued is sufficient for them for trust. Thus, then, the Peloponnese is governed until now by the despot Manuel Kantakouzenos, being greatly benefited both from the fact that he has remained unconquered by his enemies until now, and that he is gentle and caring to his subjects. 14. And the emperor also sent an embassy to the Sultan of Egypt, Syria, and Judea on behalf of the Christians there. The ambassadors were both the citizen of Byzantium Manuel Sergopoulos and the patriarch of Jerusalem, Lazaros, who was to be restored to his throne by order of the Sultan. For otherwise it is not permitted for any of the bishops in the cities which are enslaved to these barbarians, God having allowed this because we who are called after Christ have greatly offended Him and continue to offend Him 3.91 until now. For this patriarch, while the emperor Andronikos was still alive, having been ordained by his fellow bishops in the holy city, as is the custom, had then come to Byzantium to be promoted also by the emperor. But when a certain monk Gerasimos, who had come from there, and some others joined in the bold deed, accusing the patriarch of a certain slander, on account of which he seemed just to be deposed, the emperor was not so disposed as to depose him at once because of Gerasimos's accusation, nor did he completely disbelieve, but having ordered him to remain in Byzantium until the matters concerning him could be examined, he sent an embassy to the Sultan, at once concerning certain other necessary matters and the Christians in Egypt, but no less also on account of this patriarch; and he ordered the ambassadors, upon arriving in Palestine, to examine the matters concerning him with the bishops. But when the emperor had died in the meantime, and the war against the emperor Kantakouzenos had been set in motion, and the patriarch Lazaros, being suspected of having taken his side, was condemned in absentia by the patriarch John, who needed neither refutations, nor a synod, nor any of the other legal procedures; and instead of him, the accuser Gerasimos was illegally ordained bishop of the holy city. But Lazaros the patriarch, seeing himself thus dishonored for no reason possessing legitimacy, but only on account of the hatred towards the emperor, and especially since 3.92 they supplied none of the necessities, as he was an outcast, and he was living meagerly and in want of the things for his needs, he was considering fleeing to Kantakouzenos the emperor after the

439

χρώμενος κατεδουλοῦτο. ἐξ ἐκείνου δὲ παντάπασιν ἀπειπόντες τὸ ἐκείνῳ πολεμεῖν, τήν τε πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀσπάζονται εἰρήνην καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εὔνοιαν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφέληνται ἐκ τούτου, ἐπὶ γεωργίας τραπόμενοι καὶ βοσκημάτων ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ κτήσεις ἐκτήσαντο ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς πολλὰς, πρότερον καθ' ὃν ὁ δεσπότης ἀφῖκτο χρόνον οὐδενὸς ὄντος πλὴν τῶν πόλεων, καὶ τούτων ὑπὸ τῶν στάσεων διεφθαρμένων. Λατῖνοι δὲ οἱ πρίγγιπι ὑπήκοοι πρῶτα μὲν καὶ αὐτοὶ ὥρμηντο δεσπότῃ πολεμεῖν καὶ κακῶς ποιεῖν τὰς πόλεις, οὐδὲ πρότερον ἀμελοῦντες. εἰς τοὐναντίον δὲ ἅπαν τὸ τόλμημα ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ἐκείνοις περιέστη. μᾶλλον γὰρ αὐτοὶ κακῶς ἔπασχον κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον. συνιδόντες δὲ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ὀλίγα λυμαινόμενον τὸν πόλεμον, πρεσβείας ποιησάμενοι καὶ πολλὰ δεσπότου δεηθέντες, ἔπεισαν θέσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς σπονδὰς εἰρηνικὰς, ὥστε εἶναι ὑπηκόους μὲν πρίγγιπι, αὐτῷ δὲ φίλους καὶ συμμάχους, 3.90 καὶ ἔνδον τε Πελοποννήσου προθύμως συμμαχεῖν, ᾗ ἂν δέοιτο αὐτῶν, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων τρεφομένους, καὶ ἐκτὸς ὁμοίως. ὅθεν μαχομένῳ τε πρὸς Πέρσας ναυσὶν ἐπιστρατεύοντας πολλάκις συνεμάχησαν, καὶ πολλῶν αὐτῷ τροπαίων ἐκοινώνησαν κατὰ βαρβάρων, καὶ εἰς Βοιωτίαν συνεισέβαλον πρός τινα τῶν ἐκεῖ δυναστευόντων Λατίνων πολεμοῦντι, Ῥουντζέρην Ντελωρίαν προσαγορευόμενον, πολλήν τε εὔνοιαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκτήσαντο διὰ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν καὶ τὸ φιλάληθες. ἐν χρόνῳ γὰρ ἤδη οὐκ ὀλίγῳ οὐδέποτε οὐδὲν ἐφάνη τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἐψευσμένος. ὅθεν οὐδὲ ὅρκων δέονται, ἤν τι δέωνται ἐκείνου, ἀλλ' ἀξιόχρεως αὐτοῖς πρὸς πίστιν καὶ λόγος προϊέμενος ἁπλῶς. ἡ μὲν οὖν Πελοπόννησος οὕτως ἄγεται μέχρι νῦν ὑπὸ δεσπότου Μανουὴλ τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ πολλὰ ὠφελουμένη ἔκ τε ὧν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀήττητος ἄχρι νῦν διατετέλεκε, καὶ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις προσηνὴς καὶ κηδεμονικός. ιδʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Αἰγύπτου καὶ Συρίας καὶ Ἰουδαίας Σουλτὰν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐκείνῃ Χριστιανῶν πρεσβείαν ἐποιεῖτο. πρεσβευταὶ δὲ ἦσαν ἔκ τε τῶν Βυζαντίου πολιτῶν ὁ Σεργόπουλος Μανουὴλ καὶ ὁ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πατριάρχης Λάζαρος, ὃν ἔδει προστάγματι Σουλτὰν εἰς τὸν θρόνον ἀποκαταστῆναι. ἄλλως γὰρ οὐκ ἔξεστιν οὐδένα τῶν κατὰ τὰς πόλεις ἐπισκόπων, αἳ δουλεύουσι τούτοις τοῖς βαρβάροις, οὕτω συγκεχωρηκότος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὸ πολλὰ ἡμᾶς τοὺς καλουμένους ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ αὐτῷ προσκεκρουκέναι καὶ προσ 3.91 κρούειν ἄχρι νῦν. οὗτος γὰρ δὴ ὁ πατριάρχης, ἔτι βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου περιόντος, ὑπὸ τῶν συνεπισκόπων ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ πόλει κεχειροτονημένος, ὥσπερ ἔθος, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἔπειτα ἀφῖκτο προβληθησόμενος καὶ παρὰ βασιλέως. Γερασίμου δέ τινος μοναχοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ὡρμημένου καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν πρὸς τὸ τόλμημα συναιρομένων, τοῦ πατριάρχου πρὸς συκοφαντίαν τινὰ αἰτιωμένου, δι' ἃ ἐδόκει δίκαιος ἀποχειροτονεῖσθαι, οὔθ' οὕτως ἔσχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὥστε αὐτίκα διὰ τὸ αἰτιᾶσθαι Γεράσιμον ἀποχειροτονεῖν, οὔτε παντάπασιν ἠπίστει, ἀλλ' ἐν Βυζαντίῳ κελεύσας μένειν ἄχρις ἂν τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐξετασθείη, πρεσβείαν ἐποιεῖτο πρὸς Σουλτὰν, ἅμα μὲν καί τινων πέρι ἀναγκαίων ἄλλων καὶ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ Χριστιανῶν, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ τούτου ἕνεκα τοῦ πατριάρχου· καὶ ἐκέλευε τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ γενομένοις, ἐξετάζειν τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν μετὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων. τοῦ βασιλέως δὲ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ τετελευτηκότος, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν Καντακουζηνὸν πολέμου κεκινημένου, καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης Λάζαρος ὑποπτευθεὶς ᾑρῆσθαι τὰ ἐκείνου, ὑπὸ πατριάρχου τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἐρήμην κατεψηφίσθη, οὔτ' ἐλέγχων, οὔτε συνόδου, οὔτε τινὸς ἑτέρου τῶν νομίμων δεηθέντος· ἀντ' ἐκείνου δὲ ὁ κατηγορῶν Γεράσιμος ἐπίσκοπος τῆς ἁγίας παρανόμως ἐχειροτονεῖτο πόλεως. Λάζαρος δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης οὕτως ἰδὼν ἑαυτὸν ἀτιμωθέντα ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾷ τὸ εὔλογον αἰτίᾳ κεκτημένῃ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ πρὸς βασιλέα μόνον ἔχθος, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ 3.92 τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐχορήγουν οὐδὲν ὡς ἀπεῤῥιμμένον, καὶ γλίσχρως διέζη καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐνδεῶς, ἐσκέπτετο πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα διαδιδράσκειν μετὰ τὴν