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he was imprisoned for a time. And after no little time, when Seichoun had violently departed this life, he himself requested the patriarch from the Sultan, and brought him out of the prison and granted him permission to practice the Christian religion. For indeed, as we said, the Sultan was not of his own accord moved to the persecution, but was brought to it by Seichoun and against his own judgment. Therefore, it ceased immediately after his death, having decreed only dishonor for the Christians, not granting them the other civil rights of the barbarians, but treating them with the lot of captives and having ordered them to wear a certain distinctive color in their garments, so that they would be clearly recognizable as Christians by the color, thinking that by this some reproach would be attached to them. But to them that color seemed no more dishonorable than the marks of Paul for Christ, with which he himself was adorned, saying, "I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ." But Lazaros 3.104 the patriarch of the holy city, after guiding the flock entrusted to him for no little time after the torments, was later sent as an ambassador by the Sultan to the emperor John Palaiologos. So the affairs concerning the hierarch of Jerusalem were thus from beginning to end. But Isidore, who was chosen to govern the church of the Byzantines after John, consecrated other archbishops of not a few cities, and Gregory Palamas of Thessalonica. When it was necessary for him to be sent to the city allotted to him, the emperor supplied him with letters to the rulers in Thessalonica, who were the protosebastos Alexios Metochites and Andreas Palaiologos, who was in charge of the table, commanding them to receive the archbishop with all goodwill and honor. But they neither obeyed the emperor's letters, nor did they receive the archbishop, but openly renounced being under the emperor, on the pretext, indeed, that they were attached to the emperor Palaiologos and for this reason were at war with the emperor Kantakouzenos, who had taken away his rule; but in truth, securing the rule of Thessalonica for themselves. For perceiving that it was not easy for the emperor to come against them, because all of Macedonia except Thessalonica was already held by the Kral, and that a great preparation would be needed, if he were to go through hostile territory and encamp in the midst of hostile territory, besieging them, which they considered impossible, and that the Kral would give up not only money, but even, if one might say so, 3.105 his own dear life for the sake of being lord of Thessalonica, they planned to thrust away the emperor and not be under him, and to threaten, if he did not allow them to be at peace, that they would hand over the city to the Triballians, and to deceive the Kral, that, since they had revolted from the emperor of the Romans, they would readily go over to him, and by this to persuade him not to make war, but rather to try to win them over by goodwill and fairness, and thus, repelling each by means of the other, they themselves would enjoy the city; which things turned out for them according to their mind for a time. Therefore, Gregory the archbishop of Thessalonica, since he was not received by the rulers, returned and stayed in Lemnos, and was deemed worthy of the necessary providence from the emperor. But the rulers in Thessalonica, and especially Palaiologos, having the Zealots around him, was feared by the other citizens because of previous examples, and all cowered and dared not mutter anything in opposition. Wherefore also, a little later, when the emperor wished to win over the city by fairness and benefits, for it was not possible to compel them by arms, and sent decrees for public and private benefits, Palaiologos, with the Zealots who dared everything joining in, burned them in the middle of the city. These things, then, will be spoken of a little later. 10. Then, since Isidore the patriarch had died, 3.106 having distinguished himself on the throne for two years and having shepherded the flock in a manner pleasing to God, the emperor appointed Kallistos to the patriarchal throne, who had been living in the monastery of the Iberians on Athos after his withdrawal from the world. Since he learned that he laid claim to virtue and was suitable for such a ministry,

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χρόνον ἐδεσμεῖτο. καὶ μετὰ χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον Σειχοῦν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποῤῥήξαντος βιαίως, αὐτὸς τὸν πατριάρχην ἐξῃτεῖτο παρὰ Σουλτὰν, καὶ ἐξῆγε τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου καὶ τὴν ἄδειαν τοῦ ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι τῷ Χριστιανῶν θρησκεύματι παρείχετο. ἦν γὰρ δὴ, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, ὁ Σουλτὰν οὐκ οἴκοθεν ἐπὶ τὸν διωγμὸν κεκινημένος, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ Σειχοῦν καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἐναγόμενος. διὸ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν εὐθὺς ἐπέπαυτο, ἀτιμίαν μόνον Χριστιανῶν κατεψηφισμένος, τῆς τε ἄλλης ἰσοπολιτείας τοῖς βαρβάροις οὐ μεταδιδοὺς, ἀλλ' ἐν δοριαλώτων ἄγων μοίρᾳ καὶ ἐπίσημόν τι χρῶμα φέρειν ἐν ταῖς στολαῖς προστεταχὼς, ἵν' εἶεν ἐκ τοῦ χρώματος κατάδηλοι ὄντες Χριστιανοὶ, τινὰ ὀνειδισμὸν ἐκ τούτου προστρίβεσθαι οἰόμενος αὐτοῖς. τοῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀτιμότερον ἐκεῖνο δοκεῖ τὸ χρῶμα, ἢ τῶν Παύλου διὰ Χριστὸν στιγμάτων, οἷς αὐτὸς ἐκαλλωπίζετο, «τὰ στίγματα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματί μου» λέγων «περιφέρω.» Λάζαρος δὲ 3.104 ὁ πατριάρχης τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως οὐκ ὀλίγον χρόνον μετὰ τὰς αἰκίας τὴν πιστευθεῖσαν ποίμνην διϊθύνας, πρεσβευτὴς ὑπὸ Σουλτὰν ἐπέμφθη πρὸς βασιλέα Ἰωάννην τὸν Παλαιολόγον ὕστερον. τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὸν Ἱεροσολύμων ἱεράρχην οὕτως ἔσχεν ἄχρι τέλους ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. Ἰσίδωρος δὲ ὁ τὴν Βυζαντίων ἐκκλησίαν μετὰ Ἰωάννην λαχὼν ἰθύνειν, ἄλλους τε οὐκ ὀλίγων πόλεων ἀρχιερεῖς ἐχειροτόνει, καὶ Γρηγόριον τὸν Παλαμᾶν Θεσσαλονίκης. ὃν ἐπεὶ εἰς τὴν λαχοῦσαν ἔδει στέλλεσθαι, ὁ βασιλεὺς γράμμασιν ἐφωδίαζε πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ἄρχοντας, οἳ ἦσαν πρωτοσέβαστός τε ὁ Μετοχίτης Ἀλέξιος καὶ Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης Παλαιολόγος, κελεύοντα τὸν ἀρχιερέα μετὰ πάσης εὐνοίας δέχεσθαι καὶ τιμῆς. οἱ δὲ οὔτε τοῖς βασιλέως γράμμασιν ἐπείθοντο, οὔτε τὸν ἀρχιερέα εἰσεδέχοντο, ἀλλ' ἀναφανδὸν ἀπεῖπον τὸ ὑπὸ βασιλέα εἶναι, πρόφασιν μὲν, ὡς τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ βασιλεῖ προσκείμενοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Καντακουζηνῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ πολεμοῦντες, ἐκεῖνον ἀφῃρημένῳ τὴν ἀρχήν· τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, ἑαυτοῖς ἰδίᾳ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκης ἀρχὴν περιποιοῦντες. συνιδόντες γὰρ, ὡς οὔτε βασιλεῖ ῥᾴδιον αὐτοῖς ἐπιέναι διὰ τὸ Μακεδονίαν πλὴν Θεσσαλονίκης ἤδη πᾶσαν ὑπὸ Κράλη ἔχεσθαι, καὶ μεγάλης δεῖσθαι τῆς παρασκευῆς, εἰ μέλλοι διὰ πολεμίας τε ἰέναι καὶ ἐν μέσῃ στρατοπεδεύεσθαι πολεμίᾳ, αὐτοὺς πολιορκοῦντα, ἃ ἐνόμιζον ἀδύνατα, τόν τε Κράλην οὐ χρήματα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν, εἰ οἷόντε εἰπεῖν, 3.105 τὴν φίλην προησόμενον ζωὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κύριον Θεσσαλονίκης εἶναι, ἐσκέψαντο βασιλέα μὲν ἀπωθεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ ὑπ' αὐτὸν τελεῖν, ἀπειλεῖν τε, εἰ μὴ ἐῴη ἡσυχάζειν, ὡς παραδώσουσι Τριβαλοῖς τὴν πόλιν, Κράλην δὲ φενακίζειν, ὡς, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων βασιλέως ἀφεστήκασι, ῥᾳδίως προσχωρήσουσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ τούτου πείθειν μὴ μᾶλλον πολεμεῖν, ἢ εὐγνωμοσύνῃ καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ προσάγεσθαι πειρᾶσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ἑκατέρους δι' ἀλλήλων ἀποκρουομένους, τὴν πόλιν αὐτοὶ καρποῦσθαι· ἃ ἀπέβαινεν αὐτοῖς κατὰ γνώμην ἐπὶ χρόνον. Γρηγόριος μὲν οὖν ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης ἀρχιερεὺς, ἐπεὶ μὴ εἰσεδέχετο παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων, εἰς Λῆμνον διέτριβεν ἀναστρέψας, καὶ προνοίας παρὰ βασιλέως τῆς δεούσης ἠξιοῦτο. οἱ δὲ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ἄρχοντες καὶ μάλιστα Παλαιολόγος, τὸ Ζηλωτικὸν ἔχων περὶ ἑαυτὸν, φοβερὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις πολίταις ἦν ἐκ τῶν πρότερον παραδειγμάτων, καὶ πάντες ὑπεπτήχεσαν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐτόλμων ἀντιγρύζειν. διὸ καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν βασιλέως ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ εὐεργεσίαις προσάγεσθαι τὴν πόλιν βουλομένου, βιάζεσθαι γὰρ τοῖς ὅπλοις οὐκ ἐξῆν, καὶ θεσπίσματα πέμψαντος ἐπ' εὐεργεσίαις κοιναῖς τε καὶ ἰδιωτικαῖς, ὁ Παλαιολόγος τῶν πάντα τολμώντων συνεφαπτομένων Ζηλωτῶν, ἐπὶ μέσης κατέκαυσε τῆς πόλεως. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον εἰρήσεται ὀλίγῳ. ιʹ. Τότε δὲ ἐπεὶ Ἰσίδωρος ὁ πατριάρχης ἐτεθνήκει, τοῖς 3.106 θρόνοις ἐπ' ἔτεσι δυσὶν ἐνδιαπρέψας καὶ τὸ ποίμνιον ποιμάνας θεοφιλῶς, τὸν Κάλλιστον ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς πατριαρχικοῖς θρόνοις ἐφιστᾷ, τῇ κατὰ τὸν Ἄθω μονῇ τῶν Ἰβήρων μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἀναχώρησιν ἐνδιατρίψαντα. ὃν ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο ἀρετῆς ἀντιποιεῖσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην διακονίαν εἶναι ἐπιτήδειον,