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having sent a trireme, he brought him to Byzantium. But while the chief priests were vexed at the choice, not all of them, and while some proposed one candidate and others another, the emperor, having exerted great effort, persuaded them all to agree; and he was ordained, having been chosen over the others. But the emperor, both before and during the time of the war, since he was opposed by the Romans, unwillingly and by necessity attending to wars and plundering, for otherwise it was in no way possible for him and his companions to be saved, but being glad to be released from affairs, and prizing above all else to live a life of tranquility, and later, after coming to rule, being vexed by the turmoil that comes from power, and desiring a calm and quiet life, he considered with the empress Eirene, his wife, to hand over the empire to his son-in-law the emperor, and for them to withdraw from affairs and choose the monastic life. And they agreed for the empress Eirene to go to the monastery called Martha's, which belonged to the sister of Michael, the first of the Palaiologoi emperors, as was fitting for an empress from the first rank, 3.107 and having put on the monastic habit, to pass the rest of her life; and for the emperor, having submitted himself to Philotheos, the bishop of Heraclea in Thrace, not only on account of his other intelligence and learning, both secular and ours, but also because, having given himself, so to speak, to the solitary life from his earliest years, by both his zeal and the length of time in ascetic practice he had much experience in such matters, so as to be approved by the fathers there to lead the holy lavra on Athos, and before he became a bishop, he also seemed to others to be capable of instructing in such matters, near the monastery of Saint Mamas, which had a suitable location and enjoyed a solitude as much as is possible in a city, to care for their souls there, and to propitiate God for the things done here. And accompanying him in his withdrawal from the world were Nikolaos Kabasilas and Demetrios Kydones, who had attained the height of secular wisdom, but no less also philosophizing in their deeds and having chosen a temperate life, free from the evils of marriage. For which reasons the emperor also deemed them worthy of much goodwill and considered them among the first of his friends and companions. At first, then, it seemed best to all after deliberating together, to practice the philosophy of life near the monastery of Saint Mamas and to live a life untroubled and free from disturbances. Then, having changed their minds, they rather chose the monastery of Mangana, 3.108 and the decision was confirmed. Therefore the emperor also brought many possessions to the monastery and took the greatest care, so that from there they might have an abundance of necessities. However, no one knew what was being done except those who had shared in the plan. But when all was prepared, and it was only necessary to arrange well the affairs of the empire, so that no dispute would be left for his children over his affairs when he had withdrawn, nor should they have a pretext for civil war again because of his own withdrawal, and he was already about to take action, letters arrived from Thessalonica, from both the other citizens and from the protosebastos Metochites, attributing the former folly and shamelessness to Andreas Palaiologos, as the cause of all, and begging him to take the strongest and swiftest care for the city, and not to overlook it when it was on the verge of falling under the Triballians, unless he himself should come to its aid, nor to bear to see the empire of the Romans become one-eyed, especially with Palaiologos driven out, and with all the other citizens, except for the most wicked Zealots, eagerly receiving him and handing over the city. For when in the middle of the city, as we said, the imperial letters, by which he had conferred many benefits on the city both publicly and privately, were burned by the Zealots and Palaiologos, the protosebastos Metochites considered it a terrible thing and thought it was a complete revolt from the Roman empire. Therefore also to the 3.109 other citizens in secret

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ἤγαγεν εἰς Βυζάντιον τριήρη πέμψας. ἀχθομένων δὲ τῶν ἀρχιερέων πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν, οὐ πάντων, καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλον προβαλλομένων, σπουδὴν πολλὴν εἰσενεγκὼν, πάντας ἔπειθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς συνθέσθαι· καὶ ἐχειροτονεῖτο τῶν ἄλλων προκριθείς. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ πρότερον καὶ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον, ἐπεὶ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων κατεστασιάσθη, ἄκων μὲν καὶ πρὸς ἀνάγκην πολέμοις προσέχων καὶ λεηλασίαις, ἄλλως γὰρ αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς συνόντας οὐδαμῶς διασώζεσθαι ἐνῆν, ἡδέως δὲ ἔχων πραγμάτων ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, καὶ τοῦ παντὸς τιμώμενος τὸ συζῇν ἀπραγμοσύνῃ, καὶ ὕστερον μετὰ τὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρξαι ἀχθόμενος πρὸς τὸν θόρυβον τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ βίου γαληνοῦ καὶ ἀπράγμονος ἐρῶν, ἐσκέψατο μετὰ Εἰρήνης βασιλίδος τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν μὲν βασιλείαν γαμβρῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ παραδοῦναι, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἀναχωρεῖν τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ μοναχῶν ἑλέσθαι βίον. καὶ βασιλίδα μὲν συνέθεντο τὴν Εἰρήνην πρὸς τὸ τῆς Μάρθας προσαγορευόμενον μοναστήριον, ἣ βασιλέως ἦν ἀδελφὴ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν Παλαιολόγων Μιχαὴλ, γενέσθαι, ὡς βασιλεῖ προσῆ 3.107 κον ἐκ πρώτου κλήρου, καὶ μοναχῶν ἐνδυσαμένην σχῆμα, τὸν ἐπίλοιπον βίον διανύειν· βασιλέα δὲ τῷ τῆς Ἡρακλείας ἐπισκόπῳ τῆς ἐν Θρᾴκῃ φιλοθέῳ ὑποτάξαντα ἑαυτὸν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἄλλην σύνεσιν καὶ παιδείαν τήν τε ἔξω καὶ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τῷ μονήρει βίῳ ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐκδοὺς, τῇ τε σπουδῇ καὶ τῷ περὶ τὴν ἄσκησιν χρονίῳ πολλὴν περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πεῖραν ἔσχεν, ὡς καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐξηγεῖσθαι λαύρας τῆς ἐν Ἄθῳ παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ πατέρων ἐγκριθῆναι, καὶ πρὶν ἐπίσκοπον γενέσθαι, καὶ ἑτέροις ἐδόκει τὰ τοιαῦτα παιδοτριβεῖν εἶναι ἱκανὸς, παρὰ τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος φροντιστήριον θέσεως ἔχον εὐφυῶς, καὶ ἐρημίας ἀπολαῦον ὡς ἐν πόλει μάλιστα, τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκεῖ φροντίζειν γενομένους, καὶ περὶ τῶν τῇδε πεπραγμένων ἐξιλάσκεσθαι θεόν. συνείποντο δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βίου ἀναχώρησιν καὶ Καβάσιλας Νικόλαος καὶ ∆ημήτριος ὁ Κυδώνης, σοφίας μὲν εἰς ἄκρον τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπειλημμένοι, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ἔργοις φιλοσοφοῦντες καὶ τὸν σώφρονα βίον καὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ γάμου κακῶν ἀπηλλαγμένον ᾑρημένοι. δι' ἃ καὶ πολλῆς αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠξίου εὐμενείας καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις μάλιστα τῶν φίλων ἦγε καὶ τῶν ὁμιλητῶν. πρῶτα μὲν οὖν ἐδόκει πᾶσι κοινῇ βουλευσαμένοις, παρὰ τὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος φροντιστήριον τὴν κατὰ τὸν βίον φιλοσοφίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι καὶ τὸν ἀκύμαντον καὶ θορύβων ἀπηλλαγμένον βίον διανύειν. ἔπειτα μεταβουλευσάμενοι, τὴν Μαγγά 3.108 νων μᾶλλον εἵλοντο μονὴν, καὶ ἐκεκύρωτο τὸ δόξαν. διὸ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κτήσεις πολλὰς προσῆγε τῇ μονῇ καὶ ὡς μάλιστα ἐπεμελεῖτο, ἵν' ἐκεῖθεν τὴν εὐπορίαν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἔχοιεν. ᾔδεσαν μέντοι τὰ πραττόμενα οὐδένες πλὴν τῶν κεκοινωνηκότων τῆς βουλῆς. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα παρεσκευασμένα ἦσαν, καὶ ἔδει μόνον εὖ τὰ κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν διαθέμενον, ἵνα μηδεμία τοῖς παισὶν ἀμφισβήτησις ἐκείνου τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπολίποιτο ἀναχωρήσαντος, μηδὲ πρόφασιν πολέμου αὖθις σχοῖεν ἐμφυλίου διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν ἀναχωρεῖν, καὶ ἔμελλεν ἤδη ἔργου ἔχεσθαι, γράμματα ἀφῖκτο ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης, τῶν τε ἄλλων πολιτῶν καὶ πρωτοσεβάστου τοῦ Μετοχίτου, τὴν μὲν προτέραν ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ ἀναισχυντίαν Ἀνδρέᾳ προσάπτοντα, ὡς πάντων αἰτίῳ, τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ, αὐτοῦ δὲ δεόμενα τὴν δυνατὴν καὶ ταχίστην πρόνοιαν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ περιορᾷν ὑπὸ Τριβαλοῖς ὅσον οὐδέπω ἐσομένην, ἢν μὴ αὐτὸς ἐπικουροίη, μηδ' ἑτερόφθαλμον τὴν Ῥωμαίων γεγενημένην ἀνέχεσθαι ἰδεῖν ἀρχὴν, μάλιστα Παλαιολόγου ἐξεληλαμένου, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν ἁπάντων πλὴν τῶν μάλιστα πονηροτάτων Ζηλωτῶν προθύμως δεχομένων καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόντων. ὡς γὰρ ἐν μέσῃ πόλει, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, τὰ βασιλικὰ γράμματα, δι' ὧν κοινῇ τε καὶ ἰδίᾳ πολλὰ τὴν πόλιν εὐηργέτει, κατεφλέχθη ὑπὸ Ζηλωτῶν καὶ Παλαιολόγου, πρωτοσέβαστος ὁ Μετοχίτης ἐν δεινῷ ἐτίθετο καὶ ἀποστασίαν ᾤετο παντάπασι τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας εἶναι. διὸ καὶ τοῖς 3.109 ἄλλοις πολίταις κρύφα