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if I do not obtain justice, I will try with arms both to preserve what I have, and to reclaim the dominion that was taken from me; and if any difficulties arise because of the war, do not attribute the cause to me, but to yourself for being willing to do what is not according to your oaths.” 21. Such things did the emperor Cantacuzenus answer to the charges which the Kral tried to bring; but the Kral, having nothing to say in reply, for he was conscious of both his injustice and the transgression of his oaths, paused for a little while in silence; then he asked the emperor that, withdrawing from the others, they might discuss the disputes alone by themselves. When the emperor was persuaded and they withdrew from the others, the Kral admitted that he had perjured himself and broken the treaty by holding the cities of the Romans, 3.152 but he was not willing to give them back, but begged the emperor, recalling the things that had been done for him, to grant him this favor, that each holding what they possessed at present, they should make a treaty. But since the emperor would not concede even the least of these worthless things, they parted without agreement. And the Kral returned to his camp, and the emperor to the city, having promised to meet each other again on the next day. And coming together on the next day, they held discussions about the same matters, and neither did the emperor yield concerning the cities that were held, nor did the Kral consent to withdraw. And yet the Kral said that he had come to such a state of fear towards the emperor, that if he ever happened to see him even in his dreams, he would immediately awaken from sleep, and before being taken by sleep, he would pass the night sleeplessly, if he were thinking about him, how he must make war, being at a loss from fear. Nor indeed was his feeling hidden from outsiders, but openly, both to the Triballians and the Romans who were with him, he said that throughout his life he had been terrified and feared no man, neither before nor after, as he had the emperor Cantacuzenus. And in that meeting, when the emperor asked, for what reason he had endured such shame by enrolling himself among the counselors of Venice, when he himself possessed a greater and more illustrious dominion than all of them, he answered that it was because of his fear 3.153 of him, and he added that it was not at all surprising if he endured such things. On the contrary, indeed, that he was not turned to something worse and much more base. And although he was in such fear, and was not ashamed to admit it to everyone, nevertheless he did not want to withdraw from the cities, but only begged the emperor to proceed to the agreements while he held only Beroea and Edessa and the other forts and the towns that had submitted. And he insisted, adding oaths to his words, that he was laying claim to the cities not so much for the sake of greed as for shame. For he would be ashamed not only before his own people, but also before other rulers everywhere, if he appeared to be so defeated by his fear of the emperor, as to concede so many cities without a fight, which he had spent so long acquiring, and had spent very great sums of money, and had endured so many labors and dangers with his army. But when the emperor saw that he was irreconcilable, he said, “My own good will toward you, and that I have neglected nothing of what is due to a friend, neither before nor now, both the past time, and not least the present, can sufficiently bear witness. But since you are willing to do nothing that is just and proper, it is necessary to proceed to war, suffering the same as wild beasts. For they too, when struck and driven by the hunters, at first flee and avoid battle with men as much as they can. But when they are reduced to necessity and perceive the danger close at hand, turning 3.154 they defend themselves, and with such vehemence as to be utterly reckless of their own lives. This is indeed what I myself will now do. For I most wished not to stir up war against you, but to have you as a friend and ally, as is just, and for the good things you have done, to repay you in whatever way I might best be able. But since you yourself have chosen to do nothing that is just, nor concerning the cities of the Romans

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μὴ τυγχάνω τῶν δικαίων, πειράσομαι τοῖς ὅπλοις τήν τε οὖσαν διασώζειν, καὶ τὴν ἀφῃρημένην ἀρχὴν ἀνακαλεῖσθαι· ἢν δέ τινα συμβαίνῃ δυσχερῆ διὰ τὸν πόλεμον, μὴ ἐμοὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ τῶν γινομένων μὴ εὔορκα ποιεῖν προσλογίζεσθαι ἐθέλοντι.» καʹ. Τοιαῦτα μὲν Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐφ' οἷς ἐγκαλεῖν ὁ Κράλης ἐπεχείρει, ἀπεκρίνατο· ὁ Κράλης δὲ ἀντειπεῖν οὐκ ἔχων πρὸς οὐδὲν, συνῄδει γὰρ αὑτῷ καὶ ἀδικίαν καὶ παράβασιν τῶν ὅρκων, ὀλίγον μὲν ἐπέσχε σιωπήσας· ἔπειτα ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως, τῶν ἄλλων ἀποστάντας μόνοι διαλέγεσθαι ἐφ' ἑαυτοὺς περὶ τῶν διαφορῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπείθετο ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀφίσταντο τῶν ἄλλων, ἐπιορκεῖν μὲν ὁ Κράλης ὡμολόγει καὶ παρασπονδεῖν, τὰς Ῥωμαίων κατέχων 3.152 πόλεις, οὐκ ἐβούλετο δὲ ἀποδιδόναι, ἀλλ' ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν γεγενημένων ἀπομνημονεύοντα, ταύτην τὴν χάριν καταθέσθαι, τὸ ἔχοντας ἑκάτερον, ἃ ἔχουσιν ἐν τῷ παρόντι, τίθεσθαι σπονδάς. βασιλέως δὲ οὐδὲ τῶν φαυλοτάτων οὐδενὸς παραχωροῦντος, διελύθησαν ἀσύμβατοι. καὶ Κράλης μὲν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπανῆλθον, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν αὖθις ἐπαγγειλάμενοι ἀλλήλοις συντυχεῖν. καὶ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν συνελθόντες, λόγους ἐποιοῦντο περὶ τῶν ὁμοίων, καὶ οὔτε βασιλεὺς περὶ τῶν κατεχομένων ἐνεδίδου πόλεων, οὔθ' ὁ Κράλης ὑπέμενεν ἀφίστασθαι. καίτοι γε ἔλεγε Κράλης, ἐς τοσοῦτον δέους πρὸς βασιλέα καθεστάναι, ὡς καὶ ἐν ὀνείροις εἴ ποτε ὁρᾷν συμβαίη, τοῦ ὕπνου ἀφίστασθαι αὐτίκα, καὶ πρὶν ληφθῆναι ὕπνῳ, ἄϋπνον διανυκτερεύειν, εἰ λογίζοιτο περὶ ἐκείνου, ὅπως χρὴ πολεμεῖν, ἐν ἀπόροις ὑπὸ δέους καθεστώς. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω τὸ πάθος ἀπεκρύπτετο, ἀλλ' ἀναφανδὸν καὶ πρὸς Τριβαλοὺς καὶ Ῥωμαίους τοὺς συνόντας μηδένα ἀνθρώπων ἔλεγε διὰ βίου, μήτε πρότερον, μήθ' ὕστερον ὥσπερ Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἐκπεπλῆχθαι καὶ δεδοικέναι. καὶ ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ δὲ ἐκείνῃ, ἐρομένου βασιλέως, ὅτου χάριν τοσαύτην ὑπομείνειεν αἰσχύνην τοῖς τῆς Βενετίας βουλευταῖς συγκαταλέξας ἑαυτὸν, μείζονα καὶ περιφανεστέραν συμπάντων ἐκείνων ἔχων αὐτὸς ἀρχὴν, διὰ τὸν ἐκείνου φό 3.153 βον, ἀπεκρίνατο καὶ προσετίθει, μηδὲν εἶναι θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τοιαῦτα ὑπομείνειε. τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν, ὅτι μὴ καὶ πρός τι χεῖρον καὶ πολλῷ φαυλότερον ἐξετράπη καίπερ δὲ οὕτω δέους ἔχων, καὶ οὐδὲ πρὸς πάντας αἰσχυνόμενος ὁμολογεῖν, ὅμως ἀφίστασθαι τῶν πόλεων οὐκ ἤθελεν, ἀλλ' ἐδεῖτο μόνον βασιλέως χωρεῖν πρὸς τὰς συμβάσεις Βέῤῥοιαν μόνην ἔχοντα καὶ Ἔδεσσαν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα φρούρια καὶ τὰς πολίχνας, ὅσαι προσεχώρησαν. ἰσχυρίζετο δὲ καὶ ὅρκους τοῖς λόγοις προστιθεὶς, ὡς οὐ πλεονεξίας μᾶλλον ἢ αἰσχύνης ἕνεκα τῶν πόλεων ἀντιποιοῖτο. αἰσχύνεσθαι γὰρ οὐ τοὺς οἰκείους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ὁπουδήποτε δυνάστας, εἰ φαίνοιτο τοσοῦτον ἡττημένος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέως φόβον, ὥστε τοσούτων πόλεων ἀμαχεὶ παραχωρεῖν, ἃς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον κτώμενος, χρήματά τε ἀναλώκει πλεῖστα, καὶ τοσούτους πόνους καὶ κινδύνους ὑπομεμενήκει μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἑώρα ἀσυμβάτως ἔχοντα, «τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν» εἶπε «πρὸς σὲ εὐγνωμοσύνην, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν φίλῳ προσηκόντων οὔτε πρότερον, οὔθ' ὕστερον ἐνέλιπον, καὶ ὁ παρελθὼν μὲν χρόνος, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ὁ νυνὶ παρὼν ἀξιόχρεως συμμαρτυρεῖν. σοῦ δὲ μηδὲν ἐθέλοντος τῶν δικαίων ποιεῖν καὶ προσηκόντων, ἀνάγκη πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον χωρεῖν, ταὐτὸν τοῖς θηρίοις πάσχοντα. καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνα βαλλόμενα καὶ ἐλαυνόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν θηρευτῶν, πρῶτα μὲν φεύγουσι καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους μάχην, ὅση δύναμις, ἐκκλίνουσιν. ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς ἀνάγκην καταστῶσι καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον αἴσθωνται ἐφεστηκότα, στρεφό 3.154 μενα ἀμύνονται, καὶ οὕτω μετὰ σφοδρότητος, ὡς τῆς σφετέρας ἀφειδεῖν παντάπασι ζωῆς. τοῦτο δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς νυνὶ ποιήσω. μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ ἐβουλόμην μὴ πόλεμον κινεῖν πρὸς σὲ, ἀλλὰ φίλον καὶ σύμμαχον ἔχειν, ὥσπερ δίκαιον, καὶ τῶν ὑπηργμένων ἀγαθῶν, ᾗ ἂν μάλιστα δυναίμην, ἐκτίνειν ἀμοιβάς. ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτὸς τῶν δικαίων ᾕρησαι ποιεῖν οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίοις πόλεων