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to withdraw from those which you hold, having seized them unjustly, it is necessary for me also to do what I think is advantageous for the Romans, and not to overlook them being thus unjustly enslaved by the Triballians. But now, since the prepared army has not yet arrived, I myself will return to Byzantium, and having made preparations during the winter, at the beginning of spring, as best I am able, I will march against you with a great force and large preparations, with the intention either to fall in battle, or, in addition to freeing the Romans, to enslave, destroy, and subjugate you and your subjects. Knowing these things to be true, you yourself should prepare to defend yourself and fight for everything.” But the Kral, hearing the emperor speaking so gravely about the war, and seeing that his mind was unchangeable, and becoming very fearful, begged the emperor not to be so provoked to war in anger, but to find some solution to the troubles, by which the war might be ended, and he himself might not entirely lose the benefit of the 3.155 labors and dangers which he had endured in acquiring the cities. And he entrusted everything to the emperor and agreed to accept whatever might seem to him better and more advantageous for both parties. The emperor, on the one hand, seeing that to have everything without a struggle was impossible, and on the other hand, that for one deprived of a few things not to consent to peace, but to wish to risk everything, was folly, especially since the future was uncertain, and war could undergo many changes in the meantime, and moreover, considering that he was about to bring in barbarians, who inflict very great harm even on the Romans, with whom they seem to be allied, and considering the coming destruction of the Triballians and the slaughters and enslavements, for which he was concerned, even though they were enemies, on account of their religion, “The true and just thing,” he said to the Kral, “and that which anyone at all, judging fairly, would approve, is nothing other than to withdraw for the Romans from the cities included in the oaths. But since he sees you are very attached to the cities, and consider that no small part of your life would be taken away if you were deprived of them, he will do an injustice to the Romans, but having divided the cities as might seem best to him, and having ceded as many as he wished, if it seems good also to you and you are persuaded by his judgment, to make peace and a treaty on these terms. But if you do not wish it, it is permitted to you, holding all the cities, to go to war again.” And immediately he assigned to the Romans Acarnania and Thessaly, and Servia and 3.156 the towns within these towards the sea, and Verroia and Edessa, and Gynaikokastron and Mygdonia with their inhabited cities, and the villages around the Strymon as far as the borders of Pherai, and the mountains called Tantesanon; but Zichna and Pherai and Melenikon and Strumitza and Kastoria and the other Macedonian villages and towns, which were outside the aforementioned borders, the Kral was to have; and on these terms to make an alliance and a treaty, and in no way to wrong one another. Thus the emperor divided the cities; and it seemed good also to the Kral, and they came to an agreement on these terms, and all were pleased, both Triballians and Romans, with the peace. And the emperor generously feasted the Kral and his companions at the very place where the agreements had been made, with the young emperor also being present and joining in showing honor to the emperor his father-in-law. 22. And after the meal they agreed that on the next day the emperor would choose five Romans of high rank, and entrust to them the taking over of the cities; and that the Kral would provide an equal number from his own people, to hand them over. And having taken leave of one another, since the agreements were concluded, the one departed to his camp, and the emperors to the city. But when night fell, some of those with the emperors came secretly to the Kral and advised him not to hand over the 3.157 cities, but rather to choose war against the emperor Kantakouzenos, as he would be able to do little or no harm. For now he did not have an army fit for battle; and if he should return to Byzantium to make preparations, Palaiologos

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ἀφίστασθαι, ἃς ἔχεις ἀδίκως κατασχὼν, ἀνάγκη καὶ αὐτὸν ἃ νομίζω συμφέρειν Ῥωμαίοις πράττειν, καὶ μὴ περιορᾷν ἀδίκως οὕτω καταδουλωθέντας Τριβαλοῖς. ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ἐπεὶ μὴ καὶ ἡ παρεσκευασμένη στρατιὰ ἀφῖκτο, εἰς Βυζάντιον καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπανελεύσομαι, καὶ παρασκευασάμενος τοῦ χειμῶνος, ἅμα ἦρι ὡς μάλιστα ἔχω μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως καὶ μεγάλης τῆς παρασκευῆς ὑμῖν ἐπιστρατεύσω, γνώμην ἔχων, ὡς ἢ μαχόμενος πεσεῖσθαι, ἢ πρὸς τῷ Ῥωμαίους ἐλευθεροῦν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπηκόους ἐξανδραποδίζεσθαι καὶ διαφθείρειν καὶ καταδουλοῦσθαι. ἃ εἰδότα καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς ἀληθῆ, παρασκευάζεσθαι ὡς ἀμυνούμενον καὶ διαγωνιούμενον περὶ τῶν ὅλων.» Κράλης δὲ ἀκούσας βασιλέως οὕτως ἐμβριθῶς διειλεγμένου περὶ τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ ὁρῶν ἀμετάθετον τὴν γνώμην ἔχοντα, καὶ γενόμενος περιδεὴς, ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως μὴ οὕτω πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐξάπτεσθαι, ἀλλὰ λύσιν τινὰ ἐξευρίσκειν τῶν κακῶν, ὅθεν ὅ,τε πόλεμος καταλυθήσεται, καὶ μηδ' αὐτὸς παντάπασι μηδὲν τῶν 3.155 τε πόνων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων, ὧν ὑπέμεινε τὰς πόλεις κτώμενος, ἀπόναιτο. ἐπέτρεπέ τε πάντα βασιλεῖ καὶ συνετίθετο στέργειν πᾶν, ὅ,τι ἂν αὐτῷ δοκοίη βέλτιον καὶ λυσιτελοῦν ἑκατέροις. βασιλεὺς δὲ τό,τε πάντα ἔχειν ὁρῶν ἀπονητὶ ἀδύνατον, καὶ τό τινων ἀποστερούμενον ὀλίγων μὴ συγκατατίθεσθαι πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ὅλων διακινδυνεύειν βούλεσθαι ἀβουλίας, ἀδήλου μάλιστα τοῦ μέλλοντος ὄντος, καὶ τοῦ πολέμου πολλὰς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ δυναμένου δέχεσθαι μεταβολὰς, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ βαρβάρους ἔμελλεν ἐπάγειν ἐνθυμούμενος, οἳ πλεῖστα καὶ Ῥωμαίους βλάπτουσιν, οἷς δοκοῦσι συμμαχεῖν, καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην Τριβαλῶν φθορὰν καὶ τοὺς φόνους καὶ τοὺς ἀνδραποδισμοὺς, ὧν ἐκήδετο, καίτοι πολεμίων ὄντων, διὰ τὴν θρησκείαν, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς, εἶπε, καὶ δίκαιον, πρὸς Κράλην, καὶ ὃ πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ἂν ἐπιψηφίσαιτο δικαίως διαιτῶν, οὐδὲν εἶναι ἕτερον, ἢ ἐξίστασθαι Ῥωμαίοις τῶν πόλεων τῶν τοῖς ὅρκοις περιειλημμένων. ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ πάνυ περιεχόμενον τῶν πόλεων, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς οὐ μικρὸν μέρος ἡγούμενον ἀφαιρεθήσεσθαι, εἰ τούτων ἀποστερηθείη, ἀδικήσειν μὲν Ῥωμαίους, πλὴν διελόμενον τὰς πόλεις, ὡς ἂν αὐτῷ δοκοίη, καὶ παραχωρήσαντα ὅσων ἂν ἐθέλοι, εἰ μὲν καὶ αὐτῷ δοκοίη καὶ πείθοιτο αὐτοῦ τῇ ψήφῳ, τίθεσθαι εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ σπονδάς. εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλοιτο, ἐξεῖναι αὖθις πολεμεῖν τὰς πάσας ἔχοντι. καὶ αὐτίκα Ἀκαρνανίαν μὲν καὶ Θετταλίαν, Σέρβιά τε καὶ 3.156 τὰς ἐντὸς τούτων πρὸς θάλασσαν πολίχνας, καὶ Βέῤῥοιαν καὶ Ἔδεσσαν, Γυναικόκαστρόν τε καὶ Μυγδονίαν μετὰ τῶν κατῳκισμένων πόλεων, καὶ τὰς περὶ Στρυμμόνα κώμας ἄχρι τῶν Φερῶν ὁρίων, καὶ Ταντεσάνου ὄρη προσαγορευόμενα, ἀπένεμε Ῥωμαίοις, Ζίχνα δὲ καὶ Φερὰς καὶ Μελενίκον καὶ Στρύμβιτζαν καὶ Καστορίαν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας Μακεδονικὰς κώμας καὶ πολίχνας, αἳ τῶν εἰρημένων ὅρων ἐκτὸς ἦσαν, Κράλην ἔχειν· καὶ συμμαχίαν ἐπὶ τούτοις ποιεῖσθαι καὶ σπονδὰς, καὶ μηδὲν ἀλλήλους ἀδικεῖν. οὕτω μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς διῄρει τὰς πόλεις· καὶ ἐδόκει καὶ Κράλῃ καλῶς ἔχειν, καὶ συνέβησαν ἐν τούτοις, καὶ πάντες ἥδοντο, καὶ Τριβαλοὶ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι, πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην. ὅ,τε βασιλεὺς εἱστία φιλοτίμως Κράλην καὶ τοὺς συνόντας ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τόπου, οὗ αἱ συμβάσεις ἐγεγένηντο, παρόντος καὶ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως καὶ συμφιλοτιμουμένου βασιλεῖ τῷ κηδεστῇ. κβʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἄριστον συνέθεντο, ὥστε εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν βασιλέα μὲν ἐπιλέξασθαι πέντε Ῥωμαίων τῶν ἐν τέλει, καὶ τούτοις ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν παράληψιν τῶν πόλεων· Κράλην δὲ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων ἴσους παρασχεῖν, ὥστε παραδοῦναι. καὶ συνταξάμενοι ἀλλήλοις, ἐπεὶ τέλος εἶχον αἱ συμβάσεις, ὁ μὲν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, οἱ βασιλεῖς δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπεχώρουν. ἐπελθούσης δὲ νυκτὸς, τινὲς τῶν συνόντων βασιλεῦσι κρύφα ἐλθόντες πρὸς τὸν Κράλην, συνεβούλευον τὰς 3.157 πόλεις μὴ παραδιδόναι, ἀλλὰ πόλεμον αἱρεῖσθαι μᾶλλον πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα, ὡς βλάπτειν δυνησόμενον ὀλίγα ἢ οὐδέν. νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἀξιόμαχον οὐκ ἔχειν στρατιάν· ἂν δὲ ἐπανήκῃ εἰς Βυζάντιον ὡς παρασκευασόμενος, τὸν Παλαιολόγον