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they poured forth the most unseemly insults, in no way inferior to those dared by Apokaukos the megas doux during the time of the war. which especially grieved the emperor when he learned of them, thinking that the young emperor would not have proceeded to such a degree of absurdity, unless he had determined to maintain an implacable war against him. However, the young emperor, when later accused of such things by his father-in-law, insisted that he knew nothing of what had happened, but that since he was by the hollow of the ship and the roaring of the waves allowed him to hear nothing of what was being said, the unruly naval force turned to insults. These things, then, will be spoken of a little later. But at that time, when he returned to Tenedos, with Empress Helen his wife and Manuel his son, he came to Thessalonica. But the emperor Kantakouzenos, who was staying near Beroea, when he learned that his son-in-law had come to Byzantium, quickly went against him, himself leading a not inconsiderable army and having his son Matthew following with him. He did not, however, find the emperor, his son-in-law, who had himself departed quickly for Tenedos, but a not inconsiderable confusion and disturbance had been stirred up, especially among the most prominent men. For on the third day after his arrival, all 3.257 having gathered by agreement in the palace, they said to the emperor that they did not know what this inclination of his to both sides to such an extent meant, so that they themselves did not know which one they should support. For if he has decided by all means to designate the young emperor John as heir to the Roman dominion, why does he not also make it clear to them, so that they should not fight, but rather serve him under whom they are to be a little later? For it would be foolish and most absurd to be disloyal to their master and to appear as enemies, by which means they will not be able to destroy him, since you yourself support him and willingly cede the rule, but they will harm themselves, their children, and their households most grievously, having appeared as enemies to one whom they will be compelled to serve. But if you yourself consider him an enemy and wish them to eagerly join you in the war, it is necessary to provide some firm hope for the future, by which they may be persuaded to fight him eagerly. And this would be to proclaim your son Matthew emperor, so that they would thus cast aside all doubt and eagerly fight the young emperor, now possessing a firm hope that, if they prevail over their enemies, they will have you and your son as emperors for life, or, if they are defeated, they will be destroyed along with them. So those in authority said such things, and the emperor said, "Your demand, 3.258 as it is both just and sensible, and it is necessary to know whom one must support while fighting the other, I myself would not deny. For all the other time, immediately after we overcame our enemies and ended the war, having made agreements with the Empress Anna and the emperor my son-in-law, I myself compelled you to know and consider him as master and emperor; and not only in secret, but also before many, I often declared that the young emperor, both while I live and after my death, would be the successor to the Roman empire. But now the circumstances themselves have compelled me to act otherwise than I wished, and it is likely they create great perplexity for you. Therefore, if the matter were about things of no account and contemptible, it would be no trouble to say now what comes to mind, since little harm would come from speaking not with good counsel but thoughtlessly whatever occurs. But since it is about the greatest of our affairs—for what could be greater?—it is necessary first to deliberate many times, and thus to set forth to you whatever we consider to be advantageous and just. But you yourselves also, both each one individually and all in common, making much examination and scrutiny of the matter, so prepare yourselves, as each one will contribute an opinion which he thinks will be advantageous both in common for the affairs of the Romans and to each of you individually." The assembly, therefore,

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ὡς μάλιστα ἀσέμνους κατέχεον τὰς ὕβρεις καὶ οὐδὲν ἀποδεούσας τῶν παρὰ Ἀποκαύκου τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦ πολέμου τετολμημένων. ἃ μάλιστα ἐλύπησε πυθόμενον τὸν βασιλέα, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξενεγκεῖν τὸν νέον οἰηθέντα βασιλέα ἀτοπίας, εἰ μὴ ἄσπονδον ἐσκέψατο τὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν πόλεμον διατηρεῖν. ὁ μέντοι νέος βασιλεὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐγκαλούμενος ὕστερον ὑπὸ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ, ἰσχυρίζετο οὐδὲν εἰδέναι τῶν γεγενημένων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν κοίλην ὄντος ναῦν καὶ τῶν λεγομένων οὐδενὸς ἀκούειν ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥοθίου συγχωρουμένου, ἀτακτοῦν τὸ ναυτικὸν ἐτράπη πρὸς τὰς ὕβρεις. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον εἰρήσεται. τότε δὲ ἐπεὶ εἰς Τένεδον ἐκεῖνος ἐπανῆκε, βασιλίδα Ἑλένην τὴν γυναῖκα ἔχων καὶ Μανουὴλ τὸν παῖδα, ἦλθεν εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην. Καντακουζηνὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ Βήραν διατρίβων, ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο τὸν γαμβρὸν ἐπὶ Βυζάντιον ἐλθόντα, κατὰ τάχος ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ᾔει, καὶ αὐτὸς στρατιάν τε ἄγων οὐκ ὀλίγην καὶ Ματθαῖον συνεπόμενον ἔχων τὸν υἱόν. βασιλέα μὲν οὖν οὐχ εὗρε τὸν γαμβρὸν, εἰς Τένεδον κατὰ τάχος ἀπηρκότα καὶ αὐτὸν, σύγχυσιν δὲ καὶ ταραχὴν οὐκ ὀλίγην ἐν τοῖς ἐπιφανεστέροις μάλιστα ἐγηγερμένην. εἰς τρίτην γὰρ ἡμέραν μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν πάντες 3.257 ἐκ συνθήματος γενόμενοι ἐν βασιλείοις, ἀγνοεῖν ἔφασαν πρὸς βασιλέα, ὅ,τι βούλοιτο αὐτῷ ἡ πρὸς τοσοῦτον ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ῥοπὴ, ὥστε μηδ' αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι ἔχειν, ὁποτέρῳ πρόσθοιντο. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τρόπου παντὸς βασιλέα τὸν νέον Ἰωάννην ἔγνωκε κληρονόμον ἀποδεικνύειν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας, τί μὴ καὶ αὐτοῖς κατάδηλον ποιεῖ, ὥστε μήτε πολεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεραπεύειν μέλλοντας ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον εἶναι ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον; ἀνόητον γὰρ ἂν εἴη καὶ τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων, ἀγνωμονεῖν πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην καὶ πολεμίους φαίνεσθαι, ἐξ ὧν ἐκεῖνον μὲν οὐ δυνήσονται διαφθερεῖν, αὐτοῦ συναιρομένου καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς παραχωροῦντος ἑκοντὶ, σφᾶς δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τέκνα καὶ οἰκείους βλάψουσι τὰ μέγιστα, πολέμιοι ἀναφανέντες, ᾧ δουλεύειν ἕξουσιν ἀνάγκην. εἰ δ' αὐτός τε πολέμιον ἡγεῖται κἀκείνους προθύμως βούλεται συμπολεμεῖν αὐτῷ, ἐλπίδα τινὰ βεβαίαν δέον πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα παρέχεσθαι, ᾗ πεισθέντες ἐκείνῳ πολεμήσουσι προθύμως. αὕτη δ' ἂν εἴη τὸ Ματθαῖον τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύειν βασιλέα, ὡς οὕτω πᾶσαν ἀμφιβολίαν ἀποθησομένων καὶ προθύμως τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ πολεμησόντων, ἐλπίδα βεβαίαν ἤδη κεκτημένων, ὡς ἢ κρατήσαντες τῶν πολεμίων διὰ βίου βασιλέας αὐτὸν ἕξουσι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν, ἢ καὶ αὐτοὶ κρατηθέντων συνδιαφθαρήσονται αὐτῶν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐν τέλει τοιαῦτα εἶπον, βασιλεὺς δὲ «τὴν μὲν ἀξίωσιν ὑμῶν, 3.258 ὡς δικαία τε» εἶπε «καὶ νοῦν ἔχουσα, καὶ ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὅτῳ προσθεμένους χρὴ ἑτέρῳ πολεμεῖν, οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθείην οὐδ' αὐτός. τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλον ἅπαντα χρόνον εὐθὺς μετὰ τὸ ἡμᾶς τῶν πολεμίων περιγεγενῆσθαι καταλελυκέναι τε τὸν πόλεμον, συμβάσεις θεμένους πρὸς Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα καὶ βασιλέα τὸν ἐμὸν γαμβρὸν, αὐτὸς ἠνάγκαζον ὑμᾶς δεσπότην ἐκεῖνον καὶ βασιλέα καὶ εἰδέναι καὶ νομίζειν· καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν πολλάκις τὸν νέον βασιλέα, καὶ περιόντος καὶ μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐμοῦ, τῆς Ῥωμαίων διάδοχον βασιλείας ἔσεσθαι ἀπεφθεγγόμην. νυνὶ δ' αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα ἐμέ τε ἠνάγκασαν ἑτέρως πράττειν, ἢ ὡς ἠβουλόμην, καὶ ὑμῖν εἰκὸς μεγάλας τὰς ἀπορίας ἐμποιεῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν περί τινων οὐδένων καὶ εὐκαταφρονήτων ὁ λόγος ἦν, οὐδὲν ἦν ἔργον φθέγγεσθαι νῦν τὸ παραστὰν, ὡς ὀλίγης βλάβης ἐσομένης ἐκ τοῦ μὴ μετ' εὐβουλίας, ἀλλ' ἀπερισκέπτως φθέγξασθαι τὸ προστυχόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν μεγίστων, τί γὰρ ἂν εἴη μεῖζον; δέον πρότερον πολλὰ πολλάκις σκεψαμένους, οὕτω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἅττα ἂν λυσιτελῆ καὶ δίκαια νομίζωμεν διεξιέναι. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ καὶ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστος καὶ πάντες κοινῇ περὶ τοῦ πράγματος πολλὴν ἐξέτασιν καὶ βάσανον ποιούμενοι, οὕτω παρασκευάσασθε, ὡς γνώμην ἕκαστος εἰσοίσων, ἣν ἂν οἴοιτο καὶ κοινῇ τοῖς πράγμασι Ῥωμαίων καὶ ὑμῖν ἰδίᾳ λυσιτελήσουσαν ἑκάστῳ.» ὁ μὲν οὖν σύλλογος