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of what has been said. But since he refrained from none of the things he thought would cause pain, I do not think that anyone of sound mind will justly blame me if, having changed my mind, I now do something contrary to what was previously decided. For I was not led to this by fickleness of character, nor by wanting to grieve him rashly and in vain, but was compelled by him. For what sense does it make for him to insult me and in every way to try to make it clear that he will be irreconcilable, while I, as if insensitive to what is being done, should think nothing of what is happening is terrible? Therefore, to deprive him of the succession to the empire, which has always been intended, as far as it concerns me, would be my responsibility, unless he should change his mind and show a reasonableness to counterbalance his 3.268 former wickedness. But to proclaim my son Matthew emperor would no longer be my decision alone; for until now nothing at all has been able to lead me to this, although you often made many requests about this during the time of the war, when the action would have seemed especially to preserve what is reasonable; but it is mostly yours, who have requested it and have brought much eagerness and zeal for this, and no less mine also, having judged your request to be both just and advantageous for you yourselves and for the state of affairs as a whole. Therefore, I will act according to your demand. It would be your part to be content with what has been decreed, and not to be so eager about these things now, but a little later, if some difficulty should arise, to change your minds easily.” Such things did the emperor Kantakouzenos discuss concerning the young emperor, and such accusations did he bring, from which he thought he was acting justly. But the young emperor, later after the conclusion of the war, being accused of the same things by his father-in-law, who was as it were defending himself for why he would depose him and proclaim his son Matthew emperor, had nothing to say in his defense about the other matters, but regarding his not having been addressed as emperor in the letters to Süleyman the Persian, he said that not he, but the one who wrote them was the cause; and that he himself, being occupied by many cares and with his mind distracted by countless affairs 3.269, did not pay attention to what was written, but had unthinkingly signed with the red ink. Likewise also concerning the insults perpetrated by the sailors of the triremes, he said that he knew nothing, nor had he wished it, but that staying in the hull of the ship at that time, he had perceived none of the audacious acts outside. These things, then, came later. 37. But at that time, since the emperor approved the proclamation of his son Matthew, a few days after the discussion, with everyone present in the palace, the son of the emperor was proclaimed, and he put red boots on his feet and placed on his head a cap adorned with a jewel and with pearls, as is the custom for emperors, and he was counted with the emperors in the acclamations and in the commemorations of the emperors that took place during the sacred rites. But the emperor, his father-in-law, ordered that emperor John be passed over in silence in the commemorations and in the acclamations; he ordered, however, that the empress Anna and his grandson, the emperor Andronikos, be acclaimed, as before, and be commemorated in the sacred ceremonies. However, he did not entirely take away his title, but whenever he spoke of him, he addressed him as emperor, in the presence of many. From such causes was the war between the emperors stirred up and it grew to such an extent that even the emperor Kantakouzenos, although previously prepared with his whole mind to leave the young John 3.270 as successor to the rule, was forced also to proclaim his son Matthew emperor. However, after the proclamation of the new emperor Matthew, his father sent him out again to Adrianople, while he himself remained in Byzantium and set himself diligently to arrange matters concerning the patriarch as well as was possible. For he already saw that it was by all necessity needful for the new emperor Matthew to be anointed with the holy oil according to custom. Therefore he also summoned the bishops, as many as possible, from the cities throughout Thrace. Then, since

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εἰρημένων. ἐκείνου δὲ οὐδενὸς τῶν ὅσα ᾤετο λυπεῖν ἀποσχομένου, οὐδένα τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων οἴομαι ἐμοὶ δικαίως ἐγκαλέσειν, εἴ τι παρὰ τὰ δεδογμένα πρότερον πράξω νῦν μεταβαλών. οὐ γὰρ εὐκολίᾳ τρόπων ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἤχθην, οὐδ' εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην ἐκεῖνον βουλόμενος λυπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἠναγκασμένος ὑπ' ἐκείνου. τίνα γὰρ ἔχει λόγον, ἐκεῖνον μὲν ὑβρίζειν εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ πάντα τρόπον πειρᾶσθαι κατάδηλον ποιεῖν, ὡς ἀσυμβάτως ἕξει, ἐμὲ δὲ ὥσπερ πρὸς τὰ πραττόμενα ἀναισθητοῦντα, μηδὲν τῶν γινομένων οἴεσθαι δεινόν; τὸ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀεὶ μελετωμένην ἀεὶ διαδοχὴν τῆς βασιλείας, τό γε εἰς ἐμὲ ἧκον, αὐτὸν ἀποστερεῖν ἐμὸν ἂν εἴη, εἰ μὴ μεταβάλοιτο καὶ τῆς 3.268 προτέρας κακίας ἀντίῤῥοπον ἐνδείξαιτο εὐγνωμοσύνην. τὸ δὲ Ματθαῖον τὸν ἐμὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύειν βασιλέα οὐκέτ' ἂν εἴη μόνον ἐμοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέπω πρότερον ἄχρι νῦν τῶν πάντων οὐδὲν εἰς τοῦτο ἠδυνήθη ἀγαγεῖν, καίτοι πολλάκις ὑμῶν πολλὰ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον, ὅτε καὶ μάλιστα ἡ πρᾶξις ἂν ἐδόκει τὸ εὔλογον διασώζειν, δεηθέντων περὶ τούτου· ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν ὑμῶν τῶν δεομένων καὶ πολλὴν ὑπὲρ τούτου τὴν προθυμίαν εἰσενηνεγμένων καὶ σπουδὴν, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ κἀμοῦ δίκαιά τε ὁμοῦ καὶ σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασι συμφέροντα κρίναντος ὑμᾶς αἰτεῖν. πράξω μὲν οὖν ἐγὼ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίωσιν ὑμῶν. ὑμέτερον δ' ἂν εἴη στέργειν τὰ ἐψηφισμένα, καὶ μὴ νῦν μὲν οὕτω προθυμεῖσθαι περὶ ταῦτα, ὀλίγῳ δὲ ὕστερον, εἴ τι προσπίπτοι δυσχερὲς, ῥᾳδίως μεταβάλλεσθαι.» τοιαῦτα μὲν βασιλεὺς ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς περὶ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου διειλέχθη, καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐγκλήματα ἐπῆγεν, ἐξ ὧν ᾤετο δίκαια ποιεῖν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος ὕστερον μετὰ τοῦ πολέμου τὴν κατάλυσιν τὰ ἴσα ἐγκαλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπολογουμένου, ὅτου ἕνεκα αὐτὸν μὲν ἀποχειροτονήσοι, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν Ματθαῖον ἀποδείξοι βασιλέα, περὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲν εἶχεν ἀντιλέγειν, τοῦ μέντοι ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Σουλιμὰν τὸν Πέρσην γράμμασι μὴ προσηγορευκέναι βασιλέα, οὐκ αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸν γεγραφότα ἔλεγε γεγενῆσθαι αἴτιον· αὐτὸν δὲ ὑπὸ πολλῶν φροντίδων συνισχημένον καὶ μυρίοις πράγμασι περιελκόμενον 3.269 τὸν νοῦν, οὐκ ἐπιστῆσαι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, ἀλλ' ἀπερισκέπτως τοῖς ἐρυθροῖς ὑποσημήνασθαι. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν γεγενημένων ὕβρεων ὑπὸ τῶν τριηριτῶν οὐδὲν αὐτὸν εἰδέναι, μήτε βούλεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ κοίλῃ νηῒ κατ' ἐκεῖνο χρόνου διατρίβοντα, μηδενὸς ᾐσθῆσθαι τῶν τετολμημένων ἔξω. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον. λζʹ. Τότε δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐπεψήφιζεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν ἀνάῤῥησιν Ματθαίου τοῦ υἱοῦ, μετά τινας τῆς διαλέξεως ἡμέρας, πάντων παρόντων ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνηγόρευτο υἱὸς, καὶ τοῖς τε ποσὶν ὑπέδυ κρηπῖδας ἐρυθρὰς καὶ πῖλον ἐπέθετο τῇ κεφαλῇ λίθῳ τε κεκοσμημένον καὶ μαργάροις, ὥσπερ ἔθος βασιλεῦσι, καὶ πρός τε τὰς εὐφημίας συνηριθμεῖτο τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ ἐν ταῖς γιγνομέναις μνήμαις τῶν βασιλέων πρὸς τοῖς ἱεροῖς. βασιλέα δὲ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐκέλευε βασιλεὺς ὁ κηδεστὴς ἔν τε ταῖς μνήμαις ἀποσιωπᾶσθαι κἀν ταῖς εὐφημίαις· Ἄνναν μέντοι τὴν βασιλίδα καὶ τὸν θυγατριδοῦν Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν βασιλέα εὐφημεῖσθαι, ὥσπερ πρότερον, καὶ μνημονεύεσθαι ἐκέλευεν ἐν ταῖς ἱεροτελεστίαις. οὐ μὴν αὐτοῦ παντάπασιν ἀφεῖλε καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν, ἀλλ' εἴ ποτε περὶ ἐκείνου ποιοῖτο λόγον, βασιλέα προσηγόρευεν, ἐπὶ πολλῶν. ἐκ τοιούτων μὲν αἰτιῶν ὁ πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῶν βασιλέων ἐκινήθη πόλεμος καὶ ηὔξητο ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς καὶ Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα, καίτοι πρότερον ὅλῃ γνώμῃ παρεσκευασμένον τῆς ἀρχῆς διάδοχον τὸν νέον καταλείπειν Ἰω 3.270 άννην, ἠναγκάσθαι καὶ Ματθαῖον τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύειν βασιλέα. μετὰ μέντοι τὴν ἀνάῤῥησιν Ματθαίου τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἐκεῖνον μὲν εἰς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ἐξέπεμπεν αὖθις ὁ πατὴρ, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπελείπετο ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην, ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν, εὖ τίθεσθαι ἐτίθετο διὰ σπουδῆς. συνεώρα γὰρ ἤδη κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην δέον ὂν Ματθαῖον τὸν νέον βασιλέα τῷ μύρῳ χρίεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἔθος. τοιγαροῦν καὶ μετεπέμπετο τοὺς ἀρχιερέας, ὅσους μάλιστα ἐνῆν, ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην πόλεων. εἶτα ἐπειδὴ