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held by the eastern Scythians, and during that summer he besieged and took the two most famous cities among them, Ankyra and Crateia. Returning from there as a victor at the beginning of autumn, both he and his father sent an embassy to the emperor Kantakouzenos, saying they were willing to hand over to him the cities in Thrace, just as they had promised; it was up to him to take them over, whenever he wished. And the emperor, having expressed much gratitude to them for their goodwill towards him and having generously rewarded the ambassadors with gifts, sent them away, setting a certain deadline, by which both he and those who were to hand over the cities should be in Thrace, so that, with the barbarians being driven out, he could bring in garrisons in their place and take care of the cities, as might seem best to him. And he began to prepare for this. Meanwhile the emperor Palaiologos, having armed the one trireme which he had and having gathered some single-banked galleys from Tenedos, suddenly, with no one knowing, sailed to Byzantium and by night was inside the dockyard at Heptaskalon. And when the news spread to the city, terrible confusion and disorder took hold of everything, and the people were eager to ally with the young emperor, but fearing the power of the emperor Kantakouzenos 3.285—for they expected him to advance to battle immediately—they held back and withdrew. But the emperor Kantakouzenos, when he learned that the emperor his son-in-law was inside Byzantium, absolutely forbade advancing to battle and bloodshed, and with Kydones also present, who always spent his time inside the palace, not only because of the great favor he enjoyed from the emperor, but also because, as a mediator in affairs, he was obliged to be with the emperor always, night and day, he said to the empress Irene, his wife. "If we had not already decided to withdraw from affairs and disturbances, and putting on the monastic habit, to hasten towards that future renown and glory, nothing would be more necessary, nor more advantageous at the present moment than to take up the army, to advance straight against the enemy, and to spare no one, but to go through all things, until we drive them from the city; which we could most easily accomplish, as far as one can judge from both their weakness and our strength. But if for us, whether we win or are defeated alike, withdrawal from affairs is the necessary outcome, what need have we of bloodshed and wars, which will gain nothing more from these things than the stains of murder and the terrible reproaches of conscience throughout life—for I omit the punishments laid up in the future life for those who dare such things—but rather, taking the emperor's arrival as a pretext, 3.286 to leave everything and concern ourselves only with salvation? And if we have not been able to end the war between our son and son-in-law, but the strife for the empire remains for them, still one must consider this, that if it were possible to do this without blood and slaughter, as we wished, it would be an act worthy of a prayer. But now our affairs have come to such a necessity, that we must either withdraw voluntarily, or fighting, kill the enemy, or be killed ourselves, should it happen. Since, therefore, to be defeated is most shameful and terrible, and to win is likewise not free from any misfortune, for what reason shall we not choose what is advantageous both for all in common and for ourselves alike?" To this the empress did not demur, but was persuaded by the emperor who was counseling the better course. And when those most loyal to the emperor Kantakouzenos were gathered in the palace, not only soldiers, but also not a few of the more noble men, there was an uproar and confusion, and all were advising that they must attack the enemy. Especially the Catalan mercenary force was making a clamor and they demanded that the emperor lead them against the enemy, as they would easily drive them from the city. But he, having forbidden fighting altogether as unprofitable, and thinking it not fitting to make plain to the army the opinion which he held concerning the situation—for it would have taken away not a little of their daring and their eagerness and enthusiasm for him,

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τῶν ἑῴων Σκυθῶν κατεχομένοις, καὶ ἐξεπολιόρκησε κατὰ τὸ θέρος ἐκεῖνο δύο πόλεις τὰς ἐπιφανεστέρας παρ' αὐτοῖς, Ἄγκυραν καὶ Κράτειαν. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ὑποστρέψας νικητὴς φθινοπώρου ἀρχομένου, πρεσβείαν ἔπεμψεν αὐτός τε καὶ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα, φάσκοντες ἐθέλειν αὐτῷ παραδιδόναι τὰς κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην πόλεις, ὥσπερ ἐπηγγείλαντο· ἐπ' αὐτῷ δὲ εἶναι παραλαμβάνειν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐθέλοι. πολλὰς δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁμολογήσας χάριτας ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις δώροις φιλοτίμως ἀμειψάμενος ἀπέπεμψε, προθεσμίαν θέμενός τινα, ἐν ᾗ αὐτόν τε ἔδει καὶ τοὺς παραδώσοντας τὰς πόλεις εἶναι πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην, ὥστε, τῶν βαρβάρων ἐξελαυνομένων, ἀντεισάγειν αὐτὸν φρουροὺς καὶ προνοεῖσθαι τῶν πόλεων, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα αὐτῷ δοκῇ. καὶ παρεσκευάζετο πρὸς τοῦτο. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Παλαιολόγος ὁ βασιλεὺς τριήρη μίαν, ἥνπερ εἶχεν, ἐφοπλίσας καὶ μονήρεις τινὰς συμπορισάμενος ἐκ Τενέδου ἀθρόον, μηδενὸς εἰδότος, ἐπέπλευσε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ ἐγένετο νυκτὸς ἔνδον τοῦ ἐν Ἑπτασκάλῳ νεωρίου. τῆς φήμης δὲ διαδοθείσης πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, σύγχυσις δεινὴ καὶ ἀταξία τὸ πᾶν κατεῖχε, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ὥρμητο μὲν βασιλεῖ τῷ νέῳ συμμαχεῖν, τὴν δὲ Καντακουζη 3.285 νοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως δεδοικότες δύναμιν, ἤλπιζον γὰρ αὐτὸν αὐτίκα χωρήσειν ἐπὶ μάχην, συνεστέλλοντο καὶ ὑπεχώρουν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο ἔνδον Βυζαντίου ὄντα βασιλέα τὸν γαμβρὸν, τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ μάχας χωρεῖν καὶ φόνους ἀπηγόρευε παντάπασι, παρόντος δὲ καὶ Κυδώνη, ὃς ἔνδον βασιλείων διέτριβεν ἀεὶ, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν εὐμένειαν, ἣν πολλὴν παρὰ βασιλέως ἐκαρποῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι μεσάζων ἀνάγκην εἶχεν ἀεὶ συνεῖναι βασιλεῖ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν, πρὸς Εἰρήνην βασιλίδα τὴν γυναῖκα εἶπεν. «εἰ μὲν μὴ πρότερον ἐδέδοκτο ἡμῖν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναχωρεῖν καὶ τῶν θορύβων, καὶ μοναχῶν ἐνδύντας σχῆμα, πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐκείνην εὔκλειαν ἐπείγεσθαι καὶ εὐδοξίαν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν ἀναγκαιότερον, οὐδὲ μᾶλλον λυσιτελοῦν ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἢ τὴν στρατιὰν ἀναλαβόντα, χωρεῖν εὐθὺ τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ φείδεσθαι μηδενὸς, ἀλλὰ διὰ πάντων ἰέναι, ἄχρις ἂν ἐξελάσαιμεν τῆς πόλεως· ὃ μάλιστα ῥᾷστα ἂν κατειργασάμεθα, ὅσον ἀπό τε τῆς ἐκείνων ἀδυναμίας καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας δυνάμεως ἔστι στοχάζεσθαι. εἰ δὲ νικῶσί τε ὁμοίως καὶ ἡττωμένοις τὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναγκαίως πρόκειται ἀποχωρεῖν, τί δεῖ φόνων καὶ πολέμων ἡμῖν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἕξουσιν ἐκ τούτων, ἢ τὰς ἐκ τῶν φόνων κηλῖδας καὶ τοὺς διὰ βίου τοῦ συνειδότος δεινοὺς ἐλέγχους, ἐῶ γὰρ τὰς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι βίῳ τοῖς τοιαῦτα τολμῶσιν ἀποκειμένας τιμωρίας, ἀλλὰ μὴ πρόφασιν τὴν βασιλέως θεμένους ἐπιδημίαν, 3.286 πάντα καταλείπειν καὶ μόνου γίνεσθαι τοῦ σώζεσθαι; εἰ δὲ μὴ διαλελυκέναι τὸν πόλεμον ἠδυνήθημεν τῷ τε υἱῷ καὶ τῷ γαμβρῷ, ἀλλ' ὑπολέλειπται αὐτοῖς ἡ ἔρις περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο χρὴ σκοπεῖν, ὡς, εἰ μὲν αἱμάτων χωρὶς καὶ φόνων πράττειν τοῦτ' ἐξῆν, ὥσπερ ἐβουλόμεθα, ἦν ἂν ἔργον ἄξιον εὐχῆς. νυνὶ δὲ εἰς τοιαύτην ἀνάγκην περιέστηκεν ἡμῖν τὰ πράγματα, ὥστ' ἢ ἑκόντας ὑποχωρεῖν, ἢ μαχομένους κτείνειν τοὺς πολεμίους, ἢ αὐτοὺς ἀποθνήσκειν, ἂν συμβαίη. ὅτε τοίνυν τό,τε ἡττᾶσθαι τῶν αἰσχίστων καὶ δεινὸν, καὶ τὸ νικᾷν ὁμοίως οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολείπεται κακοπραγίας, ὅτου ἕνεκα μὴ τὸ κοινῇ τε ὁμοίως καὶ ἡμῖν αἱρησόμεθα λυσιτελοῦν;» πρὸς ταῦτα οὐδ' ἡ βασιλὶς ἀνένευεν, ἀλλὰ ἐπείθετο τῷ βασιλεῖ βουλευομένῳ τὰ βελτίω. ἐν βασιλείοις δὲ τῶν μάλιστα εὔνων βασιλεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ συνηθροισμένων, οὐ τῶν στρατιωτῶν μόνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν εὐγενεστέρων οὐκ ὀλίγων, θόρυβος ἦν καὶ ταραχὴ, καὶ πάντες ἐπιέναι δεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις συνεβούλευον. μάλιστα δὲ ἐθορύβουν τὸ ἐκ Κατελάνων μισθοφορικὸν καὶ ἠξίουν βασιλέα τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπάγειν σφᾶς, ὡς ῥᾳδίως ἐξελάσοντας τῆς πόλεως. ὁ δὲ τό,τε μάχεσθαι παντάπασιν ὡς ἀλυσιτελὲς ἀπειρηκὼς, τῇ τε στρατιᾷ τὴν γνώμην, ἥνπερ ἔχει περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, φανερὰν ποιεῖν μὴ προσήκειν οἰηθεὶς, ὑφαιρήσειν γὰρ ἂν αὐτῶν οὐκ ὀλίγον τῆς τόλμης καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας,