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yielding more annually, but for the time until the despot should depart from the Peloponnese, that the emperor Matthew should have Lemnos, emperor John having handed it over, and having crossed over, to stay on the island, yet to hold with garrisons the cities in Thrace as well. But whenever the despot should come to Lemnos from the Peloponnese, to hand over the cities in Thrace to the young emperor John and the island to the despot his brother, and he himself to depart for the Peloponnese. Such were the terms they made with each other, and it seemed that the war had been ended. And having taken leave of each other, the one returned to Gratiana, and John the emperor, having come to Peritheorion, since Matthew the emperor was sending men to take possession of and garrison Lemnos, he himself also sent with them the men who would hand it over, and he waited by the city, until those who had arrived at Lemnos returned and the emperor, Matthew, should cross over to the island with the triremes. But while time was being spent on these things, some from among those with the emperor Palaiologos secretly sent to the emperor Matthew. They advised him not to trust at all in what had been agreed, but to take great 3.313 care for himself and not to place himself incautiously in the hands of his enemies. For the admirals chosen by the emperor for his crossing were hinting at some plot to those in whom they most confide such things. For they say that they will fill the fish with human flesh. which things it was especially fitting for him to investigate, lest, being deceived, he fall into irreparable misfortunes. And meanwhile also those from Lemnos returned to him with empty hands, as they say. For those sent by the emperor Palaiologos to hand over the cities by first driving out the existing garrisons, did none of the things they were ordered, but they ordered them to bring in a few men in addition to those who were there before, so that the cities were held no less than before by them, being many times more numerous than those they were ordering them to bring in. which things did not seem tolerable to those from the emperor Matthew, but they ordered that the established garrisons be expelled completely. And since they did not obey, they departed having accomplished nothing. But from the things done on the island, and from what his friends reported, being persuaded he was being deceived, and since a Persian army had come to him as an ally, and the one from Adrianople and the towns around it attacked the Komotinians and came as far as Peritheorion, considering that he himself had not broken the truce but rather had been wronged, the island not having been given over according to the agreements, and a great plot, even to kill him, being contrived. And the emperor 3.314 Palaiologos likewise insisted that he had been wronged and that the truce had been broken, the war having been started against him when he had offered no pretext. For it was not fitting for him to be held accountable, if some had acted unfairly without his knowledge, but it was necessary, abiding by the agreements, to correct what had been done wrong. Nevertheless, the war was kindled again fiercely. And Komotini, being pressed by frequent attacks, again went over to the emperor Matthew. But the emperor Palaiologos, since he saw that the delay was profitable for nothing, having appointed the despot John Asan as ruler of Peritheorion, himself departed for Byzantium. 43. And around this time the Kral, the ruler of the Triballi, also died, and no small dissension was stirred up among the Triballi. For Symeon, the Kral's brother, then ruling Acarnania, laid claim to the entire rule of the Triballi, as belonging more to him, and he had many of the notables among the Triballi as supporters for the undertaking; and Uroš, the Kral's son, waged war against his uncle for the sake of his paternal rule. And his mother Helen, likewise distrusting both her son and Symeon, her husband's brother, having brought many cities under her control and having gathered to herself a not inconsiderable force, held rule on her own, warring with neither, nor indeed joining with either for the war. And the most powerful of the notables among them, having driven the lesser ones 3.315 from their offices,

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πλείους ἐτησίως φέρουσαν, τὸν χρόνον δὲ ἄχρις οὗ δεσπότης ἀποστῇ Πελοποννήσου, τὴν Λῆμνον ἔχειν τὸν Ματθαῖον βασιλέα, βασιλέως Ἰωάννου παραδόντος, καὶ περαιωθέντα, διατρίβειν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ, κατέχειν μέντοι φρουραῖς καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην πόλεις. ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς Λῆμνον ἐκ Πελοποννήσου ὁ δεσπότης γένηται, τὰς μὲν κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην πόλεις βασιλεῖ τῷ νέῳ Ἰωάννῃ παραδιδόναι καὶ δεσπότῃ τἀδελφῷ τὴν νῆσον, αὐτὸν δὲ εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἀπαίρειν. τοιαύτας μὲν συνθήκας πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ ἔδοξεν ὁ πόλεμος καταλελύσθαι. συνταξάμενοι δὲ ἀλλήλοις, ὁ μὲν ἀνέστρεφεν εἰς τὴν Γρατιανοῦ, Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Περιθεώριον ἐλθὼν, ἐπεὶ Ματθαῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔπεμπε τοὺς παραληψομένους καὶ φρουρήσοντας τὴν Λῆμνον, συνεξέπεμπε καὶ αὐτὸς τοὺς παραδώσοντας, περιέμενέ τε πρὸς τῇ πόλει, ἄχρις οὗ, τῶν εἰς τὴν Λῆμνον ἀφιγμένων ἐπανηκόντων καὶ βασιλεὺς ὁ, Ματθαῖος εἰς τὴν νῆσον ταῖς τριήρεσι περαιωθῇ. ἐν τούτοις δὲ τοῦ χρόνου τριβομένου, ἐκ τῶν Παλαιολόγῳ βασιλεῖ συνόντων κρύφα πέμψαντές τινες πρὸς τὸν Ματθαῖον βασιλέα. μὴ πάνυ θαῤῥεῖν παρῄνουν τοῖς συντεθειμένοις, ἀλλὰ πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ πολλὴν 3.313 ποιεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀπερισκέπτως ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις καθιστᾷν. τοὺς γὰρ ὑπὸ βασιλέως ᾑρημένους πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ περαίωσιν ναυάρχους αἰνίττεσθαί τινα ἐπιβουλὴν πρὸς οὓς μάλιστα θαῤῥοῦσι τὰ τοιαῦτα. λέγουσι γὰρ, ὡς ἀνθρωπίνων τοὺς ἰχθῦς ἐμπλήσουσι σαρκῶν. ἃ μάλιστα αὐτὸν προσῆκον ἐρευνᾷν, μὴ εἰς ἀνηκέστους ἐκπέσῃ συμφορὰς ἀπατηθείς. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Λήμνου κεναῖς, ὅ φασι, χερσὶν ἐπανῆκον πρὸς αὐτόν. οἱ γὰρ ὑπὸ βασιλέως τοῦ Παλαιολόγου τὰς πόλεις πεμφθέντες παραδιδόναι πρότερον τὰς οὔσας ἐξελαύνοντες φρουρὰς, οὐδὲν ἐποίουν τῶν κεκελευσμένων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῖς οὖσι πρότερον καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευον ὀλίγους τινὰς εἰσάγειν, ὥστε μηδὲν ἧττον ἢ πρότερον κατέχεσθαι τὰς πόλεις ὑπ' ἐκείνων πολλαπλασιόνων ὄντων, ἢ ὧν ἐκέλευον αὐτοὺς εἰσάγειν. ἃ τοῖς ἐκ Ματθαίου βασιλέως οὐκ ἐδόκει ἀνεκτὰ, ἀλλὰ παντάπασι τὰς ἐγκαθιδρυμένας ἐκέλευον φρουρὰς ἐκβάλλειν. ὡς δ' οὐχ ὑπήκουον ἐκεῖνοι, ἀνεχώρουν ἄπρακτοι. ἐκ δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὴν νῆσον εἰργασμένων, καὶ ὧν ἐμήνυον οἱ φίλοι, φενακίζεσθαι πεισθεὶς, ἐπεὶ καὶ Περσικὴ κατὰ συμμαχίαν ἧκε πρὸς ἐκεῖνον στρατιὰ, καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ τῶν περὶ ἐκείνην πολιχνίων ἐπῆλθε Κουμουτζηνοῖς, καὶ ἄχρι Περιθεωρίου ἦλθεν, ἡγούμενος μὴ παραβεβηκέναι τὰς σπονδὰς αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἠδικῆσθαι, οὔτε τῆς νήσου ἀποδεδομένης κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας, καὶ μεγάλης ἐπιβουλῆς, ὥστε ἀποκτείνειν, συσκευαζομένης. βασιλεύς 3.314 τε ὁ Παλαιολόγος ὁμοίως διετείνετο ἠδικῆσθαι, καὶ παρεσπονδῆσθαι, τοῦ πολέμου κεκινημένου πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐδεμίαν πρόφασιν παρεσχημένον. οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ λογίζεσθαι προσῆκον, εἴτι τινὲς ἠγνωμονήκασιν, αὐτοῦ μὴ συνειδότος, ἀλλ' ἐχρῆν ἐμμένοντας ταῖς συνθήκαις, ἐπανορθοῦσθαι τὰ ἡμαρτημένα. ὅμως αὖθις ὁ πόλεμος ἀνήπτετο σφοδρός. καὶ Κουμουτζηνὰ ταῖς συχναῖς ἐφόδοις πιεσθέντα, προσεχώρουν αὖθις Ματθαίῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ. Παλαιολόγος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐπεὶ τὴν διατριβὴν ἑώρα πρὸς οὐδὲν λυσιτελοῦσαν, Ἀσάνην δεσπότην τὸν Ἰωάννην Περιθεωρίου καταστήσας ἄρχοντα, αὐτὸς εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀπῇρεν. μγʹ. Ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ Κράλης ὁ τῶν Τριβαλῶν δυνάστης ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ στάσις οὐ μικρὰ ἀνεῤῥιπίσθη Τριβαλοῖς. Σίμων τε γὰρ ὁ Κράλη ἀδελφὸς, Ἀκαρνανίας τότε ἄρχων, τῆς ὅλης Τριβαλῶν ἀρχῆς ἀντεποιήθη, ὡς αὐτῷ διαφερούσης μᾶλλον, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν παρὰ Τριβαλοῖς ἐπιφανῶν συναιρομένους εἶχε πρὸς τὸ ἔργον· καὶ Οὔρεσις ὁ Κράλη παῖς τῆς πατρῴας ἕνεκα ἀρχῆς ἐπολέμει πρὸς τὸν θεῖον. Ἑλένη τε ἡ τούτου μήτηρ ὁμοίως ἀπιστοῦσα τῷ τε υἱῷ καὶ Σίμωνι τῷ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀδελφῷ πόλεις πολλὰς ὑποποιησαμένη καὶ δύναμιν ἑαυτῇ οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον περιστήσασα, καθ' ἑαυτὴν εἶχε τὴν ἀρχὴν μηδετέρῳ πολεμοῦσα, μήτε μὴν συναιρομένη πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον. οἵ τε δυνατώτατοι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιφανῶν τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους ἀπελά 3.315 σαντες ἐκ τῶν ἀρχῶν,