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they considered that the army especially needed wide open space. For which reasons, each holding his force together, they remained quiet in their camps. And sending embassies to each other, they discussed peace. But as they did not come to an agreement with each other, the one returned to Bizye with his army, and the emperor Palaiologos to Byzantium; and they considered by what means they would harm each other. At this time, from Old Phocaea, which Calothetus 3.321 ruled, a piratical monoreme, having come to the Astacenian gulf for the sake of plunder, as it so happened, captured Halil, the son of Orhan, who was crossing the strait there in a small boat; and immediately withdrew to Phocaea. But when Orhan learned that his son had been captured and taken away to Phocaea, he was unable to campaign against the Phocaeans; for he did not possess an abundance of naval power, which could attack and inflict harm, and an invasion from the mainland was not possible, since Phocaea lay in the satrapy of another, against whom he would have to fight, as he possessed a counterbalancing force, if he tried to go against Phocaea through his territory. Being constrained on all sides by this difficulty, he looked to the aid of the emperor Palaiologos, as he alone would be able to free his son from his bonds. And sending an embassy, he pleaded for his son. The emperor readily promised to do everything and return his son, if he in turn would refrain from providing an alliance to the emperor Matthew against him. For Orhan, even after the emperor Cantacuzenus's withdrawal from affairs, showed much goodwill toward him, and for this reason he also provided great assistance to his son, the emperor, neither troubling the cities that were under him at all, and sending an army whenever he was asked. The emperor Palaiologos, considering these things terrible, as the situation presented a good opportunity, attempted to detach Orhan from his friendship with the emperor Matthew. And the barbarian promised to do everything, if only his son were 3.322 freed for him, and indeed he continued, for as long as his son was bound, neither providing an alliance to the emperor Matthew against the emperor Palaiologos, nor troubling Byzantium and the other cities that were under him at all. But the emperor, thinking that Calothetus would easily hand over Orhan's son, if only he were asked, sent to him and requested him, promising honors and certain other benefits. But Calothetus made little account of these things, and demanded a large sum of money, which the emperor was almost unable to pay. And though the emperor threatened to inflict the worst, if he did not obey, he was no less shameless. For which reasons it seemed necessary to campaign against him; and having prepared, he sailed against him with not a few triremes and besieged him from land and sea alike. But having tested the walls in many and fierce assaults, when he saw that the undertaking was impossible, by providing one hundred thousand pieces of gold and honoring him with the dignity of *panhypersebastos*, he freed Orhan's son from captivity and gave him back to his father. While these things were being accomplished, and some considerable time was spent, the most eminent of the Triballian rulers of the cities in Mygdonia secretly sent for the emperor Matthew, intending to hand over both themselves and the cities which they ruled. And they had previously discussed the same matters. For from those times, when the emperor Cantacuzenus, driven out by the Romans, was staying among the Triballians, they had a certain great goodwill towards him, especially 3.323 the most powerful among them; for which reason, while the Kral was still alive, they would have gladly seen him campaign against them; and they worked together for the greatest things, for they preferred to be ruled by him rather than by the Kral, and they often discussed this secretly. But when the emperor had departed from affairs and their own ruler had died, they had completely given up their former hopes because of the emperor's change in his way of life. And sending to the emperor Matthew, his son, they reminded him of their goodwill toward the emperor his father and of the equal and

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ἐδοκίμαζον τὴν στρατιὰν εὐρυχωρίας δεομένην μάλιστα. δι' ἃ ἑκάτερος τὴν δύναμιν συνέχοντες, ἡσύχαζον ἐπὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων. πρεσβείας δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πέμποντες, διελέγοντο περὶ εἰρήνης. ὡς δὲ οὐ συνέβαινον ἀλλήλοις, ὁ μὲν εἰς Βιζύην ἀνέστρεφε μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς, Παλαιολόγος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον· καὶ ἐσκέπτοντο, ὅτῳ τρόπῳ κακώσουσιν ἀλλήλους. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ ἐκ Φωκαίας τῆς παλαιᾶς, ἧς Καλόθετος 3.321 ἦρχε, μονήρης λῃστρικὴ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀστακηνὸν ἐλθοῦσα κόλπον λῃστείας ἕνεκα, οὕτω συμβὰν, Χαλίλην τὸν Ὀρχάνη συνέλαβεν υἱὸν, ἀκατίῳ τινὶ τὸν ἐκεῖσε περαιούμενον πορθμόν· καὶ αὐτίκα ἀνεχώρει εἰς τὴν Φώκαιαν. Ὀρχάνης δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο ἀνδραποδισθέντα τὸν υἱὸν καὶ εἰς Φώκαιαν ἀπαχθέντα, στρατεύειν μὲν ἐπὶ Φωκαιανοὺς εἶχεν ἀδυνάτως, δυνάμεώς τε γὰρ οὐκ εὐπόρει ναυτικῆς, ἣ κακώσει ἐπελθοῦσα, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου εἰσβολὴ οὐκ ἦν, ἐφ' ἑτέρου κειμένης σατραπείαν τῆς Φωκαίας, πρὸς ὃν ἔδει πολεμεῖν δύναμιν ἔχοντα ἀντίῤῥοπον, εἰ διὰ τῆς ἐκείνου ἐπεχείρει ἐπὶ Φώκαιαν ἰέναι, ἀπορίᾳ δὲ πάντοθεν συνισχημένος, ἐπὶ τὴν Παλαιολόγου τοῦ βασιλέως εἶδεν ἐπικουρίαν, ὡς αὐτοῦ δυνησομένου μόνου τὸν υἱὸν ἀπαλλάττειν τῶν δεσμῶν. καὶ πέμψας πρεσβείαν, ἐδεῖτο περὶ τοῦ παιδός. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὑπέσχετο προθύμως πάντα πράξειν καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν, ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπόσχοιτο Ματθαίῳ κατ' αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ παρέχειν συμμαχίαν. Ὀρχάνης γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὴν Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναχώρησιν πολλὴν ἐπεδείκνυτο τὴν εὔνοιαν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ βασιλεῖ τῷ υἱῷ πολλὴν παρείχετο ὠφέλειαν, ταῖς τε πόλεσιν, ὅσαι ἦσαν ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον, οὐδὲν παρενοχλῶν καὶ πέμπων στρατιὰν, ὁπότε δεηθείη. ἃ ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἐν δεινῷ τιθέμενος βασιλεὺς, καλῶς τοῦ πράγματος παρασχόντος, ἐπεχείρησεν Ὀρχάνην τῆς πρὸς βασιλέα Ματθαῖον φιλίας ἀφιστᾷν. ὑπέσχετό τε καὶ ὁ βάρβαρος πάντα πράξειν, ἢν μόνον ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῷ λυ 3.322 θείη, καὶ διετέλεσέ γε παρ' ὅσον χρόνον ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῷ ἐδέδετο, οὔτε Ματθαίῳ βασιλεῖ παρεσχημένος συμμαχίαν ἐπὶ τὸν Παλαιολόγον βασιλέα, οὔτε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσιν, ὅσαι ὑπὸ τοῦτον ἦσαν, οὐδὲν παρενοχλήσας. βασιλεὺς δὲ Καλόθετον νομίσας εὐχερῶς τὸν υἱὸν Ὀρχάνη παρασχέσθαι, εἰ μόνον αἰτηθείη, πέμψας πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐζήτει, τιμὰς ἐπαγγελλόμενος καὶ ἄλλας τινὰς εὐεργεσίας. Καλόθετος δὲ τούτων μὲν ὀλίγον λόγον ἐποιεῖτο, χρημάτων δὲ ᾐτεῖτο πλῆθος, ἃ ἐκτίνειν σχεδὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀδυνάτως εἶχε. βασιλέως δὲ ἀπειλοῦντος τὰ ἔσχατα διαθήσειν, εἰ μὴ πείθοιτο, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐκεῖνος ἠναισχύντει. δι' ἃ ἐδόκει δεῖν αὐτῷ ἐπιστρατεύειν· καὶ παρασκευασάμενος, ἐπέπλευσεν αὐτῷ τριήρεσιν οὐκ ὀλίγαις καὶ ἐπολιόρκει ἐκ γῆς ὁμοίως καὶ θαλάσσης. ἐν πολλαῖς δὲ καὶ καρτεραῖς τειχομαχίαις ἀποπειράσας τῶν τειχῶν, ἐπεὶ ἀδύνατον τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν ἑώρα, δέκα μυριάδας παρασχόμενος χρυσίου καὶ τῇ πανυπερσεβάστου ἀξίᾳ τετιμηκὼς, ἔλυσε τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν υἱὸν Ὀρχάνη καὶ ἀπεδίδου τῷ πατρί. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐτελεῖτο, χρόνου συχνοῦ τινος τριβέντος, καὶ οἱ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Μυγδονίαν πόλεων ἄρχοντες ἐπιφανέστατοι τῶν Τριβαλῶν πρὸς Ματθαῖον κρύφα πέμψαντες τὸν βασιλέα μετεκαλοῦντο, ὡς σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς πόλεις παραδώσοντες, ὧν ἄρχουσιν. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ πρότερον περὶ τῶν ἴσων διειλεγμένοι. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν χρόνων ἐκείνων, ἡνίκα βασιλεὺς ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀπελαθεὶς διέτριβεν ἐν Τριβαλοῖς, πολλήν τινα τὴν εὔνοιαν ἔσχον πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, μάλι 3.323 στα δὲ οἱ δυνατώτατοι· δι' ἃ καὶ Κράλη περιόντος ἔτι, ἡδέως ἂν ἐκεῖνον εἶδον ἐπιστρατεύσαντα αὐτοῖς· καὶ συγκατειργάσαντο τὰ μέγιστα, μᾶλλον γὰρ ὑπ' ἐκείνου βασιλεύεσθαι ἐβούλοντο, ἢ Κράλη, καὶ πολλάκις κρύφα περὶ τούτου διειλέχθησαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ βασιλεύς τε ἀπήλλαξεν ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ ὁ σφῶν δυνάστης ἐτεθνήκει, τὰς μὲν προτέρας παντάπασιν ἐλπίδας ἀπεγίνωσκον διὰ τὴν βασιλέως μεταβολὴν κατὰ τὸν βίον. πρὸς δὲ Ματθαῖον πέμποντες βασιλέα τὸν υἱὸν τήν τε πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πατέρα εὔνοιαν ὑπεμίμνησκον αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν ἴσην καὶ