526

to see, nor to the multitude and their agreement, but having disregarded everything, to persevere well in what had been decided, and 3.335 not being panic-stricken at all to act against what had been voted, nothing else, unless courage of soul and steadfastness of mind prepared him. Because of all this, having neglected everything else, he brought his wife's brother to Tenedos, having done him no harm, as the many advised, and he allowed him to spend a short time with his wife and children; then he ordered that his children and wife be in Tenedos, but that he himself, having been brought to Lesbos, be guarded in bonds; and all things were done as the emperor ordered. And he himself, having set out from Tenedos, came to Byzantium, and having come to the emperor his father-in-law in the monastery of the Manganes, he related all that had happened, and promised that a little later he would release his wife's brother from his bonds. For it would have been best, he said, for the difference between them not to have been stirred up at all in the beginning, nor to have been so ignorant of nature as to make enemies of those who were right to die for each other and to find every device by which we might destroy each other; but since it has come to this, and he, having experienced difficult fortunes, was captured by the Triballians, he was brought as a prisoner. To me, I was immediately distressed at the mere sight, and having cast out all my former ill-will, I was overcome by nature. And I considered treating him humanely for the present and releasing him from his bonds a little later. And I would have released him even now, if I had not suspected an accusation from the many for handling matters without due consideration. But a little later, so that 3.336 we may seem to do all things with good counsel and prudence, I shall release him from his bonds. Such things did the emperor Palaiologos promise to the emperor his father-in-law concerning the release of his son. 40. And the emperor Kantakouzenos, being most pleased with the promises, said to the emperor his son-in-law, 'First, I myself confess many thanks to you, because, although many were pressing and advising to blind my son and were using proofs that had a great deal of persuasion, by which they would have persuaded anyone at all to heed their counsels, you yourself, using great forbearance and good counsel and understanding, kept him safe, as if you had fought for him as for a friend against the many who opposed it. Then also for this forbearance and clemency, God from above will repay you with worthy gifts, and with me you will have the favor recorded forever. But I formerly, when the war between you was kindled, was struck daily with many cares and I suspected that I would of necessity fall into some terrible and incurable misfortunes. For in all other cases, whichever side one takes of those at war with each other, it happens that one either rejoices with them if they win, or on the contrary shares in their misfortune if they are defeated; but for a father, when his sons are at war with each other, the one and only consolation left is for them to end the war, to keep 3.337 peace and be well-disposed to each other. But if he should see them irreconcilably disposed and trying to resolve their differences with swords rather than words, there is nothing that could dispel his grief and calamity. For whichever of the sons should win, he will not rejoice so much at being saved as he will grieve at having killed his brother. And if it should ever happen that both fall by each other's hands in the battle, which we hear has also happened to some before, there is no lack of excess of despair, nor of any calamity. Thinking about all this myself beforehand, a terrible confusion and despair possessed my soul, and I was mourning my sons as if they were lying dead, even before they came to blows, or at least the one of them. For so I was compelled to believe by seeing you irreconcilably disposed towards peace and being utterly carried away by anger against each other and wishing to resolve the contention for the rule with the sword. But now that the divine has judged thus, and he was captured in the battle against the Triballians and handed over to you by his captors, and you

526

ἰδεῖν, μήτε πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν συμφωνίαν, ἀλλὰ πάντα παριδόντα τοῖς δεδογμένοις καλῶς ἐγκαρτερεῖν, καὶ μηδὲν 3.335 καταπλαγέντα πράττειν παρὰ τὰ ἐψηφισμένα, οὐδὲν ἕτερον, εἰ μὴ ψυχῆς ἀνδρία καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν στεῤῥότης παρεσκεύαζε. δι' ἃ δὴ πάντα πάντων τῶν ἄλλων ἀμελήσας, εἰς Τένεδον ἤγαγε τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν, οὐδὲν ἠδικηκὼς, ὥσπερ παρῄνουν οἱ πολλοὶ, καὶ γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις ἐφῆκε συνδιάγειν χρόνον τινὰ βραχὺν, ἔπειτα ἐκέλευε τέκνα μὲν ἐκείνου καὶ γυναῖκα εἶναι ἐν Τενέδῳ, αὐτὸν δὲ εἰς Λέσβον ἀπαχθέντα, φρουρεῖσθαι ἐν δεσμοῖς· καὶ ἐπράττετο πάντα, ᾗ προσέταττεν ὁ βασιλεύς. αὐτὸς δὲ ἄρας ἐκ Τενέδου, ἦλθεν εἰς Βυζάντιον, καὶ γενόμενος ἐν τῇ Μαγκάνων μονῇ πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν κηδεστὴν, ὅσα τε συμβαίη, διηγεῖτο, καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο ὡς ὕστερον ὀλίγῳ τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν ἀνήσων τῶν δεσμῶν. κράτιστον μὲν γὰρ εἶναι μηδὲ κεκινῆσθαι, ἔφασκε, τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφορὰν, μηδὲ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὴν φύσιν ἠγνοηκέναι, ὥστε τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ἀποθνήσκειν ὄντας δικαίους πολεμίους καθεστάναι καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξευρίσκειν μηχανὴν, ἐξ ὧν ἀλλήλους διαφθεροῦμεν· ἐπεὶ δ' οὕτω συνηνέχθη, καὶ τύχαις ἐκεῖνος χρησάμενος δυσκόλοις, ὑπὸ Τριβαλῶν ἁλοὺς, ἤχθη δεσμώτης. εἰς ἐμὲ, ἐγὼ μὲν εὐθὺς καὶ πρὸς μόνην ἐδυσχέρανα τὴν ὄψιν, καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἅπασαν δυσμένειαν ἐκβαλὼν, ἡττήθην πρὸς τὴν φύσιν. καὶ τό,τε νῦν ἔχον ἐσκεψάμην φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαι καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀπολύειν τῶν δεσμῶν. ἀφῆκα δ' ἂν καὶ νῦν, εἰ μὴ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χρῆσθαι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀπερισκέπτως παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπώπτευον γραφήν. μικρὸν δὲ ὕστερον, ὡς ἂν 3.336 μετ' εὐβουλίας καὶ φροντίδος δοκῶμεν πάντα πράττειν, ἀνήσω τῶν δεσμῶν. τοιαῦτα μὲν Παλαιολόγος ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν κηδεστὴν ἐπηγγείλατο ἐπὶ τὸ ἀπολύειν τὸν υἱόν. μʹ. Καντακουζηνὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἥδιστα διατεθεὶς πρὸς τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, «πρῶτα μὲν,» εἶπε πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν γαμβρὸν, «πολλὰς αὐτός σοι χάριτας ὁμολογῶ, ὅτι, καίτοι πολλῶν ἐπικειμένων καὶ παραινούντων ἐκτυφλώττειν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πολλήν τινα ἐχούσαις τὴν πειθὼ χρωμένων ἀποδείξεσιν, αἷς καὶ πάντα ὁντινοῦν ἂν ἔπεισαν ταῖς παραινέσεσιν αὐτῶν προσέχειν, αὐτὸς ἐπιεικείᾳ πολλῇ χρησάμενος καὶ εὐβουλίᾳ καὶ συνέσει, σῶον διετηρήσας, ὥσπερ ἂν ὑπὲρ φίλου πρὸς πλείστους τοὺς ἀντικαθισταμένους ἀγωνισάμενος ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐπιεικείας ταύτης καὶ τῆς ἡμερότητος θεός τε ἄνωθεν ἀμείψεται ἀξίαις δωρεαῖς, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ τὴν χάριν ἕξεις ἀνάγραπτον ἐς ἀεί. ἐγὼ δὲ πρότερον μὲν, ἡνίκα ὑμῖν ὁ πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόλεμος ἀνήπτετο, πολλαῖς ἐβαλλόμην ὁσημέραι ταῖς φροντίσι καὶ δεινοῖς τισιν ἀνηκέστοις ὑπώπτευον περιπεσεῖσθαι ἀναγκαίως. ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, ὁποτέροις ἂν πρόσθωνται τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολεμούντων, ἢ συνήδεσθαι συμβαίνει, ἂν νικῶσιν, ἢ τοὐναντίον συμμετέχειν τῆς κακοπραγίας, ἂν ἡττῶνται· πατρὶ δὲ, πολεμούντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῶν υἱῶν, μία μόνη παραμυθία τὸ καταλύσαντας λείπεται τὸν πόλεμον, εἰρήνην 3.337 ἄγειν καὶ ἀλλήλοις εὐνοεῖν. ἂν δ' ἀσυμβάτως ἔχοντας ὁρῴη καὶ ξίφεσι μᾶλλον, ἢ λόγοις πειρωμένους διαλύειν τὰς διαφορὰς, οὐδὲν ἔστι, ὃ τὴν λύπην διαλύειν δύναιτ' ἂν ἐκείνῳ καὶ τὴν συμφοράν. ὁπότερος γὰρ ἂν νικῴη τῶν υἱῶν, οὐ τοσοῦτον εὐφρανεῖ περισωθεὶς, ὅσον ἀνιάσει τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀπεκτονώς. ἂν δέ ποτε συμβαίη καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ὑπ' ἀλλήλων πεσεῖν κατὰ τὴν μάχην, ὃ καὶ πρότερόν ποτέ τισιν ἀκούομεν συμβεβηκέναι, οὐδ' ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολὴν ἐλλείπει, οὐδὲ συμφορᾶς οὐδεμιᾶς. ἃ πάντα μοι πρότερον ἐννοοῦντι καὶ αὐτῷ, σύγχυσις δεινὴ καὶ ἀθυμία τὴν ψυχὴν κατεῖχε, καὶ ὥσπερ κειμένους ἐθρήνουν τοὺς υἱοὺς, καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν εἰς χεῖρας, ἢ τό γε μετριώτερον τὸν ἕτερον. οὕτω γὰρ ἠνάγκαζε πείθειν τό,τε ἀσυμβάτως ἔχοντας ὁρᾷν ὑμᾶς πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὸ καθάπαξ ὀργῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους φέρεσθαι καὶ βούλεσθαι σιδήρῳ τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς φιλονεικίαν διαλύειν. νυνὶ δ' οὕτω κρίναντος τοῦ θείου, κἀκείνου μὲν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τριβαλοὺς ἁλόντος μάχῃ καὶ παραδεδομένου σοι ὑπὸ τῶν κρατησάντων, σοῦ δὲ