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are admired, even perchance by their greatest enemies, while the others are likewise dishonored and despised by all and are considered to differ little or not at all from irrational beasts. In this, I think it is right for you and for any other man whatsoever to be defeated. For not to be defeated, being more shameful than to be defeated, persuades one not so much to conquer as to be defeated in all shameful things. But if anyone should seek the greater and more wonderful honor, and that which is most fitting for a man, which also remains when this present life is dissolved and provides a great and wonderful benefit to those who have it, let him know that it is that which God will provide to those who have loved Him and throughout their life have shown all reverence toward Him and observance of His commandments. Since, therefore, it is possible for you to share in the very best honors, and no one would deprive you if you were willing, neither emperor nor private citizen, while the circumstances themselves compel you to despise this more dishonorable honor of little worth among the wise, you must obey God, who first decreed our affairs thus, and me who advises you. And I think that no other could give advice either more intimate or more profitable, nor is it right for you to be persuaded more by another than by me.” So much did the emperor Cantacuzenus say to his son, persuading him not to lay claim to the imperial honor at all, but 3.356 having voluntarily renounced it, to be freed from prison and his present hardships. 49. But the emperor Matthew said, “It is difficult and not at all easy for one who yesterday and the day before was venerated as emperor by all now to live in the station of a private citizen and to differ little or not at all from the multitude, and I myself would have preferred to live in prison for life rather than to endure such an outrage. But if such things seem good to you and you command me to obey, I myself am not so far gone in my senses as to think either that I myself would discover something more profitable, or that I love myself more than I believe I am loved by you. But knowing most clearly that in both respects I am inferior to you by no small margin, I will do what has seemed good first to God, and then what you yourself, being my father, have advised. For it is better to endure, obeying you, if any hardship should befall, than to follow my own reasonings, even if they should seem to be particularly ingenious.” But the emperor Cantacuzenus, having returned to Byzantium, when he announced to the young emperor that his son had renounced the imperial power, he himself disregarding all other things, ordered the oaths to be taken; and they were taken on these conditions, that Matthew, his wife’s brother, having entirely laid aside being emperor, just as in actions and robes, so too in titles, should enjoy the first honors after the emperor 3.357 and take precedence over the other children of the emperor, except Andronicus the new emperor, and that he would maintain all goodwill towards them; and that he would never take up arms against them concerning the supremacy, nor show himself unmindful of the benefaction. Then in Epibatae, with the emperors and empresses gathered together in the same place, along with Callistus the patriarch and Lazarus of Jerusalem and the other hierarchs who happened to be present in Byzantium at that time, and all the senators together, while the hierarchs were vested in their sacred robes, Matthew the emperor's son swore the oaths, with his wife also present, that he would indeed keep them firm for life and would never voluntarily transgress any of them. In addition to these things, Callistus the patriarch also pronounced an excommunication, if he should not adhere strictly to what was sworn. And the assembly of hierarchs was immediately dissolved. And the emperor Palaeologus spent no few days with Matthew his wife’s brother and showed much friendliness, and encouraged him with many words, in which he showed that from being formerly at variance and an enemy, he had now become a very great friend, and concerning the imperial regalia that he had put off, he advised him not to be very vexed, as he would permit him to use it again whenever it should seem fitting to him. For it was in his power both to release the oaths and

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μὲν θαυμάζεσθαι, εἰ τύχοι καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν πολεμιωτάτων, τοὺς ἑτέρους δὲ ὁμοίως παρὰ πάντων ἀτιμάζεσθαι καὶ καταφρονεῖσθαι καὶ ὀλίγα ἢ οὐδὲν νομίζεσθαι ἀλόγων διαφέρειν. περὶ ἣν οἴομαι δίκαιον καὶ σὲ καὶ πάντα ὁντινοῦν ἡττᾶσθαι. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἡττᾶσθαι τοῦ ἡττᾶσθαι αἴσχιον ὂν, οὐ μᾶλλον νικᾷν, ἢ ἐν ἅπασιν ἡττᾶσθαι πείθει τοῖς αἰσχροῖς. εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὴν μείζω καὶ θαυμασιωτέραν τιμὴν ἐπιζητοίη καὶ τὴν μάλιστα προσήκουσαν ἀνθρώπῳ, ἣ καὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου λυομένου παραμένει καὶ πολλήν τινα καὶ θαυμαστὴν ὠφέλειαν παρέχεται τοῖς ἔχουσι, ἐκείνην εἶναι ἴστω, ἣν θεὸς παρέξεται τοῖς ἀγαπήσασιν αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ βίου πᾶσαν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπιδεδειγμένοις ἐπιείκειαν καὶ τήρησιν τῶν προσταγμάτων. ὅτε τοίνυν τῶν μὲν πάνυ βελτιόνων ἔξεστί σοι τιμῶν μετέχειν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀποστερήσειεν ἐθέλοντα οὔτε βασιλεὺς, οὔτε ἰδιώτης, τῆς δ' ἀτιμοτέρας ταύτης καὶ οὐ πολλοῦ τινος ἀξίας λόγου παρ' εὐφρονοῦσιν αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα καταναγκάζουσι καταφρονεῖν, θεῷ τε πειστέον, πρῶτον οὕτω τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐψηφισμένῳ, καὶ ἐμοὶ τῷ συμβουλεύοντι. οἴομαι δὲ οὐδένα ἕτερον μήτε οἰκειότερον, μήτε λυσιτελέστερον παραινέσαι, μήτε σὲ μᾶλλον ἑτέρῳ ἢ ἐμοὶ πεισθῆναι ὄντα δίκαιον.» τοσαῦτα μὲν Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς διειλέχθη πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν, πείθων μὴ πάνυ τῆς βασιλικῆς τιμῆς ἀντιποιεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' 3.356 ἀποστάντα ταύτης ἑκοντὶ, τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου ἀπαλλάττεσθαι καὶ τῶν παρόντων δυσχερῶν. μθʹ. Ματθαῖος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς «δυσχερὲς μὲν» εἶπε «καὶ οὐ πάνυ ῥᾴδιον τὸν χθὲς καὶ πρώην προσκυνούμενον ὡς βασιλέα ὑπὸ πάντων νῦν ἐν ἰδιώτου σχήματι τελεῖν καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ὀλίγα διαφέρειν ἢ οὐδὲν, καὶ μᾶλλον ἂν αὐτὸς εἱλόμην διὰ βίου δεσμωτήριον οἰκεῖν, ἢ τοιαύτην παροινίαν ὑπομένειν. εἰ δὲ σοὶ τοιαῦτα ἔδοξε καὶ πείθεσθαι προστάττεις, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς οὕτω πόῤῥω καθέστηκα φρενῶν, ὥστε ἢ λυσιτελέστερόν τι μᾶλλον αὐτὸς νομίζειν ἐξευρήσειν, ἢ μᾶλλον ἐμαυτὸν αὐτὸς, ἢ ὅσον οἴομαι φιλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ σοῦ. ἀλλ' ἐν ἀμφοτέροις σαφέστατα εἰδὼς οὐκ ὀλίγῳ τινὶ τῷ μέσῳ σοῦ ἡττώμενος, ἅ τε ἔδοξε θεῷ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα συμβεβούλευκας καὶ αὐτὸς, ὢν πατὴρ, ποιήσω. βέλτιον γὰρ ὑμῖν πειθόμενος ὑπομένειν, ἄν τι συμβαίνῃ καὶ τῶν δυσχερῶν, ἢ τοῖς ἰδίοις λογισμοῖς, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα δοκοῖεν ἔχειν τι περίεργον ἀκολουθεῖν.» Καντακουζηνὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανελθὼν, ἐπεὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἀπήγγελλε τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπειπάμενον, τῶν ἄλλων πάντων καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεριδὼν, ἐκέλευε τοὺς ὅρκους γίνεσθαι· καὶ ἐγένοντο ἐπὶ τούτοις, ὥστε Ματθαῖον τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν, παντάπασιν ἀποθέμενον τὸ βασιλεύειν, ὥσπερ ἐν πράξεσι καὶ στολαῖς, οὕτω δὴ κἀν ταῖς προσρήσεσι, τὰς μετὰ βασιλέα τιμὰς καρποῦσθαι πρώ 3.357 τας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παίδων βασιλέως προέχειν, πλὴν Ἀνδρονίκου τοῦ νέου βασιλέως, καὶ πᾶσαν εὔνοιαν τηρήσειν πρὸς αὐτούς· ὅπλα δὲ μηδέποτε κινήσειν περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας πρὸς αὐτοὺς, μηδ' ἀμνήμονα φανεῖσθαι τῆς εὐεργεσίας. ἔπειτα ἐν Ἐπιβάταις βασιλέων τε ὁμοῦ καὶ βασιλίδων ἐν ταὐτῷ γεγενημένων, Καλλίστου τε τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ Λαζάρου τοῦ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχιερέων, ὅσοι τότε παρόντες ἔτυχον ἐν Βυζαντίῳ, καὶ συγκλητικῶν ὁμοῦ τοι πάντων, τὰς ἱερὰς στολὰς ἐνδεδυμένων τῶν ἀρχιερέων, Ματθαῖος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ὤμνυεν υἱὸς τοὺς ὅρκους, συνούσης καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς, ἦ μὴν τηρήσειν βεβαίους διὰ βίου καὶ μηδέποτε μηδένα παραβήσεσθαι ἑκόντα εἶναι. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ Κάλλιστος ὁ πατριάρχης ἐπεῖπεν ἀφορισμὸν, εἰ μὴ τοῖς ὀμωμοσμένοις ἀκριβῶς ἐμμείνειε. διελύετό τε τῶν ἀρχιερέων ὁ σύλλογος αὐτίκα. Παλαιολόγος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας Ματθαίῳ τῷ γυναικὸς ἀδελφῷ συνδιατρίψας καὶ πολλὴν ἐπιδειξάμενος φιλοφροσύνην, λόγοις τε πολλοῖς παρακαλέσας, ἐν οἷς ἐπεδείκνυεν αὐτὸν ἐκ διαφόρου πρότερον καὶ πολεμίου φίλον ἐς τὰ μάλιστα γεγενημένον νῦν, καὶ περὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς σκευῆς ὅτι ἀποδέδυτο, μὴ πάνυ παραινέσας ἄχθεσθαι, ὡς, ἡνίκα ἂν αὐτῷ δοκοίη προσῆκον εἶναι χρῆσθαι, αὖθις ἐπιτρέψαντος. παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ εἶναι λύειν τε τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ