o the monks of the establishment by the disgrace of the logothetes
Gabalas and his confinement in one of their cells, under the following
circumstances:--In the struggle between John Cantacuzene and Apocaucus
for ascendancy at the court of the Dowager Empress Anna of Savoy and her
son, John VI. Palaeologus, Gabalas[234] had been persuaded to join the
party of the latter politician by the offer, among other inducements, of
the hand of Apocaucus' daughter in marriage. But when Gabalas urged the
fulfilment of the promise, he was informed that the young lady and her
mother had meantime taken a violent aversion to him on account of his
corpulent figure. Thereupon Gabalas, like a true lover, had recourse
to a method of banting recommended by an Italian quack. But the
treatment failed to reduce the flesh of the unfortunate suitor; it only
ruined his health, and made him even less attractive than before.
Another promise by which his political support had been gained was the
hope that he would share the power which Apocaucus should win. But this
Apocaucus was unwilling to permit, alleging as an excuse that his
inconvenient partisan had become obnoxious to the empress. The
disappointment and anxiety caused by this information wore so upon the
mind of the logothetes as to alter his whole appearance. He now became
thin indeed, as if suffering from consumption, and in his dread of the
storm gathering about him he removed his valuable possessions to safe
hiding. Whereupon the wily Apocaucus drew the attention of the empress
to this strange behaviour, and aroused her suspicions that Gabalas was
engaged in some dark intrigue against her. No wonder that the logothetes
observed in consequence a marked change in the empress's manner towards
him, and in his despair he took sanctuary in S. Sophia, and assumed the
garb of a monk. The perfidy of Apocaucus might have stopped at this
point, and allowed events to follow their natural course. But though
willing to act a villain's part, he wished to act it under the mask of a
friend, to betray with a kiss. Accordingly he went to S. Sophia to
express his sympathy with Gabalas, and played the part of a man
overwhelmed with sorrow at a friend's misfortune so well that Gabalas
forgot for a while his own griefs, and undertook the task of consoling
the hypocritical mourner. Soon an imperial messenger appeared upon the
scene with the order for Gabalas to leave the church and proceed to the
monastery of the