Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/416

 374 DESTEUCTION OF THE GEEEK EMPIEE his flight abandoned his clerical robes, and, after having been captured in the disguise of a beggar and sold into slavery, was ransomed for a few aspers. 1 Phrantzes. Phrantzes, the friend of the emperor and the historian of his reign, had an even less happy experience. He suffered the hard lot of slavery during a period of fifteen months. His wife and children were captured and sold to the Master of the Sultan's Horse, who had bought many other ladies belonging to the Greek nobility. A year later he was able to redeem his wife. But the sultan hearing of the beauty of his daughter Thamar took her into his seraglio. She was then but fourteen years old, and died in 1454, shortly after her captivity. 2 . In December of 1453 his son John, in the fifteenth year of his age, preferring death to infamy, was killed by the sultan's own hand. 3 Notaras. Most unhappy of all was the Grand Duke Notaras. He was the most illustrious prisoner, and was indeed next in rank to the emperor himself. He may be taken as a type of the old Byzantine nobility. "We have seen that he had been the leader of the party which had resisted union with Kome. On account of this opposition Notaras had incurred the hostility of those who had accepted it, and as our sources of information come almost exclusively from men of the Eoman faith or from those who had accepted the Union, he is not usually spoken of with favour. Phrantzes was his rival and enemy. Ducas gives two reports regarding his treatment by Mahomet. According to one, he was betrayed by a captive who purchased his own liberty by the betrayal of the Grand Duke and Orchan. At first the illustrious captive was looked upon favourably by the sultan, who condoled with him and ordered a search for his wife and daughters. When they were found, the sultan made them presents and sent them to their house, declaring to the Grand Duke that it was his intention to 1 Riccherio (p. 967), whose narrative is singularly clear and readable. See also the report of the Superior of the Franciscans. 2 Phrantzes, 385. 3 Ibid. p. 383 : iv S> 5^ XP^ p V Kai ^ v ^ L ^v ai>Tox*ipia t^>v (pihrarov /xov vibv 'loiawqv 6 a<r€^4crraTOS Kai amjveffTaros afiypas, bs Srjdev e/SouAe-ro rrjv adepirov ffohofitay 7rpa£cu Kara rod Trai86s.