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the present subject; but it is certainly possible for all to understand how many sufferings have befallen captured cities, both murders of men and enslavements of women, plundering, demolitions of houses, and all the other things that are the work of the sword. When, therefore, the Italians became masters of the city, as if setting out from a most advantageous position, they overran the entire west, but indeed no less a part of the east. First, then, they subdued the western parts, with everyone fleeing from them as if driven by some divinely sent plague.

5 So the emperor Alexios Angelos, whom the account said had fled from Constantinople, having arrived at Philippopolis and not been received by its inhabitants, arrives at Mosynopolis and made his residence there. But Alexios Doukas, who had killed the son of Isaakios, wishing to attach himself to him by marriage, had at once murdered the son of Isaakios and at the same time took to wife the daughter of emperor Alexios, Eudokia, who was the last of his daughters. For he had three, and the first was named Eirene, whom he had joined to a husband, Alexios Palaiologos, whom he had also honored as despotes; but he had passed away before the capture of Constantinople. The second was called Anna, to whom he had married Theodore Laskaris. The third was named Eudokia, whom her father had previously joined to the kral of Serbia; but having detected her in some affair, as they said, he sends her back to her father, and she had remained thus. This one the aforementioned Doukas Alexios had taken, leaving his own wife. When, therefore, Constantinople was taken by the Italians, he too fled from there, taking along his wife Eudokia. And learning that his father-in-law, emperor Alexios, was residing in Mosynopolis, he went to him confidently. But he loathed this man for many other reasons and no less on account of his daughter. Therefore, putting on the mask of a father-in-law, he receives Alexios, and having prepared a bath, he ordered him to bathe together with his daughter. Therefore, when Alexios was inside the bath, the servants of emperor Alexios suddenly fall upon him and there put out his eyes. And those who were present said that the daughter, standing by the door of the bath, showered her father with insults and he reviled her for her shamelessness and her wanton affection. Therefore, having been blinded, the aforementioned Doukas Alexios wandered about the parts of Mosynopolis, passing through there as a vagrant. But emperor Alexios, departing from there, proceeded towards the parts of Thessalonica. And when the Italians set out from Constantinople and went to Mosynopolis, finding Alexios Mourtzouphlos there, they led him away to Constantinople; and avenging the aforementioned pollution of his, which he had wrought upon the son of emperor Isaakios, they condemn him to death by being cast down; for having led him up to the greatest column, which is called the Taurus, they throw him down. And such was his end, but emperor Alexios arrived in Thessalonica.

6 Therefore, having become masters of the city, the Italians gave permission to its inhabitants, for those who wished to remain and be under their hand, and for others to depart without hindrance wherever they might want. Therefore some departed openly and some secretly, as many as happened to be of the most distinguished. Therefore Theodore Laskaris had managed to depart beforehand along with his wife Anna, whom the narrative already indicated to be the son-in-law of emperor Alexios, and to have been honored by him as despotes. This man therefore departed with his wife and children — for he had three little daughters, of whom the first was named Eirene, the second Maria, and the third Eudokia — and having come to the city of Nicaea, he was begging the Nicaeans to [let] him inside the city

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παροῦσαν ὑπόθεσιν· πάντως δὲ νοεῖν ἔξεστι πᾶσιν ὁπόσα ταῖς αἰχμαλωτιζομέναις πόλεσιν ἐπι πέπτωκε πάθη, φόνοι τε ἀνδρῶν γυναικῶν τε ἀνδραπο δισμοί, σκυλεύσεις, οἰκιῶν κατασκάψεις, τἆλλά τε πάντα ὁπόσα μαχαίρας ἔργον καθέστηκεν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἐγκρατεῖς γεγόνασι τῆς πόλεως οἱ Ἰταλοί, ὡς ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων ὁρμώ μενοι τήν τε δυσμὴν πᾶσαν κατέδραμον, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τῆς ἑῴας μέρος οὐκ ἔλαττον. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν χειροῦνται τὰ τῆς δυσμῆς, πάντων ὑποφευγόντων αὐτοὺς ὡς ὑπό τινος θεηλάτου ἐλαυνομένων πληγῆς.

5 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος ὁ Ἄγγελος, ὃν ἀποδρᾶσαι ὁ λόγος εἰρήκει τῆς Κωνσταντίνου, περὶ τὴν Φιλιππού πολιν ἀφικόμενος καὶ μὴ πρὸς τῶν οἰκητόρων δεχθεὶς περὶ τὴν Μοσυνούπολιν ἀφικνεῖται κἀκεῖσε τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποι εῖτο. Ἀλέξιος δὲ ὁ ∆ούκας, ὃς τὸν υἱὸν Ἰσαακίου ἀπέκτεινε, βουλόμενος ἐκ κήδους αὐτῷ προσαρμόσασθαι ἅμα τε τὸν τοῦ Ἰσαακίου υἱὸν πεφόνευκε καὶ ἅμα τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου θυγατέρα Εὐδοκίαν προσηγάγετο εἰς γυναῖκα, ὑστάτην οὖσαν τῶν θυγατέρων ἐκείνου. τρεῖς γὰρ ὑπῆρχον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἡ μὲν πρώτη Εἰρήνη κατωνομάζετο, ἣν καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνέζευξεν Ἀλε ξίῳ τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ, ὃν καὶ δεσπότην τετίμηκεν· ἀλλὰ προ ῴχετο οὗτος τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἁλώσεως. ἡ δὲ δευτέρα ἐκαλεῖτο Ἄννα, εἰς ἣν Θεόδωρον τὸν Λάσκαριν ἐπεγάμβρευσεν. ἡ δὲ τρίτη Εὐδοκία κατωνομάζετο, ἣν πρὸ καιροῦ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς τῷ κράλῃ Σερβίας συνέζευξεν· ἐπί τινι δὲ πάθει, ὡς ἔφασκον, ταύτην οὗτος φωράσας ἐπὶ τὸν πατέρα πάλιν ἐκπέμπει, καὶ ἔμενεν οὕτως. ταύτην εἰλήφει ὁ εἰρημένος ∆ούκας Ἀλέξιος, τὴν οἰκείαν καταλιπὼν γαμετήν. ὡς γοῦν παρὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν ἑάλω ἡ Κωνσταντίνου, ἀπέδρα καὶ οὗτος ἐκεῖθεν, ἐπιφερόμενος καὶ τὴν σύζυγον Εὐδοκίαν. μαθὼν δὲ ὡς ἐν Μοσυνουπόλει τὰς διατριβὰς ποιεῖται ὁ πενθερὸς αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος, θαρρούντως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπῄει. ὁ δὲ τοῦτον πολλῶν τε ἄλλων χάριν καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον τῆς θυ γατρὸς ἐμυσάττετο. κηδεστίας οὖν ὑπενδὺς προσωπεῖον ὑποδέχεται τὸν Ἀλέξιον, λουτρόν τε εὐτρεπίσας ἅμα τῇ θυγατρὶ λουθῆναι τοῦτον προστέταχεν. ἐντὸς οὖν τοῦ λουτῆρος γενομένου τοῦ Ἀλεξίου ἐπεισπίπτουσιν ἀθρόον αὐτῷ οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου ὑπηρέται κἀκεῖσε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύττουσιν. ἔφασκον δὲ οἱ ξυντυχόντες, ὡς ἡ θυγάτηρ ἑστῶσα παρὰ τὴν θύραν τοῦ λουτροῦ τὸν πατέρα ὕβρεσιν ἔπλυνε κἀκεῖνος ταύτην τῆς ἀναιδείας καὶ τῆς ἀσελγοῦς ἀγαπήσεως ἐλοιδόρει. τυφλὸς οὖν γεγονὼς ὁ δηλωθεὶς ∆ούκας Ἀλέξιος περὶ τὰ τῆς Μοσυνουπόλεως ἐπλανᾶτο μέρη, ἀλήτης διερχόμενος τὰ ἐκεῖσε. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν περὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης ἐχώρει. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξώρμησαν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου οἱ Ἰταλοὶ καὶ ἀπῆλ θον περὶ τὴν Μοσυνούπολιν, εὑρόντες ἐκεῖσε τὸν Μούρ τζουφλον Ἀλέξιον εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἀπήγαγον· τοῦ δὲ δηλωθέντος αὐτοῦ μιάσματος ἀμυνόμενοι, ὅπερ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν Ἰσαακίου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰργάσατο, κρημνώδει θανάτῳ τοῦτον καταδικάζουσιν· εἰς γὰρ τὸν μέγιστον ἀνάξαντες κίονα, οὗ Ταῦρος ἡ κλῆσις, κάτω βάλλουσι. καὶ τοιοῦτον μὲν τὸ τέ λος αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος εἰς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην ἀφίκετο.

6 Τῆς οὖν πόλεως κυριεύσαντες οἱ Ἰταλοὶ ἄδειαν δε δώκασι τοῖς ταύτης οἰκήτορσι τοὺς θέλοντας μένειν τε καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα εἶναι αὐτῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀκωλύτως ἀπέρχεσθαι ὅπῃ ἂν βούλοιντο. ἐξήρχοντο τοίνυν οἱ μὲν φανερῶς οἱ δὲ καὶ κρύφα, ὅσοι τῶν περιφανεστέρων ἐτύγχανον. ὁ μὲν οὖν Λάσκαρις Θεόδωρος προεξελθεῖν πέφθακεν ἅμα τῇ γαμετῇ Ἄννῃ, ὃν γαμβρὸν ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσε τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου τελεῖν, καὶ δεσπότην ὑπ' ἐκείνου τετιμημένον. ἀπελ θὼν οὖν οὗτος μετὰ τῆς σφετέρας γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν τέκνων -ὑπῆρχον γὰρ αὐτῷ θυγάτρια τρία, ὧν ἡ μὲν πρώτη Εἰρήνη, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα Μαρία, ἡ δὲ τρίτη Εὐδοκία κατωνο μάζοντο-καὶ περὶ τὴν Νίκαιαν πόλιν γενόμενος παρε κάλει τοὺς Νικαεῖς ἔσω τοῦτον τῆς πόλεως