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he paid out; and Theodore Philes was sent in his place to manage the affairs of the province. Since Thessalonica and Berroia had come under the emperor, their territories from there and to the west, beginning from Platamon, were subject to the Despot Michael, and also the lands around Pelagonia and Achrida and Prilep; but the lands of Vodena and Staridola, Strobos and the areas around these, Theodore Angelos, the father of Demetrios and uncle of Michael, held.

47

The emperor, therefore, having wintered in the region of Nymphaion, when spring appeared, as was his custom, set out from there. And having a truce with all, he wished to attack the cities near Constantinople that were held by the Latins, I mean Tzurulon and Bizye; for he saw that the power of the Latins was very much weakened. Crossing the Hellespont, then, he first arrived at Tzurulon. And within the city was the emperor's sister-in-law Eudokia, whom Ansel de Cayeux had taken as his wife with the consent of her sister, the empress Eirene, and of his brother-in-law the emperor. Ansel de Cayeux, however, did not remain in the city; for, having learned of the emperor’s attack, he departed, but left his wife Eudokia in the city, posting a sufficient guard for her; for it seemed to him that on account of his sister-in-law the emperor would not wish to betray the city. But he, disregarding most such considerations, sat down before the city and set up siege engines and machines for casting down the battlements, and in a very few days, he captured it; and he sent his sister-in-law to Constantinople, giving her one horse to ride, and he released all the foot soldiers who were on guard duty in the city. But he also sent an army and quickly captured the city of Bizye, and brought this also under his sway.

48

About this time the city of the island of Rhodes was also taken by the Genoese by stealth at night. For its ruler John Gabalas, the brother of the Caesar Leo Gabalas, who was also lord of the island after the death of his brother, was away, having gone with the emperor against the Latins in Constantinople and was staying in the region of Nicomedia. Immediately, therefore, by imperial command, John Kantakouzenos, the *epi tou kerasmatos*, was dispatched; for at that time he happened to be invested with the ducal command of the Thrakesians. And he entered the island with a few men able to bear arms, and managed to seize the fortress in it called Phileremon. He therefore fought against the Genoese as best he could. And when a fighting force was sent to him, he pitched his tents somewhere near the city and besieged the Genoese within, but did not harm them, for they had an abundant supply of food; for finding the houses of the Rhodians full of provisions, they lacked none of the necessities. And they cohabited with their wives, unless they drove out any who were past her prime or not comely in appearance. And the city of Rhodes would quickly have fallen to the Romans through the constant siege of Kantakouzenos and his resourceful engagements, had not something of this sort occurred. For as the Prince of Achaea, Villehardouin, was sailing to Syria, bringing aid to the Franks who had arrived in Syria, and had hoplites and knights on his triremes, he put in at the island of Rhodes, made a treaty with the Genoese there, and left behind with them noble men and good horsemen, somewhere near a hundred. This forced the Romans to withdraw from the siege of the city and confine themselves to Phileremon. So the horsemen left behind by the prince, leaving the Genoese foot-soldiers around the city, went out and plundered the whole country. They thus secured for themselves what they needed, but from this it came about that the Romans suffered a shortage of necessities,

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ἐξεμέτρησεν· ἀπεστάλη δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Θεόδωρος ὁ Φιλῆς διέπειν τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα ἐγεγόνει Θεσσαλονίκη καὶ Βέρροια, τὰ ἐκεῖθεν αὐτῶν καὶ πρὸς δυσμὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ Πλα ταμῶνος ἀρχόμενα ὑπὸ τὸν δεσπότην Μιχαὴλ ἐτέλουν, ἔτι τε τὰ περὶ Πελαγονίαν καὶ Ἀχρίδα καὶ Πρίλαπον· τοὺς δὲ Βοδηνοὺς καὶ Σταρίδολα, Στροβόν τε καὶ τὰ περὶ ταῦτα ὁ τοῦ ∆ημητρίου πατήρ, τοῦ Μιχαὴλ δὲ θεῖος, ὁ Ἄγγελος κατεῖχε Θεόδωρος.

47 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Νυμφαίου παρα χειμάσας, ἦρος φανέντος, ὥσπερ εἰώθει, ἐξῄει ἐκεῖθεν. ἐκεχειρίαν δὲ ἔχων ἐξ ἁπάντων, τοῖς πλησιάζουσιν ἄστεσι τῇ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ παρὰ Λατίνων κεκρατημένοις, τῇ Τζουρουλῷ φημι καὶ τῇ Βιζύῃ, ἐπιθέσθαι τεθέληκεν· ἑώρα καὶ γὰρ πάνυ τὰ τῶν Λατίνων ἠσθενημένα. διαπεραιωθεὶς γοῦν τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐν τῇ Τζουρουλῷ τὸ πρῶτον ἀφίκετο. ἦν δὲ ἐντὸς τοῦ ἄστεος ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως γυναικαδέλφη Εὐδοκία, ἣν ὁ Ἀσὲλ δε Κάε εἰς γυναῖκα ἠγάγετο τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐ τῆς τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης καὶ τοῦ γαμβροῦ καὶ βασιλέως θελήματι. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀσὲλ δε Κάε οὐκ ἐκαρτέρησεν ἐν τῷ ἄστει· τὴν γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπεγνωκὼς ἔφοδον ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐξῄει, τὴν δὲ σύζυγον αὐτοῦ Εὐδοκίαν εἴασεν ἐν τῷ ἄστει, φυλακὴν ἱκανὴν συνεπιστήσας αὐτῇ· ἔδοξε γὰρ αὐτῷ, ὡς διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ γυναικαδέλφην οὐκ ἂν βουληθείη ὁ βασιλεὺς προθῆσαι τὸ ἄστυ. ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὰ πολλὰ παρορῶν τῶν τοιούτων, παρεκάθισε τῷ ἄστει καὶ ἑλεπόλεις ἔστησε καὶ μηχανήματα καταβλητικὰ τῶν ἐπάλξεων, καὶ διὰ μετρίων πάνυ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐχειρώσατο· καὶ τὴν μὲν αὐτοῦ γυναικα δέλφην εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐξαπέστειλεν, ἕνα ἵππον αὐτῇ δοὺς ἵν' ἐποχῆται, πάντας δὲ τοὺς εἰς φυλακὴν τοῦ ἄστεος ὄντας πεζοὺς ἀπέλυσεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῆς Βιζύης ἄστυ στρατιὰν ἐκπέμψας διὰ βραχέος κεχείρωκε, καὶ συνήγαγε καὶ τοῦτο τῇ τούτου ἐπικρατείᾳ.

48 Κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους ἑάλω καὶ τὸ ἄστυ τῆς νήσου Ῥόδου ὑπὸ Γενουϊτῶν νυκτὸς κλοπῇ. ὁ γὰρ κρατῶν αὐτὸ Ἰωάννης ὁ Γαβαλᾶς, ὁ τοῦ καίσαρος Λέον τος τοῦ Γαβαλᾶ ἀδελφός, ὁ καὶ μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς νήσου δεσπόζων, ἀποδεδημήκει, μετὰ τοῦ βασι λέως κατὰ τῶν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ὡρμημένος Λατίνων περὶ τὰ μέρη τῆς Νικομηδείας διάγοντος. εὐθὺς οὖν βασιλικῇ προσταγῇ στέλλεται ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κεράσματος Ἰωάννης ὁ Καντακουζηνός· οὗτος γὰρ ἔτυχε τῷ τότε τὴν δουκικὴν τῶν Θρᾳκησίων ἀνεζωσμένος ἀρχήν. καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἐντὸς τῆς νήσου μετὰ μετρίων τινῶν δυναμένων ὅπλα κινεῖν, καὶ φθάνει κατασχεῖν τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ φρούριον τὸ ἐπονομα ζόμενον Φιλέρημον. ἐμάχετο οὖν ὡς εἶχε δυνάμεως τοῖς Γενουΐταις. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀξιόμαχος ἀπεστάλη τούτῳ στρατός, ἐγγύς που τοῦ ἄστεος πηξάμενος τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπολιόρκει τοὺς ἐντὸς Γενουΐτας, οὐ κατέβλαπτε δὲ αὐτούς, τροφῶν γὰρ ηὐπόρουν διαρκῶν· τὰς γὰρ τῶν Ῥοδίων οἰκίας πλή ρεις εὑρόντες τῶν ζωαρκῶν οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐσπάνιζον. συνεκοιτάζοντο δὲ καὶ ταῖς τούτων γυναιξίν, εἰ μή τινα ἔξωρον οὖσαν ἢ τὸ εἶδος οὐκ ἀγαθὴν ἀπήλασαν ἔξω. καὶ τάχος μὲν ἂν τὸ τῆς Ῥόδου ἄστυ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους ἐγένετο τῇ συνεχεῖ πολιορκίᾳ τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ καὶ ταῖς εὐμηχάνοις τούτου ὁπλομαχίαις, εἰ μή τι ξυνέβη τοιοῦτον. ὡς γὰρ ὁ τῆς Ἀχαΐας πρίγκιψ Βιλαρδουὶν εἰς τὴν Συρίαν ἀνήγετο, συμμαχίαν ἐπάγων τοῖς εἰς Συρίαν ἀφικομένοις Φράγγοις, κἀν ταῖς τριήρεσιν αὐτοῦ ὁπλίτας εἶχεν ἱππότας, προσώκειλε δὲ τῇ νήσῳ Ῥόδῳ, συνθήκην μετὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ Γενουϊτῶν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ καταλέλοιπε παρ' αὐτοῖς ἄνδρας εὐγενεῖς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἱππεῖς ἐγγύς που τῶν ἑκατόν. τοῦτο τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ὑποχωρῆσαι τῆς πολιορκίας τοῦ ἄστεος κατηνάγκασε καὶ εἰς τὴν Φιλέρημον ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν καταλελειμμένοι παρὰ τοῦ πρίγκιπος ἱππεῖς, καταλιμπά νοντες τοὺς πεζοὺς Γενουΐτας περὶ τῷ ἄστει, ἐξήρχοντο καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν χώραν ἐλήιζον. τὰ μὲν οὖν χρειώδη ἑαυτοῖς περιεποιοῦντο, σπάνιν δὲ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐκ τούτου συνέβη γίνεσθαι,