Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

the Romans could build ships with little effort and expense, if only he 324 would give the order; and if their spirit was raised by the lack of triremes, he would give the order, and when they were assembled in a short time, it would fall again and they would become humble. Thinking these things, he was checking the impulses of the many, who, as if jealous that these men were so exalted against the Romans, said it was a good idea to bridge with fishing boats and cargo ships, which would act as some sort of bonds and also the large ships found there, the strait of Galata, and having placed archers and slingers on either side, they advised to attack those within in this manner. And the plan seemed excellent; for apart from those stationed on either side and as many as the ships held, those standing on the walls alone seemed sufficient with the arrows being sent and the stones from the walls to strike down completely and destroy the attackers. But the emperor, judging the invasion to be dangerous to Christian nations, did not permit it at all, but rather gave in, postponing the satisfaction of their impulses.

(24) But they, having nothing more to do than what they had done, used the pirates as instruments of their madness, who that very night put in at the island of Prinkipo, and not only the long-time inhabitants there 325, but also a considerable number of people from Pelopythia, who had recently escaped the hands of the Persians and taken refuge there, they enslaved, plundering their property, and holding the people captive on their ships, and at dawn they threatened to do terrible things to them if they did not pay a worthy ransom, hanging and torturing them and being ready to slaughter them, creating a pitiful spectacle in the middle of the sea, and hoping to receive the ransoms from the emperor out of pity as a necessity. For this reason also it was no small trouble for the ruler, if the wretched ones, fleeing the Persians, had fallen into the hands of pirates, who had no other occasion for boldness except from those whom they held captive for themselves, upon whom indeed imperial favors had often been bestowed. But the Romans, standing along the shores, detested the terrible sight and lamented the suffering. And those who were in their prime went to arms, and like Odysseus against Scylla, so these men directed their attacks against them; however, the defensive action was limited to sight alone. For the shore held them, thrashing with impulses to defend themselves, while the others, being vulnerable only by the sea, and weaker than whom were they not? Nevertheless, using the sea as a fortress, they treated those in their hands in whatever way 326 seemed fit to them, who indeed represented the story of Scylla, stretching out their hands to those on the outside and crying out with pitiful laments. The whole day had not yet passed, and the terrible news being reported to the emperor aroused pity; and indeed, having set a price for the wretched ones of four thousand gold coins, he received them all. And then, sending a message to the commander of the ships, he reproached their recklessness and audacity, because, although it was possible for them to send an embassy and enter into discussions with him, speaking about their rights, they instead mingled with pirates and committed acts of robbery with them. He said these things to those who proposed nothing other than the command of their common council, and since from that point they too regretted their most shameful deeds, he had them as suppliants thereafter instead of opponents, and those who were formerly most hostile became obedient towards peace, if the pledges were released; for they themselves also wanted the truce, and they asked to be commanded on these terms, provided only that the disputes concerning the pledges were resolved. Changing their minds, they supplicated for these things, and the emperor assented, accepting the truces for a period of time, and so, having dispatched an embassy, he concluded the peace treaties. For another trouble, that of the Persians, was pressing, who were encircling 327, as it were, the entire east from sea to sea. And elsewhere other dangers surrounded the wretched Romans, and the affairs in all of Mesothynia were also in revolt, since Mouzalon, who had been appointed as their commander, had suffered a great defeat.

ὀλίγου πόνου τε καὶ δαπάνης ναυπηγεῖσθαι Ῥωμαίους, εἰ μόνον αὐτὸς 324 κελεύοι· κἂν ᾖρται δὲ σφίσι τὸ φρόνημα ἐκλειπουσῶν τῶν τριή ρεων, αὐτὸν κελεύειν, καὶ συνεστηκυιῶν ἐν ὀλίγῳ καταπίπτειν αὖθις καὶ ταπεινοὺς γίνεσθαι. ταῦτ' ἐννοούμενος ἀνέστελλε τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν πολλῶν, οἳ δὴ καὶ ζηλοτυποῦντες οἷον εἰ οὗτοι κατὰ Ῥωμαίων οὕτως ἐπάρθησαν, καλὸν ἔλεγον γεφυροῦν ἁλιάσι καὶ φορτηγοῖς, ὥς τινας συνδέσμους ἐχούσαις καὶ τὰς καθευρεθείσας ἐνταῦθα μεγάλας ναῦς, τὸν τοῦ Γαλατᾶ πορθμόν, καὶ παρ' ἑκάτερα τοξότας τε καὶ σφενδονήτας στήσαντας οὕτως ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς ἐντὸς συνεβούλευον. καὶ τὸ βούλευμα ἄριστον κατεφαίνετο· χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν παρ' ἑκάτερα τεταγμένων καὶ ὅσους αἱ νῆες ἐχώ ρουν, οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν τειχέων ἱστάμενοι μόνοι αὐτάρκεις ἐδόκουν ἰοῖς πεμπομένοις καὶ ταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν πέτραις καταβάλλειν εἰς τέλος καὶ ἀφανίζειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν εἰσβο λὴν κινδυνώδη κρίνων Χριστιανικοῖς ἔθνεσιν οὐδ' ὅλως ἠφίει, ἐνε δίδου δὲ μᾶλλον ἀναβάλλων τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐμπιπλᾶν.

(24) ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὴ ἔχοντες πλέον ποιεῖν ὧν ἔπραξαν, ὡς ὀργάνοις τῆς σφῶν μανίας ἐχρῶντο τοῖς πειραταῖς, οἳ καὶ αὐτονυχεὶ τῇ Πριγ κίπων νήσῳ προσίσχουσι, καὶ οὐχ ὅπως τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πάλαι κα 325 τῳκηκότας, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαὸν ἱκανὸν ἐκ Πηλοπυθίων, ἄρτι τὰς τῶν Περσῶν ἐκφυγόντα χεῖρας καὶ τῇδε καταφυγόντα, ἐξανδρα ποδίσαντες πράγματα μὲν σκυλεύουσιν, ἀνθρώπους δὲ κατα σχόντες ἐν ναυσὶν εἶχον, καὶ ἅμ' ἕῳ δεινὰ ἐκείνους ἠπείλουν ποιεῖν, εἰ μὴ τὰ τιμήματα ἄξια καταθεῖντο, κρεμαννύντες καὶ αἰκιζόμενοι καὶ σφάττειν ἕτοιμοι ὄντες, ἐλεεινὴν θέαν μέσον θα λάσσης ἱστῶντες, καὶ τὰς τιμὰς παρὰ βασιλέως κατ' ἔλεον ἀναγ καῖον λαβεῖν ἐλπίζοντες. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πόνος οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν κρα τοῦντι, εἰ φεύγοντες Πέρσας οἱ δείλαιοι χερσὶ πειρατῶν ἐμπεπτώ κεσαν, οὐκ ἄλλως καιρὸν τοῦ θαρρεῖν ἐχόντων εἰ μὴ ἐξ ὧν ὁμαι χμοῖεν σφίσιν ἑαυτοῖς, οἷς δὴ πολλάκις καὶ βασιλικαὶ συμβεβή κασι χάριτες. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ παρ' αἰγιαλοὺς ἱστάμενοι τὴν δεινὴν κατεστύγουν θέαν καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀπωλοφύροντο. οἱ δέ γε καὶ ἀκμῆτες εἰς ὅπλα ᾔεσαν, καὶ Ὀδυσσείους, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τὴν Σκύλλαν, οὕτως οὗτοι τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐπ' ἐκείνους προΐσχοντο· πλὴν κατ' ὄψιν καὶ μόνην τὸ ἀμυντικὸν περιίστατο. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ὁ αἰγιαλὸς εἶχε σφαδάζοντας τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἀμύνοιντο, οἱ δὲ παρὰ μόνην τὴν θάλασσαν ἁλώσιμοι ὄντες, καὶ τίνων οὐκ ἀσθε νέστεροι; ὅμως ὡς ὀχυρώματι τῇ θαλάσσῃ χρώμενοι, ἐς ὅ τι 326 καὶ ἐδόκει σφίσι τοὺς ἐν χερσὶ διετίθουν, οἳ δὴ καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς Σκύλλης εἰκόνιζον, χεῖρας ὀρεγνύντες τοῖς ἔξωθεν καὶ θρήνους ἐλεεινοὺς κλάζοντες. οὔπω πᾶν ἦμαρ τετέλεστο, καὶ βασιλεῖ ἀγγελλόμενα τὰ δεινὰ ἐνεποίουν οἶκτον· καὶ δὴ στήσας τιμὴν τοῖς οἰκτροῖς τεσσάρων χιλιάδων χρυσῶν νομισμάτων τοὺς πάν τας εἰλήφει. καὶ τότ' ἀποστείλας πρὸς τὸν τῶν νηῶν ἡγεμο νεύοντα τὴν ἀπόνοιαν κατωνείδιζεν καὶ τὴν τόλμαν, οἷς ὅτι πα ρὸν πρεσβείαν πέμπειν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς λόγους καθίστασθαι, περὶ τῶν κατὰ σφᾶς δικαίων λέγοντας, οἱ δὲ πειραταῖς μιχθέντες τὰ λῃστῶν σὺν ἐκείνοις πράττοιεν. ταῦτα λέγων τοῖς μηδὲν ἄλλο προτείνουσιν ἢ τὴν τοῦ κοινοῦ σφῶν συνεδρίου πρόσταξιν, ἐπεὶ τοὐντεῦθεν καὶ τούτοις τῶν αἰσχίστων ἔργων μετέμελεν, ἱκέτας τοῦ λοιποῦ ἀντ' ἀντιστατῶν εἶχε καὶ εὐπειθεῖς πρὸς εἰρήνην τοὺς πρὶν ἐχθίστους, εἰ λύοιντο τὰ ἐνέχυρα· τὰς γὰρ σπονδὰς καὶ αὐ τοὺς θέλειν, καὶ ἀξιοῦν ἐπὶ ταύταις ἐπιταχθῆναι, λυομένων μό νον τῶν κατὰ τὰ ἐνέχυρα διαμφισβητήσεων. ταῦτ' ἐκεῖνοι με ταβαλλόμενοι καθικέτευον, καὶ βασιλεὺς κατένευε τὰς ἐπὶ χρό νοις σπονδὰς προσιέμενος, καὶ οὕτω πρεσβείαν στειλάμενος τὰς εἰρηνικὰς ἐτάμετο. πόνος γὰρ ὁ τῶν Περσῶν ἤπειγεν ἄλλος, κυ 327 κλούντων ὥσπερ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης εἰς θάλασσαν τὴν ἀνατολὴν ἅπα σαν. καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν ἄλλοι κίνδυνοι τοῖς ταλαιπώροις Ῥωμαίοις περιειστήκεισαν, τὰ δὲ κατὰ Μεσοθινίαν πᾶσαν καὶ ἀπανέστησαν σφαλέντος τὰ μεγάλα τοῦ εἰς ἡγεμόνα τούτων ταχθέντος Μουζάλωνος.