118

considering it a concession 395 to release and not to hold back nor indeed to look after the man, he announced he would get out of the way and seek where he would be saved. Because of this, that man, being at a complete loss, sends to the emperor and implores him to receive him; for he had a force sufficient to act as an ally wherever the emperor might wish. For in truth, as it seemed, he had a noble spirit and was full of warlike sentiment, but much more, both by the seriousness and profundity of his judgment, was he enslaving a reckless people and by this famed for accomplishing the greatest things. The emperor, however, having already begun out of necessity to hire foreign troops, seizes the event as a godsend, and sending assurances by golden bulls, received him and his people, so that he honored him with the dignity of megas doux and indeed made him his son-in-law by marrying him to his niece Maria, the daughter of Asan, and he satisfied those with him with the appropriate salaries for serving in matters of war. For the Roman force, as has been said, having been weakened and scattered throughout the west, was neglected, seeking from that point on 396 where it might serve and be maintained.

(13) For which reason Michael the despotes also, having been subjected to accusations, was endangered. For when the emperor was urging him to Nicaea, together with the force under him, to serve as general, he, having written many times, summoned his own men, and they were neglectful, for this reason he decided to use the emperor's men as retainers, who had now become unfit for war out of necessity, and sending for them, he gathered them, except without the emperor knowing, and demanding oaths from them as they were about a hundred in number, and taking them secretly and in part giving them to those men. And the oath was one befitting an emperor, I think, and him alone; for they swore to be enemies of the enemies and friends of the friends of the then despotes. When this was reported, the emperor, having gathered both this and many other things, as he was cohabiting also with the daughter of Terter, strongly suspected him of the practice of disloyalty, and he put the matter to judgment, and condemned the one who was reported. But these things will also be spoken of a little later; but at that time the emperor was giving such assurances to Roger. And he, having received the letters, so that he might seem 397 a great man, did not wish to lead only as many as he had at hand, but being ambitious for more he also gathered others, rousing them with hopes from the emperor, so that he did not even have sufficient ships to transport the levied army, nor indeed so much money as to give even an advance payment with the emperor as guarantor who would provide the most. For this very reason, having applied to the Genoese, he borrowed on the emperor's credit about twenty thousand nomismata, receiving some of it, and expecting the rest because of the need for their ships for the crossing of his people. In Gamelion, then, as has been said, they arrived at the city of Constantine. And the emperor, having received so great a force beyond expectation, nevertheless, taking courage in the hope of the alliance, steadied his resolutions more firmly and with both hands drained the money for them, and all the treasures which the tributes from all sides were filling—with the salaries and revenues also having long been withheld from those serving in the palace, which indeed emperors from ancient times had established as necessary pay for their attendants—were emptied for them. But Roger he honored as megas doux, and those from his side he magnified with their own titles, and made him son-in-law according to the agreements. And so it was for those who had arrived to enjoy many honors 398 and to show their use, so that they might not seem to have arrived in vain. They were therefore ordered to go to Cyzicus; for they were intending to move against what was causing the trouble, or rather, to make the attack as best they could, and that there a great multitude was gathered, sufficient in both money and men, to draw on the Persians by necessity, who, being shut up because of this, they thought were in need of an alliance.

14. When, then, they were being equipped and were already on the point of departure, the Genoese in the city gathered against them, for the time being seeking the debt; for they were demanding from the emperor for others

118

ὕπει 395 ξιν ἡγησάμενος ἀπολύειν καὶ μὴ κατέχειν μήτε μὴν περιέπειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐκποδὼν ἐπήγγελε γίνεσθαι καὶ ζητεῖν ὅπου σωθήσε ται. διὰ ταῦτα τοῖς ὅλοις ἀπορηθεὶς ἐκεῖνος πέμπει πρὸς βασι λέα καὶ ἱκετεύει δέχεσθαι· ἔχειν γὰρ καὶ λαὸν ἱκανὸν συμμαχεῖν ὅπου βούλοιτο βασιλεύς. ἦν γὰρ ταῖς ἀληθείαις, ὡς ἔδοξε, καὶ λῆμα ἔχων γενναῖον καὶ πλέως Ἀρεϊκοῦ φρονήματος, πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ τῷ τῆς γνώμης σπουδαίῳ καὶ βαθυσκόπῳ λαὸν δου λαγωγῶν ἀτάσθαλον καὶ τούτῳ κατορθοῦν τὰ μέγιστα φημιζόμε νος. ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεὺς διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἀρξάμενος ἤδη ξενο τροφεῖν ὡς ἕρμαιον ἁρπάζει τὸ σύμβαμα, καὶ πέμπων πίστεις ἐκ χρυσοβούλλων αὐτὸν ἀνεδέχετο καὶ λαὸν προσεδέχετο, ὥστ' ἐκεῖ νον μὲν τῷ τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς τιμᾶν ἀξιώματι καί γε καὶ γαμ βρὸν ἐπ' ἀδελφιδῇ Μαρίᾳ τῇ τοῦ Ἀσὰν θυγατρὶ καθιστᾶν, τοὺς δέ γε περὶ αὐτὸν ῥόγαις ταῖς προσηκούσαις ἐξικανοῦν ὑπηρετοῦν τας τὰ κατὰ πόλεμον. τὸ γὰρ Ῥωμαϊκόν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐξησθε νηκὸς καὶ κατὰ δύσιν διασπαρὲν παρεώρατο, ζητοῦν τοὐντεῦθεν 396 ὅπου δουλεύσειε καὶ τραφήσαιτο.

(13) παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ δεσπότης αἰτίαις ὑποβληθεὶς κεκινδύνευκεν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἤπειγε τοῦτον εἰς Νίκαιαν συνάμα τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λαῷ στρατηγήσοντα, ἐκεῖνος δὲ πολλάκις γράψας μετεκαλεῖτο τὸν ἴδιον, κἀκεῖνοι κατερραθύμουν, διὰ ταῦτα ἔδοξε χρῆσθαι τοῖς βασιλέως ὡς ὑπηρέταις, ἤδη ἀπολέμοις ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης γε γενημένοις, καὶ πέμψας συνῆγε, πλὴν οὔτε βασιλέως εἰδότος, καὶ ὅρκους ἀπαιτῶν ἐκείνους ὡς περὶ ἑκατὸν ὄντας, καὶ κρυφηδὸν λαμβάνων καὶ μέρει διδοὺς πρὸς ἐκείνους. ἦν δ' ὁ ὅρκος βασι λεῖ πρέπων, οἶμαι, καὶ μόνῳ· εἶναι γὰρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐχθροὶ καὶ τῶν φίλων φίλοι τοῦ τέως δεσπότου ἐπώμνυον. ὃ δὴ προσαγ γελθέν, βασιλεὺς καὶ ταῦτα καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα συνηθροικώς, συνοικοῦντος καὶ τῇ τοῦ Τερτερῆ θυγατρί, λιπαρῶς ὑπώπτευε κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀπιστίας μελέτημα, καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς εἰς κρίσιν ἐτίθει, καὶ τὸν προσαγγελλόμενον κατεδίκαζεν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ ῥηθήσεται· τότε δὲ βασιλεὺς τοιαύτας ἐδίδου τὰς πίστεις τῷ Ῥοντζερίῳ. ὁ δὲ λαβὼν τὰ γράμματα, ὡς ἂν καὶ 397 μέγας τις δόξοι, οὐχ ὅσους ἀνὰ χεῖρας καὶ μόνους εἶχε τοσούτους καὶ ἄγειν ἠβούλετο, ἀλλὰ προσφιλοτιμούμενος καὶ ἄλλους συνῆ γε, ταῖς ἀπὸ βασιλέως ἐλπίσιν ἀναπτερῶν, ὥστε μηδ' ἔχειν αὐ τάρκεις ναῦς συνεκφέρειν τὸ στρατολόγημα, μηδέ γε χρήματα τόσα ὥστε καὶ προκαταρκτικὰ διδόναι ἐπὶ βασιλεῖ ἐχεγγύῳ τὰ πλεῖστα παρέξοντι. διά τοι ταῦτα καὶ Γεννουΐταις προσσχὼν ἐπὶ πίστεσιν ἐκιχρᾶτο ταῖς βασιλέως ὡσεὶ χιλιάδας εἴκοσι νομι σμάτων, τὰ μὲν καὶ λαμβάνων, τὰ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν νηῶν χρείαν ἐκείνων εἰς τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ διαπλώϊσιν προσδεχόμενος. Γα μηλιῶνος μὲν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, τῇ Κωνσταντίνου ἐφίστανται. καὶ βασιλεὺς τοσοῦτον λαὸν παρ' ἐλπίδα δεξάμενος, ὅμως τῇ τῆς συμμαχίας ἐλπίδι ἀναθαρρῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς κραταιότερον ἵστη καὶ ἀμφοτέραις ἐξήντλει σφίσι τὰ χρήματα, καὶ θησαυροὺς πάντας οὓς ἀνεπίμπλων οἱ πανταχόθεν δασμοί, ἐπισχεθέντων πάλαι καὶ αὐτῶν ῥογῶν καὶ προσοδίων τοῖς ἐν ἀνακτόρων δου λεύουσιν, ἃ δὴ καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐξ ἀρχαίου εἰς μισθοὺς ἐτίθουν ἀναγ καίους τοῖς ὑπηρετουμένοις, ἐκείνοις ἐξεκενοῦντο. ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν Ῥοντζέριον εἰς μέγα τιμήσας δούκα, καὶ τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδίοις μεγαλύνας ὀνόμασι, γαμβρὸν κατὰ τὰς ὁμολογίας καθίστη. ἦν δὲ ἄρα καὶ τοῖς ἐπιστᾶσι πολλῶν φιλοτιμιῶν ἀπολαύειν 398 δεικνύειν τὴν χρῆσιν, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐν κενοῖς ἐπιστῆναι δόξωσιν. ἐτά χθησαν οὖν ἐς Κύζικον ἀπελθεῖν· πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἔχον τὸν φθόνον ἕρπειν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ὡς οἷόν τε διενόουν, κἀκεῖ πολύ τι συναχθὲν πλῆθος, καὶ χρήμασι καὶ σώμασιν ἱκανούμενον, ἐφέλκειν τοὺς Πέρσας ἀνάγκῃ, οἷς καὶ δεῖν διὰ ταῦτα κατακε κλεισμένοις συμμαχίας ᾤοντο.

14. Ὡς γοῦν ἐξηρτύοντο καὶ ἤδη πρὸς ἐξόδοις ἦσαν, ἐπι συνίστανται Γεννουῗται οἱ κατὰ πόλιν τέως ζητοῦντες τὸ χρέος· βασιλέα γὰρ ἀπαιτεῖν ἑτέροις