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 5. of the casting out of the infamous tome. 6. concerning madytos, how it was taken by the almogavars. 7. the carrying away of berenguer to genoa. 8.

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146

of the Macedonians and the entire west was very fruitful, even if the crops from their threshing floors were not cheap, but the grain was sold as in a time of greatest famine, those from the east having been transferred to the west. For these reasons, therefore, the emperor, devising revenues, on the one hand, since the payments to the Italians were exorbitant, and on the other hand, because of the expenditures for other needs, decided that a very small amount from each farmer would amount to a larger one together, and sending out, he ordered to be exacted from each of the farmers, for the collection from a *zeugitidos*, six local modioi of wheat and four modioi of barley. From these, at any rate, ordering that silver and gold be given to the Grand Duke by those who were selling, and having obtained a truce from him, he deliberated on the matters concerning Berenguer, as he would immediately receive him fittingly and as he had hoped. For these reasons he also touched the pronoiai in the west, and took away a third from them; for the salaries of those serving in the palace had long ago been cut off, even before this time. But also the currency was being debased because of the need. For previously, in the time of John Doukas, two- 494 thirds of the *talanton* of the coinage was pure gold, which indeed his successor also maintained; but later, under Michael, when the city was captured, because of the payments then made out of necessity, and especially to the Italians, the old markings were transcribed, with the city being stamped on the back, and the part considered to be of gold was reduced by a *keration*, so that it became fifteen out of twenty-four. And when he passed away, it was first reduced to fourteen against ten, but now the pure metal is mixed down even to a half, on which account necessities were both hard to procure at the time, and these in turn were expensive, if anything should appear at all, and there was captivity and famine.

9. The Genoese in the city, however, since they were excluded from the common counsels, and were compelled to act on their own, did not suppress the difficult leaping of their own hearts from what they had heard with silence and quiet (for they say a struggle does not readily accept excuses), but just as nurses put children who sleep badly to sleep with motion and melodies, rather than with quiet (for external motion, being introduced, 495 is naturally suited to overcome the internal and thus produce calm in the soul), so too they quelled the tumult of the many with successive actions and movements. And at one time they were digging a deeper ditch, so that it would be possible for water from the sea to be channeled into it and to provide safety for the inhabitants, at another they were constructing arrow-shooting and stone-throwing machines, and they made the windows of the houses, which were built up with baked brick and lime, secure, at another they collected money from their own common assembly by contribution, which would suffice for allies at the proper time. And some ships they had, and others they were fitting out, and others they summoned, along with naval fighters, from the common councils of their people everywhere. And all their preparations for war were complete, (10) when also a certain pirate named Andrea, who had put in with two pirate ships to the emperor, who, being a Genoese, had inflicted no small evils on the Venetians at sea, and later, having come upon a Persian ship, and having captured it with its crew, some of those on board he killed, and others he brought alive to the emperor as if, forsooth, he were acting in his interest and routing his 496 adversaries, this man the emperor received with favor and delighted in exchanges and honored with the dignity of *vestiarios*, but the Venetians held him in enmity, and were eager to avenge what they had suffered from him. Wherefore, falling upon them by night, they set fire to one of the ships, suddenly igniting it, while the other escaped, and they burned it down, and those on board whom they were able to capture, they mercilessly slaughtered.

146

Μακεδόνων καὶ δύσις πᾶσα καὶ λίαν εὐφόρησεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ εὔωνοι οἱ καρποὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀλώνων ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν καιρῷ μεγίστου λιμοῦ ὁ σῖτος διεπιπράσκετο, τῶν κατ' ἀνατολὴν πρὸς δύσιν μετενηνεγμένων. ταῦτ' ἄρα καὶ βασιλεὺς πόρους ἐπινοῶν, τοῦτο μὲν τῶν πρὸς τοὺς Ἰταλοὺς μι σθωμάτων ὑπερηφάνων ὄντων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ χρείαις ἄλ λαις δαπανημάτων, τὸ ἀφ' ἑκάστου γεωργοῦ ὀλίγιστον εἰς μεῖζον ἅμα συμποσοῦν ἔγνω, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀφ' ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τῶν γεωργούντων ὑπὲρ συγκομιδῆς ζευγίτιδος σίτου μὲν μοδίους ἓξ κριθῆς δὲ μοδίους τέσσαρας τοπικοὺς προστάσσει πράττειν. ἐκ τούτων γοῦν καὶ τῷ μεγάλῳ δουκὶ κελεύσας δίδοσθαι ἀργύρου τε καὶ χρυσίου ἀπεμπολούντων, καὶ ἀνακωχὴν τῶν ἐκείνου σχών, τὰ περὶ τοῦ Μπυριγερίου διεβουλεύετο, ὡς αὐτίκα κἀκεῖνον προσ ηκόντως καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἠλπίκει ὑποδεξόμενος. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τῶν κατὰ δύσιν προνοιῶν ἥπτετο, καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐκ τούτων ἀφῄρει· τὰ γὰρ τῶν μισθῶν τῶν κατὰ τὰ ἀνάκτορα ἐκδουλευόντων καὶ πρὸ χρόνων διεκόπη πάλαι. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ νόμισμα διὰ τὴν χρείαν ἐκιβδηλεύετο. πρότερον μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ ∆ούκα τὸ δί 494 μοιρον τοῦ ταλάντου τῶν νομισμάτων χρυσὸς ἦν ἄπεφθος, ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ ἐξ ἐκείνου διετήρει· ὕστερον δὲ ἐπὶ Μιχαὴλ τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης, διὰ τὰς τότε κατ' ἀνάγκην δόσεις, καὶ μᾶλλον πρὸς Ἰταλούς, μετεγεγράφατο μὲν τὰ τῶν παλαιῶν σημείων, τῆς πό λεως χαραττομένης ὄπισθεν, καθυφίετο δὲ καὶ παρὰ κεράτιον τὸ ἐκ χρυσοῦ νομιζόμενον, ὡς πεντεκαίδεκα πρὸς τὰ εἰκοσιτέσσαρα γίνεσθαι. μεταλλάξαντος δ' ἐκείνου πρότερον μὲν εἰς δεκατέσ σαρα περιέστη πρὸς δέκα, νῦν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμισείας τὸ ἄπε φθον καταμίγνυται, παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ δυσπόριστα μὲν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ τὰ χρειώδη, δύσωνα δ' αὖθις καὶ ταῦτα, ἤν πού τι καὶ φανείη, ἐγίνοντο, καὶ αἰχμαλωσία καὶ λιμὸς ἦν.

9. Οἱ μέντοι γε κατὰ τὴν πόλιν Γεννουῗται, ἐπειδήπερ τῶν κοινῶν ἀπετύγχανον βουλευμάτων, καὶ καθ' αὑτοὺς ἠναγ κάζοντο πράττειν, τὴν χαλεπὴν τῆς καρδίας ἐκ τῶν ἀκουσθέν των πήδησιν τῶν ἰδίων οὐ σιγῇ καὶ ἠρεμίᾳ κατέστελλον (τὸν γὰρ ἀγῶνα φασὶ προφάσεις οὐ πάνυ τι δέχεσθαι), ἀλλ' ὡς αἱ τίτθαι τὰ δυσυπνοῦντα τῶν παιδίων κινήσει μᾶλλον καὶ μελῳδίαις, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡσυχίαις κατοκοιμίζουσι (πέφυκε γὰρ ἡ ἔξωθεν κίνησις ὑπο 495 φερομένη κατακρατεῖν τὴν ἐντὸς καὶ οὕτω γαλήνην ἐμποιεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ), οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι ἀλλεπαλλήλοις πράξεσι καὶ κινήσεσι τὸν τῶν πολλῶν κατέστελλον θόρυβον. καὶ νῦν μὲν βαθύτερον ἐξε τάφρευον καὶ ὡς ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης μετοχετεύεσθαι δυνατὸν εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσι παρέχειν, νῦν δὲ ἰοβόλα καὶ πετροβόλα ἐμηχανῶντο, καὶ τὰς τῶν οἰκημάτων παρακυπτικὰς ἐξ ὀπτῆς πλίνθου καὶ τιτάνου παρῳκοδομημένας εἰς ἀσφαλεῖς καθίστων, νῦν δὲ συνέλεγον χρήματα ἐκ κοινῆς τῆς καθ' αὑτοὺς συναγωγῆς συνδοσίας κατὰ καιρὸν ξυμμαχήσουσιν ἀποχρήσοντα. καὶ νῆας τὰς μὲν εἶχον, τὰς δὲ καὶ ἐξηρτύοντο, τὰς δ' ἅμα ναυ μάχοις ἐκ τῶν ἑκασταχοῦ κοινῶν συνεδρίων τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν μετεπέμποντο. καί σφισι τὰ πρὸς πόλεμον ἅπαντ' ἐξήρτυντο, (10) ὅτε καί τινα τῶν πειρατῶν Ἀνδρέαν ὠνομασμένον, δυσὶ πειρατικαῖς ναυσὶ καταχθέντα πρὸς βασιλέα, ὃς οὐκ ὀλίγα μὲν καὶ Βενετικοὺς Γεννουΐτης ὢν διετίθει κακωτικὰ κατὰ θάλασσαν, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ νηῒ περιτυχὼν Περσικῇ, καὶ ταύτης αὐτάνδρου κρατήσας, οὓς μὲν ἀνεῖλε τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, οὓς δέ γε καὶ ζῶντας καθυπῆγε τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς δῆθεν τὰ ὑπὲρ τούτου φρονῶν καὶ τοὺς 496 αὐτοῦ τροπούμενος ἀντιπάλους, τοῦτον βασιλεὺς μὲν μετ' εὐμε νείας δέχεται καὶ ἀλλαγαῖς ἀγάλλει καὶ τῷ τοῦ βεστιαρίου τιμᾷ ἀξιώματι, Βενετικοὶ δὲ δι' ἔχθους εἶχον, καὶ ὧν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἔπαθον ἀνταμύνεσθαι ὥρμων. ὅθεν καὶ νυκτὸς ἐπεισπεσόντες πῦρ μὲν τῇ μιᾷ τῶν νηῶν ἐνιᾶσιν ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνηδὸν ἐναύσαντες, θατέρας ἀποδράσης, καὶ καταφλέγουσι, τῶν δ' ἐν αὐτῇ οὓς ἑλεῖν ἔσχον, ἀπηνῶς κατασφάττουσι.