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having been completely plundered, and that the priests, reverently taking up the things lying there, transferred them to the church of the chief of the apostles. When these things happened and the transfer of the sacred objects and the other things was carried out, the friars, having nothing with which to deal with the others, 539 poured out the whole of their anger against the one in charge, and made accusations to the Genoese across the water, and demanded that they take vengeance on the one who had shown contempt. And their ruler, considering vengeance for these things to be a good thing, secretly sends out men to bring him near to death; for they did not deem it right to kill him, but to wound him grievously with swords. Therefore, having lain in wait, they carried out the plan, and falling upon the man suddenly, they assaulted him with many blows, so that he was carried away home on a litter, scarcely believed to be alive. The emperor, taking this as a personal affront, banished the ruler of the Genoese from his presence, and ordered the gates of the city to be barred against them for some days, referring the matter to the judgment of the commune, since, according to report, another was very soon to succeed to the office. Berenguer then put these things forward as a pretext for a quarrel, and he tried to alienate their minds from the emperor, not knowing, or even willingly omitting, that the emperor, acting first, was conciliating them 540 and taking them as allies, when what was being done by them had been reported. When the ship arrived in the dead of night and the arrival of the ships was already being announced to the Genoese, and in addition, what was to be done was being considered, on the grounds that they would immediately return and carry the news, they immediately went before the emperor by torchlight and received concessions from him, to the effect that if those who were resisting should yield, but if they should resist, to make war immediately, and in the morning a large number of Roman troops would be deployed, some to be stationed along the shores for defense, and others to cross the sea on fishing boats; for he did not look to the fact that he himself would do nothing, but that they would do everything against them. So the torch was in their hands, and they returned; (29) and the emperor sent out ten thousand men with arms, and this strait was filled with ships about to sail across to Rhegion. And those who were sent had not yet properly arrived, when a fierce battle was joined against the others from dawn, on the one hand because of the declaration from here, 541 and on the other hand in a way by necessity. For when Berenguer despaired of peace, and was promising large sums of money to the admirals if they should be let go, and as they were thus growing hesitant, the soldiers on board, becoming jealous that they too might not profit, immediately began the battle in the morning. And first they provoked the Almogavars with skirmishing, and then having forced them into the necessity of fighting, they surrounded them. And not a few fell on both sides, and more became wounded; but the Genoese prevailed, and took the ships by force, with only one escaping. For as soon as Berenguer approached the commander of the ships, since his proposals were of no avail, he entrusted his own life to him, and having entered the lowest part of the hold, while they were fighting above, he himself remained completely out of the battle. And on the next day, which was the thirty-first of Pyanepsion, at high noon, one could see the triremes sailing up the strait with oars and piping, but the victors in orderly fleet formation and with greater pride, with their standards also fluttering in the wind, but the 542 defeated ones in disorder and without standards, pitching in the swell with moderate rowing, and attached like tenders to the ships sailing ahead by very long forestays, and being carried wherever those ships might lead them. When, therefore, they rounded the acropolis, they gave up on the route toward their own people, but somewhere up between Saint Phokas and this side, they anchored and rested. And on the next day, they brought those defeated ships, just as they were, with their crews, to their own people and put them under every kind of guard, but they themselves, having been summoned by the emperor, were treated with fitting kindness. and to the admirals, the matter of the robes, as they were, was more honorably

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παράπαν ἐσκυλευμένου, τοὺς δ' ἱερεῖς εὐλαβῶς ἀναλα βόντας τἀκεῖ κείμενα ἐν τῷ τοῦ κορυφαίου τῶν ἀποστόλων μετα θεῖναι ναῷ. ὡς δὲ γέγονε ταῦτα καὶ ἐπράχθη ἡ τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μετάθεσις, οἱ φρέριοι μηδὲν ἔχοντες ὅ τι τοῖς ἄλλοις 539 χρήσαιντο, πρὸς τὸν ἐπιστάντα τὸ πᾶν τῆς ὀργῆς ἐξεκένουν, καὶ ἐνεκάλουν πρὸς Γεννουΐτας κατὰ τὴν περαίαν, καὶ ἠξίουν τὸν καταφρονητὴν ἀμύνασθαι. καὶ ὁ ἐξουσιαστὴς ἐκείνων, τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἄμυναν τῶν καλῶν ἡγησάμενος, ἐκπέμπει κρύφα τοὺς ἐκεῖνον ἐγγὺς θανάτου ποιήσοντας· κτανεῖν γὰρ οὐκ ἐδι καίουν, ἀλλὰ σπάθαις στίζειν ἐσχάτως. ἐνεδρεύσαντες τοίνυν ἐξεπλήρουν τὰ τοῦ βουλεύματος, καὶ πολλαῖς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπεισπεσόντες ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνηδὸν ᾐκίσαντο, ὡς φοράδην οἴκοι μό λις πιστευόμενον ζῆν ἀπαχθῆναι. τοῦτο βασιλεὺς εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναφέρων ἀπὸ προσώπου τ' ἐποίει τὸν τῶν Γεννουϊτῶν ἄρχοντα, καί σφιν ἐφ' ἡμέραις ἐπιζυγοῦσθαι τὰς τῆς πόλεως πύλας προσέ ταττεν, ἀναρτῶν τὸ πραχθὲν εἰς κρίσιν τοῦ κουμουνίου, μέλ λοντος ἑτέρου κατὰ πύστιν ὅσον οὐκ ἤδη τὴν ἀρχὴν διαδέχεσθαι. Ταῦτα Μπυριγέριος τότε ὡς λαβὴν προύτεινε σκανδάλου, καὶ ἀλλοτριοῦν τοῦ βασιλέως τὰς ἐκείνων γνώμας ἐπείρα, μὴ εἰ δώς, ἢ καὶ ἑκὼν παραλείπων, ὡς βασιλεὺς φθάσας σφίσιν ἐξευ 540 μενίζετο καὶ ξυμμάχους προσελάμβανεν, ἀγγελθέντων τῶν αὐ τοῖς πραττομένων. ὡς ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν ἡ ναῦς ἐπέστη καὶ ἤδη Γεννουΐταις ἡ τῶν νηῶν ἠγγέλλετο ἄφιξις, πρόσετι δὲ καὶ τὸ ποιητέον ἐζητεῖτο ὡς εὐθὺς ὑποστρεψόντων καὶ κομισόντων τὰς ἀγγελίας, εὐθὺς ἐκεῖνοι παρὰ βασιλέα ὑπὸ λαμπτῆρσιν ἀφιγμέ νοι τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐκχωρήσεις ἐλάμβανον, ὡς εἰ μὲν ὑποκλιθεῖεν ἀντιμαχοῦσιν, εἰ δ' ἀνθίσταιντο, εὐθὺς πολεμεῖν, καὶ πλήθους συχνοῦ πρωΐας Ῥωμαϊκοῦ τοῦ μὲν κατὰ τὰς ἀκτὰς στησομένου πρὸς ἄμυναν, τοῦ δ' ἁλιάσι διαποντίου γενησομένου· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπέβλεψεν, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν οὐ ποιήσων, πρὸς ἐκείνους δὲ τὸ πᾶν πράξοντας. σφίσι μὲν οὖν τὸ δάος ἦν ἐν χερσί, καὶ ὑπέστρε φον· (29) βασιλεὺς δὲ μυρίους ἐξήλα μεθ' ὅπλων, πορθμὸς δ' οὗτος νηῶν ἐπληροῦτο διαπλωϊσομένων πρὸς Ῥήγιον. οὔπω δὲ καλῶς ἐπέστησαν οἱ πεμφθέντες, κἀκείνοις ἐξ ἐωθινοῦ στερρὰ συνίστατο μάχη, τοῦτο μὲν καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν δήλωσιν, 541 τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τρόπον ἀνάγκης. τοῦ γὰρ Μπυριγερίου ἀπογνόν τος τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ μεγάλα χρήματα τοῖς ναυάρχοις καθυ πισχνουμένου εἰ ἀφεθεῖεν, καὶ οὕτω σφῶν μαλακιζομένων, οἱ ἐπιβάται ζηλοτυπήσαντες εἰ μὴ κερδαίνοιεν καὶ αὐτοί, εὐθέως πρωΐας ἄρχουσι μάχης. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἀκροβολισμοῖς Ἀμογα βάρους παρακινοῦσιν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ εἰς ἀνάγκην τοῦ μάχεσθαι καταστήσαντες κυκλοῦσι τούτους. καὶ πίπτουσι μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγοι ἐξ ἑκατέρων, καὶ τραυματίαι γίνονται πλείους· ἀλλ' ὑπερτεροῦσι Γεννουῗται, καὶ κατὰ κράτος αἱροῦσι τὰς ναῦς, μιᾶς ἀποδρά σης καὶ μόνης. ὁ γὰρ Μπυριγέριος ὡς ἅπαξ τῷ τῶν νηῶν ἡγε μόνι προσῆλθεν, ἐπειδὴ ἄπρακτά οἱ ἦσαν τὰ προβαλλόμενα, τὸ ἴδιον αἷμα ἐκείνῳ προσανετίθει, καὶ εἰσδὺς τὰ τῶν καταστρω μάτων κατώτατα, ἐκείνων ἄνωθεν πολεμούντων, αὐτὸς ἀπόλε μος τὸ παράπαν ἔμενε. τῆς δ' αὖ ἡμέρας, ἥτις ἦν τριακοστὴ πρώτη Πυαντιῶνος, σταθηρᾶς ἱσταμένης μεσημβρίας, ἦν ὁρᾶν τὸν πορθμὸν ἀναπλεούσας τὰς τριήρεις ὑπὸ κώπαις καὶ συριγμοῖς, πλὴν τὰς μὲν μετ' εὐκόσμου στόλου καὶ μειζόνων φρονηματισμῶν, ἐπιρροιζούντων καὶ τὸν συμβόλων ἐκείνων πρὸς ἄνεμον, τὰς 542 δ' ἡττηθείσας ἀκόσμους καὶ ἀσυμβόλους, ὑποσαλευούσας μὲν τῷ ῥοθίῳ ὑπὸ κώπαις μετρίαις, τρόπον δ' ἐφολκίων ἐξημμένας τῶν προθεουσῶν προτόνοις μηκίστοις, καὶ φερομένας ἵν' ἂν ἐκεῖ ναι καὶ ἄγοιεν. ὡς γοῦν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἔκαμψαν, ὁδὸν μὲν ἐκεί νην τὴν πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἀπείπαντο, ἄνω δέ που τὰ μέσα τοῦ ἁγίου Φωκᾶ καὶ ἐπίταδε ναυλοχησάμενοι ἀπεπαύοντο. τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ νῆας μὲν ἐκείνας τὰς ἡττηθείσας, οὕτως ὡς εἶχον, ἀντάνδρους πρὸς οἰκείους κατάγουσι καὶ ἐν τηρήσει ποιοῦνται παντοίᾳ, αὐτοὶ δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσκληθέντες τὰ εἰκότα φιλοφρο νοῦνται. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ναυάρχοις τὰ τῶν ἀναβολῶν ὡς εἶχον πρὸς βασιλέως φιλοτιμότερον