163

not 553 a few of irreparable things after they had acted and plundered whatever came their way, it occurred to them to besiege Apro on account of those who had entered, and they attempted to besiege it; but when they accomplished nothing at all, they decided to return. But the Alans, having once cast off their regard for the emperors, decided to plunder what was at hand, and they arrived as friends, but departed as enemies. When the emperor learned these things, and as was likely, was pained by the disaster, he improvised words of consolation as best he could for his son and co-emperor, and sent Koutzimpaxis to the Alans, at once to set them in order and also to bring the Turcopoles into submission; for since he was of the same race and tongue, and because he was familiar with the Alans in the land of Nogai, and because he himself had conducted the embassy to Toqta, he was trusted to bring them to a sense of shame fitting for subjects. He himself wished to levy troops from there and to set out, but he was held back, distracted by many necessities. For these reasons he also prepared to dispatch land forces, trusting in whom the local inhabitants might fearlessly carry on with the summer's work, and for the time being he gave a truce to the Almogavars, on the grounds that he would immediately 554 attack once the forces had been assembled, then he attempted to persuade the Genoese, who had returned from the land of the Lazi in thirteen ships, to be his allies. But his plans fell so short that two of their finest ships sailed away, heading for the lands of the Italians and Berenguer. And the Genoese in the remaining ships, putting forward commercial reasons, were themselves also preparing to depart. With difficulty, out of respect, two were chosen, for a pay of six thousand nomismata, but on stated terms, so that under a firm oath they would serve the emperor for two months, cooperating with the rest and fighting in every way as against the enemies of the emperor and of their own illustrious council. Those in the remaining nine agreed to assist the emperor themselves for free, and having stayed for some days, to take action against some cowardice of the enemy and to try to do something for the Roman state, and thereafter to depart, whether they were successful or not. Having accomplished these things, the emperor considered and deliberated on how he might henceforth get the better of his enemies.

33. And indeed the Catalans shut up in Adrianople, being about sixty in number, who, after the Caesar was out of the way, were then subdued by oaths and shut up, not even 555 they themselves were at all unaware of the news concerning the emperor, but when a rumor spread that our men had been utterly defeated and that men of their own race were coming as far as their position to help them, they broke their bonds, and since they could not escape, as the tower in which they had been confined was difficult to open, having climbed up somewhere to the open air, from there they pelted with stones lying nearby and defended themselves against their attackers, planning to come down in safety. But they accomplished nothing at all, as the citizens had surrounded them thereabouts. Whence, although a few shirked the fight and surrendered themselves, the rest fought more vigorously even to the point of death and were wounded while casting their missiles. Finally the citizens, having gathered all kinds of wood, set a fire to it, intending to burn down both the tower and those in it. And the fire rose high, but those enveloped in the flame did not for a moment yield their courageous spirit, but first, taking off their clothes and throwing them on the fire, they tried to defend themselves against the fire, as it were, then, as the burning gradually grew stronger, they were consumed, willingly leaping into it, devoting themselves to one another with kisses and protecting themselves with the sign of the cross. And two of them, brothers both in blood and in spirit, 556 firmly holding each other and embracing for the last time, at once overcome with pity and at the same time uplifted by a martial spirit, fell from the tower and perished. A boy was with them, and since he was idle from pitiful cowardice and it was clear he was awaiting his fate, they immediately, showing no mercy and seizing the youth, boldly threw him into the fire, as if not in the least to save but to destroy him. And they did these things out of a complete despair

163

οὐκ 553 ὀλίγα τῶν ἀνηκέστων πράξασι καὶ τὰ προστυχόντα ληϊσαμένοις ἐπῄει τὴν Ἄπρω περικαθῆσθαι τῶν εἰσδεδυκότων ἕνεκα, καὶ ἐπει ρῶντο πολιορκεῖν· ὡς δ' οὐκ ἤνυτον τὸ παράπαν, ἔγνωσαν ὑπο στρέφειν. Ἀλανοῖς δ' ἅπαξ ἀφεικόσι τὴν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεύον τας ἔννοιαν σκυλεύειν τὰ ἐν ποσὶν ἔδοξε, καὶ φίλοι μὲν ἐφίσταν το, ἐχθροὶ δ' ἀπανίσταντο. Ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς ἐπαλγήσας τῇ συμ φορᾷ, τῷ μὲν υἱῷ τε καὶ βασιλεῖ τοὺς παρακλητηρίους ὡς εἶχεν ἐνεσχεδίαζε, τὸν δὲ Κουτζίμπαξιν ἀπολύει πρὸς Ἀλανούς, ἅμα μὲν ἐκείνους ἐγκαθεστήξοντα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ Τουρκοπούλους δουλα γωγήσοντα· τῷ γὰρ ὁμοεθνεῖ τε καὶ ὁμογλώσσῳ, καὶ ὅτι συνή θης ἦν Ἀλανοῖς ἐν Νογᾶ, καὶ ὅτι τὴν πρὸς Τουκτάϊν πρεσβείαν αὐτὸς ἐποιεῖτο, εἰς αἰδῶ πρέπουσαν ὑπηκόοις ἐπαγαγέσθαι σφᾶς ἐπιστεύετο. αὐτὸς δ' ἐξ αὐτῆς στρατολογεῖν τε καὶ ἐφορμᾶν ἠβούλετο μέν, ἐπείχετο δὲ ἐξ ἀναγκαίων πολλῶν ἀντισπώμενος. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς μὲν δυνάμεις ἀποστόλους προσετοιμάζει, οἷς θαρροῦντες οἱ πρόσχωροι ἀφόβως ἐργάζοιντ' ἂν τὰ τοῦ θέ ρους, Ἀμογαβάροις δὲ τέως ἀνακωχὰς διδοὺς ὡς αὐτίκα κατα 554 δραμούμενος συναχθεισῶν τῶν δυνάμεων, ἔπειτα ἐν τρισὶ καὶ δέκα ναυσὶ Γεννουΐτας ἐκ τῶν Λαζῶν ὑποστρέψαντας συμμαχεῖν ἐπεχείρει πείθειν. ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον τῶν βουλευμάτων ἐδέησεν ὥστε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν δύο ναῦς τὰς καλλίστας ἐκπλεῦσαι ἀγούσας πρὸς Ἰταλῶν ἤθη καὶ Μπυριγέριον. οἱ δ' ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς Γεννουῗται τὸ ἐμπορικὸν προϊσχόμενοι ἀπαίρειν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡτοιμάζοντο. μό λις ἀξιώσεως χάριν ἐκλέγονται δύο, μισθοῦ νομισμάτων ἑξακισ χιλίων, πλὴν ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς, ὥστε ὑφ' ὅρκῳ βεβαίῳ δύο μῆνας ἐκδουλεῦσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, συμπράττοντας τοῖς λοιποῖς καὶ πολε μοῦντας ἐς ἅπαν ὡς ἐχθροῖς βασιλέως τε καὶ τοῦ περιφανοῦς σφῶν ξυνεδρίου. οἱ δ' ἐν ταῖς ἐπιλοίποις ἐννέα ὡμολόγουν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπιστῆναι δωρεάν, καὶ ἐφ' ἡμέραις προσκαρ τερήσαντες κατά τινα τῶν ἐχθρῶν δειλίαν πρᾶξαι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν πραγμάτων πειράσασθαι, κἀντεῦθεν ἀναχωρεῖν, κἂν εὐοδοῖεν κἂν μή. ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος βασιλεύς, πῶς ἂν τὸ ἐντεῦθεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν περιγένηται, βουλευόμενος διεσκόπει.

33. Οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀνὰ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ἐγκεκλεισμένοι Κατελάνοι, περὶ ἑξήκοντα ὄντες, οἳ καὶ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐκποδὼν γεγονότος ἔπειτα ὅρκοις δουλαγωγηθέντες ἐγκατεκλείσθησαν, οὐδ' 555 αὐτοί γε τὸ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἀνάπυστον γεγονὸς τὸ παράπαν ἠμέλουν, ἀλλὰ φήμης διαδοθείσης ὡς κατὰ κράτος ἡττηθέντων τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ οἱ τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν μέχρι καὶ αὐτῶν ἴασιν, ἀρήξοντες σφίσι, ῥήξαντες τὰ δεσμά, ἐπεὶ ἐκφυγγάνειν οὐκ εἶχον δυσανοίκτου ὄντος τοῦ πύργου ἵνα καὶ ἐγκαθίδρυντο, ἄνω που ἀνερρηφότες κατὰ τὸ ὕπαιθρον ἐκεῖθεν παρακειμέναις πέτραις ἠκροβολίζοντο καὶ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἠμύνοντο, σκοπούμενοι κατα πίπτειν μετ' ἀσφαλείας. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤνυτον τὸ παράπαν, τῶν πο λιτῶν ἐκείνῃ πῃ περιστάντων. ὅθεν καὶ ὀλίγων φυγομαχησάν των καὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραδόντων, οἱ λοιποὶ μέχρι καὶ αὐτοῦ θανά του ἐνεργέστερον ἐπολέμουν καὶ βάλλοντες ἐτιτρώσκοντο. τέλος ὕλην παντοδαπὴν συμφορήσαντες οἱ πολῖται πῦρ ἐνιᾶσιν ὡς κα ταφλέξοντες καὶ πύργον καὶ τοὺς ἐν τούτῳ. καὶ τὸ μὲν ᾔρετο μέγα, οἱ δὲ τῇ φλογὶ ἐνειλούμενοι οὐδ' ἐς βραχὺ τοῦ εὐτόλμου καθυφείκεσαν λήματος, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον περιδυόμενοι ἐσθῆτας, κατὰ πυρὸς βάλλοντες, τὸ πῦρ οἷον ἠμύνοντο, ἔπειτα κατ' ὀλί γον κραταιουμένου τοῦ φλέγοντος ἀνηλίσκοντο ἐς αὐτὸ πηδῶντες ἑκόντες, φιλήμασιν ἀλλήλους ἀφοσιούμενοι καὶ σταυρῷ φραττό μενοι. δύο δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἀδελφὼ καὶ γένος καὶ γνώμας, 556 στερρῶς περισχόντες ἀλλήλους καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα περιπτυξάμενοι, ἅμα μὲν οἴκτῳ ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἀρεϊκῷ ἐπαρθέντες λήματι, τοῦ πύρ γου καταπεσόντες ἐξ αὐτοῦ διαπεφωνήκεσαν. παῖς δ' ἐκείνοις συνῆν, καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀργὸς ἦν ἐκ φιλοίκτου δειλίας καὶ δῆλος ἦν μένων τὴν αὐθεντίαν, εὐθὺς ἀφειδοῦντες ἐκεῖνοι καὶ περισχόντες τὸν νεανίαν ἐρρίπτουν κατὰ πυρὸς εὐθαρσῶς, ὡς οὐχ ἥκιστα σώσον τες ἢ ἀπολοῦντες. καὶ ταῦτ' ἔδρων ἐξ ἀπογνώσεως τοῦ ὅλως