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in the manner spoken of, since indeed the Almogavars also, having become suspicious of Gallus's entry with them, were being hindered. but that the Catalans themselves, changing their minds, were inclined toward peace with the emperor, if someone would give them pledges. And it happened that a secretary of the Caesar, Jacob by name, was captured at Tenedos carrying letters to those in Sicily, who, having been brought back to the emperor, happened to inform the emperor that unless others who had set sail from Sicily joined them, they themselves, checking their impulses, were ready to make peace. At any rate, the coming of anyone from there, insofar as he himself knew from his cooperation, had been cut short by his capture. And that it was easy from this point to approach them and that the form of peace had been put forward by the emperor, who was promising non-warlike terms; 564 but to send men who seemed most trustworthy to them, and by whom it was supposed they would least be deceived. Therefore, to the emperor who accepted these words, entrusting the terms of peace to him to negotiate along with others appeared as beneficial as it was insecure, due to his kinship with their race, but otherwise, having secured his loyalty, he suspected no obstacle to undertaking these things with him at least acting as ambassador. Wherefore he also secured him beforehand with oaths, and sending with him Corones, the interpreter of Latin languages, he ordered him to go with all speed and to try to arrange the terms of peace as best he could. And indeed having arrived not much later, they themselves along with three others, and while they were staying in one of the fortresses and using an informer, the Catalans in the fortress of Gallipoli, having given hostages as a pledge that those men would suffer nothing irreparable, sent out five horses for the five of them, so that they might come to them; 565 however, behind each rode one to guard the rider, on the one hand, seemingly, lest some of the Catalans, leaping out from an ambush, might do something unpleasant to the ambassador, but for a deeper reason, so as not to give them an opportunity to learn anything about them in advance by asking questions out of some curiosity.

(2) And they, on arriving, spoke as follows. "Emperor Andronicus, our master but your summoner, has announced this to you. It is necessary for men who choose to honor the justice of God, and for a just emperor to be especially mindful of favors, to consider not what they might wish for themselves, but also what might be expedient for the future. For the one is of an ill-advised mind that looks only to the immediate present, but the other does not allow foresight for the future to lie unused. And so, in your case, if indeed at the beginning, having chosen the part of enemies, you had decided to invade the land of the Romans, no one could justly be indignant; for this is not unusual for men, and especially when races differ, for whom it is possible to make treaties, and it is also possible to join in battle. But since, having been summoned as allies, 566 you suddenly and improperly chose the part of enemies, how could anyone, even if not wishing to be indignant with you, escape being indignant? For remember that you are raising your hands against those on whose behalf you agreed, for great wages, to take up arms against those at war with them. And how is it just and lawful, by any established laws, whether divine or human, to disregard what has been sworn, and in return for the great sums of money we have spent on you, to launch attacks against us? And what name could be given you for the future? Would one call you allies? But you decided to choose the part of enemies. But enemies? And who would agree to summon such men for great wages to his own harm? But allies at first, who later became enemies? And what other terrible thing could one call you, if, having appeared as allies, and that at great expense, you then made a truce with the enemies on whose account you were summoned, and with them you plunder our land? And with what excuse do you, Christians, do irreparable things to Christians, as if choosing, without delay, to seem wicked? For what 567 evil have you not wrought? Have you not enslaved lands? Have you not killed men? Have you not infants and old men

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λέλεκται τρόπον, ἐπείτοι γε καὶ δι' ὑποψίας Ἀμο γάβαροι γενόμενοι τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Καλλίου σὺν αὐτοῖς εἰσόδου διεκω λύοντο. αὐτοὺς δὲ Κατελάνους γνωσιμαχοῦντας εἰς τὴν μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰρήνην ῥέπειν, ἤν τις τὰ πιστὰ σφίσι διδοίη. ἔτυχε δὲ καὶ γραμματεὺς τοῦ Καίσαρος, Ἰάκωβος τοὔνομα, ἁλοὺς ἐπὶ Τενέδου γραφὰς παρὰ τοὺς ἐν Σικελίᾳ κομίζων, ὃν ἐπαναχθέντα πρὸς βασιλέα βασιλεῖ πληροφορεῖν ξυνέβαινεν, ὡς ἢν μή γε καὶ ἄλλοι προστεθεῖεν σφίσι Σικελίηθεν ἀναχθέντες, τὰς ὁρμὰς αὐ τοὶ ὑποκλώμενοι ἕτοιμοί εἰσιν εἰρηνεύειν. τὸ γοῦν ἐκεῖθεν ἰέναι τινάς, ὅσον τὸ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ συνεργοῦντος εἰ ἐπισταίη, ἁλόντος ἀνακεκόφθαι. εἶναι δ' ἐντεῦθεν εὐχερὲς αὐτοὺς μετελθεῖν καὶ τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης προβεβλῆσθαι σχῆμα βασιλεῖ τὰ μὴ μάχιμα ἐπαγ 564 γέλλοντι· πέμπειν δὲ τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα σφίσι δόξαν τας, καὶ οἷς ἦν ὡς ἥκιστα διαψεύδεσθαι ὑπειλῆφθαι. ταῦτ' ἄρα καὶ βασιλεῖ τοὺς λόγους ἀποδεξαμένῳ, τὸ μὲν αὐτῷ ἐπιστέλλειν τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης συνάμα καὶ ἄλλοις διαπρεσβεύσασθαι, ὅσον τῶν ὀνηΐστων, τοσοῦτον οὐκ ἐχέγγυον ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸ γένος οἱ οἰκειό τητος κατεφαίνετο, ἄλλως δὲ τὰ τῆς γνώμης κατασφαλισαμένου, οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ὑπετόπαζε τῷ τούτοις ἐπιχειρεῖν αὐτοῦ γε πρε σβεύοντος. ὅθεν καὶ ὅρκοις προκατελάμβανε, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὸν τῶν Λατινικῶν ἑρμηνέα Κορόνην ἐξαποστέλλων ἐκέλευε τὴν τα χίστην ἰέναι καὶ τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης πειρᾶν ὡς οἷόν τε διαπράττεσθαι. καὶ δὴ παραγενόμενοι οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον σφίσι συνάμα καί τισιν ἄλλοις τρισίν, καθημένων δ' ἔν τινι τῶν φρουρίων καὶ μηνυτῇ χρησαμένων, οἱ ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ Καλλιουπόλεως Κατέλανοι ὁμή ρους δόντες κατὰ πίστιν τοῦ μή τι παθεῖν ἐκείνους ἀνήκεστον, ἵππους πέντε πέντ' οὖσιν ἐξαποστέλλουσιν, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἐς αὐτοὺς 565 γένωνται· πλὴν ἑκάστῳ συνεπωχεῖτο ὄπισθεν ὁ φυλάξων τὸν ἐπι βάτην, τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν, μή πως ἐξ ἐφόδου τις ἐκπηδήσας τῶν Κατελάνων ἄχαρί τι δράσοι τὸν πρεσβευτήν, τῷ δὲ βαθυτέρῳ, ὡς ἂν μηδὲ καιρὸν διδόντες σφίσι προμαθεῖν τι περὶ ἐκείνων ἔκ τινος περιεργίας ἐπερωτήσασιν.

(2) οἳ καὶ ἐπιστάντες ἔλεξαν τάδε. "βασιλεὺς Ἀνδρόνικος ἡμέτερος μὲν δεσπότης, σφῶν δ' ὑμῶν κλήτωρ, τάδ' ἐπήγγειλεν ὑμῖν. χρεὼν ἀνδράσι θεοῦ μὲν τιμᾶν αἱρουμένοις δίκην, βασιλεῖ δ' ἐς τὰ μάλιστα μεμνῆ σθαι χαρίτων δικαίοις οὖσι, μὴ ὅ τι βουλομένοις ἂν εἴη σφίσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅ τι συνενέγκοι ἂν ἐς τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα σκοπεῖν. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀβούλου καὶ πρὸς τὸ παραυτίκα μόνον ἀφορώσης γνώμης, τὸ δὲ τὴν εἰς τὸ μέλλον πρόνοιαν ἀταμίευτον οὐκ ἐᾷ κεῖσθαι. καὶ ὑμῖν τοίνυν, εἰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἑλόμενοι ἐς τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐσβαλεῖν ἔγνωτε, οὐ δικαίως ἂν νεμεσᾶν ἔχοι τις· μηδὲ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἀσύνηθες τοῦτ' εἶναι, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτε καὶ τὰ γένη διαλλάττοιεν, οἷς ἔνι μὲν σπονδαῖς χρῆσθαι, ἔνι δὲ καὶ ὁμόσε ταῖς μάχαις ἰέναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ξύμμαχοι προσκληθέντες τὰ 566 τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐ δέον ὄν, ἐκ τοῦ ἐξαίφνης ἀνθείλεσθε, πῶς ἂν μὴ θέλων τις ὑμῖν νεμεσᾶν ἐκφύγοι τὸ νεμεσᾶσθαι; μνήσθητε γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνους χεῖρας ἀνταίροντες, ὑπὲρ ὧν κινεῖν ὅπλα πρὸς τοὺς σφίσι πολεμοῦντας μεγάλων ὡμολογήσατε τῶν μισθῶν. πῶς δὲ δίκαιον καὶ νόμιμον, κειμένων εἴτε θείων εἴτε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων, θέσθαι μὲν ἐν ἀλογίᾳ τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα, μεγάλων δὲ χρημάτων ὧν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐδαπανήσαμεν, τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν ὁρμὰς ἀντιδοῦναι; τί δ' ὑμῖν καὶ ἀποκριθείη ἐς τὸ μετέπειτα ὄνομα; συμμάχους ὀνο μάσειέ τις; ἀλλ' αἱρετέα τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῖν ἔδοξεν. ἀλλ' ἐχθρούς; καὶ τίς ἂν καὶ τίνας μεγάλων μισθῶν ἐπὶ σφετέρῳ πο νήρῳ προσκαλεῖσθαι δέξαιτο; ἀλλὰ συμμάχους μὲν τὸ πρῶτον, πολεμίους δ' ἐσέπειτα καταστάντας; καὶ τί γ' ἄλλο ὑμῖν τις ἐπι καλοίη δεινόν, εἰ σύμμαχοι ἐπιστάντες, πολλῶν καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἀναλωμάτων, ἔπειτα ἐσπείσασθε μὲν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς δι' οὓς προσε κλήθητε, μετ' αὐτῶν δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν ληΐζεσθε; τί δὲ καὶ ἀπο λογούμενοι Χριστιανοὶ Χριστιανοὺς τὰ ἀνήκεστα δρᾶτε, τῷ μὴ ἐς ἀναβολὰς θέσθαι, κακοὶ δόξαι ὥσπερ αἱρούμενοι; τί γὰρ τῶν 567 κακῶν οὐκ εἴργασθε; οὐ χώρας ἠνδραποδίσατε; οὐκ ἄνδρας ἐκτείνατε; οὐ νήπια καὶ πρεσβύτας