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having conceded many things out of a not very moderate disposition, was complaining as if suffering unjustly, if he himself rejoiced with him in his times of rest, as was likely also accepting, while the other man associated with men benevolently and intimately who were very much at variance with him, so as to even rend the body of the church; and that they ought to follow him, and not he them, since they were clearly enemies and at odds on the most important matters. He sent forward, therefore, those who were to say not to receive them, if he cared about sitting in peace. But Joseph answered that if he were willing to confine both him and those around him, thus he would also of necessity not receive those who came to him, but that previously it was not well to be accused if he did receive some who came; for it was necessary for many to visit them for consolation, not only of the known, but also of the unknown; so either to confine him, if he wished, or, leaving him at liberty, not to blame one who was blameless. Joseph answered these things, not because he wished for more hardship than his present circumstances, but trusting in his disposition, at the same time mixing not a little severity in his words, if, having ostracized him from his honor, he should also wish to make him bereft of consolation from men. But the emperor, as if taking from his words what was advantageous to him, and because the one who was to suffer had begun by saying what he himself, perhaps wishing to do, had refrained from out of respect for him, thus setting a specious pretext for his confinement, as if he had been the first to mention it, sent and removed him from the Laura and confined him at Chele—now this is a small coastal fort at the extremities of the Euxine Sea—easy to spend the spring in, but entirely difficult to winter in, as the north wind meets the island head-on and breathes out the bitterness of its cold. And some of the monks, who indeed were attached to him, he exiled one to one place and another to another, and confined them to the islands in the 535 Aegean; but the monk Job the Iasite he sent to Kabeia—this is a fort situated near the Sangarios river—and confined him under guard. 30. How the emperor humbled the Genoese in the city. At that time, then, the emperor, preparing to campaign against Orestias, wished to humble the Genoese, who were being driven by their shamelessness. For previously the Venetians and their council far surpassed them in wealth and ships and all preparations, since they made more use of the sea than them and crossed the seas in longships, and it happened that they acquired more profits than the Genoese did from the transport and movement of goods. But from the time that the Genoese became masters of the Euxine sea, by the emperor's grant, with all freedom and exemption from taxes, they even dared, in the middle of winter, sailing in ships shortened in length, which they call taride, not only to close the sea lanes and trade to the Romans, but they also surpassed the Venetians in wealth and preparations. For this reason it happened that they acted arrogantly not only towards those of their own race, but also towards the Romans themselves. The emperor, then, had specially honored a certain Genoese nobleman, named Manuel, son of Zacharias, with the mountainous regions of Phocaea in the east, which contained a mine of alum, where indeed he had settled and worked together with his own people. And reaping many benefits from his work, he wished to have even more from the ruler's good will and disposition towards him. He asked, therefore, that the Genoese not be permitted to bring down a mine of alum from the upper regions through the Euxine Sea, since they use a great deal of this for dyeing woolen fabrics with various colors, as one can see. 537 And the emperor, assenting, gave the order. The Genoese in the city, therefore, partly out of respect for the imperial command, and partly because they had the city as their final resort, remained in a way to fulfill what was ordered; but certain others from Genoa, considering the command as nothing, having built longships in the manner of a piratical venture,
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πολλοῖς συγκεχωρηκὸς ἐκ διαθέσεως οὐ πάνυ μετρίας, ὡς οὐ δίκαια πάσχων, κατεμέμφετο, εἰ αὐτὸς μὲν συνήδεταί οἱ ταῖς ἀναπαύσεσιν, ὡς εἰκὸς προσαποδεχόμενος, ἐκεῖνος δ' ἀνδράσι προσφέρεται εὐμενῶς καὶ οἰκείως πάνυ πολὺ τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν διεστηκὸς ἔχουσιν, ὥστε καὶ τὸ σῶμα κατατέμνειν τῆς ἐκκλησίας· χρῆναι δ' ἐκείνους αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ αὐτὸν σφίσιν ἕπεσθαι, ἐχθροῖς ἀριδήλως οὖσι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις διαφερομένοις. Προὔπεμπε τοίνυν τοὺς ἀπεροῦντας μὴ δέχεσθαι σφᾶς, ἢν μέλοι οἱ τοῦ καθ' ἡσυχίαν καθῆσθαι. Ἰωσὴφ δ' ἀπεκρίνετο, ἢν αὐτόν τε περιορίζειν ἐθέλοι καὶ τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτόν, οὕτω καὶ ἀναγκαίως μὴ τοὺς προσιόντας δέχεσθαι, πρότερον δ' οὐ καλῶς ἔχειν κατηγορεῖσθαι, ἤν τινας προσιόντας καὶ δέχοιτο· ἀνάγκην γὰρ εἶναι προσφοιτᾶν σφίσι καὶ τῶν ἀγνώτων, μὴ ὅτι γε τῶν γνωρίμων, συχνοὺς εἰς παράκλησιν· ἢ γοῦν περιορίζειν, εἰ θέλοι, ἤ, ἄνετον ἀφέντα, ἀκαταιτιάτῳ μὴ μέμφεσθαι. Ταῦτα μὲν Ἰωσὴφ ἀπεκρίνατο, οὐ τῷ πλέον εἰς κακουχίαν τῶν παρόντων ἐθέλειν, ἀλλὰ πιστεύων τῇ διαθέσει, ἅμα κιρνὰς τοῖς λόγοις καὶ τῆς βαρύτητος οὐκ ὀλίγον, εἰ, τῆς τιμῆς ἐξοστρακίσας, ποιεῖν ἐθέλοι καὶ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρακλήσεως ἔρημον. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, οἷον ἐκ τῶν λόγων λαβὼν τό οἱ συνοῖσον καί, ὅτι κατῆρξεν ὁ πεισόμενος λέγων οὗ αὐτός, βουλόμενος ἴσως ποιεῖν, κατὰ τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δυσωπίαν ἀπέσχετο, εὐπρόσωπον οἷον ἐντεῦθεν τὸν περιορισμὸν ἐκείνου θέμενος, ὡς ἐκείνου πρώτως μνησθέντος, πέμψας ἐξάγει τε τῆς Λαύρας κἀν τῇ Χηλῇφρούριον δ' αὕτη ἐπινησίδιον πρὸς τοῖς ἄκροις τῆς Εὐξείνου θαλάσσηςπεριορίζει, εὐχερεῖ μὲν ἐνεαρίζειν, δυσχερεῖ δὲ πάμπαν διαχειμάζειν, ὡς κατὰ στόμ' ἀπαντῶντος τῇ νήσῳ βορέου καὶ τὴν πικρίαν ἐκπνέοντος τῆς ψυχρότητος. Τινὰς δὲ καὶ τῶν μονα χῶν, οἳ δὴ κἀκείνῳ προσέκειντο, ἄλλον μὲν ἀλλαχοῦ ἐξορίζει καὶ νήσοις ταῖς 535 κατ' Αἰγαῖον περιορίζει· τὸν δέ γε μοναχὸν Ἰασίτην Ἰὼβ ἐν Καβείᾳφρούριον δ' αὕτη πρὸς τῷ Σαγγάρει κείμενον ποταμῷὑπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ πέμψας περιορίζει. λʹ. Ὅπως τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν Γεννουίτας ἐταπείνου ὁ βασιλεύς. Τότε μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐκστρατεύειν ἐπ' Ὀρεστιάδος παρασκευαζό μενος, τοὺς Γεννουίτας, παρακινουμένους ἐξ ἀναιδείας, ταπεινοῦν ἠβούλετο. Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ πολλῷ προεῖχον σφῶν Βενετικοὶ καὶ τὸ κατὰ σφᾶς συνέδριον πλούτῳ τε καὶ ἅρμασι καὶ παρασκευαῖς ἁπάσαις, ἅτε καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ προσχρωμένους πλέον ἐκείνων καὶ μακραῖς ναυσὶ τὰ πελάγη διαπε ραιουμένους, καὶ προσκτᾶσθαι πλείονα κέρδη συνέβαινεν ὧν οἱ Γεννουῖται προσεκτῶντο πραγματειῶν μετακομίσεσι καὶ κινήσεσιν. Ἐξ ὅτου δὲ τοῦ Εὐξείνου πελάγους ἐγκρατεῖς ἐγένοντο Γεννουῖται, βασιλέως διδόντος, ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ πάσῃ καὶ ἀτελείᾳ καὶ κατετόλμων αὐτοῦ καὶ μέσου χειμῶνος ἐν συστελλομέναις κατὰ μῆκος ναυσίν, ἃς ἐκεῖνοι ταρίτας λέγουσι, πλέοντες, μὴ μόνον Ῥωμαίοις ἀπέκλεισαν τὰς κατὰ θάλασσαν κελεύθους καὶ πραγμα τείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν Βενετικῶν πλούτῳ τε καὶ παρασκευαῖς ὑπερέσχον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ξυνέβαινε σφίσι καὶ καταλαζονεύεσθαι μὴ μόνον τῶν τοῦ γένους ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥωμαίων αὐτῶν. Προσπεφιλοτίμηται μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἰδίως καί τινι εὐγενεῖ Γεννουίτῃ, Μανουὴλ λεγομένῳ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου, τὰ τῆς κατ' ἀνατολὴν Φωκαίας ὀρεινά, μέταλλον στύψεως ἔχοντα, ἐφ' ὧν δὴ καὶ κατοικήσας συνάμα τῷ ἰδίῳ λαῷ εἰργάζετο. Καὶ πολλὰ τῆς ἐργασίας ἀπονάμενος, καὶ πλέον ἤθελεν ἔχειν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κρατοῦντος πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εὐμενείας καὶ διαθέσεως. Ἠξίου γοῦν μὴ 537 ἀνεῖσθαι Γεννουίταις ἐκ τῶν ἄνω μερῶν διὰ θαλάσσης Εὐξείνου κατάγειν στυπτηρίας μέταλλον, ἐπεὶ πολλῇ τινι χρῶνται ταύτῃ τὰ ἐξ ἐρίων ὑφάσματα μιαίνοντες χρώμασι διαφόροις, ὡς ὁρᾶν ἔξεστι. Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατανεύων ἐπέταττεν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ πόλει Γεννουῖται, ἅμα μὲν αἰδούμενοι τὴν βασιλικὴν πρόσταξιν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὡς εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀπόβασιν ἔχοντες, ἔμενον ἐπὶ τρόπου τοῦ τὰ ἐπεσταλμένα πληροῦν· ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἐκ Γεννούας, παρ' οὐδὲν τὴν πρόσταξιν θέμενοι, ναυπηγησάμενοι μακρὰς ναῦς κατά τινα λῃστρικὴν πεῖραν,