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sailing swiftly, they sailed out from their own land and indeed, having put in at the Thracian Bosphorus, they sailed through the straits of the Pontus, being heedless both of the emperor and of the custom that applied to them; for it was not customary for anyone from Genoa arriving here to turn elsewhere, before coming to Blachernae to both acclaim the emperor as was fitting and to do obeisance. Then, therefore, those men, having neglected even their own agreements, using a favorable wind from the south, put to sea heedlessly and, having passed through the mouth of the Pontus, moored in the northern harbors of the sea. And for a long time they for the most part continued their piratical activities. Later, having seized a merchant ship, which had no small part of its cargo as alum, having loaded everything on it for safety, they sailed down confidently. But the emperor, having learned of their passage, considered the contempt a terrible thing and turned over in his thoughts how it might be possible to get his hands on those who had shown contempt; but the emperor's will was not at all unknown to them. Surely then they took no small care that their voyage be successful and that they escape the danger, which they learned was hanging over them from the emperor. As, at any rate, they were sailing from there, the eastern mountains came into view, and it was possible for them sometimes to sail with a fair wind, and sometimes obliquely against the oncoming wind, as the breeze might incline for them, while in other circumstances 539 such a thing was sufficient and was enough for them for a good voyage, as they approached the Pharos one and only one wind was deemed useful, that of the north wind, except not a relaxed one blowing lazily, such that the state of the air was doubted to be a calm from its only just touching the sails, but rather one that some of the sailors would even call a Tanaite; for with this alone, having despaired of the others, could they be confident against the ambush from the emperor lying in wait for their courses. And as they were waiting for days, it came upon them, much to their delight, and it blew brightly, and the wind stood fair for the ship; emboldened indeed by this, they encouraged their own daring deeds and, having immediately unfurled all the topsails, they were carried along with the stream; relying on the violence of the wind, but nevertheless they also equipped the sides of the ship with dry hides and were arrayed with arms, so that the ship would sufficiently resist fire and every missile, and so that they themselves would fight, if any from the emperor should attack. So when the emperor learned of these things, he sent and commanded the Genoese in Pera to send men to stop them; and they, though sending many men to forbid them to sail further, were not able to persuade them. But they detested the opposition; nevertheless, considering only their own interests with respect both to goodwill toward the emperor and to the regard for their race, they left the whole matter to him. The emperor, however, considering it the utmost contempt and a matter of greater dishonor if they should sail out while he yielded, gathered the merchant ships found in the city, and also collected, as a hunter his hounds, the Gasmoulikon from throughout the city, and set over them the vestiarios Alexios Alyates. And that man, having crossed the Bosphorus as he was with those around him, gave terrible commands and, if 541 they did not defeat them, he made it equal even to being deprived of his command. Therefore, those on the ships having drawn themselves up, and others having drawn up on the shore, awaited the cargo ship coming down. And some, falling upon it and indeed encircling it, were performing the work of fighters, but they accomplished nothing at all; for both the momentum from the fair wind and the height of the ship helped them as much as possible, and the effort of those resisting was in vain. And the one side pressed on, rushing to hold them back, but those on the ship were unconcerned, as if their opponents would accomplish nothing; for though many were shooting arrows at the topsails and making them full of holes, the force of the wind prevailed, and it proceeded too much to be checked by those hindering it from below

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ταχυναυτοῦντες ἐξέπλεον τῆς σφετέρας καὶ δή, τῷ Θρᾳκικῷ προσοκείλαντες Βοσπόρῳ, διέπλεον τὰ στενὰ τοῦ Πόντου, ἀφροντίστως ἔχοντες καὶ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ κατὰ σφᾶς συνήθους· μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι τὸν προσίσχοντα τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἐκ Γεννούας, πρὶν ἄν, πρὸς ταῖς Βλαχέρναις γενόμενον, βασιλέα τε εὐφημεῖν τὰ εἰκότα καὶ προσκυνεῖν, ἑτέ ρωθι τρέπεσθαι. Τότε τοίνυν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ αὐτῶν συνθεσιῶν τῶν κατὰ σφᾶς ἀμε λήσαντες, οὐρίῳ χρησάμενοι τῷ ἐκ τοῦ νότου πνεύματι, ἀνήγοντο ἀφροντίστως καί, τὸ στόμα διεκβάντες τὸ τοῦ Πόντου, πρὸς τοῖς βορείοις τῆς θαλάσσης λιμέσιν ἐνώρμουν. Κἀκεῖνοι μὲν τὰ πολλὰ ἐπὶ χρόνον πειρατεύοντες διετέ λουν. Ὕστερον καὶ φορταγωγοῦσαν ληϊσάμενοι ναῦν, οὐκ ὀλίγον μέρος τοῦ φόρτου καὶ στυπτηρίαν ἔχουσαν, ἐν ταύτῃ τὰ πάντα νηησάμενοι κατ' ἀσφά λειαν, θαρρούντως κατέπλεον. Βασιλεὺς δέ, πυθόμενος τὴν διάβασιν, ἐν δεινῷ τὴν καταφρόνησιν ἐποιεῖτο καὶ ἐπὶ λογισμῶν ἔστρεφε πῶς ἂν ἐγγένοιτο ἐν χερσὶ τοὺς καταφρονήσαντας περισχεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐκείνοις ἠγνόητο τὸ παράπαν ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως θέλησις. Ἀμέλει τοι καὶ διὰ μερίμνης ἐποιοῦντο τῆς οὐ τυχούσης τὸν πλοῦν εὐοδῆσαι σφίσι καὶ αὐτοὺς διαδρᾶναι τὸν κίνδυνον, ὃν ἐπυνθάνοντο ἐπηρτῆσθαι τούτοις παρὰ βασιλέως. Ὡς γοῦν ἐκεῖθεν πλέουσι τὰ τῆς ἀνατολῆς κατε φαίνοντο ὄρη καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς ποτὲ μὲν ἐξ οὐρίων πλέειν, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ λεχρίους πρὸς τὸν ἐμπίπτοντα ἄνεμον, ὅπως ἂν σφίσι ῥέποι τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐν ἄλλοις μὲν 539 αὔταρκες ἦν τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ σφίσιν ἀποχρώντως εἶχε πρὸς εὔπλοιαν, τῇ Φάρῳ δὲ προσίσχουσιν ἓν καὶ μόνον ἐδοκιμάζετο πνεῦμα χρησιμεῦσον, τὸ τοῦ βορρᾶ, πλὴν οὐκ ἀνειμένον καὶ κατερρᾳθυμημένως ἄον, ὡς καὶ εἰς νηνεμίαν ἀμφιβάλλεσθαι τὸ τοῦ ἀέρος κατάστημα ἐκ τοῦ τὰ λαίφη καὶ μόνον ψαίρειν, ἀλλ' ὃν ἄρα καὶ ταναΐτην ὀνομάσειέ τις τῶν ναυτικῶν· τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ μόνῳ εἶχον ἰσχυρίζεσθαι, ἀπηλπικότες τῶν ἄλλων, πρὸς τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως λόχον ταῖς πορείαις αὐτῶν ἐφιζάνοντα. Καί γ' ἐφ' ἡμέραις προσδο κῶσιν ἀσμένοις σφίσιν ἐπέστη καὶ λαμπρὸς ἔπνει, καὶ ἐξ οὐρίων τὸ πνεῦμα ἵστατο τῇ νηΐ· ᾧ δὴ θαρρήσαντες, τὰς τόλμας ἐθάρρυνον τὰς ἰδίας καί, τοὺς φώσσωνας αὐτίκα διαπετάσαντες ὅλους, κατὰ ῥοῦν ἐφέροντο· πίσυνοι μὲν καὶ τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος σφοδρότητι, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πλευρὰ τῆς νηὸς βόαις αὔαις ἐξήρτυον καὶ ὅπλοις κατεκοσμοῦντο, ὡς ἀποχρώντως ἀνθεξούσης μὲν πρὸς πῦρ καὶ πᾶν τὸ βαλλόμενον τῆς νεώς, πολεμησόντων δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν, εἴ τινες ἐκ βασιλέως ἐπίθοιντο. Τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τούτων ὁ βασιλεὺς πυθόμενος ἀποστέλλων προσέταττε τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Περαίαν Γεννουίταις πέμπειν τοὺς κωλύσοντας· οἳ καί, συχνοὺς πέμποντες τοὺς ἀπεροῦντας μὴ πλεῖν προσωτέρω, οὐκ εἶχον πείθειν. Οἱ δ' ἀπεστύγουν μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἔνστασιν, ὅμως, τὸ ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν προορώμενοι μόνον εἴς τε τὸ πρὸς βασιλέα εὔνουν καὶ εἰς τὴν πρὸς τὸ γένος ἐπιστροφήν, ἠφίουν τὸ πᾶν ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ. Ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεύς, ἐσχάτην περιφρόνησιν ἡγησάμενος καί γ' εἰς ἀτιμίας μείζονος λόγον, εἰ καθυφεικότος ἐκπλεύσειαν, ἐπαγείρει μὲν τὰς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν εὑρεθείσας ὁλκάδας, περισυνάγει δὲ καί, καθώς τις ἐπακτὴρ κύνας, τὸ ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν Γασμουλικόν, ἐφιστᾷ δὲ τούτοις τὸν βεστιαρίου Ἀλέξιον τὸν Ἀλυάτην. Κἀκεῖνος, ἅμα τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Βόσπορον ὡς εἶχε διαπεραιωθείς, δεινὰ ἐποίει προστάσσων καί, εἰ μὴ 541 τούτους καταγωνίσονται, ἶσον ἐτίθει καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς στέρεσθαι. Συνταξά μενοι τοιγαροῦν οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν νηῶν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ παραταξάμενοι, τὴν φορτηγὸν κατιοῦσαν ἐδέχοντο. Καὶ οἱ μέν, προσπίπτοντες καί γε κύκλῳ περιπτυσσόμενοι, μαχητῶν ἔργον ἐπλήρουν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤνυον τὸ παράπαν· ἥ τε γὰρ ἐξ οὐρίας ὁρμὴ καὶ τὸ ὑπερανεστηκὸς τῆς νεὼς ἐκείνοις ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα ἐβοήθει, καὶ μάταιος τοῖς ἀνθισταμένοις ἦν ἡ σπουδή. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπεῖχον, ὁρμῶντες ἐφέξειν, οἱ δ' ἐπὶ τῆς νηὸς κατημέλουν, ὡς μηδὲν ἀνυσόντων· συχνῶν γὰρ ὀϊστευόντων τοὺς φώσσωνας καὶ πολυωποὺς ποιούντων, τὸ στερρὸν ἐνίκα τοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ προσεχώρει μεῖζον ἢ ὥστ' ἐπισχεθῆναι τοῖς κάτωθεν ἐμποδίζουσι