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18. But, behold, at the beginning of spring long ships, about nineteen in number, arrived from Genoa, but not as the emperor, in his embassy to them, had requested. But the emperor had summoned the ships for this one purpose of alliance, but they, considering the request and having calculated the great expense, and suspecting this, that the emperor might in the meantime deal with his enemies in some other way, either by battle with troops or by peace with money, and thus their own efforts 598 would prove fruitless, and in addition to the emperor being liable to provide their expenses from the moment they would be released from their own harbors, as is their custom, finding these ships to be merchant vessels in addition to their expenses and sufficiently crewed with a large force, they send them, having ordered them, if the emperor should call on them as allies, to place the alliance above all other business, having agreed with them from there that their pay would be reduced from the usual rate as a favor to the emperor. A certain Genoese, Spinola, who had already taken the emperor's son and despot Theodore as a son-in-law for his daughter, was cooperating with them in these matters. For the emperor and father, having made Demetrios, who was much younger than John, a despot, was sending him to Lombardy; but the mother judged Theodore to be greater, and from Thessalonica, in place of the former, she appointed this one to his brother's inheritance, to receive the honor of marquis, since the former had departed from among men, and those there had sent word to the emperor, asking through one of his own children, and preferably John, who surpassed the others in age, to take possession of their affairs, according to a certain just inheritance, since that one had died childless. And this having happened later, 599 they, having entirely transformed the despot according to the Italian manner, so loved him, bowing in obedience. So when the ships had set sail, their first priority was to learn the emperor's will, so that they might do whatever he might command. But he, for the time being, valued a settlement with peace, if he could, much more than the battle of war, even if it should happen to cost great sums of money; for the one happens without bloodshed, while the other with many falling in war. And since they too, sending often, demanded to receive what was owed them and to depart (and this was, as they boasted, about three hundred thousand of the customary gold coin), for at that time the ambassadors sent for this purpose were close at hand, whom the Genoese were sponsoring, and they themselves were also arranging the affairs of the embassy to the emperor, since those men were unable to appear before the emperor. For these reasons, the emperor received the embassy, but he was unable to detain the men on the ships, since they were eager to sail to the Euxine because of 600 their cargoes, but having retained only four triremes for a stipulated pay, on the condition that they would guard the straits of Abydos, both to prevent the Persians from crossing over, and also to check the pirates, should they appear anywhere, he released the others, except for a stipulated twenty days, so that if in the meantime they should come to terms, but if not, they would then act as allies according to what had been decided. And they sailed away, but the emperor, having selected ambassadors, sent them to the Almogavars, having also specified what gold he was willing to give, amounting to one hundred thousand, and if they did not persuade them, to add even more. The ambassadors, therefore, on their arrival, accomplished nothing; for they had happened, in great numbers, to have marched out from Callium some days before. For they were not at all at rest, committing mischief. And indeed, as their council was divided, it seemed best to some to pass through the area between Vrachiali and the city, and having laid waste the inhabited land, finally to approach the city and, encamping before it, demand their pay. If, then, they should receive it; but if not, to carry out what had been decided. But to others, and especially to the Turcopoles on account of their relatives being held by the Alans, it seemed best to go against them first, 601 since they had sufficient provisions on wagons. For the Alans also, having once revolted from the emperor, sending to Sfentislav already

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18. Ἀλλ' ἰδού γε ἅμ' ἦρι μακραὶ νῆες περί που τὰς ἐν νεακαίδεκα ἐκ Γεννούας ἐφίστανται, πλὴν οὐ καθὼς διαπρεσβευό μενος βασιλεὺς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἠξίου. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν κρατῶν ἐπ' αὐ τῷ τούτῳ τῷ τῆς συμμαχίας μόνῳ μετεκαλεῖτο τὰς ναῦς, οἱ δὲ σκέψει διδόντες τὸ ἀξιούμενον καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῶν ἀναλωμάτων ἐκ λογισάμενοι, ὑποτοπάζοντες δὲ καὶ ταῦτα, μή πως βασιλεὺς ἐν τοσούτῳ ἄλλως πως τοὺς ἐχθροὺς μετέλθοι, ἢ κατὰ μάχην στρα τεύμασιν ἢ κατ' εἰρήνην χρήμασι, καὶ οὕτως ἄπρακτα σφίσι τὰ 598 καθ' αὑτοὺς φανείη, πρὸς τῷ καὶ τὰς ἐξόδους παρέχειν τὸν βα σιλέα ἐνέχεσθαι ἐξ οὗπερ καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ὅρμων ἀπολυθήσονται, ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐστὶ σύνηθες, ἐμπορικὰς ταύτας εὑρόντες πρὸς ταῖς ἐξόδοις καὶ πλείστῳ λαῷ ἱκανουμένας ἀποστέλλουσι, παραγγεί λαντες σφίσιν, εἰ βασιλεὺς προσκαλοίη συμμάχους, πάσης ἄλ λης ἀσχολίας ἀνωτέραν τὴν συμμαχίαν θέσθαι, ὁμολογήσαντες αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὰς μισθοφορίας τῶν συνήθων ἐλαττουμένας χάριν τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα. συνέπραττε δέ τις ἐκείνοις ταῦτα Γεν νουΐτης Σπίνουλος, τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν καὶ δεσπότην Θεόδω ρον εἰς γαμβρὸν ἤδη λαβὼν ἐπὶ θυγατρί. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς καὶ πατὴρ τὸν μετὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην πολλοστὸν τῷ χρόνῳ ∆ημήτριον δεσπότην καταστήσας εἰς Λαγγιβαρδίαν ἐξέπεμπεν· ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ὡς μείζω ἐξέκρινε τὸν Θεόδωρον, καὶ ἀπὸ Θεσσαλονίκης ἀντ' ἐκείνου τοῦτον πρὸς τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ κλῆρον ἀποκαθίστα, τὴν τοῦ μαρκεσίου τιμὴν ληψόμενον, ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα οἱ ἐκεῖ πέμψαντες ἠξίουν διά τινος τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων, καὶ μᾶλλον τοῦ τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν λοιπῶν προφέροντος Ἰωάννου, κατά τινα κληρονομίαν δικαίαν ἐκείνου ἄπαιδος τελευ τήσαντος, τῶν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀντίσχεσθαι. ὃ καὶ γεγονὸς ὕστε 599 ρον, ἐκεῖνοι κατ' Ἰταλοὺς τὸ πᾶν τὸν δεσπότην μετασκευάσαντες οὕτως ἠγάπων ὑποκλινόμενοι πρὸς ὑπακοήν. ἀναχθεισῶν τοι γαροῦν τῶν νεῶν, προηγούμενον τῶν ἄλλων ἐκείνοις ἦν τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως μανθάνειν θέλημα, ὡς πραξείουσιν ἃ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπι τάττοι. ὁ δὲ τὴν μετ' εἰρήνης διάλυσιν, εἰ δύναιτο, τέως τῆς μάχης πολέμου ἐτίθει πολλῷ περὶ πλείονος, εἰ καὶ χρήματα δα πανᾶν μεγάλα ξυμβαίη· τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἀναιμωτί, τὴν δὲ πολλῶν πεσόντων κατὰ πόλεμον γίνεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ κἀκεῖνοι πολλάκις πέμποντες ἠξίουν τὰ κεχρεωστημένα λαμβάνειν καὶ ἀπαλλάσσε σθαι (τὰ δ' ἦσαν, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι ἐβρενθύοντο, περί που τὰς τρια κοσίας χιλιάδας τοῦ νομιζομένου χρυσίου), καὶ γὰρ τότ' ἦσαν ἐξ ὑπογύου καὶ οἱ πεμφθέντες εἰς τοῦτο πρέσβεις, ὧν δὴ προυξέ νουν μὲν Γεννουῗται, οἱ αὐτοὶ δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας πρὸς βα σιλέα διηυθέτουν, μὴ δυναμένων ἐκείνων βασιλεῖ ἐμφανίζεσθαι. διὰ δὴ ταῦτα προσιέμενος ὁ κρατῶν τὴν πρεσβείαν, τοὺς μὲν ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶ παρακατέχειν οὐκ εἶχεν ὁρμῶντας πρὸς Εὔξεινον διὰ 600 τὰ φορτία διαπλωΐζεσθαι, τέσσαρας δὲ μόνον τριήρεις ἐπὶ ῥη τοῖς μισθοῖς παρακατασχών, ἐφ' ᾧ διατηροῖεν τὰ τῆς Ἀβύδου στενά, ἅμα μὲν κωλύειν τοὺς διαπεραιουμένους Πέρσας, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰς πειρατικὰς ἐπέχειν, ἤν που φανεῖεν, τὰς δ' ἄλλας ἀπέ λυε, πλὴν ἐπὶ ῥηταῖς ἡμέραις εἴκοσιν, ἵν' ἢν μὲν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ ξυμβιβάζοιντο, εἰ δ' οὖν, συμμαχοῖεν τότε κατὰ τὰ δόξαντα. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπέπλεον, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐκλεξάμενος πρέσβεις πρὸς Ἀμογαβάρους ἀπέστελλε, τάξας καὶ ὃ ἦν βουλομένῳ οἱ δοῦναι χρυσίον, εἰς ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας ποσούμενον, εἰ δ' οὐ πείθουσι, προστιθέναι καὶ πλέον. οἱ γοῦν πρέσβεις ἐπιστάντες οὐδὲν ἤνυ τον· ἔτυχον γὰρ παμπληθεὶ πρὸ ἡμερῶν ἐκεῖνοι τῆς Καλλίου ἐκ στρατευσάμενοι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠρέμουν τὸ σύνολον κακουργοῦντες. καὶ δὴ τῆς βουλῆς ἐκείνοις ἐνδοιαζομένης, τοῖς μὲν ἐδόκει διελ θόντας τὸ μεταξὺ Βραγχιαλίου καὶ πόλεως, καὶ τὸ οἰκούμενον ἐρημώσαντας, τέλος τῇ πόλει προσσχεῖν καὶ προσκαθημένους ἀπαιτεῖν τοὺς μισθούς. εἰ οὖν λάβοιεν τούτους· εἰ δ' οὖν, τὸ δόξαν ἐπιτελεῖν. τοῖς δέ, καὶ μᾶλλον Τουρκοπούλοις διὰ τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτῶν κατεχομένους παρ' Ἀλανοῖς, ἐπ' ἐκείνους πρότε 601 ρον ἰέναι ἐδόκει, ἱκανῶς καὶ τῶν ἐφοδίων ἐφ' ἁμαξῶν ἔχοντας. καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἀλανοὶ ἅπαξ βασιλέως ἀποστατήσαντες, πέμποντες πρὸς Ὀσφεντίσθλαβον ἤδη