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Almogavars, since those with Tzimes, as we were saying, having come to Ainos, were besieging it and making a more vigorous attempt, so as to even undermine part of its foundations, although having struck solid rock they did not know what to do. Meanwhile, those inside, as one skilled in mining had deserted to them, were digging a counter-mine from within and, reaching it first, suddenly brought out the excavated material and trapped and annihilated those outside there. But they wanted to be supplied with grain, because they were in danger of becoming a victim of famine. And so, having prepared some small ships, they were hastening to the other side of the Maritsa, in order to get grain from Boleron. Encountering these at sea, the men of the commander of the army hastened in pursuit of them, being greedy for the prey. They might perhaps have been completely successful in the hunt; for if these men had relaxed their rowing and the others had crossed the river unobserved, and had gotten as far as possible to the places on the other side, our men, arriving first, would perhaps have held them within inescapable nets, with them being unable to get any help, even if they reached the land, since it was impossible to return safely to 640 their own people because the river lay as an obstacle in between. But as it was, our men, being greedy, were seen pursuing them before they had crossed the river. And so, finding their chances of salvation slim, since they could not fight against the emperor's ships, they ran their ships ashore, and entrusting themselves to the land, while some were captured along with their ships, the majority were saved. So the men became the work of the sword, while the ships became a victim of fire. But a certain Gidas, a nephew of Theudericus the ruler of Sicily, it having been heard that the leaders of the Almogavars were not at all in agreement to entrust their command to one man, but some wished to be ranked under Farenta Tzimes, while others, together with Farenta himself, urged the overall command for Berenguer (for he had returned again, as we said in the preceding account, having escaped from Genoa I know not how), while those ranked under Rocafort paid no heed to the others (for Rocafort himself would not accept being ranked under Berenguer), (34) for these reasons this man was sent out by Theudericus along with seven long ships, as the rumor had it. But some were reporting that Materca Farente, of the king of Sicily, was doing these things. But I do not know if, being Gidas by name, he was pretending to be someone greater than the 641 sons of the king, so that such a name was talked about abroad as a matter of the greatest prestige. Nevertheless, when he too arrived, they were not at all in agreement to be ranked under him, and especially Rocafort, being altogether haughty and boastful, if he should concede the rule of a country which he himself had ruled by the sword, to another who had appeared out of the blue. And he was not won over by the counsel of the others, but wished to command on his own. Reports were reaching the emperor that not even Gidas himself would remain any longer, with the Almogavars being in such disagreement. Meanwhile, as much as was possible, the emperor was softening up those with Tzimes with promises greater than they deserved, and from this he established once and for all their discord with one another, and, as was to be expected, postponed their agreements against us. For as far as method and intelligence were concerned, he lacked nothing, being a deep thinker, even if he lacked forces, to bend their impulses as much as was possible. And so the affairs in the east he, as it were, put into delays, 642 as if he would immediately attend to his own affairs, if he should make a reasonably strong move. But he was very much concerned with the affairs in the west, desiring to pull out the evil, as it were, from his bosom. In this way indeed Atman, being kept in suspense by hopes for a very long time, there was nothing of the regions around Nicaea and Pythia and everything up to the sea which he did not seize. 35. But the leading men of the church, and, as we have already said, being regarded with suspicion, while others were held in no account, and those who held these stewardships being deprived of them and of their offices too (for when someone is held in no account, even if he holds an office, it is of no use to him), but also of the

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Ἀμογαβάρους, ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Τζιμῆν, ὡς ἐλέγομεν, ἐπὶ τὴν Αἶνον γενόμενοι ἐπολιόρκουν καὶ ἐνεργέστερον ἐπεχείρουν, ὥστε καὶ ἀνορύττειν ἐκ μέρους τἀκείνης θέμεθλα, εἰ καὶ πέτρα συμφύτῳ προσαράξαντες οὐκ εἶχον ὅ τι καὶ πράττειν. τέως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἔνδον, ἑνὸς τῶν τέχνην ὀρύττειν ἐχόντων προσφυγόντος ἐκείνοις, ἀνώρυττον ἔνδοθεν ἀντικρύ, καὶ προτερήσαντες αἴφνης τὸ ἀνορυττόμενον προσάξαντες τοὺς ἔξωθεν ἐκεῖ συνέσχον καὶ ἐξηφάνισαν. σιτηγεῖσθαι δ' ἤθελον, ὅτι καὶ λιμοῦ ἐκινδύνευον γίνεσθαι παρανάλωμα. ὅθεν καὶ μικράς τινας νῆας ἐξετοιμασά μενοι ἐς τὸ πέραν κατήπειγον τῆς Μαρίτζης, ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἐκ Βολε ροῦ σιταρκοῖντο. αἷς δὴ καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν ἐντυχόντες οἱ τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτὰς ἐπέσπευσαν δίωξιν, λιχνευ σάμενοι πρὸς τὸ θήραμα. τάχ' ἂν καὶ κατηυστόχουν τῆς ἄγρας εἰς τέλος· εἰ γὰρ ὑφεικότων τούτων τῆς ἐλασίας ἐκεῖνοι ἀνωΐστως καὶ εἰσέτι τὸν ποταμὸν παρήλλαξαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πέραν τόπων ἐς ὅσον ἦν ἀποτέρω ἐγένοντο, τάχ' ἂν φθάσαντες οὗτοι ἐντὸς ἀφύκτων ἀρκύων εἶχον ἐκείνους, μηδὲν ὠφεληθησομένους, εἰ καὶ τῇ χέρσῳ προσήραττον, ἀδυνάτου ὄντος ἐπανασώζεσθαι πρὸς 640 τοὺς ἰδίους διὰ τὸ μεταξὺ ἐμποδὼν κεῖσθαι τὸν ποταμόν. νῦν δ' ἀλλὰ λιχνευσάμενοι οἱ ἡμέτεροι ἐμφανεῖς ἦσαν ἐκείνους κατα διώκοντες πρὶν παραλλάξαι τὸν ποταμόν. ὅθεν καὶ ἐν στενῷ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλθόντες, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν σφίσι πρὸς τὰς τοῦ βασι λέως μάχεσθαι, προσαράττουσι τῇ ξηρᾷ, καὶ τῇ χέρσῳ πιστεύ σαντες ἑαυτούς, τινῶν ἑαλωκότων συνάμα ταῖς ναυσίν, οἱ πολ λοὶ σώζονται. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἔργον μαχαίρας, αἱ δὲ πυρὸς ἐγένοντο παρανάλωμα. Γίδας δέ τις ἀνεψιὸς Θευδερίχου τοῦ κατὰ Σικελίαν ἐξάρ χοντος, ἀκουσθὲν ὡς οὐδὲν ὅλως οἱ τῶν Ἀμογαβάρων ἐξάρχον τες συμφωνοῦντες ἑνὶ τὴν σφῶν ἡγεμονίαν πιστεύουσιν, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ τὸν Φαρέντα Τζιμῆν ἐθέλουσι τάττεσθαι, οἱ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ τῷ Φαρέντᾳ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τῶν ὅλων Μπυριγερίῳ προτρέ πουσι (καὶ γὰρ οὗτος αὖθις ἐπανῆλθε, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς ἄνω λό γοις ἐλέγομεν, οὐκ οἶδα πῶς ἐκ Γενούας ἀποδράς), οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ῥομοφόρτον ταττόμενοι τῶν λοιπῶν οὐδὲν ἐπαΐουσι (μηδὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν Ῥομοφόρτον τὸ ὑπὸ τὸν Μπυριγέριον τάττεσθαι κατα δέχεσθαι), (34) διὰ ταῦτα ὁ τοιοῦτος παρὰ Θευδερίχου συν άμα μακραῖς ναυσὶν ἑπτά, ὡς ἡ φήμη εἶχεν, ἐξαποστέλλεται. οἱ δὲ τὸν τοῦ ῥηγὸς Σικελίας Ματέρκα Φαρέντε ταῦτα πράττειν ἐφήμιζον. οὐκ οἶδα δὲ εἰ Γίδας ὢν κατ' ὄνομα κρεῖττον τῶν 641 υἱῶν τοῦ ῥηγὸς ὑπεκρίνετο, ὡς ἔξωθεν περιλαλεῖσθαι τὸ τοιοῦ τον ὄνομα κατά τι σέμνωμα μέγιστον. ὅμως μὲν οὖν ἐλθόντος κἀκείνου, οὐδὲν ὅλως οἱ πάντες συνεφώνουν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τάττε σθαι, καὶ μάλιστα Ῥομοφόρτος, ὑπερηφανῶν ὅλως καὶ μεγαλι ζόμενος, εἰ χώρας ἧς αὐτὸς διὰ σπάθης ἦρξε, καὶ δυναστείαν ἑτέρῳ παραχωροίη ἐξ ὑπογύου φανέντι. καὶ οὐ τῇ τῶν λοιπῶν βουλῇ συνυπήγετο, ἀλλὰ καθ' αὑτὸν στρατηγεῖν ἠβούλετο. πύ στεις τὸν βασιλέα κατελάμβανον καὶ ὡς οὐδ' αὐτὸς Γίδας ἔτι προσμενεῖ, οὕτως ἀσυμφώνως ἐχόντων Ἀμογαβάρων. τέως, ὁπόσον ἦν, τοὺς περὶ Τζιμῆν κατεμάλασσεν ὁ κρατῶν μείζοσιν ἢ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὑποσχέσεσι, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐφάπαξ ἀσυμ φωνίαν ἐντεῦθεν συνίστα, καὶ τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν συνθεσίας τού των ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ἀνέβαλλεν. ὅσον γὰρ ἦν τὸ ἀπὸ μεθόδου καὶ ξυνέσεως, οὐδέν οἱ καὶ ἐνελέλειπτο, βαθυσκέμμονι ὄντι, εἰ καὶ δυνάμεσιν ἐνελέλειπτο, ἐπικλᾶν ἐς ὅσον γε καὶ ἐνεδέχετο τὰς τού των ὁρμάς. ὅθεν καὶ τὰ κατ' ἀνατολὴν οἷον ἐς τριβὰς ἐτίθει, 642 ὡς αὐτίκα ἐφεξόμενος τῶν ἰδίων, ἤν γε καὶ ἐπιεικῶς ὁρμήσειε. τὰ δὲ κατὰ δύσιν καὶ λίαν ἐπολυώρει, ἐξανασπᾶν ἐφιέμενος τὸ οἷον κακὸν ἐγκόλπιον. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ Ἀτμὰν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀπαιωρούμενος, οὐδὲν ἦν τῶν περὶ Νίκαιάν τε καὶ Πύ θια καὶ πάντα μέχρι καὶ θαλάσσης, ἅπερ οὐ κατέσχεν. 35. Οἱ δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πρωτεύοντες, καὶ ὡς ἤδη προεί πομεν, ὑφορώμενοι, οἱ δὲ ἐν οὐδενὶ λογιζόμενοι, καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες οἰκονομίας ταύτας ἀποστερούμενοι καὶ αὐτῶν ὀφφικίων (ὅταν γάρ τις ἐν οὐδενὶ λογίζηται, κἂν ὀφφίκιον ἔχῃ, εἰς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ χρησιμεύει), ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν