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of the bar 3.67 barians, he fought them off on foot, and of the one who first came near, he cut off his head, striking with his sword. But the others, fearing, retreated, and when his own soldiers brought another horse, he mounted unharmed and achieved a complete victory. And immediately he sent men to the emperor his father to announce the victory. And the emperor did likewise towards his son. And it happened that the messengers of the victories met each other in the middle of the road. But the emperor, after the victory, having come from Mesene to Didymoteichon, suffered an illness of the kidneys for a whole year, although throughout his entire life until then he had never suffered any chronic illness, but at intervals of an eighth or seventh year was troubled by a tertian fever, from which he was immediately freed after the third period. But then, his kidneys having been in pain even before the battle, immediately after the battle the sickness assailed him severely. And he himself seemed to have provided no small cause for the pain. For during the battle, drenched in much sweat from the toil of the struggle, especially since it was also stifling hot in the summer season, having taken off his weapons, he encountered temperate winds that chilled him more than was fitting, from which it was suspected the illness gained additional cause. So the emperor was ill, and no skill of the physicians was sufficient, although the most seemingly renowned physicians were present there, until it was resolved automatically after another turn of a year, the physicians being unable to discern the cause from 3.68 which it arose or was resolved. And he ate as usual, being in no way harmed by the pain of his kidneys, and he not infrequently mounted a horse, being vexed at spending his time in bed, though with difficulty and not without pain. 11. While he was ill in Didymoteichon, the war from the Latins in Galata was kindled, and it had its beginning from such a cause. This race has always been treacherous and hostile to the Romans and most ready for perjury, should it perceive that some undertaking is possible; for even while the young emperor Andronikos was alive, they seized Phocaea and Mytilene by perjury, even if they were able to gain nothing from their wickedness, being driven out rightly and with the shame befitting them, and after his death, during the time of the civil war for the Romans, attacking Chios, they took control, neglecting the oaths and treaties with the empress Anna; but later, when there was peace and the emperor Kantakouzenos was in control of affairs, they came and asked him to concede to them the area above the fortress, on the pretext of making the perimeter of the fortress larger, as the existing one was not sufficient for habitation, but in truth wanting to enclose the area with a wall, so that they might not be easily besieged; for being uphill and, as it were, hanging over their heads, it presented no small 3.69 harm, should it ever happen that they entered into war with the Romans. For they had nothing small in mind, but they wanted to rule the sea and prevent the Romans from sailing, as if the sea belonged to them, for they saw the Romans at that time more than at other times paying attention to the sea and acquiring merchant ships and other cargo vessels not a few, with the emperor Kantakouzenos having taken great care in this, which they suspected the emperor would not tolerate. For this reason, even before revealing what they intended, they wanted to preemptively seize the suspect places from which they thought they would be harmed. But the emperor, not unaware of their design, both prepared ships, so that they would be ready if it were necessary to make war, and he completely forbade them from taking the area. For he knew that they would be restrained from their outrageous plans by fear rather than by good sense and respect for oaths. For this reason also this race is compared to asses by the other Latins. For that animal, if its driver is unable to inflict heavy blows, does not walk straight along the road, but is carried aside, turning away and neglecting the journey because of the weakness of the driver; and
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δὲ τῶν βαρ 3.67 βάρων, ἠμύνετο πεζὸς, καὶ τοῦ πρώτως ἐγγὺς γεγενημένου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπέτεμε τῷ ξίφει ἐπιπλήξας. οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι δείσαντες ὑπεχώρουν, καὶ τῶν οἰκείων στρατιωτῶν ἵππον ἕτερον προσαγαγόντων, ἀπαθής τε ἐπέβη καὶ τὴν νίκην καθαρὰν προσεξειργάσατο. αὐτίκα τε ἔπεμπε πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πατέρα τοὺς τὴν νίκην ἀπαγγελοῦντας. τὰ ἴσα δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐποίει πρὸς τὸν υἱόν. καὶ συνέβαινε τοὺς ἀγγέλους τῶν τροπαίων κατὰ μέσην τὴν ὁδὸν ἀλλήλοις ὑπαντᾷν. βασιλεὺς δὲ μετὰ τὴν νίκην ἐκ Μεσήνης εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἐλθὼν, ἐνόσησε τοὺς νεφροὺς ἐφ' ὁλόκληρον ἐνιαυτὸν, καίτοι παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον ἄχρι τότε μηδέποτε μηδὲν χρόνιον νοσήσας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ περίοδον ὀγδόου ἢ ἑβδόμου ἐνιαυτοῦ ὑπὸ τριταίου πυρετοῦ ὀχλούμενος, ἄχρι τρίτης περιόδου αὐτίκα ἀπηλλάττετο. τότε δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς μάχης τῶν νεφρῶν αὐτῷ ὀδυνωμένων, μετὰ τὴν μάχην εὐθὺς ἐπέκειτο λαμπρῶς τὸ νόσημα. ἐδόκει δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς αἰτίαν παρασχεῖν πρὸς τὸ ἄλγημα οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν. κατὰ γὰρ τὴν μάχην πολλῷ περιῤῥεόμενος ἱδρῶτι ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα μόχθου, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ πνῖγος ἦν ἐν θέρους ὥρᾳ, τὰ ὅπλα ἀποθέμενος, ἀνέμοις ἐνετύγχανεν εὐκράτοις καὶ πλέον ἢ προσῆκε ψύχουσιν, ἐξ ὧν ὑπωπτεύετο τὸ νόσημα ἐπιπλέον τὴν αἰτίαν σχεῖν. ἐνόσει μὲν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἰατρῶν ἐξήρκει τέχνη οὐδεμία, καίτοι γε τῶν μάλιστα εὐδοκιμεῖν δοκούντων ἰατρῶν ἐκεῖ παρόντων, ἄχρις ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἐνιαυτοῦ περιτροπὴν ἐλύθη αὐτομάτως, τὴν αἰτίαν συνιδεῖν τῶν ἰατρῶν μὴ δυνηθέντων, ἐξ 3.68 ἧς ἐγένετο ἢ ἐλύθη. ἐτρέφετο δὲ συνήθως, μηδὲν παραβλαπτόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος τῶν νεφρῶν, καὶ ἐπέβαινεν οὐκ ὀλιγάκις ἵππου, πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ κλίνης ἀχθόμενος διατριβὴν, δυσχερῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἄνευ ἀλγηδόνων. ιαʹ. Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐνόσει ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ, ὁ παρὰ τῶν ἐν Γαλατᾷ Λατίνων πόλεμος ἀνήπτετο, ἔσχε δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξ αἰτίας τοιαύτης. τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἀεὶ μὲν ἐπίβουλον καὶ πολέμιον Ῥωμαίοις καὶ πρὸς ἐπιορκίας ἑτοιμότατον, ἂν συνορῴη δυνατὴν τὴν ἐπιχείρησίν τινος· καὶ βασιλέως γὰρ τοῦ νέου Ἀνδρονίκου περιόντος, Φώκαιαν κατέσχον ἐπιορκήσαντες καὶ Μιτυλήνην, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἠδυνήθησαν ἀπόνασθαι τῆς πονηρίας, καλῶς καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης αὐτοῖς αἰσχύνης ἐξελαθέντες, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν, καθ' ὃν ὁ συγγενικὸς πόλεμος χρόνον Ῥωμαίοις ἦν, Χίῳ ἐπιθέμενοι, ἐκράτησαν ἀμελήσαντες τῶν ὅρκων καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν τῶν πρὸς Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα· ὕστερον δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἡ εἰρήνη ἦν καὶ βασιλεὺς ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐκράτει τῶν πραγμάτων, ἐδέοντο προσελθόντες παραχωρῆσαί σφισι τοῦ ὑπὲρ τὸ φρούριον χωρίου, πρόφασιν μὲν ὡς μείζω τοῦ φρουρίου τὸν περίβολον ποιήσοντες, τοῦ ὄντος πρὸς οἴκησιν οὐκ ἐξαρκοῦντος, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ τὸ χωρίον βουλόμενοι τειχίσματι διαλαβεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ῥᾴδιοι πολιορκεῖσθαι εἶεν· ἄναντες γὰρ ὂν καὶ οἷον ἐπικρεμάμενόν σφισι κατὰ κεφαλῆς, οὐ μικρὰν πα 3.69 ρεῖχε βλάβην, εἴποτε συμβαίη πρὸς πόλεμον Ῥωμαίοις καταστῆναι. ἐνενόουν γὰρ οὐδὲν μικρὸν, ἀλλὰ θαλασσοκρατεῖν ἐβούλοντο καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀπείργειν πλεῖν, ὥς σφισι προσηκούσης τῆς θαλάσσης, ἑώρων γὰρ Ῥωμαίους τότε μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων χρόνων προσχόντας τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ὁλκάδας καὶ ναῦς ἑτέρας φορτηγοὺς οὐκ ὀλίγας κτησαμένους, πολλὴν πρόνοιαν Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ποιησαμένου περὶ τοῦτο, ἃ ὑπενόουν βασιλέα οὐκ ἀνέξεσθαι. διὸ καὶ πρότερον ἢ ἐκφαίνειν, ἃ διενοοῦντο, τοὺς ὑπόπτους ἐβούλοντο προκαταλαμβάνειν τόπους, ἐξ ὧν ᾤοντο βλαφθήσεσθαι. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπίνοιαν οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, ναῦς τε παρεσκευάζετο, ὡς, εἰ δέοι πολεμεῖν, ἑτοίμους εἶναι, καὶ τοῦ χωρίου τὴν παράληψιν αὐτοῖς ἀπηγόρευε παντάπασιν. ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτοὺς φόβῳ μᾶλλον, ἢ εὐγνωμοσύνῃ καὶ εὐορκίᾳ ἀποσχησομένους τῶν ἀτόπων βουλευμάτων. διὸ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων Λατίνων ὄνοις παρεικάζεται τὸ γένος τοῦτο. ἐκεῖνός τε γὰρ, ἂν ὁ ἐλαύνων μὴ δύνηται βαρείας πληγὰς ἐντείνειν, οὐκ ὀρθοποδεῖ πρὸς τὴν ὁδὸν, ἀλλὰ παραφέρεται παρατρεπόμενος καὶ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἀμελῶν διὰ τὴν ἀδυναμίαν τοῦ ἐλαύνοντος· καὶ