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These men, unless they have the fear of suffering ill hanging over them, will never wish to do what is necessary for any other reason. So the emperor, knowing their wickedness, did not concede the place. But they, seeing the triremes being built, and being vexed alike both at the failure concerning the place and at the multitude of cargo ships, which the Romans had acquired, planned to stir up a war, so that they might at the same time keep the Romans from the sea and, if they could, fortify the place, against the emperor's will. And they were collecting picked stones on certain other pretexts, and they were gathering the other material in secret. And when the emperor was known to be sick in Didymoteichon, thinking it was a most suitable time for them for an attack, they suddenly attacked by night first the Romans living on the opposite shore, and they burned all the houses with fire. And on the next day, having armed their own triremes, which were prepared, and the skiffs and boats, as many as there were, they set fire to the houses outside the walls by the sea of Byzantium, and of the merchant ships, some they took, and others they set on fire; and they burned down all the triremes that were being built except for three, which, since the disaster was spreading over everything, at the order of the emperor's son, they lifted from the place where they were being built, called Kosmidion, brought them across through the river that runs by what is called Pissa, and they both dragged them up to the land and, having posted a guard on both sides, guarded them. So in this way the Latins openly waged war against the Romans, and from that time on, ruling the sea, sailing along all the coastal regions up and down, they were doing harm and putting everything to the fire, and having come out in full force, first they fortified the hill, raising a tower on the summit of the hill, and they showed all diligence, both men and women alike; and not even the most distinguished of them thought it unworthy to join with the others in the building. Then, having marked out also the rest of the area, they were building a wall across it as far as the material was sufficient, and the wall was raised to a height sufficient for them, and they contrived every other security from its construction. But whatever part it was not possible to fortify due to a lack of material, they enclosed with great palisades and stakes, and in a short time the whole area was secured. But the emperor, when he learned of the audacious deeds done by those in Galata, was pained not moderately that he was suffering such things at the hands of Latins, who were inhabiting the land of the Romans and who ought to serve faithfully. Nevertheless, as he was, although still being afflicted by the illness, he arrived in Byzantium. And immediately those in Byzantium, especially those engaged in commerce and those who worked in workshops, having gathered in the palace, begged the emperor not to overlook them being so scorned by the Latins in Galata and enduring incurable evils, but to demand satisfaction for the audacious deeds by arming triremes. And that they themselves were ready to provide money for the war, according to each one's means. For the destruction that had come from the Latins had affected them more than the others. For the ships and money and houses that had been burned were almost entirely theirs. But the emperor at first found fault with them for not showing their eagerness at the right time; for then it was necessary to provide the money eagerly, when he himself had advised it, and now nothing of the sort would have been dared by the Latins. For he, foreseeing this from his great experience of affairs, had advised, even before it happened, what he thought would after a little be of the greatest advantage. Nevertheless, he himself also, since it seemed best to proceed to war, both ordered the Byzantines to contribute money, and he appointed Constantine Tarchaneiotes for the collection, and he himself turned to building triremes. And with the sea being held by the Galatians, since it was impossible to bring ship-building timber from the sea, he ordered it to be brought by yokes of oxen and mules from the mountains around Sergentzion. and they were brought with exceeding toil and difficulty; and the triremes were built at the shipyard called Kontoskalion.

432

οὗτοι, ἂν μὴ τὸν τοῦ κακῶς παθεῖν φόβον ἔχωσιν ἐπηρτημένον, ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας ἄλλης τὰ δέοντά ποτε βουλήσονται ποιεῖν. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν αὐτῶν εἰδὼς τὴν μοχθηρίαν, οὐ παρεχώρει τοῦ χωρίου. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τάς τε τριήρεις ὁρῶντες κατασκευαζομένας, ἀχθόμενοί τε ὁμοίως πρός τε τὴν ἀπο 3.70 τυχίαν τοῦ χωρίου καὶ πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν φορτίδων, ἃς ἐκτήσαντο Ῥωμαῖοι ναῦς, ἐσκέψαντο πόλεμον κινεῖν, ἵν' ὁμοῦ τε εἴργωσι Ῥωμαίους τῆς θαλάττης, καὶ τὸ χωρίον, εἰ δύναιντο, τειχίζωσι, βασιλέως ἄκοντος. καὶ συνέλεγον λίθους λογάδην ἐφ' ἑτέραις δή τισι προφάσεσι, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ὕλην συνεπόριζον ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ βασιλεὺς νοσεῖν ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ ἔγνωσται, καιρὸν εἶναι οἰηθέντες ἐπιτηδειότατον αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἐπιχείρησιν, ἀθρόον ἐπιτίθενται νυκτὸς τοῖς κατὰ τὴν περαίαν οἰκοῦσι Ῥωμαίοις πρῶτον, καὶ τὰς οἰκίας ἁπάσας ἐνέπρησαν πυρί. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ τὰς σφῶν τριήρεις ἐφοπλίσαντες, οὔσας παρεσκευασμένας, καὶ ἀκάτια καὶ λέμβους, ὅσα ἦν, τὰς ἔξω τειχῶν παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν Βυζαντίου οἰκίας ἐνεπίμπρων καὶ ὁλκάδας τὰς μὲν ἐλάμβανον, τὰς δὲ ἐνεπίμπρων· κατέκαυσαν δὲ καὶ τὰς κατασκευαζομένας ἁπάσας τριήρεις πλὴν τριῶν, ἃς, ἐπεὶ τὸ κακὸν πάντα ἐπενέμετο, ἄραντες ἐξ οὗ κατεσκευάζοντο τόπου τοῦ Κοσμιδίου προσαγορευομένου, τοῦ βασιλέως υἱοῦ κελεύσαντος, διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν καλουμένην Πίσσαν διιόντος ποταμοῦ διαγαγόντες, ἀνείλκυσάν τε πρὸς τὴν χέρσον, καὶ φρουρὰν ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπιστήσαντες, ἐφύλαττον. οὕτω μὲν οἱ Λατῖνοι τὸν πόλεμον κατὰ Ῥωμαίων φανερῶς ἐξήνεγκαν, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου ἤδη τῆς θαλάσσης ἄρχοντες, πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὰ παράλια παραπλέοντες, ἐκάκουν καὶ πυρὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπενέμοντο, πανδημεί τε ἐξελθόντες, πρῶτα μὲν ἐτείχιζον τὸν λόφον, 3.71 πύργον ἐγείροντες πρὸς τῇ ἀκρολοφίᾳ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπεδείκνυντο σπουδὴν, καὶ ἄνδρες ὁμοίως καὶ γυναῖκες· καὶ οὐδ' οἱ περιφανέστατοι αὐτῶν ἀπηξίουν τὸ τοῖς ἄλλοις συναίρεσθαι πρὸς τὴν οἰκοδομίαν. ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ ἐπίλοιπον τοῦ χωρίου διαλαβόντες διετείχιζον ἄχρις οὗ ἐξήρκεσεν ἡ ὕλη, καὶ εἰς ὕψος τε ἤρετο τὸ τεῖχος ἱκανὸν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἄλλην πᾶσαν ἐκ κατασκευῆς ἀσφάλειαν ἐπετεχνῶντο. ὅσον δὲ οὐκ ἐξῆν τειχίζειν δι' ὕλης ἀπορίαν, χαρακώμασι μεγάλοις καὶ σταυροῖς περιελάμβανον, καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ τὸ χωρίον ἅπαν εἴχετο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἐν Γαλατᾷ τετολμημένα, ἤλγησε μὲν οὐ μέτρια ἐφ' οἷς τοιαῦτα ἔπασχεν ὑπὸ Λατίνων, τὴν Ῥωμαίων οἰκούντων γῆν καὶ δικαίων ὄντων ἀκριβῶς δουλεύειν. ὅμως ὡς εἶχε, καίτοι πιεζόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου ἔτι, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀφῖκτο. αὐτίκα δὲ οἱ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ, μάλιστα οἱ περὶ ἐμπορίας ἠσχολημένοι καὶ οἱ ἐν ἐργαστηρίοις διατρίβοντες, ἐν βασιλείοις συνελθόντες, ἐδέοντο βασιλέως, μὴ σφᾶς περιιδεῖν οὕτως ὑπὸ Λατίνων τῶν ἐν Γαλατᾷ περιφρονουμένους καὶ τὰ ἀνήκεστα ὑπομένοντας, ἀλλὰ δίκας τῶν τετολμημένων ἀπαιτῆσαι τριήρεις ἐφοπλίσαντα. αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑτοίμους εἶναι χρήματα παρέχειν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, ᾗ ἂν ἕκαστος εὐποροίη. μᾶλλον γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἐκείνων ἥψατο ἡ παρὰ Λατίνων φθορὰ γεγενημένη. νῆές τε γὰρ καὶ χρήματα καὶ οἰκίαι αἱ ἐμπρησθεῖσαι, τὰ σύμπαντα σχεδὸν ἐκείνων ἦσαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ πρῶτα μὲν ἐμέμφετο αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐ χρωμένοις κατὰ καιρὸν τῇ προθυμίᾳ· τότε γὰρ ἔδει παρέχεσθαι τὰ χρήματα 3.72 προθύμως, ὅτε συνεβούλευεν αὐτὸς, καὶ νῦν Λατίνοις οὐδὲν ἂν τοιοῦτον ἐτολμᾶτο. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκ τῆς πολυπειρίας τῶν πραγμάτων προορώμενον αὐτὸν, καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι, συμβουλεύειν, ἅπερ ᾤετο μετὰ μικρὸν τὰ μέγιστα λυσιτελήσειν. ὅμως καὶ αὐτὸς, ἐπεὶ ἐδόκει πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον χωρεῖν, χρήματά τε ἐκέλευεν εἰσφέρειν Βυζαντίους, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν Ταρχανειώτην ἐφίστη πρὸς τὴν εἴσπραξιν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐτρέπετο τριήρεις κατασκευάζειν. τῆς θαλάττης δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν Γαλατίων κατεχομένης, ἐπεὶ ἐν ἀπόρῳ ἦν ξύλα ναυπηγήσιμα κομίζειν ἐκ θαλάττης, ζεύγεσι καὶ ἡμιόνοις ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸ Σεργέντζιον ὀρῶν ἐκέλευε κομίζειν. καὶ ἤγοντο μοχθηρῶς ἄγαν καὶ δυσέργως· καὶ πρὸς τῷ λεγομένῳ Κοντοσκαλίῳ νεωρίῳ αἱ τριήρεις ἐναυπηγοῦντο.