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Fourteen triremes from Venice sailed against the Latins at Galata. And coming by night unexpectedly, they disembarked without being noticed, and got inside the walls, for the gates of the fortress were open at night due to the arrogance and audacity of the inhabitants, and they did no little harm. For when the guards perceived the capture, they raised a shout and called the locals to the defense. And they, coming down from their houses unarmed to the sea, wishing to learn what 3.186 was being done, were wounded and many died. Then, when they realized, taking courage and arming themselves, they drove the enemy out again, who had accomplished nothing noble, but had fought most wretchedly; nevertheless all escaped to the triremes, with no one having fallen, and only a few being wounded. And putting out from the harbor, they also towed away some empty merchant ships and captured them. When it was already day, twice and three times they attempted to set fire to the many merchant ships in the harbor, but they were repulsed by them, unable even to get close. Then, sailing past, they did harm, and they seized some merchant ships sailing down from the Pontus. On these very merchant ships an envoy from Venice had also arrived, named Delfin, to the emperor, and he was asking him to ally with them for the war against those from Genoa, and he was promising certain great things, that the duke of Venice and the council would benefit the Romans, if the emperor could be persuaded to ally with them. And the king of Ravenna also made the same embassy to the emperor by letter, and he promised great things, and asked the emperor to ally with those from Venice, to whom he himself was also an ally. But the emperor refused them, just as before, the alliance in Thessalonica. For he said he was doing no wrong, if, in addition to being no hindrance to them in the war, he did not make war against the others either. For that they had provided many 3.187 causes for war, and no one could justly blame him for defending himself on account of their previous wrongdoings, no one could deny; yet nothing would stand in the way of their friendship, if he of his own free will granted pardon to those who had offended him. The emperor, therefore, thus skillfully evaded the war. For it seemed better to abstain from both parties and to attend to the mainland and to free the enslaved cities of the Romans from the enemy. But the ambassador from Venice and the others were not moderately indignant, at the emperor refusing the alliance to them. And those from Galata, likewise knowing that their enemies were asking the emperor to ally with them, also sending frequent embassies themselves, begged him not to overlook them, but to grant pardon, if they had acted thoughtlessly before, and now not to ally with their enemies. And they promised for the future never to be thoughtless, but to do everything according to the emperor’s will and to serve him precisely. At the same time they also offered no small amount of money. But the emperor promised not to make war, if they too would prove by their deeds that their promises were true, but he did not accept the money, thinking that petty calculation was not fitting for him, nor to seem to be betraying what was profitable for the Romans in common for the sake of money. But the Venetians, seeing that the emperor was irreconcilable toward them, for they did not think they themselves would be able to do anything worthy of mention, without the emperor joining them in the war, 3.188 were making a terrible fuss and were indignant; however, they did not appear eager to openly start a war against the emperor, but only gave grounds for suspicion. For their treaties with the Romans happened to be expiring at that time. For they do not have perpetual treaties with the Romans, but for a specified number of years from the time of the emperor Michael, the first of the Palaiologoi. And when the agreements are expiring, it is possible for either party to start a war, if it wishes; but if peace seems more profitable to both, they renew the treaties and the oaths again. And such a custom prevailed among the Romans and the Latins from Venice for such a reason especially. The first emperor Michael,

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Γαλατᾷ Λατίνοις δέκα καὶ τέτταρες ἐκ Βενετίας ἐπέπλευσαν τριήρεις. νυκτός τε ἐπελθόντες ἀπροσδόκητοι, ἀπέβησάν τε οὐ προαισθομένων, καὶ ἐγένοντο ἐντὸς τειχῶν, ἦσαν γὰρ αἱ πύλαι τοῦ φρουρίου νυκτὸς ἀνεῳγμέναι ὑπ' αὐθαδείας καὶ θρασύτητος τῶν ἐνοικούντων, καὶ ἐκάκωσαν οὐκ ὀλίγα. ὡς γὰρ ᾐσθάνοντο οἱ φύλακες τὴν ἅλωσιν, βοῇ τε ἐχρῶντο καὶ συνεκάλουν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμυναν τοὺς ἐγχωρίους. οἱ δὲ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ἄοπλοι ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν κατιόντες, βουλόμενοι, ὅ,τι 3.186 εἴη τὰ δρώμενα μαθεῖν, ἐτιτρώσκοντό τε καὶ ἀπέθνησκον πολλοί. ἔπειτα ὡς ᾔσθοντο ἀναθαρσήσαντες καὶ ὁπλισάμενοι, ἐξήλασαν τοὺς πολεμίους αὖθις, οὐδὲν γενναῖον εἰργασμένους, ἀλλὰ φαυλότατα ἠγωνισμένους· ὅμως διεσώθησαν πάντες ἐπὶ τὰς τριήρεις, οὐδενὸς πεσόντος, τραυματιῶν δὲ ὀλίγων γενομένων, ἀναγόμενοί τε τοῦ λιμένος, καὶ ὁλκάδας εἵλκυσαν κενάς τινας καὶ ἐκυρίευσαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤδη ἦν, δὶς μὲν καὶ τρὶς ἐπεχείρησαν πῦρ ἐνεῖναι ταῖς ὁλκάσιν οὔσαις πλείσταις ἐπὶ τοῦ λιμένος, ἀπεκρούσθησαν δὲ ὑπ' ἐκείνων, οὐδ' ἐγγὺς γενέσθαι δυνηθέντες. ἔπειτα παραπλέοντες ἐκάκουν, καί τινων ἐκράτησαν ὁλκάδων ἐκ Πόντου καταπλεουσῶν. ἐν ταύταις δὴ ταῖς ὁλκάσι καὶ πρέσβυς ἐκ Βενετίας ἀφῖκτο ∆ελφὶν ὠνομασμένος πρὸς βασιλέα, καὶ ἐδεῖτο συμμαχεῖν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸν κατὰ τῶν ἐκ Γεννούας πόλεμον, μεγάλα τέ τινα ἐπηγγέλλετο τὸν δοῦκαν Βενετίας καὶ τὴν βουλὴν Ῥωμαίους ὠφελήσειν, εἰ πείθοιτο αὐτοῖς συμμαχεῖν ὁ βασιλεύς. τὰ ἴσα δὲ καὶ ὁ ῥὴξ Ῥαουήνας πρὸς βασιλέα διὰ γραμμάτων ἐπρεσβεύετο, καὶ μεγάλα ἐπηγγέλλετο, καὶ ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως τοῖς ἐκ Βενετίας συμμαχεῖν, οἷς καὶ αὐτὸς σύμμαχός ἐστι. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀπηγόρευεν αὐτοῖς, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον, τὴν συμμαχίαν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ. ἔφασκε γὰρ ἀδικεῖν μηδὲν, εἰ πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐμποδὼν εἶναι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, μηδὲ πρὸς ἐκείνους πολεμοίη. ὡς μὲν γὰρ αἰτίας ἐκεῖνοι πολλὰς 3.187 παρέσχοντο πολέμου, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν αὐτῷ μέμφοιτο δικαίως ἀμυνομένῳ τῶν προτέρων ἕνεκα ἀδικημάτων, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἔχοι ἀντειπεῖν· πρὸς μέντοι τὴν αὐτῶν φιλίαν ἐνστήσεσθαι οὐδὲν, εἰ αὐτὸς ἑκὼν εἶναι τοῖς προσκεκρουκόσι παρέχοιτο συγγνώμην. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς οὕτως εὐφυῶς ἀπεσκευάζετο τὸν πόλεμον. μᾶλλον γὰρ ἐδόκει εἶναι ἄριστον ἑκατέρων ἀποσχόμενον προσέχειν τῇ ἠπείρῳ καὶ τὰς δεδουλωμένας Ῥωμαίων πόλεις ἐλευθεροῦν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων. ὁ ἐκ Βενετίας δὲ πρεσβευτὴς καὶ ἄλλοι οὐ μετρίως ἠγανάκτουν, πρὸς τὴν συμμαχίαν αὐτοῖς ἀπαγορεύοντος βασιλέως. οἵ τε ἐκ Γαλατᾶ ὁμοίως εἰδότες, ὡς οἱ πολέμιοι σφίσι δέονται βασιλέως συμμαχεῖν, πρεσβείας καὶ αὐτοὶ συχνὰς ποιούμενοι, ἐδέοντο μὴ σφᾶς περιιδεῖν, ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην τε παρέχειν, εἴ τι πρότερον ἠγνωμονήκασι, καὶ νῦν μὴ συμμαχεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις. ἐπηγγέλλοντό τε εἰσαῦθις μηδέποτε ἀγνωμονήσειν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ποιήσειν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην βασιλεῖ καὶ δουλεύειν ἀκριβῶς. ἅμα δὲ καὶ χρήματα παρείχοντο οὐκ ὀλίγα. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὸ μὲν μὴ πολεμήσειν ἐπηγγέλλετο, εἰ τὰ ἐπαγγελλόμενα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀληθῆ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἀποδείξαιεν, τὰ δὲ χρήματα οὐκ ἐλάμβανεν, οὐκ αὐτῷ πρέπουσαν οἰόμενος εἶναι τὴν μικρολογίαν, οὐδὲ δοκεῖν ἐπὶ χρήμασι τὰ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦντα προΐεσθαι Ῥωμαίοις. οἱ ἐκ Βενετίας δὲ ὡς βασιλεὺς ἀσυμβάτως ἔχει συνορῶντες πρὸς αὐτοὺς, οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾤοντο οὐδὲν λόγου ἄξιον αὐτοὶ δυνήσεσθαι, μὴ βασιλέως συνεφαπτομένου πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, 3.188 δεινὰ μὲν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ ἠγανάκτουν· φανερῶς μέντοι κινεῖν πρὸς βασιλέα πόλεμον ὡρμημένοι οὐκ ἐφαίνοντο, ἀλλ' ὑποψίας παρεῖχον μόνον. αἱ γὰρ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους αὐτοῖς σπονδαὶ ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ ἔτυχον οὖσαι τότε. ἔχουσι γὰρ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους οὐ διηνεκεῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἔτεσι ῥητοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν Μιχαὴλ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν Παλαιολόγων βασιλέως χρόνων. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐν ἐξόδῳ αἱ συμβάσεις γένωνται, ἔξεστιν ὁποτερῳοῦν πόλεμον, εἰ βούλοιτο, κινεῖν· εἰ δ' ἑκατέροις λυσιτελεῖν δοκοίη μᾶλλον ἡ εἰρήνη, αὖθις τὰς σπονδὰς ἀνανεοῦσι καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους. ἐπεκράτησε δὲ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Βενετίας Λατίνοις τὸ τοιοῦτον ἔθος ἐκ τοιαύτης μάλιστα αἰτίας. βασιλεὺς ὁ πρῶτος Μιχαὴλ,