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When he had recovered Byzantium for the Romans and Thrace and Macedonia and all the rest of the west, which had been enslaved to the Latins for a little more than sixty years, he had a great land and cavalry force, a match for all enemies, but he had not yet prepared a naval force as great as he did later; for which reason he both feared and courted those who ruled the sea, doing what was fitting for the occasion. It being necessary, however, to make treaties with each, for the others, as many as sailed for trade to Byzantium or other coastal cities subject to the Romans, he imposed taxes and a fixed sum of money for the treasury; and they obeyed, being unable to object. For even to this day they furnish the taxes. But those from Venice and Genoa, being very powerful and sailing along the Ionian, the Aegean, and the Euxine 3.189 with great fleets, all the coastal regions of which, for the most part, or the majority of them, were then subject to the Romans, did not consent to provide taxes, but demanded to enjoy the emperor’s exemption in all trading centers. The emperor at that time, being unable to persuade them, and not being able to compel them by arms, made perpetual treaties with those from Genoa, on the condition that they would be entirely exempt from taxes in all cities and trading centers subject to the Romans, where they sailed, but that they would in some manner be subject to the emperor, and to provide as allies, if he should need them, fifty armed triremes, with the emperor alone providing pay for the sailors and hoplites. But if he should need empty triremes, to provide the same number with only their arms and commanders, and to be allied with the emperor against whomever he might make war, and in turn to be friends and allies with those whom he treated as friends. But with those from Venice he was unreconciled and wished to make war. But since another, greater war was imminent from king Charles—for he was expected to sail against the Byzantines with a great fleet—and as the emperor was preparing for a naval battle against him, it seemed necessary to make a truce with those from Venice, and he made one for a specified number of years, so that, if he were ever rid of the war with Charles, it would be possible to make war on them, once the treaties had expired. This custom, having prevailed from that time until now, their treaties with the Romans 3.190 are made in the same way. And when they come to an end, they are renewed again. But if it should seem good to either side to make war, it is possible without any accusation. Accordingly, as the treaties with those from Venice were expiring, as we have said, since they were not able to persuade the emperor to be their ally against their enemies, they did not openly declare war, but taking on board their triremes the governor of their subjects living in Byzantium, they departed, giving the impression that they would take revenge on the emperor for not being an ally, if they ever found an opportunity. 20. But those in Galata, seeing them departing, did not think what was the case, that the emperor had refused them the alliance for the sake of the others, but they thought they were making great demands of each other, on account of which they had been unreconciled, especially since they were accustomed to repaying their benefactors with evil, just as they say of the ancient Lacedaemonians, so that they might not seem to need anyone, nor to be inferior to anyone, out of extreme audacity and arrogance, in the middle of the day, and though the emperor had given them no cause for war, they launched a stone against Byzantium by means of a war engine. When the emperor learned what had happened, sending to their governor and the council, he inquired the reason for which they were beginning a war. And while they pretended to be ignorant and were assigning the blame for the outrage to the man stationed at the war engine, the envoys ordered them to punish both him and his accomplices. For it was impossible 3.191 that he had not also used many others as helpers. For so it had been commanded to them by the emperor. And they promised readily. But on the next day at dawn they also launched another stone against Byzantium. But the emperor, believing what was the case, that because those from Venice had withdrawn, they themselves, having become bold, were acting contemptuously and starting a war, immediately sent and declared war on them, and ordered in eight days

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ἐπεὶ Βυζάντιον ἀνεσώσατο Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Θρᾴκην καὶ Μακεδονίαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν ἑσπέραν ἑξήκοντα ὀλίγῳ πλείω ἔτη δουλεύσαντα Λατίνοις, πεζὴν μὲν καὶ ἱππικὴν δύναμιν μεγάλην εἶχε καὶ ἀξιόμαχον πρὸς πάντας πολεμίους, ναυτικὴν δὲ οὔπω τοσαύτην παρεσκευασμένος ἦν, ὅσην ὕστερον· ὅθεν καὶ τοὺς θαλασσοκρατοῦντας ἐδεδίει καὶ ἐθεράπευε, τῷ καιρῷ προσήκοντα ποιῶν· δεῆσαν μέντοι πρὸς ἑκάστους τίθεσθαι σπονδὰς, τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις, ὅσοι κατ' ἐμπορίαν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἢ ἑτέρας παραλίους πόλεις Ῥωμαίοις ὑπηκόους καταπλέουσι, φόρους ἔταττε καὶ ἀργύριον ῥητὸν τῷ δημοσίῳ· καὶ ἐπείθοντο ἀδύνατοι ὄντες ἀντιλέγειν. ἄχρι γὰρ καὶ νῦν παρέχονται τοὺς φόρους. οἱ ἐκ Βενετίας δὲ καὶ Γεννούας μέγα δυνάμενοι καὶ τὸν Ἰώνιον καὶ Αἰγαῖον καὶ τὸν Εὔξει 3.189 νον στόλοις μεγάλοις παραπλέοντες, ὧν τὰ παράλια πάντα μάλιστα, ἢ τὰ πλείω ὑπήκοα Ῥωμαίοις τότε ἦσαν, οὐκ ἐπείθοντο παρέχειν φόρους, ἀλλ' ἠξίουν ἐν πᾶσιν ἐμπορίοις τὴν βασιλέως ἀτέλειαν καρποῦσθαι. βασιλεὺς δὲ τότε πείθειν οὐκ ἔχων, καὶ βιάζεσθαι τοῖς ὅπλοις μὴ δυνάμενος, τοῖς μὲν ἐκ Γεννούας ἔθετο σπονδὰς διηνεκεῖς ἐπὶ τῷ ἐκείνους μὲν εἶναι ἀτελεῖς παντάπασιν ἐν πάσαις πόλεσι καὶ ἐμπορίοις, ἅ εἰσιν ὑπήκοα Ῥωμαίων, καταπλέοντας, αὐτοὺς δέ τινα τρόπον ὑπὸ βασιλέα τελεῖν, τριήρεις τε παρέχειν κατὰ συμμαχίαν, εἰ δέοιτο, πεντήκοντα ἐφωπλισμένας, βασιλέως μόνου ναύταις καὶ ὁπλίταις μισθὸν παρέχοντος. εἰ δὲ κενῶν δέοιτο τριηρέων, τὰς ἴσας παρέχειν μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων μόνων καὶ ἀρχόντων, συμμαχεῖν τε βασιλεῖ καθ' ὁποίου ἄν ποτε πολεμῇ, καὶ φίλους εἶναι αὖθις καὶ συμμάχους, οἷς ἂν ἐκεῖνος φίλοις χρῷτο. τοῖς ἐκ Βενετίας δὲ ἀσυμβάτως εἶχε καὶ ἐβούλετο πολεμεῖν. ἑτέρου δὲ πολέμου μείζονος ἐπικειμένου τοῦ ῥηγὸς Καρούλου, προσεδοκᾶτο γὰρ ἐκεῖνος στόλῳ μεγάλῳ ἐπιπλεύσειν Βυζαντίοις, καὶ παρασκευαζομένου βασιλέως πρὸς ναυμαχίαν ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον, ἐδόκει δεῖν ἀνακωχὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ Βενετίας τίθεσθαι, καὶ ἔθετο ἐπ' ἔτεσι ῥητοῖς, ἵν', εἴ ποτε ἀπαλλαγείη τοῦ πρὸς Κάρουλον πολέμου, ἐξείη πολεμεῖν αὐτοῖς, τῶν σπονδῶν ἐξηκουσῶν. τὸ δὴ τοιοῦτον ἐξ ἐκείνου ἄχρι νῦν ἐπικρατῆσαν ἔθος, τὸν ἴσον τρόπον αἱ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους 3.190 αὐτοῖς γίνονται σπονδαί. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἥκωσιν εἰς τέλος, ἀνανεοῦνται αὖθις. εἰ δὲ δοκοίη θατέρῳ πολεμεῖν, ἔξεστι μηδὲν ἐγκαλουμένῳ. ἐν ἐξόδῳ τοίνυν τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ Βενετίας σπονδῶν, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, οὐσῶν, ἐπεὶ μὴ βασιλέα πείθειν εἶχον συμμαχεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, φανερῶς μὲν οὐ κατήγγελλον τὸν πόλεμον, τὸν δὲ ἄρχοντα τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ οἰκούντων ὑπηκόων αὐτοῖς ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσιν ἀναλαβόντες, ἀπεχώρουν, δόκησιν δὲ παρεῖχον, ὡς ἀμυνοῦνται βασιλέα τοῦ μὴ συμμαχεῖν, εἴ ποτε λάβοιντο καιροῦ. κʹ. Οἱ ἐν Γαλατᾷ δὲ ὁρῶντες ἐκείνους ἀποχωροῦντας, οὐκ ἐνόμισαν ὅπερ ἦν, ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων χάριν ἀπαγορεύσειεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν συμμαχίαν, ἀλλ' ᾤοντο μεγάλα τινὰ ἀλλήλους ἀπαιτεῖν, δι' ἅπερ ἀσυμβάτως ἐσχηκέναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοὺς εὐεργετοῦντας ἀεὶ κακοῖς ἀμείβεσθαι εἰωθότες, ὥσπερ τοὺς πάλαι Λακεδαιμονίους λέγουσιν, ἵνα μηδενὸς δοκῶσι δεῖσθαι, μηδ' ἥττους εἶναι μηδενὸς, ὑπ' ἄκρας αὐθαδείας καὶ φυσήματος, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μέσῃ, καὶ μηδεμίαν αὐτοῖς αἰτίαν πολέμου παρεσχημένου βασιλέως, λίθον ἀφῆκαν ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον διὰ τῆς μηχανῆς. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπύθετο τὸ συμβὰν ὁ βασιλεὺς, πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνων ἄρχοντα πέμψας καὶ τὴν βουλὴν, τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπυνθάνετο, δι' ἣν ἄρχονται πολέμου. ἐκείνων δὲ ὑποκρινομένων ἀγνοεῖν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀτοπίας τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς μηχανῆς ἀνατιθέντων τεταγμένῳ, ἐκέλευον οἱ πρέσβεις ἐκεῖνόν τε καὶ τοὺς συναραμένους κολάζειν. ἀδύ 3.191 νατον γὰρ μὴ καὶ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις χρῆσθαι συνεργοῖς. οὕτω γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς προστεταγμένον ὑπὸ βασιλέως. οἱ δὲ ἐπηγγέλλοντο προθύμως. ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ἅμα ἕῳ καὶ λίθον ἕτερον ἐπὶ Βυζάντιον ἀφῆκαν. νομίσας δ' ὅπερ ἦν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὡς διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἐκ Βενετίας ἀνακεχωρηκέναι θρασυνθέντες αὐτοὶ περιφρονοῦσι καὶ πολέμου ἄρχουσιν, αὐτοῖς μὲν αὐτίκα πόλεμον κατήγγελλε πέμψας, καὶ ἐκέλευεν ἡμέραις ὀκτὼ