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and she showed that they were undertaking lawless things, and she threatened thunderbolts and other plagues from heaven, because, in addition to wronging the Romans so much by breaking their oaths and treaties, they were also stirring up civil wars among them, from which those men would be destroyed by falling upon one another, while they themselves would be able to reap the fruits of their [possessions] without fear; and finally she persuaded them to withdraw without success, as if openly ashamed of the absurdity of their actions. The young emperor obeyed his mother the empress, who was advising the best course, and he asked from the emperor his father-in-law for Ainos and the cities of Chalcidice, which Matthew, the emperor's son, held, so that he might have his own private dominion, while in all things, however, he would again be subject to the emperor his father-in-law. When the emperor Kantakouzenos learned of the young emperor's demand, he said that he was amazed at him, if he who would shortly be master of everything wanted, out of small-mindedness, to rule a few small things, nevertheless he readily granted it, and he ordered him to send men to take possession of the cities; and the other sent men to hand them over. 3.209 The expected war between the emperors, then, was thus averted at that time by the empress Anna. 28. But Paganino, the admiral of the Genoese ships, since he was late for the pursuit, and the Venetian ships with Niccolò were in a safe place, having also put in at Euboea, besieged Niccolò and made many and strong assaults on the walls. But he accomplished nothing, since those within defended themselves vigorously, being formidable fighters. Since they saw that they were attempting the impossible, they set sail from there and sailed against the Romans. For they had already learned that the emperor was also hostile to them and was besieging Galata. Putting in at Heraclea in Thrace and riding at anchor for the night, on the next day they set sail as if to sail to Byzantium; but when strong winds blew against them, they turned back again, to the evil fate of the Heracleans, put in at their harbor and disembarked; and the sailors scattered to gather vegetables in the gardens before the city, of whom the Heracleans captured two in a raid and immediately cut off their heads. But those on the triremes, carried away by anger on behalf of their countrymen, took up their arms and begged the general to lead them against the city, to exact punishment for the injustice. But Paganino tried to restrain them and dissuade them from an assault on the walls, saying that it was not the act of sensible men to lose many others in addition for the sake of two who had been lost, by attacking the walls, where many of our men and of the enemy must necessarily die. For those 3.210 who have fallen will do them no harm, since they are able to bring in others from their other cities, both more numerous and better; but for us, the same is not true. For if we should lose some of our men, it will not be possible to bring in others to replace them from anywhere, and it will happen that our force will be weaker, which we must keep safe and untouched as much as possible, as we are about to fight against so great a force of Romans together with Catalans and Venetians. The general said these things, employing at once the reasoning of a prudent and experienced commander, and at the same time not wishing to harm the interests of the Romans on account of his goodwill toward the emperor Kantakouzenos; for he was one of his friends. So Paganino thus tried to persuade the army to refrain from battle with the Heracleans, but they were not persuaded, but were indignant at being prevented. But Martino di Moro, himself a trierarch, coming forward into their midst, protested that the general was wronging and betraying them. For such great preparation and expense had been made for no other reason than to harm the enemy's possessions; but now, when they were especially able to seize Heraclea by arms and both destroy the Roman possessions and gain the greatest benefits for themselves, they were being prevented by the general because of his goodwill toward the emperor; and he ordered the secretary to write down what had been said, as he intended to indict the general before their people and the doge for having publicly wronged them. Such were the threats Martino made; but the 3.211 general, fearing lest, being accused before the people, he be convicted and [pay] the penalties

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καὶ παρανόμοις ἀπεδείκνυεν ἐπιχειροῦντας, καὶ κεραυνοὺς ἐπανετείνετο καὶ ἄλλας ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πληγὰς, ὅτι πρὸς τῷ Ῥωμαίους τοσαῦτα ἀδικεῖν ἐπιορκοῦντας καὶ παρασπονδοῦντας ἔτι καὶ πολέμους αὐτοῖς ἐμφυλίους ἐπεγείρουσιν, ἐξ ὧν ἐκεῖνοι μὲν διαφθαρήσονται ἀλλήλοις περιπίπτοντες, αὐτοῖς δ' ἐξέσται τὴν ἐκείνων καρποῦσθαι ἀδεῶς· καὶ τέλος ἔπειθεν ἀποχωρεῖν ἀπράκτους, ὥσπερ αἰσχυνθέντας φανερῶς τῶν εἰργασμένων τὴν ἀτοπίαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος βασιλίδι μὲν τῇ μητρὶ ἐπείθετο τὰ βέλτιστα παραινούσῃ, Αἶνον δὲ ᾐτεῖτο παρὰ βασιλέως τοῦ κηδεστοῦ καὶ τὰς τῆς Χαλκιδικῆς πόλεις, ἃς Ματθαῖος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς εἶχεν, ὥστε αὐτῷ ἰδίαν ἡγεμονίαν εἶναι, πάντα μέντοι αὖθις ὑπείκειν βασιλεῖ τῷ κηδεστῇ. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο τὴν ἀξίωσιν τοῦ νέου βασιλέως, θαυμάζειν μὲν ἔφασκεν αὐτοῦ, εἰ τοῦ παντὸς κύριος μετὰ μικρὸν ἐσόμενος, ὀλίγων τινῶν ἄρχειν βούλεται ὑπὸ μικροψυχίας, ὅμως παρείχετο ἑτοίμως, καὶ αὐτόν τε ἐκέλευε τοὺς παραληψομένους τὰς πόλεις πέμπειν· κἀκεῖνος ἔπεμπε τοὺς παραδώσοντας. 3.209 ὁ μὲν οὖν προσδοκώμενος τῶν βασιλέων πόλεμος οὕτω τότε διελύθη ὑπὸ βασιλίδος Ἄννης. κηʹ. Παγανὴς δὲ ὁ τῶν ἐκ Γεννούας στρατηγὸς νεῶν, ἐπεὶ ὑστέρει πρὸς τὴν δίωξιν, καὶ αἱ ἐκ Βενετίας μετὰ Νικολάου νῆες ἦσαν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ, Εὐβοίᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς προσχὼν, Νικόλαον ἐπολιόρκει καὶ τειχομαχίας ἐποιεῖτο πολλὰς καὶ καρτεράς. ἤνυε δὲ οὐδὲν, εὐρώστως τῶν ἔνδοθεν ἀμυνομένων, ὄντων ἀξιομάχων. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐπιχειροῦντες ἀδυνάτοις συνεώρων, ἄραντες ἐκεῖθεν, ἔπλεον ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους. ἤδη γὰρ ἦσαν πεπυσμένοι, ὡς καὶ βασιλεὺς εἴη πολέμιος αὐτοῖς καὶ πολιορκοίη Γαλατᾶν. προσχόντες δὲ τῇ κατὰ Θρᾴκην Ἡρακλείᾳ καὶ ὁρμισάμενοι ἐπ' ἀγκυρῶν τὴν νύκτα, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἀνήγοντο ὡς εἰς Βυζάντιον πλευσούμενοι· ἀνέμων δὲ σφοδρῶν ἀντιπνευσάντων, ἀναστρέψαντες αὖθις ἐπὶ μοίρᾳ κακῇ τῶν Ἡρακλεωτῶν, τῷ σφῶν λιμένι προσέσχον καὶ ἀπέβαινον· διεσκεδάννυντό τε πρὸς λαχανισμὸν οἱ ναῦται ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τῆς πόλεως κηπίοις, ὧν ἐξ ἐφόδου οἱ Ἡρακλεῶται δύο συλλαβόντες, ἀπέτεμον τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτίκα, οἱ δὲ ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσιν ὀργῇ φερόμενοι ὑπὲρ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἐχώρουν πρὸς τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἐδέοντο τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐπάγειν σφᾶς τῇ πόλει, ποινὰς τῆς ἀδικίας ληψομένους. Παγανὴς δὲ καταστέλλειν ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ ἀποτρέπειν τῆς τειχομαχίας, οὐ σωφρονούντων εἶναι φάσκων ἐπὶ δυσὶ τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις καὶ πολλοὺς προσαπολλύειν ἄλλους, τείχεσι προσβάλλοντας, οἷ πολλοὺς ἀνάγκη ἀποθνήσκειν ἡμῶν τε καὶ τῶν πολεμίων. τοὺς 3.210 μὲν γὰρ οἱ πεσόντες παραβλάψουσιν οὐδὲν, ἑτέρους δυναμένους ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἄγειν πόλεων καὶ πλείους καὶ βελτίους· ἐφ' ἡμῶν δὲ οὐχ ὁ ἴσος λόγος. ἂν γὰρ ἀποβάλωμέν τινας τῶν ὄντων, ἑτέρους ἀντεισάγειν ἐξέσται οὐδαμόθεν, καὶ συμβήσεται ἡμῖν τὴν δύναμιν ἀσθενεστέραν εἶναι, ἣν δεῖ φυλάττειν σώαν μάλιστα καὶ ἄθικτον, μέλλοντας πρὸς δύναμιν τοσαύτην Ῥωμαίων ὁμοῦ καὶ Κατελάνων καὶ τὴν ἐκ Βενετίας μάχεσθαι. ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ὁ στρατηγὸς, ἅμα μὲν καὶ σώφρονος καὶ ἄρχειν ἐμπείρου κεχρημένος λογισμοῖς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων οὐ βουλόμενος κακοῦν διὰ τὴν πρὸς Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν βασιλέα εὔνοιαν· ἦν γὰρ τῶν φίλων. Παγανὴς μὲν οὖν οὕτω πείθειν ἐπειρᾶτο τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς πρὸς Ἡρακλεώτας μάχης, οἱ δ' οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, ἀλλ' ἠγανάκτουν κωλυόμενοι. Μαρτῖνος δὲ Ντεμόρω, τριήρεως ἄρχων καὶ αὐτὸς, εἰς μέσους παρελθὼν, ἐμαρτύρετο ἀδικεῖν καὶ προδιδόναι σφᾶς τὸν στρατηγόν. τὴν μὲν γὰρ τοσαύτην παρασκευὴν καὶ τὴν δαπάνην οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου γεγενῆσθαι, ἢ ὅπως κακώσουσι τὰ πολεμίων· νυνὶ δὲ δυναμένους μάλιστα τὴν Ἡράκλειαν ὅπλοις κατασχεῖν καὶ τά τε Ῥωμαίων διαφθείρειν καὶ αὐτοὺς τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖσθαι, διὰ τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα εὔνοιαν κωλύεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ· ἐκέλευέ τε τὸν γραμματέα τὰ εἰρημένα γράφειν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ δήμου σφῶν καὶ τοῦ δουκὸς γραψόμενος τὸν στρατηγὸν ἠδικηκότα δημοσίᾳ. τοιαῦτα μὲν ἠπείλησε Μαρτῖνος· δείσας δὲ ὁ 3.211 στρατηγὸς, μὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ δήμου κατηγορηθεὶς ἁλίσκηται καὶ δίκας τὰς