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should suffer the ultimate penalty, he began the assault on the walls. And immediately the entire armed force poured out of the triremes, and surrounding the city, they assaulted the walls; and since the walls facing the mainland were vulnerable in many places, for they did not expect anyone to attack from the mainland, and since the citizens were unarmed and unprepared and unable to hold out against so great a force, the city was taken by the Latins by storm, although at the very time of the assault on the walls an army of horsemen arrived from Byzantium, which the emperor had sent to defend the city, for he suspected what was to come when he learned that the fleet had put in at Heraclea, and Nicephorus the despot, the emperor's son-in-law, ruler of the Thracian cities along the Hellespont, came with an army to help the Heracleans, and from Bizye, Manuel Asanes the despot, the brother of the empress Irene, also sent an army as an ally. But they were of no help, arriving at the very height of the battle. For as some ruins from the former settlement survived before the city gates, the Latins stationed the best of their archers there, and prevented the horsemen from passing into the city until it was taken by the rest of their fighting men. And the Heracleans, when they realized they had been captured, as the Latins turned to plundering the houses, having opened 3.212 a single postern gate of the city, they withdrew, and many, especially of the common people, were saved by reaching the cavalry, since the Latins did not dare to pursue them outside the city on account of the horsemen. But the best of the city was captured, especially the women and children, and a great multitude of riches. For Heraclea had never been captured by anyone since the times of Andronicus the first, the Palaiologan emperor. And the Latins, when they had plundered the riches, walled up all the gates facing the mainland, then choosing the best of the citizens, both men and women, and leaving behind as many triremes as they thought would suffice for a garrison for the city, they came to Galata with the others, holding the captives. And the grain and other provisions, as much as was not consumed during the capture, they used during the time of the war, which had become not a short one; which especially made their stay free from hardship, since they procured their provisions from there. But the emperor, as the fleet was approaching, ordered all the transport ships and the triremes, which had been armed for the siege of Galata, to be brought into the dockyard at Heptascalon, which had been previously, as we have already said, cleared out by him and was able to receive not only the existing ones, but many more besides. For which reason, indeed, the Latins were not able to harm the Byzantines at all. And the emperor, both before the fleet arrived and after this, neglected none of the necessary things, but 3.213 he excellently repaired both the walls by the sea, restoring the damaged parts and adding height to those that were lacking; and from the Eugenian gates to the so-called Xyline gate he dug a deep trench around, ordering all the houses to be brought inside the walls; and he summoned the army from Thrace, which was not small, and he prepared everything, so as to defend himself if the Latins should attack. But Martinos Ntemoro again advised their general and the trierarchs to make an attempt on the walls of Byzantium as well. But the general spoke out openly against it, saying that Martinos was advising a useless course. For the Byzantines did not have the same strength as the Heracleans; and yet if the force that arrived as an ally at Heraclea had been able to pass through, not only would it have kept that city from being captured, but it would also have deprived us of many good men. But the situation of the Byzantines is not such, but both their walls, as we see, have been excellently repaired and nothing necessary has been neglected, and a multitude of hoplites and horsemen has been prepared to defend them, who even without walls would be a match in battle. And in addition to all this, the emperor is also present, who we hear is inferior to none of our contemporaries in intelligence and experience in warfare. not indeed of prudent men

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ἐσχάτας δῷ, ἐφῆκε τὴν τειχομαχίαν. καὶ αὐτίκα πᾶν τὸ στράτευμα τῶν τριηρέων ἐξεχεῖτο ὡπλισμένον, καὶ περισχόντες τὴν πόλιν ἐτειχομάχουν· πολλαχῇ δὲ τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον τειχῶν ὄντων εὐαλώτων, οὐ γὰρ ἤλπισαν ἐπιθήσεσθαί τινα ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου, καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν ἀόπλων καὶ ἀπαρασκεύων καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτην δύναμιν ἀντισχεῖν οὐ δυνηθέντων, ἡλίσκετο ἡ πόλις τοῖς Λατίνοις κατακράτος, καίτοι παρ' αὐτὴν τὴν πρὸς τὰ τείχη προσβολὴν ἔκ τε Βυζαντίου στρατιὰ ἱππέων ἧκεν, ἣν ἔπεμψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ἀμυνουμένην, ὑπώπτευσε γὰρ τὸ μέλλον, ὡς ἐπύθετο τὸν στόλον πρὸς Ἡράκλειαν κατάραντα, καὶ Νικηφόρος δεσπότης ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως γαμβρὸς, τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον Θρᾳκικῶν πόλεων ἄρχων, ἧκε μετὰ στρατιᾶς Ἡρακλεώταις βοηθήσων, καὶ ἐκ Βιζύης ὁ τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης ἀδελφὸς Ἀσάνης δεσπότης ὁ Μανουὴλ ἔπεμπε καὶ αὐτὸς στρατιὰν πρὸς συμμαχίαν. ὤνησαν δὲ οὐδὲν ἐπ' αὐτὴν τῆς μάχης τὴν ἀκμὴν ἐλθόντες. ἐρειπίων γὰρ ἐκ τῆς προτέρας συνοικίας πρὸ τῶν τῆς πόλεως πυλῶν τινων περισωζομένων, ἐνταῦθα οἱ Λατῖνοι τὸ κράτιστον τάξαντες τῶν σφετέρων τοξοτῶν, ἀπεῖργον τοὺς ἱππέας μὴ παριέναι εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἄχρις οὗ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιλοίπων ἑάλω μαχομένων. Ἡρακλεῶται δὲ ἐπεὶ ᾐσθάνοντο ἑαλωκότες, ἐφ' ἁρπαγὴν τῶν Λατίνων πρὸς τὰς οἰκίας τραπομένων, πυλίδα τῆς πόλεως μίαν δια 3.212 νοίξαντες, ἐξεχώρουν, καὶ διεσώθησαν πολλοὶ μάλιστα τοῦ δήμου πρὸς τὸ ἱππικὸν, τῶν Λατίνων ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐπιδιώκειν οὐ τολμώντων διὰ τοὺς ἱππέας. τὸ δὲ ἄριστον τῆς πόλεως μάλιστα ἑάλω, ὅσον ἐν γυναιξὶ καὶ παιδίοις, καὶ χρημάτων πολύ τι πλῆθος. ἦν γὰρ Ἡράκλεια ἐκ τῶν Ἀνδρονίκου τοῦ πρώτου τῶν Παλαιολόγων βασιλέως χρόνων οὐδέποτε ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἑαλωκυῖα. Λατῖνοι δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰ χρήματα διήρπασαν, τὰς μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον ἀπῳκοδόμησαν πάσας πύλας, ἔπειτα τῶν πολιτῶν ἀπολεξάμενοι τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας, τριήρεις τε καταλιπόντες, ὅσας ᾤοντο ἀρκέσειν πρὸς φρουρὰν τῇ πόλει, ταῖς ἄλλαις εἰς Γαλατᾶν ἦλθον, ἔχοντες τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους. σίτῳ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιτηδείοις, ὅσα μὴ ἀνάλωντο κατὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν, ἐχρήσαντο κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον γεγενημένον· ὃ καὶ μάλιστα τὴν διατριβὴν αὐτοῖς ἄλυπον ἐποίησεν, ἐκεῖθεν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ποριζομένοις. βασιλεὺς δὲ, τοῦ στόλου ἐπιόντος, ὁλκάδας τε πάσας καὶ τὰς τριήρεις, αἳ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν ἦσαν ὡπλισμέναι Γαλατᾶ, πρὸς τῷ ἐν Ἑπτασκάλῳ νεωρίῳ ἐκέλευεν εἰσάγειν, πρότερον, ὥσπερ ἔφθημεν εἰπόντες, ἐκκεκαθαρμένῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ δυναμένῳ οὐ τὰς οὔσας μόνον, ἀλλὰ πλείους δέχεσθαι ἑτέρας. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα Βυζαντίους βλάπτειν οὐδὲν ἠδύναντο Λατῖνοι. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ πρὶν τὸν στόλον ἥκειν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τῶν δεόντων οὐδενὸς ἠμέλει, ἀλλὰ τά 3.213 τε πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ τείχη ἄριστα ἐπεσκεύασε, τά τε πεπονηκότα ἀνακτώμενος καὶ τοῖς ἐνδέουσιν ὕψος προστιθείς· καὶ ἐκ τῶν Εὐγενίου πυλῶν ἄχρι τῆς Ξυλίνης λεγομένης πύλης τάφρον περιήλασε βαθεῖαν, πάσας τὰς οἰκίας κελεύσας εἰσάγειν ἐντὸς τειχῶν· καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς Θρᾴκης στρατιὰν μετεκαλεῖτο, οὖσαν οὐκ ὀλίγην, καὶ πάντα παρεσκευάζετο, ὡς, ἢν ἐπίωσιν οἱ Λατῖνοι, ἀμυνούμενος. Μαρτῖνος δὲ Ντεμόρω αὖθις τῷ στρατηγῷ σφῶν καὶ τοῖς τριηράρχαις συνεβούλευε καὶ τῶν Βυζαντίου τειχῶν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι. ἀντεῖπε δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἀναφανδὸν, ἀλυσιτελῆ βουλεύεσθαι εἰπὼν Μαρτῖνον. οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίαν ἔχειν δύναμιν Βυζαντίους τοῖς Ἡρακλεώταις· καίτοι γε εἰ καὶ πρὸς Ἡράκλειαν ἡ ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν ἀφιγμένη δύναμις ἠδυνήθη παρελθεῖν, οὐ μόνον ἀνάλωτον ἐκείνην διετήρησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς πολλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀπεστέρησεν ἂν ἀνδρῶν. τὰ Βυζαντίων δὲ οὐ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ τά τε τείχη, ὡς ὁρῶμεν, ἄριστα ἐπεσκεύαστο καὶ οὐδὲν ἠμελήθη τῶν δεόντων, καὶ πλῆθος ὁπλιτῶν τε καὶ ἱππέων τῶν ἀμυνουμένων παρεσκεύαστο, οἷς καὶ χωρὶς τειχῶν ἔργον ἦν ἀντικαθίστασθαι πρὸς μάχην. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ πᾶσι πάρεστι καὶ βασιλεὺς, ὃν ἀκούομεν συνέσεώς τε καὶ ἐμπειρίας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς πολέμους οὐδενὸς ἀπολειπόμενον τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς. οὐ δὴ σωφρονούντων