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of men to throw themselves into manifest danger with no hope of gain, but to preserve their force, which would be opportunely useful a little later. 3.214 Such things the general himself both thought to be advantageous and was persuading the others, except for Martinus. For that man was doing everything and was urging the army to battle, saying that the capture of Byzantium would be easy for them, being so great in number. But Paganes, wishing to demonstrate by deeds themselves that Martinus was counseling about the war ignorantly and rashly, ordered the army to arm, as if to fight. And when they were armed, they both sailed past and made a trial of the Roman force; and it seemed to all the same as to the general, that one must not fight against so great a force, and they condemned the great folly of Martinus. For as soon as they moved from the harbor, not only did many armed Romans appear on the walls, so that they seemed to be pushing one another because of the lack of space, but also towards the sea in front of the walls from the Eugenian gates as far as the Xyline, as if in a single phalanx, not a few cavalry and a multitude of hoplites and light-armed troops were drawn up. Immediately, therefore, the general of the Latins turned back and anchored the ships near the harbor. 29. But the emperor, thinking that so great a fleet would not tolerate sitting idle, but would attack the Roman subject cities along the Pontus, both feared for them, lest they should not be able to stand against so great a force, 3.215 and he sent an army fit for battle to each, in order to defend against the enemy, if they should attack. The other cities, therefore, eagerly accepted the alliance and professed great thanks to the emperor for his foresight on their behalf and they themselves also prepared the necessary things for defense; but the people of Sozopolis refused the force sent by the emperor, saying that they did not need foreigners for assistance, as the local inhabitants were sufficient for defense, being many and good, and they admitted no one into the city, except Kribitziotes the brother of their own ruler, and the army turned back, having been so dishonored. But before the things done by the people of Sozopolis were reported to the emperor—for if he had learned of them, he would have ordered them to receive the force even unwillingly—they were captured by the attacking Latins. For as the emperor's army, having been sent away, was returning from there, the Latins attacked as if on a signal; but the people of Sozopolis, having prepared nothing either for the repair of the walls, nor for the care of their weapons, nor for any other of the necessary things, were captured easily, not even offering slight resistance against so great a force, and they both destroyed themselves through their folly and became the cause of no small grief to the emperor, since so fine a city, abounding in all good things, was lost. And when the Latins held the city, they plundered it without fear for not a few days, and they took away all the votive offerings of the sanctuaries and all the gold and silver that was in the city, digging up the houses and searching everything 3.216 accurately. And when they had consumed everything and were now about to demolish the houses and hand over the whole to fire, the most notable of the people of Sozopolis, approaching the general of the enemy, begged him not to destroy the city completely, from which they themselves would gain nothing, but they would render so fine a city demolished and uninhabited, which would be a monument to those sailing by later of their own senselessness and lack of ambition concerning beautiful things, but, taking some pity on their so great misfortune, to spare the city for a stipulated sum of money; and that they would pay this when brought to Byzantium. So they begged such things of the general, and he, thinking that he would both carry away a reputation for humanity and gentleness, and that the army would be benefited not a little by the money—for they needed very great expense for so long-lasting and great a preparation—, was persuaded and agreed for a stipulated sum of money to leave the city entirely and the grain and all the other

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ἀνθρώπων εἰς προῦπτον κίνδυνον ἐμβάλλειν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπ' οὐδενός τινος ἐλπίδι κέρδους, ἀλλὰ διασώζειν τὴν δύναμιν ἐπικαίρως ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον χρησίμην ἐσομένην. 3.214 τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ στρατηγὸς αὐτός τε ᾤετο λυσιτελεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔπειθε πλὴν Μαρτίνου. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ πάντα ἔπραττε καὶ παρώξυνε πρὸς μάχην τὸ στρατόπεδον, ῥᾳδίαν ἔσεσθαι φάσκων αὐτοῖς οὖσι τηλικούτοις τὴν παράληψιν τοῦ Βυζαντίου. Παγανὴς δὲ ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ἐθέλων ἀμαθῶς καὶ θρασέως ἀποδεικνύναι περὶ τοῦ πολέμου βουλευόμενον Μαρτῖνον, ἐκέλευεν ὁπλίζεσθαι τὴν στρατιὰν, ὡς μαχουμένους. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦσαν ὡπλισμένοι, παρέπλεόν τε καὶ ἀπεπειρῶντο τῆς δυνάμεως Ῥωμαίων· καὶ πᾶσιν ἔδοξεν ὅμοια τῷ στρατηγῷ, ὡς οὐ μαχητέα εἴη πρὸς τοσαύτην δύναμιν, καὶ πολλὴν Μαρτίνου κατεγίνωσκον ἀβελτηρίαν. ὡς γὰρ μόνον ἐκεῖνοι ἐκινήθησαν ἐκ τοῦ λιμένος, οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἐφαίνοντο πολλοὶ Ῥωμαίων ὡπλισμένοι, ὡς δοκεῖν ὑπὸ τῆς στενοχωρίας συνωθεῖν ἀλλήλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ θάλασσαν πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀπὸ τῶν Εὐγενίου πυλῶν ἄχρι τῆς Ξυλίνης, ὡς ἐπὶ μιᾶς φάλαγγος, ἱππεῖς τε οὐκ ὀλίγοι καὶ πλῆθος ὁπλιτῶν καὶ ψιλῶν ἦσαν παρατεταγμένοι. αὐτίκα μὲν οὖν ὁ τῶν Λατίνων στρατηγὸς ἀνέστρεφε καὶ καθώρμιζε τὰς ναῦς πρὸς τῷ λιμένι. κθʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ τοσοῦτον στόλον οὐκ ἂν οἰηθεὶς ἀργὸν καθῆσθαι ἀνασχέσθαι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς κατὰ τὸν Πόντον Ῥωμαίοις ὑπηκόοις πόλεσιν ἐπιχειρήσειν, ἔδεισέ τε ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, μὴ οὐχ οἷαί τε ὦσι πρὸς τοσαύτην δύναμιν ἀντικαθίστασθαι, 3.215 καὶ στρατιὰν ἔπεμπεν ἀξιόμαχον πρὸς ἑκάστην, ὡς ἀμυνουμένην πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἂν ἐπίωσιν. αἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλαι πόλεις ἐδέξαντο προθύμως τὴν ἐπιμαχίαν καὶ χάριτας ὡμολόγουν βασιλεῖ πολλὰς τῆς ὑπὲρ σφῶν προνοίας καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰ δέοντα πρὸς ἄμυναν· Σωζοπολῖται δὲ ἀπείπαντο τὴν παρὰ βασιλέως πεμφθεῖσαν δύναμιν, φάμενοι μὴ δεῖσθαι ξένων πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν, ὡς πρὸς ἄμυναν ἐξαρκούντων τῶν ἐπιχωρίων, ὄντων πολλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν, καὶ εἰσεδέξαντο εἰς τὴν πόλιν οὐδένα, εἰ μὴ Κρυβιτζιώτην τὸν τοῦ σφῶν ἄρχοντος ἀδελφὸν, καὶ ἀνέστρεφεν ἡ στρατιὰ, οὕτως ἀτιμασθεῖσα. πρὶν δὲ ἀνενεχθῆναι βασιλεῖ τὰ πεπραγμένα Σωζοπολίταις, εἰ γὰρ ἐπύθετο, ἐκέλευεν ἂν καὶ ἄκοντας εἰσδέχεσθαι τὴν δύναμιν, ἑάλωσαν ὑπὸ τῶν Λατίνων ἐπελθόντων. ὡς γὰρ ἡ βασιλέως ἀνέστρεφεν ἐκεῖθεν στρατιὰ ἀποπεμφθεῖσα, ὥσπερ ἐκ συνθήματος ἐπῄεσαν οἱ Λατῖνοι· Σωζοπολῖται δὲ μηδὲν μήτε πρὸς ἐπισκευὴν τειχῶν, μήτε πρὸς ὅπλων ἐπιμέλειαν, μήτε πρὸς ἄλλο μηδὲν τῶν δεόντων παρεσκευασμένοι, ἡλίσκοντο ῥᾳδίως, οὐδὲ ὀλίγα ἀντισχόντες πρὸς τοσαύτην δύναμιν, καὶ σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ἀπώλεσαν ὑπ' ἀβουλίας καὶ βασιλεῖ λύπης οὐ μετρίας κατέστησαν αἴτιοι, πόλεως οὕτω καλῆς καὶ πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς εὐθυνουμένης ἀπολωλυίας. Λατῖνοι δὲ ἐπεὶ τὴν πόλιν εἶχον, διεπόρθουν ἐφ' ἡμέραις οὐκ ὀλίγαις ἀδεῶς καὶ τά τε ἀναθήματα τῶν ἱερῶν ἀφῃροῦντο πάντα καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον, ὅσος ἐν τῇ πόλει ἦν, ἀνορύττοντες τὰς οἰκίας καὶ πάντα ἀκρι 3.216 βῶς διερευνώμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα ἦσαν ἀναλωκότες καὶ ἤδη ἔμελλον καὶ τὰς οἰκίας καθαιρεῖν καὶ τὸ σύμπαν πυρὶ παραδιδόναι, τῶν Σωζοπολιτῶν οἱ μάλιστα ἐν λόγῳ τῷ στρατηγῷ τῶν πολεμίων προσελθόντες, ἐδέοντο μὴ παντάπασι τὴν πόλιν διαφθείρειν, ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ μὲν οὐδὲν ὠφεληθήσονται, πόλιν δὲ οὕτω καλὴν κατεσκαμμένην καὶ ἀοίκητον ἀποδείξουσι, μνημεῖον ἐσομένην τοῖς εἰς ὕστερον παραπλέουσι τῆς αὐτῶν ἀγνωμοσύνης καὶ τῆς ἀφιλοτιμίας περὶ τὰ καλὰ, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοσαύτης αὐτῶν κακοπραγίας ἔλεόν τινα λαβόντας, φείσασθαι τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ χρήμασι ῥητοῖς· ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀποτίσειν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀχθέντας. οἱ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα ἐδέοντο τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἅμα μὲν καὶ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἡμερότητος δόξαν ἀπενέγκασθαι ἂν οἰηθεὶς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν ὠφεληθήσεσθαι ἐκ τῶν χρημάτων οὐκ ὀλίγα, πλείστης γὰρ ἐδέοντο δαπάνης ἐφ' οὕτω χρονιζούσῃ καὶ μεγάλῃ παρασκευῇ, ἐπείθετο καὶ συνέθετο ἐπὶ χρήμασι ῥητοῖς τὴν πόλιν ἐκλιπεῖν παντάπασι καὶ σῖτον καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν τὴν