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useless baggage for them. and taking the most prominent citizens as hostages for the repayment of the money, they returned to Galata, having abandoned the rest of the populace and the city; then some of the Sozopolitans, being permitted by the Latins to go to Byzantium and borrowing money from the Byzantines on behalf of themselves and the rest of the city, paid the Latins what had been promised and returned to their homeland. 3.217 But the most prominent of the Heracleans, both men and women, were imprisoned by the Latins and money was demanded for their release, which there was no way to pay, since all their property had been destroyed by the enemy, and none of their friends was able to help. But Philotheos, who had been entrusted with the leadership of their church, was sufficient for them instead of all else for release from so great a misfortune. For by the providence of God, being away from the city when it was captured, he contributed the most to the freedom of the citizens. For like a good shepherd, he laid down his life for his flock, according to the scripture, not once, nor twice and thrice, but many times. For scorning all fear and danger from the enemy, of his own accord he crossed over to Galata daily, so to speak, and conversing with those who held the captives, and the man was venerable not only for his manners and virtue, but also exceedingly possessed of wisdom, both secular and our own, and persuasive in his discussions and instructive, he persuaded them to release them for a moderate ransom. And since the citizens could not afford even those small amounts, he himself provided guarantees to the Latins, that he himself would pay the gold on specified days. And so the citizens, obtaining security, collected the money from their relatives and friends and paid it to the Latins. And he did this in the same way, until he freed all from their bonds, and he persuaded the Latins to release the more obscure of the captives even without 3.218 ransom, out of respect for his virtue and his zeal for his flock. For virtue knows how to make those who practice it admired not only among friends and relatives, but also among enemies, even if they happen to be barbarians. After this, since the city had been abandoned by the Latins, and all the citizens had been saved from captivity, he resettled the city again from the beginning, gathering the scattered citizens, and with many words he exhorted them not to be discouraged by their misfortunes, but to consider the present calamity a lesson for the rest of their lives, and he helped with deeds, as much as was possible, not only procuring sacred vessels and books and icons from the monasteries in Byzantium, himself visiting and begging each to contribute what they could to the unfortunate—for everything had been utterly destroyed by the Latins—but he also requested the emperor to grant tax exemption to the citizens. And he, being of his own accord inclined to noble deeds, and at that time being moved by the misfortune of the cities, granted not only to the Heracleans, but also to the Sozopolitans, complete exemption from public taxes, from which the cities easily restored themselves again and remained settled in their former state. Thus, then, did the misfortune of the cities and their subsequent restoration come about in this way. 30. And Nicholas, the general of the Venetian triremes, 3.219 having departed from Euboea for Venice, was preparing a fleet to match the Genoese; and twenty-six triremes also came from the Catalans, carrying a large and good army, with whom those from Venice joined and set out against the enemy. And Nicholas had the command of all the triremes, which were seventy in number. For both the Doge of Venice and their council had entrusted the command to him, and the king of the Catalans ordered the admiral of their ships to obey Nicholas in all things and to follow wherever he might command, as he was experienced in the islands and coastal regions of the Aegean and the Euxine, where they most expected to engage the enemy. But Nicholas, although leading an army much better than the enemy's, out of cowardice the

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ἄχρηστον αὐτοῖς ἀποσκευήν. ὅμηρόν τε λαβόντες τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ τὰ χρήματα ἀποδοῦναι, ἐπανῆκον εἰς Γαλατᾶν, τὸν ἄλλον δῆμον καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐκλιπόντες· ἔπειτά τινες τῶν Σωζοπολιτῶν ὑπὸ τῶν Λατίνων εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐλθεῖν ἐπιτραπέντες καὶ ὑπὲρ σφῶν τε καὶ τῆς ἄλλης πόλεως παρὰ Βυζαντίων χρήματα δανεισάμενοι, ἀπέδοσαν Λατίνοις τὰ ὑπεσχημένα καὶ πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπανῆκον. Ἡρακλεωτῶν 3.217 δὲ οἱ ἄριστοι, καὶ ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες, ἐδέδεντο παρὰ Λατίνοις καὶ χρήματα ἐπὶ λύσει ἀπῃτοῦντο, ἃ οὐδαμόθεν ἦν ἐκτίνειν, τῶν τε οἰκείων πάντων ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διεφθαρμένων, καὶ τῶν φίλων ἐξαρκοῦντος πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν οὐδενός. ἤρκεσε δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ πάντων πρὸς λύσιν τῆς τοσαύτης κακοπραγίας Φιλόθεος ὁ τῆς κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένος. προνοίᾳ γὰρ θεοῦ τῆς πόλεως, ἡνίκα ἡλίσκετο, ἀποδημῶν, τὰ μέγιστα συνεβάλλετο πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοῖς πολίταις. οἷα γὰρ καλὸς ποιμὴν, τὴν ψυχὴν ἔθηκεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποιμνίου, κατὰ τὸ λόγιον, οὐχ ἅπαξ, οὐδὲ δὶς καὶ τρὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις. φόβου γὰρ παντὸς καταφρονήσας καὶ κινδύνου τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, αὐτόκλητος καθημέραν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐπεραιοῦτο πρὸς Γαλατᾶν, καὶ τοῖς κατέχουσι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους διαλεγόμενος, ἦν δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν τρόπων μόνον καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς αἰδέσιμος ὁ ἀνὴρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφίας ἄκρως ἐπειλημμένος τῆς τε ἔξω καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ πιθανὸς πρὸς τὰς ὁμιλίας καὶ διδακτικὸς, ἔπειθεν ἐπὶ μετρίοις λύτροις ἀφιέναι. τῶν πολιτῶν δὲ οὐδὲ τῶν ὀλίγων ἐκείνων εὐπορούντων, αὐτὸς ἐγγύας παρεῖχε τοῖς Λατίνοις, ὡς αὐτὸς καταθήσων τὸ χρυσίον ἐπὶ ῥηταῖς ἡμέραις. καὶ οὕτω τυγχάνοντες ἀδείας οἱ πολῖται, τὰ χρήματα συνεπορίζοντο ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῶν φίλων καὶ ἀπεδίδουν τοῖς Λατίνοις. καὶ τοῦτ' ἐποίει τὸν ἴσον τρόπον, ἄχρις οὗ πάντας τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπήλλαξε, τοὺς ἀφανεστέρους δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων καὶ ἄνευ 3.218 λύτρων ἔπεισεν ἀφεῖναι τοὺς Λατίνους, αἰδεσθέντας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποιμνίου προθυμίαν. οἶδε γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ τοὺς μετιόντας οὐ παρὰ τοῖς φίλοις μόνον καὶ οἰκείοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις, κἂν τύχωσιν ὄντες βάρβαροι, θαυμάζεσθαι παρασκευάζειν. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἥ τε πόλις ὑπὸ τῶν Λατίνων κατελείφθη, καὶ οἱ πολῖται ἦσαν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀνασεσωσμένοι πάντες, συνῴκιζε τὴν πόλιν αὖθις ἐξαρχῆς, διεσπαρμένους συνάγων τοὺς πολίτας, καὶ λόγοις τε πολλοῖς παρεκάλει, μὴ ἀθυμεῖν ἐπὶ ταῖς συμφοραῖς, ἀλλὰ σωφρονισμὸν τοῦ ἐπιλοίπου βίου τὴν παροῦσαν ἡγεῖσθαι κακοπραγίαν, καὶ ἔργοις ὠφέλει, ὅσα μάλιστα ἐξῆν, οὐ μόνον ἱερὰ σκεύη καὶ βίβλους καὶ εἰκόνας συμπορίζων ἐκ τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ φροντιστηρίων, αὐτὸς ἐπιφοιτῶν καὶ δεόμενος ἑκάστων συναίρεσθαι τὰ δυνατὰ τοῖς ἀτυχοῦσι, πάντα γὰρ διέφθαρτο ὑπὸ Λατίνων ἄρδην, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλέως ἐδεήθη ἀτέλειαν παρέχειν τοῖς πολίταις. ὁ δὲ καὶ οἴκοθεν αὐθόρμητος ὢν πρὸς τὰ καλὰ, καὶ τότε πρὸς τῶν πόλεων ἐπικαμπτόμενος τὴν κακοπραγίαν, οὐ μόνον Ἡρακλεώταις, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σωζοπολίταις πᾶσαν ἀτέλειαν παρέσχε τῶν δημοσίων εἰσφορῶν, ἐξ ὧν αἱ πόλεις αὖθις ἑαυτὰς ἀνεκτήσαντο ῥᾳδίως καὶ ἔμειναν ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου σχήματος συνωκισμέναι. τὰ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τῶν πόλεων τὴν κακοπραγίαν καὶ αὖθις τὴν ἀνόρθωσιν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον συνηνέχθη. λʹ. Νικόλαος δὲ ὁ τῶν Βενετικῶν τριηρέων στρατηγὸς, 3.219 ἐξ Εὐβοίας ἀπάρας εἰς Βενετίαν, στόλον τῶν Γεννουϊτῶν ἀντίῤῥοπον παρεσκευάζετο· ἧκον δὲ καὶ ἐκ Κατελάνων ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι τριήρεις, στρατιὰν ἄγουσαι πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν, οἷς οἱ ἐκ Βενετίας συμμίξαντες ὥρμηντο ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους. εἶχε δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν Νικόλαος τριηρέων συμπασῶν ἑβδομήκοντα οὐσῶν. ὅ,τε γὰρ Βενετίας δοὺξ καὶ ἡ βουλὴ τῶν ἰδίων ἀνέθηκαν ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ ὁ τῶν Κατελάνων ῥὴξ ἐκέλευε τῷ ναυαρχοῦντι τῶν σφετέρων πάντα Νικολάῳ πειθαρχεῖν καὶ ἕπεσθαι, οἷ ἂν κελεύοι, ἐμπείρως ἔχοντι καὶ νήσων καὶ παραλίων τῶν κατὰ τὸν Αἰγαῖον καὶ τὸν Εὔξεινον, ὅπου μάλιστα ᾤοντο συμβαλεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις. Νικόλαος δὲ, καίτοι πολλῷ τῶν πολεμίων ἄγων βελτίω στρατιὰν, ὑπ' ἀτολμίας τὰς