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they might engage, but they were being utterly defeated. And the greater part of them perished not so much at the hands of the enemy as from their inexperience, having fallen among the shallows. Night, now having come on, saved the Genoese from being completely destroyed. For they were separated from each other late at night, as many as were not immediately destroyed, and they remained scattered until day, wherever each happened to anchor for the night. The greatest destruction befell the Catalans from this. For falling into the shallows and wrecking their triremes, some, being armed, were drowned, unable to swim to the shore, and of those who were able to escape, the greater part were captured by the Galatians, having been deceived. For those men, suspecting what had happened, and holding lights, went out to those who had been cast ashore and led them as if toward Byzantium. But they followed out of inexperience, and a multitude of Catalans came to Galata, not knowing where they were being led. At daybreak the sea was seen to be full of corpses and wrecks 3.223, and both forces had sustained no small damage in that battle. For twenty-eight Genoese triremes were lost, crews and all, and of those that remained, more than half the men fell in the war and were wounded. Of the Venetians and Catalans, sixteen were lost, crews and all, and no few of those who remained were wounded and dead. But of the imperial ships, not one was lost. But some fell in the battle, and many were wounded. Nevertheless, the imperial ships with their allies clearly held the victory. The battle had so worn down the Genoese that on the next day a mob from Byzantium came upon two of their triremes, which were unable to put to sea, and destroyed them at close quarters, and some men even dragged them with small boats to Byzantium, with no one defending them. As for the remaining ships, those who were left went to Galata, since the Venetians with their allies had withdrawn for the return voyage, having abandoned all their ships, they entered Galata, leaving their ships to the enemy. The general alone remained within, as if ashamed to suffer the same as the many and to throw away the remaining hopes of safety, considering it better, if need be, to be captured by the enemy, than to also abandon the ships himself and resort to flight for his safety. Such a 3.224 clear and wondrous victory the cowardice and timidity of Nicholas destroyed. For if he had obeyed the emperor who advised him to attack the enemy on the next day, nothing would have prevented him from taking all the enemy's ships and destroying the men themselves by siege and famine. But out of cowardice, having all but abandoned setting up a trophy, he came to a certain harbor along the strait, called Therapia by the locals. But Paganus, the general of the Genoese, seeing no enemy approaching, urged his army to embark on the ships again and not be so terrified of the enemy as to dread them even when absent and to flee ignobly, but for now to embark on the ships and sit tight, so that they might not seem to have given up entirely, and if they should see the enemy approaching, he would not prevent them from saving themselves by getting inside the walls. Thus he persuaded them again, and they were brought into the triremes, and they anchored before the fortress, with the intention that, if the enemy attacked, they would not fight at sea, but would abandon the triremes to the enemy. But the emperor, not unaware of the enemy's timidity and weakness, sent messages and urged Nicholas to attack the enemy again, as the victory would be bloodless, and going himself to the harbor where he was anchored, he attempted to persuade him, explaining the weakness of the enemy. But he was invincible against all persuasion of words, and considered only this, how he might not 3.225 again engage with the enemy, and as a sort of cover for his timidity and worthlessness he had a small wound, which he had received in the battle. The emperor was unbearably vexed and angry, with such a victory being lost because of Nicholas, but he was not able to persuade him despite his many exhortations.

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συμμίξειαν, ἀλλ' ἡττῶντο κατακράτος. διεφθάρησαν δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πλείους οὐ μᾶλλον ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ἢ τῆς ἀπειρίας, τοῖς βράχεσι περιπεσόντες. νύξ τε ἤδη ἐπιγενομένη διέσωσε τοὺς ἐκ Γεννούας τοῦ μὴ παντάπασι διαφθαρῆναι. διεκρίθησαν γὰρ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων βαθείας ἤδη νυκτὸς, ὅσοι μὴ αὐτίκα διεφθάρησαν, καὶ διέμειναν ἄχρις ἡμέρας διεσκεδασμένοι, ᾗ ἕκαστος ἔτυχεν ὁρμισάμενοι τὴν νύκτα. ὁ πλεῖστος δὲ φθόρος συμπέπτωκε τοῖς Κατελάνοις ἀπὸ τούτου. τοῖς βράχεσι γὰρ ἐμπίπτοντες καὶ καταῤῥηγνύντες τὰς τριήρεις, οἱ μὲν ἀπεπνίγοντο ὡπλισμένοι, διανήχεσθαι μὴ δυνάμενοι πρὸς τὴν χέρσον, τῶν δυνηθέντων δὲ διαφυγεῖν οἱ πλείους ὑπὸ τῶν Γαλατίων συνελήφθησαν ἀπατηθέντες. ὑποπτεύσαντες γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τὸ συμβὰν, φῶτα ἔχοντες, ἐξῄεσαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐκβρασθέντας καὶ ἡγοῦντο ὡς ἐπὶ Βυζάντιον. οἱ δ' εἵποντο ἀπειρίᾳ, καὶ πλῆθος ἦλθε Κατελάνων εἰς τὸν Γαλατᾶν ἀγνοοῦντες, ὅποι ἄγονται. ἅμα δὲ ἡμέρᾳ θάλασσα μὲν νεκρῶν καὶ ναυαγίων περίπλεως 3.223 ὡρᾶτο, τὰ στρατόπεδα δὲ ἀμφότερα οὐκ ὀλίγην κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἐκείνην ὑπέμεινε τὴν βλάβην. ἀπώλοντο γὰρ Γεννουϊτῶν μὲν ὀκτὼ καὶ εἴκοσι τριήρεις αὔτανδροι, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ὑπολειφθεισῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμίσεις ἔπεσον ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ ἐτραυματίσθησαν. Βενετικῶν δὲ καὶ Κατελάνων ἑκκαίδεκα μὲν αὔτανδροι ἀπώλοντο, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν περιλειφθεισῶν ἦσαν τραυματίαι καὶ νεκροί. τῶν δὲ βασιλικῶν ἀπώλετο οὐδεμία. ἔπεσον δέ τινες κατὰ τὴν μάχην, καὶ ἐτραυματίσθησαν πολλοί. εἶχον δὲ ὅμως τὴν νίκην περιφανῶς αἱ βασιλικαὶ μετὰ τῶν συμμαχίδων. οὕτω δὲ τοὺς ἐκ Γεννούας κατειργάσατο ἡ μάχη, ὡς εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δύο τριήρεις αὐτῶν τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ὄχλον ἐπελθόντα, διεφθαρκέναι ἐκ χειρὸς, ἀδυνάτως ἔχοντας ἀνάγεσθαι, ἃς καὶ καθείλκυσάν τινες· ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ἀκατίοις, οὐδενὸς ἀμυνομένου. ταῖς δὲ λοιπαῖς οἱ περιλειφθέντες εἰς Γαλατᾶν ἐλθόντες, ἐπεὶ οἱ ἐκ Βενετίας μετὰ τῶν συμμάχων ἐπὶ τὸν ἀνάπλουν ἀνεχώρησαν πάσας ἐκλιπόντες, ἐπὶ Γαλατᾶν εἰσῄεσαν, τοῖς πολεμίοις τὰς ναῦς καταλιπόντες. μόνος δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς ὑπελείπετο ἐντὸς, ὥσπερ αἰσχυνόμενος τοῖς πολλοῖς ταὐτὸν παθεῖν καὶ τὰς ὑπολειπομένας ἔτι τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπίδας καταπροέσθαι, βέλτιον ἡγούμενος, εἰ δέοι, συλλαμβάνεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ἢ καὶ αὐτὸν καταλιπεῖν τὰς ναῦς καὶ χρήσασθαι φυγῇ πρὸς σωτηρίαν. τοιαύτην 3.224 δὲ περιφανῆ καὶ θαυμασίαν νίκην ἡ ἀνανδρία Νικολάου διέφθειρε καὶ ἀτολμία. εἰ γὰρ ἐπείθετο βασιλεῖ συμβουλεύοντι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπελθεῖν κατὰ τὴν ὑστεραίαν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκώλυε τάς τε ναῦς τῶν πολεμίων λαβεῖν ἁπάσας καὶ αὐτοὺς πολιορκίᾳ διαφθείρειν καὶ λιμῷ. ὑπὸ δειλίας δὲ τὸ τρόπαιον στῆσαι μονονουχὶ καταλιπὼν, εἴς τινα λιμένα ἦλθε κατὰ τὸ στενὸν Θεραπέα προσαγορευόμενον ἐγχωρίως. Παγανὴς δὲ ὁ τῶν Γεννουϊτῶν στρατηγὸς, οὐδένα ἐπιόντα πολέμιον ὁρῶν, παρεκάλει τὴν στρατιὰν ἐμβαίνειν αὖθις εἰς τὰς ναῦς καὶ μὴ τοσοῦτον καταπεπλῆχθαι τοὺς πολεμίους, ὥστε καὶ ἀπόντας ὀῤῥωδεῖν καὶ φεύγειν ἀγεννῶς, ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ἐμβάντας εἰς τὰς ναῦς καθῆσθαι, ἵνα μὴ παντάπασι δοκοῖεν ἀπηγορευκέναι, ἂν δ' ἐπιόντας ἴδοιεν τοὺς πολεμίους, οὐδ' αὐτὸν κωλύσειν σώζεσθαι γενομένους ἐντὸς τειχῶν. οὕτω μὲν αὖθις ἔπειθε, καὶ εἰσήγοντο ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσιν, ὡρμίσαντό τε πρὸ τοῦ φρουρίου, γνώμην ἔχοντες, ὡς, ἢν ἐπίοιεν οἱ πολέμιοι, οὐ ναυμαχήσοντες, ἀλλὰ προησόμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις τὰς τριήρεις. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὴν ἀτολμίαν καὶ ἀσθένειαν οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τῶν πολεμίων, πέμπων τε παρεκάλει τὸν Νικόλαον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἥκειν αὖθις, ὡς ἀναιμωτεὶ τῆς νίκης ἐσομένης, καὶ αὐτὸς γενόμενος πρὸς τῷ λιμένι, ᾧ ὡρμίζετο, πείθειν ἐπεχείρει, τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν πολεμίων ἐκδιδάσκων. ὁ δ' ἀήττητος ἦν πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀνάγκην τὴν ἐκ λόγων, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μόνον ἐσκόπει, ὅπως μὴ αὖ 3.225 θις συμμίξειε τοῖς πολεμίοις, τῆς ἀτολμίας δὲ καὶ φαυλότητος ὥσπερ προκάλυμμα καὶ τραῦμά τι μικρὸν εἶχεν, ὃ κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἐτραυματίσθη. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἠνιᾶτο μὲν οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς καὶ ὠργίζετο, τοιαύτης νίκης ἀπολλυμένης ὑπὸ Νικολάου, πείθειν δὲ οὐκ εἶχε πολλὰ παρακαλῶν.