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they might attack Galata, which had few men, for all were on the ships, and were sailing down after them. And again the emperor begged Nicholas to engage the enemy as they were sailing down; for he saw that the victory would be manifest. But he, no 3.231 less than before, intended to do anything rather than fight. The emperor, however, at a loss from helplessness as to what he should do in the circumstances, advised Monenan, the leader of the Catalans, to prepare with the imperial triremes and advance against the enemy. For he thought that Nicholas too, being shamed, would not be absent from the battle, and that there would be a plausible defense for them to their king, if he were prosecuted by Nicholas for disobedience; for he had died, whom the king had ordered to obey Nicholas in everything. Monenan said that the battle was very much to the liking of both himself and his countrymen, and that he condemned the great cowardice of Nicholas, who was thus willingly throwing away a ready victory through worthlessness; but that not even he himself could act against Nicholas' decisions. For the same reasoning applied to him as to the general before him. And it was altogether foolish, if, suspecting they would alike be held to account for disobedience to their commander whether winning or losing, they should then undertake to risk danger for such manifest evils on both sides. For if they were victorious, it was necessary to be punished and to suffer the worst and be dishonored because of the disobedience, for this was the custom among them, and if they were defeated by the enemy, for it is uncertain how it will turn out, it is necessary for those who survived the war to die. For which reasons they could not, unless Nicholas permitted it, engage the enemy. While the emperor was thus very much occupied with the battle and was vexed because the allies would not be persuaded 3.232 —for the Romans were unable with their own ships alone to stand against so great a fleet of the enemy—suddenly three triremes were seen, having just arrived from Catalonia, very great in size and magnificently equipped for all other preparation, carrying many and good, most warlike hoplites. And thinking that Nicholas, having taken courage because of the addition of the triremes, would advance against the enemy, he was pleased and was in better hopes and again attempted to urge him on. But he, making it clear by his very actions that he would not fight, left the naval station—for he was moored at the Gates of Eugenius—and having sailed around the acropolis, came to the strongest part of the current, and moored at the gate called that of the martyr Barbara. And the Catalans and Romans followed by necessity. But the emperor, knowing that the place was harborless, for the most part, if winds should fall upon it from the sea or the east; for the swelling sea falls upon the walls, and many rocks, both submerged and visible, have been placed before the walls everywhere as a defense against the waves, built with foresight by those who first fortified Byzantium, advised them to depart from the place and not to willingly surround themselves with unexpected dangers. But when Nicholas said to the emperor that they ought rather to yield to his experience in naval matters, just as they themselves and everyone yield to him in matters on the mainland, 3.233 and not to meddle, as he was making his anchorages with great knowledge, he left this man, as one utterly deprived of his senses, and ordered Tarchaneiotes, the commander of their own triremes, to withdraw as quickly as possible, where he would best spend the night in safety, and not to share the danger with those senseless men. Tarchaneiotes, therefore, did as he was ordered; but when sudden, violent winds fell during the night and the sea swelled up, the Venetian triremes and all the allied ships were nearly destroyed, being driven by the waves against the walls. Nevertheless, four of the Venetian ships and three of the allied ones were shipwrecked. But the men and arms and the rest of the baggage were saved, with many of the Byzantines also assisting and sharing their grief at the danger. The

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ἐπίθωνται Γαλατᾷ ὀλιγανδροῦντι, πάντες γὰρ ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶ, κατέπλεον μετ' ἐκείνους. καὶ αὖθις ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδεῖτο Νικολάου συμβαλεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις καταπλέουσιν· ἑώρα γὰρ περιφανῆ τὴν νίκην ἐσομένην. ὁ δ' οὐ 3.231 δὲν ἧττον ἢ πρότερον, πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ μάχεσθαι διενοεῖτο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὑπ' ἀμηχανίας ἀπορῶν, ὅ,τι χρήσαιτο τοῖς πράγμασι, Μονενὰν τῷ τῶν Κατελάνων ἄρχοντι συνεβούλευε, μετὰ τῶν βασιλικῶν παρασκευασάμενον τριηρέων χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους. οἴεσθαι γὰρ καὶ Νικόλαον αἰσχυνθέντα οὐκ ἀπολειφθήσεσθαι τῆς μάχης, πρός τε τὸν ῥῆγα σφῶν εὐπρόσωπον ἀπολογίαν ἔσεσθαι, εἰ παρὰ Νικολάου διώκοιτο ἀπειθείας· τετελευτηκέναι γὰρ ἐκεῖνον, ᾧ προσέταττεν ὁ ῥὴξ πάντα Νικολάῳ πείθεσθαι. Μονενὰν δὲ αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις μάλιστα τὴν μάχην εἶναι κατὰ γνώμην ἔφασκε καὶ πολλὴν καταγινώσκειν ἀτολμίαν Νικολάου, οὕτως ἑτοίμην νίκην ὑπὸ φαυλότητος ἑκοντὶ προϊεμένου· μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ μηδ' αὐτὸν παρὰ τὰ δοκοῦντα πράττειν Νικολάῳ. τὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν εἶναι λόγον πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅνπερ καὶ τῷ στρατηγοῦντι πρὸ ἐκείνου. εἶναι δὲ ἀνόητον παντάπασιν, εἰ νικῶντες καὶ ἡττώμενοι ὁμοίως εὐθύνας ὑποπτεύοντες τῆς ἀπειθείας τῷ σφῶν ἄρχοντι παρέχειν, ἔπειτα διακινδυνεύειν ὑποσταῖεν ἐφ' οὕτως ἑκατέρωθεν ἐσομένοις φανεροῖς κακοῖς. ἄντε γὰρ νικῷεν, κολάζεσθαι ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὑπομένειν καὶ ἀτίμους εἶναι διὰ τὴν ἀπείθειαν, οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι παρ' αὐτοῖς νενομισμένον, ἄνθ' ἡττῶνται παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων, ἄδηλον γὰρ, ὅπη ἀποβήσεται, ἀνάγκη ἀποθνήσκειν τοὺς περισωθέντας ἀπὸ τοῦ πολέμου. δι' ἃ μὴ δύνασθαι, εἰ μὴ Νικόλαος ἐπιτρέπει, συμπλέκεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις. οὕτω δὲ περὶ τὴν μάχην μάλιστα ἠσχολημένου βασιλέως καὶ ἀγανακτοῦντος, ὅτι μὴ πεί 3.232 θοιντο οἱ σύμμαχοι, ταῖς γὰρ σφετέραις μόναις ἀδύνατοι ἦσαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς τοσοῦτον στόλον ἀντικαθίστασθαι τῶν πολεμίων, ἀθρόον ἑωρῶντο ἄρτι ἥκουσαι ἐκ Κατελάνων τρεῖς τριήρεις μέγισται μεγέθει καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν παρασκευὴν διαπρεπῶς κεκοσμημέναι, ὁπλίτας ἄγουσαι μαχιμωτάτους πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς. νομίσας δὲ διὰ τὴν προσθήκην τῶν τριηρέων ἀναθαρσήσαντα Νικόλαον χωρήσειν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἥδετό τε καὶ ἐν ἐλπίσι χρηστοτέραις ἦν καὶ αὖθις ἐπεχείρει παρορμᾷν. ὁ δ' ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ὡς οὐ μαχεῖται φανερὸν ποιῶν, τὸν ναύσταθμον καταλιπὼν, ὡρμίζετο γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰς Εὐγενίου πύλας, καὶ περιπλεύσας τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκμαιότατον τοῦ ῥεύματος ἐλθὼν, ἐφώρμει πρὸς τὴν τῆς μάρτυρος Βαρβάρας καλουμένην πύλην. συνείποντο δὲ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ Κατελάνοι καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι. βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰδὼς ἀλίμενον τὸ χωρίον ὂν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, ἂν ἐκ πόντου ἢ τῆς ἕω πνεύματα προσπέσωσιν· ὀγκουμένη γὰρ ἡ θάλασσα τοῖς τείχεσι προσπίπτει, πέτραι τε πολλαὶ καὶ ὕφαλοι καὶ φαινόμεναι τῶν τειχῶν προβέβληνται πανταχοῦ πρὸς ἄμυναν τῶν κυμάτων, ὑπὸ τῶν πρώτως τειχισάντων τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐκ προνοίας ᾠκοδομημέναι, συνεβούλευεν ἀφίστασθαι τοῦ τόπου καὶ μὴ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπροσδοκήτοις κινδύνοις περιβάλλειν ἑκοντί. Νικολάου δὲ σφίσι μᾶλλον τῆς περὶ τὰ ναυτικὰ πείρας δεῖν εἶναι παραχωρεῖν εἰπόντος πρὸς βασιλέα, ὥσπερ αὐτοί τε καὶ πάντες αὐτῷ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἤπειρον ἐξίστανται, 3.233 καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν μηδὲν, ὡς σὺν ἐπιστήμῃ πολλῇ τὰς ναυλοχίας ποιουμένων, τοῦτον μὲν ὡς ἀπεστερημένον παντάπασι κατελίμπανε φρενῶν, Ταρχανειώτην δὲ τὸν τῶν σφετέρων ἄρχοντα τριηρέων τάχιστα ἐκέλευεν ἀναχωρεῖν, ὅπου μάλιστα ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ διανυκτερεύσει, καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἀναισθήτοις ἐκείνοις συγκινδυνεύειν. Ταρχανειώτης μὲν οὖν ἐποίει κατὰ τὰ κεκελευσμένα· πνευμάτων δὲ ἀθρόον ἀκρίτων προσπεσόντων τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐξοιδησάσης, ὀλίγου ἐδέησαν αἱ Βενετικαὶ τριήρεις καὶ αἱ συμμαχίδες πᾶσαι διαφθαρῆναι, ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων πρὸς τὰ τείχη ἐξωθούμεναι. ὅμως μέντοι ἐναυάγησαν τέτταρες ἐκ τῶν Βενετικῶν καὶ τρεῖς τῶν συμμαχίδων. ἄνθρωποι δὲ καὶ ὅπλα καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ ἀποσκευαὶ διεσώθησαν, πολλὰ καὶ τῶν Βυζαντίων συνεφαπτομένων καὶ συναλγούντων πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον. αἱ