490
But the imperial ships spent the night in safety, not even having been aware of the storm. So poorly did the general of the Venetians fight at that time, and as if voluntarily after the dangers he gave away the victory to the enemy, and he filled the emperor with much displeasure and grief both by what he said and by what he did. But after that storm and the shipwrecks, though the emperor advised to wait still, he himself departed without even taking leave, leaving the emperor alone for the war. But he did not even so renounce the alliance, but even after the departure of the allies he carried on the war for forty days, hoping that the allies would return. But when they were reported 3.234 to have crossed the Aegean, thinking that no one could justly bring an accusation if he were to make a treaty with the enemy who controlled the sea, since the allies had departed and openly betrayed him, he made a treaty with those from Genoa, who most eagerly accepted the cessation of the war against the emperor. And after this they themselves also returned home. 32. And in the same year, Niccolò, having repaired the existing triremes and acquired others from Venice, and with other Catalans being added to those they had, set out again in search of the enemy. But the people and the doge of Genoa, holding Paganino the general to blame, though he had commanded most excellently as far as it depended on him and had been the sole reason they were not completely destroyed, voted him out of office, and they appointed Antonio Grimaldi as general of the fleet. And he also, having armed other ships in addition to the existing ones and having prepared the other things which were needed, attacked the enemy on the island of Sardinia, and when a battle took place, he was utterly defeated, and lost thirty-two triremes. And the Catalans then especially blamed Niccolò, because he had not been persuaded by the emperor to fight a naval battle near Byzantium, where their force was greater with the imperial force also being present, and for the enemy, if defeated, there was no escape, but they would have necessarily been utterly besieged and destroyed. But those in Genoa, having despaired at so great a defeat, for they did not have money 3.235 for the preparation of another fleet, and the people were hard pressed by a great lack of grain, since those from Venice controlled the sea after the victory and did not allow grain to be brought from the sea, and since they did not rule over land from which they could be fed by farming, they decided it was necessary to subject and enslave themselves to the ruler of Milan, who was able to help them greatly. For he was exceedingly well-supplied with money and with an army, not only of cavalry but also of infantry, which they needed. And in addition to these things, ruling over a large and good country, he was able to provide food, bringing grain from all over. And having so decided, they sent an embassy to him and handed over the city. And he received it gladly, having previously considered it of the greatest importance to be lord of Genoa, since it was a neighbor. And oaths and agreements were made between them, such that he on the one hand should help them with money and arms and soldiers and all that he had against the enemy, and they on the other hand should have him as lord for their whole life and never be ungrateful, and to accept a ruler for the city from him, and having changed their constitution completely, to be governed by him in whatever way he should see fit. Thus then those in Genoa, being hard pressed by the war, were forced to do ignoble and servile things, having cast off their former boastfulness and arrogance, and having removed Simone Boccanegra their ruler from power, they received as ruler for the city one from the lord of Milan. 3.236 And he, taking thought for them now as his own, both supplied grain and the other necessities abundantly, and money for the preparation of the war and men-at-arms, and he ordered them again to man triremes against the enemy. And when the fleet was prepared, they appointed Paganino as general again, having condemned Antonio's great inexperience in generalship. And those from Venice, when they learned that the enemy was advancing again with a fleet,
490
βασιλικαὶ δὲ διενυκτέρευσαν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ, οὐδ' ἐν αἰσθήσει τοῦ κλύδωνος γεγενημέναι. οὕτω φαύλως ὁ τῶν ἐκ Βενετίας στρατηγὸς ἠγωνίσατο κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ὥσπερ ἑκοντὶ μετὰ τοὺς κινδύνους προεῖτο τὴν νίκην τοῖς πολεμίοις, πολλῆς τε ἀηδίας καὶ λύπης ἐνέπλησε καὶ οἷς ἔλεγε καὶ οἷς ἐποίει βασιλέα. μετὰ δὲ τὸν κλύδωνα ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὰς ναυαγίας παραινοῦντος βασιλέως ἔτι περιμένειν, αὐτὸς μηδὲ συνταξάμενος ἀνεχώρει, μόνον τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον καταλιπών. ὁ δὲ οὐδ' οὕτως ἀπείπατο τὴν συμμαχίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν τῶν συμμάχων ἀναχώρησιν ἐν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραις διέφερε τὸν πόλεμον, ἐλπίζων ἐπανήξειν τοὺς συμμάχους. ὡς δὲ ἠγγέλ 3.234 λοντο ὑπερβαλόντες τὸν Αἰγαῖον, οὐδένα ἂν δικαίως οἰηθεὶς ἔχειν αἰτίαν ἐπενεγκεῖν, εἰ σπένδοιτο τοῖς πολεμίοις θαλασσοκρατοῦσιν, ἀπολιπόντων τῶν συμμάχων καὶ καταπροδόντων ἄντικρυς, ἐσπείσατο πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Γεννούας, προθυμότατα δεξαμένοις τὴν τοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα κατάλυσιν πολέμου. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνεχώρουν. λβʹ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἔτους Νικόλαός τε τὰς οὔσας τριήρεις ἐπισκευασάμενος καὶ ἑτέρας προσλαβὼν ἐκ Βενετίας, καὶ Κατελάνων πρὸς τοῖς οὖσι καὶ ἑτέρων ἐπιγενομένων, ὥρμηντο αὖθις ἐπὶ ζήτησιν τῶν πολεμίων. Γεννούας δὲ ὁ δῆμος καὶ ὁ δοὺξ ἐν αἰτίαις ποιησάμενοι Παγανὴν τὸν στρατηγὸν, ἄριστα τό γε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον ἐστρατηγηκότα καὶ μόνον αἰτιώτατον γεγενημένον τοῦ μὴ παντάπασι διαφθαρῆναι, ἀπεχειροτόνησαν, Ἀντώνιον δὲ Γριμάρδον ἐπέστησαν τῷ στόλῳ στρατηγόν. ἐφοπλίσας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς ταῖς οὔσαις καὶ ἑτέρας καὶ τἄλλα ἐπισκευασάμενος, ὧν ἐδεῖτο, ἐν Σαρδοῖ τῇ νήσῳ προσέβαλε τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ μάχης γενομένης, ἡττᾶτο κατακράτος, καὶ δύο καὶ τριάκοντα ἀπέβαλε τριήρεις. Κατελάνοι δὲ τότε μᾶλλον Νικόλαον ἐμέμψαντο, ὅτι μὴ πεισθείη βασιλεῖ ναυμαχεῖν περὶ Βυζάντιον, ὅπου πλείων τε αὐτοῖς ἡ δύναμις, παρούσης καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς, καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις οὐδεμία ἡττηθεῖσιν ἦν ἀποφυγὴ, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη ἦν παντάπασιν ἐκπολιορκηθέντας διαφθαρῆναι. οἱ ἐν Γεννούᾳ δὲ ἀπειρηκότες πρὸς οὕτω μεγάλην ἧτταν, χρήματά τε 3.235 γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐ παρῆν πρὸς ἑτέρου στόλου παρασκευὴν, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἐπιέζετο ἐνδείᾳ πολλῇ τοῦ σίτου, τῶν ἐκ Βενετίας μὲν θαλασσοκρατούντων μετὰ τὴν νίκην καὶ οὐκ ἐώντων σῖτον ἐκ θαλάττης ἄγεσθαι, γῆς τε οὐκ ἄρχοντες, ἐξ ἧς τραφήσονται γεωργοῦντες, δεῖν ἔγνωσαν τῷ τῶν Μεδιολάνων ἄρχοντι ὑπάγειν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ καταδουλοῦν, ὠφελεῖν τὰ μέγιστα δυναμένῳ. χρημάτων τε γὰρ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα εὐπόρει καὶ στρατιᾶς οὐχ ἱππικῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεζῆς, ἧς ἐδέοντο ἐκεῖνοι. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ χώρας ἄρχων πολλῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς, τρέφειν ἠδύνατο σῖτον πανταχόθεν ἄγων. οὕτω δὲ δόξαν, διεπρεσβεύοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν παρεδίδουν. ὁ δ' ἐδέχετο ἀσμένως, καὶ πρότερον ποιούμενος περιπλείστου Γεννούας δεσπότης εἶναι, οὔσης ὁμόρου. καὶ ὅρκοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐγίνοντο καὶ συμβάσεις, ὥστ' αὐτὸν μὲν ἐκείνοις καὶ χρήμασι καὶ ὅπλοις καὶ στρατιώταις καὶ πᾶσιν, οἷς ἔχει, βοηθεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, αὐτοὺς δ' ἐκεῖνον διὰ βίου παντὸς δεσπότην ἔχειν καὶ μηδέποτε ἀγνωμονήσειν, ἄρχοντά τε δέχεσθαι τῇ πόλει παρ' ἐκείνου, καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν καθάπαξ μεταβαλόντας ὑπ' ἐκείνου ἄγεσθαι, ὅπη ἂν δοκῇ. οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ ἐν Γεννούᾳ πιεσθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου πράττειν ἠναγκάσθησαν ἀγεννῆ καὶ ἀνελεύθερα, τὸν πρότερον κόμπον καὶ τὸ φύσημα ἀποβαλόντες, καὶ Σίμωνα Μπουκανέγρα τὸν σφῶν ἄρχοντα παραλύσαντες τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἄρχοντα τῇ πόλει εἰσεδέχοντο παρὰ τοῦ τῶν Μεδιολάνων δεσπότου. 3.236 ὁ δ' ὡς οἰκείων ἤδη πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος, σῖτόν τε ἀφθόνως ἐχορήγει καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐπιτήδεια καὶ χρήματα ἐς τοῦ πολέμου τὴν παρασκευὴν καὶ ὁπλίτας, ἐκέλευέ τε αὖθις τριήρεις πληροῦν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ στόλος παρεσκεύαστο, τὸν Παγανὴν ἐπέστησαν αὖθις στρατηγὸν, Ἀντωνίου πολλὴν καταγνόντες ἀπειρίαν περὶ στρατηγίας. καὶ οἱ ἐκ Βενετίας ὡς ἐπύθοντο τοὺς πολεμίους αὖθις στόλῳ ἐπιόντας,