"If you believe that the emperor of Byzantium and the fleet of the Genoese and Venetians will defeat the Turks on one side, while we will give them battle on the other, oh! vain hope; the Byzantines know the forces of the Turks; they will stand as spectators to see which side is victorious and join it. The Genoese and the Venetians are speculators; the gold of the Turks enchants them and will keep them quiet. You cannot trust men who only move for the sake of money."