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indeed also concise for the most part according to your word, embracing only the necessary things and whatever things, if omitted, would be considered a loss to you who are gaping for a hearing.

2 [If, then, you happened to be one of those who did not know the city, and were ignorant of its particulars, just like those who first move from a foreign land to another city, until the length of time should make it known to them in detail, I would have needed long accounts here, so that nothing of the city might escape your knowledge. But since I am making my speech to a nursling of this city and one who knows its affairs more accurately than many others, in vain would be the long speeches about these things and the detailed account of its position, size, beauty, the security of its walls, and in addition its good climate and other things, and especially since many years ago others set forth the things concerning the city with excessive diligence and with the power of speech and the skill of rhetorical eloquence in a precise manner and strove with many proofs to show this one to be the most glorious, to speak so, after the first of all. But I will give myself over only to narrating those things which the city experienced in the time of the present capture, just as you also said to us, having departed from here a little before this and for this reason not knowing accurately how this evil has proceeded. For I know that you yourself also know most clearly the affairs of the Latins, being present in the city and seeing what happened each day]. So the city was suffering while the Latins held power, as you know, and daily afflictions were brought upon us from all sides and though many discussions were held among everyone about how we might be relieved, there was no way whatsoever to deliver us from these terrible things. For neither did the Turks wish to make a treaty with the Latins, though they had often sent embassies and pleaded about this, nor was it possible for us to act according to our will, being too few and having lost our unanimity through disparity of opinion, as this is indeed known also to you, who were with us and who had experience of those terrible things in like manner with the others.

3 Thus, while we were in this state, and as many seasons bring countless difficulties and forbid salvation, another evil suddenly came upon us and struck, so to speak, a soul harder than adamant. And this was the death of the good shepherd who, like the first shepherd, unsparingly laid down his life for the flock on every occasion, according to the divine will, which happened at a good time for him, but brought great harm upon us, who were deprived of his prayers to God, by which we were being saved. [And that this was according to the divine will, hear what appeared in a dream to that blessed one while he was still living. It seemed to him, before the city was taken in the war, that he entered a certain brilliant and very large house, and he was looking it over in detail and marveling at its beauty and size, and while he was doing this, a voice was brought from outside, saying: «This house, whose every detail, O master, you marvel at as you gaze around, as being exceedingly brilliant and beautiful, is falling quickly, and so that it may not cover you when it falls, come out of it quickly». Thus was the vision, and it came to pass not long after. For he, so that he might be revealed as righteous and receive the rewards for his many labors of virtue, fittingly thus, and before the common misfortune, departed to the Lord whom he longed for. For this was not judged righteous by God, that he should have experience of such evils and share in the same things as us; «for his life was unlike that of others, and his paths were different», to quote Solomon, «but we, being wholly full of wickedness, and after the thoughts of our wicked heart», this indeed from Jeremiah, «going on and being grumblers like the Israel of old», so that we might not have the benefit of our affairs according to our desire, we have thus justly fared most miserably and have been deprived of this man, the only consolation left in such times and so many grievous circumstances. For we all considered him as a certain vital force within us and we could think of his death as nothing other than of

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δὴ καὶ συνεσταλμένον ὡς τὰ πολλὰ κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον, τἀναγκαῖα μόνον περιλαβὼν καὶ ὅσα δὴ παρεθέντα ζημία σοι λογισθήσεται πρὸς ἀκρόασιν κεχηνότι.

2 [Εἰ μὲν οὖν τις ἐτύγχανες ὢν τῶν οὐκ εἰδότων τὴν πόλιν, τὰ καθ' ἕκαστόν τε ἠγνόεις αὐτῆς, ὥσπερ οἱ πρῶτον ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς εἰς ἑτέραν μετοικήσαντες πόλιν, ἕως ἂν τὸ τοῦ χρόνου μῆκος ταύτην αὐτοῖς κατὰ μέρος γνωρίσειεν, ἐδεόμην λόγων ἂν ἐνταῦθα μακρῶν, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν τῆς πόλεως τὴν σὴν διαφύγῃ γνῶσιν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς θρέμμα ταύτης τὸν λόγον ποιοῦμαι καὶ ἀκριβέστερον ἢ πολλοὺς ἄλλους τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἐγνωκότα, μάτην οἱ μακροὶ περὶ τούτων λόγοι καὶ ἡ περὶ τῆς θέσεως μεγέθους τε καὶ κάλλους καὶ τειχῶν ἀσφαλείας καὶ προσέτι τοῦ εὖ κεκρᾶσθαι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκρίβεια καὶ μάλισθ' ὅτι πρὸ μακρῶν ἐτῶν τὰ περὶ τῆς πόλεως ἕτεροι φιλοπόνως ἄγαν δυνάμει λόγου καὶ ῥητορικῆς εὐγλωττίας δεινότητι ἠκριβωμένως ἐξέθεντο καὶ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην πασῶν εἰπεῖν λαμπροτέραν πολλαῖς ἀποδείξεσιν ἀποφῆναι ταύτην ἐσπούδασαν. Ἐκείνοις δ' ἐμαυτὸν ἔγωγε μόνον διηγούμενος δώσω, ὧνπερ ἡ πόλις ἐν τῷ τῆς νῦν ἁλώσεως χρόνῳ πεπείρατο, καθάπερ ἔφης καὶ σὺ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, μικρὸν πρὸ ταύτης ἀπάρας ἐνθένδε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ κακὸν οὐκ εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὅπως κεχώρηκε. Τὰ τῶν Λατίνων γὰρ οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς οἶσθα σαφέστατα τῇ πόλει παρὼν καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ὁρῶν τὰ γινόμενα]. Ἔπασχεν οὗν τῶν Λατίνων κρατούντων ἡ πόλις, ὡς οἶδας, καὶ ὁσημέραι θλίψεις ἡμῖν ἐπήγοντο πανταχόθεν καὶ λόγων πολλῶν παρ' ἑκάστοις, πῶς ἂν ἀνεθείημεν, γιγνομένων τρόπος ἦν οὐδ' ὁστισοῦν ὁ τούτων ἡμᾶς τῶν δεινῶν ἀπαλλάξων. Οὔτε γὰρ οἱ Τοῦρκοι τοῖς Λατίνοις ἐβούλοντο σπείσασθαι, πολλάκις πρεσβευσαμένοις περὶ τούτου καὶ δεηθεῖσιν, οὐθ' ἡμῖν ἐξῆν πρᾶξαι τὸ κατὰ γνώμην, ὀλίγοις ἄγαν καθεστηκόσι καὶ ἀνισότητι γνώμης ἀποβεβληκόσι τὸ ὁμονοεῖν, ὡς ἄρα καί σοι γνώριμον τοῦτο σὺν ἡμῖν γε ὄντι καὶ τῶν δεινῶν ἐκείνων τοῖς ἄλλοις παραπλησίως εἰληφότι τὴν πεῖραν.

3 Οὕτω οὖν ἡμῖν ἔχουσιν, ὅσαι τε ὧραι μυρία τὰ χαλεπὰ φέρουσι καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπαγορεύουσιν, κακὸν ἐξαίφνης ἐπῆλθεν ἕτερον καὶ στερροτέραν εἰπεῖν ἀδάμαντος πλῆξαν ψυχήν. Τὸ δ' ἦν ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος καὶ κατὰ τὸν πρῶτον ποιμένα τὴν ψυχὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἀφειδῶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποιμνίου τιθέντος κατὰ θεῖον βούλημα τελευτή, ἐν καλῷ μὲν ἐκείνῳ γεγενημένη, βλάβος δ' ἡμῖν ἐπενεγκοῦσα πολύ, τῶν ἐκείνου λιτῶν πρὸς θεὸν στερηθεῖσιν, αἷς ἐσωζόμεθα. [Ὅτι δὲ κατὰ θείαν αὕτη βούλησιν ἦν, ἄκουε τοῦ φανέντος τῷ μακαρίῳ περιόντι κατ' ὄναρ ἐκείνῳ. Ἔδοξε πρὸ τοῦ τὴν πόλιν τῷ πολέμῳ ληφθῆναι οἶκόν τινα λαμπρὸν εἰσιέναι καὶ παμμεγέθη, περισκοπεῖν τε αὐτὸν κατὰ μέρος καὶ θαυμάζειν αὐτοῦ τό τε κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος, ἐν τούτῳ δ' ὄντι φωνὴν ἔξωθεν ἐνεχθῆναι λέγουσαν: «ὁ μὲν οἶκος οὗτος, οὗ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον, ὦ δέσποτα, ὡς λίαν λαμπρὰ καὶ ὡραῖα θαυμάζεις περιαθρῶν, πίπτει τὸ τάχος καί, ἵνα μή σε καλύψῃ πεσών, ἔξιθι τούτου ταχέως». Οὕτως εἶχεν ἡ ὄψις καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἧκεν οὐκ εἰς μακράν. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γάρ, ἵνα ἀναφανῇ δίκαιος καὶ τῶν πολλῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκείνου καμάτων λάβῃ τὰς ἀντιδόσεις, εἰκότως οὕτω καὶ πρὸ τῆς κοινῆς συμφορᾶς, πρὸς ὃν ἐπόθει κύριον ἐξεδήμησεν. Οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον τοῦτο παρὰ θεῷ κέκριτο, τοιούτων ἵνα κακῶν πεῖραν σχῇ καὶ κοινωνήσῃ τῶν ἴσων ἡμῖν· «ἀνόμοιος γὰρ ἦν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ βίος ἐκείνου καὶ ἐξηλλαγμέναι αἱ τρίβοι», τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἰπεῖν, «ἡμεῖς δὲ κακίας γέμοντες ὅλως, καὶ ὀπίσω τῶν ἐνθυμάτων τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς», τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου, «πορευόμενοι καὶ κατὰ τὸν πάλαι γογγυσταὶ τυγχάνοντες Ἰσραήλ», κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀπολαύειν ὅπως οὐκ ἔχωμεν τῶν πραγμάτων, δικαίως οὕτω πεπράγαμεν δυστυχέστατα καὶ τούτου τἀνδρὸς ἐστερήμεθα, μόνου περιλειφθέντος ἐν τοιούτοις καιροῖς καὶ τοσούτοις ἀνιαροῖς παραμύθιον. Πάντες γὰρ ὥσπερ τινὰ δύναμιν ζωτικὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνομίζομεν τοῦτον καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐκείνου μηδὲν ἄλλο νομίζειν εἴχομεν ἢ τῆς ἐφ'