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tower-runners; a shield gleamed, a sword was sharpened, a breastplate had its splendors against the enemy, a spear, when held, terribly flashed back slaughter. And when he saw everyone saved from the waters and the greatest waves, standing in the midst, he opened his mouth to God: "Behold, your army standing at the enemy's borders, creator of created things, has taken up its full armor against your enemies, and puts you forth as a glorious general, who breaks the bonds of ten thousand towers. Broaden their hearts for battle, drive out from them bitter cowardice, put to shame the words of the prophets of the enemies, show who is Peter and who is the false-weaver, the one who permits eating camels, the one initiating the barbarians into fornication-mysteries, a false prophet revealed by his villainy." So shouting and taking his shield, haranguing, he spoke to his companions: "Men, generals, children, fellow-slaves, friends, the sinews of Rome, faithful friends of the master, for he has you as children and friends, advising with words, not compelling with labors, you see these sea-run places, you see many cultivated islands around; they were the dwelling-place of ancestral Rome and the land of masters, but creeping sloth and sluggishness have shown it to be a foreign land, nourishing enemies and deprived of its children. Therefore let us go strongly against the barbarians, let us take with the sword both their cities and their women and their children's children. Let no one fear the missiles of the barbarians, let no one fear a wound inflamed from battle, let no one fear the bitter, the final harm. For if one, having received a blood-stained bath, is bathed in the blood of the insolent barbarians, he will wash his body in the streams of blood and be raised from the earth brilliant and victorious. And if he himself has children and possessions, a father and master spoken of behind him, that one will take care of him and his children and his wife; let him not fear this. Only let him clash his shield in the struggles, only let him eagerly aim his sharp spear, only let him appear armed in the manner of his fathers, only let him not insult the power of Rome." Having winged his household with these words, the man faithful in battles, Nikephoros, sent them out like mountain-bred lions, shaking all Cretan villainy, not indeed as a side-task or without a general; for he himself, girt in the midst of the horsemen with a long-edged sharpened sword, on the one hand followed, striking in a strange manner, and on the other hand, throwing fire as a scourge on houses. And when all, like beasts, were spread pestilentially here and there, it was possible then to see a pitiful lament and flight and the bitter wonder of adverse misfortune; for a multitude lay in one dust of men, of women, wretchedly slaughtered. There the children, hurried to the slaughter, fell to the ground as their legs gave way; there old men, bent with time, had a fall, having fallen in the way and the sword dyed the crimson hair, which time had dyed white; there women threw infants down from their arms to the earth, and danger stirred up a lack of parental love in the child-rearers. And fire was kindled, the swords flashed back, the stream of blood purpled the earth and was mingled with the Cretan places, like a new color, a three-colored punishment.

And when some of the Cretans lay as a dinner for birds, corpses and deprived of breath, while others, fleeing the killing with horse-like speed, were brought inside the gates, one, having stepped inside the gates in fear, the enemy snorted, choked by his flight, while the general, having run through the whole country, and having split part for the fire decisively, and having given part to the sword and razed cities, drove straight back in a rearward turn. And having come more quickly to the naval boundaries, he barely restrained the army within, and having burned the ships he brings a gift to the land, knowing the wet one to be an untrustworthy benefactress. And remaining there for cycles of three days, he prepared the horse and the horseman, and having surveyed the land on all sides, he set up a thousand-strong host of builders and rooted from the earth a towered city to guard the turns of armies. Homer, come hither and

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πυργοδρόμους· ἔλαμψεν ἀσπίς, ἠκονημένη σπάθη, θώραξ κατ' ἐχθρῶν εἶχε τὰς λαμπηδόνας, δόρυ κρατηθὲν δεινὸν ἀντηύγει φόνον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντας εἶδεν ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ τῶν μεγίστων κυμάτων σεσωσμένους, μέσον σταθεὶς ἤνοιξε πρὸς θεὸν στόμα· Ἰδοὺ τὸ σὸν στράτευμα τοῖς ἐναντίων ὅροις παρεστώς, δημιουργὲ κτισμάτων, τῶν σῶν κατ' ἐχθρῶν ἦρε τὴν πανοπλίαν, καὶ σὲ προβάλλει μυρίων πυργωμάτων λύοντα δεσμοὺς εὐκλεᾶ στρατηγέτην. πλάτυνον αὐτῶν εἰς μάχην τὰς καρδίας, δίωξον αὐτοῖς τὴν πικρὰν δειλανδρίαν, αἴσχυνον ἐχθρῶν τῶν προφητῶν τοὺς λόγους, δεῖξον Πέτρος τίς καὶ τίς ὁ ψευδοπλόκος, ὁ τὰς καμήλους ἐσθίειν ἐπιτρέπων, ὁ πορνομύστας ἐκτελῶν τοὺς βαρβάρους, ψευδοπροφήτης ἐκφανεὶς πανουργίᾳ. οὕτω βοήσας καὶ λαβὼν τὴν ἀσπίδα δημηγορῶν ἔλεξε τοῖς συνεργάταις· Ἄνδρες στρατηγοί, τέκνα, σύνδουλοι, φίλοι, Ῥώμης τὰ νεῦρα, δεσπότου πιστοὶ φίλοι οὗτος γὰρ ὑμᾶς τέκνα καὶ φίλους ἔχει, λόγοις παραινῶν, οὐκ ἀναγκάζων πόνοις, ὁρᾶτε τούσδε τοὺς ἁλιδρόμους τόπους, ὁρᾶτε πολλὰς ἡμέρους νήσους πέριξ· Ῥώμης ὑπῆρχον πατρικῆς κατοικία καὶ δεσποτῶν γῆ, πλὴν παρερπύσας ὄκνος καὶ νωθρότης ἔδειξε γῆν ἀλλοτρίαν, τρέφουσαν ἐχθροὺς καὶ στερουμένην τέκνων. ἴωμεν ἀνθ' ὧν εὐσθενῶς πρὸς βαρβάρους, λάβωμεν αὐτῶν ἐν ξίφει καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τῶν τέκνων τέκνα. μηδεὶς φοβείσθω τὰς βολὰς τῶν βαρβάρων, μηδεὶς φοβείσθω τραῦμα φλεγμαῖνον μάχης, μηδεὶς τὸ πικρόν, τὴν τελευταίαν βλάβην. ἂν γὰρ τὸ λουτρόν τις λαβὼν ᾑμαγμένον εἰς αἷμα λουθῇ τῶν ὑβριστῶν βαρβάρων, πλύνει τὸ σῶμα ταῖς ῥοαῖς τῶν αἱμάτων καὶ λαμπρὸς ἐκ γῆς αἴρεται νικηφόρος. εἰ δ' ἔστιν αὐτὸς τέκνα καὶ κλήρους ἔχων, πατὴρ ὄπισθεν δεσπότης λελεγμένος, ἐκεῖνος αὐτοῦ φροντίσει καὶ τῶν τέκνων καὶ τῆς γυναικός· τοῦτο μὴ δεδοικέτω. μόνον κροτείτω συμπλοκαῖς τὴν ἀσπίδα, μόνον προθύμως ὀξὺ τεινέτω δόρυ, μόνον φανείτω πατρικῶς ὡπλισμένος, μόνον τὸ Ῥώμης μὴ καθυβρίσῃ κράτος. Τούτοις πτερώσας τοῖς λόγοις τοὺς οἰκέτας ἀνὴρ ὁ πιστὸς ἐν μάχαις Νικηφόρος λέοντας ἐξέπεμψεν ὡς ὀρειτρόφους, πᾶσαν κλονοῦντας Κρητικὴν κακουργίαν, οὐ μὴν παρέργως ἢ στρατηγέτου δίχα· μέσον γὰρ αὐτὸς ἱπποτῶν ἐζωσμένος τανύστομον μάχαιραν ἠκονημένην, πῇ μὲν πατάσσων εἵπετο ξενοτρόπως, πῇ δ' αὖ τὸ πῦρ μάστιγα βάλλων οἰκίαις. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντες ἦσαν ἀντὶ θηρίων ἐκεῖθεν ἔνθεν λοιμικῶς ἡπλωμένοι, ἦν θρῆνον οἰκτρὸν καὶ φυγὴν βλέπειν τότε καὶ θαῦμα πικρὸν συμφορᾶς ἐναντίας· ἔκειτο καὶ γὰρ πλῆθος εἰς κόνιν μίαν ἀνδρῶν, γυναικῶν, δυστυχῶς ἐσφαγμένων. ἐκεῖ τὰ τέκνα πρὸς σφαγὴν ἠπειγμένα ἔπιπτον εἰς γῆν τῇ ποδῶν περικλάσει· ἐκεῖ γέροντες τῷ χρόνῳ κεκυφότες ὄλισθον εἶχον ἐμποδὼν πεπτωκότες καὶ φοινικῆν ἔβαπτε τὸ ξίφος τρίχα, ἣν εἶχε λευκὴν ὁ χρόνος βεβαμμένην· ἐκεῖ γυναῖκες ἀγκαλῶν κάτω βρέφη ἔρριπτον εἰς γῆν, καὶ γονῆς ἀστοργίαν κίνδυνος ἀντήγειρε ταῖς τεκνοτρόφοις. ἀνῆπτο καὶ πῦρ, ἀντέλαμπε τὰ ξίφη, ἐπορφύρου γῆν ἡ ῥοὴ τῶν αἱμάτων καὶ Κρητικοῖς ἦν τοῖς τόποις μεμιγμένη, ὡς χρῶμα καινόν, τρίχροος τιμωρία.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ Κρητῶν δεῖπνον οἱ μὲν ὀρνέων ἔκειντο νεκροὶ καὶ πνοῆς ἐξηρμένοι, ἄλλοι δὲ τὴν νέκρωσιν ἱππικῷ τάχει φυγόντες εἰσήγοντο τῶν πυλῶν ἔσω, ὁ μὲν πατήσας τῶν πυλῶν ἔνδον φόβῳ ἔρρεγχεν ἐχθρὸς τῇ φυγῇ πεπνιγμένος, ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς ἐκδραμὼν χώραν ὅλην καὶ τὴν μὲν εἰς πῦρ τμητικῶς περισχίσας, τὴν δὲ ξίφει δοὺς καὶ κατασκάψας πόλεις, ἤλαυνεν εὐθὺς εἰς στροφὴν ὀπισθίως. καὶ θᾶττον ἐλθὼν ναυτικῶν ὁρισμάτων ἔνδον κατεκράτησε τὸν στρατὸν μόλις, καὶ ναῦς ἀνάψας γῇ χαρίζεται φέρων, ἄπιστον εἰδὼς τὴν ὑγρὰν εὐεργέτιν. ἐκεῖ δὲ μείνας ἡμερῶν τριῶν κύκλους, τὴν ἵππον ἡτοίμαζε καὶ τὸν ἱππότην, καὶ γῆν σκοπήσας ἀμφιδεξίῳ τρόπῳ ἔστησε πλῆθος χιλίανδρον τεκτόνων καὶ γῆθεν ἐρρίζωσε πυργηρουμένην πόλιν φυλάττειν τὰς στροφὰς στρατευμάτων. Ὅμηρε, δεῦρο καὶ