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us a sort of prelude of the most just discipline of God. This is a most clear refutation of those who chose to speak against him and it justly silences those who speak injustice against him because he did not contemplate treason, nor understood more deeply what seemed best to them. For I think that God, wishing to show what sort of man that holy man was and of what things he was worthy, and what sort of people we were and what punishments we were justly required to pay, for this reason so advantageously arranged the affairs of each side].

4 [This dreadful event, then, I mean his death, being added to the others and all those in the city, men, women, children, both Latins and even Jews, pitifully conversing with one another and sending the other things, whatever obviously oppressed them, into oblivion, but taking to mind and constantly bringing up the loss of their shepherd, and of the discipline of God, as I said before, and of the capture that had happened, both saying and believing this to be a sign, so then being thus disposed and] a short time having passed in the meanwhile, the situation became worse than before and there was confusion everywhere, with some people planning some things and others others, and unable to come together on anything. And we were suffering something similar to those on a storm-tossed ship, when the helmsman is absent; for there everything is full of confusion and the ship, not having one to steer it, is not allowed to proceed forward without danger by the violence of the winds. The majority, then, being displeased that it was not permitted for them to betray the city to the Turks, [fearing perhaps what happened later,] a messenger came announcing that Murad had moved against us, having gathered a very large army and well-prepared in all respects. To some, then, the news seemed somehow acceptable and credible, but to others not, and especially to the Latins, whether because they were pretending to be high-minded or because they had no experience of the Turks, with which I myself am more persuaded. For what knowledge could these men have, who were born and lived to old age at sea, being unsuited for the hand-to-hand combats and battles in which the Turkish race engages, and not even being able to depart overseas by triremes whenever and wherever they might wish? A short time after, another messenger came, he too announcing the same things as the first and confirming his words with sure oaths, at which we were persuaded, expecting nothing else beyond that (for the long-standing siege and the circumstances taught us this), but the Latins were also persuaded, and it seemed necessary to them to be roused for preparation.

5 And indeed, first, they were more eagerly disposed to the completion of the work which they had begun before. This was their attention to the battlements; for a little before, with great care, they had caused the battlements of the entire wall to be screened with planks, like shields, preventing the enemies outside from wounding with arrows those inside who needed to lean out, and providing much safety for those standing on the walls to throw stones from above unseen upon the attackers and upon any who happened to wish to approach the walls. Then they thought it necessary to count the men and to ascertain if they were sufficient for the battlements of the whole wall and the circuit facing the mainland. And so they order all to stand upon the walls with whatever weapons each one had, so that they might have their own eyes as witnesses. When this was done, one could see one man standing for every two or three battlements, and the majority of these possessing neither weapons (for poverty had consumed them beforehand) nor being fit for battle and war; for by the continuous evils and the want of livelihood, their ability too was taken away. The Latins, however, since they had no other way to manage (for they had no other fighting men besides those in the city), thought it necessary that at least all be ready for war. [It was necessary also to move the market for a more exact guarding of the city

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ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοτάτης παιδείας οἷον προοίμιον. Τοῦτο τῶν κατειπεῖν ᾑρημένων ἐκείνου σαφέστατος ἔλεγχος καὶ τοὺς ἀδικίαν κατ' ἐκείνου λαλοῦντας ὅτι μὴ προδοσίαν ἐσκέψατο, μηδὲ τῶν σφίσι δοκούντων συνιέντας βαθύτερον, ἐνδίκως ἐπιστομίζει. Οἶμαι γὰρ ἐγώ, δεῖξαι βουληθεὶς ὁ θεὸς οἷος μὲν ὁ ἱερὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ καὶ τίνων ἄξιος ἦν, οἷοι δ' ἡμεῖς καὶ τίνας εἰσπραχθῆναι δίκας δίκαιοι ἦμεν, διὰ τοῦτο τὰ καθ' ἑκάτερον μέρος οὕτως ᾠκονόμησε συμφερόντως].

4 [Τούτου οὗν τοῦ δεινοῦ, τῆς τελευτῆς ἐκείνου φημί, προστεθειμένου τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀνδρῶν, γυναικῶν, παίδων, Λατίνων τε καὶ αὐτῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐλεεινῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διομιλούντων καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, ὅσα τούτους ἐπίεζε δηλονότι τῇ λήθῃ παραπεμπόντων, τὴν τοῦ ποιμένος δὲ στέρησιν ἐπὶ νοῦν λαμβανόντων καὶ συνεχῶς προφερόντων, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τε παιδείας, ὡς προὔφην, καὶ τῆς γεγενημένης ἁλώσεως καὶ λεγόντων σημεῖον τοῦτο καὶ πιστευόντων, οὕτως οὖν διατεθέντων καὶ] ὀλίγου δή τινος ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ παρεληλυθότος τοῦ χρόνου, χεῖρον ἢ πρότερον ἔσχε τὰ πράγματα καὶ σύγχυσις πανταχοῦ, ἄλλων ἄλλα βουλευομένων καὶ μηδὲν ἐν ταὐτῷ συνελθεῖν δυναμένων. Καὶ παραπλήσιόν τι τοῖς ἐπὶ νηὸς χειμαζομένοις ἐπάσχομεν, ὅταν ὁ κυβερνήτης ἀπῇ· πάντα γὰρ ἐκεῖ ταράχου μεστὰ καὶ ἡ ναῦς, οὐκ ἔχουσα τὸν ἰθύνοντα ταῖς τῶν ἀνέμων βίαις τοῦ πρόσω χωρεῖν ἀκινδύνως, οὐ συγχωρεῖται. Τῶν μὲν οὖν δὴ πλειόνων δυσχεραινόντων ὅτι μὴ σφίσιν ἐξῆν προδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν τοῖς Τούρκοις, [δεδιότων ἴσως ὃ γέγονεν ὕστερον,] ἄγγελος ἧκε τὸν Μουράτην ἐφ' ἡμᾶς κεκινῆσθαι μηνύων, πλεῖστον ὅσον στρατὸν συναγείραντα καὶ διὰ πάντων καλῶς παρεσκευασμένον. Τοῖς μὲν οὖν δεκτέα πως ἔδοξεν ἡ ἀγγελία καὶ πιθανή, τοῖς δὲ μή, καὶ μάλιστα Λατίνοις, εἴτε μεγαλοψυχεῖν προσποιουμένοις εἴτε πεῖραν οὐκ ἐσχηκόσι τῶν Τούρκων, ᾧ καὶ μᾶλλον ἔγωγε πείθομαι. Πόθεν γὰρ εἴδησις τούτοις ἐν θαλάττῃ καὶ γεννωμένοις καὶ εἰς γῆρας διαιτωμένοις, πρὸς συμπλοκάς τε καὶ μάχας, αἷς τὸ τῶν Τούρκων κέχρηται γένος, ἔχουσιν οὐκ ἐπιτηδείως καὶ μηδὲ δυναμένοις ἢ διὰ τριηρῶν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς ὑπερορίαν, ἡνίκ' ἂν καὶ ἔνθα βούλοιντο; Μικρὸν τὸ μεταξὺ καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος ἄγγελος ταὐτὰ τῷ προτέρῳ καὶ αὐτὸς διαγγέλλων καὶ τοὺς λόγους ὅρκοις πιστούμενος ἀσφαλέσιν, ἐφ' οἷς ἐπείσθημεν μὲν ἡμεῖς, μηδὲν ἄλλο παρ' αὐτὸ προσδοκῶντες (τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ πολυετὴς ἡμᾶς ἐδίδασκε συγκλεισμὸς καὶ τὰ πράγματα), ἐπείσθησαν δὲ καὶ Λατῖνοι καὶ πρὸς παρασκευὴν δεῖν ἔδοξε τούτοις διεγηγέρθαι.

5 Καὶ δὴ πρῶτον μέν, οὗπερ ἤρξαντο πρότερον ἔργου, πρὸς τελείωσιν σπουδαιότερον διετέθησαν. Τὸ δ' ἦν ἡ περὶ τὰς ἐπάλξεις αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλεια· μικρὸν γὰρ πρόσθεν διὰ φροντίδος πολλῆς πεποιήκεσαν τὰς ἐπάλξεις τοῦ τείχους παντὸς διαφράξαι σανίσιν, ὡς ἐν ἀσπίσι, τοὺς μὲν ἔξω πολεμίους ἀπειργούσαις τοῦ βέλεσι τιτρώσκειν τοὺς ἔνδον δεῆσαν προκῦψαι, τοῖς δ' ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἱσταμένοις πολλὴν τὴν ἄδειαν παρεχούσαις ἀφανῶς λίθοις ἄνωθεν βάλλειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας καὶ τῷ προστυχόντι παντὶ προσπελάσαι τοῖς τείχεσι βουληθέντας. Ἔπειτα δὲ δεῖν ἀριθμῆσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ᾠήθησαν καὶ καταμαθεῖν, εἰ πρὸς τὰς τοῦ ὅλου τείχους ἐπάλξεις καὶ τὸν περίβολον τὸν πρὸς ἤπειρον ἐξαρκοῦσι. Καὶ δὴ στῆναι πάντας ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν μεθ' ὧν εἶχεν ἕκαστος ἐπιτρέπουσιν ὅπλων, ὡς ἂν καὶ μάρτυρας τοὺς ἰδίους ἔχωσιν ὀφθαλμούς. Οὗ δὴ γεγονότος ἦν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἐπάλξεις ἕνα ἄνδρα ἱστάμενον καὶ τούτων τοὺς πλείους μήθ' ὅπλα κεκτημένους (προανάλωσε γὰρ ἡ πενία) μήτε πρὸς μάχην ἐπιτηδείους καὶ πόλεμον· τοῖς γὰρ συνεχέσι κακοῖς καὶ τῇ περὶ τὸ ζῆν ἀπορίᾳ περιῄρηνται καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι. Οἱ Λατῖνοι δ' ὅμως, ἄλλως οὐκ ἔχοντες διαπράξασθαι (ἄνδρας γὰρ ἑτέρους μαχίμους οὐκ εἶχον παρὰ τοὺς ὄντας τῇ πόλει), δεῖν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ᾤοντο πάντας γοῦν ἑτοίμως ἔχειν πρὸς πόλεμον. [Μεταστῆσαι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν πρὸς φυλακὴν ἀκριβεστέραν τῆς πόλεως δέον