4

stretching from high and great mountains, where a certain city called Beroea is established, and it is itself most distinguished by its inhabitants and all the other things in which a city prides itself for its composition. 6.6 And this plain contains in the space between some mixed villages, of which some are subject to the city, called by the name of Drougoubitai and Sagoudatoi, while others pay tribute to the neighboring nation of the Scythians, which is not far away. 6.7 However, the villages are neighbors to one another in their settlement, and this also contributes not a little to the Thessalonians among other things, to mix with the Scythians through methods of trade, and especially when they are on good terms with each other and do not take up arms that make battle savage; which indeed having been practiced by both sides for some long time past, they exchange their needs in a community of life, preserving among themselves a certain wonderful and deep peace. 6.8 And certain very great rivers, setting out from the land of the Scythians and dividing the aforesaid plain among themselves, they too provide great abundance to the city, both by the supplies of fish and by the upstream voyages of ships from the sea through them, by which is devised a certain varied income of necessities flowing down with those waters. 7.1 But I was unaware that I had extended my account of these things longer than I promised from the beginning. 7.2 But my longing for my fatherland has done this, being pleasantly drawn along by memory, and by the recollections seeming, as it were, to be present with the things being said, and the eager and inquisitive nature of your studious ear, which you promised from the beginning to lend entirely to us, with nothing else distracting it than this narrative drawing it along. 7.3 And these things are so. For desired things always tend to hold fast with bonds of necessity both the one speaking about them and the one listening; and not so easily and readily will either the sight be drawn from the most pleasant spectacles or the ear from delightful sounds, nor will a pleasant discourse be checked in its course, until it reaches the end towards which it was hastening from the start. 7.4 But if it seems good, let us run back again to that city itself; for how long shall we fashion the statue as in a mirror, and try to depict the archetype with the external varieties of colors, when it is possible to encounter the things themselves through opportune narratives, so that what is somehow dimly indicated might be better known? 7.5 For, having promised at the beginning to describe in word, as far as is possible, what sort of city Thessalonica happens to be, and what it was before and what it has become later, having been, as it were, drawn aside by things around it, and having lingered until now on external narratives, as one might say, we risk delaying the exposition of the essential matters. 7.6 It is necessary, therefore, to return to it again in our account and first to learn about its beauty, and then so in the end to declare the magnitude of its suffering, so that inasmuch as it might appear to be incomparably superior to other cities, by so much it might be judged worthy to be lamented and pitied by all. 8.1 We have said that the city is wide and great and has enclosed within its circuit a large intervening space. 8.2 But as much of the wall as looks towards the land is very strong and fortified by the thickness of its construction, preserving safety on all sides with its outer rampart, densely packed all over with battlements and projections, and providing no cause for fear to the inhabitants. 8.3 But the part of it to the south is completely low and unprepared for war; for I think that because he suspected no harmful attack from the sea, the builder long ago neglected the construction. 8.4 And a certain old tale is handed down, having reached even to our time, that the city was unwalled on that side for many years, if not for the fear at one time of Xerxes of the Medes, who made the land navigable and encamped against Greece and brought on a multitude of many ships, the [one] of the Romans the

4

ὑψηλῶν καὶ μεγάλων παρατεινόμενον, ἔνθα καὶ πόλις τις Βέρροια καλουμένη κατῴκισται, καὶ αὐτὴ περιφανεστάτη τοῖς οἰκήτορσί τε καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις οἷς αὐχεῖ πόλις τὴν σύστασιν. 6.6 ἐμπεριέχει δὲ τῷ διὰ μέσου χώρῳ τὸ πεδίον τοῦτο καὶ ἀμφιμίκτους τινὰς κώμας, ὧν αἱ μὲν πρὸς τῇ πόλει τελοῦσι, ∆ρουγουβῖταί τινες καὶ Σαγουδάτοι τὴν κλῆσιν ὀνομαζόμενοι, αἱ δὲ τῷ συνομοροῦντι τῶν Σκυθῶν ἔθνει οὐ μακρὰν ὄντι τοὺς φόρους ἀποδιδόασιν. 6.7 πλὴν γειτνιάζουσιν ἀλλήλαις αἱ κῶμαι τὴν οἴκησιν, καὶ ἔστι καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις Θεσσαλονικεῦσιν οὐ μικρῶς συμβαλλόμενον, τὸ πρὸς τοὺς Σκύθας διὰ τῶν ἐμπορικῶν μεθόδων συναναμίγνυσθαι, καὶ μάλισθ' ὅταν ἔχωσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους καλῶς καὶ μὴ κινῶσιν ὅπλα τὴν μάχην ἐξαγριαίνοντα· ὃ δὴ καὶ πολλῷ τινι τῷ πάλαι χρόνῳ παρ' ἑκατέρων μελετηθέν, κοινότητα ζωῆς τὰς χρείας ἀλλήλοις ἀμείβουσι, θαυμασίαν τινὰ καὶ βαθεῖαν εἰρήνην ἐν ἑαυτοῖς συντηρούμενοι. 6.8 ποταμοὶ δέ τινες παμμεγέθεις ἐκ τῆς Σκυθῶν ἐξορμώμενοι καὶ τὸ προλεχθὲν πεδίον καθ' ἑαυτοὺς διελόμενοι πολλὴν δαψίλειαν καὶ αὐτοὶ τῇ πόλει παρέχονται ταῖς τε χορηγίαις ταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἰχθύων καὶ ταῖς δι' αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης τῶν νηῶν ἀναδρομαῖς, δι' ὧν ἐπινοεῖται ποικίλη τις πρόσοδος τῶν χρειῶν τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκείνων συγκαταρρέουσα. 7.1 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔλαθον ἐμαυτὸν μακρόν, ἢ ὡς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ὑπεσχόμην, τὸν περὶ τούτων παρατείνας λόγον. 7.2 πεποίηκε δὲ τοῦτο ὁ περὶ τὴν πατρίδα πόθος, ἡδέως τῇ τε μνήμῃ συνεφελκόμενος, καὶ ταῖς ἀνατυπώσεσιν οἷον δοκῶν συνεῖναι τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ τὸ πρόθυμον καὶ ζητητικὸν τῆς σῆς φιλομαθοῦς ἀκοῆς, ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς παραθέσθαι πᾶσαν ἡμῖν καθυπέσχου, μηδενὸς ἄλλου περισπῶντος αὐτὴν ἢ τοῦδε τοῦ διηγήματος ὑποσύροντος. 7.3 ταῦτα δὲ οὕτως ἔχει. φιλοῦσι γὰρ ἀεὶ τὰ ποθούμενα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκης δεσμοῖς καὶ τὸν λέγοντα περὶ αὐτῶν κατέχειν καὶ τὸν ἀκούοντα· καὶ οὐκ ἂν οὕτως εὐχερῶς καὶ ῥᾳδίως οὔτε ὄψις τῶν ἡδίστων θεαμάτων οὔτε ἀκοὴ τῶν τερπνῶν ἀποστήσεται ἀκουσμάτων, οὔτε λόγος ἡδὺς τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀνακοπήσεται, μέχρις ἂν φθάσῃ τὸ πέρας πρὸς ὃ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐπείγεται. 7.4 πλὴν εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἀναδράμωμεν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν· μέχρι γὰρ τίνος ὡς ἐν κατόπτρῳ τὸν ἀνδριάντα διαμορφοῦμεν, καὶ ταῖς ἔξωθεν τῶν χρωμάτων ποικιλίαις ἀπεικονίζειν πειρώμεθα τὸ ἀρχέτυπον, ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις ἐντυχεῖν διὰ τῶν καιρίων διηγημάτων τοῖς πράγμασιν, ὡς ἂν γνωριμώτερον εἴη τὸ ἀμυδρῶς πως παραδηλούμενον; 7.5 Θεσσαλονίκην γάρ, ὁποία 7.5 τυγχάνει, τῷ λόγῳ διαγράψαι καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε κατ' ἀρχὰς ὑποσχόμενοι, καὶ τίς οὖσα πρότερον εἰς τί κεχώρηκεν ὕστερον, τοῖς περὶ αὐτὴν ὥσπερ ὑποκλαπέντες, καὶ τοῖς ἔξωθεν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, μέχρι τοῦδε σχολάσαντες διηγήμασι, κινδυνεύομεν βραδύνοντες τὴν τῶν καιρίων ἐξήγησιν. 7.6 χρεὼν οὖν ἐστι καὶ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπανιέναι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον περὶ αὐτὴν καταμαθεῖν κάλλος, εἶθ' οὕτω γε τοῦ πάθους ἐξειπεῖν ἐν ὑστέρῳ τὸ μέγεθος, ἵνα ὅσον φανείη τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερτερεύουσα, τοσοῦτον ἀξία κριθείη παρὰ πασῶν θρηνεῖσθαι καὶ κατοικτίζεσθαι. 8.1 Εἴπομεν ὡς εὐρεῖά τίς ἐστι καὶ μεγάλη ἡ πόλις καὶ τῷ περιέχοντι πολὺν τὸν διὰ μέσου χῶρον ἐναποκλείσασα. 8.2 ἀλλ' ὅσον μὲν τοῦ τείχους τὴν χέρσον ἀποσκοπεῖ, ἐρυμνότατόν τέ ἐστι καὶ τῷ πάχει τῆς οἰκοδομῆς κατωχυρωμένον, τῷ ἔξωθέν τε προτειχίσματι τὸ ἀσφαλὲς πάντοθεν συντηροῦν, προβόλοις καὶ ἐπάλξεσιν ἅπαν καταπεπυκνωμένον, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἀνάγκην φόβου τοῖς οἰκήτορσι παρεχόμενον. 8.3 τὸ δὲ πρὸς νότον αὐτοῦ χθαμαλόν τέ ἐστι παντελῶς καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον ἀπαράσκευον· οἶμαι γὰρ τῷ μηδεμίαν ὑφορᾶσθαι προσβολὴν βλάβης ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς θάλασσαν ὁ τεχνίτης πάλαι τῆς οἰκοδομῆς κατημέλησε. 8.4 φέρεται δέ τις καὶ παλαιὸς λόγος μέχρις ἡμῶν φθάσας, ὡς ἀτείχιστος ἦν ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ μέρους ἡ πόλις χρόνους πολλούς, εἰ μὴ τῷ δέει ποτὲ τοῦ Μήδων Ξέρξου, πλωτὴν γῆν τεκτηναμένου καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἑλλάδος στρατοπεδεύσαντος καὶ πολλῶν νηῶν πληθὺν ἐπιφερομένου, ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὰ