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of insults. What prophet, being found before the battle, would have said to the trench-diggers of the barbarians that they were digging a tomb, not a trench, for their children? Moistless Crete, do not groan for the drought, receiving your children in battle as clouds, upon which the spear of Rome, coming like a breath and blowing, like a whirlwind, released the murders as showers of much-flowing blood. Demosthenes, Philip has no power, Plutarch, Caesar has no boldness, Dio, Sulla is a ruler of the people in vain. Cease, Xenophon, from writing of the invincible, admire Romanos and write of him alone. Cyzicus, lament with burnt Crete, having suffered calamities of equal power; for to you of old Mithridates wrought slaughters, but to her now Romanos weaves slaughters. But O general of the whole earth—for it is fitting to say what is to come, do not begrudge the servant applauding your victory-composing battles, but make my tongue clear, give freedom of speech; for the goads of timidity strike us. Do not overlook the labors of Theodosius, written for the glory of your crown, so that a hand may proceed, urged on to write of your army’s second suit of armor.

2 While the Cretan struggles were thus, O beauty of Rome, Romanos, sceptered ruler, some suffered badly in foreign places, arrayed against heat and sword; for the morning star sent flaming torches like darts upon your servants, and you yourself had anxieties like heat and sword for them inside your heart. As, then, the fire of your sleeplessness, burning you, made your starry countenance pale, those who saw could not say the reason how your bright face was turned to gloom, until, groaning with toil from your inwards, you sent forth flames from the fires below, telling the matter to all your subjects; for the multitude of the fatherland's armies, having failed in their joint expedition's toils, struck you, but no servant was present to console you; for there was ignorance of what had been done among all. But God quickly transformed your affliction into cheerfulness, who immediately showed you the victory-bearing messenger from him who was girded with a sword in servitude. And when you understood the meaning of what was written—for he had a sealed letter—you did not strike the lyre, as David of old, or make your tongue clear instead of the lyre; but immediately the phalanx of the monks—for this phalanx routs even without a sword, makes them turn their backs and overthrows cities—this you mystically set in motion against the enemies and you gave all-night thanksgivings, running to the dwelling of your co-general. Such things you did, suffering with your servants; but when the mouth of vengeance was filled—for the bitterness of slaughter is vengeance for enemies—the general of the battle, knowing the trench had cliffs and ravine-like places, ordered them to throw in stones and earth and wood, for the tortoises to advance easily. There the multitude of the commands had the said task, but the ordered volleys provided clouds of the enemies. Air, speak, bear witness, do not hesitate about the woven woof of your tunic, in which being clad you reflected back the harm, woven from unseen calamities, through which the rapacious dogs with the haughty brow fell down from the battlements.

But when, for the rest of up to eight days, the shower from the ravine was not held back, but the quiver and arrow had their time, he released rams and tortoise-like devices and stone-throwing slings and terrible constructions against their well-joined ladders. As, therefore, the castle-dwellers, not bearing those new punishments, were at a loss, your desired servant Nicephorus arrays the crowd and again weaves punishments; for he ordered them to send the heads of the enemies who had fallen by the slings like arrows, so that the fine-spun breadth of the ether might rejoice, being defiled by the calamity of the barbarians, and the multitude might know its sin, that they also have a placing of their limbs for punishment. they were throwing them inside

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ὑβρισμάτων. τίς ἂν προφήτης εὑρεθεὶς πρὸ τῆς μάχης τοῖς ταφρορύκταις εἶπεν ἂν τῶν βαρβάρων ὡς τύμβον ἐξώρυττον, οὐ τάφρον, τέκνοις; Ἄνικμε Κρήτη, μὴ στένῃς ἀνομβρίαν, τὰ τέκνα λαμβάνουσα τῇ μάχῃ νέφη, ἐν οἷς ἐπελθὸν ὡς πνοὴ Ῥώμης δόρυ καὶ πνεῦσαν, ὥσπερ συστροφή τις, τοὺς φόνους ὄμβρους ἀφῆκεν αἱμάτων πολυρρύτων. ∆ημόσθενες, Φίλιππος οὐκ ἔχει κράτος, Πλούταρχε, Καῖσαρ οὐκ ἔχει παρρησίαν, ∆ίων, ὁ Σύλλας εἰς μάτην δημοκράτωρ. ἄφες, Ξενοφῶν, τοὺς ἀνικήτους γράφειν, τὸν Ῥωμανὸν θαύμαζε καὶ μόνον γράφε. Κύζικε, συνθρήνησον, ἡ κεκαυμένῃ Κρήτῃ παθοῦσα συμφορὰς ἰσοκράτους· σοὶ γὰρ παλαιὸς τοὺς φόνους Μιθριδάτης, νέος δὲ ταύτῃ Ῥωμανὸς πλέκει φόνους. Ἀλλ' ὦ στρατηγὲ γῆς ὅληςκαὶ γὰρ πρέπει τὸ μέλλον εἰπεῖν, μὴ φθόνει τὸν οἰκέτην κροτοῦντα τὰς σὰς νικοσυνθέτους μάχας, τράνου δὲ γλῶτταν, δὸς λόγου παρρησίαν· πλήττει γὰρ ἡμᾶς κέντρα τῆς ἀτολμίας. Θεοδοσίου μὴ παραβλέψῃς πόνους τοῦ στέμματός σου συγγραφέντας εἰς κλέος, ὡς ἂν βαδίζῃ χεὶρ γράφειν ἠπειγμένη πρὸς δευτέραν σου τοῦ στρατοῦ πανοπλίαν.

Βʹ Οὕτως ἐχόντων Κρητικῶν παλαισμάτων, Ῥώμης τὸ κάλλος, Ῥωμανὲ

σκηπτοκράτορ, οἱ μὲν κακῶς ἔπασχον ἐν ξένοις τόποις, εἰς καῦμα καὶ μάχαιραν ἀνθωπλισμένοι τὰς γὰρ φλογώδεις λαμπάδας βελῶν δίκην ἔπεμπε τοῖς σοῖς οἰκέταις ὁ φωσφόρος, αὐτὸς δὲ καῦμα καὶ ξίφος τὰς φροντίδας εἶχες δι' αὐτοὺς ἔνδον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ.ὡς οὖν τὸ πῦρ σε τῆς ἀγρυπνίας φλέγον ὠχρὰν ἐποίει τὴν ἔναστρόν σου θέαν, οὐκ εἶχον εἰπεῖν οἱ βλέποντες αἰτίαν πῶς σου τὸ φαιδρὸν εἰς στυγνὸν μετετράπη, ἕως στενάξας ἐμπόνως ἐξ ἐγκάτων φλογμοὺς ἀφῆκας τῶν κάτω πυρσευμάτων, λέγων τὸ πρᾶγμα πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις· ἔπληττε γάρ σε πατρικῶν στρατευμάτων πληθὺς σφαλεῖσα τοῖς ὁμοστόλοις πόνοις, ἀλλ' οὐ παρῆν σοι ψυχαγωγῶν οἰκέτης· πᾶσιν γὰρ ἦν ἄγνοια τῶν πεπραγμένων. θεὸς δὲ τὴν σὴν θλῖψιν εἰς εὐθυμίαν θᾶττον μετεσκεύασεν, ὃς παραυτίκα τὸν ἄγγελόν σοι δεικνύει νικηφόρον ἐκ τοῦ μάχαιραν δουλικῶς ἐζωσμένου. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν νοῦν τῶν γεγραμμένων ἔγνως ἐπιστολὴν γὰρ εἶχεν ἐσφραγισμένην, οὐ τὴν λύραν ἔκρουσας, ὡς ∆αβὶδ πάλαι, ἢ γλῶτταν ἐτράνωσας ἀντὶ τῆς λύρας· εὐθὺς δὲ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν μονοτρόπων φάλαγξ γὰρ αὕτη καὶ ξίφους χωρὶς τρέπει, κλίνει τὰ νῶτα καὶ καταστρέφει πόλεις, ταύτην κατ' ἐχθρῶν μυστικῶς ἐπεκρότεις καὶ παννύχους δέδωκας εὐχαριστίας, τῇ συστρατήγου προσδραμὼν κατοικίᾳ. Τοιαῦτα μὲν σὺ συμπονῶν τοῖς οἰκέταις· ἐπεὶ δὲ ποινῆς ἐξεπληρώθη στόμα ποινὴ γὰρ ἐχθροῖς τῆς σφαγῆς ἡ πικρία, τὴν τάφρον εἰδὼς ὁ στρατηγὸς τῆς μάχης κρημνοὺς ἔχουσαν καὶ φαραγγώδεις τόπους, βαλεῖν πέτρας ἔταξε καὶ γῆν καὶ ξύλον, ὁδοιπορῆσαι τὰς χελώνας εὐκόλως. ἐκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος εἶχε τῶν προσταγμάτων ἔργον τὸ λεχθέν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐναντίων νέφη παρεῖχον αἱ βολαὶ τεταγμέναι. Ἀὴρ λάλησον, μαρτύρει, μὴ διστάσῃς τοῦ σοῦ χιτῶνος τὴν ὑφανθεῖσαν κρόκην, ἐν ᾗ στολισθεὶς ἀντανέκλασας βλάβην, ἐκ τῶν ἀδήλων συμφορῶν ὑφασμένην, δι' ἧς ἔπιπτον τῶν ἐπάλξεων κάτω οἱ τὴν ὀφρῦν ἔχοντες ἅρπαγες κύνες.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ λοιπὸν ἡμερῶν ὀκτὼ μέχρι ὁ τῆς χαράδρας ὄμβρος οὐκ ἀνεστάλη, ἀλλ' εἶχε καιρὸν ἡ φαρέτρα καὶ βέλος, κριοὺς ἀφῆκε καὶ χελωνίους τέχνας καὶ πετροπόμπους σφενδόνας καὶ συνθέσεις δεινὰς κατ' αὐτῶν κλιμάκων εὐσυνδέτων. ὡς οὖν ἐκείνων τὰς νέας τιμωρίας οἱ καστρανοῖκται μὴ φέροντες ἠπόρουν, τάττει τὸν ὄχλον καὶ πάλιν ποινὰς πλέκει ὁ σοὶ ποθητὸς οἰκέτης Νικηφόρος· τῶν γὰρ πεσόντων δυσμενῶν ταῖς σφενδόναις ἔταξε πέμπειν τὰς κάρας βελῶν δίκην, ὡς ἂν τὸ λεπτόνημον αἰθέρος πλάτος χαρῇ μολυνθὲν συμφορᾷ τῶν βαρβάρων καὶ γνῷ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὅτι καὶ τῶν μελῶν ἔχουσιν εἰς ποινὴν θέσιν. ἔρριπτον ἔνδον