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having assigned a certain part of the city for fighting, he himself pitches his own tents opposite the acropolis, so that he might be able to see everyone well from a high place and the whole city within. But we, having seen these things and being eager to fight exceedingly for our salvation (for it was not otherwise likely), with what weapons we had, each of us ran to the wall, striving to surpass one another in speed and as it were acting bravely against those outside, not knowing where the results of that haste would lead. When we went up, having agreed to spend the day and night there, the rulers of the city also divided us, stationing Latins and Romans and those who practice brigandage mixed together (for they could not trust us completely), and they threatened death to those who would consider treachery, having appointed the Tzetarioi, as the common tongue called them, [These were a company of brigands gathered from various places,] as guards for this purpose.

8 When, therefore, we were all engaged in fighting and acting bravely against the attackers, Murad appeared again doing something else contrary to our expectation. For we all supposed, having seen so great a heavy army and so many siege engines, which the multitude of camels and wagons were bringing in daily, that he would not delay and would immediately charge madly against the wall, commanding it to be struck by the man-made thunder of stone, and to prevent those above from standing on the walls by means of the missiles being shot and to use every device to capture the city. But he showed none of these things, but having rested for a short time and looked around the city, he sent out heralds again, promising us freedom and other honors, confirming these things with their own oaths, if we, persuaded by his words, would surrender the city; and again he added the opposite of these things and more grievous, if we should not be persuaded in this. [But here I will briefly ask the accusers of so-and-so and so-and-so. Where were you, when Murad promised such things? Were you not in the city and hearers of the things being proclaimed? Why then did you not use your reason? How did you not bring to completion what you intended? How is it that what you accuse others of not having done, you did not do when opportunity called and there were none to hinder? For then there was no shepherd (for it had been six months since he had departed from men), nor curses nor the other things you recount. What then was hindering you? Or whose work is it, all that has happened? No one's, anyone would say reasoning piously, or rather, of the sin of each of us which moved the Unwrathful to wrath against us, to bring upon us discipline as we were stumbling incorrigibly, that at least coming to our senses we might be sober for the future. But if anyone, remembering former times, again contradicts us and brings the accusation against the shepherd for not thinking and counseling the same things as those willing to be betrayed, he possesses, I think, the reasonings of a madman. For in the first place, it is not for the station of a high priest to take part in matters of strategy and to tyrannically expel one from power and bring in another and to be shown as the cause of many troubles and murder and damages, of those things indeed that happen in the changes of rulers. For they do not seat him on a tyrannical throne, but on a priestly throne and of a gentle master who taught peace. And it is necessary to imitate him in every way and to follow him in words and in deeds. Then what is this, which he had done? That he went about abiding by the laws of God and advised not to betray piety? That he taught not to rise up against the rulers, but to cherish them as having been put forth by God? And what else was fitting for him who had been entrusted by God with the souls of men? Nevertheless he, even being thus, almost every year asked to leave the city and go to his native land, perhaps so that we for

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ὡρισμένῳ τῆς πόλεως μέρει πρὸς τὸ πολεμεῖν ἀποτάξας, αὐτὸς τὰς ἰδίας σκηνὰς ἀντικρὺ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως πήγνυσιν, ὡς ἂν πάντας ἐκ μετεώρου καλῶς ὁρᾶν ἔχοι καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἐντός. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῦθ' ἑορακότες καὶ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ὑπεραγωνίσασθαι προθυμούμενοι (καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ἦν ἄλλως εἰκὸς) μεθ' ὧν εἴχομεν ὅπλων ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐθέομεν ἕκαστος, ἄλλος ἄλλον παρελθεῖν τῷ τάχει φιλονεικοῦντες καὶ οἷον ἀνδριζόμενοι κατὰ τῶν ἐκτός, ἀγνοοῦντες ὅπῃ τὰ τῆς σπουδῆς ἐκείνης χωρήσει. Ὡς δ' ἀνέβημεν, διημερεύειν ἐκεῖσε καὶ διανυκτερεύειν συνθέμενοι καὶ διέκριναν ἡμᾶς οἱ κρατοῦντες τῆς πόλεως, Λατίνους καὶ Ῥωμαίους καὶ τοὺς τὴν λῃστείαν μετερχομένους ἀναμεὶξ στήσαντες (οὐ γὰρ πιστεύειν ἡμῖν καθαρῶς εἶχον) καὶ θάνατον τοῖς φρονήσουσι προδοσίαν ἠπείλησαν, τοὺς Τζεταρίους, ὡς ἡ κοινὴ φωνὴ τούτους ἐκάλει, [Λῃστῶν δ' ἦσαν οὗτοι σύνταγμα ἐκ διαφόρων τόπων συναθροισθέντες,] φύλακας εἰς τοῦτ' ἐπιστήσαντες.

8 Ὡς οὖν τοῦ πολεμεῖν γεγενήμεθα πάντες καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐπιόντων ἀνδρίζεσθαι, ἄλλο τι πάλιν παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐφάνη πράξας ὑπόνοιαν ὁ Μουράτης. Πάντες γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὑπενοοῦμεν, τοσοῦτον στρατὸν βαρὺν θεασάμενοι καὶ τοσαύτας τὰς ἑλεπόλεις, ἃς τὸ τῶν καμήλων πλῆθος καὶ τῶν ἁμαξῶν ἐπεκόμιζον καθ' ἑκάστην, ὡς οὐκ ἂν φθάσειε καὶ μανικῶς αὐτίκα κατὰ τοῦ τείχους ὁρμήσει, παίειν μὲν αὐτὸ προστάξας τῇ χειροποιήτῳ τοῦ λίθου βροντῇ, τοὺς δ' ἄνωθεν κωλύειν τῆς ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν στάσεως διὰ τῶν ἀφιεμένων βελῶν καὶ παντὶ μηχανήματι πρὸς τὸ κρατῆσαι κεχρῆσθαι τῆς πόλεως. Ὁ δὲ τούτων μὲν ἔδειξεν οὐδέν, μικρὸν δ' ἡσυχάσας καὶ τὴν πόλιν κύκλῳ περιβλεψάμενος, κήρυκας καὶ αὖθις ἐξέπεμψεν, ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῖν ὑπισχνούμενος καὶ φιλοτιμίας ἑτέρας, τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῖς ταυτὶ πιστούμενος ὅρκοις, εἰ τὴν πόλιν προοίμεθα τοῖς τούτου λόγοις πεισθέντες καὶ τἀναντία πάλιν αὐτῶν προσετίθει καὶ χαλεπώτερα τούτων, εἰ μὴ καταπειθεῖς ἐν τούτῳ γενοίμεθα. [Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μικρὸν ἐρήσομαι τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας τοῦ δεῖνος καὶ τῆς δεῖνος. Ποῦ ποθ' ὑμεῖς ἦτε, ὅθ' ὁ Μουράτης τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπέσχετο; Οὐκ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ αὐτήκοοι τῶν κηρυττομένων; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐχρήσασθε τῷ λογισμῷ; Πῶς, ἃ διενοεῖσθε, οὐκ εἰς πέρας ἠγάγετε; Πῶς, ἃ τῶν ἄλλων κατηγορεῖτε μὴ πεπραχότων, ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐπράξατε καιροῦ καλοῦντος καὶ τῶν ἀπειργόντων οὐκ ὄντων; Τότε γὰρ ποιμὴν οὐκ ἦν (μῆνας γὰρ εἶχεν ἓξ γενόμενος ἐξ ἀνθρώπων) οὐδὲ ἀραὶ οὐδ' ὅσ' ἕτερ' ἀπαριθμεῖτε. Τί λοιπὸν τὸ κωλῦσαν ὑμᾶς ἦν; Ἢ τίνος ἔργον, ὅσα συμβέβηκεν; Οὐδενός, πᾶς τις ἂν εἴποι λογιζόμενος εὐσεβῶς, ἢ τῆς ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίας ἑκάστου τὸν ἀόργητον εἰς ὀργὴν καθ' ἡμῶν κινησάσης, παιδείαν ἡμῖν ἐπενεγκεῖν πταίουσιν ἀδιόρθωτα, ἵνα γοῦν ἑαυτῶν γενόμενοι τοῦ λοιποῦ σωφρονήσωμεν. Εἰ δέ τις τῶν πρὶν ἀπομνημονεύων χρόνων καὶ πάλιν ἡμῖν ἀντιλέγει καὶ τῷ ποιμένι τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγει τοῖς προδεδόσθαι ἐθέλουσι μὴ τὰ ἴσα φρονήσαντι καὶ βουλευσαμένῳ, μεμηνότος, οἶμαι, κέκτηται λογισμούς. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐ τοῦ σχήματος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως στρατηγικῶν πραγμάτων ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ τὸν μὲν τυρρανικῶς ἐξωθεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς, τὸν δὲ ἀντεισάγειν καὶ πραγμάτων πολλῶν καὶ φόνου καὶ ζημιῶν, τούτων δὴ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐναλλαγαῖς τῶν ἀρχῶν συμβαινόντων, αἴτιον δείκνυσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ θρόνον αὐτὸν καθίζουσι τυραννικόν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ θρόνον ἱερατικὸν καὶ δεσπότου πραέος καὶ εἰρήνην διδάξαντος. Καὶ δεῖ τοῦτον ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου μιμεῖσθαι καὶ λόγοις ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ πράγμασιν. Ἔπειτα δὲ τί τοῦτο, ὅπερ εἴργαστο; Ὅτι τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμοις ἐμμένειν παρῄει καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν συνεβούλευε μὴ προέσθαι; Ὅτι μὴ κατεξανίστασθαι τῶν ἀρχόντων, ἀλλὰ τούτους ὡς ἐκ Θεοῦ προβληθέντας ἐδίδασκε στέργειν; Καὶ τί γε ἄλλο προσῆκεν ἐκείνῳ ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων πρὸς Θεοῦ πιστευθέντι; Ὅμως ἐκεῖνος καὶ οὕτως ἔχων, ἐφ' ἑκάστου σχεδὸν ἔτους ἠξίου τὴν πόλιν ἀπολιπεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην γενέσθαι, ἴσως ἵν' ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ