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but the impious held as certain and acknowledged, and for this reason they impiously reproached our God with these things.

13. When indeed the final day of the war of the Turks arrived, such as the great Mirsaites, their prophet, had prophesied among them, he said to the commander and lord of the Muslims: "Do not delay any longer, but quickly order the ranks to be armed, and having every most ingenious and warlike device ready, and with these things let there be an approach to the city as close as a bowshot to the fortress. And a signal," he said, "I command as follows. When you see me sitting upon a high horse and you see a drawn sword in my right hand and you hear my voice three times, with a shout and a cry and a rush and with clashing and instruments charge against the Romans. And automatically the walls of the city will fall, and you will enter inside unhindered and take it captive." And these nonsensical words Mirsaites spoke, addressing the Muslims and acknowledging them as certain, as having the prophecies from the books of Mohammed and Rasul Mahomet. And he said these things; but the commander and lord of the Turks, having fulfilled what was ordered and having ordered all the ranks to be armed, and carrying all the preparation for war in their hands, immediately the multitudes of the Muslims and all the armies fulfilled what was commanded, and with all sorts of weapons and the greatest preparations and the most ingenious devices they broke apart into ranks. And some brought ladders, and all sorts of ladders, small and large, others axes, and others mattocks, and others fire with torches, others stakes, others iron fighting weapons bearing scythes with long poles, which are called falxes, others strong and large shields, and all things with iron, and others woven shields, and others pavises, others iron hooks, and they carried in their hands every other warlike device. And all were fully armored with strong and iron panoply and very large helmets. And so great was the multitude of that army that it stretched from the one end of the city at the Golden Gate as far as the other end at the Xyloporta.

15. But the generals of the army drew up the divisions of the Turks in order near the fortress, as the false prophet had decreed. And they commanded those innumerable archers of the Turks all to shoot together upon the fortress and the battlements, so that they might wound and kill some of the Romans, and the others might be frightened and flee from the wall, and from this they might find an opportunity and the Muslims might climb up unopposed, and take the city. But the people of the Romans, seeing the warlike and martial devices of the Turks, and the fullness of the army with innumerable peoples, and the rush of the Tartars and the boldness of the Muslims, and the things done a little while before, that inside in the trenches the Turks killed Romans and others before the gates, became very cowardly, and most were considering flight. O that most bitter hour, O unbearable grief, O greatest despair.

16. Who did not shudder at that day? Who did not tremble at this hour seeing the Romans in such cowardice and the Muslims in such boldness? And who of the dauntless was not then dismayed and of the brave was not afraid, not of death, I do not say death, for it is natural, but of the capture of this great city and the captivity of the nation, the dishonoring of women, the shameful acts against the chaste, the circumcision of infants, the destruction of churches, the mockery of the holy icons, that the Wisdom of the most great God should be rendered a place of hymns for Mohammed and a dwelling-place of demons and a mosque of Rasul and Mohammed. But the worse and harmful and

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δὲ ὡς βέβαια καὶ ὁμολογούμενα οἱ ἀσεβεῖς εἴχασι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν ὀνείδιζον ἀσεβῶς ταῦτα.

13. Ὡς δὴ ἔφθασεν ἡ τελεία ἡμέρα τοῦ πολέμου τῶν Τούρκων, ὁποίαν παρ' ἐκείνοις ὁ μέγας προεθέσπισε Μηρσαΐτης ὁ προφήτης ἐκείνων, εἶπε πρὸς τὸν στρατάρχην καὶ δεσπότην τῶν Μουσουλμάνων· «Μὴ βράδυνε ἐπὶ πλέον, ἀλλὰ ταχέως τὰς τάξεις τάξον καθοπλισθῆναι, καὶ πᾶν μηχανικώτατον καὶ πολεμικώτατον ἔργον ἔχοντες ἐξ ἑτοίμου, καὶ σὺν τούτοις γενέσθω τῆς πόλεώς τε πλησίον ὅσον τόξου βολὴν εἰς τὸ κάστρον. Καὶ σύνθημα» εἶπε «προστάσσω τοιόνδε. Ὅταν ἐφ' ἵππου ὑψηλοῦ με καθήμενον θεωρήσητε καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῇ χειρί μου σπάθην γεγυμνωμένην θεάσητε καὶ τρὶς τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούσητε, μετὰ βοῆς καὶ κραυγῆς καὶ ὁρμῆς καὶ κρότων καὶ ὀργάνων κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων εἰσβάλετε. Καὶ αὐτο μάτως πεσοῦνται τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἀκωλύτως γένεσθε ἐντὸς καὶ ταύτην αἰχμαλωτίσατε». Καὶ ταύτας μὲν τὰς ληρολογίας ὁ Μηρσαΐτης ὡς βεβαίας ὁμολογῶν τοῖς Μουσουλμάνοις δημηγορῶν ἔλεγεν, ὡς ἔχων τὰς προφητείας ἐκ τοῦ Μωάμεθ καὶ Ῥασοὺλ Μαχουμέτη τὰς βίβλους. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν εἶπε ταῦτα· ὁ δὲ στρατάρχης καὶ δεσπότης τῶν Τούρκων τὸ κελευσθὲν ἐκπληρώσας καὶ προστάξας τὰς τάξεις ἁπάσας καθοπλισθῆναι, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν παρασκευὴν τοῦ πολέμου φέροντες ἀνὰ χεῖρας, εὐθὺς τὰ πλήθη τῶν Μουσουλμάνων καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα πάντα τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐκπληροῦσι, καὶ μὲ ὅπλα παντοῖα καὶ παρασκευὰς τὰς μεγίστας καὶ τὰ μηχανικώτατα ἔργα ἐσπάραξαν κατὰ τάξιν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν σκάλας ἔφερον, καὶ σκάλας παντοίας, μικρὰς καὶ μεγάλας, ἄλλοι δὲ τζόκους, καὶ ἕτεροι συστάς, καὶ ἄλλοι πῦρ μετὰ μαζαλάδων, ἕτεροι δὲ σκλώπους, ἄλλοι δὲ σιδηρᾶ μάχιμα ὅπλα δρεπανηφόρα μετὰ κονταρίων μακρέων τὰ ἐπονομαζόμενα φάλκας, ἕτεροι δὲ σκουτάρια στερεὰ καὶ μεγάλα, καὶ τὰ πάντα μετὰ σιδήρων, καὶ πλοκοτὰς δὲ ἄλλοι, καὶ παβέζια ἄλλοι, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀγγύρας σιδηρέας, καὶ ἄλλο πᾶν πολεμικὸν ἔργον ἔφερον ἀνὰ χεῖρας. Καὶ κατάφρακτοι πάντες μετὰ ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ σιδηρᾶς πανοπλίας καὶ περικεφαλαίας μεγίστους. Καὶ τοσοῦτον ὑπῆρχε τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐκείνης τὸ πλῆθος ὅτι ἀπὸ τὸ ἓν ἄκρον τῆς πόλεως τῆς Χρυσίας ἄχρι καὶ τὸ ἕτερον τὸ ἄκρον τῆς Ξυλοπόρτης ἐκράτει.

15. Οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ τοῦ φωσάτου τὰς συντάξεις τῶν Τούρκων ἔστησαν κατὰ τάξιν πλησίον τοῦ κάστρου, ὡς ἐθέσπισεν ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης. Τοὺς δὲ τοξότας ἐκείνους τοὺς ἀναριθμήτους τῶν Τούρκων ἐκέλευσαν πάντας ὁμοῦ τοξεύειν ἐπάνω τοῦ κάστρου καὶ τῶν προμαχιονίων, ὡς ἵνα λαβώσουν καὶ φονεύσουν τινὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ φοβηθῶσιν οἱ ἄλλοι καὶ φύγωσιν ἐκ τοῦ τείχους, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου ἄδειαν εὕρουν καὶ ἀναβῶσιν οἱ Μουσουλμάνοι ἐπάνω ἀνεμποδίστως, καὶ κρατήσουν τὴν πόλιν. Ὁ δὲ λαὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὁρῶν τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ μάχιμα ἔργα τῶν Τούρκων, καὶ τὴν πλησμονὴν τοῦ φωσάτου γενεῶν τῶν ἀπείρων, καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν Ταρτάρων καὶ τῶν Μουσουλμάνων τὴν τόλμην, καὶ τὰ πρὸ ὀλίγου πραχθέντα, ὅτι ἐντὸς εἰς τὰς σούδας ἀπέκτειναν οἱ Τοῦρκοι Ῥωμαίους καὶ ἄλλους ἔμπροσθεν εἰς τὰς πόρτας, ἐδειλίασαν μέγα, καὶ σχεδὸν πρὸς φυγὴν οἱ πλείονες ἐθεώρουν. Ὢ ὥρας τῆς πικροτάτης ἐκείνης, ὢ λύπης τῆς ἀφορήτου, ὢ ἀπελπισίας μεγίστης.

16. Τίς οὐκ ἔφριξε τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην; τίς οὐκ ἐτρόμαξε τὴν ὥραν ταύτην ὁρῶν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἰς τοσαύτην δειλίαν καὶ τοὺς Μουσουλμάνους εἰς θράσος τοσοῦτον; Καὶ τίς τῶν ἀκαταπλήκτων τότε οὐ κατεπλήγη καὶ τῶν ἀνδρείων οὐκ ἐφοβήθη, οὐχὶ τὸν θάνατον, οὐχὶ τὸν θάνατον λέγω, φυσικὸς γὰρ ὑπάρχει, ἀλλὰ τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως ταύτης τὴν ἅλωσιν καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλω σίαν τοῦ γένους, τῶν γυναικῶν τὰς ἀτιμίας, τῶν σωφρόνων τὰς αἰσχρουργίας, τὴν περιτομὴν τῶν βρεφῶν, τῶν ναῶν τὴν ἀπώλειαν, τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων τοὺς ἐμπαιγμούς, τοῦ μεγίστου Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν ὑμνητήριον τοῦ Μωάμεθ καὶ κατοικητήριον τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ μασγήδιον ἀποκαταστῆσαι τοῦ Ῥασοὺλ καὶ Μωάμεθ. Τὸ δὲ χεῖρον καὶ βλαβερὸν καὶ