5

instead of stones, their heads, they often threw both their fathers and their brothers; and one dying in battle was a murderer through a father's slaughter; for he, being released from the prevailing carnal blindness and having learned what was advantageous, being eager to ally with the Christ-worshippers, was a punishing missile to the false-worshippers. As the city therefore had those bodies full of pollutions, those of the same blood by race cried out thus with the shout of the barbarians: Σεὴπφ ἐχειμὰτ ἰσχαρὸπ καὶ τὴν ῥάσαν σερμὴτ μιδήνη καὶ χάητ ἰπφησάνη. But the shout was in their ancestral custom, while the slaughter was devised by you, Cretans. Now, their commanding general was an old emir, pale, full of troubles, small, bald, formidable-minded, surpassing the old man from Pylos in honey-flowing words; but his words, even if they were straightforward, availed him nothing to attack your power. nevertheless he dared—for he was a general who nurtured himself on empty hopes, and he holds a council and calls the aged men of the same expedition at the time to a conference. Seated there and groaning from the depths, he uttered a voice mingled with pains: Which of you, men, has a fire burning in his heart, blazing as the phalanx of Rome, which is confounding my toparchy, burns me? Whose children have received the ultimate harm from the sharpened sword? Whose field is being devoured by the attacking, searing fire, the bitter punishment? Let that man now advise us, giving the best opinion in place of strength. But, if it seems good, let us station twenty-one fifty-man units of horsemen against the missile-throwers; then thirty thousand six-man units of foot-soldiers, all iron-clad, dark-skinned in appearance, so that they might strike terror into the enemy, appearing to them from the gates beyond expectation. Thus he who before was arrogantly outstretched was now, in his public speech, unhappily constrained. And so, having marshaled his army and formed them all into a phalanx, the dragon gathered snakes from their holes; but knowing them all to be walking together on the paths of cowardice or choosing slaughter, standing, he urged on the wicked underlings: Let us hasten to the delight, horsemen, of the ten-thousand-sworded battle that has now appeared. Let us go to the sword in place of our children, for the sake of our wives and friends and fatherland. Let no one fear the cuts of the swords; for if one dies, he is saved immediately and goes on living and receives a dwelling place where the prophet is known to say torrents of milk, of honey, of wine flow. But if, being afraid, he does not die for his children, and runs past the words of the prophet, he will be put to death by us and, having passed from the darkness, he will receive an unforeseen punishment. Thus exhorting and urging them to battle, he prepared the way for the slaughter of those who were worthy of it.

But the commanding general Nicephorus had no time to be ignorant of the deceiver's schemes, which he was weaving as long-drawn-out trickery; for there was someone revealing his ways to him from among those lawlessly shut up within. Thus he joined together in one the commanders, the upright horsemen, the phalanx-savers, the masters of foot-archers, along with the generals; and standing in their midst, well-equipped as a knight, he uttered most warlike words: Sinews of Rome, children, fellow-servants, friends, behold, against us again the beast has begun to engender plots from within; behold, the terrible mouth of Charybdis rages to suck up the power of Rome; behold, the dragon amidst its den breathes out hissings, heralds of wrath and slaughter; it puffs out its venom and does violence to nature; but its boldness is cowardice. Let no one in fear flee backwards; for its anger extends only to making noise. Let us go, therefore, strongly armed; the children of Hagar also have flesh. Their flesh is not iron or stone; they feel pain, if they receive it, more than the Romans, they are helpless, if their hands are cut off, they fall to the ground, if their feet are cut off. Let no one be sick with bitter unmanliness, let no one in fear fail to appear a branch of Rome, let no one be eager to show himself in troubles a bastard offspring and a foreign seed. Shame, brothers, is the penalty for flight; be ashamed to flee and to be terrified of swords. For where will salvation be found for those who flee, while they remain within the boundaries of the Cretans? not

5

ἀντὶ πετρῶν τὰς κάρας, ἔβαλλον αὐτῶν πολλάκις καὶ πατέρας καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς· καὶ θανὼν εἷς ἐν μάχῃ φονεὺς ὑπῆρχε πατρικῇ φονουργίᾳ· τῆς γὰρ κρατούσης σαρκικῆς ἀβλεψίας λυθεὶς ἐκεῖνος καὶ μαθὼν τὸ συμφέρον, τοῖς χριστολάτραις συμμαχεῖν ἠπειγμένος, τοῖς ψευδολάτραις ἦν βολὴ ποινηφόρος. Ὡς οὖν ἐκείνας εἶχε τὰς σάρκας πόλις πλήρεις μολυσμῶν, οἱ ξύναιμοι τῷ γένει ἔκραζον οὕτω τῇ βοῇ τῶν βαρβάρων· Σεὴπφ ἐχειμὰτ ἰσχαρὸπ καὶ τὴν ῥάσαν σερμὴτ μιδήνη καὶ χάητ ἰπφησάνη. ἀλλ' ἡ βοὴ μὲν ἦν ἔθει τῷ πατρίῳ, ἡ δὲ σφαγὴ σοὶ Κρητικοῖς εὑρημένη. ἦν οὖν ἐκείνων ὁ κρατῶν στρατηγίας γέρων ἀμηρᾶς ὠχρός, ἔμπλεως πόνων, μικρός, φαλακρός, δεινόφρων, τὸν ἐκ Πύλου γέροντα νικῶν ἐν μελιρρύτοις λόγοις· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὠφέλησαν οἱ λόγοι, κἂν ἦσαν εὐθεῖς, προσβαλεῖν σου τῷ κράτει. ὅμως ἐτόλμακαὶ γὰρ ἦν στρατηγέτης τρέφων ἑαυτὸν ἐν κεναῖς ταῖς ἐλπίσι, βουλὴν δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ καλεῖ τοὺς ἐν χρόνῳ ὁμοστόλους γέροντας ἐν συνεδρίῳ. Ἐκεῖ καθεσθεὶς καὶ στενάξας ἐκ βάθους, φωνὴν ἀφῆκε τοῖς πόνοις μεμιγμένην· Τίς, ἄνδρες, ὑμῶν πῦρ ἔχει τῇ καρδίᾳ καῖον, φλογίζον ὡς ἐμὲ φλέγει φάλαγξ Ῥώμης κλονοῦσα τὴν ἐμὴν τοπαρχίαν; τίνος τὰ τέκνα τὴν τελευταίαν βλάβην ἐκ τῆς σπάθης εἴληφε τῆς τεθηγμένης; τίνος τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκβιβρώσκεται ζέον τὸ πῦρ ἐπελθόν, ἡ πικρὰ τιμωρία; ἐκεῖνος ἡμῖν ἄρτι συμβουλευέτω, γνώμην διδοὺς ἄριστον ἀντὶ τοῦ σθένους. ἀλλ', εἰ δοκεῖ, στήσωμεν ἄνδρας ἱππότας τρὶς ἑπτὰ τοῖς βάλλουσι πεντηκοντάδας· ἔπειτα πεζῶν ἑξάδας τρισμυρίους, πάντας σιδηροῦς, εἰς θέαν μελαγχρόους, ὡς ἂν καταπλήξωσι τοὺς ἐναντίους, φανέντες αὐτοῖς τῶν πυλῶν παρ' ἐλπίδα. Οὕτως ὁ τὸ πρὶν αὐθαδῶς ἡπλωμένος δημηγορῶν ἦν δυστυχῶς ἐσφιγμένος. καὶ δὴ στρατεύσας καὶ φαλαγγώσας ὅλους, ἐκ τῶν ὀπῶν ἤθροιζεν ὁ δράκων ὄφεις· εἰδὼς δὲ πάντας εἰς ὁδοὺς δειλανδρίας ὁμοῦ βαδίζειν ἢ σφαγῆς αἱρουμένους, σταθεὶς παρώρμα τοὺς κακοὺς παρεργάτας· Ἐν τῇ τρυφῇ σπεύσωμεν, ἄνδρες ἱππόται, τῆς νῦν φανείσης μυριοξίφου μάχης. ἴωμεν εἰς μάχαιραν ἀντὶ τῶν τέκνων, ὑπὲρ γυναικῶν καὶ φίλων καὶ πατρίδος. μηδεὶς φοβείσθω τὰς τομὰς τῶν φασγάνων· εἰ γὰρ θάνῃ τις, σώζεται παραυτίκα καὶ ζῶν πορευθῇ καὶ λάβῃ κατοικίαν, ὅπου προφήτης οἶδε χειμάρρους λέγειν γάλακτος, ἐκ μέλιτος, ἐξ οἴνου ῥέειν. εἰ δ' αὖ δεδοικὼς οὐχ ὑπὲρ τέκνων θάνῃ, τοῦ δὲ προφήτου τοὺς λόγους παραδράμῃ, θνήξει παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ μεταστὰς τοῦ σκότους τὴν ἀπρόοπτον δέξεται τιμωρίαν. οὕτω παραινῶν καὶ παρορμῶν εἰς μάχην, προωδοποίει τὴν σφαγὴν τοῖς ἀξίοις.

Ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς ὁ κρατῶν Νικηφόρος οὐκ εἶχε καιρὸν ἀγνοεῖν τὰς τοῦ πλάνου, ἅσπερ παρέλκων ἔπλεκε στροφουργίας· ἦν γάρ τις αὐτῷ τὰς ὁδοὺς προμηνύων ἐκ τῶν ἀκόσμως ἔνδον ἐγκεκλεισμένων. οὕτω στρατάρχας ἄνδρας, εὐθεῖς ἱππότας, φαλαγγοσώστας, πεζοτοξοτοκράτας, εἰς ἓν συνῆψε τοῖς στρατηγέταις ἅμα· μέσον δὲ τούτων εὐσταλὴς ὡς ἱππότης σταθεὶς ἀφῆκεν ὁπλικωτάτους λόγους· Ῥώμης τὰ νεῦρα, τέκνα, σύνδουλοι, φίλοι, ἰδοὺ καθ' ἡμῶν καὶ πάλιν τὸ θηρίον γεννᾶν ἔσωθεν ἤρξατο σκευωρίας· ἰδοὺ τὸ δεινὸν τῆς Χαρύβδεως στόμα ἀναρροφῆσαι μαίνεται Ῥώμης κράτος· ἰδοὺ συριγμοὺς ὁ δράκων χειᾶς μέσον κήρυκας ὀργῆς καὶ σφαγῆς ἀναπνέει· φυσᾷ τὸν ἰὸν καὶ βιάζει τὴν φύσιν· ἀλλ' ἔστιν αὐτοῦ τὸ θράσος δειλανδρία. μηδεὶς φοβηθεὶς ἐξόπισθεν φευγέτω· θυμὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ μέχρι τῶν κτύπων μόνων. ἴωμεν ἀνθ' ὧν εὐσθενῶς ὡπλισμένοι· ἔχουσι σάρκας καὶ τὰ τῆς Ἄγαρ τέκνα. οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς σὰρξ σίδηρος ἢ λίθος· ἀλγοῦσιν, ἂν λάβωσι, Ῥωμαίων πλέον, ἀργοῦσιν, αὐτῶν εἰ κοπῶσιν αἱ χέρες, πίπτουσιν εἰς γῆν, εἰ κοπῶσιν οἱ πόδες. μηδεὶς νοσήσῃ τὴν πικρὰν ἀνανδρίαν, μηδεὶς φοβηθεὶς οὐ φανῇ Ῥώμης κλάδος, μηδεὶς νόθον γέννημα καὶ σπορὰν ξένην δείξειν ἑαυτὸν ἐν κακοῖς σπουδαζέτω. αἰδώς, ἀδελφοί, τῆς φυγῆς ἡ ζημία· αἰδεῖσθε φεύγειν καὶ πτοεῖσθαι τὰ ξίφη. ποῦ γὰρ φυγοῦσιν εὑρεθῇ σωτηρία, μένουσιν ἔνδον Κρητικῶν ὁρισμάτων; οὐκ