7

is roused, and every race and every age rises up, and each one with what weapons he could, others even without weapons, others with swords and spears. Others did not even have these, but tied the tables where they ate and the lids of the barrels with ropes, and carried them instead of shields. And some did not even come to the war with these, but fought boldly and bravely with stones only, as if they were heavily armed men with all sorts of weapons. And one another, and another another, and they fought bravely and courageously with each other, and they urged each other on to that most violent battle, saying "Yes, O friends, O brothers, O countrymen, let us fight today, let us be zealous, let us risk ourselves for ourselves and our wives and children and for the freedom of our race and our fatherland and of this great city, and what is more, for the true faith of the Christians. What then, if we do not die now? Shall we not die later? Let us make a virtue of necessity, let us run to the danger of the war as the martyrs to the stadium of the tyrants." As they said these things and urged one another on, they all hastened, and fought as if they were drunk and steeped in wine, and as if by a signal, at the same time from one end of the city to the other, with one voice and rush and shout they charged against the enemies, and as a most violent war broke out and the battle was most fierce for a considerable time, many from both sides were wounded and died.

20. And the fearlessness of the most manly and most noble Romans showed the Muslims to be cowardly and prone to flight. And as for those ascending with the siege engine upon the outer castle, they cut off their heads and brought them to the emperor, and the other Muslims who were trying to pierce the castle and the towers, they killed them inside the holes. And the other multitudes of the proud and arrogant Turks they wounded, they killed, they pursued, and they took their warlike and most martial equipment. And not only the soldiers and the experts in war did these things, but also the rulers of the state and the learned of the land and all the common people and the orders of priests and monks and the best of the hierarchs and the most holy of the holy spiritual men; and the people from the outer lands appeared bold and noble and despisers of blows and wounds and of death.

21. But also many women, changing to a man's courage at that most dreadful hour of the war, did not hide, nor did they show cowardice as women, but rather at the hour of the war they reached the outer castle, and some brought up stones to the wall for the Roman warriors, and they encouraged them, and urged them to the battle and the war; others held eggs and tow, and treated the wounded; others gave water and wine to drink to those burning with thirst from the war; others prevented their own brothers and children and spouses from coming down from the castle wall and ceasing from the war, but told them to fight the Turks fearlessly and unshakably and courageously. But also with attention and in ranks they walked about there. And they also campaigned with one another, one admonished the other, and said: "See that you do not approach the great castle, because the arrows of the Turks are striking there and in that part, but walk about near the part of the outer castle, so that you may be sheltered by it." However, some were also wounded by arrows. And not even this frightened the others into entering inside the castle of the city, but they too strove as much as they could in the battle until they should see the end of the war.

7

γείρεται, καὶ ἀνίσταται γένος ἅπαν καὶ ἡλικία πᾶσα, καὶ ἕκαστος μεθ' ὧν ἠδύνατο ὅπλων, ἕτεροι δὲ καὶ ἄνευ τῶν ὅπλων, ἄλλοι μετὰ ξιφῶν τε καὶ κονταρίων. Ἕτεροι δὲ οὐδὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν εὐποροῦσαν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ταύλας ὅπου ἐτρώγαν καὶ τὰ τυμπάνια τῶν βουτζίων ἔδησαν μὲ σχοινία, καὶ ἐβάσταζαν ἀντὶ σκουταρίων. Τινὲς δὲ οὐδὲ μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἦλθον, ἀλλὰ μὲ λίθους καὶ μόνον ἐμάχοντο τολμηρῶς καὶ ἀνδρείως, ὡς κατάφρακτοι μετὰ παντοίων τῶν ὅπλων. Καὶ ἕτερος ἔτερον, καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλον, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλων ἀλλήλοις ἀνδρείως καὶ θαρσαλέως ἠγωνίζοντο, καὶ ἐπαροτρύναντο πρὸς τὴν σφοδροτάτην μάχην ἐκείνην, λέγων «Ναὶ, ὦ φίλοι, ὦ ἀδελφοί, ὦ συμπατριῶται, ἀγωνισώμεθα σήμερον, σπουδάσωμεν, προκινδυνεύσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας τοῦ γένους καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως ταύτης, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον, τῆς ἀληθοῦς πίστεως τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Τί οὖν, ἐὰν μὴ νῦν ἀποθάνομεν; Οὐ τεθνηξόμεθα πλέον; Ποιήσωμεν τὴν ἀνάγκην φιλοτιμίαν, δράμωμεν πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον τοῦ πολέμου ὡς οἱ μάρτυρες πρὸς τὸ στάδιον τῶν τυράννων». Ταῦτα διαλεγομένων καὶ παροτρυνομένων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔσπευδον πάντες, καὶ ἠγωνίζοντο ὡς κεκραιπαληκοὶ καὶ βεβαπτισμένοι ἐξ οἴνου, καὶ ὡς ἐκ συνθήματος ἅμα ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἄκρου τῆς πόλεως ἄχρι καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἐν μιᾷ φωνῇ καὶ ὁρμῇ καὶ κραυγῇ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων εἰσβάλλουσι, καὶ σφοδροτάτου συρραγέντος πολέμου καὶ καρτερωτάτης τῆς μάχης ἐφ' ἱκανῆς τε τῆς ὥρας πολλοὶ ἐκ τῶν δύο μερῶν ἐλαβώθησαν καὶ ἀπέθανον.

20. Τὸ δὲ ἀκατάπληκτον τῶν ἀνδρικωτάτων καὶ γενναιοτάτων Ῥωμαίων δειλοὺς καὶ τρεπτοὺς τοὺς Μουσουλμάνους ἀπέδειξεν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀναβαίνοντας μετὰ τῆς φάλκας ἐπάνω τοῦ ἔξω κάστρου τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπέτεμον τούτων καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα ἔφερον, τοὺς δὲ Μουσουλμάνους τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ἐτρυποῦσαν τὸ κάστρον καὶ τοὺς πύργους, ἀπέκτειναν ἐντὸς εἰς τὰς τρύπας. Τὰ δὲ πλήθη τὰ ἄλλα τὰ γεγαυριωμένα καὶ ἐπηρμένα τῶν Τούρκων ἐλάβωσαν, ἐφόνευσαν, ἐδίωξαν, καὶ τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ μαχιμώτατα τούτων ἔργα ἐπήρασι. Καὶ μὴ μόνον οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ οἱ ἐπιστήμονες τοῦ πολέμου ἠργάζοντο ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς πολιτείας οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ τῆς χώρας οἱ ἐπιστήμονες καὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἅπαν καὶ τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν μοναχῶν τὰ συστήματα καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων οἱ κρείττονες καὶ πνευματικῶν τῶν ὁσίων οἱ ὁσιώτατοι· καὶ τῶν ἔξω χωρῶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τολμηροὶ καὶ γενναῖοι καὶ περιφρονηταὶ τῶν πληγῶν καὶ τραυμάτων καὶ τῶν θανάτων ἐφάνησαν.

21. Ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες πολλαὶ εἰς ἀνδρὸς θράσος μεταλλαττόμεναι ἐπὶ τοῦ πολέμου τὴν ὥραν τὴν φρικτοτάτην ἐκείνην οὐκ ἀπεκρύβησαν, οὐδὲ ὡς γυναῖκες ἐδειλίασαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον τοῦ πολέμου τὴν ὥραν εἰς τὸ ἔξω κάστρον ἔφθασαν, καὶ αἱ μὲν πέτρας εἰς τὸ τεῖχος ἀνέβαζον πρὸς τοὺς πολεμιστὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ ηὐδρείωναν αὐτούς, καὶ ὠθοῦσαν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν μάχην καὶ τὸν πόλεμον· ἄλλαι δὲ ἐκρατοῦσαν ᾠὰ καὶ στουππιά, καὶ τοὺς λαβωμένους ἰάτρευον· ἄλλαι ὕδατα καὶ οἴνους ἐπότιζον αὐτοὺς φλεγομένους τῇ δίψῃ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου· ἄλλαι δὲ τοὺς γνησίους αὐτῶν ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς ὁμοζύγους κατεμπόδιζον μὴ καταβῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους τοῦ κάστρου καὶ τοῦ πολέμου σχολάσαι, ἀλλὰ ἀφόβως καὶ ἀκλονήτως καὶ θαρσαλέως πολεμίζειν τοῖς Τούρκοις ἔλεγον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ προσοχῆς καὶ στρατιᾶς ἐκεῖναι περιεπάτουν ἐκεῖσε. Ἐστρατεύοντο δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλας, μία τὴν ἄλλην ἐνουθέτει, καὶ ἔλεγεν· «Βλέπε μὴ πλησιάσῃς τὸ κάστρον τὸ μέγα, ὅτι τῶν Τούρκων αἱ σαγίτται κρόνουν ἐκεῖσε καὶ εἰς τὸ μέρος ἐκεῖνο, ἀλλὰ περιπατεῖτε πλησίον εἰς τὸ μέρος τοῦ ἔξω κάστρου, ἵνα σκέπεσθε ὑπὸ τούτου». Πλὴν ἐλαβώθησαν καί τινες μὲ σαγίττας. Καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τὰς ἄλλας ἐθρόησεν, ἵνα εἰσέλθουσιν ἐντὸς τοῦ κάστρου τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ ἐσπούδαξαν καὶ ἐκεῖναι τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν μάχην μέχρι τὸ πέρας ἴδωσι τοῦ πολέμου.