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they were contriving to pull down the walls with all kinds of machines, having skillfully constructed every helepolis and every engine for this purpose; while others were courageously eager to ascend by the ladders. And everything was effective for them; for at the very first assault of the war, they rendered almost everyone on that part of the Trigonium half-dead by means of their arrows, sent into the air like snowflakes; and that part was immediately empty, there being no others to stand guard and repel the enemy's attack. [But we, being few and not even all on the walls, for the reason we stated a little before, were roused even beyond our strength, but our efforts were nothing against them. And the multitude used not only arrows, but also the so-called apparatus; and this was some small device for shattering the wooden screens on the battlements and for making it impossible for anyone to stand on the part where it was sent.] And the general of the West also rode on horseback, going through the eastern part of the city, fully armed, stirring everyone up with his words and anointing them for courage and promising rewards besides. And not only this, but in order to make them even more eager and, as it were, drive them mad against our salvation, he ordered some silk garments to be brought into their midst and set them forth as a reward for those who were digging under the wall and for those able to bring him a stone from it, shouting loudly, that whenever anyone should do this, he would have his requital. But also for the one who was first able to scale the wall, many gifts and countless promises were set forth. Wherefore you would have seen among them a thing worthy of all wonder; for, forgetting that they were clothed in a body that was in no way able to withstand a fatal blow and had death accompanying it, they advanced toward the wall like some wild beasts, coming so close as to cast down not a few of the wooden screens with stones. So some did thus; while others, getting under the wall where they found it weaker, dug eagerly and cast it down. And we, because of the continuous volley of arrows, were not able to throw either stones or anything else effectively against them; for so great was the continuity of these, that no one could put his hand out from the battlements to throw a stone. And we were all able to do only this much: to send stones from hiding against those coming over the wall, so that we might prevent them from ascending by the ladders. And no one would have judged our action to be an act of war; for what harm could a stone bring, thrown without aim from a numb hand, when the one throwing it could not see at whom or where he was throwing it? In this way, therefore, with the enemy showing themselves strong in every respect, and in no way neglecting the war, and with all of us being in great turmoil and fear, and with some supposing that Mourates would cease from fighting, while others were expecting our destruction and insisting that it could not happen otherwise than that the city would be captured, so therefore, with matters in this state and with there being great confusion among us, with some perhaps occupied in fighting, others being completely benumbed, others dying from the wounds from the arrows, and some even fleeing from the walls, no longer able to remain there because of fear, thus the third hour of the fourth day passed, and the city, alas, was captured by the enemy in this manner.]

13 [Since they had brought the ladders to many sections and in some they were not able to bring them near the wall, as those above were pushing them away, until fear benumbed them, while in others, having placed them and ascended some rungs, they were not strong enough to complete the attempt, since some were found in those parts who possessed courage beyond the others and who had cast them down along with the ladders with hand-stones, and had deprived many of their lives, as, therefore, these things happened thus and they were full of anger (for they thought they would incur no little shame if they appeared defeated),

8

τείχεσι παντοίαις αὐτὰ μηχαναῖς κατασπᾶν διεμηχανῶντο, πᾶσαν ἑλέπολιν τεκτήναντες εὐφυῶς καὶ ἅπαν πρὸς τοῦτο μηχάνημα· ἕτεροι δὲ ταῖς κλίμαξιν ἀνιέναι προὐθυμοῦντο γενναίως. Καὶ πάντ' ἦσαν αὐτοῖς ἐνεργά· τῇ πρώτῃ γὰρ ἅμα προσβολῇ τοῦ πολέμου τοὺς ἐπ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος τοῦ Τριγωνίου σχεδὸν ἅπαντας ἡμιθνῆτας κατέστησαν διὰ τῶν βελῶν, δίκην νιφάδων πεμπομένων εἰς τὸν ἀέρα· καὶ κενὸν εὐθὺς ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος, οὐκ ὄντων ἑτέρων εἰς φυλακὴν ἐπιστῆναι καὶ τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον ἀποκρούσασθαι. [Ἡμεῖς δ' ὀλίγοι καὶ μηδὲ πάντες ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ὀλίγον πρότερον ἐδηλώσαμεν, διηγειρόμεθα μὲν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμιν, οὐδὲν δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα πρὸς ἐκείνους. Οὐ βέλεσι δὲ μόνον ἐχρῶντο τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ καλουμένῃ σκευῇ· μικρὰ δέ τις ἦν αὕτη πρὸς συντριβὴν τῶν ἐπὶ τὰς ἐπάλξεις ξυλίνων διαφραγμάτων καὶ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι στῆναί τινας ἐφ' ὅπερ ἐπέμπετο μέρος.] Ἔθεε δὲ καὶ ὁ τῆς ∆ύσεως στρατηγὸς ἔφιππος τὸ κατ' ἀνατολὰς διερχόμενος τῆς πόλεως μέρος, ὅπλοις κατάφρακτος, λόγοις πάντας διερεθίζων καὶ πρὸς εὐψυχίαν ἀλείφων καὶ ἀμοιβῶν προσεπαγγελλόμενος. Καὶ μὴ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἔτι καὶ προθυμοτέρους ἐργάσηται καὶ οἷον κατὰ τῆς ἡμῶν σωτηρίας ἐκμήνῃ, σηρικά́ τινα προσέταξεν ἱμάτια κατὰ μέσον ἀχθῆναι καὶ μισθὸν αὐτὰ προὔθηκε τοῖς ὑπορύττουσί τε τὸ τεῖχος καὶ λίθον ἐκ τούτου τοῖς δυνησομένοις ἐκείνῳ κομίσαι, μέγα βοῶν, ὁσάκις ἄν τις τοῦτο ποιήσει, καὶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν ἔχειν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πρώτως ἀνελθεῖν τὸ τεῖχος δυνησομένῳ πολλαί τινες προὔκειντο δωρεαὶ καὶ ὑποσχέσεις μυρίαι. Τῷ τοι καὶ εἶδες ἂν ἐν ἐκείνοις πρᾶγμα παντὸς ἄξιον θαύματος· ἐπιλαθόμενοι γὰρ ὅτι σῶμα περίκεινται πρὸς καιρίαν πληγὴν ἀντισχεῖν δυνάμενον οὐδαμῶς καὶ θάνατον ἔχον αὐτῷ συνεπόμενον, ὥσπερ τινες ἄγριοι θῆρες ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐχώρουν, τοσοῦτον ἐγγίσαντες, ὡς καὶ λίθοις τῶν ξυλίνων διαφραγμάτων καταβαλεῖν οὐκ ὀλίγα. Οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτως· οἱ δὲ τὸ τεῖχος ὑποδύντες, ᾗ σαθρότερον εὕρισκον, κατώρυττον ἐν σπουδῇ καὶ κατέρριπτον. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ τῶν βελῶν συνεχείᾳ κατ' αὐτῶν οὔτε λίθους οὔτ' ἄλλο τι δυνατῶς εἴχομεν ἀφιέναι· τοσαύτη γὰρ ἦν ἡ συνέχεια τούτων, ὡς οὐδὲ τὴν χεῖρά τις εἶχε τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἐκβαλεῖν πρὸς ἄφεσιν λίθου. Τοσοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐδυνάμεθα πάντες, πέμπειν λίθους ἐξ ἀφανοῦς κατὰ τῶν ὑπερχομένων τὸ τεῖχος, ὡς ἂν τῆς διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων ἀνόδου τούτους κωλύωμεν. Καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις τὸ παρ' ἡμῶν ἔκρινεν ἔργον πολέμου· τίνα γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἐπήγαγε βλάβην λίθος ἄνευ σκοποῦ ἀφιέμενος ἐκ χειρὸς ναρκώσης, τοῦ πέμποντος οὐχ ὁρᾶν δυναμένου πρὸς τίνα καὶ πῇ τοῦτον ἀφίησι; Ταύτῃ τοι οὖν τῶν πολεμίων διὰ πάντων ἰσχυρῶν δεικνυμένων, τοῦ πολέμου τε μηδαμῶς ἀμελούντων καὶ πάντων ἡμῶν ἐν ταράχῳ πολλῷ καὶ φόβῳ καθεστηκότων καὶ τῶν μὲν παύσασθαι τοῦ πολεμεῖν τὸν Μουράτην ὑπονοούντων, τῶν δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπώλειαν προσδοκώντων καὶ διατεινομένων μὴ ἂν ἄλλως γενέσθαι ἢ τὴν πόλιν ἁλῶναι, οὕτως οὖν τῶν πραγμάτων διακειμένων καὶ πολλῆς ἐν ἡμῖν συγχύσεως οὔσης, τῶν μὲν πρὸς τὸ πολεμεῖν ἴσως ἀσχολουμένων, τῶν δὲ καταναρκωθέντων καθάπαξ, ἑτέρων δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν βελῶν τραύμασιν ἐναποθανόντων, ἐνίων δὲ καὶ φευγόντων ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν, μηκέτι μένειν ἐκεῖσε δυναμένων ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους, οὕτω τῆς τετάρτης ἡ τρίτη παρελήλυθεν ὥρα, καὶ ἡ πόλις φεῦ παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων τοῦτον ἑάλω τὸν τρόπον.]

13 [Ὡς εἰς πολλὰ τὰς κλίμακας ἦσαν κομίσαντες μέρη καὶ πῇ μὲν ἐγγίσαι τῷ τείχει ταύτας οὐκ ἔσχον, ἀπωθούντων τῶν ἄνω, μέχρις οὗ κατενάρκωσε τούτους ὁ φόβος, πῇ δὲ θέντες καί τινας ἀναβεβηκότες βαθμίδας οὐκ ἴσχυσαν τὸ ἐγχείρημα συμπερᾶναι, τινῶν εὐψυχίαν ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους κτωμένων ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς μέρεσιν εὑρεθέντων καὶ λίθοις χερμάσι καταβεβληκότων ἅμα ταῖς κλίμαξι τούτους, καὶ πολλοὺς τὸ ζῆν ἐζημιωκότων, ὡς οὖν οὕτω ταῦτα γένοιτο καὶ πλήρεις ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι θυμοῦ (μὴ οὐκ ὀλίγην ἡγοῦντο γὰρ ὀφλήσειν αἰσχύνην ἡττημένοι φανέντες),