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the sea itself a benefactor and the hulls of the ships. For there was not strength to fight both night and the barbarians and to slaughter them again, unless he himself—a wonder and this a strange tale, a zealous horseman standing for all, from unseen cavalry it seemed, you were both exhorter and sole terror and you urged more quickly from flight to battle those who were terrified by the hidden battle. So as they turned to unexpected violence, they simply drew sharpened swords, a shield rang, the helmet clattered, the night shone, suffering with you then, and every Cretan auxiliary lay in blood, dead and deprived of breath. No longer did night have cause for darkness in so great a disaster of the sons of Hagar; it vied with the days before and extended the slaughter for more than ten days. But the barbarians, although they were from darkness, blamed the darkness of the evening and prayed for the rosy-hued day to come; then, when the morning star had just whitened the breadths of the earth with its rays, they were ungrateful for the ways of the evening and looked upon the longed-for day, which they had, as a hateful, raging enemy. As the survivors drove out those who had been badly wounded from behind in their flight, the earth took a new robe from the bodies, woven from sharpened swords; there the horsemen then cried out to the horse as a god before falling, those who had fallen cried to the one who had wounded them strongly not to strike again. So those who fled this bitter battle I say were not up to four or even ten; so great was their final fortune, from which the Cretans fared badly then. Who is Idomeneus, the bold orator, the co-general with the general of Hellas, whom the son of Atreus long ago roused to battle, reproaching his threats? Having passed away before, he was fortunate in life, so as not to see the capture of his fatherland. And when the first Charon, the emir of Crete, saw them routed, shut up within—for he was watching from the towers above—he allows the people to seize the gates, and having struck his face with his hands, the dragon, he sent forth a smoke of misfortunes from his heart; for you ignited a fire in his entrails, O Lord, having let loose your generals as sparks against him. Let every city of the Romans rejoice, let the sea dance together, let creation be glad; the terrible beast, that before ate flesh, is deprived of common food, being shut up, he who was not sated by rivers of blood, thirsts, wasted, for a drop of water. So fare badly those who by a wicked deed have thrust the thrice-radiant power of the Godhead from their own hearts. So as he was shut up within, trusting in the wall, not in the strength of his armies, your general, and again Nikephoros, commands the rams, tortoises, and slings to strike the wall, the bases of the battlements, to do all things with zeal against the wall, to accomplish and to act against the enemies. As he spoke like a nightingale, the measure of the five senses failed; for from his eyes flowed a stream of tears, from his sense of smell fire, a sound from his ears, and his mouth sent forth streams of words and his hand gushed with rivers of much blood, suffering from the hurling of javelins. Thus he, so that he might appear your servant, was struck with the boiling desire of his heart, but he had time standing in the way of his actions, striking him in place of countless toils. So he was walking, he was running up and down, weeping, exhorting and urging on the army; for he also respected the labors of your might † lest through him hesitation might be formed in vain among the lawless Cretans, not being overlooked. † But the general of the slingers, O Lord, does something worthy of laughter and more; for having placed a sluggish donkey in a sling, he orders them to hurl the donkey alive at the donkeys. And they, standing by the plaiting of the bands, send the wretched one running through the air. And he was getting ready, unfolding his feet, a rustic donkey, he was advancing into the air. He who was formerly lowly is on a lofty path, the sluggish and tortoise-footed donkey on the ground, running on the clouds was striking the Cretans then. Xerxes showed the earth as water, formerly new, and astounded all his enemies, but your fleet, O greatest Romanus, the sluggish

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εὐεργέτιν θάλασσαν αὐτὴν καὶ τὰ τῶν πλοίων σκάφη. οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ἰσχὺς νυκτὶ καὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἄμφω μάχεσθαι καὶ κατασφάττειν πάλιν, εἰ μήπερ αὐτόςθαῦμα καὶ τοῦτο ξένον ἄκουσμα, θερμὸς πᾶσιν ἑστὼς ἱππότης ἐκ τῶν ἀδήλων, ὡς δοκεῖν, ἱππασμάτων, παραινέτης ᾖς καὶ κατάπληξις μόνος καὶ θᾶττον ὥρμας ἐκ φυγῆς πρὸς τὴν μάχην τοὺς ἐκπλαγέντας τῇ κεκρυμμένῃ μάχῃ. Ὡς οὖν στραφέντες εἰς ἀνελπίστους βίας ἔτεινον ἁπλῶς ἠκονημένα ξίφη, ἤχησεν ἀσπίς, ἐκρότησε τὸ κράνος, ἔλαμψεν ἡ νὺξ συμπονοῦσά σοι τότε καὶ πᾶς ἔκειτο Κρητικὸς παρεργάτης εἰς αἷμα νεκρὸς καὶ πνοῆς ἐξηρμένος. οὐκ εἶχε λοιπὸν νὺξ ἀφορμὴν τὸ σκότος ἐν τῇ τοσαύτῃ συμφορᾷ τῶν τῆς Ἄγαρ· ἤριζε ταῖς πρὶν ἡμέραις καὶ τοὺς φόνους πλεῖον προεξέτεινεν ἡμερῶν δέκα. οἱ βάρβαροι δέ, καίπερ ὄντες ἐκ σκότους, κατῃτιῶντο τῷ σκότει τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ τὴν ῥοδόχρουν εἰς προσευχὴν ἡμέραν ἔστησαν ἐλθεῖν· εἶτα καὶ τοῦ φωσφόρου ἀκτῖσι λευκάναντος ἄρτι γῆς πλάτη, ἀπηυχαρίστουν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ τὴν ποθητήν, ἥνπερ εἶχον, ἡμέραν ἐχθρὸν βδελυκτὸν ἔβλεπον μεμηνότα. Ὡς τοὺς κακῶς τρωθέντας ἐξοπισθίως φεύγοντες ἐξήλαυνον οἱ λελειμμένοι, καὶ γῆ στολὴν εἴληφεν ἐκ τῶν σωμάτων, καινήν, ὑφαντήν, ἐκ ξιφῶν τεθηγμένων· ἐκεῖ τὸν ἵππον ἱππόται θεὸν τότε πρὸ τοῦ πεσεῖν ἔκραζον, οἱ πεπτωκότες τὸν εὐσθενῶς τρώσαντα μὴ βαλεῖν ἔτι. τοὺς οὖν φυγόντας τὴν πικρὰν ταύτην μάχην οὐ μέχρι φημὶ τεττάρων ἢ καὶ δέκα· τοσοῦτον ἦσαν τῆς τελευταίας τύχης, ἐξ ὧν κακῶς ἔπραττον οἱ Κρῆτες τότε. Τίς Ἰδομενεὺς ὁ θρασὺς δημηγόρος, ὁ συστρατηγῶν Ἑλλάδος στρατηγέτῃ, ᾧ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἐξονειδίζων πάλαι πρὸς τὴν μάχην ἤγειρεν Ἀτρέως γόνος; φθάσας παρελθεῖν εὐτυχὴς ἦν τὸν βίον, ὡς τὴν ἅλωσιν οὐκ ἰδὼν τῆς πατρίδος. Ὡς δὲ τραπέντας εἶδεν ὁ πρῶτος Χάρων, Κρήτης ἀμηρᾶς, ἔνδοθεν πεφραγμένος ἐκ τῶν ἄνω γὰρ ἔβλεπεν πυργωμάτων, λαοῖς κατασχεῖν τὰς πύλας ἐπιτρέπει, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον χερσὶ τύψας, ὁ δράκων, ἀφῆκε καπνὸν συμφορῶν ἐκ καρδίας· ἧψας γὰρ αὐτοῦ πῦρ, ἄναξ, τοῖς ἐγκάτοις σπινθῆρας αὐτῷ σοὺς ἀφεὶς στρατηγέτας. Ἀγαλλιάσθω πᾶσα Ῥωμαίων πόλις, θάλασσα συγχόρευσον, εὐφραίνου κτίσις· ὁ θὴρ ὁ δεινός, σάρκας ὁ πρὶν ἐσθίων, κοινῶν στερεῖται σιτίων κεκλεισμένος, ὁ μὴ κορεσθεὶς ἐν ῥοαῖς τῶν αἱμάτων, διψᾷ σταλαγμὸν ὕδατος τετηγμένος. οὕτω κακῶς ἔχουσιν οἱ θεαρχίας πράξει πονηρᾷ τὸ τρισέμφωτον κράτος ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν καρδίας ὠθηκότες. Ὡς οὖν ὑπῆρχεν ἔνδοθεν πεφραγμένος, τείχει πεποιθώς, οὐ σθένει στρατευμάτων, ὁ σὸς στρατηγὸς καὶ πάλιν Νικηφόρος κριοῖς, χελώναις, σφενδόναις ἐπιτρέπει βάλλειν τὸ τεῖχος, τὰς ἐπάλξεων βάσεις, τοὺς εἰς τὸ τεῖχος πάντα σὺν προθυμίᾳ ποιεῖν, τελεῖν πράττειν τε τοῖς ἐναντίοις. τούτου λαλοῦντος τῆς ἀηδόνος δίκην, αἰσθητικῆς ἔκαμνε πεντάδος μέτρον· τῶν ὀμμάτων γὰρ κρουνὸς ἔρρει δακρύων, ὀσφρήσεως πῦρ, ἦχος ἐκ τῶν ὠτίων, λόγων δὲ κρουνοὺς ἐξέπεμπε τὸ στόμα καὶ χεὶρ ῥοὰς ἔβλυζε πολλῶν αἱμάτων, ἐκ τῆς στροφῆς πάσχουσα τῶν ἀκοντίων. Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος, ὡς φανῇ σὸς οἰκέτης, ἐπλήττετο ζέοντι καρδίας πόθῳ, πλὴν εἶχε καιρὸν ἐμποδὼν τῶν πραγμάτων, βάλλοντα τοῦτον ἀντὶ μυρίων πόνων. ἦν οὖν βαδίζων, ἦν τρέχων ἄνω κάτω, κλαίων, παραινῶν καὶ παρορμῶν τὸν στόλον· ᾐδεῖτο καὶ γὰρ τοὺς πόνους τοῦ σοῦ κράτους † κενῶς δι' αὐτοῦ μὴ παραβλέψας ὄκνος ἐν τοῖς ἀθέσμοις Κρητικοῖς ἀναπλάσθαι. † ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς σφενδονοστρόφων, ἄναξ, ποιεῖ γέλωτος ἄξιόν τι καὶ πλέον· ἐν σφενδόνῃ γὰρ νωθρὸν ἐμβαλὼν ὄνον ῥίψαι κελεύει ζῶντα τοῖς ὄνοις ὄνον. οἱ δὲ σταθέντες τῇ πλοκῇ τῶν σφιγμάτων πέμπουσι τὸν δύστηνον αἰθεροδρόμον. ὁ δὲ προηυτρέπιζεν, ἐξήπλου πόδας, εἰς ἀέρα προὔβαινεν ἀγρότης ὄνος. ὁ πρὶν ταπεινὸς ἐν μεταρσίᾳ βάσει, ὁ νωθρὸς ἐν γῇ καὶ χελωνόπους ὄνος, νεφοδρομῶν ἔπληττε τοὺς Κρῆτας τότε. Ξέρξης ἐδείκνυ γῆν ὕδωρ, τὸ πρὶν νέα, καὶ πάντας ἐξέπληττε τοὺς ἐναντίους, ὁ σὸς δέ, παμμέγιστε Ῥωμανέ, στόλος νωθροὺς