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having aimed more carefully, and having placed one of the ladders by the Trigonium, where there was a certain corner of a tower and it did not have a place from which someone could hinder the one ascending from the climb and there happened to be a great desertedness of people, one of the other foot soldiers, having shown boldness of soul, biting his sword with his teeth and having chosen to die rather than to live, in order only that he might win the glory of courage, had ascended the wall with as much boldness as one might say, with no one inside noticing at all and with the enemy guarding the ascent at another part. Therefore, having immediately found a Latin in the battlements, recently wounded and breathing his last, having cut off his head, he threw it down into the midst of the fighting men, showing both how he had taken control of that part and that everyone had left the walls and gone without turning back. It was then the twenty-ninth of March, and the year sixty-nine hundred and thirty-eight was at hand. So he, having encouraged all the foot soldiers, was shouting for them to come up with speed and was pointing out the desertedness. And they, just as they were, having immediately placed all the ladders, many were hastening to ascend by them with shouting and with the sound of the hide-covered drums; for this too brings a certain great panic in wars. And many were eagerly incited to climb up recklessly because of their great desire for gain, and they were eager to rush in through the battlements. Therefore, as many as were able, were ascending in this way. But for those for whom it was not possible by the ladders, they were flocking to the city at a run through the tunnels which they had dug, being many, each one trying to outdo the other in speed and carrying their swords in their hands, and as if competing who might arrive first at the inhabited part of the city, and especially that towards the sea, for they supposed that the majority, and especially the Latins, had fled to it because of the triremes. Therefore all of us, as quickly as each one could, some ran to their homes, others took refuge in sacred churches, others struggled with trembling to enter sewers and tombs and whatever was suitable for salvation, others occupied the part of the shore, thinking, forsooth, to embark on the triremes or other ships, with as much horror as one could say; for many thought that the enemy had not yet entered from there. But it was the opposite, and those who thought this were disappointed in their hope. Everyone saw this happen also at the tower called Samaria. For while all were expecting that, whenever the city should be taken, this would not be immediately betrayed or taken very quickly through war, situated towards the shore of the sea itself and well fortified with cross-walls and weapons and all the necessities, therefore, as we had long held this vain hope, not a few indeed ran to this for the protection of their own bodies; but here too they were disappointed in their hope. For with difficulty, as many of the Latins as were leaders, and a few Cetarii, with those who were already there for the guard, fled together into this alone and immediately prevented the others from entering. And these, through the cross-wall projecting towards the sea (we are all accustomed to call this a Tzerempoulon), went into the triremes, which a little before had been moored near it from the harbor with others that had come in before].

14 [Therefore, when the enemy got inside the city through the ladders and the tunnels, as we said, some ran to the houses and the people, while others ran to the gates of the city to open them for Murad to enter the city with his whole army. And you would have seen them entering like bees or wild beasts, roaring and breathing our slaughter, and taking over the city, some on foot, others on horseback. And when the whole city was filled and all places had them, both sacred churches and divine monasteries and streets and houses,

9

περιεργότερον στοχασάμενοι, καὶ τῶν κλιμάκων μίαν κατὰ τὸ Τριγώνιον θέντες, οὗ γωνία τις ἦν ἐκ πύργου καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν, ὅθεν ἄν τις τῆς ἀνόδου κωλῦσαι τὸν ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ πολλή τις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐτύγχανεν ἐρημία, τόλμην ψυχῆς τῶν ἄλλων τις πεζῶν ἐνδειξάμενος, τὸ ξίφος ἐνδακὼν τοῖς ὀδοῦσι καὶ τὸ θανεῖν ἀνθῃρημένος τοῦ ζῆν, ἵνα μόνον ἀνδρείας δόξαν κομίσηται, μεθ' ὅσης ἄν τις εἴποι τῆς εὐτολμίας τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβεβήκει, μηδ' οὑτινοσοῦν αἰσθομένου τῶν ἔνδον καὶ κατ' ἄλλο μέρος τῶν ἐναντίων τηρούντων τὴν ἄνοδον. Λατῖνον οὖν εὐθὺς ἐν ταῖς πυργοβάρεσιν εὑρηκὼς τετρωμένον ἔναγχος καὶ τὰ λοίσθια πνέοντα, τούτου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκτεμὼν τῶν πολεμούντων εἰς μέσον κατέρριψε, δείξας ὅπως τε τοῦ μέρους ἐκείνου κεκράτηκε καὶ ὡς τὰ τείχη πάντες ἀπολιπόντες ᾤχοντο ἀμεταστρεπτί. Ἐννάτην ἦγε καὶ εἰκοστὴν ὁ Μάρτιος τότε, ἔτος δὲ τριακοστὸν ὄγδοον πρὸς τῷ ἑξακισχιλιοστῷ ἐνακοσιοστῷ ἐνειστήκει. Παραθαρρύνας τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος πάντας πεζοὺς τὸ τάχος τε ἀνιέναι ἐβόα καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν ἐδήλου. Οἱ δ' ὡς εἶχον πάσας παραχρῆμα κλίμακας θέντες, συχνοὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἀναβαίνειν ἠπείγοντο σὺν βοῇ καὶ τῷ τῶν ἀπὸ δέρρης τυμπάνων ἤχῳ· φέρει γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο πολλήν τινα ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις τὴν ἔκπληξιν. Πολλοὶ δὲ παραβόλως καὶ ἀναρριχᾶσθαι παρωρμῶντο προθύμως διὰ πολλὴν τοῦ κέρδους ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ διὰ τῶν πυργοβάρεων ἐπεισπίπτειν ἐσπούδαζον. Ὅσοι μὲν οὖν ἐδύναντο, τόνδε τὸν τρόπον ἀνέβαινον. Οἷς δ' οὐκ ἦν ἐφικτὸν διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων, διὰ τῶν ὀρυγμάτων, ὧν εἰργάσαντο, πολλῶν ὄντων, ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν δρομαῖοι συνέρρεον, ἄλλος ἄλλον τῷ τάχει νικῶντες καὶ ταῖν χεροῖν τὰ ξίφη φέροντες, καὶ οἷον ἐρίζοντες, τὶς ἂν φθάσειε πρότερος ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς πόλεως οἰκούμενον μέρος καὶ μάλιστα τὸ πρὸς θάλατταν πρὸς αὐτὸ γὰρ τοὺς πλείους καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς Λατίνους ὑπέλαβον διὰ τὰς τριήρεις προσπεφευγέναι. Πάντες οὖν ἡμεῖς, ὡς εἶχεν ἕκαστος τάχους, οἱ μὲν κατ' οἴκους ἐθέομεν, οἱ δὲ ναοῖς ἱεροῖς κατεφεύγομεν, ἕτεροι ὑπονόμους καὶ μνήματα καὶ εἴ τι πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἦν ἐπιτήδειον ὑποδῦναι σὺν τρόμῳ ἠγωνιζόμεθα, ἄλλοι τὸ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ κατελάμβανον μέρος, οἰόμενοι δῆθεν τῶν τριηρῶν ἐπιβῆναι ἢ πλοίων ἑτέρων, μεθ' ὅσης ἄν τις εἴποι τῆς φρίκης· ᾤοντο γὰρ πολλοὶ μήπω τοὺς πολεμίους εἰσιέναι ἐκεῖθεν. Τὸ δ' ἦν τοὐναντίον καὶ τῆς γε ἐλπίδος διήμαρτον οἱ τοῦτο διανοούμενοι. τοῦτο καὶ κατὰ τὸν πύργον τὸν καλούμενον Σαμαρείαν εἶδον πάντες συμβάν. Πάντων γὰρ προσδοκώντων ὡς, ὅταν ἡ πόλις ἁλῷ, μὴ ἂν τοῦτον εὐθὺς προδεδόσθαι ἢ τὴν ταχίστην διὰ πολέμου ληφθῆναι, πρὸς τὴν τῆς θαλάττης αὐτὴν κείμενον ἠϊόνα καὶ διατειχίσμασι καὶ ὅπλοις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις καλῶς κατωχυρωμένον, ταύτην οὖν τὴν ματαίαν ἐλπίδα πάλαι ἡμῶν κεκτημένων, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δή τινες καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον κατέδραμον ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν ἰδίων σωμάτων· πλὴν κἀνταῦθα τῆς ἐλπίδος διήμαρτον. Μόγις γὰρ τῶν Λατίνων, ὅσοι προὔχοντες ἦσαν, καὶ Τζεταρίων ὀλίγοι μετὰ τῶν προϋπαρχόντων εἰς φυλακὴν εἰς τοῦτον συνέφυγον μόνον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους εὐθὺς κεκωλύκεσαν τῆς εἰσόδου. Οἳ καὶ διὰ τοῦ κατὰ θάλατταν προβεβλημένου διατειχίσματος (Τζερέμπουλον τοῦτο καλεῖν πάντες εἰώθαμεν) εἰς τὰς τριήρεις εἰσίασι, πρὸ μικροῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν μετὰ προεισιόντων ἄλλων ἐκ τοῦ λιμένος καθορμισθείσας].

14 [∆ιὰ τῶν κλιμάκων οὖν καὶ τῶν ὀρυγμάτων, ὡς ἔφημεν, τῶν πολεμίων τῆς πόλεως ἐντὸς γενομένων, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας συνέτρεχον καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, οἱ δ' ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως αὐτὰς ἀναπεταννύναι πρὸς τὸ τὴν πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν ἅμα παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι τὸν Μουράτην. Καὶ εἶδες ἂν δίκην μελισσῶν ἢ θηρῶν ἀγρίων εἰσιόντας αὐτοὺς ὠρυομένους καὶ φόνον πνέοντας τὸν ἡμέτερον καὶ τὴν πόλιν τοὺς μὲν πεζῇ, τοὺς δ' ἐφίππους διαλαμβάνοντας. Ὡς δ' ἡ πόλις πεπλήρωτο πᾶσα καὶ πάντ' εἶχον αὐτούς, καὶ νεῲ ἱεροὶ καὶ μοναὶ θεῖαι καὶ ἀγυιαὶ καὶ οἰκίαι,