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he was promising to the city (for he said he had come for this purpose), and submitted that he was ready to do whatever was necessary. 19.4 Except that it happened that something of this sort also occurred in the midst of the expectation of the enemy, from the devising of the mischief-making and most evil demon. 19.5 For when the aforementioned general, mounted on a horse, met at the very beginning this newly arrived Niketas, who was also seated on a horse, somewhere near the construction of the wall, as he thought to exchange the customary greeting with a friend, he neglected the reins and suffered a terrible thing, worthy of many tears. 19.6 The horses being startled, and especially the one on which the general was sitting, being struck by its natural madness, flattened its neck, bristled its mane, and rearing up, threw him from his seat; and after somersaulting towards the sky and being thrown to the ground, having his right thigh and the parts near the hip-socket crushed, he was a pitiful sight and despaired of life itself. 19.7 Whom the bodyguards of the military order immediately took up in their hands and led home, with him, as was likely, caring no more about the present affairs. 19.8 So the man lay there, struck by unbearable pains, not knowing to what he should first apply his mind. 19.9 For on the one hand, concern for the expected danger drew him, how and in what way he would save the city from the attack of the barbarians; 19.10 but on the other, the sharp pain and the death-threatening suffering of his injured limbs drew him more toward itself, and persuaded him to prefer nothing else to his own safety. 19.11 And so, lying on the borderline of two difficulties and being overcome by each, he was unfit for any necessary action. 19.12 But because of the urgency of the moment, we, having built and moved some wooden towers near to the ruined part of the wall, provided for ourselves some small refreshment of good hope, as if to repel from on high those coming from the sea and not allow them to come near the wall and carry out their evil plans. 19.13 But these were the inventions of men in haste, with the necessity of fear suggesting these futile devices, even though, as some wise man said, "everything under pressure is resourceful." 19.14 For there was no one among us who would consider firmly about the future or about the outcome of what was expected. 20.1 Nevertheless, since the general was injured, all concern for us passed to the said Niketas, and he himself began to demonstrate his abilities to the best of his power; and he said that a great multitude of the neighboring Sclavenes, both those subject to us and those under the strategos of Strymon, experienced in archery, had been ordered to gather to the city, so that we might not by chance be found lacking the enemy's panoply, but that we might have the means by which to repel their first assault. 20.2 which he was also eager to put into action; 20.3 for having written letters, he sent them out through the whole surrounding region, urging the Sclavenes to come to us with speed, each of them armed as best as he could be. 20.4 From which, indeed, a few simple men began to flock together, but not as many as were needed, but rather very few in number and completely unprepared for battle. 20.5 And this happened because the rulers entrusted with them were certain inept and most wicked men, considering their own interest rather than that of the common good, and being accustomed to plot against their neighbor, being mad for taking bribes and having practiced preferring nothing else to its acquisition. 20.6 For though the aforementioned Niketas tried twice and three times and often to intimidate the strategos of Strymon through letters, accusing him of slowness and warning that if the city should suffer anything with danger present, the blame would be laid on him alone before the emperor, 20.7 that man, clinging to his usual malevolence, was no less than before; scorning first the fear of God and then that of man, and the destruction of the

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πόλει κατηγγυᾶτο (εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ἔλεγεν ἀφῖχθαι), καὶ εἴ τι δέοι πράττειν, ἑτοίμως ἔχειν καθυπετίθετο. 19.4 πλὴν ὅτι συνέβη 19.4 τι καὶ τοιοῦτον γενέσθαι μεταξὺ τῆς προσδοκίας τῶν πολεμίων ἐξ ἐπινοίας τοῦ σκανδαλουργοῦ καὶ πονηροτάτου δαίμονος. 19.5 ὁ γὰρ ἤδη λεχθεὶς στρατηγὸς τούτῳ δὴ τῷ νεωστὶ παραγενομένῳ Νικήτᾳ αὐτοῦ που περὶ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ τείχους κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐντυχὼν ἵππῳ ἐφεζόμενος, ὡς τὴν συνήθη πρὸς τὸν φίλον ἔδοξεν ἐκπληρῶσαι τῷ ἀσπασμῷ προσηγορίαν, καὶ αὐτὸν ἵππῳ ἐγκαθεζόμενον, τοῦ ῥυτῆρος ἀμελήσας δεινόν τι πέπονθε πρᾶγμα καὶ πολλῶν δακρύων ἐπάξιον. 19.6 ἐκταραχθέντες οἱ ἵπποι, καὶ πλέον οὗτος ἐφ' ὃν ὁ στρατηγὸς κεκαθίκει, τῇ φυσικῇ μανίᾳ πληγεὶς τόν τε αὐχένα σιμώσας καὶ τὴν κόμην φρίξας, ὄρθιον ἀρθεὶς τῆς ἕδρας αὐτὸν ἀπεβάλετο, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς οὐρὰν κυβιστήσας καὶ πρὸς τοὔδαφος ῥιφεὶς τὸν δεξιόν τε μηρὸν καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὴν κοτύλην μέλη θλασθεὶς ἐλεεινὸς ἦν καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ζωῆς ἀπειπών· 19.7 ὃν οἱ τῆς στρατιωτικῆς τάξεως δορυφόροι παραχρῆμα ταῖς χερσὶν ἀνελόμενοι ἀπῆγον οἴκαδε, μηδὲν ὡς εἰκὸς περὶ τῶν προκειμένων πραγμάτων τοῦ λοιποῦ φροντιούμενον. 19.8 ἔκειτο δὴ οὖν ὁ ἀνὴρ ὀδύναις ἀφορήτοις βληθείς, οὐκ ἔχων ᾧτινι πρῶτον τὸν νοῦν ἐπαφήσει. 19.9 εἷλκε μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ φροντὶς τοῦ προσδοκωμένου κινδύνου, πῶς καὶ τίνα τρόπον περισώσει τὴν πόλιν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιδρομῆς τῶν βαρβάρων· 19.10 ἀνθεῖλκε δὲ τοῦτον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν πλέον ἡ δριμεῖα ὀδύνη καὶ τὸ θάνατον ἀπειλεῖν τῶν πληγέντων μελῶν τὸ πάθος, καὶ ἀνέπειθε μηδὲν ἕτερον προτιμᾶν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας. 19.11 καὶ οὕτως ἐν μεθορίῳ δύο χαλεπῶν κείμενος καὶ ἐξ ἑκατέρου νικώμενος πρὸς πᾶσαν ἐνέργειαν ἦν τῶν δεόντων ἀνεπιτήδειος. 19.12 πλὴν διὰ τὸ κατεπεῖγον τοῦ καιροῦ πύργους τινὰς ξυλοσυνθέτους τῷ διερρυηκότι μέρει τοῦ τείχους ἡμεῖς δομησάμενοί τε καὶ προσπελάσαντες ὀλίγην τινὰ παρέσχομεν ἑαυτοῖς χρηστῆς ἐλπίδος ἀναψυχήν, ὡς δῆθεν ἀφ' ὕψους τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐρχομένους ἀπείργειν καὶ μὴ παραχωρεῖν αὐτοῖς πλησίον ἰέναι τοῦ τείχους καὶ τὰς κακοβουλίας αὐτῶν ἐνεργεῖν. 19.13 ταῦτα δὲ σπευδόντων ἦν ἐφευρέματα, τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ φόβου τὰς ἐπινοίας τῶν ματαίων ὑποβαλούσης, εἰ καὶ ὅτι, καθώς τις ἔφη σοφός, εὐμήχανόν ἐστιν ἅπαν τὸ πιεζόμενον. 19.14 οὐκ ἦν γὰρ ὅστις ἐν ἡμῖν βεβαίως κατὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος σκέψεται ἢ τῆς τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἐκβάσεως. 20.1 Ὅμως ἐπειδὴ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ πληγέντος ἡ περὶ ἡμῶν ἅπασα φροντὶς εἰς τὸν ῥηθέντα μετῄει Νικήταν, ἤρχετο καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ τῶν πλησιοχώρων Σκλαβήνων, τῶν τε ὑφ' ἡμᾶς τελούντων καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν στρατηγὸν Στρυμόνος, πλῆθος πολὺ προστετάχθαι συνελάσαι τῇ πόλει, τῆς τοξικῆς ἐμπείρων, ὡς ἂν μηδ' ἡμεῖς τυχὸν εὑρεθῶμεν τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων ἐνδέοντες πανοπλίας, ἀλλ' ἔχωμεν οἷς τὴν πρώτην αὐτῶν ἀποκρουσόμεθα προσβολήν. 20.2 ὃ καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἄγειν προεθυμεῖτο· 20.3 ἐπιστολὰς γὰρ χαράξας διὰ πάσης ἐξέπεμψε τῆς περιχώρου, ἥκειν τὸ τάχος πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τοὺς Σκλαβήνους κατεπισπεύδων, ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν ὁπλισάμενον. 20.4 ἐξ οὗ δὴ καὶ συνέρρεον ὀλίγοι μέν τινες ἀφελεῖς, οὐχ ὅσοι δὲ τὴν χρείαν ἐπλήρουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εὐαρίθμητοι καὶ πρὸς τὴν μάχην παντελῶς ἀπαράσκευοι. 20.5 τοῦτο δὲ συνέβαινεν ἐκ τοῦ σκαιούς τινας εἶναι καὶ πονηροτάτους τοὺς ἐμπεπιστευμένους αὐτοὺς ἄρχοντας, τὸ οἰκεῖον μᾶλλον συμφέρον ἤπερ τὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ σκοποῦντας καὶ τῷ πλησίον ἐξ ἔθους ὄντας ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι δωροληψίαις τε ἐπιμαινομένους καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο προτιμᾶν τῆς τούτου ἐμμελετήσαντας κτήσεως. 20.6 καὶ δὶς γὰρ καὶ τρὶς καὶ πολλάκις διὰ γραμμάτων ἐκφοβεῖν πειρωμένου τοῦ προλεχθέντος Νικήτα τὸν στρατηγὸν Στρυμόνος καὶ τῆς βραδυτῆτος αὐτὸν καταιτιωμένου, καὶ ὡς εἴ τι πάθοι κινδύνου παρόντος ἡ πόλις, αὐτῷ μόνῳ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ κρατοῦντος καταψηφίσεται, 20.7 οὐδὲν ἧττον ἢ πρότερον εἶχε τῆς συνήθους ἐκεῖνος κακοβουλίας ἐχόμενος· πρῶτον μὲν τοῦ θείου ἔπειτα δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου φόβου ὑπεριδὼν καὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῆς