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to be restored and to be established as they were before. And the command was thus, but he, having again moved the army, encamped along the banks of the river Bardarios, where indeed a complete division of the captives took place. For as many of the prisoners as found some means of freedom, either through the ransoms we have already mentioned, or from themselves or from other Christians, collected from various countries and cities, they obtained it while Mouratos was still staying by the Gallikos river. But for those for whom no way was found at that time due to lack of resources, each one sent them away to their own homelands and places, suffering the necessities of slavery, until returning they might arrange their own ransoms; for they were not able to drag these also, going a long way and to another war. You would have seen, then, the unfortunate ones scattered, some to the parts of the east, others to the parts of the west; for some took the parents, others the children, and others the wives, and those whom nature had united, misfortune divided.]

18 [Since our affairs had turned out this way, as they ought not to have, and had received such an end by the banks of the Bardarios, Mouratos, dividing his army in two from there, sent one part of it to the region of Ioannina, while he himself with the other part went against others to subdue them and make them subject to him. But previously he had sent heralds throughout all his domain, to those who long years before and during the blockade had left Thessaloniki and settled elsewhere, to it, that they might compel them to return with great speed and take back their own properties again, as before. For a very noble purpose, worthy of much praise, had entered his mind, to give the city back again to its inhabitants and to restore it full, just as before. And this would have happened not long after, if our offenses against God had not become an obstacle. For with a desire for the city to be restored, having come to a philanthropic decision, he wished both to grant freedom to all and to give to them, as I said before, the city itself and their own houses, as before, to possess with all security, and whatever other immovable property belonged to them. For this reason some say that he swore an oath and said to his chosen advisors that “it would be unjust, along with what belongs to the conquered, to take these also as captives and lead them away from their mother city; let us then free them, if it seems right, either taking them without ransom, or we ourselves providing it.” But of those who heard, the others both praised the speech and urged him to this, but one of the other generals, a most distinguished one, not only did not accept what was said concerning freedom, but also with what arguments he could, hindered the decision and appeared persuasive because of his pre-eminence. And this was certainly the fruit of my sin, as I persuade myself, just as were the other things that have happened. Even if perhaps some, not receiving this argument with open ears, nor judging themselves to be at fault for holding the divine commandments in contempt, reckon the causes of events to men; but I judge the whole thing to be the discipline of God for my own correction. For all destructions of many people, as the divine books discern and declare, happen for the chastening of those who are left behind, with God chastening the universal wickedness with public scourges.] [Therefore, when all, as I said, had divided the things of the city among themselves, Mouratos appropriated only the city, destitute of men, having ordered the original owners to have all their houses, having obtained their freedom and all other immovable property, he himself at that time adding only this to the evils that had occurred, that he took possession of these holy houses, both the great church in the middle of the city of the Virgin and Theotokos Acheiropoietos and the holy monastery long honored in the name of the holy Forerunner, the one as a symbol of victory and of the capture that had taken place, the other as also before

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ἀνορθοῦσθαι καὶ ὡς πρότερον ἦσαν ἐγκαταστῆναι. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πρόσταγμα οὕτως εἶχεν, αὐτὸς δὲ μεταστήσας καὶ αὖθις τὴν στρατιὰν παρὰ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ Βαρδαρίου ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ μερισμὸς παντελὴς τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἐγένετο. Ὅσοι μὲν γὰρ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, ἢ δι' ὧν εἰπόντες ἔφθημεν λύτρων ἢ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἢ χριστιανῶν ἐξ ἑτέρων, ἐκ διαφόρων χωρῶν καὶ πόλεων συνειλεγμένων, τρόπον ἐξεῦρον ἐλευθερίας τινά, τετυχήκεσαν ταύτης ἔτι τῷ ποταμῷ Γαλλικῷ τοῦ Μουράτου ἐνδιατρίβοντος. Ὅσοις δὲ τρόπος ὑπ' ἀπορίας τηνικαῦτα οὐχ εὕρηται, τούτους ἕκαστος ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πατρίσι καὶ τόποις ἐξέπεμψαν, τὰς ἐκ τῆς δουλείας ἀνάγκας ὑφισταμένους, μέχρις ἂν ὑπονοστήσαντες τὰ σφῶν τιμήματα διαθῶνται· οὐ γὰρ ἐδύναντο καὶ τούτους ἕλκειν μακρὰν ἀπερχόμενοι καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον ἕτερον. Εἶδες ἂν οὖν τοὺς δυστυχεῖς τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς ἑῴας, τοὺς δ' ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς ἑσπέρας μέρη διασπαρέντας· οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς τεκόντας, οἱ δὲ τὰ τέκνα καὶ ἕτεροι τὰς γυναῖκας ἐλάμβανον καί, οὓς ἡ φύσις ἥνωσεν, ἡ συμφορὰ διεμέρισεν.]

18 [Ταύτῃ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς, ὡς μὴ ὤφελε, συμβεβηκότων καὶ τοιόνδε παρὰ τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ Βαρδαρίου πέρας εἰληφότων, ὁ Μουράτης ἐκεῖθεν διχῇ τὴν στρατιὰν διελὼν τὸ μὲν αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν Ἰωαννίνων ἐξέπεμψε μέρη, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ θἀτέρου μέρους ἐπ' ἄλλους ἀπῄει καταστρέψων κἀκείνους καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῷ ποιησόμενος. Πρότερον δὲ διὰ πάσης τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν κήρυκας ἐπεπόμφει, τοὺς πρὸ μακρῶν ἐτῶν καὶ τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπολιπόντας καὶ μετοικήσαντας ἀλλαχοῦ πρὸς αὐτήν, ἵν' ἐπανελθεῖν πολλῷ τῷ τάχει καταναγκάσωσι καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα πάλιν, ὡς τὸ πρότερον, ἀπολάβωσι. Σκοπὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν πάνυ τι καλὸς καὶ πολλῶν ἄξιος τῶν ἐπαίνων εἰσῄει, τὴν πόλιν καὶ αὖθις τοῖς οἰκήτορσιν ἀποδεδωκέναι καὶ πλήρη, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ πρίν, ἀποκαταστῆσαι. Καὶ ἦν ἂν τοῦτο μετ' οὐ πολύ, εἰ μὴ τὰ ἡμέτερα πρὸς θεὸν κώλυμα γέγονε πταίσματα. Πόθῳ γὰρ τοῦ συστῆναι τὴν πόλιν φιλανθρώπου γνώμης τυχὼν ἐβούλετο πᾶσί τε ἐλευθερίαν χαρίσασθαι καὶ δοῦναι τούτοις, ὡς προὔφην, αὐτὴν καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν οἰκίας, ὡς πρίν, μετὰ πάσης ἀδείας κεκτῆσθαι καὶ εἴ τι προσῆν ἀκίνητον ἕτερον. Τῷ τοι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτῶν φασί τινες ἐπομνύμενον λογάδας εἰπεῖν ὡς «ἄδικον ἂν εἴη μετὰ τῶν προσόντων τοῖς κρατηθεῖσι καὶ τούτους ἑλεῖν δεσμίους καὶ τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης ἀπαγαγεῖν· ἐλευθερώσωμεν οὖν αὐτούς, εἰ δοκεῖ, ἢ λαβόντες λύτρων ἄνευ αὐτούς, ἢ ταῦτα παρεσχηκότες ἡμεῖς». Τῶν δ' ἀκηκοότων τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἐπαινέσαι τε τὸν λόγον καὶ παρακαλέσαι πρὸς τοῦτο, ἕνα δὲ τῶν ἄλλων στρατηγῶν, ἐξοχώτατον, μὴ μόνον οὐκ ἀποδέξασθαι τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἷς ἐδύνατο λόγοις κωλῦσαι τὸ βούλημα καὶ πιθανὸν ὀφθῆναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον. Ἦν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πάντως τῆς ἐμῆς ἁμαρτίας καρπός, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, καθάπερ καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσα συμβέβηκεν. Εἰ καὶ ἴσως τινὲς τοῦτον τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἀνεῳγμένοις δεχόμενοι τοῖς ὠσί, μηδ' ἑαυτοὺς αἰτίους κρίνοντες τὰς θείας παρὰ φαῦλον ἐντολὰς τιθεμένους, ἀνθρώποις τὰς τῶν συμβαινόντων αἰτίας λογίζονται· ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ πᾶν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κρίνω παιδείας διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν. Πᾶσαι γὰρ αἱ πολυάνθρωποι φθοραί, ὡς αἱ θεῖαι διαγινώσκουσι καὶ ἀποφαίνονται βίβλοι, εἰς τὸν τῶν ὑπολειπομένων σωφρονισμὸν γίνονται τὴν πάνδημον πονηρίαν δημοσίαις μάστιξι τοῦ θεοῦ σωφρονίζοντος.] [Πάντων οὖν, ὡς εἶπον, τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἑαυτοῖς διανειμαμένων, ὁ Μουράτης τὴν πόλιν ἀνθρώπων ἐρήμην ἰδιοποιήσατο μόνην, πάσας οἰκίας ἔχειν τοὺς ἀρχῆθεν αὐτῶν κυρίους προστάξας, ἐλευθερίας τετυχηκότας καὶ πᾶσαν ἄλλην ἀκίνητον κτῆσιν, ταυτὶ μόνον προσθεὶς αὐτὸς τηνικαῦτα τοῖς κακοῖς γενομένοις, ὅτι τούσδε τοὺς ἱεροὺς οἴκους παρακατέσχε, τόν τ' ἐπὶ μέσης τῆς πόλεως μέγαν νεὼν τῆς Ἀχειροποιήτου παρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου καὶ τὴν εἰς ὄνομα πάλαι τιμωμένην τοῦ τιμίου Προδρόμου μονὴν ἱεράν, τὸν μὲν ὡς σύμβολον νίκης καὶ τῆς γεγενημένης ἁλώσεως, τὴν δ' ὡς καὶ πρὸ