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those who had been crushed and had despaired of flight, these they quickly killed, and then were thus distributed along the main roads. 35.4 But the populace of the city, cut into many parts, was both scattered and constrained, not knowing where it might be saved or escape the disaster. 35.5 For it was then possible to see the people, like rudderless ships, being carried here and there, a pitiful sight, men, women, infants, colliding with one another, clinging to one another, embracing in that most wretched and final embrace. 35.6 If somewhere among them there was an elderly father, falling upon the neck of his child, he would wail terribly, not bearing the separation, but holding the limbs of his beloved, and pierced by natural affection before the sword, he composed for himself the lament, 35.7 saying, "Alas for me, O child, in what am I now tested and what are these things I see with my eyes? 35.8 For was it for this that I carefully raised you and for this that I gave you over to teachers and took pains for you to excel in understanding among your peers, so that when I was expecting to be envied for my fine children, an object of jealousy for my boasting in you, and more blessed than many other fathers for having such a most comely child, lovely in the youth of his body, lovelier in the sight of his face, and still more in the form of his soul, then I should see before my eyes this destruction and most wretched separation from you? 35.9 And for this reason have I been preserved until now with these wretched grey hairs, so that I might see your body being mutilated by barbarians and your limbs, most dear and yearned for by me, being mercilessly torn apart by the executioner's sword? 35.10 Woe is me, what am I to become? With what eyes shall I look upon these things? What lament shall I make for you? 35.11 If only we might find an executioner who would cut me down first with his sword, so that, not surviving you, I might not feel pains for you sharper than the sword. 35.12 To this one murderer I will confess thanks, if indeed he begins the slaughter with my aged neck; and then may he sprinkle your blood on my gore. 35.13 For thus he would diminish the great pain by his deed." 36.1 So much for this man; but elsewhere again another man, meeting his wedded wife, sighing some deep and great sigh, shaking his head and altering his expression, running up to her and embracing her, lamented the disaster. 36.2 "Farewell, wife, and do not forget your husband. 36.3 For already the great affection, which we established for one another in the communion of nature, is cut off today, and a sword makes a new cut in our union, and an untimely death separates our marriage. 36.4 We no longer complete our life in the community of our existence. 36.5 For us, for the future, there is no talk of begetting children. 36.6 If only we had not even seen from the beginning with our eyes these infants who now surround us, if only they had been given to the coffin by our own hands, and not been preserved for wretched slavery to these beasts." 36.7 Then, mingling with their children and leading the chorus of lamentation, they endured the separation. 36.8 And again a brother meeting a brother and a friend a friend, the one lamented their kinship, the other their long familiarity. 36.9 And in short, by the immoderation of the individual laments, everything was filled with an indistinct cry, just as if from sheep shut up for slaughter and letting out a mingled sound. 36.10 For some of them ran back to their houses, others looked out on the roads; others were driven to the holy houses, others hastened to seize the gates of the city. 36.11 Others wished to go up to the wall, but were not able, as their natural strength failed them in expectation of the terrible things; 36.12 for they did not know how to deal with the evil, but wherever in the city they happened to be, they found death meeting them face to face, so that nothing safe was left for them to devise. 37.1 But how, O most eloquent of men, could I henceforth describe to you the calamity that befell us, or the succession of so many grievous things? 37.2 Which of these shall I mention first, and allow the others to be second? About what shall I move my tongue or my hand to write

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συνθλασθέντας καὶ πρὸς τὴν φυγὴν ἀπελπίσαντας, τούτους τὸ τάχος ἀνεῖλον, εἶθ' οὕτω ταῖς λεωφόροις κατεμερίσθησαν. 35.4 τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τῆς πόλεως εἰς πολλὰ μέρη τμηθὲν διεθρυλλεῖτό τε καὶ συνείχετο, οὐκ ἔχον ὅπου περισωθείη ἢ τὴν συμφορὰν διακρούσεται. 35.5 ἦν γὰρ ἰδεῖν τότε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς ἀκυβέρνητα σκάφη τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιφερομένους, ἐλεεινὸν θέαμα, ἄνδρας γυναῖκας νήπια, ἀλλήλοις συμπίπτοντας, ἀλλήλων ἐκκρεμαμένους, ἀσπαζομένους τὸν οἴκτιστον ἐκεῖνον καὶ τελευταῖον ἀσπασμόν. 35.6 εἴ πού τις καὶ πατὴρ ἐν αὐτοῖς πρεσβύτης, ἐπιπεσὼν τῷ τραχήλῳ τοῦ παιδὸς δεινὸν ἐπεκώκυε, τὸν χωρισμὸν οὐ φέρων, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλη κατέχων τοῦ φιλτάτου, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ξίφους τῷ φυσικῷ νυττόμενος πάθει τὸν θρῆνον ἑαυτῷ διετίθει, 35.7 «φεῦ μοι» λέγων, «ὦ παῖ, ἐν τίσι νῦν ἐξετάζομαι καὶ τίνα ταῦτα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καθορῶ; 35.8 εἰς τοῦτο γάρ σε ἐπιμελῶς ἐξέθρεψα καὶ διὰ τοῦτό σε παιδευταῖς ἐξεδόμην καὶ συνέσει διαπρέπειν ἐν τοῖς ὁμήλιξι διεσπούδασα, ἵν' ὅτε προσεδόκων ζηλωτὸς μὲν εἶναι τῇ εὐπαιδίᾳ, ἐπίφθονος δὲ τῇ ἐπὶ σοὶ καυχήσει, μακαριώτερος δὲ πολλῶν ἄλλων πατέρων ὡς τοιοῦτον ἔχων εὐπρεπέστατον τέκνον, ἐράσμιον μὲν τὴν ἡλικίαν τοῦ σώματος, ἐρασμιώτερον δὲ τοῦ προσώπου τὴν θέαν καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἰδέαν, τότε κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ἰδέσθαι τὸν ὄλεθρον τοῦτον καὶ δυστυχέστατον ἀπὸ σοῦ χωρισμόν; 35.9 καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέχρι τοῦδε τῇ δυστήνῳ ταύτῃ τετήρημαι πολιᾷ, ἵν' ὑπὸ βαρβάρων ἴδω καταικιζόμενόν σου τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ φίλτατά μοι καὶ παμπόθητα μέλη τῷ ξίφει τοῦ δημίου ἀνηλεῶς διασπώμενα; 35.10 οἴμοι, τίς γένωμαι; ποίαις ὄψεσι ταῦτα κατίδω; ποῖον ἐπὶ σοὶ ποιήσωμαι θρῆνον; 35.11 εἴθε τοιούτου τύχοιμεν δημίου ὃς ἐμὲ πρῶτον τῇ μαχαίρᾳ διέλοι, ἵνα μὴ καθυστερήσας δριμυτέρας τοῦ ξίφους ἐπὶ σοὶ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας αἰσθήσωμαι. 35.12 ἑνὶ τούτῳ τῷ μιαιφόνῳ χάριτας ὁμολογήσω, εἴ γε τῆς σφαγῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐμοῦ κατάρξηται γηραιοῦ τραχήλου· εἶθ' οὕτω τῷ ἐμῷ λύθρῳ τὸ σὸν σπείσειεν αἷμα. 35.13 καὶ γὰρ οὕτω τὴν πολλὴν ὀδύνην ὑποτέμοι τῷ ἐγχειρήματι». 36.1 Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὗτος· ἄλλοθεν δὲ πάλιν ἄλλος τις τῇ συννόμῳ γυναικὶ προστυχών, βύθιόν τι καὶ μέγα στενάξας, τὴν κεφαλήν τε κινήσας καὶ τὴν μορφὴν ἀλλοιώσας, προσδραμὼν αὐτῇ καὶ περιπλακεὶς τὴν συμφορὰν ἐτραγῴδει. 36.2 «σώζου, γύναι, καὶ τοῦ συννόμου μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ. 36.3 ἤδη γὰρ ἡ μεγάλη στοργή, ἣν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐθέμεθα τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς φύσεως, διακόπτεται σήμερον, καὶ ξίφος καινοτομεῖ τὴν συνάφειαν, καὶ θάνατος ἄωρος τὴν συζυγίαν διίστησιν. 36.4 οὐκέτι τὴν ζωὴν τῇ κοινότητι τῆς βιοτῆς ἐξανύομεν. 36.5 οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ παιδοποιίας λόγος. 36.6 εἴθε μηδὲ ταῦτα, ἃ νῦν ἡμᾶς περιέστηκε νήπια, τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς κατείδομεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, εἴθε τῇ σορῷ ταῖς ἡμετέραις χερσὶν ἀπεδόθησαν, καὶ μὴ τοῖς θηρσὶ τούτοις εἰς δυστυχῆ δουλείαν διετηρήθησαν.» 36.7 εἶτα τοῖς τέκνοις ἀναμιχθέντες καὶ τὸν θρῆνον χοροστατήσαντες τὴν διαίρεσιν ἐκαρτέρουν. 36.8 ἀδελφὸς δὲ πάλιν ἀδελφῷ συναντήσας καὶ φίλος φίλῳ, ὁ μὲν τὴν συγγένειαν ὁ δὲ τὴν μακρὰν συνήθειαν ἀπεκλαίετο. 36.9 καὶ ἁπλῶς τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ τῶν κατὰ μέρος θρήνων κραυγῆς ἀσήμου πάντα πεπλήρωτο, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰς σφαγὴν συγκλεισθέντων προβάτων καὶ συμμιγῆ φωνὴν ἀφιέντων. 36.10 οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς οἴκους ἀπέτρεχον, οἱ δὲ τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀπεσκόπουν· ἄλλοι πρὸς τοὺς σεβασμίους οἴκους ἠλαύνοντο, ἄλλοι τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως καταλαβεῖν ἔσπευδον. 36.11 ἕτεροι δὲ πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος ἀνιέναι ἐβούλοντο μέν, οὐ δεδύνηντο δὲ ὑποκλαζούσης αὐτοῖς τῆς φυσικῆς ἰσχύος τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν φοβερῶν· 36.12 οὐκ εἶχον γὰρ ὅπως διαθῶνται πρὸς τὸ κακόν, ἀλλ' ὅπουπερ ἂν ἔτυχον γεγονότες τῆς πόλεως, κατὰ πρόσωπον εὕρισκον ἀπαντῶντας τὸν θάνατον, ὡς μηδὲν αὐτοῖς εἶναι λοιπὸν ἀσφαλὲς πρὸς ἐπίνοιαν. 37.1 Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἄν σοι τοῦ λοιποῦ τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς συμφοράν, ὦ ἀνδρῶν λογιώτατε, ἢ τὴν ἐπαλληλίαν τῶν τοσούτων ἀνιαρῶν διαγράψωμαι; 37.2 ποῖον τούτων πρῶτον εἰπὼν τοῖς ἄλλοις δευτερεύειν παραχωρήσω; ἐπὶ τίνι τὴν γλῶτταν κινήσω ἢ τὴν χεῖρα πρὸς γραφὴν