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Having made this man his companion, Thomas appointed him general of a certain land army of about ten thousand men. And having prepared the fleet that had come to him [and having appointed another general over it], he sent out some men as if scouts, judging it advantageous to make the attacks by both land and sea at the same time. And when this was done and the naval and land forces appeared at the same time in the gulf near Blachernae (for the iron chain that had been set up had shown neither any hindrance or help), their presence was reckoned as nothing or little; whence nothing of consequence was accomplished by them. However, Thomas, having had some engineers construct rams and tortoises and some city-takers, by which he thought to shake down the walls, and in addition, having adopted a certain Anastasius—who had just recently changed from the life of the monks and returned to this mendicant and worldly one, black in complexion, black in soul—and proclaimed him a partner in his rebellion, streaming with a great army and force, advanced against the reigning city, thinking that as soon as he came into the citizens' sight they would throw open the gates to him, out of hatred for Michael. But when he was disappointed in this hope, and was rather washed with their insults and revilings, then indeed he pitched his general's tent and his camp near the house of Paulinus, where the sanctuary of the holy Unmercenaries has been built like a palace, and went over the whole region as far as the Euxine and Hieron and the towns beyond these with a certain part of the army to win them over, and not to have any enemy at his back. (14) And when these things seemed to him to be according to his mind, having given himself some days for preparation, he saw from a certain vantage point Michael, having fixed the battle standard on the roof of the church of the Theotokos and from there both asking for and receiving strength against his enemies, and his son Theophilus going around the whole circuit of the city with the sacred squadron, carrying the life-giving wood of the cross and the garment of the all-pure mother of Christ our God, he fell into great despair about his affairs and became of every kind of mind like a chameleon, if indeed he were forced to fight not only against visible but also certain invisible powers. Not knowing what to do, and besides, being confident in so great a multitude, he decided that the contest of battle should become the judge of such thoughts. Therefore on the next day at dawn, having signaled for battle, he led out his men, and to his son he entrusted carrying on the war and the assault along the landward circuit of the wall, while he himself, with the greater part of his forces and the war machines with which he was about to test the wall of the city, made the assault against the towers of Blachernae, bringing up ladders proportionate to the height and tortoises on one side and rams on the other, using arrows and stone-throwers from all directions, by which he intended, appearing everywhere in every form, to terrify the citizens and take the city. Nor indeed did he neglect the sea walls, but having surrounded it on all sides with his fleet, he ordered them to use fire and arrows and also certain four-legged city-takers without sparing, and simply so; whence so great a force of men accompanying him accomplished nothing of what would bring him advantage. For a contrary wind that immediately arose both dragged the fleet apart and caused it to be scattered in different directions, since it was also an extraordinary winter; and on the mainland, while those from the city fought back nobly, and for a time rendered his ladders useless by means of stronger missiles hurled from the towers, and the other engines in some ways not reaching their mark, and this a great turn in affairs

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τοῦτον ἑταιρισάμενος ὁ Θωμᾶς στρατεύμα- τός τινος τοῦ κατὰ γῆν ὡσεὶ χιλιάδας δέκα ἀνέδειξεν στρατηγόν. καὶ τὸν κατὰ θάλασσαν δὲ στόλον αὐτῷ γενόμενον εὐτρεπισάμενος [καὶ ετερον αὐτῷ ἐπιστήσας στρατηγὸν] οιόν τινας προδρόμους ἐξέπεμψεν, ὠφέλιμον ειναι κρίνας τοῦ κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν αμα ποιεῖσθαι τὰς προσβολάς. γενομένου δὲ τούτου καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἀναφανέντων τῶν ναυτικῶν καὶ πεζικῶν δυνάμεων ἐν τῷ πρὸς Βλαχέρναις κόλπῳ (οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδεμίαν κώλυσιν η  βοήθειαν ἡ ἐξαρτισθεῖσα σιδηρᾶ σειρὰ ἐπεδέδεικτο) εἰς οὐδὲν η  μικρὸν ἡ τούτων παρουσία λελόγιστο· οθεν οὐδ' ἀξιόλογόν τι παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπέπρακτο. πλὴν ὁ Θωμᾶς κριοὺς καὶ χελώνας καί τινας ἑλεπό- λεις, δι' ων τὰ τείχη ῳετο κατασείειν, διά τινων κατασκευάσας μηχανουργῶν, πρὸς δὲ καί τινα ̓Αναστάσιον αρτι δὴ τὸν τῶν μο- ναχῶν ἀλλαξάμενον βίον καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀγυρτικὸν τοῦτον δὴ καὶ πο- λιτικὸν ὑποστρέψαντα, μέλανα τὴν χροιάν, μέλανα τὴν ψυχήν, υἱοθετήσας καὶ συγκοινωνὸν τῆς ἀνταρσίας ἀναγορεύσας, πολλῷ στρατῷ καὶ δυνάμει ῥέων κατὰ τῆς βασιλευούσης προσήλαυνεν, αμα δὲ τῷ εἰς οψιν ἐποφθῆναι τῶν πολιτῶν τὰς πύλας αὐτῷ ἀνα- πετάσαι οἰόμενος, μίσει δὴ τῷ πρὸς Μιχαήλ. ἐπεὶ δὲ ταύτης τῆς ἐλπίδος διέπεσεν, μᾶλλον μὲν ουν καὶ υβρεσι τούτων καὶ λοι- 59 δορίαις ἐπλύνετο, τότε μὲν δὴ τὴν στρατηγικὴν σκηνὴν καὶ τὸν χάρακα κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Παυλίνου οικον, ενθα δὴ καὶ τὸ τῶν σεβα- σμίων ̓Αναργύρων τέμενος οιόν τι ἀνάκτορον ᾠκοδόμηται, ἐγκατ- έπηξε, καὶ πάντα τὸν αχρι Εὐξείνου τόπον καὶ ̔Ιεροῦ καὶ τῶν περαιτέρω δὴ τούτων πολιχνίων ἐπῆλθε διά τινος στρατεύματος πείσων, καὶ μή τινα εχειν ὑπὸ νώτου ἐχθρόν. (14) ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα κατὰ νοῦν εχειν ἐδόκει αὐτῷ, τινὰς ἡμέρας πρὸς παρα- σκευὴν δοὺς ἑαυτῷ, ὡς εκ τινος ἀπόπτου κατεῖδε τὸν μὲν Μιχαὴλ τὸ πολεμικὸν σημεῖον ἐπὶ τέγους τοῦ τῆς θεοτόκου ναοῦ καταπε- πηγότα κἀκεῖθεν τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἰσχὺν αἰτούμενόν τε καὶ προσλαμβάνοντα, τὸν δ' υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Θεόφιλον πάντα τὸν τῆς πόλεως περίβολον μετὰ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τάγματος ἐπιφοιτῶντα, τό τε ζῳοποιὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον ἐπιφερόμενον καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τῆς πανάγνου μητρὸς Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, εἰς πολλὴν μὲν τῶν πραγμάτων δυσελπιστίαν καὶ παντοῖος ἐγένετο τὴν γνώμην κατὰ τὸν χαμαιλέοντα, ειγε μὴ πρὸς ὁρατοὺς μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀοράτους τινὰς δυνάμεις ἀναγκάζοιτο διαμάχεσθαι. οὐκ εχων δ' οτι καὶ πράξειεν, αλλως τε δὲ καὶ οχλῳ δὴ τοσούτῳ τεθαρρηκώς, τὸν διὰ μάχης εκρινεν ἀγῶνα τῶν τοιούτων δὴ λογισμῶν γενέσθαι κριτήν. οθεν τῇ ἑξῆς αμα τῷ φωτὶ σημάνας τὸ ἐνυάλιον τοὺς ανδρας ἐξῆγε, καὶ τῷ μὲν υἱῷ κατὰ τὸν ἐν τῇ χερσῷ τοῦ τείχους περίβο- λον φέρειν τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἐπέτρεπεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ πολὺ τῶν δυνάμεων καὶ τῶν πολεμικῶν ὀργάνων, δι' ων εμελλε τὸ 60 τεῖχος καταπειράζειν τῆς πόλεως, εχων κατὰ τοὺς τῶν Βλαχερνῶν πύργους ἐποιεῖτο τὴν προσβολήν, κλίμακάς τε τῷ υψει προσφέρων ἀναλογούσας καὶ χελώνας αλλοθεν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν τοὺς κριούς, τοξεύμασί τε καὶ πετροβόλοις πανταχόθεν χρώμενος, οις εμελλε πάντοθεν παντοῖος φαινόμενος καταπλῆξαι μὲν τοὺς πολίτας, κρα- τήσειν δὲ καὶ τῆς πόλεως. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν κατὰ θάλατταν ἠμέ- λει τειχῶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ναυτικῷ πάντοθεν περικυκλώσας αὐτὴν πυρί τε καὶ τοξεύμασι, πρὸς δὲ καί τισι τετρασκελέσιν ἑλεπόλεσιν χρῆ- σθαι ἐκέλευεν ἀφειδῶς, ταὐτὸν δὲ καὶ ἀτέχνως εἰπεῖν· οθεν οὐδὲν τῶν εἰς ονησιν φερόντων αὐτῷ ἡ τοσαύτη δύναμις συμπαρομαρ- τούντων ἀνδρῶν κατεπράξατο. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ναυτικὸν εὐθύς τις ἐναντίος ἐπιγενόμενος ανεμος συνδιέλκυσέ τε καὶ αλλο αλλῃ δια- σπαρῆναι ἐποίησεν ατε δὴ καὶ χειμῶνος οντος ἐξαισίου· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ηπειρον γενναίως μὲν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀπομαχομένων, καὶ τέως μὲν τὰς κλίμακας ἀχρήστους αὐτῷ ποιούντων διὰ τῶν ἐκ τῶν πύργων ῥηγνυμένων ἰσχυροτέρων βελῶν, τῶν δ' αλλων ὀρ- γάνων πῇ μὲν οὐκ ἐφικνουμένων, καὶ τούτου μεγάλην ῥοπὴν τοῖς πράγμασι