laws of city-takers, in which, on account of their unwieldiness from size, no effect shone forth, but those around the eastern parts, and they were especially the naval multitude, looked toward the more customary way; and having prepared stone-throwing machines, more of them small-sized, so as to plot through them against our men fighting from the walls 74, and two larger ones, one of which, one might dare to say, was a daughter of an earthquake, and having strained both those who would fill the easily-assailable ditch with rubble and those skilled at shaking down the outer wall and at attacking the wall and digging through it to cause its collapse, they were engaged in the works to a powerful degree and worked irresistibly. And frequent skirmishes ran ahead of all their actions. For having brought their ships to land towards evening, the next day at dawn they began a mighty battle. And the whole western part up to and all around the circuit of the acropolis, for it was led around, full of towers, in a kind of sickle shape from the sea up to the gates there, did not so much cause us trouble nor inflict wounds, but the eastern part was raging like a beast. The entire coastline was free of battle, on the one hand because the areas by the wall were bare of seawater, since the season was summer and the sea was not swelling up to the fortification itself, so that from this the battle was unequal for those on the coastal walls and those from the sea, and on the other hand because, being skilled in battle, they planned to inflict blows on the more distressed part of the city. For from there they determined they would be able to harm us, as they were also very well able to lay siege because the shore was deep close-in and thus provided good harborage, and because the wall there was not in bad condition, although artlessly constructed from the beginning and not well compacted and not even recently cared for by the good general. For he was like a physician attending to a body that was in pain, but of such a kind as not to be loved enough to be restored to health, and hence neglecting to recover the sick part. And it is not possible for those who have well understood the matter to disbelieve that David appears to have differed very little from a traitor in his dealings with us, unless perhaps someone, arguing more heatedly, should equate him on a scale, as it were, to a traitor in the flesh. For apart from explicit agreements and known denunciations, which many indeed allege against him, in all other respects the man acted treacherously. And common to him and to the one who was otherwise a manifest traitor out of zeal was to contemptuously disregard the common good, but to gratify himself alone, and to propose that all should perish, but that his own affairs alone should survive. The military men were complaining that the stone-throwing instruments among us were not in good working order, so as to contend against those of the adversaries. But he, neglecting to rectify what was criticized, would say, "And what shall I do?", and the refined Pythagorean was content to say so much, seeming to hold silence sacred because he kept most things to himself, but otherwise a man who stifled speech like those lying in ambush, holding back and inscrutable in his wickedness and deep in his secretiveness. He heard that the outer wall was being taken because it was 76 unfortified and consigned it to be stuffed by the mothers of the enemies, a place a man given to foul language might mention. With the arrows running out for those on the walls, there was a demand for missiles. But he would mutter "And where might one find them?" and gave nothing, and the city was suffering. A machine was broken and it was necessary for it to be repaired and wood was sought; "And where might it be?" he would babble. Someone learned that something else of the necessities was lacking and spoke; and then the proverbial Silent Hero became loud-shouting and threatened with blows, with beheading, with eye-gouging, with impalement, if such men did not stop speaking, swearing by the royal head as a pledge of his steadfast threat. And a certain man, not at all of the common people, had his head broken, struck about the face with a rod, because he criticized the poorly executed military operations. And of those watching, no one dared even to grumble. But soldiers speaking freely and saying what was right heard only one thing from this strange man, that since they had been assigned to their posts, they were obliged to toil there and only there,

νόμους ἑλεπόλεων, αἷς διὰ τὸ ἐκ μεγέθους δυσμεταχείριστον οὐδὲ ἐνέλαμψέ τις ἐνέργεια, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὰ ἑῷα, ἦσαν δὲ μάλιστα ἐκεῖνοι τὸ ναυτικὸν πλῆθος, πρὸς τὸ συνηθέστερον ἔβλεπον· καὶ συσκευασάμενοι μηχανὰς πετροβόλους, μικρομεγέθεις μὲν πλείονας, ὡς ἐπιβουλεύειν δι' αὐτῶν τοῖς ἐκ τῶν τειχέων 74 πολεμοῦσιν ἡμεδαποῖς, δύο δὲ μείζονας, ὧν θατέρα σεισμοῦ θυγάτηρ, τολμήσαντα φάναι, ἐντεινάμενοι δὲ καὶ τοὺς τὴν εὐεπιβούλευτον τάφρον συρφετοῦ πλήσοντας καὶ τὸ περίτειχος δὲ κατασεῖσαι δεινοὺς καὶ τῷ τείχει προσβαλεῖν καὶ διορύξαι αὐτὸ εἰς κατάπτωσιν, ἐγίνοντο τῶν ἔργων εἰς ὅσον κραταιὸν καὶ ἀκάθεκτοι κατειργάζοντο. Καὶ προέτρεχον αὐτοῖς πάντων συχνοὶ ἀκροβολισμοί. Πρὸς δείλην γὰρ κατασχόντες τὰς ναῦς, εἰς αὔριον ἕωθεν μάχης κρατερᾶς ἐνήρξαντο. Καὶ τὸ μὲν δυσμικὸν ἅπαν ἕως καὶ εἰς ὅλον τὸ κύκλῳ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως, κατὰ σχῆμα γάρ τι δρεπάνου ἐκ θαλάσσης ἕως καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε πυλῶν περιήγετο πυργηροῦν, οὐχ οὕτω πράγματα ἡμῖν παρεῖχεν οὔτε τραύματα ἐνέτριβε, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀνατολῆς ἐθηριοῦτο. Ἦν δὲ μάχης ἐλεύθερον τὸ παράλιον ὅλον, τὸ μὲν ὅτι ψιλὰ θαλασσίου ὕδατος ἦν τὰ πρὸς τῷ τείχει διὰ τὸν καιρὸν θερινὸν ὄντα καὶ μὴ πληθύοντα τὴν θάλασσαν μέχρι καὶ ἐς αὐτὸν τειχισμόν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἐξ ἀσυμμέτρου τοῖς ἐκ τῶν παραλίων τειχέων καὶ τοῖς ἐκ θαλάττης εἶναι τὴν μάχην, τὸ δ' ὅτι, δαήμονες ὄντες ἐκεῖνοι μάχης, περὶ τὸ πονοῦν μᾶλλον τῆς πόλεως ἐμελέτησαν ἐντήκειν πληγάς. Ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ διέγνων δύνασθαι ἂν βλάψαι ἡμᾶς, ὡς καὶ προσεδρεύειν εὖ μάλα δυνάμενοι διὰ τὸ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ ἀγχιβαθὲς καὶ οὕτως εὐλίμενον, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὸ τεῖχος οὐκ ἀπονήρως εἶχεν ἐκεῖσε, ἀτέχνως τε τὴν ἀρχὴν συσταθὲν καὶ οὐκ εὖ συμπαγὲν καὶ μηδὲ μεμελημένον ἄρτι τῷ καλῷ στρατηγῷ. Ἐῴκει γὰρ ἰατρῷ παρακολουθοῦντι σώματι πονοῦντι μέν, οἵῳ δὲ μὴ φιλεῖσθαι ὡς ἀναποιηθῆναι πρὸς ὑγίειαν, κἀντεῦθεν ἀμελοῦντι τὸ νοσοῦν ἀνακομίσασθαι. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι διαπιστῆσαι τοὺς εὖ κατεγνωκότας τὸ πρᾶγμα ὡς πάνυ τι βραχὺ προδότου τοῦ κυρίως διενεγκεῖν ὁ ∆αυῒδ φαίνεται καθ' ἡμῶν, εἰ μή τις ἄρα θερμότερον ἐπιβάλλων ὡς ἔν τινι πλάστιγγι παρισάζοι ἐκεῖνον εἰς προδότην αὐτόχρημα. ∆ίχα γὰρ συνθεσιῶν ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς καὶ μηνύσεων γνωρίμων, ἃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὰ πολλοὶ κατηγοροῦσιν ἐκείνου, τἆλλα πάντα προδοτικῶς εἶχεν ὁ ἀνήρ. Καὶ κοινὸν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ κατὰ σπουδὴν φανερὰν ἄλλως προδότῃ τὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ μὲν ὑπερορᾶν περιφρονητικῶς, ἑαυτῷ δὲ μόνῳ χαρίζεσθαι, καὶ προτίθεσθαι πάντας μὲν ἀπιέναι, περιεῖναι δὲ μόνα τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. Ἐμέμφοντο οἱ στρατιωτικοὶ ὅτι τὰ πετροβόλα ἐν ἡμῖν ὄργανα οὐκ εὐχρήστως εἶχον, ὡς ἀντιφερίζειν πρὸς τὰ τῶν ἀντιμάχων. Ὁ δὲ ἀφεὶς κατορθοῦν τὸ ψεγόμενον «καὶ τί ποιήσω;», ἔλεγε καὶ ἠρκεῖτο εἰπεῖν τοσοῦτον ὁ κομψὸς πυθαγοριστής, δοκῶν μὲν ἱερὸν εἶναι σιγῆς διὰ τὸ ἐχεμυθεῖν τὰ πλείω, ἄλλως δὲ κατὰ τοὺς λοχῶντας πνίγων τὴν λαλιὰν ἄνθρωπος, ἐπέχων καὶ τὰ ἐς πονηρίαν ἀδιόρατος καὶ τό γε κρυψίνουν πολυβενθής. Ἤκουεν ὡς τὸ περίτειχος καταλαμβάνεται διὰ τὸ ἀνεχύρως 76 ἔχειν καὶ παρέπεμπεν αὐτὸ ταῖς μητράσι τῶν πολεμίων παραβύειν, ἔνθα αἰσχρορρήμων εἴποι ἂν ἀνήρ. Ἐπιλειπόντων ὀϊστῶν τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν τειχέων, ἦν βελῶν ζήτησις. Ὁ δὲ καὶ ποῦ ἂν αὐτοὺς εὕροι ὑπετονθόρυζε καὶ ἐδίδου μηδὲν καὶ ἡ πόλις ἔκαμνεν. Ἐκλᾶτο μηχανὴ καὶ ἦν ἀναγκαία ἐπιποιηθῆναι καὶ ἐζητεῖτο ξύλον· «καὶ ποῦ ἂν εἴη αὐτό;» παρελάλει. Ἐμάνθανέ τις ἄλλο τι ἐνδεῖν τῶν δεόντων καὶ ἐλάλει· καὶ ἦν τηνικαῦτα ὁ κατὰ παροιμίαν Σιγηλὸς ἥρως εὐρυβόας καὶ ἠπειλεῖτο κατὰ πληγῶν, κατὰ κεφαλῆς, κατὰ ὀμμάτων, κατὰ σκολοπισμοῦ, εἰ μὴ παύσοιντο λαλεῖν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, διομνύμενος εἰς πίστιν σταθερᾶς ἀπειλῆς βασιλικὴν κεφαλήν. Τῶν τις δὲ οὐ πάνυ τοῦ δήμου καὶ κατεάγη τῆς κεφαλῆς, τὰ περὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ῥάβδῳ πληγείς, ὅτι τὰ στρατηγικὰ φαύλως ἐνεργούμενα κατεμέμψατο. Καὶ τῶν βλεπόντων οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ γογγύσαι τετόλμηκε. Στρατιῶται δὲ παρρησιαζόμενοι καὶ ὀρθὰ λαλοῦντες ἓν μόνον πρὸς τοῦ ἀτόπου ἤκουον, ὡς ὅτι, κατατόπια εἰληχότες, ἐκεῖσε καὶ μόνον πονεῖσθαι ἀνάγκην ἔχουσι,