he had taken a fortress, and having crossed Mount Lebanon transversely, he turned his attention to Tripoli, which he saw was fortified and exceptionally difficult to capture compared to other cities, and since his ships were driven off course by contrary winds and were delayed, he passed this by and decided to besiege the fortress of Arqa, which held inside it an untold amount of wealth. From there, having surrounded it with three palisades, he besieged it most vigorously, and having brought down its towers with siege engines, for nine whole days he both sacked it, and carried off from there untold wealth; and he took many other fortresses by storm. 72 11. While these things were being done by the emperor in Syria, it happened that an eclipse of the sun occurred around the winter solstice, such as had never happened before, except for that one which took place at the time of the Lord's passion on account of the desperation of the Jews, which they wrongfully committed, having nailed the creator of all things to the cross. The nature of the eclipse happened to be like this. December was driving toward its twenty-second day, and at the fourth hour of the day, while the weather was calm and clear, darkness covered the earth, and all the bright stars appeared. And it was possible to see the disk of the sun without brilliance and unlit, but a certain faint and thin radiance, like a slender ribbon, shining around the edge of the disk in a circle. And gradually, as the sun moved past the moon (for the latter was seen directly obstructing it), it sent forth its own rays, and again filled the earth with light. Therefore, the people, terrified by the new and unusual sight, propitiated the divinity with supplications, as was likely. At that time I myself was residing in Byzantium, pursuing the general course of education. But the emperor (for it is necessary to bring the narrative, which has strayed from its course, back to him), since he had taken the fortresses of the enemy without a struggle, marched on Antioch with his whole army, and having pitched camp before its walls, having gathered together his generals and commanders, and having stood in a conspicuous place in the open, said these things: The fortresses situated beyond this 73 city, we have taken, fellow soldiers, as you know, beyond all expectation, by the inclination of providence and by your own experience together with your inherent courage. And I confess my greatest thanks to you, because looking to me, your leader, you did not shrink from the unpleasant things, of which war knows how to bring many and discordant ones, but you fought with such enthusiasm and calculated strength that none of the fortresses which we attacked proved superior to your valor, or was left uncaptured. And I know your eagerness for the destruction of this very city, how the army is swelling and straining to demolish this city and ravage it with fire. But a certain pity for it enters me, if this city, which ranks as the third in the civilized world, both in the beauty and the size of its circuit walls (for you see to what height they rise), and moreover in the multitude of its people and the wondrous construction of its houses, is to lie in ruins, like some poor little fort. But for the Roman army to wear itself out on the sacking of this city, and to destroy and plunder again what has been brought under your control by war, does not seem to me to make sense. For I would say that he is especially a provident general who, by raids and delays, harms and corrupts the land of the enemy; but the one who wears down and exhausts his own land by the excursions of the army and by its returning back again to the country, 74 this man I would not hesitate to call foolish, or rather most malevolent; doing something similar to those dogs satirized in the proverb, who the wolves from the sheep

παρείληφε φρούριον, τὸν Λίβανον τὸ ὄρος ἐγκαρσίως ὑπερβὰς, τῇ Τριπόλει προσέσχεν, ἣν ἐχυρὰν καὶ δυσάλωτον τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων διαφερόντως ἰδὼν, ἐπεὶ καὶ αἱ νῆες αὐτῷ ἀντιπνοίαις ἀνέμων ἐκκρουόμεναι καθυστέρησαν, ταύτην παραδραμὼν τὸ Ἄρκα φρούριον ἔγνω πολιορκεῖν, χρῆμα πλούτου κατέχον ἔνδον ἀμύθητον. ἐντεῦθεν τρισὶ χάραξι περιζώσας αὐτὸ , ἐπολιόρκει ἐῤῥωμενέστατα, καὶ ταῖς ἑλεπόλεσι τὰ τούτου πυργώματα καθελὼν, ἐφ' ὅλοις ἡλίοις ἐννέα ἐπόρθησέ τε, καὶ ἀμύθητον ἐκεῖθεν πλοῦτον συνεξεφόρησε· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ φρούρια πλεῖστα εἷλεν αὐτοβοεί. 72 ιαʹ. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ τὴν Συρίαν ἐπράττετο, ἔκλειψιν συνέβη περὶ χειμερινὰς τροπὰς τοῦ ἡλίου γενέσθαι, οἵαν μηδέπω συνέβη γενέσθαι τὸ πρότερον, πλὴν ἐκείνην τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ πάθους προβᾶσαν διὰ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπόνοιαν, ἣν ἐπλημμέλησαν, σταυρῷ τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν προσηλώσαντες. τὸ δὲ τῆς ἐκλείψεως εἶδος τοιοῦτον συνέβαινεν. εἰκάδα δευτέραν ἤλαυνεν ὁ ∆εκέμβριος, τετάρτῃ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ὥρᾳ, σταθηρᾶς αἰθρίας οὔσης, σκότος ἐπέσχε τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ διαφανεῖς τῶν ἀστέρων ἅπαντες κατεφαίνοντο. ἦν δὲ ὁρᾷν τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου δίσκον ἀλαμπῆ καὶ ἀφώτιστον, αἴγλην δέ τινα ἀμυδρὰν καὶ ἰσχνὴν, ταινίας δίκην λεπτῆς, κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον κυκλόθεν τὸν δίσκον περιαυγάζουσαν. κατὰ μικρὸν δὲ τὴν σελήνην παραμείβων ὁ ἥλιος (ὡρᾶτο γὰρ αὕτη κατὰ κάθετον αὐτὸν ἀντιφράττουσα) τὰς ἰδίας ἀκτῖνας ἐξέπεμπε, καὶ φωτὸς αὖθις ἐπλήρου τὴν γῆν. τῷ καινῷ οὖν καὶ ἀσυνήθει τοῦ ὁράματος ἐκδειματωθέντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὸ θεῖον ἱκετηρίαις, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἐξιλάσκοντο. τότε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ Βυζαντίῳ ἐπεχωρίαζον, μετιὼν τὴν ἐγκύκλιον παίδευσιν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς (δεῖ γὰρ τὸν λόγον τοῦ εἱρμοῦ ἐκτραπέντα ἐπ' αὐτὸν τοῦτον αὖθις ἐπαναγαγεῖν), ἐπεὶ τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων φρούρια εἷλεν ἀκονιτὶ, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀντιόχου ἐπορεύετο παμπληθεὶ, καὶ πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν αὐτῆς πηξάμενος χάρακα, τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ λοχαγοὺς συναγηοχὼς, ἐν περιωπῇ τε κατὰ τὸ ὕπαιθρον στὰς, ἔλεξε ταῦτα· τὰ μὲν ἐπέκεινα ταύτης 73 ἀνῳκισμένα τῆς πόλεως φρούρια τῇ τῆς προνοίας ῥοπῇ καὶ τῇ σφῶν ἐμπειρίᾳ μετὰ τῆς προσούσης ἀνδρείας εἵλομεν, ὡς ἴστε, συστρατιῶται, παρὰ πᾶσαν ὑπόνοιαν. καὶ χάριν ὁμολογῶ πλείστην ὑμῖν, ὅτι πρὸς ἐμὲ τὸν ὑμῶν ἀφορῶντες ἡγεμόνα, οὐκ ὠκλάσατε περί τε τῶν ἀηδῶν, ἃ πλεῖστα καὶ ἀπηχῆ ἐπιφέρειν οἶδεν ὁ πόλεμος, ἀλλ' οὕτω μετὰ προθυμίας καὶ λελογισμένης ῥώμης διηγωνίσασθε, ὥστε μηδὲν, οἷς προβάλομεν τῶν φρουρίων, ὑπέρτερον γενέσθαι τῆς ὑμῶν ἀρετῆς, καὶ καταλειφθῆναι ἀνάλωτον. οἶδα δὲ καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν κατασκαφὴν ταυτησὶ τῆς πόλεως πρόθυμον ὑμῶν, ὅπως ὀργᾶτε καὶ σφαδάζετε ἡ στρατιὰ, ταύτην κατεριπώσειν καὶ δῃώσειν πυρί. ἀλλ' οἶκτός μέ τις ὑπεισέρχεται ταύτης, εἰ τρίτη τῶν περὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην τελοῦσα πόλεων, τῷ τε κάλλει καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῶν περιβόλων (ὁρᾶτε γὰρ εἰς ὅσον ὕψος ἐπανατείνονται οὗτοι), ἔτι δὲ πλήθει τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῶν οἰκιῶν ἀμηχάνοις κατασκευαῖς, ἐρείπιον κείσεται, καθά τι φρούριον πενιχρόν. τὸ δὲ τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν στρατιὰν κατὰ τὴν ταύτης κατατρίβειν ἐκπόρθησιν, καὶ τὰ ὑμῖν ὑποποιηθέντα τῷ πολεμεῖν αὖθις διαφθείρειν τε καὶ λεηλατεῖν, οὔ μοι νοῦν ἔχειν δοκεῖ. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον μάλιστα φαίην κηδεμονικὸν στρατηγὸν, τὸν ταῖς ἐπεξελάσεσι καὶ διαμελλήσεσι τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων κακοῦντα χώραν καὶ διαφθείροντα· τὸν δέ γε τὴν οἰκείαν ταῖς τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐκδρομαῖς καὶ αὖθις κατὰ χώραν ἀναστροφαῖς παραπολλύοντα καὶ ἐκτρίβον τα, 74 τοῦτον ἀνόητον, μᾶλλον δὲ κακονούστατον ὀνομάζειν οὐκ ἂν ἀποκνήσαιμι· παρόμοιόν τι διεργαζόμενον τῶν τῇ παροιμίᾳ κωμῳδουμένων κυνῶν, οἳ τοὺς λύκους τῶν προβάτων