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buying them and transporting them to their own city. 73.10 Among whom the wife of my brother also happened to be given up, causing us no small pain. 73.11 But my mother and my wife with two children (for the other one had become the work of the sea), and also my pitiful, wretched, long-suffering brother and my sister, lagging behind all in age, by some divine providence happened to be on one Sidonian ship, kept for the journey to Syria. 73.12 But all of us who were being kept for the exchange, while still scattered, the barbarians gathered together and, bringing us into one of the warships that had been dragged out of the harbor, they imprisoned us, having assigned to us some of their own experienced men as guards. 74.1 And so they prepared to set sail after one more day; for the season was already urging them on and did not permit them to linger in the place, as the weather was turning towards winter. 74.2 Therefore, mounting horses that were standing by, the commanders of the ships, along with the tyrant himself, went to the city, at once to show off to the Cretans their glorious success in what they had done to us, and at the same time to fulfill their abominable rite, to be welcomed by the natives and to obtain some respite from their previous struggles. 74.3 And so, having spent one more day there, they returned quickly, hastening their preparations for the voyage, as the wind was already calling them. 74.4 And now, as the twelfth day was beginning, I mean since our arrival in Crete, we began the voyage. 74.5 And we were taken to the island opposite, which is called Dia; and again setting out from there, we came to anchor at the edge of the island. 74.6 There, having taken on water and having remained a short time in the place, when they saw the wind had become favorable, they sailed away from there, steering for the middle of the open sea. 74.7 And we were all, as has been said, on one Roman warship, which was a bireme, of which the barbarians assigned to be with us allotted the upper deck to themselves, and left the lower one to us, full of much darkness and stench. 74.8 And what else can one call it but a tomb travelling on the waters? 74.9 For if I should wish to recount one by one all that we suffered during that period of the voyage and with how much confinement, I would seem to many to be relating fables and to be deviating from the truth, according to which at the beginning of my account I promised to commit everything to writing. 74.10 For this very reason, having willingly passed over most of what happened, having lingered until now on those things which would seem most to suffice for our understanding, so as to provide you with what is trustworthy in all things, O wisest and most learned Gregory, in the same manner I will now proceed concerning the rest of the events, which are likewise sufficient to shatter an unpitying heart, let alone yours, of which compassion is the most particular quality above all others, obeying which you urged me to come to this writing and compelled me to dare so great a matter, one which surpasses our own ability. 75.1 But while we were thus struggling against many forms of misfortunes, a great surge of the sea also came upon us, stirring up a sea-swell, threatening danger to our lives; 75.2 from which all the ships were scattered, driven far from one another by the rushing of the wind and turning from their straight course. 75.3 But I do not know by what evil demon the ill-omened Leo happened to be sailing near us on the left, sitting at the stern of his own ship and giving orders to the helmsmen regarding his expertise in sailing. 75.4 With them another ship was also being towed behind, inferior to the others, which had been split in the middle by the violence of the squall and was threatening those on it with imminent death in the waters; 75.5 from which the barbarians on it cried out, “Save us, come, O leader of the army, and do not allow so great a people of the Hagarenes to perish, whom until now you have kept safe from many dangers,” explaining in brief what had happened. 75.6 And he immediately to steer the ship towards them

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ὠνουμένους καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν πόλιν μεταγουσῶν. 73.10 ἐν οἷς ἔτυχεν ἐκδοθεῖσα καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σύζυγος, οὐ μετρίαν ἡμῖν ὀδύνην περιποιήσασα. 73.11 ἡ δέ μοι μήτηρ καὶ ἡ γαμετὴ σὺν δυσὶ τέκνοις (τὸ γὰρ ἕτερον ἔργον ἦν γενόμενον τῆς θαλάσσης), ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐλεεινὸς ἄθλιος ὁ τλήμων ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἡ τῷ χρόνῳ πάντων ἐφυστερίζουσα ἀδελφή, ἔκ τινος θεϊκῆς προνοίας εἰς μίαν Σιδωνίαν ἔτυχον ναῦν, τῆς πρὸς Συρίαν ἀποδημίας τηρούμενοι. 73.12 ἡμᾶς δὲ πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ καταλλαγῇ τηρουμένους ἔτι διεσπαρμένους ὄντας συναγαγόντες οἱ βάρβαροι καί τινι πολεμικῇ νηῒ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ λιμένος ἀνασπασθεισῶν ὑφ' ἓν εἰσενεγκόντες καθεῖρξαν, φύλακάς τινας τῶν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἐμπείρων αὐτῶν ἡμῖν συμβιβάσαντες. 74.1 Καὶ οὕτως ἐσκευάζοντο μετὰ μίαν ἄλλην ἡμέραν ἔχεσθαι τοῦ πλοός· ἤδη γὰρ ἦγεν αὐτοὺς ὁ καιρὸς καὶ χρονίζειν οὐκ ἐδίδου τῷ τόπῳ, πρὸς τὸ χειμέριον τὸν ἀέρα μετατιθέμενος. 74.2 ἵπποις οὖν ἐφεστῶσιν ἐπιβάντες οἱ τῶν νηῶν ἀρχηγοὶ μετὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τυράννου πρὸς τῇ πόλει γεγόνασιν, ἅμα μὲν ἐνδεικνύμενοι τοῖς Κρησὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ἐν ἡμῖν περιφάνειαν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν βδελυρὰν αὐτῶν τελετὴν ἐκπληρώσοντες, δεξιωθῆναί τε παρὰ τῶν αὐτοχθονίων καί τινος τυχεῖν τῶν προηγωνισμένων ἀνέσεως. 74.3 οὗ δὴ καὶ μίαν ἄλλην ἡμέραν προσδιατρίψαντες τομῶς ὑπέστρεψαν, ἐπισπεύδοντες τὰ πρὸς τὸν πλοῦν, καλοῦντος αὐτοὺς ἤδη τοῦ πνεύματος. 74.4 ἤδη δὲ τῆς δωδεκάτης ἡμέρας ἀρχομένης, λέγω δὴ τῆς πρὸς τὴν Κρήτην ἀφίξεως, τοῦ πλοὸς ἀπηρξάμεθα. 74.5 μετήχθημεν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀντικρὺ νῆσον, ἥτις ∆ιὸς καλεῖται· καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖθεν ἀναχθέντες ἐν τῷ τῆς νήσου πέρατι προσωρμίσθημεν. 74.6 ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑδρευσάμενοι καὶ μικρόν τι τῷ τόπῳ προσμείναντες, ὡς κατ' οὐρὰν εἶδον γεγονότα τὸν ἄνεμον, ἀπέπλευσαν ἐκεῖθεν κατὰ μέσον ἰθύναντες τοῦ πελάγους. 74.7 ἧμεν δὲ πάντες, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐν μιᾷ νηῒ Ῥωμαίᾳ πολεμικῇ, ἥτις ἦν διήρης, ὧν τὴν μὲν ἄνω καθέδραν οἱ λαχόντες εἶναι μεθ' ἡμῶν βάρβαροι ἑαυτοῖς ἐκληρώσαντο, τὴν κάτω δὲ ἡμῖν ἐπαφῆκαν, σκότους πολλοῦ καὶ δυσωδίας πλήρη. 74.8 καὶ τί ἄλλο γε χρὴ λέγειν ἢ τάφον ἐν ὕδασι πορευόμενον; 74.9 εἰ γὰρ ἀπαριθμῆσαι θελήσω καθ' ἓν ὅσα κατὰ τὴν περίοδον ἐκείνην τοῦ πλοὸς ὑπέστημεν καὶ μεθ' ὅσης στενοχωρίας, μύθους δόξω τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐξηγεῖσθαι καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκτρέπεσθαι, καθ' ἣν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ λόγου πάντα γραφῇ παραδοῦναι καθυπεσχόμην. 74.10 διά τοι τοῦτο τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν πεπραγμένων ἑκὼν παραδραμών, οἷς ἂν ἐδόκουν μάλιστα τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐξαρκεῖν διάνοιαν μέχρι τοῦ νῦν προσδιατρίψας, ὡς ἐν ἅπασι τὸ πιστόν σοι παρασχεῖν, ὦ σοφώτατε ἀνδρῶν καὶ φιλομαθέστατε Γρηγόριε, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πάλιν καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διεξίω, ἱκανῶν καὶ ὡσαύτως ὄντων καὶ ἀμείλικτον διαθρύψαι καρδίαν, μή τί γε τὴν σήν, ἧς τοῦτο μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶν ἰδιαίτατον ἡ συμπάθεια, ᾗ πειθαρχῶν εἰς ταύτην ἡμᾶς ἐλθεῖν τὴν συγγραφὴν προετρέψω καὶ πράγματος τοσούτου κατατολμῆσαι παρεβιάσω, τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ὑπερβαίνοντος δύναμιν. 75.1 Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὕτω περὶ πολλὰς συμφορῶν ἰδέας προσπαλαιόντων ἡμῶν ἔφθασεν ἐπιστᾶσα καὶ τρικυμία τις, θαλάσσιον διεγείρουσα κλύδωνα, τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς ἀπειλοῦντα κίνδυνον· 75.2 ἐξ οὗ καὶ πᾶσαι διεσκορπίσθησαν αἱ νῆες, τῷ ῥοίζῳ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐξ ἀλλήλων μακρὰν διασπασθεῖσαι καὶ τοῦ κατ' εὐθεῖαν ἥκειν ἐκκλίνασαι. 75.3 οὐκ οἶδα δ' ἐκ τίνος πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἔτυχε παραπλέων ἡμῖν ἐγγύθεν ἐξ εὐωνύμου ὁ δυσώνυμος Λέων, κατὰ πρύμναν τῆς ἰδίας νηὸς καθήμενος καὶ τοῖς κυβερνήταις τὴν περὶ τοῦ πλεῖν ἐμπειρίαν διατάττων. 75.4 μεθ' ὧν καί τις ὄπισθεν ναῦς ἑτέρα εἷλκε τῶν ἄλλων ὑποδεεστέρα, ἥτις ἦν τῇ βίᾳ τῆς ζάλης μέσον διαρραγεῖσα καὶ ἀπειλοῦσα τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ ἤδη παρόντα τὸν ἐν ὕδασι θάνατον· 75.5 ἐξ ἧς ἀνέκραγον οἱ κατ' αὐτὴν βάρβαροι «σῶσον ἐπιστάς, ὦ καθηγεμὼν τοῦ στρατοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐάσῃς δῆμον τοσούτων Ἀγαρηνῶν ἀπολέσθαι, οὓς μέχρι τοῦδε πολλῶν κινδύνων ἀπειράτους ἐτήρησας,» ἐξειπόντες ἐν ὀλίγῳ καὶ τὸ συμβάν. 75.6 ὁ δὲ παρευθὺ κατ' αὐτοὺς τὴν ναῦν ἰθῦναι