41

ed. Through someone, therefore, sent by him, he diligently sought out the leader of the Germans from below; but he, leaning out from above, after saying and hearing many things, quickly agrees to betray the city. So the soldier came bringing this news; and those around Alexios, hearing the unexpected news, became overjoyed and very eagerly prepared to mount their horses.

2.10.1 At the same time as this, the ambassadors of Melissenos were also pressing strongly, demanding the promised chrysobull. And Manganes was immediately summoned to bring it; but he said he had the chrysobull written, but insisted he had lost the necessary instrument for the imperial signatures along with the pen, being a secretive man and clever at easily foreseeing the future, and from the past hunting for something advantageous, and accurately diagnosing the present and skillfully turning it to whatever he wished and obscuring matters, if only he wanted to. For Manganes was delaying the writing of the chrysobull, giving Melissenos suspended hopes. For he was afraid that if the chrysobull, which bestowed the rank of Caesar upon him, was sent down to him sooner than it should, he might send the Caesar away and lay claim to the whole empire, just as he had signaled to the Komnenoi, and attempt something rather rash. And this was the art and the trickery of Manganes regarding the postponement of the Caesar's chrysobull. 2.10.2 As these things were happening and the time was pressing for the entry into the city, the ambassadors, suspecting the plot, pressed more vehemently, demanding the chrysobull. But the Komnenoi say to them: “Since we are now going with the city in our hands in order to take possession of it with God's help, go and report this to your master and lord, and add this, that if indeed matters turn out according to our hopes when you come to us, everything will follow smoothly and according to what is wished by us and you.” But this was to the ambassadors; however, they sent George Palaiologos to Gilpraktos, the leader of the Germans, to make trial of Gilpraktos's intention. and if he should discern that he was eager to receive the Komnenoi according to his promise, he was to give the signal given to him, which they, upon seeing it, would hasten their entry, while he himself, having gone up into the tower, would quickly open the gates for them. And he very eagerly undertook the journey to Gilpraktos, being a man eager for military deeds and the storming of cities, and for this very reason you might have called him a veritable stormer of walls, as Homer says of Ares. But the Komnenoi, having armed themselves and very skillfully arranged all their heavy infantry, went toward the city, marching at a slow pace, in troops. 2.10.3 In the evening, therefore, George Palaiologos, having approached the wall and received the signal from Gilpraktos, goes up onto the tower with those around him. And those around Alexios, having for the time being come a short distance before the walls, set up a palisade and encamp splendidly. And having camped for a small part of the night, for the rest they themselves held the very center of the phalanx, along with the elite cavalry and the best troops, and having drawn up the light-armed troops, and advancing at a walking pace, at the very break of dawn they suddenly stood before the walls. And forming a battle formation, they all wore iron armor, in order to strike terror into those within. And when Palaiologos gave them the signal from above and opened the gates, they entered pell-mell, not with military order, but each as he could, carrying shields and bows and spears. 2.10.4 It was the fifth great day, on which we sacrifice the mystical passover, and at the same time we feast, in the fourth indiction of the year #22 6589, of the month of April.

41

μενος. ∆ιά τινος οὖν ἀποσταλέντος παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῶν Νεμίτζων κάτωθεν ἐπιμελῶς ἀνεζήτει· ὁ δὲ ἄνωθεν προκύψας πολλά τε εἰπὼν καὶ ἀκούσας συντί θεται ταχὺ προδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν. Ἧκεν οὖν τὴν ἀγγελίαν ταύτην κομίζων ὁ στρατιώτης· ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀλέξιον τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδας περιχαρεῖς γενόμενοι μάλα προθύμως ἐπιβαίνειν τοῖς ἵπποις ἡτοιμάζοντο.

2.10.1 Ἅμα δὲ τούτοις καὶ οἱ τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ πρέσβεις σφοδρῶς ἐπέκειντο ἀπαιτοῦντες τὸν ὑπεσχημένον χρυσό βουλλον λόγον. Καὶ ὁ Μαγγάνης εὐθὺς μετεκαλεῖτο κομίσων αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ τὸν μὲν χρυσόβουλλον λόγον γεγραμ μένον ἔχειν ἔλεγε, τὸ δέ γε χρησιμεῦον σκεῦος πρὸς τὰς βασιλικὰς ὑπογραφὰς σὺν τῇ γραφίδι ἀπολωλεκέναι διισχυρίζετο κρυψίνους ὣν ἀνὴρ καὶ δεινὸς τὸ μέλλον ῥᾷστα προϊδεῖν καὶ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ παρεληλυθότος θηρᾶσαί τι συνοῖσον, τὸ δέ γε ἐνεστὸς ἀκριβῶς διαγνῶναι καὶ πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν βούλοιτο εὐφυῶς μετενεγκεῖν ἐπισκιάσαι τε πράγματα, εἰ μόνον θελήσει. Ἀνεβάλλετο γὰρ τὴν τοῦ χρυ σοβούλλου γραφὴν ὁ Μαγγάνης μετεώρους τὰς ἐλπίδας διδοὺς τῷ Μελισσηνῷ. Ἐδεδίει γάρ, μὴ τοῦ χρυσοβούλλου τάχιον ἢ προσῆκε καταπεμφθέντος αὐτῷ, ὃς τὴν τοῦ καίσαρος ἀξίαν τούτῳ κατεχαρίζετο, τὸν καίσαρα μὲν ἀποπέμψοιτο, τῆς δὲ βασιλείας ὅλος ἐξέχοιτο, καθάπερ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Κομνηνοὺς διαμεμηνυκὼς ἦν, καὶ σπου δάσειέ τι θρασύτερον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἦν ἡ τέχνη καὶ τὸ μαγγάνευμα τῷ Μαγγάνῃ περὶ τὴν ἀναβολὴν τοῦ χρυσο βούλλου λόγου τοῦ καίσαρος. 2.10.2 Τούτων οὕτω τελου μένων καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ κατεπείγοντος τὴν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν εἴσοδον, ὑποτοπάζοντες οἱ πρέσβεις τὸ δρᾶμα σφοδρότερον ἐνέκειντο ἐξαιτούμενοι τὸν χρυσόβουλλον λόγον. Οἱ δὲ Κομνηνοί φασι πρὸς αὐτούς· «Ἐπεὶ ἐν χερσὶν ἤδη τὴν πόλιν ἔχοντες ἄπιμεν ἐφ' ᾧ κατασχεῖν αὐτὴν Θεοῦ ἐπα ρήγοντος, ἀπελθόντες ἀπαγγείλατε ταῦτα τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ κυρίῳ ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῦτ' ἐπειπόντες ὡς εἴ γε κατ' ἐλπίδας ἡμῖν ἀπαντήσει τὰ πράγματα σοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς παραγενο μένου, πάντα κατὰ ῥοῦν ἀκολουθήσειε καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ βουλητόν». Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις· τὸν μέντοι. Γεώργιον τὸν Παλαιολόγον πρὸς τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῶν Νεμίτζων Γιλπράκτον ἐξέπεμψαν ἀπόπειραν ποιή σασθαι τῆς γνώμης Γιλπράκτου. καὶ εἰ διαγνοίη προθυ μούμενον δέξασθαι κατὰ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν τοὺς Κομνηνούς, τὸ δοθὲν αὐτῷ σύνθημα ποιῆσαι, ὅπερ αὐτοὶ μὲν θεασά μενοι ἐπισπεύσουσι τὴν εἰσέλευσιν, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς τὸν πύργον ἀνελθὼν θᾶττον αὐτοῖς τὰς πύλας ὑπανοίξει. Ὁ δὲ μάλα προθύμως τὴν πρὸς τὸν Γιλπράκτον ὁδοιπορίαν ἀνεδέξατο, πρόθυμος ὢν ἀνὴρ ἐς πολεμικὰς πράξεις καὶ πόλεων ἐκπορθήσεις, καὶ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ τειχεσιπλήτης αὐτό χρημα εἶπες ἄν, ὃ περὶ Ἄρεως Ὅμηρος. Οἱ δὲ Κομνηνοὶ ὁπλισάμενοι καὶ τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἅπαν ἐμπείρως πάνυ κατα στησάμενοι βραδεῖ ποδὶ στείχοντες ἰλαδὸν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἀπῄεσαν. 2.10.3 Ἑσπέρας οὖν πελάσας τῷ τείχει ὁ Παλαιολόγος Γεώργιος καὶ σύνθημα ἀπὸ τοῦ Γιλπράκτου λαβὼν ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὸν πύργον μετὰ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτόν. Οἱ δέ γε ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀλέξιον τέως μὲν βραχύ τι πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν γεγονότες χάρακά τε βάλλονται καὶ στρατοπε δεύουσι λαμπρῶς. Καὶ βραχύ τι μέρος ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τῆς νυκτὸς αὐλισάμενοι τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτοὶ τὸ μεσαίτατον εἶχον τῆς φάλαγγος ἅμα τοῖς τῶν ἱππέων ἐπιλέκτοις καὶ τῇ κρείττονι στρατιᾷ τό τε ψιλὸν διατάξαντες βάδην τε προϊόντες κατ' αὐτὸ τὸ περίορθρον πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀθρόον καθίστανται. Καὶ πολέμου σχῆμα διατυπώσαντες ἐσιδηρο φόρουν ξύμπαντες, ἵνα τοὺς ἐντὸς καταπλήξαιεν. Σύν θημα δὲ ἄνωθεν δόντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ Παλαιολόγου καὶ τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξαντος συμμίγδην εἰσῄεσαν, οὐ σὺν εὐταξίᾳ στρατιωτικῇ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔτυχεν ἕκαστος, ἀσπίδας καὶ τόξα καὶ δόρατα φέροντες. 2.10.4 Ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα πέμπτη ἦν ἡ μεγάλη, καθ' ἣν τὸ μυστικὸν πάσχα θύομεν, ἅμα καὶ ἑστιώμεθα, ἐπινεμήσεως τετάρτης ἔτους #22 ϛφπθʹ μηνὸς Ἀπριλλίου.