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And so the entire army, gathered from both foreign and native forces, from both indigenous peoples and the neighboring regions, knowing that the city had long been flourishing with all kinds of goods, continuously supplied from both land and sea, in a short time entered through the Charisian Gate, scattering everywhere through the main streets, and through the crossroads and side-streets, sparing neither houses, nor churches, nor even the sacred sanctuaries at all, but gathering much plunder from there, refraining, however, only from killing, but doing all other things everywhere aggressively and shamelessly. But what was worse, was that not even the native inhabitants refrained from such deeds, but, as if forgetting themselves and changing their own characters for the worse, they too, shamelessly, did what the barbarians did.

2.11.1 The emperor Nikephoros, seeing these things and how his own affairs had come to a very tight spot, with the city being besieged from the west and with Nikephoros Melissenos already encamped near Damalis in the east, not knowing what to do, was more inclined to yield the first place to Melissenos. But when the city was already seized by the Komnenoi, he summoned one of his most faithful servants and ordered him to bring Melissenos into the palace by way of the fleet, and with whom was also a certain spatharios, a most warlike man. 2.11.2 But before the order could be carried out, the city was taken, and Palaiologos, taking one of his own men, went down on foot as if heading towards the sea. Happening upon a small boat, he entered at once and ordered the rowers, to direct the skiff to where the fleet was customarily moored. Drawing near now to the other side, he sees the man sent by Botaneiates preparing the fleet to ferry Melissenos across, and the spatharios inside one of the warships. Recognizing him, therefore, from afar, as he had long been an acquaintance of his, sailing alongside and greeting him as usual, he inquired from where he was coming and where he was going, and asked him to take him aboard with him. But the spatharios, seeing him girt with a sword and holding a shield, became afraid and says to him: "If I did not see you so armed, I would have received you with great joy." But he very eagerly agreed to put aside his shield, his short sword, and his helmet, if only he would be willing to take him aboard. 2.11.3 And when the spatharios saw him put down his weapons, he then granted him entry into his own vessel and embracing him, greeted him with great joy. But Palaiologos, being a man of mighty deeds, did not wait even for a short while, but set to work. And leaping toward the prow, he questioned the rowers, saying "What are you doing and where are you going, contriving to bring the greatest evils upon your own heads? The city, as you see, has been taken. He who was once the great domestic is now proclaimed emperor; and you see the armed men and hear the acclamation; and no longer will another have a place in the palace. Botaneiates is indeed good, but the Komnenoi are much better. The army of Botaneiates is large, but ours is many times larger. Therefore you must not betray your own lives, your wives and your children, but rather, having surveyed the city and seen all the soldiery within it, hearing the banners and the splendid acclamation being made, and the once great domestic now emperor approaching the palace and already girding himself with imperial power, you should back water and, making the victory weigh on the other side, go over to him." 2.11.4 They then, yielding to his words, all came over to his opinion. But when the spatharios became displeased, this sword-bearer George Palaiologos threatened

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Καὶ οὕτως ἅπαν τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐκ ξενικῆς τε καὶ ἐγχωρίου δυνάμεως ἔκ τ' αὐτοχθόνων καὶ τῶν παρακειμένων χωρῶν συνεληλυθὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐκ πολλοῦ παντοίοις εὐθηνοῦσαν εἴδεσιν ἐξ ἠπείρου τε καὶ θαλάσσης συνεχῶς ἀρδομένην γινώσκοντες ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ εἰσελη λύθασι διὰ τῆς Χαρσίου πύλης ἁπανταχοῦ σκεδασθέντες περί τε τὰς λεωφόρους περί τε τὰς τριόδους καὶ ἀμφό δους μὴ οἰκιῶν, μὴ ἐκκλησιῶν, μηδὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ἱερῶν ἀδύτων τὸ παράπαν φειδόμενοι, ἀλλὰ λείαν πολλὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπισυνάγοντες, τοῦ μέντοι ἀποκτείνειν μόνου ἀφιστάμενοι, τὰ δ' ἄλλα πάντα ἰταμῶς πάντη καὶ ἀναισχύντως ποιοῦντες. Τὸ δὲ δὴ χεῖρον, ὅτι οὐδὲ οἱ αὐτόχθονες τῶν τοιούτων ἀφίσταντο πράξεων, ἀλλ' οἷον ἐκλαθόμενοι ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὰ σφῶν ἤθη ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀμείψαντες ἀνερυ θριάστως καὶ αὐτοί, ἅπερ οἱ βάρβαροι, ἔπραττον.

2.11.1 Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Νικηφόρος ὁρῶν καὶ ὡς τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐν στενῷ κομιδῆ κατήντηκεν, ἀπό τε τῆς δύσεως πολιορκουμένης τῆς πόλεως ἀπό τε τῆς ἕω Νικη φόρου τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ περὶ τὴν ∆άμαλιν ἤδη αὐλιζομένου, μὴ ἔχων ὅ τι καὶ δράσειε, τῷ Μελισσηνῷ προτεθύμητο τῶν πρωτείων μᾶλλον παραχωρῆσαι. Κατασχεθείσης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἤδη παρὰ τῶν Κομνηνῶν μετακαλεσάμενός τινα τῶν πιστοτέρων θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ παρεκελεύετο διὰ τοῦ στόλου τὸν Μελισσηνὸν εἰσάγειν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, ᾧτινι συνείπετο καὶ σπαθάριός τις ἀνὴρ μαχιμώτατος. 2.11.2 Πρὸ δὲ τοῦ φθάσαι εἰς ἔργον τὸν λόγον ἡ μὲν πόλις ἑάλω, ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος ἕνα τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἀναλαβόμενος πεζῇ κάτεισιν ὡς πρὸς θάλασσαν πορευόμενος. Περιτυχὼν δέ τινι ἀκατίῳ εἴσεισιν εὐθὺς καὶ τοῖς ἐρέταις παρεκε λεύετο, ὅπου ὁ στόλος κατὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον προσώρμιστο, ἀπευθῦναι τὸ σκάφος. Ἐγγίζων δὲ ἤδη πρὸς τὴν περαίαν ὁρᾷ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Βοτανειάτου ἀποσταλέντα ἐφ' ᾧ τὸν Μελισσηνὸν διαπεραιῶσαι τὸν στόλον εὐτρε πίζοντα καὶ τὸν σπαθάριον ἐντὸς μιᾶς τῶν πολεμικῶν νηῶν. Γνωρίσας οὖν αὐτὸν πόρρωθεν, πάλαι συνήθη τοῦτον ἔχων, παραπλεύσας καὶ προσειπὼν αὐτῷ τὰ συνήθη ἐπυνθάνετο, ὅθεν καὶ ὅπη πορεύεται, καὶ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀναλαβέσθαι αὐτὸν ἠξίου. Ὁ δὲ σπαθάριος ξιφήρη τοῦτον ὁρῶν καὶ ἀσπίδα κατέχοντα, δειλιάσας φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· «Εἰ μή σε οὕτω καθωπλισμένον ἑώρων, περιχαρῶς ἂν ἐδεξάμην». Ὁ δὲ μάλα προθύμως καὶ τὴν ἀσπίδα καὶ ἀκινάκην καὶ τὴν κόρυθα ἀποθέσθαι κατετίθετο, εἰ μόνον θελήσει τοῦτον ἀναλαβέσθαι. 2.11.3 Ὡς δὲ καταθέμενον αὐτὸν τὰ ὅπλα ὁ σπαθάριος ἐθεάσατο, παρεκεχωρήκει τηνικαῦτα αὐτῷ τῆς εἰς τὸ ἴδιον πλοῖον εἰσελεύσεως καὶ περιπλακεὶς κατησπάζετο μάλα περιχαρῶς. Ὁ δὲ Παλαιο λόγος ὀμβριμοεργὸς ὢν ἀνὴρ οὐδὲ πρὸς βραχὺ περιμείνας ἔργου ἥπτετο. Καὶ ὡς πρὸς τὴν πρῴραν ἁλλόμενος τοὺς ἐρέτας ἐπυνθάνετο «τί» λέγων «ποιεῖτε καὶ ὅπη πορεύεσθε κατὰ τῆς σφῶν κεφαλῆς κακὰ μέγιστα ἐπενεγ κεῖν πραγματευόμενοι; ἡ πόλις, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, ἑάλω. Ὅ ποτε μέγας δομέστικος νῦν βασιλεὺς ἀνηγόρευται· καὶ τοὺς ὁπλοφόρους ὁρᾶτε καὶ τῆς εὐφημίας ἀκούετε· καὶ οὐκέτι χώραν ἕτερος ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἕξει. Καλὸς μὲν οὖν ὁ Βοτανειάτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Κομνηνοὶ πολλῷ κρείττονες. Πολλὴ ἡ τοῦ Βοτανειάτου στρατιά, ἀλλὰ πολλαπλάσιος ἡ ἡμετέρα. Οὐ χρὴ τοιγαροῦν τὴν σφῶν αὐτῶν ζωὴν τάς τε γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας προδοῦναι, ἀλλὰ δὴ τὴν πόλιν περιαθρήσαντας καὶ τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἅπαν ἐντὸς αὐτῆς θεασαμένους τάς τε σημαίας καὶ τὴν εὐφημίαν λαμπρὰν γινομένην ἀκούοντας τόν τέ ποτε μέγαν δομέστικον νῦν βασιλέα τοῖς βασιλείοις πελάζοντα καὶ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν ἤδη περιζωννύμενον πρύμναν τε κρούσασθαι καὶ ἑτεραλκέα τὴν νίκην ποιησαμένους αὐτῷ προσελθεῖν.» 2.11.4 Οἱ δὲ τηνικαῦτα τοῖς τούτου λόγοις ὑπείξαντες πάντες τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης γεγόνασι. Τοῦ δὲ σπαθαρίου δυσχεραί νοντος ἠπείλησεν ὁ ξιφηφόρος οὗτος Γεώργιος ὁ Παλαιο λόγος