John Cantacuzenus, Histories

The emperor, having ordered the soldiers to stand before him, addressed them thus: “You have acted neither wisely nor to your own advantage, when, though addressed amicably by us, you yourselves turned to reviling and insolence. For not to be terrified by attackers but to persevere in defending yourselves, one might consider an act of courage; but to insult and boast from the walls, is a matter of both rashness and madness. Therefore I would advise you, if indeed you will be persuaded, to resist the enemy with courage, daring, and deeds of hand, but to be temperate in your words. For it is not licentiousness in words, but experience in deeds that terrifies attackers. Therefore, since you have been captured by the spear, it is permitted by the law of war to treat you as we wish; but since I am not campaigning for the harm of the Romans, I release you as free men. If, then, you wish to serve under me, I shall deem you worthy of the appropriate care, and I will enroll you among my most trusted men; but if you wish to go home, even so I will send you away having treated you well.” And the soldiers, having done obeisance and having offered much praise for the good deed, requested time for deliberation. And after deliberating, a few of the cavalrymen remained, the majority 1.142 having departed; but all the infantry, except for a few, chose to serve the emperor. To these he assigned an annual wage and enrolled them among his retainers; and those who departed he supplied with gold for their journey. But seeing the rest of the crowd of the Aprinoi, men and women and children, going about naked and destitute and lamenting the loss of their possessions, he gathered all the picked men of the army and the officers and said, “It is just, since God has done us many great kindnesses today, that we ourselves should show ourselves worthy of his beneficence. For the fact that neither the large and formidable army stationed here, nor the security and height of the walls, nor anything else was an obstacle to our punishing these insolent and arrogant men, one might justly account as due to nothing other than the beneficence of the Almighty; and again, the fact that in so fierce a siege and capture of a city, none of us died, as was likely, nor were we stained with the blood of our countrymen by killing those who were captured, is due to the great providence and care of God for us. Therefore it is right for us, having conquered, to be moved by the misfortunes of the unfortunate, for against barbarians one must fight to the end, but against one’s own countrymen, until one prevails, and for each one to share of the spoils as much as he chooses with the captives. For you will gain three very great things: first, by securing for yourselves a gracious God, who makes his own the mercy shown to the unfortunate and 1.143 promises to repay it many times over both here and after we depart this life; also, by gaining our goodwill, since we value most highly the benefaction to the captives; and third, by acquiring for yourselves a reputation for both courage and magnanimity, having conquered your opponents with courage, and with liberality of spirit and magnanimity having offered what assistance you could, not as to enemies, but as to countrymen and unfortunates.” When the emperor had given such exhortation, the army was so disposed that all shared from the spoils with the Aprinoi; and as many as were zealous for doing good, after searching for the owners of the spoils they had, returned everything, depriving them of nothing. 30. Having been encamped at Apros for six days after its capture, on the seventh they broke camp and encamped at Garella. And its inhabitants, whether disposed with goodwill toward the new emperor, or taught moderation by the example of the Aprinoi, as soon as they were summoned, submitted to the new emperor and surrendered themselves without a fight. And the emperor, having rewarded them with many kindnesses, broke camp from there and came to Rhaedestus. And when the inhabitants of Rhaedestus had also submitted, since he had shown them too his zeal for doing good, he came to Sergentzion; and when it too had submitted, he went toward Selybria, the Selybrians for whose sake the

στρατιώτας ὁ βασιλεὺς κελεύσας αὐτῷ παραστῆναι, διείλεκται οὕτως· «οὔτε συνετῶς οὔτε συμφερόντως πεπράχατε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ὑφ' ἡμῶν προσαγορευόμενοι φιλίως, εἰς λοιδορίας αὐτοὶ τραπόμενοι καὶ ὕβρεις. τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ καταπλήττεσθαι τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀλλ' ἐγκαρτερεῖν ἀμυνομένους, ἀνδρίας ἄν τις τιθείη· τὸ δὲ ὑβρίζειν τε καὶ κομπάζειν ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν, καὶ θράσους καὶ παρανοίας. διὸ καὶ συμβουλεύσαιμι ἂν ὑμῖν, εἴγε πείθησθε, ἀνδρίᾳ μὲν καὶ τόλμῃ καὶ χειρὸς ἔργοις ἀνθίστασθαι τοῖς πολεμοῦσι, λόγοις δὲ σωφρονεῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ἀκολασία, ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων δὲ ἐμπειρία καταπλήττει τοὺς ἐπιόντας. δοριαλώτους μὲν οὖν γενομένους ὑμᾶς, ᾗ βουλοίμεθα ἔξεστι χρῆσθαι νόμῳ πολέμου· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατεύων, ἀφίημι ἐλευθέρους. εἰ μὲν οὖν ὑπ' ἐμοὶ στρατεύεσθαι βούλεσθε, προνοίας τε ἀξιώσω τῆς προσηκούσης, καὶ τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις ἐντάξω· εἰ δ' οἴκαδε ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ οὕτως εὖ ποιήσας ἀποπέμψω.» Προσκυνήσαντες δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ τῆς εὐεργεσίας χάριν εὐφημήσαντες πολλὰ, καιρὸν ἐξῄτησαν εἰς διάσκεψιν. διασκεψάμενοι δὲ, τῶν ἱππέων μὲν ἔμειναν ὀλίγοι, τῶν πλειόνων 1.142 ἀπελθόντων· οἱ πεζοὶ δὲ πλὴν ὀλίγων ἅπαντες εἵλοντο δουλεύειν τῷ βασιλεῖ. οἷς καὶ μισθὸν ἐτήσιον τάξας, ἐνέγραψε τοῖς οἰκέταις· τοὺς δ' ἀπελθόντας ἐφωδίασε χρυσίῳ. ὁρῶν δὲ τὸν ἄλλον ὅμιλον τῶν Ἀπρίων, ἄνδρας ὁμοῦ καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας γυμνοὺς καὶ ἀπόρους περιϊόντας καὶ ὀλοφυρομένους τὴν ἀποστέρησιν τῶν ὄντων, τοὺς λογάδας τῆς στρατιᾶς πάντας καὶ τοὺς ἐν τέλει συναγαγὼν, «δίκαιόν ἐστιν» ἔφη «πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις σήμερον εὐηργετηκότος ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀξίους τῆς εὐεργεσίας φανῆναι. τὸ γὰρ μήτε τὴν ἐγκαθεστῶσαν πολλήν τε καὶ ἀξιόμαχον οὖσαν στρατιὰν, μήτε τὴν ἀσφάλειαν καὶ τὸ ὕψος τῶν τειχῶν, μήτ' ἄλλο μηδὲν ἐμπόδιον ἡμῖν γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ τοὺς αὐθάδεις τουτουσὶ τιμωρήσασθαι καὶ ὑβριστὰς, οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς ἢ τῆς τοῦ κρείττονος εὐεργεσίας ἄν τις λογίζοιτο δικαίως· τὸ δ' αὖθις ἐν οὕτω καρτερᾷ τειχομαχίᾳ καὶ ἁλώσει πόλεως μήτε ἡμῶν τινὰς, ὅπερ ἦν εἰκὸς, ἀποθανεῖν, μήτε τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἀποκτείναντας ὁμοφύλοις αἵμασι χρανθῆναι, τῆς πολλῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς προνοίας καὶ κηδεμονίας τοῦ θεοῦ. χρὴ τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς νικήσαντας ἐπικαμφθῆναι ταῖς συμφοραῖς τῶν ἀτυχησάντων, πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἄχρι παντὸς πολεμεῖν δεῖ· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἄχρι τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ μεταδοῦναι ἕκαστον ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων καθ' ὅσον ἂν αἱροῖτο τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις. τρία γὰρ τὰ μέγιστα κερδανεῖτε· θεόν τε ἵλεων ἑαυτοῖς προπαρασκευασάμενοι, τὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀτυχοῦντας ἔλεον οἰκειούμενον καὶ 1.143 τῇδέ τε πολλαπλασίοσι καὶ ἀπαλλάξαντας τοῦ βίου ἐπαγγελλόμενον ἀμείβεσθαι· καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐμένειαν προσκτώμενοι, περὶ πλείστου ποιουμένου τὴν εὐεργεσίαν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων· καὶ τρίτον ὑμῖν ἑαυτοῖς ἀνδρίας ἅμα καὶ μεγαλοψυχίας δόξαν περιποιούμενοι, ἀνδρίᾳ νικήσαντες τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους, ἐλευθερίᾳ δὲ γνώμης καὶ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ οὐχ ὡς πολεμίοις, ἀλλ' ὡς ὁμοφύλοις καὶ ἀτυχοῦσι τὴν δυνατὴν πρόνοιαν εἰσενεγκόντες.» τοιαῦτα παραινέσαντος τοῦ βασιλέως, οὕτω διετέθησαν ἡ στρατιὰ, ὡς πάντας μὲν ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων μεταδοῦναι τοῖς Ἀπρίοις· ὅσοι δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθοεργεῖν ἐφιλοτιμοῦντο, τοὺς δεσπότας ἀνερευνήσαντες τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς λαφύρων, ἀπέδοσαν πάντα, μηδενὸς ἀποστερήσαντες. λʹ. Ἓξ δὲ ἡμέραις μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι Ἄπρῳ, τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἄραντες ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ἐν Γαρέλλῃ οἱ ταύτην δὲ οἰκοῦντες, εἴτε καὶ εὐνοϊκῶς διακείμενοι πρὸς τὸν νέον βασιλέα, εἴτε καὶ παρὰ τῶν Ἀπρίων διδαχθέντες σωφρονεῖν, ἅμα τῷ προσκληθῆναι προσεχώρησαν τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ καὶ παρέδοσαν ἑαυτοὺς ἀμαχεί. πολλαῖς δὲ ἀμειψάμενος αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς εὐεργεσίαις, ἄρας ἐκεῖθεν, ἦλθεν εἰς Ῥαιδεστόν. προσχωρησάντων δὲ καὶ Ῥαιδεστηνῶν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν εἰς τὸ εὐποιεῖν ἐπεδείξατο φιλοτιμίαν, ἦλθεν εἰς Σεργέντζιον· προσχωρήσαντος δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ, τὴν πρὸς Σηλυβρίαν ᾔει, Σηλυβριανοὺς ὧν ἕνεκα τῆς