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to enter the gate. Immediately, when the appointed night arrived, they were at their task and, having aimed for a suitable spot, they brought the ladder there, keeping the whole matter carefully guarded, lest they be discovered by the guards and scare off their prey, or rather, lest a very great danger befall them, if they were caught plotting. But Caesar on that night, having taken the Scythian contingent and whatever else there was, was hastening towards the city and, since they had arrived before the others began to act and the night was passing by as they were idle, he was very fearful of the inactivity and suspected a counter-plot. But Koutritzakes was reassuring him from his cowardice and made him hope confidently, that the others were doing something inside. But the Caesar did not let go of his suspicion; for how could he have supposed they were idle, when their task was to tear down the fortification of dry stones upon the Pege Gate. Therefore he was anticipating manifest dangers and it was clear that he was distressed at being mocked—for the one he had hoped would help was suspected of being a conspirator, and he resolved to bind the one who was reassuring him, as being privy to the plot with those inside; so he bound him, while that man gave himself up and offered himself ready to suffer whatever he wished, if the others were plotting; and Alexios also agreed with what was being said, encouraging his uncle and driving away his fear. And so he sat down near the monastery of the Pege, keeping the 197 army in silence and being in suspense for the signal; which was the acclamation of the emperors about to be shouted from upon the wall. But the others, having quietly climbed up the ladders one by one, immediately rushed upon the sleeping guards, who were Italians, and the attackers came upon them as a terrible dream; for immediately they seized some, who were not even aware, by the feet and threw them down, having first slaughtered them, and others who sensed the disturbance and were turning to flee, they overtook and cut down with their swords, so that not even a messenger of what was happening was left behind, since their zeal indeed overcame the fear of any who would prevent them, and they were clearly ready to fight, if anyone should resist. And having come to the Pege Gate and finding it blocked up with stones, they immediately pulled them down and removed the stones, preparing an easy passage for the army, and then with bronze wedges they knocked out the hinges of the gates and pulled them down. And immediately—for Laceras, one of the priests, happened to be present there, being one of the volunteers himself and cooperating manfully—he climbed up the wall, together with a certain Glabatos and various others. For he no longer dared, and his voice was in danger of being extinguished by fear, since fear made the wall even seem to shake, so as even to make the one who shouted aloud the acclamation of the rulers fall down; nevertheless, encouraged by the others, with a trembling voice he signalled the royal acclamation, and those below echoed those above, and the sound was carried up as high as possible. Then those around the Caesar, who were eagerly awaiting the sound, hearing it, leaped out of their ambush and with wingless speed proceeded to the gate and having seized it beforehand, they poured in in great numbers. And since it was still the first light of day, they suddenly ran through the land and began to plunder, despoiling whatever they came upon. But the Scythian contingent, wisely not scattering, was holding back the crowd that was approaching from the city, in case any should band together, wanting to know what was happening; for what had been done seemed like a fiction when it was told. The Caesar, however, having been occupied many times in campaigns and knowing the difficulties of captures, advanced cautiously and slowly, until, when the day had fully dawned, he could learn more accurately about the force inside. But another commotion took over this cowardice, as a good number of Italians appeared in arms and appearing to be able to defend themselves strongly. And because of these things he came close to turning back again and postponing the action; for those who had entered did not seem to him sufficient for a battle, being barely adequate for a reconnaissance and an ambush. But to these were added 199 the volunteers, and being courageous in other respects, nevertheless also the one concerning the

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πύλην εἰσέρχεσθαι. Εὐθύς, τῆς ὡρισμένης νυκτὸς ἐπιστάσης, οἱ μὲν ἦσαν πρὸς τοὔργῳ καί, τόπον εὔθετον στοχασάμενοι, ἐκεῖσε προσῆγον τὴν κλίμακα, εὐφυλάκτως τὸ σύμπαν ἔχοντες, μήπως τοῖς φύλαξι φωραθεῖεν καὶ τὴν θήραν ἀνα σοβήσωσι, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ μέγιστος αὐτοῖς κίνδυνος ἐπιστῇ, εἰ ἁλῷεν ἐπιβουλεύοντες. Καῖσαρ δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐκείνης, τὸ Σκυθικὸν καὶ ὅσον ἦν ἄλλο λαβών, ἠπείγετο πρὸς τὴν πόλιν καί, ἐπεὶ πρότερον ἢ τοῦ πράττειν ἐκείνους ἔφθασαν καὶ ἡ νὺξ ἀργοῦσι παρῴχετο, περιδεῶς εἶχε πρὸς τὴν ἀργίαν καὶ ἀντεπιβουλὴν ὑπώπτευεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ Κουτριτζάκης ἀνελάμβανέ τε τῆς δειλίας ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἐλπίζειν εὐθαρσῶς παρεῖχεν, ὡς ἐκείνων τι πραττόντων ἐντός. Οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ τῆς ὑποψίας ὁ καῖσαρ ὑφίετο· ποῦ γὰρ καὶ ὑπενόησεν ἀργεῖν ἐκείνους, ἐφ' ᾧ κατερείπειν τὸν ἐπὶ τῇ πύλῃ τῆς Πηγῆς ἐκ λίθων ξηρῶν ἐπιτειχισμόν. Ὅθεν καὶ ἐμφανεῖς προεξεδέχετο τοὺς κινδύνους καὶ δῆλος ἦν χλευασθεὶς ἀλύωνὁ γὰρ θεραπεύειν ἠλπισμένος ἐπίβουλος ὑπω πτεύετο, καὶ συνδέειν ἐδοκίμαζε τὸν ἀναλαμβάνοντα, ὡς συνειδότα τοῖς ἐντὸς τὴν ἐπιβουλήν· ὅθεν καὶ συνέδει, διδόντος ἐκείνου καὶ ἕτοιμον ἑαυτὸν παρεχομένου παθεῖν ὅ τι βούλοιτο, εἰ ἐκεῖνοι ἐπιβουλεύοιεν· συγκατῄνει δὲ τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ ὁ Ἀλέξιος, ἐπιθαρρύνων τὸν θεῖον καὶ τὸ δέος ἀπο κρουόμενος. Καὶ ὁ μὲν περὶ τὴν μονὴν τῆς Πηγῆς προσεκάθητο, τὸν 197 στρατὸν κατέχων σιγῇ καὶ μετέωρος ὢν πρὸς τὸ σύμβολον· τὸ δ' ἦν ἡ τῶν βασιλέων εὐφημία ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους ὑψηλοφωνεῖσθαι μέλλουσα. Οἱ δέ, ἡσύχως καθ' ἕνα ὑπαναβάντες τὰς κλίμακας, προσπαίουσιν εὐθὺς τοῖς φρουροῖς κοιμωμένοις, Ἰταλοῖς γε οὖσι, καί σφιν οἱ ἐπιόντες ὄναρ ἐπέστησαν φοβερόν· εὐθὺς γὰρ τοὺς μὲν μηδ' αἰσθομένους, ἐκ ποδῶν κατασχόντες, ἐρρίπτουν, σφάττοντες πρότερον, τοὺς δὲ καὶ τῆς ταραχῆς ἐπαΐοντας καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν τρεπομένους φθάνοντες κατεσπάθιζον, ὡς μηδ' ἄγγελον τῶν δρωμένων ὑπολελεῖφθαι, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κωλύσοντος φόβον ἐνίκων αἱ προθυμίαι, καὶ δῆλοι ἦσαν, ἤν τις ἀντισταίη, μαχούμενοι. Ἐλθόντες δὲ πρὸς τὴν τῆς Πηγῆς πύλην καὶ ταύτην ἀναπεφραγμένην εὑρόντες λίθοις, κατέσπων εὐθέως κἀκ μέσου ποιοῦντες τοὺς λίθους, δίοδον τῇ στρατιᾷ προητοίμαζον εὐμαρῆ, εἶτα δὲ καὶ σφησὶ χαλκέοις τοὺς θαιροὺς τῶν πυλῶν ἐκκρούσαντες κατασπῶσι. Καὶ εὐθύςἔτυχε γὰρ παρὼν ἐκεῖσεκαὶ τῶν ἱερωμένων ὁ Λακερᾶς, ἐκ τῶν θεληματαρίων ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ συνεργῶν ἀνδρικῶς, ὑπαναβαίνει τὸ τεῖχος, συνάμα Γλαβάτῳ τινὶ καὶ λοιποῖς ἑτέροις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔτι ἐτόλμα, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ συναπεσβέσθαι τῷ δέει ἐγγὺς ἐκινδύνευεν, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸ τεῖχος δοκεῖν ὁ φόβος ἐδίδου κραδαίνεσθαι, ὡς καὶ καταπίπτειν τὸν μέγα φωνήσαντα τὴν τῶν κρατούντων εὐφημίαν· ὅμως, παρακροτούμενος τοῖς ἑτέροις, τρεμούσῃ φωνῇ τὴν βασιλικὴν ὑπεσή μαινεν εὐφημίαν, καὶ συνήχουν οἱ κάτω τοῖς ἄνω, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ διῄρετο καθ' ὅσον ἦν ὑψηλότερον. Τότε καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν καίσαρα, τὴν φωνὴν καραδοκοῦντες, ἀκούσαντες ἐκπηδῶσι τοῦ λόχου καὶ ἅμα τάχει ἀπτέρῳ ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης ἐχώρουν καὶ προκαταλαβόντες εἰσχέονται παμπληθεί. Ἔτι δ' ὑπ' αὐγαῖς ταῖς πρώταις τῆς ἡμέρας οὔσης, ἐξαίφνης τὴν χώραν κατέθεον καὶ ἐπόρθουν τὸ προστυχὸν σκυλεύοντες. Τὸ δέ γε Σκυθικόν, εὐσυνέτως μὴ σκεδαννύμενον, εἶργον τὸ προσγινόμενον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος, εἴ που συσταῖέν τινες, μαθησείοντες τὸ γινόμενον· πλάσματι γὰρ τὸ πραχθὲν ἐῴκει λεγόμενον. Ὁ μέντοι γε καῖσαρ, στρατείαις πολλάκις ἐσχολακὼς καὶ εἰδὼς τὰ τῶν ἁλώσεων δυσχερῆ, δεδιὼς σχολῇ προσέβαλεν, ἕως, τῆς ἡμέρας ὑπαυγασάσης τέλεον, μάθοι τὴν ἐντὸς δύναμιν ἀκριβέστερον. Μεταλαμβάνει δὲ τὴν δειλίαν ταύτην ἕτερος θόρυβος, ἱκανῶν Ἰταλῶν φανέντων ἐν ὅπλοις καὶ ἰσχυ ρῶς φαινομένων ἔχειν ἀμύνειν. Ἐγγὺς δ' ἐλθεῖν ἐκινδύνευε διὰ ταῦτα πάλιν τραπέσθαι τε καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀναβαλέσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς μάχην οἱ εἰσελθόντες ἀξιόχρεῳ ἐνομίζοντό οἱ, μόλις εἰς πεῖραν καὶ λόχον ἀρκέσοντες. Ἀλλὰ προσ 199 τίθενται τούτοις καὶ οἱ θεληματάριοι, καὶ ἄλλως μὲν θαρραλέοι ὄντες, ὅμως δὲ καὶ ὁ περὶ τῶν