90

The danger for everything then, and contrary to what was likely, made them be brave, as they would not survive if the Italians prevailed. And so for this reason, having formed up and having prepared themselves, they resisted and prevailed, having lost few men, but they were victorious and routed them and made those who gave their backs, having turned to flight, to slip into darkness, where they might even be saved. Then therefore the Scythian force threw themselves unchecked into plundering and, falling upon storehouses of supplies, they gorged themselves on necessities. Nevertheless, again they gathered around the caesar many times during the day and, surrounding him, they both guarded and were guarded, so that, if any should appear, they might attack eagerly. But their emperor, Baldwin, astounded at what he heard and having become out of his mind, was for nothing else but fleeing. And indeed, having left the palace of the Blachernae, as the land seemed unable to defend him, he proceeds at a run—for he trusted the sea more—towards the great palace, and just as he was, leaving behind his head-dress, and leaving behind his sword also, the symbols of his imperial power, embarking on a ship he entrusts his safety. On this day, those of the Roman phalanx arriving for the purpose of finding and seizing the emperor, they used the symbols of imperial power as symbols of his flight, and from this they lost heart even more, as the one appointed to guard had become a fugitive; And having taken up the head-dress and the sword, they made these a sufficient first-fruit of the spoils in the city and the choice part of the spoils. And at the same time it was a sign to those who trusted in him that they could have nothing from him, since he had been content to flee. But when what had been done became known, while they were still cowering and not clearly believing that they held what was in their hands, the news arrived quickly also to those around Daphnousia—Rumor, being also a god, the Rumor—and as soon as they heard, they at once cried out, having become terrified for their own wives and children. Nevertheless, they hastened to come and to help as they were; for the account holds that they had about thirty and more warships, both monoremes 201 and triremes, at Daphnousia. With all these fast-sailing ships they hurried towards the city, at the same time trusting also in the very large ship from Sicily, which had many men on board, that they too would help their people and go to meet the attackers; and so they hastened on such hopes. But the caesar, having perceived their approach, summons the Romanizers, who, as if Romans, willing or unwilling, cooperated with our men. There was then a household servant of Baldwin, named John Phylax, a deep man and having reached the highest point of good judgment, who then introduces a plan very timely and suitable to the occasion, which another would have hesitated to introduce, looking to the destructiveness of the matter. For knowing that they would fight out of necessity and beyond their strength for their wives and legitimate children, their homes and all their property, and that they would attack in the manner of a boar for them, so as either to prevail or at least to fall gloriously, he wisely divides the task and suggests to throw in fire, so that, with both the houses and superfluous and useless material being burned, and the women and children of necessity being saved by running out, and in some cases even saving some of the pure and valuable material, they, seeing from their ships their houses being reduced to dust by fire, and their wives and children stretching out their hands for help, would disregard the former as no longer existing, but would seek out and save the latter, and thus those who gave would place under an obligation those who were seeking, being content if they themselves and their wives and children were saved; for their triremes were ready at hand to receive the multitude and any others who might wish, and to allow them; for the ship from Sicily was sufficient to receive them. Thus, when the plan was spoken and seemed good, and especially as they were unable to resist on account of the small number of men, they immediately set a fire where their houses and possessions mostly were; which indeed, spreading, was turning the houses to ashes. And those in the houses ran out, in confusion

90

ὅλων κίνδυνος τότε καὶ παρὰ τὸ εἰκὸς σφᾶς ἐποίει ἀνδρίζεσθαι, ὡς μὴ περιεσομένους, ἂν κρατοῖεν οἱ Ἰταλοί. Τῷ τοι καὶ συσταθέντες καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀρτύναντες ἀντεῖχον καὶ περιῆσαν, ὀλίγους μὲν ἀποβαλόντες, ἐνίκων δὲ καὶ κατετροποῦντο καὶ νῶτα διδόντας τῷ εἰς φυγὴν τραπέσθαι ὑποδῦναι σκότος ἐποίουν, ἔνθα ἂν καὶ σωθεῖεν. Τότε τοιγαροῦν τὸ μὲν Σκυθικὸν ἀνέδην ταῖς σκυλεύσεσιν ἐπεβάλοντο καί, ἀποθήκαις τῶν χρειωδῶν προσπαίοντες, ἐνεφοροῦντο τῶν ἀναγκαίων. Ὅμως δέ γε καὶ πάλιν ἀμφὶ τὸν καίσαρα συνελέγοντο τῆς ἡμέρας πολλάκις καί, περιστοιχιζόμενοι τοῦτον, ἐφρούρουν τε καὶ ἐφρουροῦντο, ὡς, ἤν τινες φανεῖεν, εἰσβαλοῦντες προθύμως. Ὁ δέ γε βασιλεὺς ἐκείνων ὁ Βαλδουῖνος, ἐκπλαγεὶς οἷον ἀκούσας καὶ τῶν φρενῶν ἔξω γενόμενος, οὐδὲν ἀλλ' ἢ πρὸς τῷ φυγεῖν ἦν. Καὶ δὴ κατα λιπὼν τὰ τῶν Βλαχερνῶν ἀνάκτορα, ὡς οὐ δυνατῆς ἀμύνειν δοκούσης τῆς γῆς, δρόμῳ χωρεῖἐπίστευε γὰρ τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλέονπρὸς τὸ μέγα παλάτιον, καὶ ὡς εἶχεν, ἀφεὶς μὲν καλύπτραν, ἀφεὶς δὲ καὶ σπάθην, τὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας σύμβολα, νηῒ καταβὰς πιστεύει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Τῆς ἡμέρας δὲ ταύτης οἱ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐπιστάντες φάλαγγος ἐφ' ᾧπερ εὑρήσειν καὶ καθέξειν τὸν βασιλεύοντα, τῆς φυγῆς ἐχρῶντο συμβόλοις τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας συμβόλοις καὶ ἀπεθάρρουν πλέον ἐντεῦθεν, δραπέτου γεγονότος τοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ φυλάσσειν τεταγμένου· τὴν δέ γε καλύπτραν καὶ τὸ ξίφος ἀναλαβόντες, ἀπαρχὴν αὐτάρκη ταῦτα τῶν κατὰ πόλιν λαφύρων καὶ ἀκροθίνιον ἐποιοῦντο. Καὶ ἅμα σημεῖον ἦν τοῖς ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ θαρροῦσιν ὡς οὐδὲν ἐκεῖθεν ἀγαπήσαντος φεύγειν ἔχοιεν. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἔκπυστον ἐγένετο τὸ πραχθέν, αὐτῶν γε καὶ ἔτι κατεπτηχότων καὶ μὴ καθαρῶς πιστευόντων ἔχειν τὰ ἐν χερσὶ κρατούμενα, ἀφικνεῖται ταχέως καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς περὶ τὴν ∆αφνουσίαν, φήμη γε οὖσα καὶ θεός, ἡ φήμη, καὶ ἅμ' ἤκουσαν καὶ ἅμα διαπεφωνήκεσαν, περὶ ταῖς σφετέραις γυναιξὶ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις κατορρωδήσαντες. Ὅμως ἐτάχυναν ἐπιστῆναι καὶ ὡς εἶχον ἀμῦναι· περὶ γὰρ τριάκοντα καὶ πρὸς λόγος ἔχει μακραῖς ναυσὶ μονήρεσί 201 τε καὶ τριήρεσι κατὰ ∆αφνουσίας χρήσασθαι. Ταύταις ἁπάσαις ταχυναυτού σαις ἠπείγοντο πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, ἅμα θαρροῦντες καὶ τῷ ἐκ Σικελίας μεγίστῳ πλοίῳ, πολλοὺς ἔχοντι τοὺς ἐπιβάτας, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὺς συναμύνειν τῷ γένει καὶ τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν ὁμόσε χωρεῖν· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τοιαύταις ἐλπίσιν ἠπείγοντο. Ὁ δὲ καῖσαρ, προαισθόμενος τούτων τὴν ἔφοδον, τοὺς Ῥωμαΐζοντας προσκα λεῖται, οἳ καὶ ὡς Ῥωμαῖοι ἑκόντες ἄκοντες συνήργουν τοῖς ἡμετέροις. Ἦν οὖν τότε οἰκεῖος τῷ Βαλδουίνῳ θεράπων, ὁ Φύλαξ λεγόμενος Ἰωάννης, ἀνὴρ βαθὺς καὶ τοῦ φρονεῖν εὖ ἥκων εἰς τὸ ἀκρότατον, ὃς καὶ βουλὴν εἰσάγει τότε μάλα καιρίαν καὶ τῷ καιρῷ πρόσφορον, ἣν κἂν ἄλλος εἰσάγειν ἀπώκνησε, πρὸς τὸ τοῦ πράγματος ὀλέθριον ἀποβλέψας. Εἰδὼς γὰρ ἐκείνους μαχουμέ νους ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ὑπέρ τε γυναικῶν καὶ γνησίων, οἴκων τε καὶ περιουσίας ἁπάσης, καὶ συὸς τρόπον ἐπιτεθησομένους ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ὥστε ἢ περιγενέσθαι ἢ μὴν πεσεῖν εὐκλεῶς, εὐβούλως μερίζει τὴν χρείαν καὶ πῦρ μὲν ἐμβαλεῖν ὑποτίθεται, ὡς, καυσουμένων καὶ οἴκων καὶ περιττῆς καὶ ἀχρήστου ὕλης, γυναικῶν δὲ καὶ παίδων ἐξ ἀνάγκης διαφυλαξομένων τῷ ἐκδραμεῖν, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ φυλαξόντων καί τινα τῆς καθαρᾶς καὶ εἰς πλοῦτον ὕλης, ἐκείνους δ' ἐκ νηῶν ἰδόντας πυρὶ μὲν οἴκους ἀμαθυνομένους, γυναῖκας δὲ καὶ παῖδας τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνοντας εἰς ἀντίληψιν, τῶν μὲν ὑπεριδεῖν ὡς μηκέτ' ὄντων, ἐκείνους δ' ἐκζητεῖν καὶ σῴζειν, καὶ οὕτως χάριν τοὺς διδόντας τιθέναι τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν, ἀγαπῶσιν, εἰ αὐτοὶ καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ τέκνα σῴζοιντο· εἶναι γὰρ ἐξ ἑτοίμου τούτοις καὶ τὰς τριήρεις ὑποδεξαμένας τὸ πλῆθος κἂν ἄλλοι θέλοιεν, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐφιέναι· ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐκ Σικελίας ναῦς αὐτοὺς ὑποδέχεσθαι. Οὕτω τῆς βουλῆς ῥηθείσης καὶ ἀγαθῆς δοξάσης, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀντέχειν μὴ ἔχουσι διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὀλιγότητα, πῦρ ὑφάπτουσι παραυτίκα, ὅπου μᾶλ λον ἐκείνων οἶκοι καὶ πράγματα· ὃ δὴ καὶ νεμόμενον τοὺς οἴκους ἐσπόδει. Ἐξέθεον δ' οἱ ἐν οἴκοις, τεθορυβημένοι