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to prevail, or to fall for the sake of their loyalty to the emperor. As they were deliberating these things, the second plan prevailed: to hold out still longer, awaiting help, and to raise the hopes of those outside that they would surrender, while they themselves, remaining inside, would put their affairs in as good an order as possible, so as to hold out, for as long as it was feasible, even if no help appeared. But if they should be in danger, with more severe troubles weighing down upon them, they were neither to cut off nor to throw down the head of the sultan; for this was a desperate deed of men courting death; but to give it up under a treaty for the sake of saving the rest was close to prudent foresight. Having agreed on these words, they sent with all speed and promised that after sufficient deliberation they would accomplish what they sought. And so there was a truce for that very day; however, they did not desist for longer, but they besieged them by encircling them and engaged in a fierce battle, against which those inside were forced to resist; and the strife on both sides was great. But when those inside were already growing weak and the danger was hanging over their heads, they sent an embassy to them, affirming that they would indeed surrender, but only under oaths by God and divine things—for they were sending messages to Constantine—that they would be safe. Having thus sent their embassy and having thus made an agreement, with the others also assenting, they employed the high priest there for all matters. And he, putting on his priestly vestments, taking the holy icons, went out with all the clergy and came before Constantine. And indeed, when the oaths had been taken before God and the hierarch, the high priest entered, and they immediately handed over both the sultan and all his belongings, along with those around him. And at once they withdrew, having taken him, adding nothing further; for the terms of the oaths were that, having taken the sultan, they should be satisfied, doing nothing more. But, as it seems, fate is strong, no matter what one might devise to avert what is destined; for on the day following the deed, and on the second day after, the emperor's triremes also appeared by sea. And while they were just about to moor in the harbors, the others regretted what had happened, but they could do nothing, things having turned out thus; for it was for Epimetheus to regret, but he could accomplish nothing at all. Wherefore, since in their regret they could not make what had happened undone, they took thought for the safety of the money, lest they should be cheated in this too; for the place was still flooded with enemies, as the multitude was being dispersed. Therefore, they brought the triremes and stationed them opposite the city gate, and having stationed a company of hoplites like a wall on either side, they thus brought out the imperial treasures and, carrying them, deposited them in the triremes. Finally, they themselves also embarked and sailed away. But when they reached Constantinople and the deeds were announced to the emperor, he at once, provoked by the news, was unrestrained in his anger and acted terribly. And indeed he brought the high priest to the judgment of the church; and he was judged and came close to being in danger of his own penance, as he had mediated in the deeds that were done; the emperor, however, having scourged his own men and dishonored them with women's clothes, as it were, dismissed them from his presence; and having sent for the sultan's women, reckoned as his wife and daughter, and also his mother and sister, and his children, along with all those around them, he gave them over to secure prisons. And as for the great quantity of treasures he had, in silver and gold and exquisite robes, and also in garments and belts, and also pearls and precious stones, being very great, as they say, and sufficient for Persian luxury, he added it to the common treasury.

20. How the patriarch received the emperor when he came, and with how much reproof and zeal. Meanwhile, before these things happened, since the patriarch had strongly forbidden the emperor to campaign against Christians, as he would certainly not succeed, stirring up civil wars, then when he arrived in the city of Constantine not in an imperial manner, having come to the great church, in order to worship and give thank-offerings, the patriarch came down and immediately reproached him, adding also the

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περιγενέσθαι, ἢ πίπτειν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς βασιλέα πίστεως. Ταῦτα βουλευομένων, ἐκράτει μὲν ἡ δευτέρα βουλή· καρτερεῖν καὶ ἔτι, ἐκδεχομένους βοήθειαν, καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἔξω ἀναρτᾶν ἐλπίδας ὡς ἐκδωσείοντας, αὐτοὺς δὲ μένοντας εὖ τὰ κατὰ σφᾶς ὡς οἷόν τε τίθεσθαι, ὡς ἀνθεξομένους, ἐφ' ὅσον παρείκοι, καὶ μὴ βοηθείας φανείσης. Εἰ δὲ κινδυνεύοιεν, πλεόνων ἐπιβρισάντων τῶν χαλεπῶν, κεφαλὴν μὲν τοῦ σουλτὰν μήτ' ἐκκόπτειν μήτε ῥιπτεῖν· παραβόλων γὰρ ἀνδρῶν καὶ θανα τώντων τὸ τόλμημα εἶναι· τὸ δ' ἐν σπονδαῖς ἀποδιδόναι τοῦ σῴζεσθαι τὰ λοιπὰ εὐβούλου ἐγγὺς προνοίας. Τούτοις συγκροτηθέντες τοῖς λόγοις, πέμπουσι τὴν ταχίστην καὶ ὑπισχνοῦνται βουλευσαμένους ἐφ' ἱκανὸν ἐξανύειν ὅ τι ζητοῖεν. Καὶ ἦν μὲν αὐθημερὸν ἡ ἀνακωχή· οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ ἐς πλέον ἠφίουν, ἀλλ' ἐπολιόρκουν κυκλοῦντες καὶ μάχην καρτερὰν συνίστων, πρὸς ἣν οἱ ἐντὸς ἀντέχειν κατηναγκάζοντο· καὶ πολλὴ ἦν ἡ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἔρις. Ὡς δ' οἱ ἐντὸς ἤδη ἠσθένουν καὶ ὁ κίνδυνος ἦν κατὰ κεφαλῆς, πρεσβεύονται παρ' ἐκείνους ἦ μὴν ἐκδιδόναι, πλὴν ὑφ' ὅρκοις τοῖς κατὰ Θεοῦ καὶ θείων πρὸς γὰρ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον διεμηνύοντοἀσφαλῶς γενομένοις. Οὕτω διαπρεσβευσάμενοι καὶ οὕτω συνθέμενοι, κατανευσάντων κἀκείνων, ἐπὶ πᾶσι χρῶνται τῷ ἐκεῖσε ἀρχιερεῖ. Ὁ δέ, τὴν ἱερατικὴν στολὴν ἐνδύς, λαβὼν τὰς θείας εἰκόνας, σὺν παντί τε ἔξεισι κλήρῳ καὶ παρὰ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον γίνεται. Καὶ δὴ τελεσθέντων τῶν ὅρκων ὑπὸ Θεῷ καὶ τῷ ἱεράρχῃ, εἴσεισι μὲν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, ἐκεῖνοι δ' εὐθὺς καὶ σουλτὰν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐκείνου σὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἐκδιδοῦσι. Καὶ αὐτίκα ἀνεχώρουν λαβόντες, μηδὲν ἄλλο προσεπιθέντες· ἦσαν γὰρ τὰ τῶν ὅρκων ἦ μὴν τὸν σουλτὰν λαβόντας ἀρκεσθῆναι, μηδὲν πράξαντας πλέον. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἔοικε, τὸ μοιρίδιον ἰσχυρόν, κἂν ὅ τι βουλεύσαιτό τις ἀντι περιιστᾶν τὸ μόρσιμον· τῆς γὰρ ἐπιγενομένης ἡμέρας καὶ δευτέρας μετὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν, φαίνονται κατὰ θάλασσαν καὶ αἱ τοῦ βασιλέως τριήρεις. Καὶ αἱ μὲν ὅσον οὔπω ἐνώρμουν πρὸς τοῖς λιμέσι, τοῖς δὲ μετέμελε τῶν συμβάντων, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶχόν τι πράττειν, οὕτω γενομένων· τῷ γὰρ Ἐπιμηθεῖ μεταμέλειν ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξανύοι τὸ σύνολον. Ὅθεν καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶχον μεταμελόμενοι τὸ 313 γεγονὸς ἀποίητον θεῖναι, ἐπὶ τοῖς χρήμασι τοῦ ἀσφαλοῦς προὐνόουν, μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις σφαλεῖεν· ἐπεπλήμμυρε γὰρ καὶ ἔτι ὁ τόπος ἐχθρῶν, διασκε δαννυμένου τοῦ πλήθους. Τῷ τοι καὶ καταντικρὺ μὲν τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως τὰς τριήρεις ἔστησαν φέροντες, στῖφος δ' ὁπλιτῶν ὡς τεῖχος ἐφ' ἑκάτερα στήσαντες, οὕτως ἐξῆγον τὰ τῶν βασιλείων χρημάτων καὶ φέροντες ταῖς τριήρεσιν ἐναπετίθουν. Τέλος δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐμβάντες ἀπέπλεον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέλαβον τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἠγγέλλοντο τὰ πραχθέντα, αὐτίκ' ἐκεῖνος, πρὸς τὴν ἀγγελίαν παροξυνθείς, ἄσχετος ἦν τῷ θυμῷ καὶ δεινὰ ἐποίει. Καὶ δὴ τὸν μὲν ἀρχιερέα εἰς τὴν παρὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας κρίσιν καθίστα· καὶ ἐκρίνετο καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦλθε τοῦ κινδυνεύειν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιτιμίαν, ὡς τοῖς πραχθεῖσι μεσολαβήσας ἐκεῖνος· τοὺς μέντοι γ' οἰκείους ὁ βασιλεύς, μαστίξας καὶ ὡς ἦν γυναικείαις ἀτιμώσας στολαῖς, ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐποίει· καὶ πέμψας τὰς μὲν τοῦ σουλτὰν εἰς γυναῖκα καὶ θυγατέρα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ μητέρα καὶ ἀδελφὴν ταττομένας καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνου παῖδας, σὺν τοῖς περὶ ἐκείνους ἅπασιν, εἱρκταῖς ἀσφαλέσιν ἐδίδου. Ὅσον δ' ἦν ἐκείνῳ πλῆθος χρημάτων ἐν ἀργύρῳ τε καὶ χρυσῷ καὶ πέπλοις ἐξάλλοις, ἔτι δὲ καὶ στολαῖς καὶ ζώναις, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαργάροις καὶ λίθοις, πάμπολυ ὄν, ὥς φασι, καὶ ἱκανὸν εἰς τρυφὴν Περσικήν, τῷ κοινῷ ταμιείῳ προσανατίθησι.

κʹ. Ὅπως ὑπεδέξατο ὁ πατριάρχης ἐλθόντα τὸν βασιλέα καὶ μεθ' ὅσου ἐλέγχου καὶ ζήλου. Τέως δέ, πρότερον ἢ ταῦτα γενέσθαι, ἐπεὶ πολὺς ἦν ὁ πατριάρχης κωλύων τὸν βασιλέα κατὰ χριστιανῶν ἐκστρατεύειν, ὡς οὐκ εὐοδήσοντα πάντως, ἐμφυλίους κινοῦντα πολέμους, τότε μὴ κατὰ τρόπον βασιλικὸν τῇ Κων σταντίνου ἐπιδημήσαντι, τῷ μεγάλῳ νεῲ ἐπιστάντι, ἐφ' ᾧ προσκυνῆσαι καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τὰ τῆς εὐχαριστίας ῥύσια, κατελθὼν ὁ πατριάρχης ὠνείδιζέ τε εὐθύς, προσεπιτιθεὶς καὶ τὰς