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A deed indeed fearsome and yielding primacy to no other in terms of exaggeration, whatever and however it might happen, as much by the attack alone and by the expectation of terrible things, so that it was necessary for those who received it to be already encompassed by the greatest evils and to hope for nothing for their salvation; but when spoken of, not having so much power to cause fear and shrinking. For speech is accustomed to add magnitude to moderate things, so as to be able to surpass them, but growing weak before the greatest things, it appears to fall short of them. However, it is good 319 in such cases not to abide by what is said, paying attention to the words, but also to bring the mind back completely and, as if being present at the events themselves, to reflect upon what is said. Therefore, in the first watch of that day, when the sun had risen above the horizon by about thirty zodiacal degrees, while the people were at their tasks, some spiritual and others also physical, suddenly a report is spread, not in this part of the city, but not in that, but in a circle around the whole city, that the nation of the Tochars, emboldened by their number, having butchered the guards of the gates, entered the city with the most numerous and terrible assaults, so as to mercilessly and unexpectedly slaughter in an instant those who fell in their way. And the report was no sooner spoken than it also enveloped the city. Therefore, leaping out of their houses, just as each happened to be, they ran out in disorder along the streets, and some rushing from here, and others from there, they collided with one another. And for these and those there was one and the same distress; and as if evil were pressing on the backs of both, colliding with one another, some wished to learn from others what the rumor was and if what was said was true. But neither these nor those could say for certain, except that these things were true, with all unanimously insisting on this; and each one, though doubtful about his own salvation, was without doubt concerning the rumor. And while these things were happening to them, others running up from behind were dramatizing the calamities and said that with their own eyes they had seen the attackers slaughtering and dismembering whomever they met, so that the sight of them was at the same time a most pitiful death, since their fears, I think, were creating phantoms of the sufferings even for the wakeful, and fashioning things that were not as though they were for eyes whose sight was deceived and failed to grasp the truth. For the faculty of sight, receiving what was fearsome in the mind, as if darkened to external things on account of its overwhelming cowardice and not seeing properly, paid attention to the phantom being fashioned by the imagination as if it were true, and suspected that what it only supposed was real. For what did it mean for them to believe that non-existent things were real? But those who heard were driven back from their course, and running back to their homes, some sought to slip into corners, according to what was considered sufficient for their own salvation; and some, opening the tombs of those long dead, entered them, while others entrusted themselves to safe places. But others, thinking 321 to do something manly and courageous, both put on arms and used spears with shields and sought a leader. And at that time the one appointed to the protection of the city, not well versed in wars, but in profits, was Nikolaos Manuelites, holding the honor of presiding over the city; and there were many others raised in military experience, in whom at that time there was no thought that what is rumored is often false, but a common fear had assailed all; and they wished not only for themselves, but also for the whole city, to be saved. Therefore, having armed themselves, they ran through the whole city, like continuous shooting stars; and some leaping out with a rush from here, others from there, they saw none of the things that were being said, but heard only wailings and groans, as if the city were captured and the terror was upon them; and what was happening was plainly the scene of a captured city, except that the terrible deeds were not pictured from those doing them, but the signs of capture came from those suffering them. For empty did not call to empty, as

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πραχθὲν μὲν φοβερὸν καὶ μηδενὶ ἄλλῳ εἰς λόγον ὑπερβολῆς παραχωροῦν τῶν πρωτείων, κἂν ὅ τι καὶ ὅπως συμβαίη, ὅσον τῇ προσβολῇ καὶ μόνῃ καὶ τῇ τῶν δεινῶν προσδοκίᾳ, ὡς ἤδη μεγίστοις κακοῖς περιβεβλῆσθαι ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τοῖς δεχομένοις καὶ μηδὲν τῶν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐλπίζειν, λεγόμενον δὲ μὴ τόσον ἔχον εἰς φόβον καὶ συστολήν. Εἴωθε γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῖς μετρίοις μέγεθος ἐπιφέρειν, ὡς οἷός τ' ἐκείνων περιεῖναι, τοῖς δὲ μεγίστοις ἐξατονῶν, ὕστερος σφῶν φαίνεσθαι. Πλὴν καλὸν 319 ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις μὴ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐμμένειν, τοῖς λόγοις προσέχοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς μάλα τὸν νοῦν ἐπανάγειν καὶ ὡς ἐπ' αὐτῶν ὄντας τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναπολεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα. Πρώτῃ τοίνυν φυλακῇ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ὑπεραναβεβηκότος τὸν ὁρίζοντα τοῦ ἡλίου ὅσον καὶ ἐπὶ μοίρας ζῳδίου τριάκοντα, ἐπ' ἔργοις ὄντων τῶν ἀνθρώ πων, τῶν μὲν πνευματικοῖς, τῶν δὲ καὶ σωματικοῖς, ἐξαίφνης φημίζεται λόγος, οὐκ ἐν τῷδε μὲν τῷ μέρει τῆς πόλεως, ἐν τῷδε δ' οὔ, ἀλλὰ κύκλῳ περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἅπασαν, Τοχάρων ἔθνος, τῷ πλήθει θαρσῆσαν, τοὺς τῶν πυλῶν κρεουργῆσαν φύλακας, εἰσελθεῖν τὴν πόλιν μεθ' ὅτι πλείστων καὶ δεινῶν ὁρμημάτων, ὥστ' ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας σφίσιν ἀπροσδοκήτως ἀπηνῶς κατασφάττειν. Καὶ ὁ λόγος ἅμα μὲν ἐρρέθη, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν πόλιν περιε λάμβανεν. Ἐκπηδήσαντες τοιγαροῦν τῶν οἰκιῶν, καθὼς ἕκαστος ἔχων εὑρέθη, ἐξέθεον ἀσυντάκτως κατὰ τὰς ἀμφόδους, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν, οἱ δ' ἐκεῖθεν φερόμενοι ἀλλήλοις προσέπιπτον. Ἦν δὲ καὶ τούτοις κἀκείνοις εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς πόνος· καὶ ὥσπερ κατὰ νώτου καὶ ἀμφοτέροις ἐπείγοντος τοῦ κακοῦ, συγκρούοντες ἀλλήλοις, ἅτεροι ἐξ ἑτέρων μανθάνειν ἤθελον τίς ἡ φήμη καὶ εἰ ἀληθῆ τὰ λεγόμενα. Οὔτε δ' οὗτοι οὔτ' ἐκεῖνοι ἀσφαλῶς εἶχον φράζειν, πλὴν τοῦ ἀληθῆ εἶναι ταῦτα, συμφώνως ἁπάντων ἰσχυριζομένων εἰς τοῦτο· καὶ ἕκαστος περὶ ἑαυτῷ ἀμφιβόλως ἔχων τοῦ σῴζεσθαι, ἀναμφι βόλως εἶχε περὶ τὴν φήμην. Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταῦτ' ἐκείνοις ἦσαν, κατόπιν ἄλλοι ἐκτρέχοντες ἐτραγῴδουν τὰς συμφορὰς καὶ οἰκείοις ἔλεγον ὀφθαλμοῖς τεθεᾶσθαι τοὺς ἐπιόντας τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα σφίσιν μεληδὸν κατασφάττοντας, ὡς εἶναι τὴν ἐκείνων θέαν ἅμα καὶ θάνατον οἴκτιστον, τῶν φόβων, οἶμαι, εἰδωλοποιούντων τὰ πάθη καὶ γρηγοροῦσι καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα πλαττόντων ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ ὀπτικὸν πλανωμένοις καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποτυγχάνουσι. Τὸ γὰρ κατὰ νοῦν φοβερὸν λαμβάνον τὸ ὀπτικόν, ὡς τοῖς ἔξω σκοτασθὲν διὰ τὸ περιὸν τῆς δειλίας καὶ μὴ κατὰ τρόπον βλέπον, προσεῖχεν ὡς ἀληθεῖ εἰδωλοπλαστουμένῳ τῇ φαντασίᾳ καὶ ὃ ὑπενόει μόνον ὡς ὂν ὑπετόπαζε. Τί γὰρ ἐκείνοις ἠβούλετο τὸ τὰ ἀνύπαρκτα ὡς ἐν ὑποστάσει ὄντα πιστοῦσθαι; Οἱ δ' ἀκούοντες τῶν πρόσθεν μὲν ἐξεκρούοντο, παλινδρομοῦντες δ' ἐς οἴκους οἱ μὲν ταῖς γωνίαις ἐζήτουν παραδύεσθαι κατὰ τὸ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἱκανὸν νομιζόμενον, καὶ οἱ μὲν τάφους πάλαι κατατεθνεώτων ἀνοιγνύντες εἰσέδυον, οἱ δ' ἀσφαλέσι τόποις ἑαυτοὺς ἐνεπίστευον. Ἄλλοι δέ, ἀνδρῶδές τι καὶ θαρραλέον ἡγούμενοι 321 πράττειν, ὅπλα τε περιετίθουν καὶ λόγχαις σὺν ἀσπίσιν ἐχρῶντο καὶ τὸν ἡγησόμενον ἐξεζήτουν. Ἦσαν δὲ τότε ὁ μὲν εἰς προστασίαν τῆς πόλεως τεταγμένος, οὐκ εὖ εἰδὼς πολέμων, ἀλλὰ λημμάτων, ὁ Μανουηλίτης Νικόλαος, τιμὴν ἔχων τὸ προκαθῆσθαι τῆς πόλεως, ἄλλοι δὲ πλεῖστοι πολεμικαῖς ἐμπειρίαις ἐντεθραμμένοι, οἷς οὐδεμία τις ἐνῆν τὸ τηνικάδ' ἔννοια τοῦ πολλάκις καὶ ψεῦδος εἶναι τὸ φημιζόμενον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι κοινὸς προσπε παίκει φόβος· καὶ μὴ μόνον τὸ κατὰ σφᾶς ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν, σῴζεσθαι. Ὁπλισθέντες τοιγαροῦν διέθεον πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν, οἷά τινες διάττοντες συνεχεῖς· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν, οἱ δ' ἐκεῖθεν μεθ' ὁρμῆς ἐξαλλόμενοι, οὐδὲν ἑώρων τῶν λεγομένων, μόνων δὲ ὀδυρμῶν καὶ στεναγμά των ἤκουον, ὡς ἁλόντος τοῦ ἄστεος καὶ ὡς τοῦ δεινοῦ σφίσιν ἐν χρῷ γεγονότος· καὶ σχῆμα ἦν ἄντικρυς ἁλούσης πόλεως τὰ πραττόμενα, πλὴν οὐκ ἐκ τῶν δρώντων εἰκονιζομένων τῶν χαλεπῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν πασχόντων τὰ τῆς ἁλώσεως. Οὐ γὰρ κενὸς ἐκάλει κενόν, ὡς