122

No one who was ready to act encouraged the idle to act, nor did another who was self-possessed urge on another, but as if dragged away by having become panic-stricken and stumbling against their own people as if they were strangers, they suspected even their acquaintances as enemies, not slaughtering them only inasmuch as they were on guard against suffering the same from them, ill-fated in their comradeship and wretched each in his own zeal. Then also those shackled with iron in the prisons—for many of the enemy, having been captured, were condemned to the prison in Nicaea as to a prison of oblivion, since they could not easily escape—those men, therefore, seeing the general confusion, believed that the enemy were entering and capturing the city, not from what they saw of them, but from the uproar of the inhabitants they were witnessing. And indeed having been released from their shackles, they were a kind of rear-guard for the phalanx rushing forth, except not for defense, but out of an eagerness to save themselves. And the goal of the sally was to go to the gates of the city. And the people followed in a disorderly mass, and each one, in the irrational weakness of his own mind, was terrified that he would either die with the first ones falling, if the enemy should burst through from outside, or, with these pushing back those pouring in and holding them off from within, he himself, being in the rear, 323 would get out with them and escape. But it was, in fact, a disgrace to them; for falling upon the gates, they did not come and go with the same single purpose, but rushing in with confusion and no order, they departed with quiet and fitting composure. For they found the guards sitting quietly and knowing nothing of the things that had happened in the city. Whence they were not so much grieved at having been so deceived as they were terrified that the evil was to be expected at other gates; which indeed caused them even more confusion, if, while they delayed so, busying themselves with the gates that held no terror, the enemy might enter through other gates with all ease. And so scattering from there, some going this way, others that way, they arrived at the same time in two halves at the gates on either side, having given up on the eastern one as not being in trouble. But when they found the same things at those gates too—for no one suspected the one towards the seashore of being betrayed—gathering together in one place, they both calmed their spirits and were at a loss as to what to do; for the enemy would not have fallen through the air, having put on wings. And when, coming to the one leading to the seashore, they found this one too free from all fear, with the guards making a mockery of their delusion, they at once breathed a sigh of relief from their fear and began to investigate the cause of the rumor; for it would not have emerged from the earth itself roaring, unless someone first told a false tale of the fear. Having turned, then, to many lines of inquiry, overlooking not even a chance detail, if anyone should suggest one, they could find nothing more than that it was born from obscurity and, having grown at the same time, had simultaneously seized the ears of the many. But the ready and plausible cause was that a multitude of women were following the icon of the Mother of God being carried out in supplication, who, coming behind, of necessity cried out the prayer. These women, then, lamentably invoking God against the Persians and Tochars, it is likely that the sound of their voice spread, and it happened that while they were shouting loudly their entreaties against them, those round about and further away, hearing the sound, suspected that the cries against them were about them coming, and thus the word was spread abroad together with fear and, filling the ears of the many, incited the uproar. 325 So much for them; but the emperor, learning afterwards how these things happened, was exceedingly affected and, sending a letter, blamed them for many things; for it was not the part of prudent and sensible men to be immediately disturbed and to cause a disturbance at a random rumor; for they ought to consider the baselessness of the matter and how enemies, not besieging the city nor being at the very skin of the towers, but living in Persia and barely even heard of, could immediately, being a great distance away, fly and enter without war and attack.

122

ληψόμενος τὸν ἀργὸν πρὸς τὸ λήψεσθαι, οὐδὲ πλήρης ὢν ἄλλος παρώτρυνεν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' οἷον ἐκσπασθέν τες τῷ φοβόληπτοι γεγονέναι καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις προσπαίοντες, ὑπώπτευον καὶ τοὺς συνήθεις ὡς πολεμίους, παρὰ τοσοῦτον οὐ σφάττοντες παρ' ὅσον καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἐκείνων παθεῖν ἐφυλάττοντο, δύσμοροι τῆς ὁμαιχμίας καὶ ἄθλιοι τῆς κατὰ σφᾶς προθυμίας ἕκαστος. Τότε καὶ οἱ ἐν εἱρκταῖς σιδήροις πεδούμενοιπολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν πολεμίων κρατηθέντες ὡς εἱρκτὴν λήθης τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ φυλακὴν κατεκρίνοντο, ὡς οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἀποδράντες, ἐκεῖνοι τοίνυν, τὴν κοινὴν θεώμενοι ταραχήν, ἐπίστευον τοὺς ἐχθροὺς εἰσιέναι καὶ κρατῆσαι τὸ ἄστυ, οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἐκείνους ἔβλεπον, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν τὸν τῶν ἐποίκων θόρυβον ἐθεῶντο. Καὶ δὴ τῶν πεδῶν ἐκλυθέντες, οὐραγοί τινες ἦσαν προεκθεούσης τῆς φάλαγγος, πλὴν οὐ κατ' ἄμυναν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ προθυμίαν τοῦ φυλάσσεσθαι. Ἦν δὲ τὸ τῆς ἐκδρομῆς τέλος ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας ἰέναι τῆς πόλεως. Καὶ ὁ λαὸς εἵπετο χύδην, καὶ ἐν ἀλογίστῳ τῇ καθ' αὑτὸν ἀσθενείᾳ ὠρρώδουν ἕκαστος, ὡς ἢ τεθνηξόμενος, τῶν πρώτων πεσόντων, εἰ οἱ πολέμιοι ἔξωθεν διεκπαίοιεν, ἤ, τούτων ἀνωθούντων τοὺς εἰσχεομένους καὶ ἀναστελλόντων ἔνδοθεν, αὐτὸς οὐραγῶν 323 συνεξελευσόμενός τε καὶ ἐκφευξόμενος. Τὸ δὲ ἦν ἄρα ὄνειδος αὐτοῖς· προσπεσόντες γὰρ ταῖς πύλαις, οὐ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς καὶ μιᾶς προθέσεως ἐπήρχοντό τε καὶ ἀνεχώρουν, ἀλλ' ἐν ταραχῇ καὶ σὺν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ἐμπίπτον τες, μεθ' ἡσυχίας καὶ σὺν καταστάσει τῇ προσηκούσῃ ἀνεζεύγνυον. Εὕρισκον γὰρ καθ' ἡσυχίαν καθημένους τοὺς φύλακας καὶ μηδὲν ἐπαΐοντας τῶν ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν γενομένων. Ὅθεν καὶ οὐ μᾶλλον ἤλγουν ὡς τόσον ἠπατημένοι ἢ ὠρρώδουν ἐν ἄλλαις πύλαις ἐλπιζόμενον τὸ κακόν· ὃ δὴ καὶ πλείω παρεῖχεν ἐκείνοις τὴν ταραχήν, εἰ οὕτω βραδυνάντων, τῆς πρὸς τὰς μηδένα φόβον ἐχούσας πύλας ἁπτομένων, οἱ ἐχθροὶ καθ' ἑτέρας πύλας μετ' εὐχερείας πάσης εἰσελῷεν. Καὶ δὴ ἐκεῖθεν διασκιδνάμενοι, οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν, οἱ δ' ἐκεῖθεν ἰόντες, ἅμα καθ' ἡμίσεις ταῖς καθ' ἑκάτερον πύλαις ἐφίσταντο, ἀπογνόντες ὡς μὴ πονούσης τῆς καθ' ἕω. Ὡς δὲ τὰ ἶσα καὶ ἐν ἐκείναις εὗροντὴν γὰρ πρὸς αἰγιαλὸν οὐδεὶς ὡς προδώσουσαν καθυπώπτευεν, εἰς ἓν συναχθέντες, καθίσταντό τε τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ τοῦ τί πράττειν ἦσαν· μὴ γὰρ ἂν κατ' ἀέρος πεσεῖν τοὺς ἐχθρούς, πτέρυγας περιθέντας. Ὡς δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐς αἰγιαλὸν φέρουσαν ἐπιστάντες ἐλευθέραν καὶ ταύτην δέους εὗρον παντός, τῶν φυλάκων εἰς χλεύην τιθεμένων σφίσι τὴν ἀπάτην, ἀνέπνευσάν τε εὐθέως τοῦ δέους καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς φήμης ἠρεύνων· μὴ γὰρ ἂν αὐτόθεν γῆς μυκησαμέ νης ἐξενεχθῆναι, εἰ μή τις πρῶτος τὸν φόβον ἐψευδολόγησεν. Ἐπὶ πολλὰς γοῦν τραπόμενοι τὰς ὁδούς, μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν παριδόντες, ἤν τις προβάλλοιτο, οὐδὲν πλέον εἶχον εὑρέσθαι τοῦ ἐξ ἀφανοῦς ἅμα τε γεννηθῆναι καὶ ἅμα τραφέντα συνδιειληφέναι τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀκοάς. Τὸ δ' ἐκ προχείρου καὶ πιθανὸν εἰς αἰτίαν τὸ τῆς εἰκόνος τῆς θεομήτορος καθ' ἱκεσίαν ἐκφερομέ νης πλῆθος ἕπεσθαι γυναικῶν, ἃς δὴ καὶ ἐκφωνεῖν ἀναγκαῖον τὴν δέησιν, κατόπιν ἡκούσας. Τούτων οὖν ὀλοφυρτικῶς κατὰ Περσῶν καὶ Τοχάρων θεοκλυτουσῶν, εἰκὸς τὰ τῆς φωνῆς διελθεῖν, καὶ συμβῆναι τὰς μὲν κατ' ἐκείνων μεγαλοφωνούσας ποτνιᾶσθαι, τοὺς δὲ πέριξ καὶ ἔξωθεν, τὴν φωνὴν δεχομένους, τὰ κατ' ἐκείνων ὡς περὶ ἐκείνων ἐρχομένων ὑποτοπάζειν, καὶ οὕτω διαδοθῆναι συνάμα φόβῳ τὸν λόγον καί, τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀκοὰς πληροῦντα, παραθῆξαι τὸν θόρυβον. 325 Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὕτως· ὁ δέ γε βασιλεύς, μετὰ ταῦτα μαθὼν ὅπως γένοιντο, ὑπερεπάθησέ τε καὶ πέμψας διὰ γραμμάτων τὰ πολλὰ κατε μέμψατο· μηδὲ γὰρ ἀνδρῶν εἶναι φρονίμων καὶ νοῦν ἐχόντων, πρὸς τὸ παρεμπῖπτον τῆς φήμης θορυβουμένους εὐθύς, θορυβεῖν· δεῖν γὰρ ἐννοεῖν τὸ τοῦ πράγματος ἀνυπόστατον καὶ ὅπως ἐχθροί, μὴ περικαθήμενοι πόλιν μηδ' ἐν χρῷ τῶν πύργων ὄντες, ἀλλὰ μόλις καὶ ἀκουόμενοι διάγοντες ἐν Περσίδι, αὐτίκα παμπληθὲς ἀπέχοντες πετασθέντες ἐμβαῖεν δίχα πολέμου καὶ προσβο λῆς.