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they paid attention, they learn that the king had gone across to Carthage, which they call Tunis, to make war on the Aethiopians in Libya. And so, having anchored there for some days, from there they sailed straight for Tunis, measuring out the Sicilian sea, upon which 467 indeed, suffering shipwreck, they came close to sinking. When with difficulty, having suffered much, they disembarked, approaching the king, who was in a grievous illness, they delivered the imperial letters. But the king, not knowing what to do, on the one hand being ill, and on the other hand being occupied with wars, both postponed their business and was being nursed. And day by day they saw a pitiful spectacle between the Hagarenes and the Latins; for having dug a trench away from the sea, the Italians used the trench as a fortification, holding the space between; but the Aethiopians, using Carthage as a fortress and a base, were able to sit in safety, and also, whenever opportunity offered, to attack boldly. And continuously day by day they made war on one another, so that very many fell on both sides. And a strong plague also lay upon them, and they died in heaps, and there was no one to bury them, nor were pyres of the dead burned. And that trench, being wide and deep, which had protected them alive, also received them dead, and so many that it was in danger of being filled up in parts and becoming level; thus frequently, on the one hand from the war, and on the other from the plague, they fell. But an impulse boiled up in them, as though they were risking their lives for the cross. Then the king also, since he was worse and had given up hope of recovery, having given them whatever money there was and showing that he had an inclination for peace, if he should survive and muster his strength, commanded them to wait and keep quiet. But when on the following day his fate came upon him and the king was already dead, those around him, at once preparing his corpse, as in full confidence that he was dear to God, anointing it with ointments and boiling it in cauldrons, placed the remains in precious chests, to carry them back to their fatherland, but the ambassadors, as is said, returned with empty hands regarding what had been promised. But the emperor did not cease contriving, having failed to get what he wanted from the king, but with many other intermediaries to the Pope—for the attack of Charles was persuasive—he tried by all means to accomplish his purpose. However, he was not idle or negligent in his preparations, as if expecting that sufficient would come from that source alone, but he also prepared as he was able. 469

10. How, when the fleet was heard of, the emperor prepared matters in the city. So he brought in grain from outside, so as to fill towers with the quantity—the rest he gave to the citizens for safekeeping, so that they might in turn provide it at the proper time, and whole herds of swine—and he distributed them among the citizens, giving ten and more or less to each, so that they might slaughter them themselves, taking the entrails for their profit, and keep the salted meat for the common good, and he prepared countless weapons and arrows and stone-throwing engines, providing what was sufficient for weapon-makers and engineers, and he fitted out the entire navy. And having appointed more builders and overseers, he doubled the wall of the city on the sea side; for the landward side was doubled in any case. And he drew from the city a very large and warlike host, as many as he thought sufficient for such a preparation for war, to be brought in at the right time with arms and expenses. And sending men out, he fortified some of the coastal places and islands, and held others back. And he did not approve of the dockyard at Blachernae, as it presented the ships frontally for battle against the enemy ships—and a frontal attack is difficult, as they would fight strongly in opposition, in the same way he was also displeased with the old dockyard—and by old I do not mean the one which the Latins used yesterday and the day before, the one by the monastery of Christ Euergetes, but the one by the Neorion gate, named from there, since the whole of the Horn by the sea was a harbor and gave the same advantage to the Roman ships as to those of the enemy. But knowing how great it is to fight battles happening from the rear

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προσέσχον, μανθάνουσι πέραν πρὸς Καρχηδόνα, ἣν Τούνισιν λέγουσιν, ἀπελθόντα τὸν ῥῆγα τοῖς κατὰ Λιβύην Αἰθίοψι πολεμεῖν. Καὶ δὴ ἐφ' ἡμέραις ἐκεῖσε ναυλοχησάμενοι, ἀπαυτόθεν εὐθὺ Τουνίσεως ἤλαυνον, τὸ Σικελικὸν καταμετρούμενοι πέλαγος, ἐφ' οὗ 467 δὴ καί, ναυαγίῳ χρησάμενοι, παρ' ὀλίγον ἦλθον τοῦ βυθισθῆναι. Ὡς δὲ μόλις πολλὰ παθόντες ἀπέβαινον, τῷ μὲν ῥηγί, ἐν ἀρρωστίᾳ ὄντι χαλεπῇ, προσελθόντες, τὰ βασιλικὰ ἐνεχείριζον γράμματα· ὁ δὲ ῥήξ, μὴ ἔχων ὅ τι καὶ δρῴη, τοῦτο μὲν ἀρρωστῶν, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πολέμοις ἐνασχολούμενος, ἀνήρτα τε τούτοις τὰ πράγματα καὶ πρὸς τῷ νοσοκομεῖσθαι ἦν. Οἱ δὲ καθ' ἡμέραν θέαμα ἑώρων ἐλεεινὸν Ἀγαρηνῶν μεταξὺ καὶ Λατίνων· ἔξω γὰρ θαλάσσης ἐπιταφρευσάμενοι, Ἰταλοὶ ὀχυρώματι ἐχρῶντο τῇ τάφρῳ, τὸ μεταξὺ κατέχοντες· Αἰθίοπες δέ, Καρχηδόνι φρουρίῳ τε καὶ ὁρμητηρίῳ χρώμενοι, εἶχον μὲν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ καθῆσθαι, εἶχον δὲ καί, ὅπῃ παρείκοι, θαρρούντως ὁρμᾶν. Καὶ συνεχῶς καθ' ἡμέραν διεπολέμουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὡς πλείστους ἀμφοτέρωθεν πίπτειν. Ἐπέκειτο δὲ καὶ λοιμὸς ἰσχυρός, ἔθνῃσκον δ' ἐπασσύτεροι, καὶ ὁ θάπτων οὐκ ἦν, πυραὶ δὲ νεκύων οὐ καίοντο κατατεθνηώτων. Ἡ τάφρος δ' ἐκείνη, εὐρεῖά τε καὶ βαθεῖα οὖσα, οὓς ζῶντας ἐτήρει, τούτους καὶ θανόντας ἐδέχετο, καὶ οὕτω πλείστους ὥστε καὶ ἀναχωματοῦσθαι κατὰ μέρη κινδυνεύειν ἀγχωμαλοῦσαν· οὕτω συχνοί, ἔνθεν μὲν τῷ πολέμῳ, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ τῷ λοιμῷ, ἔπιπτον. Ὁρμὴ δ' ἐκείνοις ἀνέζει, ὡς ὑπὲρ σταυροῦ κινδυνεύουσι. Τότε καὶ ὁ ῥήξ, ἐπεὶ χεῖρον εἶχε καί οἱ τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπέγνωστο, ὅσον ἦν χρηματίσας ἐκείνοις καὶ δείξας ῥοπὴν πρὸς εἰρήνην ἔχων καί γ' εἰ περιέσται καὶ συγκροτήσων εἰς δύναμιν, ἐκέλευεν ἀναμένοντας ἡσυχάζειν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς ἐπιούσης ἐπέστη οἱ τὸ χρεὼν καὶ ἤδη ὁ ῥὴξ ἐτελεύτα, οἱ μὲν ἀμφ' ἐκεῖνον, εὐθὺς ἐνσκευασάμενοι τὸν νεκρὸν ἐκείνου, ὡς ἐν πληροφορίᾳ ᾠκειωμένου Θεῷ, μύροις ἀλείφοντες καὶ βράσμασι λεβήτων ἐνέψοντες, τιμίοις χηλοῖς ἐναπετίθουν τὰ λείψανα, ὡς τῇ πατρίδι ἀνακομίσοντες, οἱ δέ γε πρέσβεις κεναῖς, ὃ λέγεται, τῶν ὑπεσχημένων ὑπέστρεφον ταῖς χερσίν. Ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἠφίει προσμηχανᾶσθαι, ἁμαρτὼν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ῥηγός, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις μεσολαβοῦσι πρὸς πάπανἡ γὰρ τοῦ Καρούλου ἐπί θεσις ἔπειθε, τὰ τοῦ σκοποῦ διανύειν ἐξ ἅπαντος ἐπειρᾶτο. Οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ τῶν εἰς παρασκευὰς κατερρᾳθυμημένως εἶχε καὶ ἀμελῶς, ὡς ἐκεῖθεν μόνον προσδοκῶν ἀποχρώντως γενήσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς εἶχε παρεσκευάζετο. 469

ιʹ. Ὅπως, ἀκουομένου τοῦ στόλου, τὰ κατὰ πόλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς παρεσκευάζετο. Εἰσαγαγὼν γοῦν ἔξωθεν σῖτον, ὥστε πύργους πληρῶσαι τῷ πλήθειτὸν λοιπὸν τοῖς πολίταις παρεῖχεν εἰς φυλακήν, ὡς κατὰ καιρὸν αὖθις ἀντιπα ρέξουσιν, καὶ χοίρων ὅλας ἀγέλαςκαὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπεμέριζε τοῖς πολίταις, ἀνὰ δέκα καὶ πλέον ἢ καὶ ἐλλεῖπον ἑκάστῳ διδούς, ὥστε σφάττειν καὶ αὐτούς, ἀποκερδαίνοντας τὰ ἐντόσθια, τὰ ταρίχη τῷ κοινῷ φυλάττειν, ὅπλα τε μυρία καὶ ὀϊστοὺς καὶ ὄργανα πετροβόλα, ὁπλοτέχναις καὶ μηχανικοῖς τὸ ἱκανὸν παρέχων, ἡτοίμαζε καὶ τὸ ναυτικὸν ἐξήρτυεν ἅπαν. Οἰκοδόμους τ' ἐπιστήσας πλείους καὶ ἐπιστάτας, ἐδιδύμου τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρὸς θάλασσαν· τὸ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν γῆν δεδίπλωτο πάντως. Καὶ λαὸν πλεῖστον καὶ μάχιμον, ὅσον ἀποχρῶντα τοιαύτῃ παρασκευῇ πολέμου ᾤετο, ἐξ αὐτῆς διέταττεν, ὡς εἰς καιρὸν εἰσαχθησομένους ἅμ' ὅπλοις καὶ δαπανήμασι. Πέμπων τε τοὺς μὲν τῶν κατ' αἰγιαλοὺς κατωχύρου καὶ νήσους, τοὺς δ' ἀνέστελλε. Καὶ τὸ ἐν Βλαχέρναις νεώριον οὐκ ἀποδεχόμενος, ὡς κατὰ πρόσωπον παρέ χον ταῖς ναυσὶ πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὴν μάχηντὸ δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον δυσχερὲς εἶναι ὡς ἀντιστατούσας ἰσχυρῶς μάχεσθαι, τὸν ὅμοιον τρόπον καὶ τῷ παλαιῷ νεωρίῳ προσήχθετο λέγω δὲ παλαιὸν οὐχ ᾧ χθὲς καὶ πρώην Λατῖνοι ἐχρῶντο, τῷ πρὸς τῇ μονῇ τοῦ Εὐεργέτου Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρὸς τῇ πύλῃ τοῦ Νεωρίου, ἐκεῖθεν ὠνομασμένῃ, ὡς παντὸς τοῦ κατὰ θάλασσαν Κέρατος λιμένος ὄντος καὶ ταὐτὸν ταῖς Ῥωμαίων ναυσὶν ὅσον καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν διδόντος. Ἀλλ' εἰδὼς τὸ κατὰ νώτου γινομένας μάχεσθαι ὅσον