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of stones and of ladders and of the other engines which are brought forward during the frequent assaults on the walls. For I shall prove most clearly that you are not far from being in the utmost danger. For there being three things which might best save the besieged—first, that a force coming from somewhere outside might raise the siege; second, that having an abundance of food and other provisions they might endure the siege with ease; and third, that the besieger be unable to continue the siege, either from a lack of supplies or from cowardice or some other reason—I will prove to you that you have not one of these. Therefore, the help that might perhaps come to you from outside, one would think could come from nowhere else than from Genoa, since they are your countrymen and kinsmen; but this is so far from being true, or something you should hope for, that on the contrary they will rather come against you to besiege you as enemies to the commonwealth, if the emperor commands it. For you know most clearly that in the treaties and the oaths, which the senate and people of Genoa made with the Roman empire for peace, among other things this too is included: that not only should their commonwealth inflict no harm or damage on the Roman empire when it has offered no pretext for war, but also if any 1.487 private citizen wrongs a Roman, the Roman is to receive compensation for the damage from that person's possessions or property. And if he should cause damage to the Roman empire, either by plundering an island or some coastal city or anything else, in the same way, from their possessions and property, whether they be many or one, the damage is to be paid to the emperor, and the person himself is to be decreed an enemy by the people and the senate, and they are to campaign against him as faithless and a traitor to the commonwealth. For this very reason the emperor has also sent an embassy to Genoa, so that he might not only take over your property on account of the money he spent warring against you, but also to order them to send triremes against you in accordance with the agreements and the oaths. Therefore, from Genoa you must expect not only no assistance, but even war and a naval attack. And that you are now in need of provisions and that in a little while they will fail you completely, one might most truthfully infer from the facts themselves. For the Romans who were driven out of the city by you, whose provisions you yourselves took and are using, calculating the measure of the food against the number of the besieged, say that within a short time your food will fail you completely. There remains, then, one hope of salvation left, to expect that the emperor, having grown negligent either because of the amount of money being spent 1.488 or because of the hardship of the campaign, will lift the siege, or because winter is now approaching. And I, even concerning this, will become a traitor to our own side and will reveal the whole truth to you for free. And yet you yourselves would have bought for a great price, I know well, the chance to learn truly what we are planning concerning you; but I will grant you this favor also. For the emperor and we and the bulk of the army will depart for home, so that we may not be worn out here rashly and in vain, especially since the affairs there also require attention, which it is not possible to give unless we are present there. But here for the siege we will leave behind ten triremes and twenty monoremes and another twenty-four ships of Saruchan, having provided pay that will last until spring. who will securely besiege both you and the Mytileneans, blockading from the sea, and from the mainland the adjacent army of Saruchan will suffice for you; and for the Mytileneans the Roman mercenaries will block the way out to Lesbos, so that both of you will be shut off on both sides, both from land and sea, from bringing in any provisions. And at the beginning of spring we will sail against you again with a great fleet, having the intention to persevere to the very end, until, having subdued you either by famine or by arms, we shall enslave you. And in addition to these things, I will not hide another plan of the emperor. For he wishes to the

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λίθων καὶ τῶν κλιμάκων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μηχανῶν τῶν κατὰ τὰς συχνὰς τειχομαχίας προσαγομένων. ἀποδείξω γὰρ σαφέστατα ὑμᾶς οὐ πολὺ ἀπέχοντας τοῦ ἐν ἐσχάτοις κινδύνοις εἶναι. τριῶν γὰρ ὄντων, ἃ ἂν μάλιστα διασώζειν δύναιτο τοὺς πολιορκουμένους, τοῦ τέ ποθεν ἔξωθεν ἐπελθοῦσαν δύναμιν τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας ἀνιστᾷν, καὶ τοῦ ἀφθονίαν σίτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων ἔχοντας μετὰ ῥᾳστώνης τὴν πολιορκίαν διαφέρειν, καὶ τρίτου, τοῦ τὸν πολιορκοῦντα ἀδύνατον εἶναι προσκαθέζεσθαι ἢ δι' ἀπορίαν ἀναλωμάτων ἢ διὰ μικροψυχίαν ἤ τινα αἰτίαν ἄλλην, ἐγὼ ὑμῖν προσὸν ἀποδείξω τούτων οὐδὲ ἕν. τὴν μὲν οὖν ἴσως ἂν ἐπελθοῦσαν ἔξωθεν βοήθειαν ὑμῖν οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἄν τις οἰηθείη ἢ ἐκ Γεννούας, οἷα δὴ ὁμοφύλων ὄντων ὑμῖν καὶ συγγενῶν· τοῦτο δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχει τοῦ εἶναι ἀληθὲς ἢ ὑμᾶς οἴεσθαι ἐλπίζειν, ὥστε τοὐναντίον μᾶλλον ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐλεύσονται ἐκεῖνοι ἐκπολιορκήσοντες ὡς πολεμίους τῷ κοινῷ, ἂν κελεύῃ βασιλεύς. ἴστε γὰρ δὴ σαφέστατα ὑμεῖς ὡς ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις καὶ τοῖς ὅρκοις, οὓς πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν Ῥωμαίων ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἔθετο Γεννούας ἐπὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ, πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις περιείληπται καὶ τοῦτο, τὸ μὴ μόνον τὸ κοινὸν αὐτῶν μηδεμίαν βλάβην ἢ ζημίαν ἐπάγειν τῇ Ῥωμαίων βασιλείᾳ πρόφασιν πολέμου οὐ παρεχομένῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐάν τις 1.487 ἰδιώτης Ῥωμαῖον ἀδικήσῃ, ἀπὸ τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ κτημάτων ἢ πραγμάτων τὴν ζημίαν ἀπολαμβάνειν τὸν Ῥωμαῖον. ἂν δὲ καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ Ῥωμαίων τὴν ζημίαν προξενῇ ἢ νῆσον διαρπάζων ἢ πόλιν τινὰ παράλιον ἤ τι ἕτερον, τὸν ἴσον τρόπον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκείνων κτημάτων καὶ πραγμάτων, εἰ πολλοὶ εἶεν ἢ εἷς, τὴν ζημίαν ἀποτίννυσθαι βασιλεῖ, αὐτὸν δὲ ψηφίζεσθαι πολέμιον τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τῇ βουλῇ, καὶ στρατεύειν ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ὡς ἄπιστον καὶ προδότην τοῦ κοινοῦ. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ βασιλέα πρεσβείαν πρὸς Γέννουαν ἀπεσταλκέναι, ὥστε μὴ μόνον τὰ κτήματα ὑμῶν τῶν χρημάτων ἕνεκα ὧν ἀνάλωσε πολεμῶν ὑμῖν παραλαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τριήρεις κελεῦσαι πέμψαι καθ' ὑμῶν κατὰ τὰ συγκείμενα καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους. ὥστε ἐκ Γεννούας οὐ μόνον ἐπικουρίαν οὐδεμίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πόλεμον καὶ ἐπίπλουν προσδοκᾷν χρή. ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων νῦν τε ἐνδεεῖς ἐστε καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἐπιλείψει παντελῶς ὑμᾶς, ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄν τις τῶν πραγμάτων ἀληθέστατα τεκμήραιτο. οἱ γὰρ ἐξελαθέντες τοῦ ἄστεος ὑφ' ὑμῶν Ῥωμαῖοι, ὧν αὐτοὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια λαβόντες χρῆσθε, τὸ μέτρον τῆς τροφῆς πρὸς τὸ τῶν πολιορκουμένων πλῆθος λογιζόμενοι, ἐντὸς ὀλίγου χρόνου παντάπασί φασιν ὑμᾶς τὰ σιτία ἐπιλείψειν. λείπεται δὴ μίαν ὑπολείπεσθαι ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας, τὸ βασιλέα ῥᾳθυμήσαντα ἢ διὰ τὸ τῶν ἀναλισκομένων πλῆθος χρημάτων 1.488 ἢ διὰ τὴν κατὰ τὴν στρατείαν κακοπάθειαν λύσειν τὴν πολιορκίαν ἢ διὰ τὸ χειμῶνα ἐπιγίνεσθαι ἤδη προσδοκᾷν. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου προδότης γενήσομαι ἡμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ μηνύσω προῖκα ἅπαν τἀληθές. καίτοι γε πολλοῦ ἂν ἐπρίασθε αὐτοὶ, εὖ οἶδα, εἰ ἃ διανοούμεθα περὶ ὑμῶν, ἀληθῶς ἐξεγένετο μαθεῖν· ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ τοῦτο χαριοῦμαι. βασιλεὺς μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῆς στρατιᾶς οἴκαδε ἀπελευσόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην κατατριβώμεθα ἐνταῦθα, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε πραγμάτων ἐπιμελείας δεομένων, ἣν οὐκ ἐξὸν ποιεῖσθαι μὴ ἐκεῖ ἐπιδημοῦντας. ἐνταυθοῖ δὲ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν δέκα καταλείψομεν τριήρεις καὶ μονήρεις εἴκοσι καὶ ἑτέρας τέτταρας καὶ εἴκοσι τὰς τοῦ Σαρχάνη ναῦς, μισθὸν παρασχόντες διαρκέσοντα ἄχρι ἦρος. οἳ ὑμᾶς τε καὶ Μιτυληναίους ἀσφαλῶς πολιορκήσουσιν ἐφορμοῦντες ἐκ θαλάσσης, ἐκ δὲ ἠπείρου ὑμῖν μὲν ἀρκέσουσιν ἡ τοῦ Σαρχάνη παρακειμένη στρατιά· Μιτυληναίοις δὲ οἱ Ῥωμαίων μισθοφόροι τὴν εἰς τὴν Λέσβον ἔξοδον ἀπείρξουσιν, ὥστε καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ἑκατέρωθεν ἀπείργεσθαι ἔκ τε γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τοῦ μηδὲν εἰσάγειν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων. ἅμα δὲ ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ στόλῳ μεγάλῳ αὖθις ἐφ' ὑμᾶς πλευσούμεθα, γνώμην ἔχοντες μέχρι παντὸς διακαρτερεῖν, ἄχρις ἂν ἢ λιμῷ ἢ ὅπλοις παραστησάμενοι, ἐξανδραποδισώμεθα ὑμᾶς. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν βασιλέως ἐπίνοιαν οὐκ ἀποκρύψω. βούλεται γὰρ τοῖς