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at that time, when Basil was reigning, he was put forward for the purpose of resolving the enmity with Sclerus, either by opposing him in battle or by counsel compelling him to peaceful treaties. But since Sclerus, being most warlike and always rejoicing in bloodshed, preferred battle rather than peace, with great wars breaking out every day, as Sclerus not only did not want peace, but also strove bravely with siege engines to take Nicaea and battered the walls, when the greater part of the tower was undermined from below it happened that the tower sagged, so that it seemed to bend at the knee and from this received such a name. 11.1.7 Thus, then, had events concerning Gonatas proceeded; but Isangeles, having very expertly constructed the already mentioned wooden tower, which those with more experience of siege engines call a tortoise, brought inside it armed men, wall-stormers, and others who knew how to shake the tower from below with iron tools, for the purpose of having the one group fight against those on top of the wall, and the others to be unhindered from there to dig through the tower. These men also brought in logs of wood in place of the stones being taken out; and having reached the inner surface, so as even to see some light coming in from there, they threw in fire and set the logs ablaze. And when these were reduced to ashes, it happened that Gonatas leaned even more, so as not to lose its name. And with rams and shelters surrounding the rest of the walls, and filling the trench lying outside them with dust as in a flash, so that it was joined into one surface with the plains lying on either side, they held to the siege as best they could.

11.2.1 But the emperor, having many times made careful inquiries and discerning that it was impossible for Nicaea to be taken by the Latins, even if they surpassed every number, on the one hand, having constructed all sorts of siege engines, and most of these not according to the methods of engineers, but according to certain other principles that seemed good to him, which also provided a marvel to all, he sent out to the counts; but he himself, having crossed over with those who happened to be with him, as the account has already indicated, was staying near Pelecanum near Mesampela, where a shrine in the name of the great martyr George had long ago been built. 11.2.2 The emperor, therefore, thus wished to go forth with the Latins against the godless Turks; but weighing the matter and perceiving the countless multitude of the Frankish army to be insurmountable compared to the Roman army, and knowing from long experience the fickle mind of the Latins, he desisted from the enterprise. Not for this reason only, but also foreseeing their untrustworthy and faithless nature, shifting often to the opposite like the Euripus, and their readiness to sell off their wives and children for a single obol because of their love of money, with these thoughts, therefore, the emperor at that time restrained himself from the enterprise. But he decided it was necessary not to be present with the Celts, but to give them as much support as if he were present. 11.2.3 At least, knowing the extreme strength of the walls of Nicaea, he knew its capture by the Latins was impossible; but learning that the sultan was easily bringing sufficient forces and all the provisions into Nicaea through the adjacent lake, he planned the seizure of the lake. Therefore, having constructed light boats of the sort that that water could bear, having loaded these onto wagons through the region of Cius, he launched them into the lake, putting armed soldiers in them, having appointed Manuel Boutoumites as their commander and giving them more banners than necessary, so that from this they might seem many times more numerous, and in addition both trumpets and drums. 11.2.4 But thus the matters concerning the lake were arranged by the

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τότε βασιλεύοντος Βασιλείου προὐβέβλητο ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν μετὰ τοῦ Σκληροῦ ἔχθραν διαλῦσαι ἢ χειρὶ πρὸς τοῦτον ἀντικαταστὰς ἢ γνώμῃ εἰς εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς τοῦτον συνελάσας. Ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ Σκληρὸς μαχιμώτατος ὢν καὶ αἵμασι χαίρων ἀεὶ τὴν μάχην τῆς εἰρήνης μᾶλλον ἠσπάσατο, πολέμων μεγάλων καθ' ἑκάστην συρρηγνυμένων, ὡς τοῦ Σκληροῦ μὴ μόνον τὴν εἰρήνην μὴ θέλοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἑλεπόλεων γενναίως ἀγωνιζομένου τὴν Νίκαιαν ἑλεῖν καὶ καταρράξαντος τὰ τείχη, τοῦ πλείονος μέρους τοῦ πύργου ποδοκοπηθέντος κάτωθεν συνέβη σάξαι τὸν πύργον, ὡς ἐπὶ γόνυ δοκεῖν ἐπικλιθῆναι κἀκ τούτου τῆς τοιαύτης μετειλη χέναι προσηγορίας. 11.1.7 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Γονά την παρηκολουθήκει· ὁ δὲ Ἰσαγγέλης τὸν ἤδη ῥηθέντα μόσυνα ἐμπείρως πάνυ κατασκευάσας, ὃν οἱ πλείονα ἐμπειρίαν τῶν μηχανικῶν κεκτημένοι χελώνην κατονο μάζουσιν, ἐντὸς τούτου ἄνδρας ὁπλοφόρους τειχεσιπλήτας εἰσῆξε καὶ ἑτέρους τοὺς τὸν πύργον κάτωθεν κατασείειν διὰ σιδήρων εἰδότας ἐφ' ᾧ τοὺς μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἄνωθεν τοῦ τείχους μάχεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἐκεχειρίαν ἔχειν ἐντεῦθεν τὸν πύργον διορύττειν. Οἳ καὶ κορμοὺς ξύλων εἰσῆγον ἀντὶ τῶν ἐξαγομένων λίθων· μέχρι δὲ τῆς ἐντὸς ἐπιφανείας ἐφθα κότες, ὡς καὶ αὐγήν τινα ἐκεῖθεν εἰσιοῦσαν θεάσασθαι, πῦρ ἐμβαλόντες ἐνέπρησαν τοὺς κορμούς. Τούτων δὲ ἐκτεφρωθέντων συνέβη τὸν Γονάτην ἐπὶ πλέον κλιθῆναι, ὡς μὴ ἀπολωλέναι τὴν κλῆσιν. Ἐμβόλοις δὲ καὶ οἰκήμασι τὸ ἐπίλοιπον περιζώσαντες τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τὸν ἐκτὸς τούτων διακείμενον τάφρον ὡς ἐν ῥιπῇ πληρώσαντες κόνεως, ὡς εἰς μίαν ἐπιφάνειαν συναφθῆναι ταῖς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα παρακειμέναις πεδιάσιν, ὡς ἐνὸν τῆς πολιορκίας εἴχοντο.

11.2.1 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, πολλὰ πολλάκις ἀκριβολογησάμενος καὶ διαγνοὺς ἀμήχανον εἶναι τὴν Νίκαιαν παρὰ τῶν Λατί νων ἁλῶναι, κἂν πάντα ὑπερέβαλλον ἀριθμόν, ἐν μέρει μὲν παντοῖα εἴδη ἑλεπόλεων κατασκευάσας καὶ τὰ πλείω τού των οὐ κατὰ τοὺς τῶν μηχανικῶν τρόπους, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑτέρους τινὰς λόγους αὐτῷ δοκοῦντας, ὃ καὶ θαῦμα πᾶσι παρεῖχε, τοῖς κόμησιν ἐκπέπομφεν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ μετὰ τῶν παρατυχόντων διαπεράσας, ὡς ἤδη φθάσας ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσε, κατὰ τὸν Πελεκάνον διέτριβεν ἀγχοῦ τῶν Μεσαμπέλων, οὗ καὶ τέμενος ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος Γεωργίου πάλαι ᾠκοδόμηται. 11.2.2 Ἤθελε μὲν οὖν οὕτως ὁ αὐτοκρά τωρ μετὰ τῶν Λατίνων κατὰ τῶν ἀθέων συναπελθεῖν Τούρκων· ταλαντεύων δὲ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν καὶ τὸ ἀπειροπληθὲς τοῦ φραγγικοῦ φοσσάτου ὡς πρὸς τὸ ῥωμαϊκὸν στράτευμα κατανοῶν ἀνυπέρβλητον καὶ τὴν παλίμβουλον τῶν Λατίνων γνώμην ἐκ μακροῦ ἐπιστάμενος ἀπέστη τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀβέβαιον ἐκείνων καὶ ἄπιστον προειδὼς Εὐρίπου δίκην μεταφερομένων ἐς τἀναν τία πολλάκις τάς τε γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἑτοίμως ἐχόντων ὀβολοῦ ἑνὸς ἀπεμπολεῖν διὰ φιλοχρήματον γνώ μην, τούτοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἑαυτὸν τῷ τότε ἀπεῖρξεν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος. ∆εῖν δὲ ἔγνω μὴ συμπαρεῖναι μὲν τοῖς Κελτοῖς, τοσαύτην δὲ αὐτοῖς διδόναι ῥοπὴν ὁπόσην ἂν καὶ παρών. 11.2.3 Τὸ γοῦν ἐρυμνό τατον τῶν τῆς Νικαίας τειχῶν γινώσκων ἀδύνατον τὴν ταύτης κατάσχεσιν παρὰ τῶν Λατίνων ἠπίστατο· μανθά νων δὲ ὅτι ῥᾳδίως διὰ τῆς παρακειμένης λίμνης δυνάμεις ἱκανὰς καὶ τὰ ζωαρκῆ πάντα ὁ σουλτάνος εἰς Νίκαιαν εἰσάγει, τὴν τῆς λίμνης ἐμελέτα κατάσχεσιν. Κατασκευά σας τοίνυν ἀκάτια ὁποῖα τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκεῖνο ἀνέχειν ἠδύνατο, διὰ τοῦ μέρους τῆς Κίου ταῦτα ἐν ἁμάξαις ἐπισάξας εἰς τὴν λίμνην εἰσήλασε, στρατιώτας ἐμβαλὼν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁπλοφόρους, ἡγεμόνα τούτων Μανουὴλ τὸν Βουτουμίτην καταστησάμενος καὶ σημαίας τούτοις πλείους τῆς χρείας ἐπιδούς, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν πολλαπλασίους δοκεῖν, πρὸς δὲ καὶ βύκινά τε καὶ τύμπανα. 11.2.4 Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν λίμνην ᾠκονόμηται τῷ