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to the emperor; But from the mainland, having summoned Tatikios and the one called Tzitas with brave peltasts, numbering about two thousand, he sent them against Nicaea, having instructed them, as soon as they disembarked from the ships, to seize the fortress of Kyros Georgios, and to load onto mules the great number of arrows they were carrying, and far from the walls of Nicaea, having dismounted from their horses and proceeding on foot straight for the tower called Gonatos, to pitch their camp, then at a single signal, having closed ranks, to attack the walls. Tatikios, therefore, having arrived with the army under his command, gave notice to the Celts according to the emperor's instruction. And at that moment they all put on their armor and with much clamor and shouting attacked the walls. 11.2.5 While Tatikios' men were at that time shooting many arrows, and the Celts in some places were piercing the walls, and in others were concentrating their volleys of stones with stone-throwing engines, and from the lake, being terrified by Boutoumites with the imperial banners and trumpets, while at the same time he was sending messages to them about the imperial promises, the barbarians were so hard-pressed that they did not dare even to look out over the battlements of Nicaea. And at the same time, having given up hope for the sultan's arrival, they considered it better to surrender the city to the emperor and to enter into talks about this with Boutoumites. And he, having addressed them appropriately, showed them the chrysobull which the emperor had previously entrusted to him. So, having listened to the chrysobull through which the emperor promised not only immunity, but also a lavish gift of money and dignities to both the sister and the wife of the sultan, who was the daughter, as it was said, of Tzachas, and simply to all the barbarians in Nicaea, and being encouraged by the emperor's promises, they granted entry to Boutoumites. He immediately made it known by letters to Tatikios that "We already have the prey in our hands; and it is necessary to prepare for an assault on the walls, and to prepare the Celts for this same thing and to encourage them in nothing more than a circular assault on the walls, and that they must surround the walls and attempt the siege at sunrise." 11.2.6 But this, it turned out, was a stratagem so that it would seem to the Celts that this city was captured in war by Boutoumites, and that the drama of the betrayal planned by the emperor might be concealed. For the emperor wished the arrangements being made by Boutoumites to be kept secret from the Celts. And on the next day, having raised the war cry from both sides of the city, on the one side, from the mainland, the Celts were engaged more eagerly in the siege, and on the other, Boutoumites, having gone up onto the battlements and having placed the standards and the banners around the walls, with horns and trumpets acclaimed the emperor. And so the entire Roman army entered into Nicaea. 11.2.7 But Boutoumites, knowing the multitudes of the Celts and, because of their fickle nature and the unrestrainable character of their impulse, being suspicious of them lest they themselves enter and seize the fortress, and seeing also that the satraps inside were numerous enough in comparison to the force he himself had, that, if only they wished, they were able to bind and to slaughter, he immediately takes possession of the keys of the gate. For for the time being there was one gate for entering and exiting, the others having been previously closed due to the fear of the nearby Celts. Therefore, holding the keys of this very gate himself, he thought it necessary to reduce the satraps by stratagem, so that he might easily overcome them, lest they plot something terrible against him. Therefore, summoning them, he advised them to go to the emperor, if they wanted to receive much money from him and to be deemed worthy of the greatest honor and to have annual bounties established. He persuades the Turks, and
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αὐτοκράτορι· ἀπὸ δέ γε τῆς ἠπείρου μεταπεμψάμενος τὸν Τατίκιον καὶ τὸν καλούμενον Τζίταν μετὰ πελταστῶν γενναίων εἰς δισχιλίους ποσουμένων, κατὰ τῆς Νικαίας ἀπέστειλεν ἐπισκήψας ἅμα τῷ τῶν νεῶν ἀπο βῆναι τὸ τοῦ κυροῦ Γεωργίου καστέλλιον καταλαβόντας ἐν ἡμιόνοις μὲν ἐπισάξαι ὅπερ ἐπεφέροντο πλῆθος τῶν ὀϊστῶν, πόρρω δὲ τῶν τειχῶν τῆς Νικαίας τῶν ἵππων ἀποβάντας καὶ βάδην πορευομένους κατευθὺ τοῦ πύργου τοῦ καλουμένου Γονάτου τὸν χάρακα πήξασθαι, εἶτα ἐξ ἑνὸς συνθήματος συνησπικότας προσβαλεῖν τοῖς τείχεσιν. Ἐφθακὼς οὖν ὁ Τατίκιος μετὰ τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατεύ ματος, δίδωσιν εἴδησιν τοῖς Κελτοῖς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ βασι λέως ὑποθήκην. Καὶ τηνικαῦτα ἐσιδηροφόρησαν ἅπαντες καὶ σὺν ἀλαλαγμῷ καὶ βοῇ πολλῇ προσέβαλον τοῖς τείχεσι. 11.2.5 Τῶν μὲν τοῦ Τατικίου συχνοὺς τηνικαῦτα πεμπόντων ὀϊστούς, τῶν δὲ Κελτῶν ὅπου μὲν διατιτραινόντων τὰ τείχη, ὅπου δὲ διὰ πετροβόλων ὀργάνων καταπυκνούντων τὰς τῶν λίθων βολάς, ἀπὸ δέ γε τῆς λίμνης διά τε τῶν βασιλικῶν σημαιῶν καὶ βυκίνων ἐκδειματούμενοι παρὰ τοῦ Βουτουμίτου ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τῶν βασι λικῶν ὑποσχέσεων πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαπεμπομένου, ἐς τοσοῦ τον συνηλάθησαν οἱ βάρβαροι ὡς μηδὲ τῶν κρηδέμνων Νικαίας προκῦψαι θαρρεῖν. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ σουλτάνου ἀπεγνωκότες ἔλευσιν, βέλτιον ἐλογίσαντο τῷ αὐτοκράτορι παραδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν καὶ εἰς ὁμιλίαν περὶ τούτου μετὰ τοῦ Βουτουμίτου ἐλθεῖν. Ὁ δὲ τὰ εἰκότα προσομιλήσας αὐτοῖς ὑποδείκνυσι τὸν χρυσόβουλλον λόγον ὅνπερ ὁ βασι λεὺς αὐτῷ προενεχείρισεν. Ἀκροασάμενοι τοίνυν τοῦ χρυσο βούλλου δι' οὗ ὑπισχνεῖτο ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐ μόνον ἀπάθειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δαψιλῆ δόσιν χρημάτων τε καὶ ἀξιωμάτων τῇ τε ἀδελφῇ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ τοῦ σουλτάνου, ἥτις θυγάτριον ἦν, ὡς ἐλέγετο, τοῦ Τζαχᾶ, καὶ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ βαρβάροις, καὶ ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσι τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος τεθαρρη κότες ἐνεδίδουν τὴν εἰσέλευσιν τῷ Βουτουμίτῃ. Ὁ δὲ παραχρῆμα διὰ γραμμάτων ἐδήλου τῷ Τατικίῳ ὡς «τὴν ἄγραν ἐν χερσὶν ἤδη ἔχομεν· καὶ χρὴ πρὸς τειχομαχίαν ἑτοιμάσασθαι, ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς Κελτοῖς παρα σκευάσαι καὶ μηδὲν πλέον αὐτοῖς τεθαρρηκέναι ἢ τὴν κυκλοτερῆ τειχομαχίαν καὶ ὡς χρὴ περιζῶσαι τὰ τείχη καὶ τῆς πολιορκίας ἀνίσχοντος ἡλίου ἀποπειρᾶσθαι» 11.2.6 Τὸ δὲ ἄρα μηχανή τις ἦν ἵνα δόξῃ τοῖς Κελτοῖς πολέμῳ ταυτηνὶ τὴν πόλιν ἁλῶναι παρὰ τοῦ Βουτουμίτου καὶ λάθῃ τὸ μελετηθὲν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος δρᾶμα τῆς προδο σίας. Ἀπόρρητα γὰρ τοῖς Κελτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἤθελεν εἶναι τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Βουτουμίτου οἰκονομούμενα. Τῇ δὲ μετ' αὐτὴν τὸ ἐνυάλιον ἀλαλάξαντες ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους τῆς πόλεως, ἐκεῖθεν μὲν διὰ τῆς ἠπείρου ἐκθυμότερον οἱ Κελτοὶ τῆς πολιορκίας εἴχοντο, ἔνθεν δ' ὁ Βουτουμίτης, εἰς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἀνεληλυθὼς καὶ τὰ σκῆπτρα καὶ τὰς σημαίας περὶ τὰ τείχη καταστήσας, μετὰ βυκίνων καὶ σαλπίγγων ἀνευφήμει τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. Καὶ οὕτως τὸ ῥωμαϊκὸν ἅπαν στράτευμα εἴσω Νικαίας εἰσεληλύθει. 11.2.7 Ὁ δὲ Βουτουμίτης, τὰ πλήθη τῶν Κελτῶν γινώσκων καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς γνώμης αὐτῶν ἀβέβαιον καὶ τὸ τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀκάθεκτον ὑπόπτους ἔχων αὐτοὺς μὴ εἰσελθόντες αὐτοὶ τὸ κάστρον κατάσχωσιν, ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐντὸς σατράπας ἱκανοὺς ὄντας πρὸς ἣν αὐτὸς εἶχε δύναμιν, εἰ μόνον θελήσαιεν, καὶ δεσμεῖν καὶ σφάττειν δυνατῶς ἔχοντας, τὰς κλεῖς εὐθὺς ἀναλαμβάνεται τῆς πύλης. Μία γὰρ τέως ἦν ἡ εἰσάγουσα καὶ ἐξάγουσα, τῶν ἄλλων προκεκλεισμένων διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν παρακειμένων Κελτῶν. Τὰς κλεῖς τοίνυν ταυτησὶ τῆς πύλης αὐτὸς ἔχων δεῖν ἐλογίσατο τοὺς σατράπας διὰ μεθοδείας ἐλαττῶσαι, ἵν' ἔχῃ τούτους ῥᾳδίως καταγωνίζεσθαι, ὡς μή τι δεινὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ μελε τήσαιεν. Μεταπεμπόμενος τοίνυν αὐτοὺς συνεβούλευε πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἀπέρχεσθαι, εἰ βούλοιντο πολλά τε χρήματα ἐκεῖθεν λαβεῖν καὶ τιμῆς ἀξιωθῆναι μεγίστης καὶ ἐτησίους τυπωθῆναι φιλοτιμίας. Πείθει τοὺς Τούρκους, καὶ