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to consider him the emperor under whom the city was prophesied to prosper. And for these reasons 595 the Emperor Andronikos was very much hastening the re-founding of the city; for the oracle had also assigned fated times to the one who would raise it up. And they rebuilt without delay. But what was written was in fact a mockery and a dream; for it was fated that from this very place whole myriads of those who would settle there were to perish, as the account will now show. For as the walls were being raised and the ruin was becoming one of the greatest cities beside the calmly flowing Maeander, it was also necessary for settlers to be gathered from all directions, so that it might be counted among the most conspicuous of cities not only for its walls, but also for its men. Some joined voluntarily merely in the hope of faring well, while others were brought unwillingly, so that the population of settlers was numbered at more than thirty-six thousand, and they hoped they would gain great things from the settlement. But they were unaware that they lacked the most necessary thing. For they had neither reservoirs for water, to be supplied in due season from the falling rains, or drawn from the river; and to find underground water by digging seemed to be among the impossibilities. The cause, I think, was the porous nature of the plain due to the adjacent moisture of the river, which, unable to remain, the beating sun, being hot, naturally drew up, pulling it to the surface of the earth. And while the frequent inflow from the river into the empty spaces did not allow the land to become completely dry—since its moisture was frequently drawn up by the sun due to the porousness of the soil—the surface of the earth, I think, at the same time prevented the water from penetrating to any depth, so as to be ready for canals and the opening of wells, since it both received the incoming wetness and at the same time expelled it. For it is the nature of both water and air that the whole moves in sequence with the beginning, so that wherever one of these begins to flow, the rest must of necessity continuously be carried there too, for which reason, because what is there is continuously disappearing and what is not there is continuously being added, with the moisture never failing, it happens that the crops are nourished to the greatest extent, but it is not its nature for water to collect at a depth. This mostly deceived the settlers. For as long as they drank from the river and 597 did not foresee the future, they were unconcerned. But they did not know that Prometheus is much better than Epimetheus, and that what happens by necessity allows no time for deliberation.

21. How Tralles, after being rebuilt, was captured by the Persians.

While they were in this state, then, and thus suspended by good hopes, that they would live as citizens especially favored by the emperor, a host of Persians came upon them; for the zeal of their opponents moves to act against what is hoped for and to take a stand for the rest. And Salpakis, whom their language would call brave, Mantachias by name, exulting in a great multitude, attacks the city and lays siege to it. The general, the megas chartoularios Libadarios, was in every kind of difficulty; those inside were starving and were suffering even more from lack of water, so that from the one, they resorted to even forbidden things, and from the other, suffering from lack of water, they sought some device for liquid and, continuously cutting the veins of their horses, they would sup the blood. But it was not possible to cure their whole thirst from this, and they died in quick succession. For they held out more against the hunger; for the bodies of the dying beasts of burden sufficed them, and indeed, when they themselves were often dying, they were so in want of necessities that they resorted even to those forbidden things. But for their thirst, which was even more violent, it was not possible to devise a cure, and this when the midday sun was burning. For which reason they willingly went over to the enemy, considering any manner of death more tolerable than that by hunger and thirst, and, beseeching with parched lips, that they might obtain mercy from this, they were stabbed and fell uncared for, not even deemed worthy of burial. And the Persians still to those within

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αὐτὸν λογίζεσθαι βασιλέα καθ' ὃν εὖ πράξειν ἐχρησμολογεῖτο τὴν πόλιν. Καὶ διὰ ταῦτα 595 πολὺς ἦν βασιλεὺς Ἀνδρόνικος ἐπισπεύδων τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἐξανάστασιν· εἱμαρμένους γὰρ καὶ χρόνους ἐδίδου τῷ ἀναστήσοντι ὁ χρησμός. Καὶ ἀνῳκο δόμουν μηδὲν μέλλοντες. Χλεύη δ' ἄρ' ἦσαν καὶ ὄνειρος τὰ γραφόμενα· εἵμαρτο γὰρ κἀντεῦθεν καὶ μυριοστύας ὅλας ὀλέσθαι τῶν ἐκεῖ κατοικη σόντων, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἤδη δηλώσει. Ὡς γὰρ ἀνίσταντο μὲν τὰ τείχη καὶ πόλις τῶν μεγίστων τὸ ἐρείπιον ἦν παρὰ γαληνὰ ῥέοντα Μαίανδρον, ἔδει δὲ καὶ τοὺς κατοικήσοντας πανταχόθεν συλλέγεσθαι, ὡς ἂν μὴ μόνον τείχεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδράσιν, ἐν περιφανέσι τῶν πόλεων ἀριθμῷτο. Οἱ μὲν καὶ κατὰ μόνην ἐλπίδα τοῦ εὖ πράξειν ἑκουσίως προσεχώρουν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀκουσίως ἤγοντο, ὡς ὑπὲρ τριάκοντα μὲν καὶ ἓξ χιλιάδας τὸν τῶν ἐποίκων ἀριθμεῖσθαι λαόν, μεγάλα δ' ἐλπίζειν σφᾶς σχήσειν τῷ οἰκισμῷ. Ἠγνόουν δὲ ἄρα μὴ ἔχοντες τὸ ἀναγκαιότατον. Οὔτε γὰρ ὑδάτων εἶχον ὑποδοχάς, ὡς κατὰ καιρὸν ὑδρευσόμενοι καταφερομένων ὄμβρων, εἴτε καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀνιμωμένου· τό τε κατορύξαντας ὑπόγαιον ὕδωρ εὑρεῖν τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐφαίνετο. Αἴτιον δ' οἶμαι τὸ μὴ στεγανὸν τοῦ πεδίου διὰ τὴν γειτονοῦσαν ἰκμάδα τοῦ ποταμοῦ, ἥν, οἵαν τε μὴ οὖσαν ἐμμένειν, ὁ προσβάλ λων ἥλιος, θερμὸς ὤν, ἀνιμᾶσθαι πεφύκοι, πρὸς τὸ ἐπιπολάζον ἀνασυρομένην τῆς γῆς, καὶ τὸ μὲν ξηρὰν ἤδη καθάπαξ γίνεσθαι τῷ συχνῶς ἀνιμᾶσθαι τῷ ἡλίῳ τὴν ἰκμάδα, διὰ τὸ τῆς ὑγρότητος ἔκλυτον, τῆς συχνῆς ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ αὖθις εἰς τὰ κενὰ προσρύσεως μὴ ἐώσης, τὸ δ' εἰς βάθος προσβαίνειν τὰς λιβάδας, ὡς καὶ εἰς διώρυχας εὐτρεπεῖς εἶναι καὶ ἀνοίξεις φρεάτων, τοῦ ἐπιπολαίου τῆς γῆς κωλύοντος, οἶμαι, ἅμα δεχομένου τὴν ἐπεισρέουσαν νοτίδα καὶ ἅμ' ἐξεμοῦντος. Πέφυκε γὰρ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ πνεῦμα τῇ ἀρχῇ συγκινεῖσθαι τὸ πᾶν ἐφεξῆς, ὡς ὅπῃ ποτὲ ῥυῇ τι τούτων λαβὸν ἀρχήν, ἐκεῖσ' ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν συνεχῶς συμφέρεσθαι, παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ τῷ συνεχῶς μὲν τὸ ὂν ἀπογίγνεσθαι, συνεχῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ ὂν προσγίγνεσθαι, τῆς ἰκμάδος μὴ ἐπιλειπούσης, τοὺς μὲν καρποὺς ξυμβαίνει ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα τρέφεσθαι, ὑφίστασθαι δ' ὕδωρ εἰς βάθος μὴ πεφυκέναι. Τοῦτο τὰ πλεῖστα τοὺς κατοικήσαντας ἔσφηλε. Τέως γὰρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ πίνοντες καὶ τὸ μέλλον 597 μὴ προορώμενοι, ἀφροντίστως εἶχον. Ἠγνόουν δὲ ἄρα ὅτι Προμηθεὺς πολλῷ κρείττων Ἐπιμηθέως καὶ τὸ κατ' ἀνάγκην ξυμβαῖνον διωρίαν οὐκ ἔχει βουλῆς.

καʹ. Ὅπως αἱ Τράλλεις ἀνακτισθεῖσαι ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἑάλωσαν. Οὕτω τοίνυν ἔχουσι καὶ οὕτω χρησταῖς ἀπῃωρημένοις ταῖς ἐλπίσιν, ὡς πολίταις διαφερόντως τοῦ βασιλέως διάξουσιν, ἐφίσταται σφίσι πλῆθος Περσῶν· πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἐλπιζόμενον ἀντιπράττειν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν λοιπῶν ἵστασθαι ἡ σπουδὴ τῶν ἀνθισταμένων ἕρπει. Καὶ Σάλπακις μέν, ὃν ἂν ἡ ἐκείνων γλῶσσα ἀνδρεῖον εἴποι, Μανταχίας τοὔνομα, πολλῷ τινι γαυριῶν πλήθει, τῇ πόλει προσβάλλει καὶ περικάθηται. Ὁ δὲ στρατηγός, ὁ μέγας χαρτουλάριος Λιβαδάριος, ἐν ἀμηχανίαις παντοίαις ἦν· οἱ δ' ἐντὸς ἐλίμωττον καὶ πλέον προσεταλαιπώρουν τῇ λειψυδρίᾳ, ὡς ἐκεῖθεν μὲν καὶ τῶν ἀπηγο ρευμένων ἅπτεσθαι, ἐντεῦθεν δέ, ὕδατι πονοῦντας, ὑγροῦ τινος μηχανὴν ἐκζητεῖν καί, συνεχῶς φλέβας τῶν ἵππων τέμνοντας, τοῦ αἵματος ἐκροφᾶν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ἐντεῦθεν τὸ πᾶν τῆς δίψης ἰᾶσθαι, καὶ ἔθνῃσκον ἐπασσύτεροι. Πρὸς γὰρ τὸν λιμὸν καὶ μᾶλλον ἀντεῖχον· ἐπήρκουν γὰρ σφίσι καὶ τὰ τῶν θνῃσκόντων ἀλόγων σώματα, καί γε, αὐτῶν θνῃσκόντων πολλάκις, οὕτως ἐνδεῶς εἶχον τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν ἅπτεσθαι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων. Τῇ δέ γε δίψῃ, καὶ μᾶλλον οὔσῃ βιαιοτέρᾳ, οὐκ ἦν ἐπινοῆσαι θεραπείαν, καὶ ταῦτα τὸ μεσημβρινὸν τοῦ ἡλίου φλέγοντος. Ὅθεν καὶ προσεχώρουν ἑκόντες τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀνεκτότερον ἡγούμενοι θανάτου τρόπον ἅπαντα τοῦ διὰ λιμοῦ τε καὶ δίψης, καί, καγκάνοις προσλιπαροῦντες τοῖς χείλεσιν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἐλέους τύχοιεν, ἐκεντοῦντο καὶ ἔπιπτον ἀκηδεῖς, μηδὲ ταφῆς ἀξιούμενοι. Πέρσαι δὲ καὶ ἔτι τοῖς ἐντὸς