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of garments and horses and all sorts of elaborately decorated equipment, and having gathered together the living, both themselves and their horses, and having bound some with inescapable fetters, and having let others go to be beasts of burden, having taken up the army for themselves—for they had no reason henceforth to be afraid, since the whole army had been captured—they returned to the emperor with splendid trophies, a sight truly most wonderful for those who loved the Romans. The emperor, at any rate, having received his own men, and having learned precisely what had happened, and moreover having also seen each one with their horses and equipment, some emaciated and with only bones and skins showing their former good fortune, and others with tattered garments, perhaps not the same ones they formerly used, but whatever they could get and with which those who pitied them had provided, and indeed having observed them as they had ridden through in a line, bodies grim at that time and such as one would not even call bodies, but shades of the giants of old, but souls exceedingly bent by their own suffering, yet by the tension of their faces and by the gravity of their spirit revealing their former freedom, was moved by these human encounters, but he raises his hands to God and confesses his gratitude with a clear voice and indeed, wishing to make a record, 651 he orders to be written on the walls of the palace, however not these things alone, but also what indeed from the beginning happened by the mercy of God; and though the former were again written in the porticoes, the latter were not finished in time, as death came upon the emperor. And as for those men, wishing to show the grace of God in all things, not boasting himself in the recent accomplishments, like someone tasteless and small-minded, but rather knowing God to be the cause, and intending to magnify God, he orders a triumph to be held. And it was this: the emperor stood above at a vantage point in the palace of Blachernae, looking towards the western part by the sea, so that he might both watch and at the same time be easily seen by the spectators. And they were led in a line one by one, as each one was, sitting on a horse on one of its sides. And to each was given to hold also a pole of papyrus or some other worthless material, as a kind of trophy of their own disaster. And a very large crowd was standing on either side, some bewailing the turns of fortune and pitying the magnates being led ignominiously, others also mocking them, showing to what a great extent desperation combined with folly leads, which fawns over small things, but brings great evils; and others even hissing, as is the way of the crowd, were jeering. And the procession of the captured was a delight for them, not as they were moving from place to place, as if being transferred and leaving their former position empty behind them; but as one was led forth, another was brought on, and the first, having provided sufficient delight to the spectators by merely appearing, did not cause grief by his absence, as another succeeded to the place and rank of the one who had entertained. Rather, therefore, always coming on anew as one after another appeared according to the division in the circle, they delighted the spectators more with the novelty. For it was then not only the newest song pleasing to those who hear, but also indeed a new, varied sight, a delight for those who see. For a boy after a youth, and a youth after one past his prime, and indeed a naked one after a clothed one, and an uncovered one after one 653 wearing a veil, and a downcast one after a haughty one, and a feeble one after a well-built one, and one overcome by suffering after one bearing upright thoughts diversified the spectacle and feasted the eyes with the mixed sights. For that long line of men did not extend for only a little way, but for the greatest possible distance, divided into many hundreds. And each of them as they went, coming to either side of the emperor, even unwillingly gave, bowing from his saddle-cloth, obeisance to the emperor, feigning humility and transforming the swelling of his soul into cheerfulness. Thus, therefore, having entered the city and parading through the middle of it from one end to the other with their own grievous circumstances, they are given over to the prison of Zeuxippus, becoming a mockery to the common people, but pitiable to the more decent. But these things were done in this way.

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ἐνδυμάτων καὶ ἵππων καὶ σκευῶν παντοίων ἐξησκημένων, τοὺς δέ γε ζῶντας αὐτούς τε καὶ ἵππους αὐτῶν ἐπισυναθροίσαντες καὶ τοὺς μὲν πέδαις ἀφύκτοις δεσμήσαντες, τοὺς δ' ἀνέντες εἰς ὑποζύγια, σφίσι τὴν στρατιὰν ἀναλαβόντεςοὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχον ἐντεῦθεν δεδιέναι, πανστρατιᾷ ἑαλωκότων, ἐς βασιλέα μετά γε τροπαίων λαμπρῶν ἀνεζεύγνυσαν, θέα ὄντως φιλορρωμαίοις πανθαύμαστος. Ὁ γοῦν βασιλεύς, ὑποδεξάμενος μὲν τοὺς ἰδίους, μαθὼν δ' ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ πραχθέντα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἰδὼν ἕκαστον αὐτοῖς ἵπποις τε καὶ σκευαῖς, τοῖς μὲν κατεσκληκόσι καὶ μόνοις ὀστέοις καὶ δέρμασι τὴν πάλαι δεικνύουσιν εὐκληρίαν, ταῖς δὲ διερρωγυίαις, οὐκ αὐταῖς ἴσως αἷς καὶ πρώην ἐχρῶντο, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τυχούσαις καὶ αἷς ἂν ἐκείνους ἐπολυώρουν οἱ ἐλεοῦντες, καί γε στιχηδὸν διεληλακότας κατανοήσας, σώματα στυγνὰ μὲν τῷ τότε καὶ οἷα μηδὲ σώματ' ἄν τις εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ σκιὰς τῶν πάλαι γιγάντων, ψυχὰς δὲ τῷ μὲν κατὰ σφᾶς πάθει καὶ λίαν καμπτομένας, τῇ δὲ τῶν προσώπων τάσει καὶ τῷ τοῦ φρονήματος ἐμβριθεῖ τὴν πάλαι δηλούσας ἐλευθερίαν, ἐπε κάμφθη μὲν τοῖς κατ' ἄνθρωπον συναντήμασι, χεῖρας δ' αἴρει πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ὁμολογεῖ τὴν χάριν τρανῷ στόματι καί γε, θέλων ἀνάγραπτα θεῖναι, 651 προστάσσει γράφεσθαι τοῖς τῶν ἀνακτόρων τοιχίσμασι, πλὴν οὐκ αὐτὰ καὶ μόνα, ἀλλ' ἃ δὴ καὶ ἀρχῆθεν Θεοῦ γέγονεν ἐλεοῦντος· κἂν ἐκεῖνα μὲν καὶ αὖθις ἐν προστώοις γεγράφατο, τὰ δ' οὐκ ἔφθασαν τελεσθῆναι, ἐπελθόντος τῷ βασιλεῖ τοῦ θανάτου. Ἐκείνους δέ, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν δεικνύναι θέλων ἐπὶ πάντων, οὐκ αὐτὸς μεγαλιζόμενος τοῖς πρωϊζὰ τελεσθεῖσιν, οἷά τις ἀπειρόκαλος καὶ μικρόψυχος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον Θεὸν μὲν εἰδὼς αἴτιον, Θεὸν δὲ καὶ μεγαλύνειν προθέμενος, θρίαμβον προστάσσει καταγαγεῖν. Ὁ δ' ἦν· ἵστατο μὲν ἄνωθεν ἐξ ἀπόπτου ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις τῶν Βλαχερνῶν, πρὸς τὸ κατὰ θάλασσαν δυτικὸν ἀφορῶν, ἐφ' ᾧ ἅμα μὲν θεῷτο, ἅμα δ' εὐσύνοπτος εἴη τοῖς θεωμέ νοις. Ἤγοντο δὲ στιχηδὸν ἐκεῖνοι καθ' ἕνα, ὡς εἶχεν ἕκαστος ἐφ' ἵππου κατὰ θάτερα τῶν πλευρῶν καθήμενος. Ἐδίδοτο δ' ἑκάστῳ κρατεῖν καὶ κοντὸν ἐκ παπύρου ἤ τινος ἄλλου εἰκαίου, ὡς τρόπαιον πάντως τοῦ κατὰ σφᾶς πταίσματος. Ὄχλος δὲ παρ' ἑκάτερα πλεῖστος ἵστατο, οἱ μὲν τὰ τῆς τύχης ἐποικτιζόμενοι καί γ' ἐλεοῦντες εἰκαίως ἀγομένους τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐπιμωκώμενοι, δεικνύντες οἷον ἐς ὁπόσον φέρει ἡ μετ' ἀνοίας ἀπόνοια, ἣ μικρὰ μὲν σαίνει, μεγάλα δὲ τὰ κακὰ φέρει· ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ συρίττοντες, οἷα τὰ τοῦ πλήθους, ἐχλεύαζον. Τρυφὴ δὲ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἡ τῶν ἁλωμένων πομπή, οὐ τόπον ἐκ τόπου μεταλαμβάνουσιν, ὡς δῆθεν μεταφερομένων καὶ κενὸν σφῶν ἀφιέντων τοὔπισθεν· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἤγετο, ὁ δ' ἐπήγετο, καὶ τρυφὴν ἱκανὴν ὁ πρῶτος τοῖς φιλοθεάμοσι παρασχὼν τῷ μόνῳ φανῆναι, ἀπὼν οὐκ ἐλύπει, ἑτέρου διαδεχομένου τὸν τόπον καὶ τὴν τάξιν τοῦ τέρψαντος. Μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἀεὶ νέον ἐπιόντες τῷ ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλος φαίνεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ κύκλῳ κατατομήν, ἔτερπον τῷ καινῷ πλέον τοὺς θεωμένους. Ἦν δ' ἄρα μὴ μόνον ἀοιδὴ νεωτάτη ἐπίηρος τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, ἀλλά γε καὶ νέα θέα ποικίλη τοῖς ὁρῶσι τρυφή. Ἀντίπαις γὰρ ἐπὶ νέῳ καὶ νέος ἐπὶ παρηβηκότι καί γε γυμνὸς ἐπ' ἐνδεδυμένῳ καὶ ἀκαλυφὴς ἐπὶ καλύπτραν 653 φέροντι καὶ κατηφιῶν ἐπ' ἀγερώχῳ καὶ ἀλαπαδνὸς ἐπ' εὐσωματοῦντι καὶ καταπεπτωκὼς τῷ πάθει ἐπὶ τῷ λογισμοὺς ὀρθοὺς φέροντι ἐποίκιλλον τὰ τῆς θέας καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς εἱστίων τῶν συμμιγῶν ὄψεων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐς ὀλίγον ἡ σχοινοτενὴς ἐκείνη σειρὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἀλλ' ἐς ὅτι πλεῖστον συχναῖς ἑκατοστύσι διείληπτο. Ἕκαστος δ' ἰόντων, ἐπὶ τὸ παρ' ἑκάτερα τοῦ βασιλέως γινόμενος, καὶ ἄκων ἐδίδου, κύπτων ἐξ ἐφεστρίδος, τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν προσκύνησιν, μορφάζων τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς οἰδαῖνον μετασχημα τίζων εἰς ἱλαρότητα. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν εἰσελθόντες τὴν πόλιν καὶ διὰ μέσης ταύτης ἐξ ἄκρων εἰς ἄκρας τοῖς κατὰ σφᾶς ἀνιαροῖς ἐμπομπεύοντες, τῇ τοῦ Ζευξίππου δίδονται φυλακῇ, χλεύη μὲν τοῖς τυχοῦσιν, ἐλεεινοὶ δὲ τοῖς ἐπιεικεστέροις γινόμενοι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράχθησαν τῇδε.