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were willing to yield, and then to entrust the money to them. The party of Boutoumites, therefore, deposited these things in the bishopric of Tripoli, as has been said. 14.2.8 But Baldwin, having learned of the arrival of these ambassadors in Tripoli, then sent his own cousin Simountos with an eagerness for money, preempting their arrival to summon them. And they, having left the money there somewhere with the consent of Belctranus, followed Simountos who had been sent from Jerusalem and came upon Baldwin besieging Tyre. And he, having welcomed them gladly and deemed them worthy of every kindness, since they had arrived during the Carnival, detained them for the whole of Lent while besieging Tyre, as has been said. The city was guarded both by other unbreakable walls and indeed by three outworks surrounding it in a circle; for the outermost circle contained the second, and this one the innermost and third. And they were like certain circles enclosing one another and girding the city. 14.2.9 But Baldwin decided first to destroy these outworks, and then to take the city; for, like some breastplates of Tyre set before it, they were warding off the siege. And by means of certain siege engines he destroyed both the first and second zones and made an attempt on the third. And indeed, having destroyed its battlements, he grew lax in what followed. For he would have taken this one too, if he had hurried. But thinking to mount the city afterwards by means of some ladders, and as if he already had it in his hands, he slacked off in the siege. This brought about salvation for the Saracens; and he who was on the verge of victory was driven far off, while they, being within the nets, were released from the snares. For the time during Baldwin’s negligence became for them a time for diligence, as they caught their breath. 14.2.10 And they contrived something of this sort. In appearance, they looked toward peaceful treaties and sent to him about peace, but in truth, while they were negotiating matters of peace, they were preparing for defense, keeping him in suspense with hopes, while they themselves were devising certain engines against him. For seeing the great inactivity in the war and the soldiers outside lying idle, in a single night they filled many earthenware jars with liquid pitch and threw them against the siege engines arrayed against the city. When these inevitably shattered, the liquid was poured all over the timbers. Upon these they threw lit torches, and then again other jars carrying much naphtha within, which, catching the fire, immediately burst into an aerial flame and burned their engines to ashes. For at the same time as day was dawning, the fire was also shining forth from the wooden tortoises, soaring into the air. 14.2.11 And Baldwin's men had the wages of their laziness, repenting of what they had neglected; for the smoke and the fire that had occurred taught them a lesson. And some of those who were around the tortoises were also captured, six soldiers in number, whom that leader of Tyre, upon seeing them, cut off their heads and slung them at Baldwin's army with stone-throwing engines. Seeing these things, the whole army, both the fire and the heads, fled in terror, mounted on their horses, as if terrified by those heads, although Baldwin was riding about everywhere and calling back the fugitives and encouraging them in every way. But he was singing to the deaf; for they, having given themselves over completely to flight, kept to their running uncontrollably and seemed swifter than any bird. And the end of their run was the fortress locally called Acre; for that had become a refuge for those cowardly runners. And so Baldwin too, having given up and

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ὑπεῖξαι βούλοιντο, κᾆθ' οὕτως τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦς ἐγχειρίσαι. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τὸν Βουτουμίτην ταῦτα εἰς τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν Τριπόλεως ἐνα πέθεντο, καθά γε καὶ εἴρηται. 14.2.8 Ὁ δὲ Βαλδουῖνος, μεμαθηκὼς περὶ τῆς τουτωνὶ τῶν πρέσβεων εἰς Τρίπολιν ἀφίξεως, τηνικαῦτα Σιμοῦντον τὸν ἴδιον ἐξάδελφον ἐφέσει χρημάτων προαρπάζων τὴν τούτων ἔλευσιν πέπομφε μετα καλούμενος αὐτούς. Οἱ δὲ τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦ που καταλι πόντες μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Πελκτράνου γνώμης εἵποντο τῷ ἀποσταλέντι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων Σιμούντῳ καὶ καταλαμβά νουσι τὸν Βαλδουῖνον πολιορκοῦντα τὴν Τύρον. Ὁ δὲ ἄσμενος αὐτοὺς ὑποδεξάμενος καὶ παντοίας φιλοφροσύνης ἀξιώσας, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόκρεω τοῦτον κατέλαβον, κατεῖ χεν αὐτοὺς δι' ὅλης τῆς τεσσαρακοστῆς πολιορκῶν τὴν Τύρον, ὡς εἴρηται. Ἐπεφρούρητο δὲ ἡ πόλις καὶ ἄλλοις μὲν ἀρραγέσι τείχεσι καὶ δὴ καὶ τρισὶ προτειχίσμασι κύκλῳ ταύτην περιλαμβάνουσιν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐξώτατος κύκλος περιεῖχε τὸν δεύτερον, οὗτος δὲ τὸν ἐνδοτάτω καὶ τρίτον. Καὶ ἦσαν καθάπερ τινὲς κύκλοι ἀλλήλους περιλαμβάνοντες καὶ περιζωννύντες τὴν πόλιν. 14.2.9 Ἀλλ' ὅ γε Βαλδουῖνος ἔγνω πρότερον τὰ προτειχίσματα ταῦτα καταβαλεῖν, εἶθ' οὕτω τὴν πόλιν ἑλεῖν· οἷα γάρ τινα θωράκια τῆς Τύρου προβεβλημένα τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀπεῖργον. Ὁ δὲ διά τινων μηχανημάτων πορθητικῶν τήν τε πρώτην καὶ δευτέραν ζώνην καθεῖλε καὶ τῆς τρίτης ἀπεπειρᾶτο. Καὶ δὴ τὰς ἐπάλξεις αὐτῆς καθελὼν ἐς τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἐρρᾳθύμηκεν. Εἷλε γὰρ ἂν καὶ ταύτην, εἴπερ ἐπέσπευσεν. Ἀλλὰ διά τινων κλιμάκων οἰόμενος μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιβῆναι τῆς πόλεως καὶ ὡς ἤδη ταύτην ἔχων εἰς χεῖρας πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀνέ πεσεν. Ὅπερ τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς σωτηρίαν προὐξένησε· καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς νίκης τυγχάνων ἐγγύθεν ἐξεκρούσθη παρὰ πολύ, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐντὸς ἀρκύων τυγχάνοντες τῶν βρόχων ἀφήλ λοντο. Ὁ γὰρ μεταξὺ τῆς ἀμελείας τοῦ Βαλδουίνου χρόνος αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐπιμέλειαν γέγονεν ἀναπνεύσασι. 14.2.10 Πα νουργεύονται δέ τι καὶ τοιοῦτον. Τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν πρὸς εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς ἀφορῶσι καὶ διαπέμπονται πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν εἰρήνην, ταῖς δὲ ἀληθείαις, ἐν ᾧ τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπραγματεύοντο, εἰς ἄμυναν ηὐτρεπίζοντο ἐκεῖνον μὲν μετέωρον ταῖς ἐλπίσι ποιοῦντες, αὐτοὶ δὲ μηχανάς τινας συρράπτοντες κατ' αὐτοῦ. Ἑωρακότες γὰρ ἀσχολίαν πολλὴν τοῦ πολέμου καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότας τοὺς ἔξωθεν στρατιώτας, ἐν νυκτὶ μιᾷ πολλοὺς ἀμφορεῖς ὀστρακίνους ἐμπλήσαντες ὑγρᾶς πίττης ῥίπτουσι κατὰ τῶν ἐφισταμένων τῇ πόλει μηχανημάτων. Ὧν ἐξ ἀνάγκης καταθραυσθέντων περιε κέχυτο τὸ τοιοῦτον ὑγρὸν τοῖς ξύλοις. Οἷς ἐπερρίπτουν δᾷδας ἡμμένας, εἶτ' αὖθις ἑτέρους ἀμφορεῖς φέροντας ἔνδον πολλὴν τὴν νάφθαν, ἣ ἐπιδραξαμένη τοῦ πυρὸς εὐθύς τε εἰς ἀέριον μετέβαλε φλόγα καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς αὐτῶν ἀπε τέφρωσεν. Ἅμα τε γὰρ ἡμέρα διέλαμπε καὶ τὸ πῦρ συνεξέ λαμπεν ἀπὸ τῶν ξυλίνων χελωνῶν εἰς αἰθέρα πυργούμενον. 14.2.11 Καὶ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Βαλδουῖνον τὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας εἶχον ἐπίχειρα οἷς ἠμέλουν μεταμελόμενοι· ὁ γὰρ καπνὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ γεγονὸς ἀνεδίδασκεν. Ἑάλωσαν δὲ καί τινες τῶν περὶ τὰς χελώνας ὄντων, ἓξ στρατιῶται τὸν ἀριθμόν, οὓς ὁ Τύριος ἐκεῖνος θεασάμενος ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀποκόψας διὰ πετροβόλων ὀργάνων τῷ στρα τεύματι τοῦ Βαλδουίνου ἀπεσφενδόνησε. Ταῦτα θεασά μενοι τὸ στράτευμα πᾶν καὶ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰς κεφαλάς, μετ' ἐκπλήξεως ἔφευγον τοῖς ἵπποις ἐποχηθέντες ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῶν κεφαλῶν ἐκείνων ἐκδειματούμενοι, καίτοι τοῦ Βαλδου ίνου πανταχόθεν ἐξιππαζομένου καὶ ἀνακαλουμένου τοὺς φεύγοντας καὶ παντοίως παραθαρρύνοντος. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ᾖδε παρὰ κωφοῖς· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ καθάπαξ ἐκδεδωκότες ἑαυτοὺς εἰς φυγὴν ἀκατασχέτως εἴχοντο τοῦ δρόμου καὶ πτηνοῦ παντὸς ἐφαίνοντο ταχινώτεροι. Καὶ τέλος τοῦ δρόμου τούτοις τὸ φρούριον Ἄκε ἐγχωρίως καλούμενον· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἐγεγόνει τοῖς δειλοῖς δρομεῦσιν ἐκείνοις κρησφύγετον. Ἀπ ειπάμενος δ' οὖν καὶ ὁ Βαλδουῖνος καὶ