345

having abandoned them to the war, and at the same time they drew 2.135 their own swords. But Theophilos, wounded in his soul by the sight, said, "If I have been saved by God, you too will be saved." This communication of the Persians with those of Hagar became a second cause and a timely pretext for slander for the enemies of Theophobos who were also voting for his death.

But to the amermoumnes, having heard of the victory, it seemed best not to delay but to go against Amorion. Therefore, having gathered his own army, and having instructed his son to do likewise, he set out on the road. Therefore, when the armies had united, a strong palisade was erected, and the city was encircled with a deep trench, and the siege became practical and active, with the Turks using persistent and continuous volleys of arrows, and the Saracens bringing siege engines up to the walls, while the Romans shut up inside the walls fought bravely and heroically and easily repelled the instruments of the siege. And so the siege of the city was carried out in shifts and was continuous and uninterrupted, but Theophilos, having barely escaped from the rout and come to Dorylaion, waited there, expecting the outcome. And he tried to sound out the opinion of the amermoumnes, if he might somehow be able to turn him from the siege. Therefore, ambassadors were sent with precious gifts and not a few promises to entreat him, who, having reached the camp of the Saracens and come into the presence of the ruler, presented what had been announced 2.136 by the emperor. But he, possessed by uncontrollable anger because of the capture of his homeland, mocked the emperor for his cowardice, and scorned and ridiculed the embassy, and held the ambassadors in bonds, awaiting the outcome of the action. And he intensified the siege even more, dividing the army into many parts and making the assaults in relays, so that those inside, exhausted by the number and vigor of the replacements and worn out by the toils, would give in. But as those inside also defended themselves stoutly, the attempts of the siege were becoming unsuccessful. And the city would have escaped capture, if someone from within, suborned by gifts and having renounced the faith of the Christians on account of some rivalry, having slipped into such danger, had not betrayed his homeland by treachery; Baditzes was the man's name. For he, secretly meeting with the Saracens, and suggesting that they make their attacks where the wall was easy to approach, became the cause of the city's capture. And when it was taken by the law of war, what speech is sufficient to tell the multitude of those slain and of those taken captive? For the Saracens, struck with wrath because many of their distinguished men were slain during the siege, took no pity on those they encountered, but men were slain, women were led away with boys and youths, the most beautiful of the dwellings were set on fire, and in no long time the most distinguished 2.137 of the eastern cities was shown to be a deserted ruin. And the leaders of the armies were also taken alive, Kallistos and Konstantinos and Theodoros Krateros the patricians, and many others distinguished in command, pre-eminent in the greatest dignities.

And when the city had thus been subdued, the leader of the Saracens, having ordered the ambassadors to inspect each of the things that had been done, as if revelling and feasting on what had been accomplished, sent them as personal messengers of the disaster to the emperor.

whom he in turn sent again to the amermoumnes, asking that there be returned to him both the distinguished men taken in the siege and those related to him by birth and the rest of the captives, promising to give twenty-four centenaria for their ransom. But he, having received the embassy again

345

πολέμῳ καταπροέντας, καὶ ἅμα τοῖς 2.135 ἑαυτῶν ἐγυμνοῦντο ξίφεσιν. ἀλλ' ὁ Θεόφιλος τῷ θεάματι τρω θεὶς τὴν ψυχήν, "εἰ ἐγὼ" φησί "σέσωσμαι ἐκ θεοῦ, σωθήσεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς." αὕτη ἡ τῶν Περσῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ Ἄγαρ κοινολογία τοῖς Θεοφόβου ἐχθροῖς καὶ θάνατον αὐτοῦ ψηφιζομένοις δευτέρα τις γέγονεν αἰτία καὶ ἀφορμὴ εὔκαιρος εἰς διαβολήν.

Τῷ δ' ἀμερμουμνῇ ἀκηκοότι τὴν νίκην ἔδοξε μὴ μέλλειν ἀλλ' ἀπιέναι πρὸς τὸ Ἀμώριον. ἀγείρας οὖν τὸ οἰκεῖον στρά τευμα, καὶ τῷ υἱῷ δὲ ἐπιστείλας παραπλησίως ποιεῖν, εἴχετο τῆς ὁδοῦ. ἑνωθέντων οὖν τῶν στρατευμάτων χάραξ τε ἐπήγνυτο ὀχυρός, καὶ ἡ πόλις τάφρῳ βαθείᾳ ἐστεφανοῦτο, καὶ ἡ πολιορκία ἔμπρακτος καὶ ἐνεργὸς ἐγίνετο, τῶν μὲν Τούρκων ἐπιμόνοις καὶ συνεχέσι χρωμένων τοξεύμασι, τῶν δὲ Σαρακηνῶν τὰς ἑλεπόλεις προσαγόντων τοῖς τείχεσι, τῶν δ' ἔνδον τοῦ τείχους ἐναπειλημ μένων Ῥωμαίων εὐψύχως καὶ ἡρωϊκῶς ἀγωνιζομένων καὶ τὰ τῆς πολιορκίας ἀποκρουομένων εὐπετῶς ὄργανα. ἡ μὲν οὖν πολιορκία τῆς πόλεως ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἐνηργεῖτο καὶ συνεχὴς ἦν καὶ ἀδιάκοπος, Θεόφιλος δὲ ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς μόλις διαφυγὼν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ∆ορύ λαιον γενόμενος ἐκεῖσε προσεκαρτέρει τὴν ἔκβασιν ἐκδεχόμενος. ἀπεπειρᾶτο δὲ τῆς τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ γνώμης, εἴ πως δυνηθείη με ταστῆσαι τοῦτον τῆς πολιορκίας. ἐκπέμπονται οὖν πρεσβευταὶ μετὰ δώρων τιμίων καὶ ὑποσχέσεων οὐκ ὀλίγων τοῦτον ἐκδυσωπή σοντες, οἳ δὴ καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον καταλαβόντες τῶν Σαρακηνῶν καὶ εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες τῷ ἄρχοντι τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως μηνυ 2.136 θέντα παρίστων. ὁ δὲ θυμῷ κατεχόμενος ἀσχέτῳ διὰ τὴν τῆς πατρίδος ἅλωσιν τὸν μὲν βασιλέα τῆς δειλίας κατεκερτόμει, ἐξου θένει δὲ καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν καὶ ἐκωμῴδει, καὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἐν δεσμοῖς κατεῖχε, περιμένων τὴν τῆς πράξεως ἔκβασιν. τὴν δὲ πολιορκίαν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐπέτεινεν, εἰς πολλὰ μέρη διελὼν τὸν στρα τὸν καὶ ἐκ διαδοχῆς τὰς προσβολὰς ποιούμενος, ἵνα τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῇ ἀκμαιότητι τῶν ὑπαλλαττομένων ἀποκαμόντες οἱ ἔνδον καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πόνους ἀπειρηκότες ἐνδώσουσι. καρτερῶς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔνδον ἀμυνομένων ἄπρακτοι αἱ ἐπιχειρήσεις τῆς πολιορκίας ἐγί νοντο. καὶ κἂν διέφυγεν ἡ πόλις τὴν ἅλωσιν, εἰ μή τις τῶν εἴσω δώροις ὑποκλαπεὶς καὶ τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐξομοσάμενος πίστιν διά τινα φιλονεικίαν, εἰς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον ὀλισθήσας, προδοσίᾳ προύδωκε τὴν πατρίδα· Βαδίτζης ὄνομα τῷ ἀνδρί. οὗτος γὰρ λάθρᾳ τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς ἐντυχών, καὶ ἔνθα τὸ τεῖχος εὐέφοδον ἦν, ποιεῖσθαι τὰς προσβολὰς ὑποθέμενος, αἴτιος ἐγεγόνει τοῦ τὴν πόλιν ἁλῶναι. ἧς δὴ πολέμου νόμῳ ληφθείσης, ποῖος ἱκανὸς λόγος ἐξειπεῖν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀναιρεθέντων καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλωτι σθέντων; θυμῷ γὰρ βαλλόμενοι οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς τῶν ἐπιφανῶν κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς πολιορκίας ἀναιρεθῆναι οὐδένα οἶκτον τῶν προστυχόντων ἐλάμβανον, ἀλλ' ἀνῃροῦντο μὲν ἄνδρες, ἤγοντο δὲ γυναῖκες σὺν μειρακίοις καὶ νεανίσκοις, ἐπυρπολοῦντο τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν οἰκημάτων, καὶ ἐν οὐ μακρῷ τῷ χρόνῳ ἡ τῶν 2.137 ἑῴων πόλεων διαπρεπεστέρα ἐκλελειμμένον ἐδείκνυτο ἐρείπιον. ἤγοντο δὲ ζωγρίαι καὶ οἱ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐξάρχοντες, Κάλλι στός τε καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ Κρατερὸς οἱ πατρίκιοι, καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι τῶν ἐν στρατηγίαις διαφανῶν, μεγίστοις ἐμπρέ ποντες ἀξιώμασιν.

Οὕτω δὲ χειρωθείσης τῆς πόλεως τοὺς πρέσβεις ὁ τῶν Σα ρακηνῶν ἀρχηγὸς τῶν πραχθέντων ἕκαστον ἐπισκοπῆσαι ἐγκελευ σάμενος, ὥσπερ τις ἐντρυφῶν καὶ ἐνευωχούμενος τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν, αὐταγγέλους τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐκπέμπει τῷ βασιλεῖ. οὓς πάλιν ἐκεῖ νος πρὸς τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν ἐξαπέστειλεν, ἀποδοθῆναί οἱ ζητῶν τούς τε ληφθέντας διαφανεῖς ἄνδρας ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ καὶ τοὺς κατὰ γένος αὐτῷ προσήκοντας καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς αἰχμαλώτους, εἴ κοσιν ἐπὶ τέσσαρσι κεντηναρίους δώσειν ὑπισχνούμενος ὑπὲρ λύ τρων αὐτῶν. ὁ δὲ τὴν πρεσβείαν δεξάμενος πάλιν