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the emperor of the Romans, asking for help. And he, having received the embassy, quickly sent out the ambassador, to urge them to be of good courage, as sufficient help would soon arrive for them and would deliver them from their plight. So, upon returning, the ambassador was taken captive by the enemy; whom the Soldan brought before him and said, "Of two paths set before you, it is possible for you to choose the more beneficial one. For if you wish for your own salvation and to receive gifts and many favors, speak to those who sent you within hearing that the alliance with you has been forbidden to the emperor of the Romans, and you will be saved; but if you hold to the true promises, a very swift death will follow you." And when the messenger agreed to do the will of the amir, when they approached the wall to about a bowshot's distance, the ambassador requested that the leading men of the city come out. And indeed when they had come, he began to speak such words to them: "Even if death is clearly before me, O fathers, and the sword is at my throat, nevertheless I will not hide the truth. But I ask that you return the favor to my children and my wife. For I, O my lords, even if I am held in the hands of the enemy, have nevertheless fulfilled my embassy, 2.225 and you may expect help from the emperor of the Romans shortly. Therefore, stand bravely; for he who will deliver you is coming, even if not me." So after he had said these and such things, he was immediately cut into small pieces and parts with the swords by the servants of the Soldan; and the Soldan, fearing the help that would come from the emperor, lifted the siege and withdrew to his home. And the aforementioned cities from that time on remained friends and allies to the Romans.

At this time Esman, the amir of Tarsus, elated by his previous victory, having fitted out thirty very large ships (the Saracens are accustomed to call these koumparia) attacks the city of Euripus. But the emperor having foreseen this, the general of Hellas (this was Oineiates), by imperial command, brought in from all of Hellas sufficient people for the defense of the city and brought to the walls the appropriate preparation, having constructed both stone-throwing and arrow-shooting engines, and in a word, leaving out none of the defensive measures able to ward off a siege. And when the fleet from Tarsus arrived and was now approaching the walls, and by the frequent discharge of arrows was striving to hold 2.226 back those defending from the walls, the men of Euripus, filled with spirit and zeal, defended themselves bravely from the walls with the stone-throwing engines and with catapult bolts and with bows and with stones from their hands, and they were destroying many of the barbarians each day. And having watched for a favorable wind, they launched their own triremes against the enemy ships, and burned many with liquid fire. At a loss against these things, the barbarian, and knowing how desire and love of money prepares many to despise death, placed a great shield before the palisade and having filled it with gold, said he would give this as a prize, along with one hundred chosen captive maidens, to the one who first mounted the wall and secured the victory for his countrymen. When those from the city saw this, and immediately understood the meaning of what was being done, they encouraged themselves to valor with exhorting and rousing words, and opening the gates of the city at one signal, they bravely rushed out against the barbarians. And in the first encounter, when the amir received a fatal blow and fell, and many others were killed with him, the rest turned to flight. And with their pursuers pressing upon them as far as the remaining ships, they were slaughtered, and the slaughter of the barbarians was great; and the survivors, having manned a few of the ships, fled in shame to their own lands. And so the fleet from Tarsus had such a

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τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων, βοήθειαν ἐξαιτούμενοι. οὗτος δὲ τὴν πρεσβείαν δεξάμενος θᾶττον ἐκπέμπει τὸν πρεσβευτήν, θαρρεῖν παρεγγυήσοντα ὡς μετὰ μικρὸν ἥξει τε αὐτοῖς ἀποχρῶσα βοήθεια καὶ τῆς ἀνάγκης αὐτοὺς ἐξελεῖται. ὑποστρέψας οὖν ὁ πρεσβευτὴς αἰχμάλωτος ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐχθροῖς· ὃν καὶ παραστησάμενος ὁ Σολδάνος "δυοῖν" ἔφη "προκειμένοιν ὁδοῖν ἔξεστί σοι τὴν ὠφελιμω τέραν ἑλέσθαι. εἰ μὲν γὰρ θέλεις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν δωρεῶν τε τυχεῖν καὶ χαρίτων πολλῶν, λάλησον πρὸς τοὺς πέμψαντας ἐν ἐπηκόῳ ὡς ἀπείρηται τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων ἡ πρὸς ὑμᾶς συμμα χία, καὶ σωθήσῃ· τῶν δ' ἀληθινῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐχομένῳ σοι ἕψεται ταχύτατος θάνατος." τοῦ δ' ἀγγελιαφόρου συνθεμένου τὸ θέλημα ποιῆσαι τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ, ἐπεὶ ὡς ἀπὸ τόξου βολῆς τῷ τείχει προσήγγισαν, τοὺς πρώτους ὁ πρεσβευτὴς παραγενέσθαι τῆς πό λεως ἐξῃτήσατο. καὶ δὴ παραγενομένων, τοιούτων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἤρξατο λόγων "εἰ καὶ πρόδηλός μοι τυγχάνει ὁ θάνατος, ὦ πατέ ρες, καὶ τὸ ξίφος ἐν τῇ σφαγῇ, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀποκρύψομαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. αἰτῶ δὲ ἀποδοῦναί μοι τὴν χάριν εἰς τὰ ἐμὰ ἔκγονα καὶ τὴν σύνευνον. ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ κύριοί μου, εἰ καὶ ταῖς τῶν πο λεμίων κατέχομαι χερσίν, ἀλλά γε τὴν πρεσβείαν μου ἐξεπλήρωσα, 2.225 καὶ συντόμως προσδέχεσθε τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ῥωμαίων βοήθειαν. διὸ στῆτε γενναίως· ἔρχεται γὰρ ὁ ῥυόμενος ὑμᾶς, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐμέ." οὗτος μὲν οὖν τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα εἰπὼν εὐθέως ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν τοῦ Σολδάνου τοῖς ξίφεσιν εἰς μικρὰ μέρη καὶ μόρια κατετμήθη· ὁ Σολδάνος δὲ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐλευσομέ νην βοήθειαν ὀρρωδήσας ἔλυσε τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ οἴκαδε ὑπεχώ ρησεν. αἱ δὲ εἰρημέναι πόλεις τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε διετέλεσαν φίλαι καὶ σύμμαχοι καθεστῶσαι Ῥωμαίοις.

Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ Ἐσμὰν ὁ τῆς Ταρσοῦ ἀμηρᾶς, τῇ προηγησαμένῃ ἐπαιρόμενος νίκῃ, τριάκοντα πλοῖα μέγιστα ἐξ αρτυσάμενος (κουμπάρια ταῦτα καλεῖν εἰώθασιν οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ) τῇ πόλει ἐπιτίθεται τοῦ Εὐρίπου. προγνόντος δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ βασι λέως, ὁ στρατηγὸς τῆς Ἑλλάδος (ὁ Οἰνειάτης οὗτος ἦν) κελεύσει βασιλικῇ τὸν ἱκανὸν εἰς φυλακὴν τῆς πόλεως λαὸν ἀπὸ πάσης Ἑλ λάδος εἰσήγαγε καὶ τοῖς τείχεσι τὴν προσήκουσαν παρασκευὴν προσηνέγκατο, πετροβόλα τε ὄργανα καὶ τοξοβόλα τεκτηνάμενος, καὶ ἁπλῷ λόγῳ μηδὲν τῶν δυναμένων ἀποσοβεῖν πολιορκίαν ἀμυν τηρίων ἀπολιπών. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέλαβε καὶ ὁ τῶν Ταρσέων στόλος, καὶ τοῖς τείχεσιν ἤδη προσήγγιζε, καὶ βελῶν ἀφέσει συχνῶν ἀνα 2.226 στέλλειν ἠγωνίζετο τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἀμυνομένους, θυμοῦ καὶ προθυμίας πλήρεις οἱ τοῦ Εὐρίπου γενόμενοι τοῖς πετροβόλοις τῶν ὀργάνων καὶ τοῖς καταπελτικοῖς βέλεσι καὶ τοῖς τόξοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν λίθοις ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν γενναίως ἠμύνοντο, καὶ συχνοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων καθ' ἑκάστην ἀνήλισκον. ἐπιτηρήσαντες δὲ καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπίφορον ἐπαφείκασι τὰς ἑαυτῶν τριήρεις ταῖς ἐναντίαις, καὶ πολλὰς τῷ ὑγρῷ πυρὶ κατενέπρησαν. πρὸς ἅπερ ἀμηχανῶν ὁ βάρβαρος, καὶ εἰδὼς ὡς ἔφεσις καὶ ἔρως χρημάτων πολλοὺς παρασκευάζει καταφρονεῖν τοῦ θανάτου, ἀσπίδα μεγάλην πρὸ τοῦ χάρακος θεὶς καὶ χρυσίου ταύτην πεπληρωκὼς τοῦτο γέ ρας ἔφη δώσειν, μετὰ καὶ παρθένων ἐπιλέκτων αἰχμαλωτίδων ἑκατόν, τῷ πρώτως ἐπιβάντι τοῦ τείχους καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις τὴν νίκην βραβεύσαντι. ὅπερ οἱ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως θεασάμενοι, εὐθύς τε τὸν νοῦν τῶν πραττομένων κατανοήσαντες, παρακλητικοῖς τε λό γοις καὶ διεγερτικοῖς πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἑαυτοὺς παραθαρρύναντες, καὶ ὑφ' ἓν σύνθημα τὰς πύλας τῆς πόλεως ἀνοίξαντες, ἀνδρείως κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐξώρμησαν. καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην συμβολὴν καιρίαν δεξαμένου τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ πληγὴν καὶ πεσόντος, καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων σὺν αὐτῷ ἀναιρεθέντων, οἱ λοιποὶ ἐτράπησαν πρὸς φυγήν. ἐπικειμένων δὲ τῶν διωκόντων μέχρι τῶν ὑπολοίπων νεῶν κατε σφάττοντο, καὶ φόνος ἐγένετο τῶν βαρβάρων πολύς· οἱ δὲ περι λειφθέντες ὀλίγας πληρώσαντες τῶν νεῶν μετ' αἰσχύνης ἀπέφυγον πρὸς τὰ ἴδια. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς Ταρσοῦ στόλος τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τὸ