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Historia in brevius redacta

A CHRONICLE, UNFINISHED, OF GEORGE AKROPOLITES, THE GRAND LOGOTHETE.

1 The usefulness of history has been defined also by the writers before us, and whatever it occurred to them to say, these things we too might have to say; for what newer thought could we find, when so many have written history and have declared every good quality of history in their own writings? But perhaps, what is more worthy of saying than they in the matters now before us, this at least we might put forward from our own writing. And it is this: that since newer events lie before us, which no one has yet committed to writing, the benefit also happens to be newer, since those things have come to the knowledge of men which common report does not truthfully declare. Therefore, those who have written the history of our times have each made a different beginning; for some of them began from the creation of the world, others from some notable starting point, either of the Persians or the Greeks or the Romans or any other of the nations, each one composing his own work according to his own purpose. And for us, not least in this way, will the writing be accomplished. For the events from the beginning of the world's creation have been narrated by many, many times, and one need not say even if most have contradicted each other writing about the affairs of kings, and the changes of lands and cities, civil strifes and clashes of wars and enslavements and victories and defeats and as many such things that happen in our times. For since these things are manifold and perhaps not even known by those who performed them, with difficulty indeed would the attainment of the complete truth be possible for those who narrate them. And rather, whatever is known by common report, it is necessary for the historian to take these things up, unless he should wish to wrong the truth like those who deface obols with small change or even wish to counterfeit them. Therefore, it is necessary for the writer to write neither for favor nor for envy, nor yet for hatred or even for goodwill, but only for the sake of history and so that the deeds done by some, whether they happen to be good or bad, are not given over to the abyss of oblivion, which time knows how to beget. Let our beginning be the capture of Constantinople, being so famous and known to all, that there is not one of the nations that did not know of it.

2 When Alexios Angelos was then directing the scepters of the Romans, those from Italy marched against the city of Constantine. And the cause was as follows. He overthrew his brother Isaac from power and blinded his eyes. But Isaac had a son, who, being indignant at the outrage against his father and having contrived an escape, proceeds towards Rome and throws himself before its high priest, seeking vengeance for his father. And since at that time it happened that many multitudes were gathered into one—some from Italy itself, others from the domain of the Franks, others from the Venetians, and others from other places, and the pretext was to go for the liberation of Jerusalem, where the Lord's tomb happens to be; and it was the pope who had assembled them, who, being won over by the pleas of the boy, or rather by his promises—for they happened to be generous—hands the boy over to the leaders of the armies, so that, diverting from their proposed course, they might establish him on his paternal throne and receive from him expenses, as much as they might spend on the way and as much as they might by delaying around the city of Constantine. Therefore these men set sail in triremes and hollow ships. And when to the city of Constantine

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Historia in brevius redacta

ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΘΕΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΑΚΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΟΥ ΠΟΙΗΜΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΟΝ ΗΜΙΤΕΛΕΣ.

1 Τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας χρήσιμον καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν οἱ συγγρα ψάμενοι διωρίσαντο, καὶ

ἅπερ ἂν ἐκείνοις ἐπῆλθεν εἰπεῖν, ταῦτα ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐρεῖν ἔχωμεν· τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ εὕροιμεν καινότερον νόημα τοσούτων ἱστορησάντων καὶ σύμπαν κα λὸν τῆς ἱστορίας ἀποφηναμένων ἐν τοῖς σφετέροις συγγράμ μασι; τάχα δέ, ὃ πλέον ἐκείνων ἐν τοῖς νῦν προκειμένοις ἡμῖν λέξειν ἄξιον, τοῦτό γε ἂν τῆς ἡμετέρας συγγραφῆς προβαλούμεθα. τὸ δέ ἐστιν ὅτι καινοτέρων ἡμῖν προκει μένων πραγμάτων, ἃ μήπω τις γραφῇ παραδέδωκε, καινό τερον συμβαίνει εἶναι καὶ τὸ ὠφέλιμον, ἐκείνων ἐν γνώσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων γεγενημένων ἅπερ ὁ χύδην ῥέων λόγος οὐκ ἀληθῶς ἀποφαίνεται. οἱ μὲν οὖν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἱστορικῶς συγγραψάμενοι ἄλλην ἄλλος πεποίηνται τὴν ἀρχήν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως ἤρξαντο, οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἀξιολόγου τινὸς ἀρχῆς, ἢ Περσῶν ἢ Ἑλλήνων ἢ Ῥωμαίων ἢ ἄλλου οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σκοπὸν τὸ οἰκεῖον καταρτιζόμενος σύγγραμμα. καὶ ἡμῖν οὐχ ἥκιστα οὕτω τὰ τῆς συγγραφῆς τελεσθήσεται. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γεγενημένα τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως πολλοῖς τε πολλάκις ἐξιστορήθη, οὐ χρὴ δὲ λέγειν καὶ εἰ πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ πλείους ἠναντιοφώνησαν τὰ τῶν βασιλέων συγγράφοντες, ἀλλοιώσεις τε χωρῶν καὶ πόλεων στάσεις καὶ πολέμων συρρήξεις καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοὺς καὶ νίκας καὶ ἥττας καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα συμβαίνει τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς. πολυσχιδῶν γὰρ τουτωνὶ τελούντων καὶ μηδὲ παρ' αὐτῶν ἴσως τῶν ἐνεργούντων γινωσκομένων, σχολῇ γε ἂν τοῖς ἐξιστοροῦσι τοῦ ἀληθοῦς παντάπασι γενήσεται ἡ ἐπίτευξις. ἐκ τοῦ μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὅσα τῇ κοινῇ φήμῃ γνωρίζεται, ταῦτα τὸν ἐξιστοροῦντα παραλήψεσθαι δέον, εἰ μὴ ἀδικεῖν οὗτος ἐθε λήσειε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὡς οἱ τοὺς ὀβολοὺς κερματίοις ἐλλυ μαινόμενοι ἢ καὶ παραχαράττειν βουλόμενοι. οὔτε γοῦν πρὸς χάριν οὔτε πρὸς φθόνον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πρὸς μῖσος ἢ καὶ πρὸς εὔνοιαν συγγράφειν χρεών ἐστι τὸν συγγράφοντα, ἀλλ' ἱστορίας μόνον χάριν καὶ τοῦ μὴ λήθης βυθῷ, ἣν ὁ χρόνος οἶδε γεννᾶν, παραδοθῆναι τὰ ὑπό τινων γεγενημένα, εἴτ' ἀγαθὰ εἴτε φαῦλα τυγχάνοιεν. ἀρχὴ δὲ ἡμῖν γενέσθω ἡ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἅλωσις, οὕτω τοι περιφανὴς καὶ γνώριμος σύμπασιν οὖσα, ὡς μηδὲ ἓν εἶναι τῶν ἐθνῶν ὃ μὴ ταύτην ἐγνώρισεν.

2 Ἀλεξίου τοῦ Ἀγγέλου τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων τότε διιθύνοντος σκῆπτρα, οἱ ἐξ Ἰταλίας κατὰ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἐξ εστράτευσαν. ἡ δὲ αἰτία τοιάδε. κατέβαλε μὲν τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰσαάκιον καί οἱ τὰς ὄψεις ἐπήρωσεν. ὑπῆρχε δὲ τῷ Ἰσαακίῳ υἱός, ὃς δυσανασχετήσας τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς παροινίᾳ τὴν φυγήν τε μηχανησάμενος περὶ τὴν Ῥώμην χωρεῖ καὶ τῷ ταύτης ἀρχιερεῖ ἑαυτὸν προσρίπτει, πατρικὴν ἐκδίκησιν ἐπιζητῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῷ τότε τύχοι πλήθη πολλὰ εἰς ἓν συναχθῆναι-οἱ μὲν ἐξ αὐτῆς Ἰταλίας, οἱ δ' ἐκ τῆς τῶν Φράγγων ἀρχῆς, ἐκ δὲ Ἐνετῶν ἕτεροι, καὶ ἐξ ἄλ λων ἄλλοι, καὶ ἡ πρόφασις εἰς ἐλευθερίαν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπελθεῖν, ὅπου ὁ κυριακὸς τυγχάνει τάφος· ἦν δὲ ὁ τού τους συναθροίσας ὁ πάπας, ὃς ταῖς παρακλήσεσι τοῦ παι δὸς καταδυσωπηθείς, μᾶλλον δὲ ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν-ἐτύγ χανον γὰρ ἁδραί-παραδίδωσι τὸν παῖδα τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν στρατευμάτων, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸν τῆς προκειμένης ἐκνεύ σαντες τῷ πατρικῷ ἐγκαταστήσαιεν θρόνῳ ἀναλώματά τε παρ' αὐτοῦ λάβοιεν, ὁπόσα ἂν καθ' ὁδὸν ἀναλώσαιεν καὶ ὁπόσα περὶ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου βραδύναντες. ἀνήχθησαν οὖν οὗτοι τριήρεσι καὶ ναυσὶ κοίλαις. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ Κων σταντίνου