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De extremo Thessalonicensi excidio narratio

OF JOHN ANAGNOSTES A Narrative concerning the final capture of Thessaloniki composed for a certain person of distinction, who often

asked about this, in summary. 1. Many things indeed to us many times, and others, has the industry of your soul clearly

made known, most excellent and most learned of men, and no less so your eagerness for the narrative of the events that have already befallen the formerly illustrious city of Thessaloniki and to rouse us with words full of great wisdom, so that we might endeavor to set this before you clearly according to our ability and, as it were, bring it before your eyes. For it manifestly shows your soul, how disposed it is to the learning of necessary things and how, by paying attention to histories and accounts by which men are clearly changed for the better, it becomes wholly concerned with things that are to come and do not pass away. But while your zeal is so admirable, any right-thinking person, I believe, would think it among the things not to be praised that you, passing over those who have reached the pinnacle of verbal power and who always make writing their chief business, have rashly entrusted such a great undertaking to me, who through sluggishness of mind am truly unlearned in words and altogether lazy toward the acquisition of any good thing whatsoever. And you have suffered, I think, the same thing as the bees, when they are in haste to seek the sources of honey; for they pass by, as they say, the fragrant flowers, but alight upon thyme, a plant full of pungency and quite odorless. But friendship is a powerful thing, compelling all who are strengthened by it to say and do all things for their friends' sake, being accustomed to procure for them the praise of the many. For this it was that compelled you to persuade us to such a degree, wishing perhaps that praise from listeners might accrue to us, and thus to do a favor to our friendship. I, therefore, would rather choose silence as safer and very rightly decline the present subject as one that surpasses my ability. But, having considered how great is the danger of disobedience and for this reason being driven into an unavoidable necessity, I thought it necessary to present myself ready for your request and to fulfill your command as far as I am able. And since I have appeared to you inclined and well-disposed toward what you seek and for your sake have chosen to dare what I did not wish to, it would be just for you also to join with us in this undertaking with your prayers, so that, being guided and having received power of speech and sharpness of mind, we may be seen to have accomplished something worthy of your desire and not do violence to the subject. And I ask all who will read this composition, which is filled with every kind of clumsiness, to grant us ready pardon, accepting our ready obedience. For we have not been led to this emboldened by the power of words, so as to justly receive blame from anyone who wishes (for we are far indeed from knowing words and from being confident in using them skillfully), but by the command of him who ordered us and by the belief that it is blameless if someone displays his own ability for some necessary purpose, thinking that it is never for display, but so that things worthy of hearing are not consigned to a tomb of silence, that anyone should at any time undertake to speak according to their ability. And I will make the account simple and easy to understand, but

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De extremo Thessalonicensi excidio narratio

ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΟΥ ∆ιήγησις περὶ τῆς τελευταίας ἁλώσεως τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης συντεθεῖσα πρός τινα τῶν ἀξιολόγων, πολλάκις

αἰτήσαντα περὶ ταύτης, ἐν ἐπιτόμῳ. 1 Πολλὰ μὲν ἡμῖν πολλάκις καὶ ἄλλα τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς σου φιλόπονον ἀριδήλως

ἐγνώρισεν, ἀνδρῶν ἄριστε καὶ φιλομαθέστατε, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὴν διήγησιν τῶν ἤδη τῇ περιφανεῖ τὸ πρότερον πόλει Θεσσαλονίκῃ συμβεβηκότων σπουδή σου καὶ τὸ λόγοις ἡμᾶς συνετῶς ἄγαν ἔχουσι διεγεῖραι, ταύτην ὡς ἂν ἐπίδηλόν σοι κατὰ δύναμιν θέσθαι τὴν ἡμετέραν σπουδάσωμεν καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἀγάγωμεν. ∆είκνυσι γάρ σου περιφανῶς τὴν ψυχήν, περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὅπως μάθησιν ἔχει καὶ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ προσέχειν ἱστορίαις καὶ λόγοις, οἷς ἄνθρωποι πρὸς τὰ κρείττω σαφῶς μετατίθενται, τῶν μελλόντων ὅλη καὶ μὴ μεθισταμένων καθίσταται. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὕτω θαυμασίας οὔσης γε τῆς σπουδῆς, ἐκεῖνο πᾶς ὁστισοῦν εὖ φρονῶν, οἶμαι, τῶν οὐκ ἐπαινουμένων ἂν οἰηθείη, ὅτι γε τοὺς εἰς ἄκρον δυνάμεως λόγων ἐληλακότας παραδραμὼν καὶ προὔργου παντὸς τὸ λογογραφεῖν ἀεὶ ποιουμένους, ἐμοὶ τὴν τοσαύτην ἐγχείρησιν ἀπερισκέπτως ἀνέθου, νωθρότητι διανοίας ἀμαθῶς ἀληθῶς ἔχοντι περὶ λόγους καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἡντινοῦν ἀγαθῶν κτῆσιν ῥαθυμοῦντι καθάπαξ. Καὶ ταὐτόν, οἶμαι, πέπονθας ταῖς μελίσσαις, ὅτε τὰς ἀρχὰς ζητεῖν τοῦ μέλιτος κατεπείγονται· παρατρέχουσι μὲν γάρ, ὥς φασι, τῶν ἀνθέων τὰ εὔοσμα, ἐφίπτανται δὲ τῷ θύμῳ, φυτῷ δριμύτητος γέμοντι καὶ λίαν ἀνόσμῳ. Ἀλλὰ δεινὸν ἡ φιλία, πάντας ἁπλῶς τοὺς ἐνισχυμένους γε ταύτῃ πάντα καὶ λέγειν ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων καὶ πράττειν πρὸς βίαν κινοῦσα, τὸν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἔπαινον αὐτοῖς προξενεῖν εἰωθυῖα. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ καὶ σὲ τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς ἀναπεῖσαι καταναγκάσαν, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀκουόντων ἡμῖν εὐφημίαν ἴσως προσγενέσθαι βεβουλημένον, κἀντεῦθεν τῇ φιλίᾳ χαρίσασθαι. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὗν βουλοίμην ἂν τὴν σιωπὴν ὡς ἀκίνδυνον μᾶλλον ἑλέσθαι καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ὑπόθεσιν ὡς τὴν ἐμὴν ὑπερβαίνουσαν δύναμιν παραιτήσασθαι πάνυ δικαίως. Λαβὼν δ' ἐπὶ νοῦν τῆς ἀπειθείας τὸν κίνδυνον ὅσος καὶ διὰ τοῦτ' εἰς ἀνάγκην συνελαθεὶς ἀπαραίτητον, δεῖν ᾤμην ἕτοιμον ἐμαυτὸν παρασχεῖν σου τῇ ἀξιώσει καί σου τοὐπίταγμα πεπληρωκέναι ὡς δύναμις. Κἀπειδήπερ ἐπικλινὴς ἐγὼ καὶ εὐγνώμων πρὸς τὸ ζητούμενον ὤφθην σοι καὶ σὴν χάριν, ὧν οὐκ ἐβουλόμην κατατετολμηκέναι προῄρημαι, δίκαιον ἂν εἴη καὶ σὲ τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως ταύτης ἡμῖν ταῖς εὐχαῖς συνεφάψασθαι, ἵν' ὁδηγηθέντες καὶ δύναμιν ἐσχηκότες λόγου καὶ διανοίας ὀξύτητα, τῆς σῆς φανῶμεν ἄξιον ἐπιθυμίας ἐργάσασθαι καὶ μηδὲ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν καθυβρίσωμεν. Παρακαλῶ δὲ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐντευξομένους τῷ πάσης ἀμουσίας πεπληρωμένῳ τῷδε συγγράμματι συγγνώμην ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν ἐξ ἑτοίμου, τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐπείθειαν ἀποδεξαμένους. Οὐ γὰρ δυνάμει λόγων τεθαρρηκότες ἐπὶ τοῦτο προήγμεθα, ἵνα καὶ μέμψιν σχῶμεν δικαίως παρὰ τοῦ βουλομένου παντὸς (πολλοῦ γε καὶ γὰρ δέομεν τοῦ λόγους εἰδέναι καὶ τούτοις γε χρῆσθαι κατ' ἐπιστήμην θαρρεῖν), τῇ δ' ἐπιταγῇ τοῦ προστεταχότος ἡμῖν καὶ τῷ μὴ μέμψιν ἔχειν, εἴ τις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πρός τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδείκνυται δύναμιν, ἀνέγκλητον εἶναι, οἰόμενοι πανταχοῦ τὸ πάνθ' ὁντινοῦν μὴ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ τάφῳ σιγῆς παραπέμπεσθαι τὰ πρὸς ἀκρόασιν ἄξια, τοῖς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐγχειρεῖν λόγοις ἑκάστοτε. Ποιήσομαι δὲ τὸν λόγον ἁπλοῦν τε καὶ εὔληπτον, ἀλλὰ