John Anagnostes

YEAR OF OUR LORD 1430. JOANNES ANAGNOSTA. NOTICE.

(Hankius, De Rer. Byzantin. script., p. 636.)

I. The time when Anagnosta was living, we know from the extreme calamities of the city of Thessalonica, a city of the Macedonians [which in more recent Greek writers is also called Therma]. Owned by the Emperor Manuel Palaiologos, the father of the Emperor John Palaiologos [who reigned from 1419 to 1448], it was possessed during that age by the Despot Andronikos Palaiologos. Doukas, the nephew of Michael, in his *Byzantine History*, chapter 29, translated by Ismael Bullialdus: "Despot Andronikos, the third-born son of the Emperor Manuel after the Emperor John and Theodore, who was consumed by the sacred disease, ruled over Thessalonica." Laonikos Chalkokondyles, in *On Turkish Affairs*, book IV, translated by Conrad Clauser: "To Andronikos, [the Emperor Manuel Palaiologos] granted Therma to be ruled, who was second in virtue after John among the royal sons."

II. When the same city was held by the Turks, under Bajazet as prince, and was being gravely besieged—when Andronikos was barely able to defend it—the Venetians placed it under their empire. That it was sold by Andronikos, Laonikos Chalkokondyles commemorates in the aforementioned place: "He also sold Therma to the Venetians, as he could no longer hold it due to the city’s resources being utterly exhausted." Since, therefore, he judged that sale to be expedient both for himself and for the city, having received a small price, he surrendered it to the Venetians. Georgius Phrantza, *Chronicle*, book I, chapter 21: "Also, Despot Andronikos sold Thessalonica to the Venetian Senate for fifty thousand gold pieces." On the other hand, Doukas in *Byzantine History*, chapter 29, reports it was handed over by voluntary surrender, against the will of Andronikos. The Thessalonians, angered by the daily incursions of the Turks and hoping for no liberation from any of their own, because the city was being crushed by internal calamities and could not endure the urgent hunger and the shortage of all necessities—a council having been held, the Despot willing or unwilling—sent the primary citizens of the city to the Venetians to surrender Thessalonica to them.

III. Thessalonica, whether by sale or by surrender, Murates II, prince of the Turks, was conquering on the 29th day of March, in the 12th year of the Emperor John Palaiologos the younger, in the year of the world 6938, of Christ 1430. Georgius Phrantza, *Chronicle*, book II, chapter 9: "At which time also Amurates besieged Thessalonica, which the Venetians held at that time." In the same place, a little later: "And thus in the month of April [not April, but March, if we believe our Anagnosta, who deserves greater faith in this matter] of the same year [6938] he subjugated the renowned Thessalonica by arms." Our Anagnosta himself, in the book *On the Sack of Thessalonica*, chapter 15, translated by Leone Allacci: "He [of the Turks, who was the first of the Thessalonians to climb the walls] having been pierced by wounds among the battlements by the Latins, threw his dying head among those fighting, signifying that he was a master of that part, and that all were completely in flight upon the deserted walls, unmindful of returning." The 29th day of the month of March in the year 6938 was then dawning. Wherefore, he, encouraging all the infantry and indicating the place destitute of defenders, cried out that they should climb immediately. They, as they were able, with ladders suddenly brought to all parts, climbed in large numbers with a shout and a din that is elicited by drums made of skin.

IV. Our Anagnosta, when Murates subjected Thessalonica to the Turkish empire, was living in it, a companion of those common evils to which the inhabitants were then subject. He is a witness himself in the book already mentioned, chapter 2, where he addresses a friend with these words: "I will embrace only those things which this city suffered at the time of its destruction, and which you, before you departed from it, had perceived, and were therefore not entirely unaware of the misfortune which oppressed it. The matters of the Latins, indeed, you also know very well, since you saw daily what was being done in the city [if I am not mistaken]." In the same place, a little later: "For neither did the Turks make a treaty with the Latins, although they had often sent a legation and asked as suppliants; nor was it in our power, with our forces confined to a narrow space in the city and our wills discordant and torn from a unanimous resolve, to do anything, as you yourself also know, who were with us and experienced the evils just as the others did." Chapter 8: "Therefore, with all prepared to fight and resist the invaders, with a manly spirit and present mind, Murates executed something other than our expectation. For we all suspected, having observed such a mass of troops and siege engines, which a multitude of camels and carts were bringing daily, that at his first approach he would furiously attack the walls with rage, and shatter them with the man-made thunder of stones, and not let those standing above the walls...

be moved, and he would employ all machines to destroy the city. ^C Chapter 13, having recalled the city having been conquered by the Turks: "And so we all, as each was able, hastening our flight, some hid themselves in houses, others in tunnels and tombs, and if anything else seemed more conducive to safety, we crept into it not without trembling."

Chapter 18, where he speaks of the departure of the Turks from the Thessalonians: "They say that some of his leading men said to [Murad] on oath: 'It is unjust, when the affairs of the conquered [Thessalonians] have been subdued, that they also should be cast into chains, and despoiled by being led away to another country: let us therefore establish liberty for them, if it so seems good, either by receiving them without a price, or by paying that ourselves.' Some of those listening praised the sentiment, encouraging him to do so; but one of the leaders, who surpassed the others in dignity, not only did not approve the words about liberty, but by whatever arguments he could, thwarted the prince's plan: and indeed he appeared to say similar things, because he surpassed others." It was clearly the fruit of my own sins, as I persuade myself, just as were the other things that happened; although some, not seizing upon this discourse with open ears, and not judging themselves to be the cause, with divine precepts neglected, ascribe the causes of events to men. I, however, whatever that may have been, attribute it to divine punishment for my own correction.

^D V. After these things, Murates wished to have Thessalonica filled with inhabitants, and therefore he was recalling the Thessalonians living in different places to it. Among these who had returned to Thessalonica, but later condemned their own return to it, when Murates, some years having elapsed after the destruction, entered the city and did not keep his promises to the Thessalonians, was our Anagnosta. He reports these things in chapter 19: "Furthermore," he says, "heralds went out to many places under his dominion, as has been said, whom they found, the Thessalonians who some years ago, pressed by the straits of circumstances, had withdrawn from it, and they made them return even by force, and also survivors captured in any way they were vindicated into liberty." Ibidem, a little later: "We truly supposed that the city would recover its former beauty, and that piety would emerge with new flowers, and, as before, it would range far and wide. And by chance it would have had effect, had not the abundance of my sins again stood in the way, and place been given to wickedness. For from the time when the city had been pressed by captivity, and Murates, with us returning in whatever way made free, had magnificently granted everything—buildings, possessions, holy temples, and monasteries, and their revenues, both by document and by word—and had publicly proclaimed liberty to all arriving from all places, and all had recovered their homes and whatever immovables they had, and every order and the entire populace of the city began not unsuccessfully to be increased and renewed a second time, and a pastor of the city was created, and the Church was established, conspicuous with its institutions, and the monks held their monasteries, and studied very studiously for their augmentation, and we all rejoiced in good hope and, to be brief, because of the memory of the evils brought upon us by the destruction being lost, we rejoiced for those things which had unexpectedly arrived to us, and we were hoping that the city would attain its former happiness and tranquility; then from among us, as the proverb is told, the strap was taken, and the benefits which were expected fell into the contrary."

Chapter 20: "For Murates returning to Thessalonica [the second or third year was then running after the destruction], in order that he might visit it, and learn its affairs more accurately, and enjoy its goods, and vie with his progenitor in munificent gifts, and follow in his footsteps—who, having gained Thessalonica, made countless graces and greatest gifts—relying, I say, on this mind, and coming for the sake of executing it, afterwards distracted by the bad advice of others, he changes his plan and previous intent: and what he did not accomplish at the time we were captured, he determines to accomplish at that time." Therefore, although he said he had come in order to look around at the city and each of its parts, and utilize leisure and the remission of labor, and luxuriate in its goods to satiety, and so, not less benevolently disposed toward it, would leave better things for us to hope for in the future; nonetheless he gave a first mandate, which no one would have expected even in a dream. But that was that all monasteries and temples were to be occupied, all their revenues and possessions were to be taken away, and our affairs in the town were to be compressed into a narrow space. Which was done shortly after by them in a notable manner.

Chapter 21: "Now furthermore, those who from the further shores of it were burning with desire to become its possessors, they repent of their desire, but we also of our return to it; since the hope of a better state has been entirely taken away." Where you may note that our author in chapter 20, since it is doubtful whether it happened in the second or third year after the destruction of the city of Thessalonica, that is, the year of Christ 1430, gives us some indication that he committed these things to writing more than three years after Thessalonica was taken, seeing that he could not accurately remember exactly in what year they were done. Whence you may infer that our Anagnosta existed not only in the year of Christ 1433, but also for some years after.

The writings of Joannes Anagnosta. Concerning the Macedonian affairs of the Constantinopolitans.

VI. He wrote a narrative concerning the final destruction of Thessalonica to a certain praiseworthy man, whose name he covers in silence. In this booklet he narrates both the siege and the capture of this primary city of the Macedonians, which, being subject to the Constantinopolitan empire, when the Constantinopolitans could not sufficiently defend it against the Turks, was subjected to the power of the Venetians; in the year 12 of the emperor John Palaeologus the Younger, of Christ 1430, Murates II, prince of the Turks, subjected it to Turkish dominion. It was published in Greek and Latin, interpreted by Leo Allatius, in his *Symmicta*, in Cologne by Jodocus Kalcovius, 1653, in 8vo.

THE NARRATIVE OF JOANNES ANAGNOSTA CONCERNING THE FINAL FALL OF THESSALONICA, COMPOSED IN SUMMARY FOR A CERTAIN PERSON OF DISTINCTION WHO HAD OFTEN REQUESTED THE SAME

1. Your industrious and active spirit has frequently manifested to us many other things, most excellent and learned of men; but no less so your zeal regarding the narrative of the events that formerly befell the illustrious city of the Thessalonians, and your desire to incite us, by means of a well-reasoned discourse, to set forth this account according to our ability and bring it as it were before the eyes. For it clearly reveals your soul, how it is disposed toward the learning of necessary things, and how, by paying attention to histories and discourses by which men are clearly inclined toward better things, it is set upon future states and things that do ^A not change. Yet, though such zeal is worthy of praise and admiration, anyone who thinks with a sound mind would consider it not at all judicious that you should have set such a task before me—ignoring those who are highly skilled in the art of rhetoric and who spend their time in constant writing—a man sluggish, lazy, and utterly inept at writing, and moreover quite dull at assembling commendable matters. You have acted like the bees, which, when compelled to draw out the principles of honey, abandon the sweet-smelling flowers and hover about the thyme, an herb full of bitterness and possessing no fragrance at all. ^B But friendship is a formidable thing; it compels all whom it has ensnared to do and say everything for the sake of their friends, and is accustomed to win for them much praise from the many. This indeed is what forced even you to persuade us to such a task, wishing no doubt that fame might accrue to us from those who hear it, and thence from ^C friendship

^A I would, however, have preferred for my part to choose silence as being safer, and very justly to decline the present subject as exceeding my powers. But realizing how great the danger of disobedience is, and being thus driven by an unavoidable necessity, I thought it my duty to offer myself readily to your request and to fulfill your command to the best of my ability. And since I have been found compliant and well-disposed to your request, and have chosen to dare things I did not wish for your sake, it would be just for you also to join us in this undertaking with your prayers and petitions to God, so that, being guided and having acquired the power of speech and sharpness of mind, we might appear worthy to accomplish what you desire and not insult the subject.

I also beg all those who will read this composition, which is filled with all kinds of lack of refinement, to readily grant us forgiveness, accepting our obedience. For we have not been led to this with confidence in the power of words, so that we might justly have blame from anyone who wishes (for we are far from needing to know how to use words and to be confident in using them with skill), but rather [we are led] by the command of the one who instructed us, and by the thought that there is no blame if anyone shows his own power for any of the necessary things, believing that in ^B every case it is blameless for one not to show off everything, but—lest those things worthy of hearing be consigned to the darkness of silence—to attempt to treat the matters at hand in speech according to one's ability at any given time. I shall make the discourse simple and easy to grasp, but also, as much as possible, concise as you advised, including only the necessary things; and whatever has been passed over will be considered by you, who devour the speaker's words with your ears, as a loss.

2. If you happened to be someone who did not know the city, and were ignorant of its particulars, as those who are migrating for the first time from a foreign land to another city—who are like infants until the length of time makes the details of that place known to them—I would have needed long speeches here so that nothing of what is in the city might escape your knowledge. But since I am directing this speech to a foster-child of this city, and to one who knows its affairs more accurately than many others, long speeches about these things would be in vain, as would proposing an exquisite account of its location, size, beauty, the security of its walls, and furthermore its excellent climate, and other such things; and especially because, ^C many years ago, others pursued very studiously, with power of speech and the lights of Attic eloquence, the affairs of the city, and after the queen of all [cities], as I may say, they strove to proclaim it more illustrious with many proofs. As for myself, I shall only set forth what the city experienced at the time of its present capture, of which you hinted to us shortly before you departed from here, and consequently you are not very well acquainted with the misfortune that oppressed it, while the affairs of the Latins you indeed understood most clearly, as you were present in the city and saw what was happening there daily. The city, therefore, under the rule of the Latins, when...

constant afflictions were being brought upon us from every side, and many discussions were held among everyone as to how we might find a way to escape from the evils occurring, there was no one at all to deliver us from these dread events. For neither did the Turks wish to make a treaty with the Latins, although they had sent embassies and made requests concerning this many times, nor was it in our power to act according to our own inclination, as our forces were confined to a very narrow space and our wills, discordant and torn away from a unanimous opinion, were unable to act—as you yourself know, for you were with us and experienced those evils just as the others did.

^B 3. With our affairs in this state, and while every moment brought count-less calamities and caused us to despair of salvation, another evil suddenly arrived, striking the soul more firmly than adamant. This was the death of the good shepherd—who, like the First Shepherd, laid down his soul daily for the flock without reserve—which occurred by divine counsel. For him, indeed, it turned out fortunately, but for us, it brought great harm, as we were deprived of his prayers to God, through which our salvation was provided. That this occurred according to divine will, hear from what appeared in a dream to the blessed man when he was still alive. It seemed to him that, before the city was captured in war, he had entered a house that was magnificent and very large, and that he was examining each of its parts individually and greatly admiring its beauty and size. While he was intent on this, he heard a voice coming from outside saying: "This house, whose individual parts you are examining and admiring as you gaze upon them, as they are so brilliant and beautiful, will soon collapse; and so that its ruin may not bury you, escape from it quickly." This vision was confirmed by the result not long after. For he, that he might appear righteous and receive the rewards for his many labors of virtue, departed—as was fitting—before the common misfortune, to that Lord whom he had so greatly longed for. For it was not judged right before God that he should endure such evils and share our own lot; for his life was not like that of others, and his paths were different, to use the words of Solomon. We, however, being full of wickedness, and walking after the imaginations of our own evil heart, as Jeremiah says, and murmuring just like the Israel of old whenever things did not turn out as we desired, and being unable to obtain what we sought, have justly suffered quite miserably. And we have been deprived of this man, who alone ^C had remained as a consolation in these most afflicted times and amidst such great dangers. For we all regarded him as a vital power within us, and we considered his death to be nothing else but a prelude to the most just punishment of God upon us. This most clearly refutes those who hurl unworthy words at him and load him with infamy, claiming that he did not counsel betrayal, and that he had rightly suppressed those who were thinking of their own plans while he himself was contemplating something deeper. For I believe that God, wishing to make known to everyone what manner of holy man that was and what he was worthy of, and what manner of people we were and what just punishments we deserved to be exacted, for this reason so arranged the affairs of each side in a salutary way.

^A 4. Thus, with this dire evil added, namely that death—and with all in the city, men, women, children, Latins, and even the Jews themselves, lamentably discussing it among themselves, and setting aside in oblivion all the other things that were then oppressing them, they called to mind the loss of their shepherd and frequently brought it up and asserted, as I have already intimated, that this was not without reason believed to be a token of divine judgment and of the destruction that followed. In such a state of affairs, I say, when a short time had passed in the interim, all things began to collapse even worse than before; great confusion took hold of their minds, as some decided one thing and others another, and they were unable to agree upon a single course of action. We were not unlike those who are tossed on a ship in the midst of adverse storms when the helmsman is absent. For everything there was full of turmoil, and the ship, despoiled of its captain and shaken by the violence of the winds, was not permitted to continue its course without danger. Since, therefore, most were distressed that they were not permitted to surrender the city to the Turks, fearing perhaps what would happen afterward, a messenger arrived announcing that Murad was marching against us, equipped with a great multitude of troops and everything else. To some, the news seemed somewhat credible and plausible, but to others, especially the Latins—whether feigning magnanimity or, as seems more credible, being inexperienced with the Turks—it did not. For whence could they have knowledge of such things, having been born at sea and living out their lives even to old age, and being unsuited for the skirmishes and battles which the race of the Turks employs, nor able to traverse elsewhere beyond their own borders with triremes, as they please? But a short time passed, and another messenger arrived, announcing the same things as the first and confirming his trustworthiness with oaths; by this we were persuaded, expecting nothing else (for this is what our long-standing confinement and the state of affairs itself warned us of). The Latins also were persuaded, and it seemed to them that they ought to be stirred to make preparations.

5. And first of all, they were more eagerly disposed to complete the work they had previously begun. This was the care of their battlements. ^B For a little while before, they had taken great pains to screen the battlements of the entire wall with planks, as a shield, to prevent those outside—the enemy—from wounding the citizens with arrows if they ever needed to emerge and look out, while providing those standing on the walls ample opportunity to throw stones from above to strike at the approaching attackers and to repel anyone at all who happened to get close to the walls. Then, they decided that the men must be numbered, to learn whether they were sufficient for all the battlements of the wall and the circuit facing the mainland. And so they commanded everyone to stand on the walls with whatever weapons each possessed, so that they might have their own eyes as witnesses to this. ^C When this was done, it was to be seen that there was only one man at two or three battlements, and the greater part of them possessed no arms—for poverty had used them up—nor were they fit for battle or ^D conflict; for their incessant hardships and vi-

poverty had stripped away their ability to do so. The Latins, however, having no other way to manage (for they had no other fighting men besides those who resided in the city), deemed it necessary that everyone should at least be prepared for battle. They also resolved to move the marketplace for a more careful guarding of the city, though perhaps this did not reach its end, since the enemy attacked suddenly and sooner than we all expected. ^A For they said, "If the enemy should encompass the city and persist in constant fighting, while we go off to the marketplace, which is situated far away, to buy necessities, we shall abandon the city to them through the emptiness of the walls, without them having provided any labor whatsoever." Rightly, therefore, having arranged everything as our strength allowed, we were all, with one mind, prepared to suffer all things for the fatherland, we placed our entire hope in God and the myroblete martyr, and day and night we watched for the incursion of the Barbarians, and daily, according to the reports, we awaited them.

6. A few days passed again, and a third messenger reached the city, declaring the arrival of Murad at Langada, and that that plain, extending to a great length, was not sufficient for such a multitude of troops. He also reported that the preparation was beyond speech and not easy to describe. We were again in haste and again in great anxiety. The lady of the days ^B had dawned; and in the middle of the night a huge earthquake shook the city and cast fear into the hearts of all, who judged that it portended for it unhappiness and distress. For thus, those who for a long time had been shaking the city—the earthquakes—had affected men and generated such an opinion, since they had long ago proclaimed changes of affairs and brought a swarm of evils upon the city. And this happened by night; but when the dawn began, and the sun had not yet clearly cast its rays upon the earth, a part of the army was seen approaching the city, neither bearing their standard raised as is the custom, nor proceeding in squadrons. The reason was this: it had seemed best to Murad to first approach the inhabitants in the city with friendly words, so that those things which later ensued, and the destruction of the city, might be avoided: for he had come into the hope that they would immediately give their ears to his own words and would decline to be captured and oppressed by war. And he did this for two reasons: then, to avoid submitting those countless host of men to war and afterwards, if frustrated in his prayers, incurring ignominy for himself, and that of the highest degree; and then, persuaded by the words of those urging him to come into the city: for there were not lacking those who kept after him, asserting that by a mere appearance he would promptly and without any previous war or labor bring it into his dominion. He sent, therefore, Christian men, not unknown, from other cities, to advise us on what was salutary and to stir us up as much as possible against the Latins. And although they had arrived, fearing that they would be wounded by arrows launched from the walls, they retreated, since they had indicated nothing, or very little, for which they had approached; and on this account, by their return, they were marked with ignominy by some. For when ^C they had come ^D

although it behooved them many times and in many parts of the ^A walls to go about, and to make manifest the things promised to Murates, and to use words of counsel, that they might prepare them with zeal to meet together to consider the common advantage, they were not well-disposed toward us, I said, having neglected the command. But yet, these men having acted in this way, were seen, whether willing or unwilling.

7. Murates, when he saw that it was vain to attempt anything in this matter (for not only were some not persuaded by the things he proclaimed from without, but they did not even abstain from madly and boastfully loading him with insults and reproaches out of folly and senseless audacity), became all anger, and commanded the army to move and encamp around the city. ^B They approached like swarms of bees, eagerly thirsting for our blood and desiring to swallow us all up at one gulp. When they had come near to the city, having pitched their tents according to their custom, they surrounded it like a fortress, so that there was almost no place void of men. Then, having assigned the commanders each to a designated part of the city for the purpose of fighting, he pitched his own tents opposite the acropolis, so that he might easily see everyone from a high place, and all the city within. We, having seen these things and being eager to strive for our own salvation (for indeed it could not be otherwise), ^C ran with such arms as we had to the wall, each striving to outstrip the other in speed and, as it were, acting manfully... of those without, being ignorant whither that zeal of theirs would lead. As we ascended and agreed to spend the days and nights there, they who held sway over the city distinguished the Greeks and Latins in such a way as to place in the middle one of those who carry off booty—the common people call them Tzetarians, as they are a band of robbers gathered from various regions—and entrusted the guard to them, clearly not trusting us; they even threatened death to those who might contemplate treason.

8. When, therefore, we were all prepared to fight and to act manfully against those attacking, Murates did something else contrary to our expectation. For ^D we all, having beheld such a heavy army and so many siege engines, which a multitude of camels and wagons brought up every day, suspected that at his first arrival he would furiously and madly rush against the wall, commanding it to be smitten by the man-made thunder of stone, and those standing above to be driven from their station on the walls by the discharge of arrows, and would use every machine for the capture of the city. But he showed none of these things; rather, having rested a little and looked around the city in a circle, he sent out heralds again, promising us liberty and other honors—pledging these things by the oaths which are customary among them—if we would surrender the city, persuaded by his words to them; and he added on the contrary again, and many things worse than these, if we did not comply with his wishes.

^A But here I shall briefly put a question to the calumniators of one person or another. Where were you when Murad promised such things? Were you not in the city, and did you not hear the proclamations with your own ears? Why, then, did you not carry into effect what you were contemplating? Why, then, did you not use your reason? Why do you accuse others of not doing what you yourselves, given the opportunity and with no one to hinder you, did not do? For at that time, there was no shepherd (since he had ceased to be among the living six months prior), nor were there the curses, nor the other things you recount and count off so precisely on your fingers. What, then, was the obstacle to you? Or whose handiwork was it that occurred? None, every man who reasons piously would say, other than our own iniquity, which stirred the God who is otherwise free from anger into wrath against us, bringing upon us punishment for our incorrigible failings, so that, by coming to our senses, we might be wise for the future. ^B But if anyone, recalling the preceding times, should oppose us again and lay the blame upon the shepherd—who, against those wanting to surrender and even with a decision already handed down, spoke in opposition—he harbors, I think, the thoughts of a madman. For, first of all, it is not proper for a high priest to be busied with military affairs, and to be the cause of driving one man from power in the manner of tyrants, or installing another, or of the upheavals, bloodshed, and losses that occur during changes of regime. He is not elevated to a tyrannical throne, but to a priestly throne, and to that of a gentle Master who preached peace, whose footsteps he ought to follow in every way, and whose words and deeds he ought to imitate. ^C Furthermore, what did he endeavor to do? Was it that he exhorted us to remain in the divine laws and advised us not to abandon piety? That he taught us not to revolt against the rulers, but to cherish them as those appointed by God? And what else was fitting for him, to whom the souls of men had been entrusted by God? Nevertheless, he, being disposed in this way, desired nearly every year to leave the city and retire to his homeland, perhaps so that we might look after our own affairs. But you did not even allow this. Some possess a mind that changes and alters with every shift in circumstances. But let those who put forward such claims ponder in their hearts the reasoning by which they utter them; as for us, let us return to the matter at hand. 9. When Murad had done this, that and the other thing, as we have mentioned, and had sent into the city many letters with arrows, bearing the same threats and confirming them with the same oaths, and still achieved nothing (for the citizens, even had they wished it, did not have the power, through fear of the Latins and of the predatory soldiers standing by and keeping watch, to act fearlessly upon their own judgment), he was compelled against his will to prepare for war; and he was driven to this not so much by the insolence and resistance of those within, as by the following occurrence. A Latin ship appeared suddenly, laden with a cargo of grain and bringing it to the city which was in need. ^D Those who saw it suspected that it was bringing auxiliary forces and weapons for the combatants; and being doubtful of victory if companions-in-arms were brought in, and fearing the defeat that would occur if reinforcements came to the city, they thought it necessary to struggle with all their might and

^A to test them with military arts before the ship could drop anchor. A little earlier, even when he sent the heralds, some of the enemy forces, creeping secretly into the outer wall in the dead of the night, and undermining it with ease (for there were no guards there, as the inhabitants were reduced, and those who were inside were unable to drive them out when they encountered them), leveled the better part of it to the ground, so that a great number could enter into the space between the walls, and could easily bring in ladders and climb the great wall. Thus, they had made the outer ^B fortification passable for themselves in this way, and they did not cease from archery many times during the day, and indeed even during the night, whenever they proceeded to raze the little wall to the ground. For how could they have undermined it with greater ease if those on the greater wall had not been repelled by missiles, so that they would not be able to advance and perform similar deeds against them? Yet, even so, we did not neglect the work according to our strength. More than anything else, we used what is called by that name, of which we heard only a sound, but never once saw any brilliant effect, even though there was an abundance of the prepared powder among us, which was being consumed ^C lavishly and profusely at all times.

10. These things were happening over three days. And just then, some people, coming from outside to parts of the walls around midnight, being concerned for our safety, announced to us that the entire army was prepared for war, as much of the infantry that followed Murad, and that as the fourth day dawned, he wished to move against us with his whole force, and that they had prepared ships, so that by bursting in from the side of the sea, they might compel us to be occupied with twofold anxieties. And this greatly disturbed our souls and cast us into as much despair as could bring us no ordinary harm. When this news arrived at twilight, and all ^D of us were in distress and contemplating how we might be disposed for the war, and when almost every age was awake, pouring out fervent prayers to God and to the myroblyte martyr throughout that whole night (for all knew that we stood on the brink of danger), the Latins, placing great value on that part of the shore on account of the three triremes that had entered the city, lest the Turks upon their arrival should set them to work with fire, ordered their own archers, who had been divided for the guarding of the walls, to withdraw, moving from one place to another, while the rest were ignorant of the reason for the matter and what this withdrawal from the walls signified. For if they had clearly explained the fact—that they were being called away from the walls in order to guard the harbor and the triremes—those who remained to defend the walls, being fed by no bad hope, would not have suspected it to be a flight. But it happened in no such way, and thus their withdrawal from the wall cast no ordinary fear into the hearts of everyone, and according to the

measure of human reasoning, it was the cause of the evils that befell us by day. For if all had remained on the wall, and, becoming of one soul, had chosen to die for the defense of the fatherland, the city could barely have been preserved; how then, given the occurrence of such an event, could it not be taken with ease? Thus, when the Latins had acted in this way, and having manned one trireme for a naval engagement because of the sudden expectation of the ships, those who had brought us the report concerning these things were shown to be truthful. For when dawn came, the ships hurried to reach the harbor with all their oars, in order to carry out their designs. But when they came near, not knowing the preparation made against them by those on board, the trireme at once rushed against them with all speed, and compelled them to such an extent, and turned them to such flight, that they were forced onto the shore, and that plan of the Turks was shown to be vain. But we have observed this ^B at an earlier point; would that the evil of the day had likewise followed!

11. On the fourth day upon its arrival

^A seeing the putrescence of the wall and that the security of the whole city depended on that one section.

12. The battle therefore began at the break of day, as we have described. Divided and relieving one another, the enemy, being a multitude, had fresh troops succeed those who were exhausted, and thus they provided respite for each other. Some discharged their arrows with such accuracy that not one of our men dared even to raise his head above the walls; others, emboldened by the small number of people, crept right under the very walls and worked to pull down our protection with various engines—having cleverly constructed a siege engine and every other device for this purpose—while still others courageously struggled to ascend with ladders. ^B And all things were effective for them, for at the very first clash of the battle, they had laid low nearly all who were on that side by the Trigonion, leaving them half-dead by the hail of arrows sent into the air like rain. Immediately, that part remained empty of defenders, as there were no others to take up the guard and beat back the assault of the enemies. We, however, were few, and not even all of us were on the walls for the reason we mentioned a little earlier; we were exerted beyond our strength, yet our resources were in no way comparable to theirs. Nor was that multitude using only arrows, but also a small instrument for shattering the wooden breastworks ^C on the battlements, which, wherever it was hurled, would dislodge any man standing in its way. The general of the West, mounted on a horse, also rode quickly along the eastern side of the city, encased in armor, rousing everyone with his words, sharpening them for courage, and promising rewards. And not only this, but to make them even more eager and, as it were, frantic against our salvation, he ordered silk garments to be brought into their midst as a wage for those who were undermining the wall and for those who were able to carry away a stone from it, shouting loudly, as often as anyone did this, that he would receive the prize. ^D Many gifts and countless promises were also proposed to the first who would be able to scale the wall. Wherefore you might have seen among them a spectacle worthy of all wonder; for, forgetting that they were surrounded by a body capable of withstanding a lethal blow, and which by no means carried death with it, they rushed upon the wall like some wild beasts, having drawn so near that they broke off not a few of the wooden breastworks with stones. Thus did they proceed; while others, burrowing beneath the wall where they found it more rotten, dug diligently and leveled it to the ground. We, however, because of the constant frequency of their arrows, were not able to cast stones or anything else with force; for the continuity of these was such that one could not even put out a hand from the battlements to cast a stone. We all had only the capability to send stones from a hidden position against those who were attacking the walls, so that we might hinder them from the ascent via the ladders. And no one would have judged what we were doing to be an act of war; for what damage could a stone have caused, cast without aim, with a numb hand, and by one who could not see specifically where he was directing it and into what place he should cast it?

For this reason, therefore, as the enemies were exerting themselves vigorously in every way and pursuing the battle diligently, while we all were prostrate in danger and fear, with some suspecting that Murad would put an end to the war, and others waiting for our destruction and contending that the city must be captured completely—with affairs in such a state and with great confusion among us, with some perhaps busied with the fighting, others completely numbed, others having ended their lives by wounds from arrows, and some even fleeing from the walls, being no longer able to remain there ^A because of fear, thus the third hour of the fourth day had passed, and the city, alas, was captured by the enemies in this manner.

15. Since they had brought the ladders to many places, and yet were unable to affix them to the wall anywhere, as those above were pushing them back, until fear had numbed them, and in some places they had set them and even had some who had ascended a few rungs, they were unable to complete the undertaking, as others who were more spirited were standing in those parts, casting them down along with their ladders with rocks and stones and killing them. Since these things were happening and they were raging, full of madness (for they did not think that they would incur a small disgrace if they appeared to have been defeated), they searched more curiously and applied a ladder at the "Trigonion," where there was an angle from a tower, and there was no one who could prevent the one ascending, and great was the emptiness of men there. A foot soldier, emboldened more than the others, showing the daring of his soul, holding his sword in his teeth and preferring death to life, only so that he might acquire a reputation for bravery, ascended the wall with as much boldness as one might describe, with none of the men inside perceiving it, but with the opponents at other parts watching the ascent. Immediately, having found a Latin in the tower-bastions who had just been wounded and was breathing his last, he cut off his head and threw it into the midst of the combatants, ^B showing both that he had mastered that part and that all had abandoned the walls and departed never to return. March was then in its twenty-ninth day, and the year was standing at six thousand nine hundred and thirty-eight (A.D. 1430). ^C Encouraging, therefore, all his foot soldiers, he shouted for them at once to ascend and pointed out the vacancy. They, as they were able, immediately moved all the ladders and ascended in great numbers, with the shouting and the din which is elicited by drums made of hide; ^D for this also causes great terror in wars. Many also rashly and boldly strove to creep with hands and knees, burning with a great thirst to acquire others' goods, and to force their way in through the battlements. But those to whom ascent by the ladders was not permitted were anxious to enter the city through the breaches of the walls, which they had dug out in many places, one contending with another to surpass the next with swift course and rapid paces, carrying swords in their hands, and as if competing who might be the first to reach the inhabited parts of the city and the maritime shore; for there was the greater part of the citizens, and most especially the Latins, on account of the trire-

Ames, suspected of having taken refuge there. We all, therefore, as each had the speed, in some cases fled into houses, in others took refuge in sacred temples; others struggled with trembling to crawl into sewers and tombs, and whatever else seemed conducive to safety; others seized the part of the shore, imagining, as it were, that they might board the triremes or other ships, with how much terror one might say! For many thought that the enemies had not yet entered there. But it was the opposite, and those who imagined this were frustrated in their hope. And everyone saw this happen at the tower called Samaria. For since all expected that when the city was taken, this place would not immediately be surrendered or taken most quickly by war, situated as it was on the seashore and well fortified with bastions, arms, and all necessary provisions—we having long held this vain hope, not a few ran also to this place for the protection of their own bodies. But they too were deceived in this; for scarcely any of the Latins who were more prominent, or a few Tzetarii, ^B together with those to whom its custody had been entrusted, took refuge in it, and having been admitted, they refused others entry, and—the wall hanging over the sea (which everyone is accustomed to call the Tzerempulon)—they entered into the triremes which had a little before been diverted from the port into that place with others.

14. Therefore, by means of ladders and excavations, as we have said, the enemies having reached the inside of the city, some ran to the houses and the people, others to the gates of the city themselves to open them so that Murad might enter the city together with his whole army. And you would have seen them entering like a swarm of bees or wild beasts, howling and breathing slaughter against us, occupying the entire city, both cavalry and infantry. As the ^C city was entirely filled, and all things—sacred temples, divine monasteries, streets, and houses—were shutting them in, then indeed that lamentable and most tearful deed was committed. For having divided the city entirely, as we have said, and having rushed upon us like fierce wolves, they hastened to plunder everything according to the promise of the ruler; for he had said during the struggle that if the city were taken and he realized his desire, each person might lawfully possess whatever he had plundered, to be despoiled by no one at any time. They were dragging men, women, ^D children, every age mixed together, bound like irrational animals, and they were leading everyone out to the camp outside the city. And I pass over those who were killed—not being behind count—both on the walls and in the streets, and not deemed worthy of burial, lying as prey for dogs and all birds, to use the Homeric words, not only men but also women, and of these especially the older and weaker ones. For the enemy, hurrying out of fear of the multitude of

^A their captives, to lead them out quickly and hand them over to their messmates, lest the prize go to another, stronger man, if he saw any of these slaves, through age or perhaps some sickness, not able to keep pace with the others, he would cut off his head and count it as no loss. Then for the first time children were miserably separated from parents, wives from husbands, and friends from friends, and kinsmen from kinsmen. And we were also in suspicion of an unjust death. The city was in turmoil, and a confused cry was raised by all, and everything was full of noise and lamentations. For some were leading the unfortunate creatures out in chains, while others were pouring in, eager to snatch what had escaped the hands of the former. But the gain did not come equally to all; for so great was the multitude that one part of them emptied the city of its people and the wealth that belonged to them, and especially those—the foot soldiers—who had entered through the ladders at the beginning.

^B As these things proceeded thus, and they had seized us, having counted us up to seven thousand along with women and children, they led everyone to the camp and left them to live in the tents, bound even there, and they assessed the price of each one. Lamentations and tears were everywhere. For infants, who resided in their mothers' arms and were still nursing, were miserably crying and seeking them; and the surviving women, beating themselves and showing their cheeks wet with blood, were searching for them. And men, seeing their wives seized by others, moved by the love of the marriage bond and of living together in harmony, lamented the separation; and wives, seeking their husbands, went around the tents with unspeakable tears, asking about them. And children, deprived of their parents, could in no way bear the solitude; and parents, anxious for them, with natural affection compelling them, rent the air with their laments and, consumed with continuous sighs, poured forth inconsolable tears. Then also many maidens, who had not even been seen by men before, nor dared to go out of the paternal house, but were being kept for lawful marriage and were unknown to the multitude, were held by the hands of men and led to live along with them in the tents. And you could have seen in each tent women mingled with the captives; for since the seizing and the looting were common, likewise among spouses and children and kinsmen, one man snatched a wife, another a husband, and another the children, and consequently those who had lived separately and were unknown to one another were mixed up together. But for monks to be dragged along with women seemed a thing full of shame, yet for those doing the dragging, this served as wide amusement; for since they knew or had heard that they lived a solitary life and were completely estranged from associating with women, they were delighted in their minds, seeing them also suffering the same dire fate with women and being forced to live together with them out of necessity.

^D 11. These things having proceeded thus, and whatever one might logically conjecture from these events, others as well, and all the

^A plunder gathered in the tents of the Turks, the commander of the West again entered the city, to inspect it more thoroughly, so that nothing hidden anywhere should escape them. Thus, all the affairs of the city having been razed and reduced to nothing, not a sacred temple, nor a monastery, nor even the vilest house remained unshaken. And the cause was this: those among the citizens who possessed wealth and other goods that the long siege had not consumed, hearing of the enemy’s incursion and fearing what they might suffer, deposited them—some in sacred temples, others in tombs, others in whatever places they could—so that if death should befall them, as was expected, those who would come after them, finding these things, might, as is customary, do something for their souls; but if they should escape death, they would have them for themselves, and being made free, convert them to their own uses. But they were frustrated in their hope; for although they suffered unjust death—with God showing His own mercy, except for a few, as we have narrated above, we escaped—it did not befall ^B them to use their own property upon being restored to liberty. For the Turks, being clever and most ready in discovering many things through the experience of the matters they possess, insinuated themselves to the citizens they had taken captive—especially the women, who are most easily deceived—with words full of allurements and enticements, promising them complete liberty if they would reveal to them their own money or that of others. Deceived by the very name of liberty, each one immediately made it her business to reveal to her master both her own things and her neighbor's, if she had any knowledge of these. As the beginning of this evil occurred, and many of the Turks found money because of the women revealing the places where they were hidden, word of this spread throughout the whole army; and all who had brought captive people turned their minds to a similar zeal, some by promises painted with deceit, others by words likewise persuading ^C and deluding them into revealing their own money. And as for those whom they saw were more stubborn (for many of the more prudent hoped that by flattery and those many deceitful words they would give in, and thus preserve their hidden things for themselves), they inflicted various kinds of punishments upon them, until they even cast these into necessity and broke their resolve. Hence, even many of those who were thought to be firm, some being overcome by flatteries and others not enduring the punishments, were eager to reveal what was hidden, even against their will; for nature knows how to yield easily to every necessity, and especially when death is set before it. This became the cause of the razing of the holy temples and monasteries. For since money had been deposited in the holy temples for the sake of security—and that, in the very sanctuaries, under the most holy altars—and these things, under the pressure of necessity, were made known to those inflicting the punishments, the Turks set out to destroy their beauty, and the divine tables, ^D upon

ltars—and these things, under the pressure of necessity, were made known to those inflicting the punishments, the Turks set out to destroy their beauty, and the divine tables, upon ^A which the holy, living, and saving sacrifice of the entire world was performed, they eagerly sought to overturn and, alas, to treat as a footstool for those who wished (for they supposed that money lay beneath every stone, and for this reason they tore everything apart). This destruction, with its attendant insults, also befell the holy icons; some they engulfed in fire, as if to deprive us of the veneration owed to them, while others—O God, Your patience!—they shamelessly used for the display of goods in the middle of the marketplace; and some they even preserved—perhaps those who were more eager than others for the acquisition of money—and sold these for silver.

16. What, then, could you say about the myrrh-bearing precious shrine of our local trophy-bearer and martyr? ^B By no means did they leave this undisturbed or unmoved, as it was before, but in the excess of their madness, those who raged against us like wild beasts did so; yet not for the same reason that the other tombs of old, constructed by us, were opened and demolished, and the remains of the corpses lying in them scattered upon the ground. For in those, since many Turks found money that had been deposited by the citizens out of the hope [which we have already indicated], they opened and destroyed almost everything. But here it was for two reasons: because of the ornament surrounding it, which was fashioned from not a little gold and silver and precious stones and pearls, and because of the divine myrrh that provides health. For some stripped it only for the sake of the ornament; others, envying us the abundance of the myrrh ^C and desiring to deprive us of the healing that follows from it, so that in the future no such medicine would be available to us when there was need, wished to possess it themselves. Therefore, having cast down the marbles placed upon it, they hastened to drain the myrrh and to cast out the sacred and divine relic of the martyr; for they supposed they would achieve this goal and leave us in a state of deprivation of the inexhaustible myrrh. However, their lust, which they had rashly proposed for themselves, did not reach its end. For many days, therefore, the myrrh was being drained out with both hands, and to some it seemed simply ridiculous; ^D but those who were wiser than the others took care to carry it to their own homes and to handle it with reverence and awe; for they had heard from those who had experienced it that it was far more effective than medical drugs for any illness whatsoever. Nevertheless, they were unable to dry up or exhaust the fountain of myrrh, although they strove for a long time and with much contention. And rightly so; for the things graciously bestowed by God upon the worthy are not equal to human things, just as they are not subject to the same limits.

This same nefarious deed was perpetrated regarding the most sacred corpse of the holy and myrrh-streaming Theodora, which, as it was lying on the surface, laid prostrate on the ground—O the audacity, O the accursed hands!—and was torn into pieces. Some pious men took these up, one person here and one there, and carried them off beforehand as medicine without cost; later, these were gathered together by those who had taken them, some restoring them for a price, others giving them freely because of the pious conviction they harbored.

^A Likewise, these things, being once more refitted into the integrity of a single body, become known day by day through the efficacy of miracles, to the glory of Him who rules and governs all things in all men through the ineffable reasoning of His providence.

17. Thus, with these matters having progressed and complete disorder having occurred (for the destruction had spread through everything in the city), ^B Murad took pity on these things ^C regarding the state of the city. First, he drove out the Turks who had entered along with the commander from the West, those who had partitioned the houses of the captives among themselves and had hoped to possess them for their entire lives; and when they were not willing to leave the city, he said: "The money and the gain from the captives, which was beyond your expectations, are sufficient for you. As for the city, I myself wish to keep it, having traveled a journey of many days for its sake and having endured the labor that you know full well." Then, moving to the Gallikos River, which flows near the city and serves especially well during the winter season, he formed a plan, completely unexpected to all, yet highly beneficial for the captured city. For seeing a city of such size, so situated by the sea, and in all respects advantageous, he pitied it and desired to repopulate it again. In truth, he ordered that a significant number of people, those of more note by blood and kinship, be released from slavery, he himself providing the ransom, and he commanded them to settle within the city; next, he ordered that those parts of it that had collapsed in the war be quickly repaired and restored to their former splendor. Such were the commands. Then, having moved his army again, he pitched camp by the banks of the Vardar River; there, a complete division of the captives took place. For as many of the captives as had found some means of freedom—whether by the ransoms we mentioned before, or by their own means, or through other Christians who had helped them from various lands and cities—attained this while Murad was still lingering by the Gallikos River. But those to whom no means were available at that time due to poverty, each of them sent to their own homelands and places, to endure the pressures of slavery until they themselves could later return and settle their accounts; for he could not drag them along while setting out on a long journey for another war. You would have seen the unfortunate souls, some scattered toward the East, others toward the West; for some were being carried away separated from parents, others from children, and others from wives, and those whom nature had significantly joined as one, disaster separated. ^D

18. With our affairs proceeding in this way—and would that they had had no end!—and having reached such an outcome by the banks of the Vardar, Murad divided his army into two parts from there; one part he sent toward the regions of Ioannina, while he himself, taking the other part with him, went off toward others to subdue them as well and bring them under his rule. Previously, however, he had sent heralds through all the land under his control, that those who had abandoned Thessalonica many years ago and during the time of the siege, and had settled in other places, should return to it as quickly as they could

force to return with all possible speed and recover their own property as before. For a purpose, truly fine and worthy of much praise, entered his mind: to restore the city again to its inhabitants and to make it full, just as before. And this would have happened not long after, had not our own transgressions against God become an obstacle. For, moved by a desire to rebuild the city, in accordance with a humane intent he wished to grant liberty to all, and to give back to them, as I said before, both it and their own houses to possess as heretofore with all security, and whatever other immovable property might appertain to them. ^B Wherefore, they say, he even swore to those around him, the nobles, saying: "It would be unjust that, along with the goods of the conquered, the conquered themselves should also be cast into chains and led away from their native land. Let us therefore establish their liberty, if it seems good, either by receiving them without a ransom, or by us paying it ourselves." Some of those who heard it praised the proposal and encouraged him to do it; but one of the other commanders, the most eminent of them, not only did not accept what was said regarding liberty, but by whatever arguments he could, hindered the prince's plan, and because of his standing, he appeared to speak plausibly. ^C This, too, was entirely a fruit of my sins, as I persuade myself, just as also the rest of the things that have fallen out; although some, perhaps, receiving this account with ears not open, and not judging themselves the cause, while divine precepts are neglected, attribute the causes of these events to men. I, however, judge the whole matter to be a correction from God for my own amendment; for all the widespread destructions, as the divine Scriptures discern and declare, happen for the discipline of those who remain, God punishing common wickedness with public scourges.

^D Once the affairs of the city had therefore been divided among them as I have described, Murad claimed for himself the city, then empty of people, ordering all houses to be restored to their original owners who had obtained their liberty, as well as all other immovable property, adding to the evils that had already occurred only this: that he took possession of these holy houses—both the great temple of the Virgin and Theotokos, not made by hands, situated in the middle of the city, and the holy monastery, revered since ancient times under the name of the honorable Forerunner—the former as a symbol of victory and of the destruction that had been wrought, the latter because it had been taken by the Turks some years before—and he converted these into their own congregations and synagogues. Moreover, while building a famous bath in Adrianople from the foundations, he commanded that a thousand marbles be taken from this city and brought for the flooring of the bath, which were extracted by his overseers from the sacred temples and monasteries.

19. But the heralds went away to many parts of his territory, as we have related, and they forced those they found who were from Thessalonica, who some years before had departed from it, pressed by the straits of necessity, to return, and likewise those who had been captured and in one way or another delivered into liberty.

qui ante nonnullos annos rerum angustiis pressi ex ea secesserant, etiam vi reduces fecere, ipsos ante tempora tantummodo ex ea propter malorum continuationem profectos; sed plane ^A And indeed, very many of the pious, overcome by pity for that misfortune, had been redeemed through the liberality and, most of all, the princely service of those who, beyond others, surpass the rest in the virtue of benevolence toward the needy. For he entrusted gold to trusted friends, having commanded that it be spent for the liberation of the captives; nor was he frustrated in his design, for with that gold many were redeemed by those sent by him; and these, returning to their fatherland, as we conjecture, together with others who have gathered here from diverse places, are in number a thousand. And if one were to also count the Turks who have inhabited the city, they would be about two thousand. We were of the opinion that the city would again recover its former elegance, and that piety would blossom with new flowers, and that, as before, it would spread far and wide. And perhaps it would have had that effect, had not the multitude of our own faults again stood in the way, and had not wickedness found a place. ^B For from the time the city had been enslaved, and Murad had generously granted by both writing and word that all buildings and possessions, sacred temples and monasteries, and the sources of their revenues revert to us—who had in any way been liberated from servitude—and had openly proclaimed freedom for everyone arriving from all places, and everyone recovered their own homes and all their immovable property, and every order and the whole nation of the city began to advance toward a second growth and renewal; and a shepherd was ordained for the city, and the Church was restored and regained its former order, and the monks took possession of the monasteries and eagerly applied themselves to their augmentation: we all were feeding on good hopes, and, to put it briefly, we had cast off the memory of the evils brought upon us by the capture, and were rejoicing at the things we had unexpectedly attained, and—as the proverb says—the strap was cut from our skin, and our hopes were turned in the opposite direction. ^C And indeed, when Murad had arrived in Thessalonica (it was, I think, the second or third year after the capture) for the purpose of seeing it and learning its affairs more accurately, and of enjoying its goods, and of vying with his ancestor with munificent gifts, and of imitating that one’s nobility of purpose—who, having taken Thessalonica, had requited it with many favors—he came with such an intent; but, having been led astray by the bad advice of others, he changes his mind and alters his former intention, and whatever he did not carry out at the time we were captured, he determined to complete at that moment in time. Therefore, although he said he had come in order to look over the city and its individual parts, and to enjoy leisure and a respite from labor, and to luxuriously feast on its goods to satiety, and thus, being no less benevolently disposed toward it, to leave us better things to hope for in the future, nevertheless he gave the first command, which no one would have expected even in a dream. ^D That command, however, was for all the monasteries and temples to be occupied, and for all their revenues and possessions to be...

^A confiscated, and that our own affairs should arrive at a narrow strait, which also occurred not long after. Then he ordered that all houses and whatever else was in the city be registered, and that those of the present be counted separately from those of the absent. For he had conceived, or perhaps approved based on the counsel of others, a new kind of plan: that the resources of the present should be left to those in whose possession they were—though even this was not strictly observed—but that those of the absent, whether they were still living or had been removed from their number by death, should be partly reserved for future arrivals and partly given over to the Turks, whether they had chosen or were forced to dwell in the city, which is exactly what happened.

When all the property of the city had been registered with great care—some of our own people having been seen to assist in this, even those who, in my opinion, harbored this concept out of the most wicked and envious intent—and when it had been enumerated and assessed with great precision, and then divided into two parts according to the command, he then bestowed the monasteries, ^B those that were grander and more resplendent in beauty, upon his own kin and those invested with rank. Likewise, he bestowed the houses that were superior to the others in beauty and size upon them, leaving to us only the four churches that are called "catholic," this having been achieved through the most earnest efforts of the shepherd on our behalf. As for all the other dwellings and nearly all the churches, he decreed that they be handed over to those who had come from other places and had chosen to inhabit the city in place of their own homes, and to the Turks who had moved from Genitza.

This place, Genitza, is an entirely level plain, distant a day’s journey from the western part of the city. Whether because of its suitability or the industry of the one who first chose it as a place of habitation, it was well-populated with Turkish neighbors. As for this place, I know not for what reason, but when Murad, while visiting the city, went there for the sake of recreation and hunting wild beasts, he rendered it ^C almost deserted of its inhabitants, ordering them to depart quickly and move their dwelling to Thessalonica. The officials tasked with this command appeared to have fulfilled it with speed, delaying nothing after his departure; they went to all the Turks there and brought them, more by force than by persuasion, to Thessalonica, having provided them with other houses in place of those they had previously possessed, according to the command.

Both of these things, I believe, Murad had considered and had ordered to be done as they were: first, so that the city might have greater security and a more careful guard, being maritime and therefore in need of many inhabitants; and second, so that with the marketplace overflowing with an abundance of all kinds of goods ^D brought in from everywhere, the city might draw everyone to itself, and by mingling various needy nations through trade and commercial exchange, it might easily enrich itself.

21. Since matters had proceeded in this way, and the Turks, numbering one thousand, had occupied the city, and all had received houses and temples in place of dwellings, and had settled indiscriminately throughout the entire city, the city clothed itself in disorder as if in a mourning garment, stripped of its own beauty.

^A And, lamenting as if with a groan that an earthquake had not engulfed it, or fire consumed it, or water, rising from beneath or breaking from the clouds, had not covered and flooded it—for this would have been more tolerable, since it is far better that it should nowhere exist than that it should be presented to the sight of men in this manner. ^C Accordingly, the sacred temples were transformed into common lodgings, as we have said, and, to speak with the prophet, the sanctuaries of God were cast down with axe and hatchet; some preserve only the remnants of their former beauty and location, while ^B others, and indeed the majority, have fallen completely, so that not even where they once stood can be recognized. Their materials were plundered and added to other, newer structures, and especially to the common bath-house that is now seen in the center of the city. And it is permitted to hear from the older men of the city, "Here was such and such a temple, and there such and such," and all the beauties and charms that each possessed. And this is what the temples throughout the entire city have suffered. The monasteries, which the account previously mentioned, draw those who look upon them into the greatest sorrow, not only because they are bereft of monks—who were shamefully driven out and forced to migrate to other cities—but also because they have been deprived of the splendor that shone through them all. For their marbles were torn from their foundations, and all the rest of the material that had been assembled from the beginning for their completion and beauty was surrendered to the plunder of those who desired it; and now they are seen by all as an unsightly spectacle, moving even the souls of all to tears. ^C Many, indeed, would have preferred the city to have been left in its former state, and it would have been full of the pious and full of monks, overflowing with the joy and gladness proper to the Christ-named multitude, had such a detestable decree not been issued against it, and had things not proceeded in this way. Now, however, not only do those who long since had a desire to reach this city feel regret for their eagerness, but we ourselves also repent of our coming to the city, since all hope of a better state has been entirely taken away. For all things have been turned upside down, as the saying goes. And the city, like a ship caught in the deep sea, is tossed about by evils, being troubled ^D by winds—as it were—that strike it daily, filling it with great sea-sickness and dizziness, and not allowing it to obtain clear calm, nor to unfurl the sail of peace and stillness so as to reach the harbor of good things and stand at anchor in safety and remain unshaken. But it would surely be the work of God, and of His clear governance, to calm the rising waves of the things coming upon us, to steer us toward tranquility, to grant salvation, and to allow us to hold the helm for the future and to set sail for a second voyage, as they say, with all things changed for the better. And [may this happen] in a way that will be advantageous to the city, with our own trophy-bearer and martyr interceding for us, and again taking up the rudders of the fatherland, and against the immeasurable mountains of calamities [applying] his own power

And may it happen that it is not long hence, while God looks on with a merciful eye, and behaves with his customary philanthropy concerning those things for which we provoke him.

22. These things have followed up to this point, even if we have intentionally chosen to pass over some of them, because of the times and our own weakness in speaking. And since we were unable to decline your request and incur the mark of disobedience, we have committed ourselves ^B to the present narrative, just as permitted to us; for we promised this even in the beginning: to show nothing beyond our own capacity. Wherefore, if in anything we shall appear to have performed something worthy of your desire and the subject matter, this would be yours and that of your prayers for us; but if again we should seem in all things unfortunate, which is entirely necessary to suffer, whatever recompense might be given back to us, it would be just that you also should have shared in it, having urged us, who are unskilled, ^C to such a task, because you thought that we were something, we who are nothing and who everywhere contend that we are nothing. But I, for my part, most fervently entreat your prayers to be given back to me in exchange, most venerable Father; for being conscious of many sins in myself, I ask for the help of your prayers for their washing away.

Joannes Anagnosta's Monody, to the best of his ability, on the sacking of the city of Thessalonica.

Who, knowing how to balance laments with the sufferings of things, could worthily bewail the city of the Thessalonians? For this city, in as much as it surpassed in happiness all other cities by a great measure, ^D showing itself to be brilliant and desirable from every side, has now been struck by such an intensely unfortunate fate, that it is proposed as a subject for every kind of tear. For to those who were granted to enjoy its goods even for the least amount of time, nothing else occurs regarding it but what reconciles despair to the soul and forces fountains of tears from the eyes. For it surpassed many cities in beauty and position, and yet more in magnitude and abundance of goods. And that city, which before abounded in all good things and in riches celebrated by all, now (would that God had averted it!) lies dead in all its parts and is treated in the most wretched way. O how, like a magnet, it drew everyone to itself and permitted no one to be torn away from it! For it so detained those whom it welcomed with gifts from every region, and bound them with the indissoluble chains of friendship, that they preferred it to their fatherland and completely lost the memory of returning. Alas! Alas! Yet now, not only the foreigners, who, as I said, happened to be participants of its graces, but even those whom it brought forth, it has compelled with all zeal to seize flight and to dread and detest it as though it were a second Charybdis. O time, what things do you suddenly bring forth, and what changes do you bring into affairs! Well did the race of the wise, looking backward to the reversal of things, call you a wheel; for you displace and carry everything up and down. O

city that once sailed as if with a following wind, but then, a terrible storm having arisen, was miserably shattered and lost and cast away the wealth laid up within you! Not one of those belonging to you would ever willingly let you fall into oblivion, unless he were totally out of his mind. I for my part stand here remembering you with tears, and, to speak with the prophet, "a subtle darkness covers me," and seeking consolation for these things, I find that others suffer the same. O, how have you been stripped of your former seemliness, how has your splendor been extinguished, and how do you force those who behold you to mourn! For the ornaments that clothed you are all in confusion, and the beauty with which you adorned yourself has vanished at once. ^B You, who were formerly a theater of happiness, have now become a specter to all, detestable, and you drive away even those who chose to dwell with you, unwilling as they are, since they cannot bear to see you in such misfortune. For those who know you as nurse and mother act toward you, now that you have departed, just as those who carry out a mother who has died, and all men make you a tale of sorrow. As for those who were present—and I, whenever I call to memory other things about the city, though they are many and great, and such as no discourse is sufficient to narrate, I am filled with dizziness and am unable to control myself for grief—when I even consider the most beautiful ornament you have lost—I mean the temples, divine and the dwellings of venerable men in every part of the city—I am seen by those present as almost silent and speechless, and I hardly recover myself from the suffering. ^C For these were the glances and pupils of the eyes for the city, and having now fallen asleep, they have made it dark on every side. And why should I not mention what is better? One might have likened this city to heaven and earth with good reason; for the upper part, formerly holding inhabitants who were shining in virtue, kept the form of heaven, and the lower part, adjacent to the sea, that of earth. And if one were also to say that these were columns holding the city together, he would not be mistaken. O strange event! Where the labors of the ascetic life of all were once honored, things hateful to God are now practiced. And God defers the vengeance. O the endurance of God! How did you endure such things? It would have been better for the earth to have split and covered you than for this to be transformed in this way. It would have been better for it to have fallen in one earthquake, and not for even remains to have been left in that place; ^D for then the suffering would not have so bitten into the souls of those who beheld it. To us, even entering within the sanctuary seemed terrible, and it was accessible only to those appointed to it, who had previously purified themselves in soul and body; but now, alas! it is open to abominable men, and they do not refrain from such audacity. And the earth does not split open and swallow up those who act against God, the sun does not burn them from above, nor does the heaven send down a violent rain and drown the iniquity. Where songs of divine oracles were sung with sobriety of mind and senses, and minds from above were singing in harmony, there is now raised a clamor of wordless voices, and the tribe of demons rejoices, seeing the servant of the all-night singing of hymns now fallen silent.