with some few small stones. In the night he came there alone, and,
making trial of the entrance, got inside the circuit-wall; then at
daybreak he reported the whole matter to Cabades. The king himself on
the following night came to the spot with a few men, bringing ladders
which he had made ready. And he was favoured by a piece of good fortune;
for the defence of the very tower which happened to be nearest to the
passage had fallen by lot to those of the Christians who are most
careful in their observances, whom they call monks. These men, as chance
would have it, were keeping some annual religious festival to God on
that day. When night came on they all felt great weariness[9] on account
of the festival, and, having sated themselves with food and drink beyond
their wont, they fell into a sweet and gentle sleep, and were
consequently quite unaware of what was going on. So the Persians made
their way through the passage inside the fortifications, a few at a
time, and, mounting the tower, they found the monks still sleeping and
slew them to a man. When Cabades learned this, he brought his ladders up
to the wall close by this tower. It was already day. And those of the
townsmen who were keeping guard on the adjoining tower became aware of
the disaster, and ran thither with all speed to give assistance. Then
for a long time both sides struggled to crowd back the other, and
already the townsmen were gaining the advantage, killing many of those
who had mounted the wall, and throwing back the men on the ladders, and
they came very near to averting the danger. But Cabades drew his sword
and, terrifying the Persians constantly with it, rushed in person to the
ladders and would not let them draw back, and death was the punishment
for those who dared turn to leave. As a result of this the Persians by
their numbers gained the upper hand and overcame their antagonists in
the fight. So the city was captured by storm on the eightieth day after
the beginning of the siege. [Jan. 11, 503 A.D.] There followed a great
massacre of the townspeople, until one of the citizens--an old man and a