great, manly efforts of Cyrus be known, which Tomyris had finished
off with a bag of gore.[125] You would have mourned the outcome,
good Pyrrus, looking upon Tarentum; you babble uselessly of taking on
new wars with elephants. Once, twice, three times Hanibal's men cut
down the Quirites like wheat, but they were at last defeated and left
the city. Although under Caesar there was ten-year fight without
loss, let it be clear that the sojourn in the fields of Gaul was
harmful. The task took very little time, and was entirely successful.
Since God was involved, everything turned out well in the end.
Those who died as martyrs had a glorious fate, and those who did not
judged that the suffering mitigated their sins.[126]

Part of the city was bordered by a long, broad, stagnant lake, upon
which the enemy was seen launching boats, freely going in and out,
carrying wood and fodder and other necessary items. Our leaders held
a meeting about this activity, and they agreed to send a delegation
to the prince of Constantinople, to urge him to send as many ships as
possible to the city of Civitot, where there was a port, and to
collect a great number of bulls to carry the ships over the
mountains and through the forests until they reached the
above-mentioned lake. The plan was discussed and carried out quickly,
urged on by the prince; those who are called the Turkopoles, that is,
the knights of his court, were sent on the expedition. When the
boats were brought, in accordance with the emperor's orders, they
remained still on the day that they were brought. That night,
however, they put the boats on the lake, and the Turkopoles, very
well equipped with weapons, got into them. In the morning the fleet
assembled, and proceeded slowly towards the city, as though they were
bringing tribute. The Turks, who were amazed at the sight of the
ships, could not decide whether they were their own, or the emperor's.