2.7.2–2.8.1

(May 1097)  The crusaders make their way to Nicaea, but food is scarce until Bohemond joins them and organizes a better supply chain. They besiege the city and begin to destroy its fortifications. The Turks call for reinforcements, but the troops of Raymond of Toulouse and Adhémar of le Puy block them.

2.7.2

caput tōtīus Romāniae: Nicaea was the capital of the region of Asia Minor controlled by the Turks, called Romania (“Rum”) after its original “Roman” inhabitants, the Byzantine Greeks.

II nonas Maii: May 6, 1097.

utrimque: “in both ways,” i.e., by both land and sea.

veniēbant: the plural anticipates ille (mercatus) per terram et ille per mare.

2.8.1

In diē autem Ascēnsiōnis Dominī: May 14, 1097.

īnstrūmenta lignōrum atque turrēs ligneās: the most important siege engine in this case seems to have been the mantlet or "armored roof," a mobile hut allowing engineers to approach the walls and undermine them. The crusaders also used the mangonel (traction trebuchet), a kind of catapault.

in hunc modum: literally “in this way,” i.e., "with this message."

per merīdiānam introeant portam = introeant et per merīdiānam portam.

quoniam ex illā nēmō eīs erit obviam nec contrīstābit: "since no one from it (the gate) would be in their way nor harm them."  In CL the future indicatives would be imperfect subjunctives, in a causal clause in implied indirect statement. 

in diē sabbatī post Ascēnsiōnem Dominī: May 16, 1097.

comite sānctī Egidīī: Raymond of Toulouse.

epīscopō Podiēnsī:  Adhémar, bishop of Le Puy.

ac: ac is superfluous (and thus emphatic), as though our author forgot that protectus is a participle, or had written protectus est.

terrēnīs fulgēbat armīs: "shone with earthly weapons"; the contrast is with the more spiritual divina virtus.