The Capture of Antioch
[8.20.1] Erat quīdam ammīrātus dē genere Turcōrum cui nōmen Pirus, quī maximam amīcitiam recēperat cum Boamundō. Hunc saepe Boamundus pulsābat, nūntiīs adinvicem missīs, quō eum īnfrā cīvitātem amīcissimē reciperet; eīque Chrīstiānitātem līberius prōmittēbat, et eum sē dīvitem factūrum cum multō honōre mandābat. Cōnsēnsit ille dictīs et prōmissiōnibus, dīcēns: “Trēs turrēs cūstōdiō, eīque libenter ipsās prōmittō, et, quācumque hōrā voluerit, in eās eum recolligam.” Erat itaque Boamundus iam sēcūrus dē introitū cīvitātis, et, gāvīsus serēnāque mente placidō vultū, vēnit ad omnēs seniōrēs, eīsque iōcunda verba intulit, dīcēns: “Virī prūdentissimī mīlitēs, vidēte quōmodo nōs omnēs in nimiā paupertāte et miseriā sumus, māiōrēs sīve minōrēs; et ignōrāmus penitus quā parte melius succēdat nōbīs. Igitur sī vōbīs bonum et honestum vidētur, ēligat sē ante aliōs ūnus ex nōbīs, et sī aliquō modō vel ingeniō cīvitātem adquīrere vel ingeniāre potuerit per sē vel per aliōs, concordī vōce eī urbem dōnō concēdāmus.” Quī omnīnō prohibuērunt, et dēnegāvērunt dīcentēs: “Nēminī dīmittētur haec cīvitās, sed omnēs aequāliter habēbimus illam. Sīcut aequālem habuimus labōrem, sīc inde aequālem habeāmus honōrem.” Itaque Boamundus, audītis hīs verbīs, paulomīnus subrīdēns prōtinus recessit.
notes
(May 1098) Bohemond sends messages to a Turkish official named Firuz, urging him to betray the city to the crusaders. Firuz agrees, writing that he has charge of three of the towers on the city walls, and will admit Bohemond to any one of them. Armed with this inside knowledge, Bohemond proposes to the other crusader leaders that Antioch should belong to any crusader who is responsible for capturing it. His proposal, however, is rejected.
quīdam ammīrātus ... Pirus: “a certain Turkish emir named Firuz.” Modern scholars suggest that he was probably Armenian.
Hunc saepe Boamundus pulsābat ... quō: "Bohemond often begged him that ...."
īnfrā cīvitātem: CL would be intrā cīvitātem.
eīque Chrīstiānitātem līberius prōmittēbat: Bohemond promised Firuz that he would willingly allow him to convert Christianity.
et eum sē dīvitem factūrum ... mandābat: “and he [Bohemond] ordered that he [Firuz] would be made rich with much honor.”
eīque libenter ipsās prōmittō: “and I freely promise them to him (Bohemond).” We infer that Firuz is speaking to messengers from Bohemond.
in eās eum recolligam: “I will receive him (Bohemond) into them (the towers)."
eīsque iōcunda verba intulit: "he (Bohemond) brought to them sly words"; (Hill translates iocunda "jokingly").
quā parte: “from what direction, whence, where.”
melius: “a better situation.”
ēligat sē ante aliōs ūnus ex nōbīs = ūnus ex nōbīs ēligat sē ante aliōs. The crusader leaders were generally reluctant to defer to any one of their number, especially Bohemond.
eī ... dōnō: double dat.
vocabulary
pulsō (1): to beat (on someone’s door); importune with prayers, beg
mandō (1): to order, command
custōdiō custōdīre costōdīvī or custōdiī custōdītum: to keep safe, protect, guard
recolligō recolligere recollēgī recollectum: to gather up (CL); receive (ML)
sēcūrus –a –um: confident
gaudeō gaudēre gāvīsus: to rejoice
iōcundus (iūcundus) –a –um: agreeable (CL); deceptive sly (ML)
penitus: completely, utterly, absolutely
ēligō ēligere ēlēgī ēlēctum: to select
ingenium –iī, n.: clever device, contrivance (OLD 6b)
ingeniō (1): to capture in a tricky way (ML)
paulomīnus: a little less
