For during this oppression he found a little refreshment in being moved, and the Empress contrived that he should have it continually, for she had legs fitted at the head and foot of the Emperor’s couch and then ordered men to lift him and carry him, and there were relays of men fort hisw ork. After this he was removed from the large palace to Mangana. But even when this had been done, it did not contribute to the Emperor’s recovery. When the Empress saw that the disease was gaining ground and she quite despaired of any human help, she made still more fervent intercessions to God on his behalf, and had numbers of candles lighted in every sanctuary and continuous and endless hymns sung, and largess distributed to the dwellers in every land and on every sea.
And all the monks who dwelt on mountains or in caves or led their solitary life elsewhere she stirred up to making lengthy supplications. And all those who were sick or confined in prison and worn out with suffering she made very rich by donations and invited them to offer prayers for the Emperor. But when the Emperor’s abdomen had swollen and become very prominent, and his feet had swollen too and fever mastered his imperial body, then the doctors had recourse to cautery and thought little of the fever.
Medical fraternity term
But all treatment was useless and vain, nor did the cauterization help, but his digestive and respiratory organs remained in the same bad state. And now as if from some other source the rheumatics introduced themselves into the uvula and the palate, as the medical fraternity term it and his gums became inflamed and his larynx congested and his tongue swollen; consequently the ducts, through which nourishment had to pass, were narrowed and closed up at their extremities and the terrible evil of starvation loomed before us. And yet, God knows, I occupied myself diligently with the preparation of his food and brought it to him daily with my own hands and tried to make it all easy to swallow.
All remedies applied for healing the inflamed tumours seemed . . . and all our efforts and those of the physicians were vain. Eleven days had gone by since the final stage of the disease attacked him, rose to its height and threatened danger . . . his condition became worse and diarrhoea supervened. Thus one ill upon another was heaped upon us at that time. And now neither the disciples of Asclepius nor we who nursed the Emperor knew which way to look, nor . . . but all things pointed to the end.
Read More about Victory over the Turks part 37
