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is distant, and in another place it happens that the distance 2.25 is of this measure. And yet if he had wished at the beginning to cross the Tigris River with his entire army, I think that he would have plundered all the lands of Assyria, and would have reached the city of Ctesiphon with no one at all resisting them, and having rescued the captives from Antioch, and as many other Romans as happened to be there, would have returned to his native land. And then he also became chiefly responsible for Chosroes' returning home from Colchis with less fear. In what manner this happened I shall immediately make clear. 2.26 When Chosroes, the son of Cabades, invaded the land of Colchis and accomplished the other things which I have previously recounted, and captured Petra, it came about that many of the Median army perished both in the war and because of the difficult terrain. For, as I have said, the land of Lazica 2.27 is difficult to traverse and altogether precipitous. And indeed, when a plague also fell upon them, it resulted that the greatest part of the army was lost, and it happened that many of them also perished 2.28 from lack of provisions. At this time also some men coming from the land of Persia brought news that Belisarius had defeated Nabedes in battle near the city of Nisibis and was advancing, and that having taken the fortress of Sisauranon by siege he had made Bleschames and eight hundred Persian cavalry prisoners of war, and had sent another Roman army with Arethas, the ruler of the Saracens, which, having crossed the Tigris River, had plundered all the lands in that region, which had previously been unravaged. 2.29 Chosroes had also happened to send an army of Huns against the Armenians who were subjects of the Romans, so that, by being occupied with them, the Romans in that area might have no 2.30 awareness of what was being done in Lazica. And others reported that these barbarians, having encountered Valerian and the Romans and joined battle, were defeated by them by a great margin in the fight and for the most part perished. 2.31 When the Persians heard these things, being worn out by the hardship among the Lazi, and fearing that on their retreat they might encounter some enemy army in the cliffs and wooded places and all perish in disorder, and having become terrified for their children and wives and their fatherland, all who were of sound mind in the Median army began to revile Chosroes, charging that he, having been impious toward his oaths and the common laws of all men, had invaded the land of the Romans during a truce for no good reason, and was wronging a state ancient and most worthy of all, which he would not be able to overcome in war; and they were on the point of attempting a revolution. 2.32 Greatly disturbed by this, Chosroes devised the following cure for the trouble. For he read out to them a letter which the empress had recently 2.33 happened to write to Zaberganes. The letter declared the following: 'How much I value you, O Zaberganes, believing you to be well-disposed to our affairs, you know, since you came to us on an embassy 2.34 not long ago. You would, therefore, be acting in accordance with the opinion which I have of you, if you were to persuade King Chosroes to adopt a peaceful policy toward our 2.35 state. For thus I promise you that great benefits will come to you from my husband, who would do nothing 2.36 whatever even without my consent.' After reading this, Chosroes, reproaching the Persian nobles for thinking that a state administered by a woman was a real state, 2.37 succeeded in checking the men's impulse. But even so he departed from there with great fear, thinking that Belisarius and his men would stand in their way. But when none of the enemy met him, he returned gladly to his own land. 3.1 And Belisarius, having come into Roman territory, found his wife had arrived from Byzantium. And he kept her in dishonor, and though he often attempted to make an end of her, he softened, in my opinion, 3.2 having been overcome by a certain burning love. But they say that he was also overcome by his wife's sorcery and was instantly enervated. And Photius was quickly sent to Ephesus, having bound and brought with him one of the eunuchs, Calligonus by name, who was the pander for his mistress, who

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διέχει, ἑτέρωθι δὲ τούτου δὴ τοῦ μέτρου ξυμβαίνει 2.25 τὸ μεταξὺ εἶναι. καίτοι εἰ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ Τίγριν ποταμὸν διαβῆναι κατ' ἀρχὰς ἤθελεν, οἶμαι ἂν αὐτὸν ξύμπαντα ληΐσασθαι τὰ ἐπὶἈσσυρίας χωρία, καὶ μέχρι ἐς Κτησιφῶντα πόλιν οὐδενὸς τὸ παράπαν ἀντιστατοῦντος σφίσιν ἀφῖχθαι, καὶ τούς τεἈντιοχέων αἰχμαλώτους, ὅσοι τεῬωμαίων ἄλλοι ἐνταῦθα ὄντες ἐτύγχανον, διασωσάμενον ἐπανήκειν ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ Χοσρόῃ αἰτιώτατος γέγονεν ἀδεέστερον ἐπ' οἴκου ἀποκομίζεσθαι ἐκ τῆς Κολχίδος. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον τετύχηκε τοῦτο αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 2.26Ἡνίκα Χοσρόης ὁ Καβάδου εἰς γῆν ἐμβαλὼν τὴν Κολχίδα τά τε ἄλλα διεπράξατο, ἅπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν δεδιήγηται, καὶ Πέτραν εἷλε, πολλοὺς τοῦ Μήδων στρατοῦ διεφθάρθαι ξυνέβη τῷ τε πολέμῳ καὶ ταῖς δυσχωρίαις. δύσοδός τε γὰρ, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, ἡ 2.27 Λαζική ἐστι καὶ ὅλως κρημνώδης. καὶ μὴν καὶ λοιμοῦ ἐπιπεσόντος σφίσι τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀπολωλέναι ξυνέπεσε, πολλοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων 2.28 τῇ ἀπορίᾳ διεφθάρθαι ξυνέβη. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καί τινες ἐκ γῆς τῆς Περσίδος ἐνταῦθα ἐπιχωριάζοντες ἤγγελλον ὡς Ναβέδην μὲν Βελισάριος ἀμφὶ πόλιν Νίσιβιν μάχῃ νικήσας πρόσω χωροίη, πολιορκίᾳ δὲ τὸ Σισαυράνων ἑλὼν φρούριον Βλησχάμην τε καὶ Περσῶν ἱππεῖς ὀκτακοσίους δορυαλώτους πεποίηται, στράτευμα δὲ ἄλλοῬωμαίων ξύν γεἈρέθᾳ τῷ Σαρακηνῶν ἄρχοντι πέμψειεν, ὅπερ διαβὰν ποταμὸν Τίγριν ξύμπαντα λεηλατήσειε τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, πρότερον ἀδῄωτα ὄντα. 2.29 ἐτύγχανε δὲ καὶ στράτευμα Οὔννων ἐπὶἈρμενίους τοὺςῬωμαίων κατηκόους ὁ Χοσρόης στείλας, ὅπως τῇ ἐς αὐτοὺς ἀσχολίᾳ μηδεμία τοῖς ταύτῃῬωμαίοις τῶν 2.30 ἐν Λαζικῇ πρασσομένων αἴσθησις γένηται. τούτους τε τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπήγγελλον ἕτεροι Βαλεριανῷ καὶῬωμαίοις ὑπαντιάσασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντας παρά τε πολὺ αὐτῶν ἡσσηθέντας τῇ μάχῃ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀπο2.31 λωλέναι. ἅπερ οἱ Πέρσαι ἀκούσαντες καὶ κακοπαθείᾳ μὲν τῇ ἐν Λαζοῖς κεκακωμένοι, δεδιότες δὲ μή τινι ἐν τῇ ἀποπορείᾳ ἐντυχόντες πολεμίων στρατῷ ἐν κρημνοῖς καὶ χωρίοις λοχμώδεσιν ἅπαντες οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ διαφθαρεῖεν, περιδεεῖς ἀμφί τε παισὶ καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ τῇ πατρίδι γεγενημένοι, εἴ τι καθαρὸν ἦν ἐν τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ, Χοσρόῃ ἐλοιδοροῦντο ἐπικαλοῦντες ὡς ἔς τε τοὺς ὅρκους ἠσεβηκὼς καὶ τὰ κοινὰ νόμιμα πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσβάλοι μὲν ἐν σπονδαῖς ἐςῬωμαίων τὴν γῆν οὐδὲν προσῆκον, ἀδικοίη δὲ πολιτείαν ἀρχαίαν τε καὶ ἀξιωτάτην πασῶν μάλιστα, ἧς τῷ πολέμῳ περιεῖναι οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο· ἔμελλον δὲ νεωτέροις ἐγχει2.32 ρεῖν πράγμασιν. οἷς δὴ ὁ Χοσρόης ξυνταραχθεὶς εὕρετο τοῦ κακοῦ ἴασιν τήνδε. γράμματα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀνελέξατο, ἅπερ ἔναγχος ἡ βασιλὶς τῷ Ζαβεργάνῃ 2.33 ἐτύγχανε γράψασα. ἐδήλου δὲ ἡ γραφὴ τάδε «Ὅπως «σε, ὦ Ζαβεργάνη, διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχω, εὔνουν σε οἰο»μένη τοῖς ἡμετέροις πράγμασιν εἶναι, οἶσθα ἐπὶ πρεσ2.34 «βείᾳ οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον ἐς ἡμᾶς ἀφιγμένος. οὐκοῦν «πράττοις ἂν εἰκότα τῇ δόξῃ, ἣν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔχω, εἴ γε «βασιλέα Χοσρόην εἰρηναῖα πείθοις ἐς πολιτείαν τὴν 2.35 «ἡμετέραν βουλεύεσθαι. οὕτω γάρ σοι ἀγαθὰ μεγάλα «πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀναδέχομαι τοὐμοῦ ἔσεσθαι, ὅς γε οὐδὲν 2.36 «ἂν ὅ τι καὶ ἄνευ γνώμης τῆς ἐμῆς πράξειεν.» ταῦτα ὁ Χοσρόης ἀναλεξάμενος, ὀνειδίσας τε Περσῶν τοῖς λογίμοις εἰ πολιτείαν οἴονται εἶναι, ἣν γυνὴ διοικεῖται, 2.37 τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁρμὴν ἀναστέλλειν ἔσχεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ξὺν δέει πολλῷ ἐνθένδε ἀπῄει, τοὺς ἀμφὶ Βελισάριον οἰόμενος σφίσιν ἐμποδὼν στήσεσθαι. οὐδενὸς δέ οἱ τῶν πολεμίων ὑπαντιάσαντος ἄσμενος ἐς γῆν τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπεκομίσθη. 3.1 Γενόμενος δὲ ὁ Βελισάριος ἐς γῆν τὴνῬωμαίων εὑρίσκει τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἀφικομένην. καὶ αὐτὴν μὲν ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐφύλασσε, πολλάκις τε διαχειρίσασθαι αὐτὴν ἐγχειρήσας ἐμαλθακίσθη, ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ, 3.2 ἔρωτος ἡσσηθεὶς διαπύρου τινός. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ μαγγανείαις πρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς καταλαμβανόμενον ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἐκλύεσθαι. Φώτιος δὲ κατὰ τάχος ἐς τὴνἜφεσον στέλλεται, τῶν τινα εὐνούχων, Καλλίγονον ὄνομα, προαγωγὸν τῆς κεκτημένης ὄντα δεσμεύσας τε καὶ ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων, ὅσπερ