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the diver, since he was about to be caught not far from the shore, hurled the prize to the land with all his might, but he himself, having been caught, 1.4.30 perished not long after. And those who had been left on the shore picked up the pearl and both brought it to the king and reported all that had happened. 1.4.31 So the Persians say that the events concerning this pearl happened in this way, just as has been told. But I will return to the former narrative. 1.4.32 In this way, then, Perozes was destroyed and with him the entire Persian army. For if anyone happened not to have fallen into the ditch, he came into the hands of the enemy. 1.4.33 And from this, a law was established for the Persians that they should never, while campaigning in enemy land, engage in any pursuit, even if it should happen that their opponents were completely rou1.4.34 ted. However, as many as had not campaigned with Perozes and remained in their own country, these chose for themselves as king Cabades, the youngest son of Perozes, 1.4.35 who alone survived at that time. At that time, indeed, the Persians became subject to the Ephthalites for the payment of tribute, until Cabades, having strengthened his rule most firmly, no longer deigned to pay them the annual tribute. And these barbarians ruled the Persians for two years. 1.5.1 And afterwards Cabades, exercising his rule in a more violent manner, both introduced other innovations into the state and wrote a law that Persians should have intercourse with their women in common; which in no way pleased the populace. Therefore, rising up against him, they both deposed him from his rule and, having bound him, 1.5.2 held him in prison. And they chose for themselves as king Blases, the 1.5.2 brother of Perozes, since no male offspring of Perozes was left, as has been said, and for the Persians it is not lawful to establish a man of private station as king, unless the royal family is completely extinct; 1.5.3 But Blases, having taken over the kingdom, both gathered the nobles of the Persians and took counsel concerning Cabades; for it was not the will of the majority to kill the man. 1.5.4 There, indeed, many opinions were expressed, arguing for both sides, but a certain one of the notable men among the Persians came forward, Gousanastades by name, and chanaranges in rank (this would be a general among the Persians), holding his command somewhere at the very extremities of the Persian land in a country which is adjacent to the Ephthalites, and showing the knife with which the Persians are accustomed to cut the projecting parts of their nails, having a length about that of a man's finger, and a thickness not even a third of a finger, 1.5.5 "You see this knife," he said, "being exceedingly small; yet this is able at the present moment to accomplish a deed, which, as you well know, a little later, O dearest Persians, two myriads of armed men 1.5.6 would not be able to perform." He said these things, indicating that, if they did not do away with Cabades, he, being at large, would straightway cause trouble for the Persians. 1.5.7 But they decided not to kill a man of the royal blood at all, but to imprison him in a fortress which they are accustomed to call the Prison of Oblivion. 1.5.8 For if anyone should happen to be thrown in there, the law no longer permits any memory of him, but death is the penalty for one who has named him; for this very reason it has received this name 1.5.9 from the Persians. But once, the history of the Armenians says that the force of the law concerning the Prison of Oblivion was broken for the Persians in the following manner. 1.5.10 A war without truce once arose between the Persians and the Armenians for thirty-two years when Pacurius was king of the Persians, and Arsaces, an Arsacid man, of the Armenians. And with this war being prolonged, it happened that both were exceedingly distressed, and especially the Armenians. 1.5.11 And being held by great mistrust of one another, neither side was able to send heralds to their opponents. At this time, it happened that the Persians were engaged in a war with certain other barbarians who dwelt not far from the Armenians. 1.5.12 And the Armenians, being eager to make a demonstration to the Persians of their goodwill and peace toward them, decided to invade the land of these barbarians, having first announced this to the Persians. 1.5.13 And falling upon them unexpectedly, they killed almost all of them from youth upwards. And the

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σαγηνευτὴς, ἐπεὶ καταλαμβάνεσθαι τῆς ἠιόνος οὐ μακρὰν ἔμελλε, τὸ μὲν θήραμα ἠκόντισεν ἐς τὴν γῆν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἁλοὺς 1.4.30 διεφθάρη οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ἀνελόμενοι δὲ τὸ μάργαρον οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκτῆς λελειμμένοι τῷ τε βασιλεῖ ἀπεκόμισαν καὶ τὰ ξυνενεχθέντα πάντα ἐσήγγειλαν. 1.4.31 τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ μαργάρῳ τούτῳ τῇδε, ᾗπερ ἐρρήθη, Πέρσαι ξυνενεχθῆναί φασιν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον λόγον ἐπάνειμι. 1.4.32 Οὕτω μὲν Περόζης τε διεφθάρη καὶ ξύμπασα ἡ Περσῶν στρατιά. εἰ γάρ τις οὐκ ἐμπεπτωκὼς ἐς τὴν διώρυχα ἔτυχεν, ὅδε ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ταῖς χερσὶ 1.4.33 γέγονε. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ νόμος τέθειται Πέρσαις μή ποτε σφᾶς ἐν γῇ πολεμίᾳ ἐλαύνοντας δίωξιν ποιεῖσθαί τινα, ἢν καὶ κατὰ κράτος τοὺς ἐναντίους σφίσι τρα1.4.34 πῆναι ξυμβαίη. ὅσοι μέντοι Περόζῃ οὐ ξυστρατεύσαντες ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ αὑτῶν ἔμειναν, οὗτοι δὴ βασιλέα σφίσι Καβάδην εἵλοντο τὸν νεώτατον Περόζου υἱὸν, 1.4.35 ὅσπερ τηνικαῦτα περιῆν μόνος. τότε δὴ Ἐφθαλίταις κατήκοοι ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγὴν ἐγένοντο Πέρσαι, ἕως Καβάδης τὴν ἀρχὴν ἰσχυρότατα κρατυνάμενος φόρον αὐτοῖς ἀποφέρειν τὸν ἐπέτειον οὐκέτι ἠξίου. ἦρξαν δὲ Περσῶν οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἐνιαυτοὺς δύο. 1.5.1 Μετὰ δὲ Καβάδης ἐπὶ τὸ βιαιότερον τῇ ἀρχῇ χρώμενος ἄλλα τε νεώτερα ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν εἰσῆγε καὶ νόμον ἔγραψεν ἐπὶ κοινὰ ταῖς γυναιξὶ μίγνυσθαι Πέρσας· ὅπερ τὸ πλῆθος οὐδαμῆ ἤρεσκε. διὸ δὴ αὐτῷ ἐπαναστάντες παρέλυσάν τε τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ δήσαντες 1.5.2 ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχον. καὶ βασιλέα μὲν σφίσι Βλάσην τὸν 1.5.2 Περόζου ἀδελφὸν εἵλοντο, ἐπειδὴ γόνος μὲν οὐδεὶς ἔτι ἄρρην Περόζῃ, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐλέλειπτο, Πέρσαις δὲ οὐ θέμις ἄνδρα ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν καθίστασθαι ἰδιώτην γένος, ὅτι μὴ ἐξιτήλου παντάπασι γένους 1.5.3 τοῦ βασιλείου ὄντος· Βλάσης δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν Περσῶν τε τοὺς ἀρίστους ξυνέλεξε καὶ τὰ ἀμφὶ τῷ Καβάδῃ ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιεῖτο· τὸν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον 1.5.4 ἀποκτιννύναι οὐκ ἦν βουλομένοις τοῖς πλείοσιν. ἔνθα δὴ πολλαὶ μὲν ἐλέχθησαν γνῶμαι ἐφ' ἑκάτερα φέρουσαι, παρελθὼν δὲ τῶν τις ἐν Πέρσαις λογίμων, ὄνομα μὲν Γουσαναστάδης, χαναράγγης δὲ τὸ ἀξίωμα (εἴη δ' ἂν ἐν Πέρσαις στρατηγὸς τοῦτό γε), πρὸς αὐταῖς που ταῖς ἐσχατιαῖς τῆς Περσῶν γῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχων ἐν χώρᾳ ἣ τοῖς Ἐφθαλίταις ὅμορός ἐστι, καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν ἐπιδείξας ᾗ τῶν ὀνύχων τὰ προὔχοντα Πέρσαι εἰώθασιν ἀποτέμνεσθαι, μῆκος μὲν ὅσον δακτύλου ἀνδρὸς, πάχος δὲ οὐδὲ τριτημόριον δακτύλου ἔχουσαν 1.5.5 «ταύτην ὁρᾶτε» εἶπε «τὴν μάχαιραν, βραχεῖαν παντά»πασιν οὖσαν· αὕτη μέντοι ἔργον ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἐπι»τελεῖν οἵα τέ ἐστιν, ὅπερ εὖ ἴστε ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον, ὦ «φίλτατοι Πέρσαι, μυριάδες δύο τεθωρακισμένων ἀν1.5.6 «δρῶν ἐξεργάζεσθαι οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο.» ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἶπε, παραδηλῶν ὡς, ἢν μὴ Καβάδην ἀνέλωσιν, αὐτίκα 1.5.7 πράγματα Πέρσαις περιὼν παρέξει. οἱ δὲ κτεῖναι ἄνδρα τοῦ βασιλείου αἵματος οὐδ' ὅλως ἔγνωσαν, ἀλλ' ἐν φρουρίῳ καθεῖρξαι ὅπερ τῆς Λήθης καλεῖν νενο1.5.8 μίκασιν. ἢν γάρ τις ἐνταῦθα ἐμβληθεὶς τύχῃ, οὐκέτι ὁ νόμος ἐφίησι μνήμην αὐτοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ θάνατος τῷ ὠνομακότι ἡ ζημία ἐστί· διὸ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυ1.5.9 μίαν ταύτην πρὸς Περσῶν ἔλαχεν. ἅπαξ δὲ ἡ τῶν Ἀρμενίων ἱστορία φησὶ νόμου τοῦ ἀμφὶ τῷ Λήθης φρουρίῳ παραλελύσθαι τὴν δύναμιν Πέρσαις τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. 1.5.10 Πόλεμός ποτε Πέρσαις τε καὶ Ἀρμενίοις ἀκήρυκτος γέγονεν εἰς δύο καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη ἐπὶ Πακουρίου μὲν Περσῶν βασιλεύοντος, Ἀρμενίων δὲ Ἀρσάκου Ἀρσακίδουἀνδρός. τούτῳ τε τῷ πολέμῳ μηκυνομένῳ κεκακῶσθαι μὲν ἐς ἄγαν ἀμφοτέρους ξυνέβη καὶ διαφερόντως τοὺς 1.5.11 Ἀρμενίους. ἀπιστίᾳ δὲ πολλῇ ἐς ἀλλήλους ἐχόμενοι ἐπικηρυκεύεσθαι παρὰ τοὺς ἐναντίους οὐδέτεροι εἶχον. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Πέρσας τετύχηκε πόλεμον πρὸς ἄλλους βαρβάρους τινὰς οὐ πόρρω Ἀρμενίων ᾠκημένους 1.5.12 διενεγκεῖν. οἵ τε Ἀρμένιοι ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχοντες ἐπίδειξιν ἐς Πέρσας τῆς ἐς αὐτοὺς εὐνοίας τε καὶ εἰρήνης ποιήσασθαι, ἐσβαλεῖν ἐς τούτων δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν γῆν ἔγνωσαν, δηλώσαντες τοῦτο πρότερον Πέρ1.5.13 σαις. ἀπροσδόκητοί τε αὐτοὶ ἐπιπεσόντες σχεδόν τι ἅπαντας ἡβηδὸν ἔκτειναν. ὅ τε