having made a written copy as similar as possible, they send it to the one who had asked. 41 But when those carrying the icon were within the borders of Persia, immediately the demon cried out through the king's daughter to depart more quickly and to change its dwelling on account of the power of the one coming, only if the summoned likeness were turned away and did not approach the palace nor the city of the Persians, and for this he begged and implored the king many times. And when the king had promised, and the demon had departed from the girl, and the royal child was in a state of health, Chosroes, whether fulfilling the demand of the demon who had asked and keeping his promise, or fearing the power of the one coming because of the vileness and foulness of his own works, sending, commanded such an icon to return to the city from which it came out, and adding gifts from himself to those who had sent it. 42 Therefore, among the Edessenes was this precious treasure, this inexhaustible treasury, the icon both original and unwritten, always honored by them and guarding them in return. 43 But since the best and most beautiful things from all quarters have flowed together to this ruling city; and it was, then, a divine will also that this holy icon be treasured here with the other good things, Romanos, who ruled the empire of the Romans, made it his endeavor to obtain a good share of this for himself and to enrich the ruling city. 44 And indeed, sending to Edessa at various times, he asked for this to be sent to him along with the autograph letter of the Lord, and he promised to give them in exchange Saracens up to the number of two hundred and twelve thousand of stamped silver. But the people of Edessa said that it was not profitable for them to exchange the guardian and protector of their own city for silver and mortal men. 45 But as he persisted and asked again, and they repeatedly refused the request, finally in the six thousand four hundred and fifty-second year of the creation of the world (6524), the amir of Edessa sent, asking that the emperor guarantee with a written security confirmed by a golden seal that the armies of the Romans would not come in a hostile manner against these four cities: I mean Rohan, which the barbarian tongue calls Edessa, Harran, Saruji, and Samosata, nor plunder their fields or enslave those dwelling in them, and that the two hundred Saracens from among his countrymen be released to him along with the previously promised quantity of silver, and that he would give in return the sought-after icon and the letter of Christ. 46 But the emperor, in his desire for such a good thing, yielded to all the proposals and gave what was asked, and he sent out Abramios, the God-beloved bishop of Samosata, who was residing there at that time, for the recovery of the divine icon and the letter of Christ our God. 47 But both he who sent and he who served were considering lest he be tricked concerning the return and, instead of the unwritten and true one, the one copied at that time because of the Persian crisis be given to him, and having sought both of these along with another one honored in the church of the Nestorians, it also having been copied from the original long ago, as it seems, he took them for verification; which were also returned again, only the principal and true one having been retained. But this was later. 48 But then a sedition was stirred up among the faithful in Edessa, and a frequent uproar held the city, as they would not allow the most precious of their possessions and the amulets of their mother city to be taken away, until the leader of the Saracens, having persuaded some, forced others, and frightened others still with threats of slaughter, accomplished that it be handed over. 49 But of thunders and lightnings with a most violent rain by some chance

γραπτὴν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐμφερὲς κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἀπεικάσαντες πρὸς τὸν αἰτησάμενον ἀποστέλλουσιν. 41 ὡς δὲ ἐντὸς τῶν τῆς Περσίδος ὁρίων ἐγένοντο οἱ τὴν εἰκόνα διακομίζοντες, εὐθέως διὰ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατρὸς ὁ δαίμων ἀνέκραξε θᾶττον ἐξέρχεσθαι καὶ διαμείβειν τὴν οἴκησιν τῆς τοῦ ἐρχομένου δυνάμεως ἕνεκα, μόνον εἰ τὸ μετακληθὲν ἀποστραφείη ὁμοίωμα καὶ μὴ τοῖς βασιλείοις μηδὲ τῇ πόλει Περσῶν προσπελάσῃ, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο πολλὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδεῖτο καὶ καθικέτευεν. ὑποσχομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξελθόντος ἀπὸ τῆς κόρης τοῦ δαίμονος καὶ ἐν ὑγιεῖ καταστάσει γεγονυίας τῆς βασιλείου παιδός, ὁ Χοσρόης εἴτε τὴν τοῦ αἰτησαμένου δαίμονος ἀξίωσιν ἐκπληρῶν καὶ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ἐμπεδῶν εἴτε τὴν τοῦ ἐρχομένου δύναμιν δεδιὼς διὰ τὸ φαῦλον αὐτοῦ τῶν ἔργων καὶ μυσαρὸν ἀποστείλας ὑποστρέψαι πρὸς τὴν ἀφ' ἧς ἐξῆλθε πόλιν τὴν τοιαύτην εἰκόνα ἐκέλευσε καὶ δῶρα προσθεὶς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ταύτην ἐκπέμψαντας. 42 ἦν οὖν παρὰ τοῖς Ἐδεσηνοῖς ὁ πολύτιμος ὄλβος οὗτος, ὁ ἀκένωτος θησαυρός, ἡ εἰκὼν ἡ πρωτότυπός τε καὶ ἄγραφος, τιμωμένη ἀεὶ πρὸς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀντιφρουροῦσα αὐτούς. 43 ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ταύτην τῶν πόλεων τὰ πανταχόθεν συνερρύηκεν ἀγαθώτατά τε καὶ κάλλιστα· ἦν δὲ ἄρα θεῖόν τε βούλημα καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην εἰκόνα ἐνταῦθα μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποθησαυρισθῆναι καλῶν ὁ τῆς Ῥωμαίων κυριεύων ἀρχῆς Ῥωμανὸς σπούδασμα ποιεῖται δι' ἑαυτοῦ ταύτης κατευμοιρῆσαι καὶ καταπλουτῆσαι τὴν βασιλεύουσαν. 44 καὶ δὴ κατὰ διαφόρους καιροὺς ἀποστείλας πρὸς Ἔδεσαν ᾐτεῖτο ταύτην αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς αὐτογράφου τοῦ κυρίου ἐκπεμφθῆναι ἐπιστολῆς καὶ ἀντιδιδόναι καθυπισχνεῖτο αὐτοῖς εἰς ἀντάλλαγμα Σαρακηνούς τε μέχρι διπλῆς ἑκατοντάδος τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ ἀργύρου ἐπισήμου χιλιάδας δύο πρὸς μυριάδι μιᾷ. οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἐδέσης μὴ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγον τὴν φύλακα καὶ φρουρὸν τῆς οἰκείας πόλεως ἀργυρίου καὶ θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλλάξασθαι. 45 ὡς δὲ ὁ μὲν ἐπέκειτο καὶ αὖθις αἰτῶν, οἱ δὲ πολλάκις τὴν δέησιν παρεκρούοντο, τέλος κατὰ τοῦ ἑξακισχι λιοστοῦ τετρακοσιοστοῦ πεντηκοστοῦ δευτέρου ἔτους τῆς τοῦ κόσμου γενέσεως (ξφ. 21 24) ὁ τῆς Ἐδέσης ἀπέστειλεν ἀμηρᾶς, ἀξιῶν ἐγγράφῳ ἀσφαλείᾳ διὰ σφραγῖδος χρυσῆς ἐχούσης τὸ βέβαιον τὸν βασιλέα κατεγγυήσασθαι τοῦ μὴ πολεμίως ἐπέρχεσθαι τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατεύματα κατὰ τῶν τεσσάρων τούτων πόλεων· φημὶ δὴ τοῦ Ῥοχάν, ὅπερ τὴν Ἔδεσαν ἡ βάρβαρος ὀνομάζει φωνή, τοῦ Χαράν, τοῦ Σαρότζι καὶ τῶν Σαμοσάτων, μηδὲ ληΐζεσθαι τοὺς τούτων ἀγροὺς ἢ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς κατοικοῦντας ἀνδραποδίζεσθαι, ἀπολυθῆναι δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς διακοσίους ἀπὸ τῶν ὁμοφύλων Σαρακηνοὺς μετὰ τῆς προϋπεσχημένης τοῦ ἀργυρίου ποσότητος καὶ ἀνταποδοῦναι αὐτὸν τὴν ἐπιζητουμένην εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 46 ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῇ ἐφέσει τοῦ τοιούτου καλοῦ πρὸς πάντα ὑπείξας τὰ προβαλλόμενα καὶ δοὺς τὰ αἰτούμενα, Ἀβράμιον τὸν θεοφιλῆ τοῦ Σαμοσάτου ἐπίσκοπον ἐνταῦθα κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἐπιχωριάζοντα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναλήψει τῆς θείας εἰκόνος καὶ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξαπέστειλε. 47 σκοπῶν δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀποστείλας καὶ ὁ διακονούμενος μὴ κατασοφισθῇ περὶ τὴν ἀπόδοσιν καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς ἀγράφου καὶ ἀληθοῦς ἡ μεταγραφεῖσα τότε διὰ τὴν Περσικὴν περίστασιν τούτῳ ἐπιδοθῇ ἀμφοτέρας ταύτας μετὰ καὶ ἑτέρας τῆς ἐν τῇ τῶν Νεστοριανῶν ἐκκλησίᾳ τιμωμένης, πάλαι καὶ αὐτῆς, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀπὸ τῆς πρωτοτύπου μεταληφθείσης, ἐπιζητήσας, πρὸς πίστωσιν ἔλαβεν· αἳ καὶ αὖθις ἀνταπεδόθησαν μόνης ἐγκρατηθείσης τῆς κυρίας καὶ ἀληθοῦς. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὕστερον. 48 τότε δὲ στάσις παρὰ τῶν ἐν Ἐδέσῃ πιστῶν διηγείρετο καὶ θόρυβος τὴν πόλιν κατεῖχε συχνός, μὴ μεθιέντων ἀφαιρεθῆναι τὰ τιμιώτατα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης αὐτῶν φυλακτήρια, ἕως ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἀφηγούμενος τοὺς μὲν πείσας, τοὺς δὲ βιασάμενος, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀπειλαῖς σφαγῆς δεδιξάμενος ἐπιδοθῆναι αὐτὴν κατεπράξατο. 49 βροντῶν δὲ καὶ ἀστραπῶν μεθ' ὑετοῦ λαβροτάτου κατά τινα τύχην