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a Persian 1.12.11 general, a Varizes in rank, but Boes by name. And Gourgenes, finding himself too weak to withstand the attack of the Persians, since the Roman support was insufficient for him, fled to Lazica with all the notables of the Iberians, taking with him his wife and children along with his brothers, 1.12.12 of whom Peranius was the eldest. And having reached the borders of Lazica they waited and fortifying themselves with the difficult terrain 1.12.13 they withstood the enemy. But the Persians, following them, accomplished nothing worthy of mention, since the situation opposed them because of the difficult terrain. 1.12.14 Then the Iberians arrived in Byzantium and Peter came, having been summoned to the emperor, and thereafter the emperor deemed it right that the Lazi, who were unwilling, should not jointly guard the country, and he sent an army and Irenaeus as commander 1.12.15. There are two forts in Lazica immediately upon entering from the Iberian borders, the guarding of which had been the care of the natives from ancient times, although they were beset by much hardship, since neither grain nor wine nor 1.12.16 any other good thing is produced there. Moreover, it is not possible for anything to be brought in from elsewhere because of the narrowness of the country, except 1.12.17 when carried by men. however, on some millet that grows there the Lazi were able to subsist, 1.12.18 as was their custom. The emperor removed these guards from there, and ordered Roman soldiers to be stationed for the guarding 1.12.19 of the forts. For these, at first, the Lazi brought provisions with difficulty, but later they refused the service and the Romans abandoned these forts, and the Persians took them with no effort. These things happened in Lazica. 1.12.20 But the Romans, with Sittas and Belisarius leading them, invaded Persarmenia which was subject to the Persians, and they plundered much land and after enslaving a very great number of Armenians 1.12.21 they withdrew. These two men were youths and just growing their first beards, and bodyguards of the general Justinian, who at a later time held the imperial power with his uncle Justin. When another invasion into Armenia was made by the Romans, Narses and Aratius, unexpectedly opposing them, came to blows. 1.12.22 Not long after this they came as deserters to the Romans and campaigned with Belisarius in Italy, but at that time, engaging with the forces of Sittas and Belisarius 1.12.23 they had the advantage. And another Roman army invaded the region of the city of Nisibis, which Libelarius from Thrace commanded. Fleeing, they made a straight retreat, although no one was pursuing them. 1.12.24 For this reason the emperor relieved Libelarius of his command, and appointed Belisarius commander of the troops in Daras. It was then that Procopius was chosen as his adviser, who wrote these things. 1.13.1 Not long after, Justin proclaimed his nephew Justinian emperor with him and died, and from him the imperial power came 1.13.2 to Justinian alone. This Justinian ordered Belisarius 1.13.2 to build a fort at the place of Mindouos, which is at the very 1.13.3 borders of Persia, on the left as one goes to Nisibis. So he, with much haste, was carrying out what had seemed best to the emperor, and the fortification was already rising to a height thanks to a multitude of artisans. 1.13.4 But the Persians forbade building anything further, not only with words, but also threatening that they would before long prevent it by their actions. 1.13.5 When the emperor heard this (for Belisarius was not able to repel the Persians from there with the army at hand), he sent word for another army to go there and also Coutzes and Bouzes, who at that time were commanding the soldiers in Libanus. These two were brothers from Thrace, and both were young and inclined to engage the enemy without due 1.13.6 caution. So both sides, having gathered their forces, advanced together on the building, the Persians to prevent it with all their might, and the Romans to defend 1.13.7 the builders. And a fierce battle taking place, the Romans were defeated, and a great slaughter of them occurred, and the enemy even took some 1.13.8 prisoners. Among these was also Coutzes. whom the Persians, leading them all away to their own country,

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στρατηγὸν ἄνδρα Πέρ1.12.11 σην, οὐαρίζην μὲν τὸ ἀξίωμα, Βόην δὲ ὄνομα. ὅ τε Γουργένης ἐλάσσων ὀφθεὶς ἢ φέρειν τὴν Περσῶν ἔφοδον, ἐπεί οἱ τὰ ἐκ Ῥωμαίων οὐχ ἱκανὰ ἦν, ξὺν Ἰβήρων τοῖς λογίμοις ἅπασιν ἐς Λαζικὴν ἔφυγε, τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ξὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐπαγό1.12.12 μενος, ὧν δὴ Περάνιος ὁ πρεσβύτατος ἦν. ἐν δὲ τοῖς Λαζικῆς ὁρίοις γενόμενοι ἔμενον ταῖς τε δυσχωρίαις 1.12.13 φραξάμενοι τοὺς πολεμίους ὑφίσταντο. Πέρσαι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπισπόμενοι οὐδὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον ἔπρασσον, τοῦ πράγματος σφίσι διὰ τὰς δυσχωρίας ἀντιστατοῦντος. 1.12.14 Ἔπειτα δὲ οἵ τε Ἴβηρες ἐς Βυζάντιον παρεγένοντο καὶ Πέτρος ἐς βασιλέα μετάπεμπτος ἦλθε, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν βασιλεὺς Λαζοῖς οὐ βουλομένοις ξυμφυλάσσειν τὴν χώραν ἠξίου, στράτευμά τε καὶ Εἰρηναῖον ἄρχοντα 1.12.15 πέμψας. ἔστι δὲ φρούρια ἐν Λαζοῖς δύο εὐθὺς εἰσιόντι ἐκ τῶν Ἰβηρίας ὁρίων, ὧν ἡ φυλακὴ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐπιμελὴς ἦν, καίπερ ταλαιπωρίᾳ πολλῇ ἐχομένοις, ἐπεὶ οὔτε σῖτος ἐνταῦθα οὔτε οἶνος οὔτε 1.12.16 ἄλλο τι ἀγαθὸν γίνεται. οὐ μὴν οὐδέ τι ἑτέρωθεν ἐσκομίζεσθαι διὰ τὴν στενοχωρίαν οἷόν τέ ἐστιν, ὅτι 1.12.17 μὴ φερόντων ἀνθρώπων. ἐλύμοις μέντοι τισὶν ἐνταῦθα γιγνομένοις εἰθισμένον σφίσιν οἱ Λαζοὶ ἀποζῆν 1.12.18 ἴσχυον. τούτους ἐξαναστήσας ἐνθένδε βασιλεὺς τοὺς φρουροὺς, στρατιώτας Ῥωμαίους ἐκέλευεν ἐπὶ τῇ φυ1.12.19 λακῇ τῶν φρουρίων καθίστασθαι. οἷς δὴ κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν ἐπιτήδεια μόλις Λαζοὶ ἔφερον, ὕστερον δὲ αὐτοί τε πρὸς τὴν ὑπουργίαν ἀπεῖπον καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰ φρούρια ταῦτα ἐξέλιπον, οἵ τε Πέρσαι πόνῳ αὐτὰ οὐδενὶ ἔσχον. ταῦτα μὲν ἐν Λαζοῖς γέγονε. 1.12.20 Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ, Σίττα τε καὶ Βελισαρίου ἡγουμένων σφίσιν, ἐς Περσαρμενίαν τὴν Περσῶν κατήκοον ἐσβαλόντες χώραν τε πολλὴν ἐληίσαντο καὶ Ἀρμενίων 1.12.21 πάμπολυ πλῆθος ἀνδραποδίσαντες ἀπεχώρησαν. τούτω δὲ τὼ ἄνδρε νεανία μὲν καὶ πρῶτον ὑπηνήτα ἤστην, Ἰουστινιανοῦ δὲ στρατηγοῦ δορυφόρω, ὃς δὴ χρόνῳ ὕστερον ξὺν Ἰουστίνῳ τῷ θείῳ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχεν. ἑτέρας δὲ ἐσβολῆς Ῥωμαίοις ἐς Ἀρμενίαν γεγενημένης Ναρσῆς τε καὶ Ἀράτιος παρὰ δόξαν ὑπαντιάσαντες ἐς 1.12.22 χεῖρας ἦλθον. οἳ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐς Ῥωμαίους τε αὐτόμολοι ἵκοντο καὶ ξὺν Βελισαρίῳ ἐς Ἰταλίαν ἐστράτευσαν, τότε μέντοι τοῖς ἀμφὶ Σίτταν τε καὶ Βελισά1.12.23 ριον ξυμβαλόντες τὸ πλέον ἔσχον. εἰσέβαλε δὲ καὶ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Νίσιβιν ἄλλη Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰ, ἧς Λιβελάριος ἐκ Θρᾴκης ἦρχεν. οἳ φεύγοντες εὐθυωρὸν τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιήσαντο, καίπερ οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἐπεξιόν1.12.24 τος. διὸ δὴ Λιβελάριον μὲν παρέλυσε τῆς ἀρχῆς βασιλεὺς, Βελισάριον δὲ ἄρχοντα καταλόγων τῶν ἐν ∆άρας κατεστήσατο. τότε δὴ αὐτῷ ξύμβουλος ᾑρέθη Προκόπιος, ὃς τάδε ξυνέγραψε. 1.13.1 Χρόνῳ δὲ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον Ἰουστῖνος βασιλέα τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν Ἰουστινιανὸν ξὺν αὑτῷ ἀνειπὼν ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐς μόνον Ἰουστινιανὸν ἡ 1.13.2 βασιλεία ἦλθεν. οὗτος Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐκέλευε Βελισάριον 1.13.2 δείμασθαι φρούριον ἐν χωρίῳ Μίνδουος, ὃ πρὸς αὐτοῖς 1.13.3 ἐστι τοῖς Περσῶν ὁρίοις, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἐς Νίσιβιν ἰόντι. ὁ μὲν οὖν σπουδῇ πολλῇ τὰ βασιλεῖ δόξαντα ἐπιτελῆ ἐποίει, τό τε ὀχύρωμα ἐς ὕψος ἤδη πολυανθρωπίᾳ τεχνιτῶν 1.13.4 ᾔρετο. Πέρσαι δὲ ἀπεῖπον μὴ οἰκοδομήσασθαι περαιτέρω μηδὲν, οὐ λόγοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις 1.13.5 διακωλυταὶ ἀπειλοῦντες οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἔσεσθαι. ταῦτα ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς ἤκουσεν (οὐ γὰρ οἷός τε ἦν Βελισάριος Πέρσας ἐνθένδε τῷ παρόντι στρατῷ ἀποκρούεσθαι), ἄλλην τε στρατιὰν ἐπήγγελλεν αὐτόσε ἰέναι καὶ Κούτζην τε καὶ Βούζην, οἳ τῶν ἐν Λιβάνῳ στρατιωτῶν ἦρχον τότε. τούτω δὲ ἀδελφὼ μὲν ἐκ Θρᾴκης ἤστην, νέω δὲ ἄμφω καὶ οὐ ξὺν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τοῖς πολεμίοις εἰς 1.13.6 χεῖρας ἰόντε. ἑκάτεροι μὲν οὖν ξυλλεγέντες ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν ἀθρόοι ᾔεσαν, Πέρσαι μὲν αὐτὴν παντὶ σθένει διακωλύσοντες, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τοῖς τεκταινομένοις 1.13.7 ἐπαμυνοῦντες. μάχης δὲ καρτερᾶς γενομένης ἡσσῶνται Ῥωμαῖοι, φόνος τε αὐτῶν πολὺς γέγονε, τινὰς δὲ καὶ 1.13.8 ἐζώγρησαν οἱ πολέμιοι. ἐν τούτοις ἦν καὶ Κούτζης. οὓς δὴ οἱ Πέρσαι ἅπαντας ἐς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἤθη ἀπαγαγόντες,