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having foreseen the execution of his son; for he had imparted to his son the disgusting and unholy sorcery of magicians. 1.12.1 The satrap of the Median force, besieging the fortress of Aphumon, was trying to capture it. But the commander of the Roman force, having learned this, came near the Nymphius and 1.12.2 was attempting to take Akbas. But this stronghold is difficult to take and invincible in a siege. The fortress sits on the neck of a mountain, and is precipitous on both flanks, and its rear is hollowed out by great ravines, so that it happens that the remaining single entrance is at the front, 1.12.3 being walled by constructions of solid stones. When the general attacked those in the fortress, the besieged lit beacons on the crown of the enclosure, revealing how great the danger was to those with Cardarigan who were eager to subdue Aphumon; for such were the agreements that the general of the Persians had made with the men of 1.12.4 Akbas. But the Persian force, as day was breaking at early dawn, stood drawn up against the Romans, and dismounting from their horses they began the battle, and with their continuous volley the barbarians prevailed over the 1.12.5 Romans. For they confounded the sight of their opponents with the volleys of their arrows; for the nation is one of archers, 1.12.6 and its strength is this feathered javelin. And as the Romans were shut up in a certain place of the mountain and were hard pressed, as if the attack were crushing them, many of the fighting men leaped down from the cliff which overlooked the river Nymphius; for the drop was not suspended over an impossible depth. But some were captured by the 1.12.7 barbarians. But those who made their descent through the foothills of the mountain, escaping the danger, were saved contrary to expectation, and having crossed the river Nymphius, they encamped in the Roman formation. 1.12.8 In the past year, when spring was in bloom and adorning the earth with foliage, on the anniversary of the city's dedication (this was the first year of the emperor's reign), an affliction of the earth occurred and a very great earthquake took place, as though the earth were leaping from its very foundations. 1.12. But I will not go through the explanation; for by the Stagirite not a few things have been philosophized concerning this, and if he seems persuasive to anyone in what he says, let him be praised for his genius, but if not, let him dismiss it to its father to cherish the 1.12.10 doctrine. Therefore, as day was declining, the center was shaken, and the fear was extraordinary, so that even those mad for the horse-races, out of dread, were suddenly changed towards sobriety, like children in a game of dice upon the sudden arrival 1.12.11 of their schoolmaster, and the curtain before the arena of the equestrian games, which was in fact the signal for merriment, was taken down on account of the unexpected danger, and it came to pass that all took refuge in the sacred enclosures, dreading death. 1.12.12 This was the second year of the reign of Maurice, and the emperor was proclaimed consul in the winter season. And mounting the royal chariot, he was most glorious. And they drew the emperor, not horses, not mules, not elephants; but men, the most precious 1.12.13 possession and name. And when he had mounted the chariot, he made his subjects sharers of his treasures. And the people of the city, having partaken of the royal good fortune, loudly praised the Caesar with hymns, as if a golden festival were illuminating and delighting them. 1.13.1 In this present year, John was deprived of the reins of command, since the Persian force had proved to be irresistible and had won the better advantage in the 1.13.2 war; but Philippicus was appointed in his place and proclaimed general by the emperor, a capable man and very close in kinship to the emperor; for he happened to be the husband of Gordia, 1.13.3 the emperor's sister. The general 1.13.3 therefore, after his appointment, having come to Monocarton near Mount Aïsouma thus

προτεθεαμένος τὴν ἀποτομὴν τοῦ παιδός· ἦν γὰρ μεταδοὺς τῷ υἱῷ τῆς βδελυρᾶς καὶ ἀνοσίας τῶν γοήτων μαγγανείας. 1.12.1 ῾Ο δὲ τῆς Μηδικῆς σατράπης δυνάμεως τὸ ᾿Αφούμων περικαθήμενος φρούριον ἐπειρᾶτο ἑλεῖν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ ταξίαρχος τοῦτο πυθόμενος ἧκε πλησίον τοῦ Νυμφίου καὶ 1.12.2 τὸ ῎Ακβας ἐνεχείρει αἱρήσειν. δύσληπτον δὲ τουτὶ τὸ ὀχύρωμα καὶ πρὸς πολιορκίαν ἀκαταγώνιστον. ἐπικάθηται δὲ τὸ φρούριον ἐπ' ὄρους αὐχένα, ἀμφοῖν δὲ ταῖς λαγόσιν ἐστὶν ἀμφίκρημνον, τό τε οὔραιον τούτου μεγάλαις κοιλαίνεται φάραγξιν, ὡς μίαν εἶναι λοιπὸν συμβαίνειν τὴν ἐπὶ μέτωπον 1.12.3 εἴσοδον τειχιζομένην στεγανῶν λίθων συνθήκαις. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐπετίθετο, ἐπὶ τὴν στεφάνην τοῦ ἕρκους φρυκτωρίας ἐξῆψαν οἱ πολιορκούμενοι, ὁπόσος παραδηλοῦντες ὁ κίνδυνος τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Καρδαριγὰν γλιχομένοις παραστήσασθαι τὸ ᾿Αφούμων· τοιαύτας γὰρ τοῖς τοῦ 1.12.4 ῎Ακβας συνθήκας ὁ τῶν Περσῶν κατεβάλετο στρατηγός. τὸ δὲ Περσικὸν ἀναλαμπούσης ἡμέρας ὑπὸ πρώτην ἕω συντεταγμένον τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίοις ἐφίστατο, τῶν τε ἵππων ἀποβάντες τῆς μάχης ἀπήρχοντο, καὶ τῷ συνεχεῖ τῆς βολῆς οἱ βάρβαροι 1.12.5 ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκράτησαν. συνέχεαν γὰρ τὰς ὄψεις τῶν ἀντιπάλων ταῖς ἐκπομπαῖς τῶν βελῶν· τοξοφόρον γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος, 1.12.6 καὶ δύναμις αὐτῷ τὸ κατάπτερον τοῦτο ἀκόντιον. τῶν δὲ ῾Ρωμαίων συγκεκλεισμένων ἔν τινι χώρῳ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ παραθλιβομένων, ὥσπερ ὑποπιεζούσης αὐτοὺς τῆς ἐπιθέσεως, πολλοὶ τῶν μαχίμων ἀφήλαντο ἀπὸ τοῦ κρημνοῦ τοῦ ἀποβλέποντος εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Νύμφιον· οὐ γὰρ ἀνεφίκτῳ βάθει ἀπῃώρητο ἡ κατάδυσις. ἔνιοι δ' ἥλωσαν ὑπὸ τῶν 1.12.7 βαρβάρων. οἱ δὲ διὰ τῆς ὑπωρείας τοῦ ὄρους τὴν κάθοδον ποιησάμενοι ἀποδράντες τὸν κίνδυνον οὐ κατ' ἐλπίδας ἐσώζοντο καὶ διαπεραιωθέντες τὸν Νύμφιον ποταμὸν εἰς τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν στρατοπεδεύουσι σύνταγμα. 1.12.8 Τοῦ δὲ διεληλυθότος ἐνιαυτοῦ ἦρος ἀκμάζοντος καὶ κατακομῶντος τὴν γῆν, ἐν τῇ ἐγκυκλίῳ τῶν ἐγκαινίων ἡμέρᾳ τῆς πόλεως (πρῶτον δὲ τοῦτο ἔτος τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος) πάθος γῆς ἀνεφοίτησε καὶ μέγιστος σεισμὸς ἐνεδήμησεν, οἷα τῆς γῆς παρασκιρτώσης ἐκ πυθμένων αὐτῶν. 1.12. τὸν δὲ λόγον οὐ δίειμι· τῷ γὰρ Σταγειρίτῃ οὐκ ὀλίγα ἄττα περὶ τούτου πεφιλοσόφηται, καὶ εἴ τῳ λέγων πιθανὸς φανεῖται, ἐπαινείσθω τῆς εὐφυΐας, εἰ δὲ μή, τῷ γε πατρὶ ἀποπεμπέτω 1.12.10 περιθάλπειν τὸ δόγμα. τοιγαροῦν ἡμέρας κλινούσης ἐδινεῖτο τὸ κέντρον, καὶ ὁ φόβος ἐξαίσιος ἦν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἱππομανοῦντας ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους ἀθρόον μεταβάλλεσθαι πρὸς τὸ σῶφρον, δίκην παίδων ἐν παιδιᾷ κύβων ἀφικομένου ἐξα1.12.11 πιναίως τοῦ παιδοτρίβου, τό τε παραπέτασμα τὸ πρὸ τοῦ γυμνασίου τῶν ἱππικῶν ἀγωνισμάτων, ὃ δὴ σύνθημα τῆς ἱλαρίας ἐτύγχανεν ὄν, περιαιρεῖται διὰ τὸν ἀδόκητον κίνδυνον, ἅπαντάς τε συνέβαινε πρὸς τοὺς ἱεροὺς σηκοὺς ἐντεμενίζεσθαι ὀρρωδοῦντας τὸν θάνατον. 1.12.12 ∆εύτερον ἔτος τοῦτο τῆς Μαυρικίου ἡγεμονίας, καὶ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ ὕπατος ἀναγορεύεται. καὶ περιβὰς τὸν βασίλειον δίφρον ἐπιφανέστατος ἦν. ἦγον δὲ τὸν βασιλέα οὐχ ἵπποι, οὐχ ἡμίονες, οὐκ ἐλέφαντες· ἄνθρωποι δ' ἄρα, 1.12.13 τὸ τιμιώτατον χρῆμα καὶ ὄνομα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπέβη τοῦ δίφρου, κοινωνὸν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θησαυρῶν τὸ ὑπήκοον ἐποιήσατο. οἱ δὲ τοῦ ἄστεος τῆς βασιλικῆς εὐδαιμονίας μετειληφότες κατεκελάδουν ὕμνοις τὸν Καίσαρα, χρυσῆς ἑορτῆς οἷα καταλαμπούσης καὶ περιγανούσης αὐτούς. 1.13.1 Τῷ δ' ἐνισταμένῳ τούτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ ὁ μὲν ᾿Ιωάννης τὰς ἡνίας τῆς στρατηγίας ἀφῄρητο, οἷα τοῦ Περσικοῦ ἀνανταγωνίστου καθεστῶτος καὶ τὴν κρείττονα κατὰ τὸν 1.13.2 πόλεμον κληρωσαμένου ῥοπήν· Φιλιππικὸς δὲ ἀντανίστατο καὶ στρατηγὸς ἀναγορεύεται ὑπὸ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ἀνὴρ ἐπιδέξιος καὶ βασιλικῆς συγγενείας ἐγγύτατος· γαμέτης γὰρ 1.13.3 ἐτύγχανεν ὢν Γορδίας, ἀδελφῆς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. ὁ μὲν 1.13.3 οὖν στρατηγὸς μετὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐπὶ τὸ Μονοκάρτων γενόμενος τοῦ ᾿Αϊσουμᾶ ὄρους πλησίον οὕτω