,

he fortified 1.14.7 for the future. But when the Persian general arrived at the town, he was not able to subdue it. Therefore he burst into the suburbs of Martyropolis and set fire to the temple of John the prophet, which was twelve stades from the city on the western side. 1.14.8 There indeed was also a monastery of men philosophical in their way of life. These are, in fact, called monks, whose task it is to depart from the body beforehand and, while living, to be dead and with a certain sober madness to pass over to better things. And the barbarian 1.14. razed this too to its foundations. On the following day he departed from there and went to the place Zobandon and ordered his men not to leave the camp at all; and on the eighth 1.14.10 day he returned home. And he himself seemed somehow to intend to embark upon Roman territory in a rather piratical fashion and to carry off the same glory as the Romans. But the general was rid of his sickness and broke up the camp (for the winter season was now somehow showing itself) and came to Byzantium to greet the emperor. 1.15.1 When spring was approaching, and warmth was visiting the earth, Philippicus departed from the imperial city. When he reached Amida, the Persians sent an embassy to end the war, somehow with renown; for they ordered the Romans to purchase the truce with money, having sent the satrap Mebodes to the 1.15.2 general. And so Mebodes the Persian came to the Romans, and the general convened an assembly, having summoned to himself the commanders of regiments and captains and guards and the most distinguished of the fighting force. When the assembly was full, the Persian began with these words. 1.15.3 "Men, my enemies, (but let not the ambassador's preface disturb the listeners; for if you change your minds, I too will change my form of address.) Arm yourselves for peace by rejecting war, let spear and sword, as having grown old, be bid farewell, and let the pipe march forth, twittering a tune both gentle and 1.15.4 pastoral. The king of the Persians is a lover of peace and prides himself on being the first to put off the war; for a liking for peace is kingly, just as 1.15.5 a love of strife is peculiar to tyrants. Men, sharers with us in the same sufferings, let war alone of all things remain insatiate. We have fattened the earth with blood, we have often witnessed death; for war is a painter of death, and I say, also an archetype and, of human evils, 1.15.6 a ringleader and a self-taught teacher. Does someone love money? But we have become a plaything for wealth and poverty, sometimes conquering and sometimes being conquered, and changing along with the turns of war we reaped, as it were, an everlasting change. Did one of the champions pride himself on his gold? Along with the pleasure he possessed 1.15.7 mistrust. For what is more untrustworthy in war than money, immediately transferred to another and again from that one to someone else, so that the one who acquired it sees a waking dream, or on the 1.15.8 next day remembers yesterday's drunken stupor? You, O Romans, have long ago given free reign to war; you, become disciples of peace. Since the Persians are sending heralds, shake off the tearful war; for those who initiated the error, for them repentance for its correction is 1.15. fitting. Let not these humane 1.15. words become insolence for you. For the king of the Persians, having become terrified yesterday or the day before, when the Roman army dared to enter Median land, does not refuse the engagement, but he commands the Romans to purchase the truce with much gold and splendid gifts. 1.15.10 For it is not right for those who have erred to lay down the war unpunished; for the payment is sufficient both to calm Persian anger and to check the audacity of the Romans who long for the trumpet of war." 1.15.11 While the speech of the ambassador was still continuing, the Romans condemned it, hissing and creating a disturbance with their shouts, as if suffering terribly at the words of the

τοῦ 1.14.7 μέλλοντος ὠχυρώσατο. ἐπιστὰς δὲ τῷ πολίσματι ὁ Περσῶν στρατηγὸς οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν παραστήσασθαι τοῦτο. τοιγάρτοι εἰσήρρησεν ἐπὶ τὰ προάστεια τῆς Μαρτυροπόλεως καὶ τὸν ᾿Ιωάννου τοῦ προφήτου κατενεπίμπρα νεών, ὡς ἀπὸ σημείων δυοκαίδεκα ὄντα τῆς πόλεως κατὰ τὸν ἑσπέριον κρόταφον. 1.14.8 ἔνθα δὴ καὶ φροντιστήριον ἐτύγχανεν ὂν ἀνδρῶν φιλοσόφων τὸν βίον. μοναχοὶ δὲ ἄρα οὗτοι κατονομάζονται, οἷς ἔργον προεκδημῆσαι τοῦ σώματος καὶ ζῶντας τεθνάναι καὶ σώφρονι μανίᾳ τινὶ μεταφοιτᾶν πρὸς τὰ κρείττονα. ἀνέστησε δὲ καὶ 1.14. τοῦτο ἐκ βάθρων ὁ βάρβαρος. τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ ἄρας ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ τὸ Ζόρβανδον χωρίον ἐφοίτησε καὶ τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν διετάξατο μηδαμῶς που τοῦ χάρακος ἀπολείπεσθαι· ὀγδόῃ 1.14.10 δ' ἡμέρᾳ ἐς τὰ οἴκοι κατῆρεν. ἐδόκει δέ που καὶ αὐτὸς λῃστρικώτερον τῶν ῾Ρωμαϊκῶν ἐπιβήσεσθαι καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ῾Ρωμαίοις ἀπενέγκασθαι δόξαν. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τῆς νόσου ἀπήλλακτο καὶ τὸν χάρακα διελύσατο (χειμῶνος γὰρ ὥρα ἤδη που παρεφαίνετο) καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἀσπασόμενος ἐς Βυζάντιον ἧκεν. 1.15.1 ῏Ηρος δὲ παρανίσχοντος, καὶ ἀλέας ἐπιφοιτώσης τῇ γῇ, Φιλιππικὸς τῆς βασιλίδος ἐξεδήμησε πόλεως. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς ᾿Αμίδης ἐπέβη, πρεσβεύουσι Πέρσαι ἐνδόξως πως καταθέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον· προσέταττον γὰρ ῾Ρωμαίοις χρήμασι τὰς σπονδὰς σφετερίζεσθαι Μεβόδην τὸν σατράπην ὡς τὸν 1.15.2 στρατηγὸν ἀποστείλαντες. καὶ οὖν ἧκε Μεβόδης ὁ Πέρσης παρὰ τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους, καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐκκλησίαν ἐκάθισεν ὡς ἑαυτὸν συγκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ταγματάρχας καὶ λοχαγοὺς καὶ ὑπασπιστὰς καὶ τῆς μαχίμου δυνάμεως τὸ ἐμφανέστερον. ὁπηνίκα δ' ὁ σύλλογος ἐπεπλήρωτο, ὁ Πέρσης τῶνδε τῶν λόγων ἀπήρξατο. 1.15.3 "῎Ανδρες πολέμιοι, (μὴ ταραττέτω δὲ τοὺς ἀκούοντας τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ τὸ προοίμιον· εἰ γὰρ τὰς γνώμας ἀμείψητε, μεταλλάξω κἀγὼ τὴν προσφώνησιν.) ὁπλίσατε τὴν εἰρήνην ἀποχειροτονοῦντες τὸν πόλεμον, δόρυ καὶ ξίφος ὡς γεγηρακότα χαιρέτωσαν, καὶ στρατεύσατε σύριγγα πρᾶον ὁμοῦ καὶ 1.15.4 ποιμενικὸν περιλαλοῦσαν τερέτισμα. ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τῆς εἰρήνης ἐστὶν ἐραστὴς καὶ σεμνύνεται ἀπεκδυόμενος πρῶτος τὸν πόλεμον· βασιλικὸν γὰρ ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀρέσκεια, ὡς 1.15.5 καὶ τυράννων ἴδιον τὸ φιλόνεικον. ἄνδρες τῶν αὐτῶν παθημάτων ἡμῖν κοινωνοί, μεινάτω τῶν πάντων ὁ πόλεμος μόνος ἀκόρεστος. αἵματι τὴν γῆν ἐπιάναμεν, πολλάκις τὸν θάνατον ἱστορήσαμεν· ζωγράφος γὰρ τοῦ θανάτου ὁ πόλεμος, ἐγὼ δέ φημι, καὶ ἀρχέτυπον καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν 1.15.6 ἀρχηγέτης καὶ διδάσκαλος αὐτοδίδακτος. χρημάτων ἐρᾷ τις; ἀλλὰ πλούτῳ καὶ πενίᾳ γεγόναμεν παίγνιον, ποτὲ κρατοῦντες ποτὲ δὲ κρατούμενοι, καὶ συμμεταβαλλόμενοι ταῖς τοῦ πολέμου τροπαῖς ἀΐδιον ὥσπερ τὴν μεταβολὴν ἐκαρπούμεθα. ἐκόμα τις τῶν ἀριστέων χρυσῷ; μετὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς τὴν ἀπιστίαν 1.15.7 ἐκέκτητο. τί γὰρ ἀπιστότερον ἐν πολέμῳ χρημάτων ἀμέσως μετατιθεμένων ἐπ' ἄλλον καὶ πάλιν ἐξ ἐκείνου εἰς ἕτερον, ὡς ἐγρηγορότα βλέπειν ἐνύπνιον τὸν κτησάμενον, ἢ τῇ 1.15.8 ὑστεραίᾳ τῆς ἔναγχος μεμνῆσθαι κραιπάλης; ὑμεῖς, ὦ ῾Ρωμαῖοι, πάλαι τὴν παρρησίαν τῷ πολέμῳ δεδώκατε· ὑμεῖς καὶ τῆς εἰρήνης γίνεσθε μαθηταί. ἐπικηρυκευομένων Περσῶν τὸν φιλόδακρυν ἀποσείσασθε πόλεμον· οἷς γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ ἔναρξις, τούτοις καὶ τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως ὁ μετάμελός ἐστιν 1.15. ἁρμόδιος. μὴ γινέσθω θράσος ὑμῖν ταῦτα τὰ φιλάνθρωπα 1.15. ῥήματα. οὐ γὰρ περιδεὴς γεγονὼς ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς χθές που καὶ τρίτην, ὅτε τῆς Μηδικῆς τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν κατετόλμησε γῆς, τὴν συμπλοκὴν ἀπαναίνεται, χρυσῷ γὰρ πολλῷ καὶ δώροις λαμπροῖς πρίασθαι ῾Ρωμαίοις τὰς σπονδὰς ἐγκελεύεται. 1.15.10 οὐ γὰρ νηποινὶ καταθέσθαι τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας θέμις τὸν πόλεμον· ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἡ ἔκτισις καὶ Περσικὸν κατευνάσαι θυμὸν καὶ θράσος περιστεῖλαι ῾Ρωμαίων πολεμικῆς ὀρεγόμενον σάλπιγγος." 1.15.11 ῎Ετι τοίνυν παρατείνοντος τοῦ λόγου, τοῦ πρέσβεως ῾Ρωμαῖοι κατεχειροτόνουν συρίττοντες καὶ ταραχὴν ταῖς βοαῖς ἐνεποίουν, ὥσπερ δεινοπαθούντων ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥήμασι τοῦ