Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

his battle-line is armed against him by the enemies of virtue, and they falsely revile the general's devotion; having been indoctrinated by this, he has dared acts of apostasy, and by exile he moves his dwelling to the Hagarenes, and by them he is supplicated with conspicuous honors and welcomes, leaving behind the emperor who was repentant of his suspicion towards him. 3.10 And after much time had ridden by and the descendants of Hagar were exulting in their victories over us, as if they had usurped our Achilles, the emperor courts the Ishmaelites for peace treaties, sending as an ambassador the monk Ioannes, who at that time seemed suitable to the Hagarenes and to us for the embassy. For he had accomplished what was suitable for the reconciliation of both sides, not departing from what was proper with rich gifts from them, so that the amermounes greatly admired him and those by whom he was known, and they deemed him worthy to obtain whatever honors he wished; so much was his incorruptibility practiced, whether by pretense or in truth; and for this reason, he was listened to with affable propositions on matters of mutual interest, and, while on his embassy, he secured the release of many captives. He appeared in many ways to Manuel and secretly gives him a pectoral cross and having sworn an oath on it, he gives assurance and suggests he should return to the emperor and departs from Syria. 3.11 And with the exchange completed and the peace between the Romans and the Hagarenes dissolved, the emperor made great provision to act nobly against the enemy, so as not to be at all inferior to his father's nobility; and he advanced against the land of the Ishmaelites with a great multitude and took all kinds of captives, so as to penetrate even its inner parts and to approach the homeland itself of the then ruling amermounes, which is called Sozopetra, and to besiege it to his outrage. But this somehow did not turn out profitably according to his plan, so much ensuing from this advantage, the greatest loss of men. For from there the amermounes boldly rose up, not bearing the outrage that he saw had happened to his homeland, and he decreed for everyone carrying a banner to make clear in writing <the> quest for Amorion, and he comes against him with a proud army sated with power, which the emperor was not strong enough to resist, but yielding to those behind him and reaching the queen of cities with a great multitude of spoils, and to take care of the affairs of the city of Amorion as far as possible both by fortification and other things sufficient for its preservation. He for a time makes an attempt, though ill-advised, to check the wrath of the amermounes through ambassadors who tried to shame him with precious gifts and promises of great donations; but they do not persuade him, who was jealous to show a similar retribution. For he scorns them and their embassy, he mocked their mission, he reviled their cowardice, and for a while he leaves them in suspense, and he places a hostile palisade around the emperor's homeland, wishing to take it by many means. It had, then, it had, though unfortunately, defenders within, those sent by the emperor, conspicuous and renowned for prudence and courage and much experience, even if the defense was thwarted by one of the evil-doers, who contrived the betrayal, who was irrationally called by the pet name of an ox, on a pretext arising at that time from some strife that had occurred between Christians and Jews. Amorion is therefore taken after many heavy assaults, with the new Sennacherib succeeding by divine concession or good pleasure according to the abyss of God's judgments, and the ambassadors are sent away with insults (for they were held by the enemy while the undertaking was in progress), and through them vehement reproaches and proclamations of contempt are announced to the emperor. What account could accurately record the things done there during the capture? What story could safely narrate

τούτου παράταξις κατ' αὐτοῦ παροπλίζεται διὰ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐναντίων, καὶ ἐπιλοιδοροῦσι ψευδῶς καθοσίωσιν στρατηγεύοντι· ἧς ἐνηχηθεὶς οὗτος τὰ πρὸς ἀποστασίαν ἐπιτετόλμηται, καὶ φυγαδείᾳ πρὸς Ἀγαρηνοὺς μετοικίζεται, καὶ δόξαις περιφανέσι πρὸς αὐτῶν ποτνιᾶται καὶ ὑπαντήσεσι, καταλιπὼν βασιλέα μετάμελον τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑποπτεύσεως. 3.10 Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ παριππεύσαντος καὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἄγαρ ταῖς νίκαις κατορχουμένων ἡμῶν, οἷα σφετερισαμένων τὸν καθ' ἡμᾶς Ἀχιλλέα, πρὸς εἰρηνικὰς συμβάσεις ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς Ἰσμαηλίτας μνηστεύεται, ἐκπέμπων πρέσβυν τὸν μοναχὸν Ἰαννῆν, τότε τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς καὶ ἡμῖν κατὰ πρεσβείαν φανέντα γε ἐπιτήδειον. ἐπεπράχει γὰρ τὰ πρὸς διαλλαγὴν ἀμφοτέρων ἁρμόδια, δώροις ἁδροῖς παρ' αὐτῶν τοῦ δέοντος μὴ ἐκστάς, ὡς ἐπιθαυμάζειν τὸν ἀμεραμνουνῆ πάνυ καὶ οἷς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐγινώσκετο, καὶ ἀξιοῦν αὐτὸν περὶ ὧν ἐθέλοι τυγχάνειν ἠξιωμένων· τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἀδωρίας εἴτε προσωπείῳ εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ ἐξήσκητο· καὶ διὰ ταύτην καὶ εὐπροσηγόροις προθέσεσιν ἐπὶ τῶν συμφερόντων ἀκούεσθαι, καὶ παρασχέσθαι πολλοὺς αἰχμαλώτων πρεσβεύοντι. ὀπτάνεται πολυτρόπως οὗτος τῷ Μανουὴλ καὶ σταυρικὸν ἐγκόλπιον τούτῳ δίδωσι κρύφα καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ διομόσας ἐπισχυρίζεται καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα παλινδρομεῖν ὑποτίθεται καὶ Συρίας ἀπάνεισιν. 3.11 Τοῦ δὲ ἀλλαγίου περατωθέντος καὶ τῆς ἀναμεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Ἀγαρηνῶν εἰρήνης διαλυθείσης, ὁ βασιλεὺς γενναΐζειν κατὰ πολεμίων πολλὴν ἐπεποίητο μέριμναν, ὡς μηδ' ὅλως ἐλάττων γενέσθαι τῆς πατρικῆς γενναιότητος· καὶ κατὰ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν τὴν χώραν σὺν πλήθει πολλῷ προχωρεῖ καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν παντοδαπῆ παρυφίστησιν, ὡς καὶ παρεμβαθῦναι τοῖς ἐσωτέροις μέρεσι ταύτης αὐτῇ τε τῇ πατρίδι προσεμπελάσαι τοῦ τότε κρατοῦντος ἀμεραμνουνῆ, ἥτις Σωζόπετρα προσηγόρευται, καὶ ταύτην πολιορκῆσαι πρὸς ὕβριν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐ κατὰ σκοπόν πως λυσιτελῆ διαβέβηκεν, τοσοῦτον ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ὠφελείας ἐπισυμβάν, ἡ μεγίστη ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλεια. διανίσταται γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν εὐθαρσῶς ὁ ἀμεραμνουνῆ, τὴν ὕβριν μὴ ἐνεγκὼν, ἣν ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ πατρίδι συμβεβηκυῖαν ἑώρα, καὶ θεσμοθετεῖ παντὶ τῷ τὸ φλάμμουρον περιφέροντι γραφῇ ἐνδηλοῦν <τὴν> τοῦ Ἀμορίου συζήτησιν, καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ σὺν στρατιᾷ σοβαρᾷ δυνάμεως ἐμφορήτῳ ἐπέρχεται, ταύτῃ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνθεστηκέναι μὴ ἐξισχύοντος, ἀλλὰ προσχωροῦντος τοῖς ὄπισθεν καὶ καταλαβόντος τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων σὺν λαφυραγωγίᾳ πολυπληθεῖ, καὶ τὰ τῆς πόλεως Ἀμορίου κατὰ τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον διαμεριμνῆσαι ἔκ τε διοχυρώσεως καὶ ἄλλων τῶν ἐπαρκούντων εἰς διατήρησιν. ὃς τέως δοκιμὴν μὲν ποιεῖται, κἂν ματαιόβουλον, τὴν τοῦ ἀμεραμνουνῆ ἀναστεῖλαι ὀργὴν διὰ πρέσβεων δώροις τιμίοις καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι μεγαλοδωρεῶν ἐκδυσωπούντων αὐτόν· ἀλλ' οὐ πείθουσι ζηλοτυποῦντα τὴν ὁμοίαν ἐνδείξασθαι ἀνταπόδοσιν. ἐξουθένει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τῆς πρεσβείας, τῆς ἀποστολῆς διεκωμῴδει, τῆς δειλίας κατελοιδόρει, καὶ διὰ μέσου χρόνου καταλιμπάνει μετεωρίζεσθαι, καὶ τῇ πατρίδι τοῦ βασιλέως περιτίθησι πολέμιον χάρακα, πολυμερῶς ἑλέσθαι βουλόμενος. εἶχεν μὲν οὖν, εἶχεν αὕτη κἂν δυστυχῶς ὑπερμαχοῦντας ἐντὸς τοὺς ἐκ βασιλέως σταλέντας, περιφανεῖς φρονήσει τε καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ πολυπειρίᾳ διηχουμένους, κἂν δι' ἑνὸς τῶν κακούργων τῆς ὑπερμαχίας διέσφαλτο, τὴν προδοσίαν ἐπισκευάσαντος, ᾧ βοὸς ὑποκοριζόντως ὄνομα κατ' ἀλογιστίαν προσεκέκλητο, ἔκ τινος τηνικαῦτα στασιώτιδος ἀνὰ μέσον Χριστιανῶν τε καὶ Ἰουδαίων συμβεβηκυίας προφάσεως. αἱρεῖται τοιγαροῦν μετὰ πολλὰς ἐπιβριθεῖς προσβολὰς τὸ Ἀμόριον, τοῦ νέου Σεναχηρεὶμ παραχωρήσει θείᾳ ἢ εὐδοκίᾳ κατὰ τὴν τῶν κριμάτων θεοῦ ἄβυσσον εὐτυχήσαντος, οἵ τε πρέσβεις ἐφύβριστοι ἀποπέμπονται (κατείχοντο γὰρ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μεσολαβούσης τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως), καὶ ἀπαγγέλλονται δι' αὐτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ ὀνειδισμοὶ σφοδροὶ καὶ ἐξουδενώσεως προαγγέλματα. τίς δὲ λογισμὸς ἀκριβῶς ἀναγράψειε τὰ ἐκεῖσε πραχθέντα κατὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν; τίς λόγος ἀσφαλῶς διηγήσεται