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acting with senselessness and falling upon them unexpectedly, for the most part they did mischief not only to the Armenians, but also to the Romans bordering them as far as the sea, and having made their raid in a short time, they immediately returned 1.15.24 home. And if they perhaps encountered a Roman army, they were defeated in battle, but they were by no means easy to capture because of the strength of their positions. Sittas, therefore, having defeated them in battle before this war, and having said and done many persuasive things to them, was able to win them over 1.15.25 completely. For having changed their way of life to a more civilized one, they enrolled themselves in the Roman lists and for the future they go out against the enemy with the rest of the Roman army. And they changed their religion to the more pious one, all having become Christians. So the affairs concerning the Tzani turned out in this way. 1.15.26 When one crosses their borders, there is a ravine, both deep and very precipitous, extending as far as the Caucasus mountains. Here there are very populous places, and both the vine and other fruit grow in abundance. 1.15.27 And for about a three days’ journey this ravine happens to be subject to the Romans, but from there the borders of Persarmenia follow, where indeed is the gold mine, which, by grant of Cabades, 1.15.28 a certain one of the locals, Symeon by name, was administering. This Symeon, when he saw both sides at the height of the war, decided to deprive Cabades of the revenue from the money. 1.15.29 Therefore, having given himself and Pharangium to the Romans, he saw fit to deliver the gold from the mine 1.15.30 to neither side. For the Romans did nothing, thinking it sufficient for them that the tribute from there was lost to the enemy, while the Persians were not able, with the Romans unwilling, to compel the inhabitants there, since the difficulty of the terrain was against them. 1.15.31 And about the same time Narses and Aratius, who had come to blows with Belisarius and Sittas in the land of Persarmenia at the beginning of this war, as has been related by me before, came as deserters to the Romans with their mother, and Narses the emperor’s treasurer received them (for he himself also happened to be a Persarmenian by birth) and presented them with great sums of money. 1.15.32 When Isaac, their youngest brother, learned this, he secretly entered into negotiations with the Romans and handed over to them the fortress of Bolum, which was somewhere very near the borders of Theodosiopolis. 1.15.33 For he instructed soldiers to hide somewhere nearby, whom he received into the fortress by night, having secretly opened one small gate for them; and so he himself also came to Byzantium. 1.16.1 Thus were the affairs of the Romans. But the Persians, having been defeated in battle by Belisarius at Daras, even so did not decide to withdraw from there, until Rufinus, when he came into the presence of Cabades, spoke as follows “Your brother sent me, O king, making a just complaint, that the Persians for no cause came in arms into his 1.16.2 land. And yet for a great king who has attained such wisdom it would be more fitting to administer peace out of war than, when affairs are well-ordered, to needlessly inflict turmoil on himself and his neighbors. 1.16.3 And it is with good hope in these things that I myself have come here, so that for the future both sides may have the benefits of peace.” 1.16.4 Rufinus said so much. But Cabades 1.16.4 replied as follows “O son of Silvanus, do not by any means try to reverse the charges, knowing full well above all men that you Romans have been most to blame for all the turmoil. For we have held the Caspian Gates for the good of both Persians and Romans, having overpowered the barbarians there, since Anastasius, the emperor of the Romans, as you yourself somehow know, though it was possible to buy them with money, was unwilling, so that he would not be compelled to maintain an army there forever and spend great sums of money on behalf of both. 1.16.5 And since that time we, having established an army of such a great size here and maintaining it to the present time, have granted you to inhabit your land unravaged, at least as far as the barbarians there are concerned, with

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ἀλογίᾳ ποιούμενοι ἀπροσδόκητοί τε ἐμπίπτοντες ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐκακούργουν οὐκ Ἀρμενίους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς αὐτῶν ἐχομένους Ῥωμαίους μέχρι ἐς θάλασσαν, δι' ὀλίγου τε τὴν ἔφοδον πεποιημένοι εὐθὺς ἐπ' 1.15.24 οἴκου ἀπεκομίζοντο. καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἴσως ἐντυχόντες στρατῷ ἡσσῶντο μὲν τῇ μάχῃ, ἁλώσιμοι δὲ παντάπασιν οὐκ ἐγίνοντο χωρίων ἰσχύϊ. μάχῃ τοίνυν ὁ Σίττας αὐτοὺς πρὸ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου νικήσας, ἐπαγωγά τε πολλὰ ἐς αὐτοὺς εἰπών τε καὶ πράξας, προσποιήσασθαι 1.15.25 παντελῶς ἴσχυσε. τήν τε γὰρ δίαιταν ἐπὶ τὸ ἡμερώτερον μεταβαλόντες ἐς καταλόγους αὑτοὺς Ῥωμαϊκοὺς ἐσεγράψαντο καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ξὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξίασι. τήν τε δόξαν ἐπὶ τὸ εὐσεβέστερον μετέθεντο, ἅπαντες Χριστιανοὶ γεγενημένοι. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τοῖς Τζάνοις ταύτῃ πη ἔσχεν. 1.15.26 Ὑπερβάντι δὲ τὰ αὐτῶν ὅρια φάραγξ ἐστὶ βαθεῖά τε καὶ λίαν κρημνώδης, μέχρι ἐς τὰ Καυκάσια ὄρη διήκουσα. ἐνταῦθα χωρία τε πολυανθρωπότατά ἐστι καὶ ἄμπελός τε καὶ ἡ ἄλλη ὀπώρα διαρκῶς φύεται. 1.15.27 καὶ μέχρι μὲν ἐς τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν μάλιστα Ῥωμαίοις ἡ φάραγξ αὕτη ὑποτελὴς τυγχάνει οὖσα, τὸ δὲ ἐνθένδε οἱ Περσαρμενίων ὅροι ἐκδέχονται, οὗ δὴ καὶ τὸ τοῦ χρυσοῦ μέταλλόν ἐστιν, ὅπερ Καβάδου δόντος 1.15.28 ἐπετρόπευε τῶν τις ἐπιχωρίων Συμεώνης ὄνομα. οὗτος ὁ Συμεώνης ἐπειδὴ ἀμφοτέρους ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἀκμάζοντας εἶδε, Καβάδην τῆς τῶν χρημάτων προσόδου 1.15.29 ἀποστερεῖν ἔγνω. διὸ δὴ αὑτόν τε καὶ τὸ Φαράγγιον Ῥωμαίοις ἐνδοὺς οὐδετέροις τὸν ἐκ τοῦ μετάλλου 1.15.30 χρυσὸν ἀποφέρειν ἠξίου. Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔπραττον, ἀποχρῆν σφίσιν ἡγούμενοι ἀπολωλέναι τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν ἐνθένδε φορὰν, Πέρσαι δὲ οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν ἀκόντων Ῥωμαίων τοὺς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένους ἀντιστατούσης τῆς δυσχωρίας βιάζεσθαι. 1.15.31 Ὑπὸ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους Ναρσῆς τε καὶ Ἀράτιος, οἳ Βελισαρίῳ καὶ Σίττᾳ ἐν Περσαρμενίων τῇ χώρᾳ κατ' ἀρχὰς τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθον, ὥσπερ ἔμπροσθέν μοι δεδήλωται, ξὺν τῇ μητρὶ αὐτόμολοι ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἧκον, καὶ αὐτοὺς Ναρσῆς ὁ βασιλέως ταμίας ἐδέξατο (Περσαρμένιος γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς γένος ἐτύγχανε) χρήμασί τε αὐτοὺς δωρεῖται μεγάλοις. 1.15.32 ὅπερ ἐπειδὴ Ἰσαάκης, ὁ νεώτατος αὐτῶν ἀδελφὸς, ἔμαθε, Ῥωμαίοις λάθρα ἐς λόγους ἐλθὼν Βώλου αὐτοῖς τὸ φρούριον, ἄγχιστά πη ὂν τῶν Θεοδοσιουπόλεως 1.15.33 ὁρίων, παρέδωκε. στρατιώτας γὰρ ἐγγύς πη ἐπέστελλε κρύπτεσθαι, οὓς δὴ τῷ φρουρίῳ νύκτωρ ἐδέξατο, μίαν αὐτοῖς λάθρα ἀνακλίνας πυλίδα· οὕτω τε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐς Βυζάντιον ἦλθεν. 1.16.1 Οὕτω μὲν Ῥωμαίοις τὰ πράγματα εἶχε. Πέρσαι δὲ πρὸς Βελισαρίου ἐν ∆άρας ἡσσημένοι τῇ μάχῃ οὐδ' ὣς ἐνθένδε ἀναχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν, ἕως Ῥουφῖνος, ἐπεὶ ἐς ὄψιν τὴν Καβάδου ἦλθεν, ἔλεξεν ὧδε «Ἔπεμψέ με, «ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὁ σὸς ἀδελφὸς μέμψιν δικαίαν μεμφόμενος, «ὅτι δὴ Πέρσαι ἀπ' οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας ἐς γῆν τὴν αὐτοῦ 1.16.2 «ἐν ὅπλοις ἦλθον. καίτοι βασιλεῖ μεγάλῳ τε καὶ ἐς «τόσον ξυνέσεως ἥκοντι ἐκ πολέμου εἰρήνην πρυτανεῦσαι «μᾶλλον ἂν πρέποι ἢ τῶν πραγμάτων εὖ καθεστώτων «ταραχὴν οὐ δέον αὑτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς πέλας προστρίβε1.16.3 «σθαι. οἷς δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς εὔελπις ὢν ἐνθάδε ἀφῖγμαι, «ὅπως τὸ λοιπὸν ἀμφοτέροις τὰ ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθὰ 1.16.4 «εἴη.» Ῥουφῖνος μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπε. Καβάδης δὲ 1.16.4 ἀμείβεται ὧδε «Ὦ παῖ Σιλβανοῦ, μηδαμῶς ἀντιστρέ»φειν τὰς αἰτίας πειρῶ, πάντων ἐξεπιστάμενος μάλι»στα ταραχῆς ἁπάσης αἰτιωτάτους γεγονέναι τοὺς «Ῥωμαίους ὑμᾶς. πύλας γὰρ τὰς Κασπίας ἡμεῖς ἔσχο»μεν ἐπὶ τῷ Περσῶν τε καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἀγαθῷ βιασά»μενοι τοὺς ἐκείνῃ βαρβάρους, ἐπεὶ Ἀναστάσιος ὁ «Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτωρ, ὥς που καὶ αὐτὸς οἶσθα, παρὸν «αὐτὰς χρήμασιν ὠνεῖσθαι, οὐκ ἤθελεν, ὅπως μὴ «στράτευμα εἰς πάντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἐνταῦθα ἔχων χρή»ματα μεγάλα ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρων προΐεσθαι ἀναγκάζηται. 1.16.5 «ἐξ ἐκείνου τε ἡμεῖς στρατιὰν τοσαύτην τὸ πλῆθος «ἐνταῦθα καταστησάμενοι καὶ ἐς τὸν παρόντα χρόνον «ἐκτρέφοντες δεδώκαμεν ὑμῖν τό γε κατὰ τοὺς ἐκείνῃ «βαρβάρους μέρος ἀδῄωτον τὴν χώραν οἰκεῖν, ξὺν