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and finding the walls of the so-called Hemerium in some places carelessly and precariously built, and in others clad only with mud, and being hard-pressed by a great lack of water and for this reason utterly contemptible to the enemy, he both razed them to the ground, and immediately building them all up accurately with layers of the hardest stones, and applying to the work a great measure of breadth and height in proportion, and constructing very many reservoirs for water throughout the fortifications, and making all these full to overflowing with rainwater, and establishing a garrison of guards, he most stoutly transferred his dominion to its present apparent security. And indeed one who examined this at great length, overlooking all the other benefactions of the Emperor Justinian, would say that he received the imperial power for this reason alone, since God, it is clear, continuously presides over the salvation of the Roman race. In addition to these things, he also saved Hierapolis, which happens to be the first of all the cities here, finding it exposed to those wishing to plot against it, with provident judgment. For since it was formerly surrounded by a large tract of deserted land and was for this reason unguarded, he freed it from its useless circuits, and by making the wall of enclosure shorter as well as more secure, and by contracting it to what was necessary, he made the city now among the most strongly fortified. And indeed here he has accomplished the following good thing. Potable water continuously comes up from the depths of the earth in the middle of the city, and makes a certain wide lake there. This, if it so happens that enemies are besieging, becomes a source of salvation for the city, but in good times it happens not to be necessary for it, as much water is brought in from outside; but as time went on, the inhabitants here, having lived together in a long peace, and having come to the test of no necessity, have held this in neglect. For the nature of man does not know how to take counsel in prosperity about present evils. Therefore they have most constantly filled the lake with filth, swimming and washing clothes there and casting off all refuse * * * And there were also some other places in this Euphratesia, both Zeugma and Neocaesarea, which were towns only in name, but were surrounded by walls in the manner of a dry-stone wall. For on the one hand because of the stunted nature of their construction they were accessible to the enemy with no trouble, who could leap into them more fearlessly, and on the other hand because of their extreme narrowness they were unguarded, since the guards there had absolutely no place where they might stand and defend themselves. But the Emperor Justinian surrounded these also with true walls of sufficient breadth and height, and strengthening them with other construction, he brought it about that they are justly called cities and are superior to the enemy's plots. But also the cities captured by Chosroes (when this barbarian, disregarding the oaths he had sworn in the endless treaty and the money given to him for it, and being possessed with envy against the Emperor Justinian, by which indeed he had become master of Libya and Italy in war, and having considered his faith in his oaths of less account than his madness for these things. And watching for the opportunity when the Roman army was for the most part left behind in the west, he invaded the land of the Romans with the news of his own arrival, while the Romans were still unaware of the enemy's approach) the Emperor Justinian transformed to such a state of security and order that they are all now much more prosperous than before, and are no longer fearful about the raids of the mischief-making barbarians, nor are they in any way suspicious of plots. And most of all he filled Antioch, which is now called Theopolis, with much greater beauty and fortification than it happened to have before. For in ancient times its circuit wall was excessively long and truly full of many twists and turns, in some places enclosing the plains

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μέντοι καὶ τοῦ καλουμένου Ἡμερίου τὰ τείχη εὑρὼν πὴ μὲν παρέργως τε καὶ ἐπὶ σφαλερᾶς τῆς οἰκοδομίας γεγενημένα, πὴ δὲ καὶ μόνῳ περιβεβλημένα πηλῷ, πιεζόμενα δὲ καὶ ὕδατος ἀπορίᾳ πολλῇ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς πολεμίοις εὐκαταφρόνητα παντάπασιν ὄντα, καθεῖλε μὲν εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, ἐς δὲ τὸ ἀκριβὲς λίθων ἐπιβολαῖς σκληρῶν μάλιστα δειμάμενος εὐθὺς ἅπαντα, εὔρους τε καὶ ὕψους μέγα τι χρῆμα τῷ ἔργῳ κατὰ λόγον ἐνθέμενος, καὶ ὑδάτων ταμιεῖα τεκτηνάμενος πανταχόσε τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων παμπληθῆ, ταῦτά τε κατακορῆ ὕδασιν ὀμβρίοις καταστησάμενος ἅπαντα, ἱδρυσάμενος δὲ καὶ φρουρῶν ὅμιλον, ἐς τὴν νῦν φαινομένην ἀσφάλειαν καρτερώτατα τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπικρά2.9.11 τειαν μετεβίβασεν. ἃ δὴ ἐπὶ μακρότατον ἄν τις διασκοπούμενος τάς τε ἄλλας ἁπάσας Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ἀγαθοεργίας ὑπεριδών, τούτου δὴ μόνου φαίη ἂν εἵνεκα τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβεῖν, τοῦ θεοῦ δηλονότι τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας Ῥωμαίων τῷ γένει διηνεκὲς πρυτανεύοντος. 2.9.12 Πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἱεράπολιν, ἥπερ ἁπασῶν πρώτη τῶν τῇδε πόλεων τυγχάνει οὖσα, λαβὼν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύειν ἐθέλουσι, προμηθεῖ διεσώσατο 2.9.13 γνώμῃ. χώραν τε γὰρ ἔρημον τὰ πρότερα περιβεβλημένην πολλὴν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀφύλακτον οὖσαν, τῶν μὲν ἀνονήτων αὐτὴν περιόδων ἀπήλλαξεν, ἐπιτομώτερον δὲ σὺν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ καταστησάμενος τὸν περίβολον, ἔς τε τὸ τῆς χρείας ἀναγκαῖον ξυναγαγὼν ἐχυρωτάτην τανῦν 2.9.14 ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα διεπράξατο τὴν πόλιν εἶναι. οὗ δὴ καὶ τόδε ἀγαθὸν εἴργασται. πότιμον ὕδωρ ἐκ μυχῶν τῆς γῆς ἄνεισιν ἐν μέσῃ πόλει διηνεκῶς, λίμνην τέ τινα ἐνταῦθα 2.9.15 εὐρεῖαν ποιεῖται. τοῦτο πολεμίων μέν, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, προσεδρευόντων γίνεται τῇ πόλει σωτήριον, ἐν δὲ ἀγαθοῖς πράγμασιν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῇ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, 2.9.16 ἔξωθεν εἰσαγομένων ὑδάτων πολλῶν· προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου εἰρήνῃ μακρᾷ συμβεβιωκότες οἱ τῇδε ᾠκημένοι, ἀνάγκης δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς ἐς πεῖραν ἐλθόντες, ἐν ὀλιγωρίᾳ τοῦτο πεποίηνται. οὐ γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπου φύσις ὑπὲρ 2.9.17 τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἐν εὐδαιμονίᾳ βουλεύεσθαι. ῥύπου τοίνυν τὴν λίμνην ἐνδελεχέστατα ἐνεπλήσαντο, νηχόμενοί τε καὶ πλυνοὺς ἐνταῦθα ποιούμενοι καὶ ἀπορριπτοῦντες φορυτοὺς ἅπαντας * * * 2.9.18 Ἔκειτο δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα ἐν ταύτῃ δὴ τῇ Εὐφρατησίᾳ χωρία, Ζεῦγμά τε καὶ Νεοκαισάρεια, ἃ δὴ πολίχναι μὲν ἄχρι ἐς τὸ ὄνομα ἦσαν, τείχεσι δὲ περιεβέβληντο αἱμα2.9.19 σιᾶς τρόπον. ᾧ τῷ μὲν γὰρ τῆς οἰκοδομίας κολοβῷ ἐσβατὰ πόνῳ οὐδενὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐγίνετο, ἀδεέστερον ἐς αὐτὰ ἐσπηδᾶν ἔχουσι, τῷ δὲ στενῷ λίαν ἀφύλακτα, οὐκ ἐχόντων τὸ παράπαν τῶν ἐνταῦθα φρουρῶν ὅποι 2.9.20 ἂν ἑστῶτες ἀμύνοιντο. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τείχεσιν ἀληθέσι περιβαλὼν εὔρους τε καὶ ὕψους ἱκανῶς ἔχουσι, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ κατασκευῇ κρατυνάμενος, πόλεις τε διεπράξατο καλεῖσθαι δικαίως καὶ κρείσσους εἶναι τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιβουλῆς. 2.10.1 Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πόλεων τὰς Χοσρόῃ ἁλούσας (ἡνίκα ὁ βάρβαρος οὗτος ἀλογήσας τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ ὀμωμοσμένα ἐν ταῖς ἀπεράντοις σπονδαῖς καὶ τὰ διδόμενά οἱ ἐπ' αὐταῖς χρήματα, καὶ βασκανίᾳ μὲν ἐς Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα ἐχόμενος, οἷς δὴ Λιβύης τε καὶ Ἰταλίας τῷ πολέμῳ κύριος γέγονε, καὶ τὴν ἐς τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα πίστιν περὶ ἐλάσσονος τῆς ἐς ταῦτα λύσσης πεποιημένος. καιροφυλακήσας δὲ ἀπολελειμμένον ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸν αὐτάγγελος ἐσβέβληκεν ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν, ἀνηκόων ἔτι Ῥωμαίων ὄντων τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδου) ἐς τοῦτο δὴ μετεστήσατο βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἀσφαλείας καὶ κόσμου ὥστε ἁπάσας εὐδαιμονεστέρας κατὰ πολὺ τανῦν ἢ πρότερον εἶναι, καὶ μηκέτι περὶ τὰς τῶν κακουργησόντων βαρβάρων ἐφόδους περιδεεῖς εἶναι, μηδέ τινι μηχανῇ πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ὑπόπτως ἔχειν. 2.10.2 Μάλιστα δὲ ἁπασῶν Ἀντιόχειαν, ἣ νῦν Θεούπολις ἐπικέκληται, κόσμου τε καὶ ὀχυρώματος ἐνεπλήσατο πολλῷ 2.10.3 μείζονος ἢ πρότερον εἶναι ξυνέβαινεν. ἦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς τὸ παλαιὸν ὁ περίβολος μακρός τε ὑπεράγαν καὶ περιόδων πολλῶν ἀτεχνῶς ἔμπλεως, πὴ μὲν τὰ πεδία περιβάλλων