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they were. For the circuit-wall was for the most part very easy to attack and most easily captured by a Persian siege, and they themselves did not have sufficient provisions, nor indeed engines or anything else of consequence with which to defend themselves. 1.21.9 Sittas and the Roman army came to a place called Attachas, one hundred stades distant from Martyropolis, but they did not dare to go forward, but bivouacking there 1.21.10 they remained. And with them was Hermogenes, who had come again from Byzantium on an embassy. At this time it came about that something of the following sort happened. 1.21.11 It is a custom of old among both the Romans and the Persians for spies to be maintained at public expense, who are accustomed to go secretly to the enemy, so that after investigating accurately what is being done, they may then return and report to the 1.21.12 commanders. Many of these, as is natural, are eager to act with loyalty toward their own people, but some also betray secrets to the enemy. 1.21.13 At that time, therefore, a certain spy from the Persians, being sent to the Romans, came into the presence of the Emperor Justinian, and told him many other things that were being done among the barbarians, and that a tribe of Massagetae, to the detriment of the Romans, were very soon departing for the Persian territory, and from there, going into the land of the Romans, were ready 1.21.14 to join with the Persian army. And he, hearing this, and already having had experience of the man's truthfulness toward himself, having gratified him with a large sum of money, persuaded him to go to the Persian camp, which was besieging the people of Martyropolis, and to announce to the barbarians there that these Massagetae, having been persuaded with money by the Roman emperor, were about to come against them presently. 1.21.15 And he acted accordingly, and arriving at the barbarians' camp 1.21.15 he announced to Chanaranges and the others that an army of enemy Huns would before long 1.21.16 arrive to join the Romans. And when they heard this, they were terrified and were at a loss as to their present circumstances. 1.21.17 At this time it happened that Cabades fell grievously ill in body, and summoning one of the Persians who was most especially intimate with him, Mebodes by name, he conferred with him concerning both Chosroes and the kingdom, and he said he feared the Persians would be eager 1.21.18 to disregard some of his decisions. And he asked him to leave a declaration of his will in writing, being confident that the Persians would never dare to disregard it. 1.21.19 Cabades, therefore, openly ordained that Chosroes should be established as king for the Persians. Mebodes himself wrote the document and Cabades immediately departed from among men. 1.21.20 And when all the customary rites for the king's burial had taken place, Caoses, trusting in the law, laid claim to the honour, but Mebodes prevented him, saying that no one should come to the kingship of his own accord, but 1.21.21 by the vote of the Persian nobles. And he entrusted the decision on the matter to the magistrates, suspecting no 1.21.22 opposition to him would come from this. But when all the Persian nobles had gathered for this and were seated, Mebodes read out the document and revealed Cabades's decision concerning Chosroes, and all, remembering the virtue of Cabades, immediately proclaimed Chosroes king for the Persians. 1.21.23 In this way Chosroes gained the rule. But in Martyropolis, Sittas and Hermogenes, fearing for the city, for they were in no way able to defend it in its peril, sent some men to the enemy, who, coming into the presence of the generals 1.21.24, spoke as follows: "You are unaware that you are improperly becoming an obstacle to the king of the Persians, to the blessings of peace, and to both states. For ambassadors sent from the emperor are now present, in order to go to the Persian king and both resolve the differences and make a treaty with him; but depart from Roman land as quickly as possible and permit the ambassadors to do what is going to be advantageous 1.21.25 to both sides. For we are ready to give approved men as hostages for these very things, that in fact they will be accomplished before long." The Roman 1.21.26 ambassadors said this much. And it also happened that

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ἦσαν. ὅ τε γὰρ περίβολος ἐπιμαχώτατος ἦν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ πολιορκίᾳ Περσῶν ῥᾷστα ἁλώσιμος, αὐτοί τε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια οὐ διαρκῶς εἶχον, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ μηχανὰς οὐδέ τι ἄλλο ἀξιόχρεων καθ' ὅ τι ἀμύνωνται. 1.21.9 Σίττας δὲ καὶ ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐς χωρίον μὲν Ἀτταχᾶς ἦλθον, Μαρτυροπόλεως ἑκατὸν σταδίοις διέχον, ἐς τὰ πρόσω δὲ οὐκ ἐτόλμων ἰέναι, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἐνστρα1.21.10 τοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον. ξυνῆν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Ἑρμογένης αὖθις ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἥκων. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τοιόνδε τι ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. 1.21.11 Κατασκόπους ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἔν τε Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Πέρσαις δημοσίᾳ σιτίζεσθαι νόμος, οἳ δὴ λάθρα ἰέναι παρὰ τοὺς πολεμίους εἰώθασιν, ὅπως περισκοπήσαντες ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ πρασσόμενα εἶτα ἐπανιόντες τοῖς 1.21.12 ἄρχουσιν ἐσαγγείλωσι. τούτων πολλοὶ μὲν εὐνοίᾳ, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, χρῆσθαι ἐς τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχουσι, τινὲς δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις προΐενται τὰ ἀπόρρητα. 1.21.13 τότε οὖν ἐκ Περσῶν κατάσκοπός τις ἐς Ῥωμαίους σταλεὶς ἐς ὄψιν τε Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἥκων, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ ἐξεῖπεν ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις πρασσόμενα καὶ ὡς γένος Μασσαγετῶν ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων πονηρῷ αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἐξίασιν, ἐνθένδε τε ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν ἰόντες τῷ Περσῶν στρατῷ ἕτοιμοί 1.21.14 εἰσιν ἀναμίγνυσθαι. ὁ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας, πεῖράν τε ἤδη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀληθείας πέρι ἐς αὑτὸν ἔχων, χρήμασιν αὐτὸν ἁδροῖς τισι χαρισάμενος πείθει ἔς τε τὸ Περσῶν στρατόπεδον ἰέναι, ὃ δὴ Μαρτυροπολίτας ἐπολιόρκει, καὶ τοῖς ταύτῃ βαρβάροις ἀγγεῖλαι, ὅτι δὴ οἱ Μασσαγέται οὗτοι χρήμασιν ἀναπεισθέντες τῷ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῖ μέλλουσιν ὅσον οὔπω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἥξειν. 1.21.15 ὁ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει, ἔς τε τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων στρα1.21.15 τόπεδον ἀφικόμενος τῷ τε Χαναράγγῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπήγγελλε στράτευμα Οὔννων πολεμίων σφίσιν οὐκ ἐς 1.21.16 μακρὰν ἐς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀφίξεσθαι. οἱ δὲ ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἤκουσαν, κατωρρώδησάν τε καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι διηποροῦντο. 1.21.17 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ξυνέβη πονήρως τῷ Καβάδῃ νοσῆσαι τὸ σῶμα, καὶ Περσῶν ἕνα τῶν οἱ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἐπιτηδειοτάτων καλέσας, Μεβόδην ὄνομα, ἐκοινολογεῖτο ἀμφί τε τῷ Χοσρόῃ καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ, δεδιέναι τε Πέρσας ἔφασκε μή τι τῶν αὐτῷ βεβουλευμένων 1.21.18 ἀλογῆσαι ἐν σπουδῇ ἕξουσιν. ὁ δέ οἱ τῆς γνώμης τὴν δήλωσιν ἐν γράμμασιν ἀπολιπεῖν ἠξίου, θαρσοῦντα ὡς οὐ μή ποτε αὐτὴν ὑπεριδεῖν τολμήσωσι Πέρσαι. 1.21.19 Καβάδης μὲν οὖν ἄντικρυς διετίθετο βασιλέα Χοσρόην Πέρσαις καθίστασθαι. τὸ δὲ γράμμα ὁ Μεβόδης αὐτὸς ἔγραφε καὶ ὁ Καβάδης αὐτίκα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων 1.21.20 ἠφάνιστο. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὰ νόμιμα πάντα ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ταφῇ ἐγεγόνει, ὁ μὲν Καόσης τῷ νόμῳ θαρσῶν ἐπεβάτευε τῆς τιμῆς, ὁ δὲ Μεβόδης ἐκώλυε, φάσκων οὐδένα χρῆναι αὐτόματον ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν ἰέναι, ἀλλὰ 1.21.21 ψήφῳ Περσῶν τῶν λογίμων. καὶ ὃς ἐπέτρεπε ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τὴν περὶ τοῦ πράγματος γνῶσιν, οὐδὲν ἐνθένδε 1.21.22 ἔσεσθαί οἱ ἐναντίωμα ὑποτοπάζων. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντες οἱ Περσῶν λόγιμοι ἐς τοῦτο ἀγηγερμένοι ἐκάθηντο, τὸ μὲν γράμμα ὁ Μεβόδης ἀναλεξάμενος τὴν Καβάδου ἀμφὶ τῷ Χοσρόῃ ἐδήλου γνώμην, ἀναμνησθέντες δὲ τῆς Καβάδου ἀρετῆς ἅπαντες βασιλέα Πέρσαις αὐτίκα Χοσρόην ἀνεῖπον. 1.21.23 Οὕτω μὲν ὁ Χοσρόης τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν. ἐν δὲ Μαρτυροπόλει Σίττας τε καὶ Ἑρμογένης ἀμφὶ τῇ πόλει δειμαίνοντες, ἀμύνειν γὰρ κινδυνευούσῃ οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, ἔπεμψάν τινας ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους, οἳ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς 1.21.24 ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες ἔλεξαν τοιάδε «Λελήθατε ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς «βασιλεῖ τε τῷ Περσῶν καὶ τοῖς τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθοῖς «καὶ πολιτείᾳ ἑκατέρᾳ ἐμποδὼν οὐ δέον γινόμενοι. «πρέσβεις γὰρ ἐκ βασιλέως ἐσταλμένοι τανῦν πάρεισιν, «ἐφ' ᾧ παρὰ τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα ἰόντες τά τε διά»φορα διαλύσουσι καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν θή»σονται· ἀλλ' ὡς τάχιστα ἐξανιστάμενοι τῆς Ῥωμαίων «γῆς ξυγχωρεῖτε τοῖς πρέσβεσι πράσσειν ᾗ ἑκατέ1.21.25 «ροις ξυνοίσειν μέλλει. ἕτοιμοι γάρ ἐσμεν ὑπὲρ τού»των αὐτῶν καὶ ὁμήρους διδόναι ἄνδρας δοκίμους, «ὡς δὴ ἔργῳ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐπιτελῆ ἔσται.» Ῥωμαίων 1.21.26 μὲν οἱ πρέσβεις τοσαῦτα εἶπον. ἐτύγχανε δὲ καὶ