,

reins. But as he was rejecting the army's demand, and they were compelling him to be obedient concerning the election and threatening that death would be the penalty for disobedience, the plans of the armies prevailed, and Germanus was proclaimed general, having bound by oath what was expedient, that the Romans would refrain from plundering the subject population, with the disorder being removed; and it was also agreed 3.2.6 that they would fight against the enemy. And the general, having been fortified by these agreements as if by some invincible armor, was delighted to lead the Romans. So the priest, 3.2.7 the ambassador, came to the general and the army. He, then, exhorted the army to look to moderation; but they were hostile to the priest and did not receive his words in their ears, but drove out what was proposed to them by the ambassador, as if it were a barbarian spectacle; and they urged also to expel 3.2.8 Priscus from the city. They, then, attempted to tear down the imperial statues (which indeed happened), and they also destroyed the painted dedications, which were composed on boards and tablets in the emperor's honor with artistic coloring; for they said they would not tolerate being under a petty-huckster 3.2. emperor. The governor of Constantina made these things clear to Priscus. Therefore Priscus also sent the head of the clergy of Edessa as an ambassador to the armies. But the priest, having gone to the army and delivered many speeches, made his return 3.2.10 without success. And the terrible things from the disorder surged over the east, and everywhere evil was piled upon evil, so that I might also make mention of a poetic disaster, with some losing their property, others being violently assaulted on the roads in a rather piratical manner, and others being plundered in the fields, with the tyranny flourishing and granting impunity to the injustices. 3.2.11 Priscus, then, made these things clear to Maurice the emperor in letters, and the emperor ordered Philippicus to set out for the east again. 3.3.1 Therefore the armies sent a message to Priscus to withdraw from Edessa, having elected forty-five men in number 3.3.2 as ambassadors. So these men came to Priscus in the city of Edessa and conveyed to him the decision 3.3.3 of the armies. Priscus, then, defended himself at length and persuaded the envoys that the wage reductions had not been on his part a matter of injustice. They, then, promised Priscus that they would cause the raging beacons of the soldiers' anger to fade; and Priscus, gaping with hope, continued his stay at 3.3.4 Edessa. And indeed the ambassadors arrived at the camp and related Priscus's defense, and they also attempted to tame the more recent outbursts of the 3.3.5 tyranny. And this suspended them on the brink of the greatest danger; for they barely escaped death, having been condemned to the status of private citizens; for this is what the anger decreed. Therefore they were expelled from the camp, and with such 3.3.6 terrible things the affair of the ambassadors was concluded. Therefore the leaders of the disorder encamped against Priscus and, having drawn up five thousand of fighting force, sent them to Edessa. At that time, then, Theodore came to Edessa promising the arrival of Philippicus. For this reason Priscus left 3.3.7 Edessa and came to Byzantium. But the Romans at the camp were still entangled in the disorder, and perceiving that Philippicus was about to arrive at Monocarton, they arranged by oath 3.3.8 not to tolerate his command either. But the Persian force, reveling in the Roman misfortunes, poured over the Roman state and attacked Constantina, and the war for the cities was twofold, being both nurtured and fattened by their closest kin and by their enemies. 3.3. and

ἡνίας. τοῦ δ' ἀποπεμπομένου τὴν τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἀξίωσιν, τῶν δὲ καταναγκαζόντων αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι περὶ τὴν χειροτονίαν πειθήνιον καὶ προσαπειλούντων καὶ θάνατον τῆς παρακοῆς εἶναι τὸ διαζήμιον, νικῶσι τὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων βουλεύματα, καὶ στρατηγὸς Γερμανὸς ἀνακηρύττεται, ὅρκῳ περιφράξας τὰ τοῦ συνοίσοντος, ὡς ἀπέχονται ῾Ρωμαῖοι τοῦ λωποδυτεῖν τὸ ὑπήκοον, τῆς ἀταξίας ἐκποδὼν γινομένης· διωμολόγητο δὲ καὶ 3.2.6 καταπολεμεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸ ἀντίπαλον. καὶ ταύταις ὁ στρατηγὸς ταῖς συνθήκαις περιφραξάμενος οἷα θώραξιν ἀκαταγωνίστοις τισὶν ἡγεμονεύειν ῾Ρωμαίων ἠσμένισεν. γίνεται γοῦν ὁ ἱερεὺς 3.2.7 ὁ πρέσβις πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον. ὁ μὲν οὖν παρεκάλει τὸ στράτευμα πρὸς σωφροσύνην ἰδεῖν· οἱ δ' ἀπηχθάνοντο τῷ ἱερεῖ καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοῖς ὠσὶν οὐ παρεδέχοντο, ἀλλ' οἷα βάρβαρον ὄψιν ἐξενηλάτουν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ πρέσβεως αὐτοῖς εἰσηγούμενα· παρενεγύων δὲ καὶ τὸν 3.2.8 Πρίσκον ἐξωθῆσαι τῆς πόλεως. οἱ μὲν οὖν τοὺς βασιλικοὺς ἀνδριάντας καταρριπτεῖν ἐνεχείρησαν, (ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν), ἀφανίζουσι δὲ καὶ τὰ διὰ τῆς γραφῆς ἀναθήματα, ἅπερ σανίσι καὶ πίναξιν εἰς βασιλέως τιμὴν χρωματουργίᾳ συνετάττοντο τεχνικῇ· μηδὲ γὰρ ἀνέχεσθαι ἔφασκον ὑπὸ βασιλέα 3.2. παλιγκάπηλον εἶναι. ὁ δὲ πρόεδρος τῆς Κωνσταντίνης κατάδηλα ταῦτα ἐποιήσατο Πρίσκῳ. τοίνυν ὁ Πρίσκος καὶ τὸν τῆς ᾿Εδέσης τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ ἐξηγούμενον πρεσβευτὴν ἀπέστελλε τοῖς στρατεύμασιν. ἀτὰρ ὁ ἱερεὺς γενόμενος πρὸς τὸ στράτευμα καὶ πολλοὺς λόγους καταβαλόμενος ἀνεπιτεύκτως τὴν 3.2.10 ἐπανάζευξιν ἐποιήσατο. τὰ δ' ἐκ τῆς ἀταξίας δεινὰ τῇ ἀνατολῇ ἐπεκύμαινεν, καὶ πάντῃ κακὸν κακῷ ἐπεστήρικτο, ἵνα καὶ ποιητικῆς συμφορᾶς μνήμην ποιήσωμαι, τῶν μὲν τὰς περιουσίας ἀποβαλλομένων, ἄλλων περὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς λῃστρικώτερον βιαζομένων, ἑτέρων ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς ληϊζομένων, τῆς τυραννίδος κομώσης καὶ παρεχομένης τοῖς ἀδικήμασι τὸ 3.2.11 ἀνέγκλητον. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πρίσκος γράμμασι ταῦτα κατάδηλα Μαυρικίῳ ἐποιήσατο τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν Φιλιππικὸν αὖθις ἐπιβαίνειν τῆς ἀνατολῆς ἐγκελεύεται. 3.3.1 ἐπικηρυκεύονται τοιγαροῦν οἱ τῶν στρατευμάτων τὸν Πρίσκον τῆς ᾿Εδέσης ὑπεξελθεῖν πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν 3.3.2 χειροτονήσαντες πρεσβευτάς. γίνονται γοῦν οὗτοι ἐν ᾿Εδέσῃ τῇ πόλει παρὰ τὸν Πρίσκον καὶ διαπορθμεύουσιν αὐτῷ τὴν 3.3.3 τῶν στρατοπέδων προαίρεσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πρίσκος πλεῖστα ἀπελελόγητο καὶ πείθει τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους, ὡς οὐκ ἐν ἀδικίας μοίρᾳ γέγονεν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐπίχειρα. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπηγγείλαντο τῷ Πρίσκῳ ὑπομαραίνειν τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὰς μαινόλεις τῆς ὀργῆς φρυκτωρίας· ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος κεχηνὼς ταῖς ἐλπίσι πρὸς 3.3.4 τῇ ᾿Εδέσῃ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐπεποίητο. καὶ δῆτα ἀφίκοντο οἱ πρεσβευταὶ πρὸς τὸν χάρακα καὶ τὰς ἀπολογίας διεξῄεσαν Πρίσκου, ἐνεχείρουν δὲ καὶ τιθασεύειν τὰ νεώτερα τῆς 3.3.5 τυραννίδος σκιρτήματα. ὃ καὶ πρὸς κορυφαῖον αὐτοὺς ἀπῃώρησε κίνδυνον· μόλις γὰρ τὸν θάνατον ἀποκλίνουσι τὸ ἰδιωτεύειν κατακριθέντες· τοῦτο γὰρ τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς ἐδογμάτιζεν. ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος τοίνυν ἐκβάλλονται, καὶ τοιούτοις 3.3.6 δεινοῖς τὰ περὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἐπεπέραστο. καταστρατοπεδεύουσι τοιγαροῦν οἱ τῆς ἀταξίας ἡγεμονεύοντες κατὰ Πρίσκου καὶ πέντε χιλιάδας συντεταχότες μαχίμου δυνάμεως ἐπὶ τὴν ῎Εδεσαν ἀποστέλλουσιν. κατ' ἐκεῖνον γοῦν τὸν καιρὸν γίνεται Θεόδωρος περὶ τὴν ῎Εδεσαν τὴν Φιλιππικοῦ ἄφιξιν ὑπισχνούμενος. διά τοι τοῦτο ἀπολιπὼν ὁ Πρίσκος τὴν 3.3.7 ῎Εδεσαν γίνεται ἐς Βυζάντιον. οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν χάρακα ῾Ρω-μαῖοι ἔτι τῇ ἀταξίᾳ περιεπλέκοντο τὸν Φιλιππικὸν ὅσον οὔπω ἐπιβαίνειν τοῦ Μονοκάρτων αἰσθόμενοι, ὅρκοις τε 3.3.8 διέθεντο μηδὲ τῆς ἐκείνου στρατιαρχίας ἀνέχεσθαι. τὸ δὲ Περσικὸν ταῖς ῾Ρωμαϊκαῖς συμφοραῖς ἐντρυφῶν τῇ ῾Ρωμαίωνπολιτείᾳ περιεκέχυτο καὶ τῇ Κωνσταντίνῃ προσέβαλλεν, καὶ διπλοῦς ταῖς πόλεσιν ὑπῆρχεν ὁ πόλεμος, ἔκ τε τῶν οἰκειοτάτων καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐκτρεφόμενός τε καὶ λιπαινόμενος. 3.3. καὶ