,

one would not be wrong in calling it the fortress. So all who are caught in the nets of the king's displeasure are shut up in here, on the one hand 3.5.4 subjects, and on the other also prisoners of war. So when Justin the Younger was ruling the Roman state, the king of the Persians subdued the city called Daras. So it seemed good to the king, and the Darenes become inhabitants of this fortress. 3.5.5 There were also Cadasenes in it, (a barbarian tribe of Media) and not only them but also others whose lot it was to suffer misfortune, and the fortress embraced a common assembly 3.5.6 of afflicted men. So their common misfortunes became a cause of concord for the men of different races, and those whom race and law and tongue had divided, the fellowship of their sufferings united, having practiced concord through the kinship of necessity. 3.5.7 So the Darenes initiated the act of bravery and, using the instruments of war at hand, on the spot they killed the guards. And as the slaughter flared up more fiercely, (for there was a multitude of soldiery guarding the fortress) the Romans were victorious and led out of the fortress their partners in misfortune as well, and after suffering and doing much, they returned to Roman territory. 3.5.8 But when those famous triumphs had been won by the Romans, the war at Martyropolis was still being waged, as we said before, at the time when Maruzas, the Persian general, happened to have fallen in battle, and the commanders of the two wings were captured, and the head of Maruzas 3.5. the general came to Byzantium. But Philippicus was still being rejected by the Roman force and was deprived of his command; for the troops did not accept as their commander the man who a short while before had acted bravely near Arzamon. For the multitude is by nature easily led and hard to please, and dear to it is the ever-restless nature of change. 3.5.10 So when Philippicus was near the estates of the Cilicians, by imperial letters he returned again to Syria, and was received with difficulty by the Roman army, after Gregory, who at that time administered the archiepiscopal throne of Antioch, had reconciled the troops to the general. 3.5.11 The City of Martyrs was then, at that very time, captured by the Persians, not by the rules of war, but by the tricks of treachery, by which things are usually stolen which cannot be taken by opponents 3.5.12 in battles. The father of this deceit happened to be Sittas. Having deserted to the Persians, he persuaded four hundred of the barbarians to arm themselves and to pretend 3.5.13 to be deserting to the Romans, and to appear at the city. When this happened, Sittas persuaded the townspeople to receive the barbarians as deserters to the Romans. So with the evil deed happening suddenly, the barbarians took possession of the town. 3.5.14 But Philippicus, having learned these things, encamped and constructed a palisade around the city. For this reason the king of the Persians also took the field and armed Mebodes and Surenas his son in opposition; and these are dignities held in high esteem among the Persians. 3.5.15 But since Mebodes did not have a sufficient force, Aphraates was also sent by the king of the Persians, he who had obtained by lot the command of the reins of war against Armenia. So when battle was joined, the Romans were defeated and fell short of their goal, and the barbarian 3.5.16 army was victorious. So a relief force was sent to the Persians garrisoning the City of Martyrs, and the city was strongly guarded by the Persians; but Philippicus was immediately dismissed from command, and the emperor appointed Comentiolus as general. 3.6.1 The general accordingly arrived at the approaches to Persia itself and near Nisibis (this was of old called 3.6.2 Antioch of Mygdonia) he engaged the Persians near the so-called Sisarbanon. And as the battle progressed, Comentiolus turned his back to the battle-line, and his great flight

ἀποκαλῶν τις τὸ φρούριον οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι τοῦ πρέποντος. ἐναποκλείονται τοίνυν ἐνθάδε ὅσοι τοῖς δικτύοις τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως λύπης ἁλίσκονται, τοῦτο μὲν 3.5.4 ὑπήκοοι, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ δορίκτητοι. ᾿Ιουστίνου γε οὖν τοῦ νεωτέρου τῆς ῾Ρωμαϊκῆς πολιτείας ἡγεμονεύοντος, παρεστήσατο τὴν πόλιν τὴν λεγομένην ∆αρὰς ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς. ἔδοξε γοῦν τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ γίνονται ∆αρηνοὶ τοῦ φρουρίου 3.5.5 τούτου οἰκήτορες. ὑπῆσαν δὲ καὶ Καδασηνοὶ ἐν αὐτῷ, (βάρβαρον δὲ τὸ φῦλον τῆς Μηδικῆς) οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτεροι τὸ κακοπραγεῖν κληρωσάμενοι, καὶ κοινὸν ἄθροισμα 3.5.6 ταλαιπωρουμένων ἀνδρῶν τὸ φρούριον ἐνηγκάλιστο. γίνεται γοῦν τοῖς ἑτερογενέσιν εἰς συμφωνίαν τὰ κοινὰ δυστυχήματα, καὶ οὓς γένος καὶ νόμος καὶ γλῶττα διείλετο, συνῆψεν ἡ τῶν παθημάτων οἰκείωσις τῷ ἀδελφῷ τῆς ἀνάγκης καταμε3.5.7 λετήσασα τὴν ὁμόνοιαν. ἐξάρχουσι δῆτα τῆς ἀνδρείας οἱ ∆αρηνοὶ καὶ αὐτοβοεὶ τοῖς ἐν ποσὶν ὀργάνοις πολέμου χρησάμενοι ἀναιροῦσι τοὺς φύλακας. καὶ τοῦ φόνου ἐκκαιομένου πρὸς τὸ λαβρότερον, (πλῆθος γὰρ ὑπῆν στρατιᾶς περιφρουρούσης τὸ φρούριον) νικῶσι ῾Ρωμαῖοι καὶ συνεξάγουσι τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἀτυχημάτων αὐτοῖς κοινωνοὺς καὶ πολλὰ παθόντες καὶ δράσαντες εἰς τὴν ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπανέζευξαν. 3.5.8 Τῶν δὲ περιφανῶν ἐκείνων θριάμβων γεγονότων ῾Ρωμαίοις, ἔτι πρὸς τῇ Μαρτυροπόλει ὁ πόλεμος ἐξηρτύετο, ὡς φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, ὁπηνίκα καὶ Μαρουζᾶς, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν στρατηγός, ἐν τῇ παρατάξει ἐτύγχανεν ὢν πεπτωκώς, ἥλωσαν δ' οἱ τῶν δύο κεράτων ταξίαρχοι, ἥ τε κεφαλὴ Μαρουζᾶ 3.5. τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐς Βυζάντιον ἧκεν. ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ἔτι ἀπεδοκιμάζετο ἐκ τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως καὶ ἀποστράτηγος ἦν· οὐ προσίετο γὰρ κηδεμόνα τὰ πλήθη τὸν πρὸ μικροῦ περὶ τὸ ᾿Αρζάμων ἀνδραγαθήσαντα. εὐμετάγωγον γὰρ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ δυσάρεστον πέφυκεν, καὶ φίλον αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς μεταβολῆς 3.5.10 ἀεικίνητον. γενομένου τοίνυν Φιλιππικοῦ περὶ τὰς τῶν Κιλίκων ἐπαύλεις, αὐτοκρατορικοῖς γράμμασιν αὖθις εἰς τὴν Συρίαν παλινδρομεῖ, καὶ μόλις ὑπὸ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ προσεδέ- δεκτο, Γρηγορίου, τοῦ ᾿Αντιοχείας τὸν ἀρχιερατικὸν θρόνον τὸ τηνικαῦτα διέποντος, διαλλάξαντος τῷ στρατηγῷ τὰ στρα3.5.11 τεύματα. ἡ δὲ Μαρτύρων πόλις τότε δὴ τότε ἥλω ὑπὸ Περσῶν, οὐ τοῖς ἐκ πολέμων νόμοις, προδοσίας δὲ δόλοις, οἷς εἴωθε κλέπτεσθαι τὰ μὴ δυνάμενα παρὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων 3.5.12 κατεργάζεσθαι μάχαις. ὁ δὲ τοῦ δόλου πατὴρ Σίττας ἐτύγχανεν ὤν. οὗτος αὐτομολήσας πρὸς Πέρσας ὑποπείθει σιδηροφορῆσαι τετρακοσίους τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ ὑποκρίνεσθαί τε 3.5.13 προσχωρήσειν ῾Ρωμαίοις, παραφανῆναι δὲ τῇ πόλει. οὗ γεγονότος τοὺς ἀστοὺς ἔπειθε Σίττας ὡς προσκεχωρηκότας ῾Ρωμαίοις τοὺς βαρβάρους εἰσδέξασθαι. ἐξαπιναίως τοίνυν τοῦ κακοῦ γενομένου οἱ βάρβαροι τὸ πόλισμα ἐγκολπίζονται. 3.5.14 ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ταῦτα μεμαθηκὼς στρατοπεδεύεται καὶ χάρακα περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐνέβαλλεν. διά τοι τοῦτο ἐπιστρατεύει καὶ ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς καὶ Μεβόδην Σουρήνα τὸν υἱὸν ἀντεξώπλιζεν· ἀξιώματα δὲ ταῦτα παρὰ Πέρσαις 3.5.15 πρεσβεύονται. ἐπεὶ δ' οὐκ ἀποχρῶσα δύναμις τῷ Μεβόδῃ ὑπῆν, ἀποστέλλεται παρὰ τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως καὶ ᾿Αφραάτης, ὁ κατὰ τῆς ᾿Αρμενίας τὰς στρατηγίδας λαχὼν τοῦ πολέμου ἡνίας. τοίνυν συγκεκροτημένου πολέμου, πταίουσιν οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι καὶ ἐλάττονες γίνονται τοῦ σκοποῦ, καὶ νικᾷ τὸ τῶν 3.5.16 βαρβάρων στρατόπεδον. τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἐν Μαρτύρων πόλει διαφρουροῦσι Πέρσαις ἐπίθετος γίνεται δύναμις, καὶ εἰς τὸ καρτερὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἡ πόλις διεφυλάττετο· ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ἀπεχειροτονεῖτο παραυτίκα, Κομεντίολόν τε στρατηγὸν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνίστησιν. 3.6.1 ἀφικνεῖται τοιγαροῦν ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐς τὰ προαύλια τῆς Περσίδος αὐτῆς καὶ περὶ τὴν Νίσιβιν (᾿Αντιόχεια δ' αὕτη τῆς Μυγδονίας τὸ πάλαι προσ-ηγορεύετο) συμπλέκεται Πέρσαις περὶ τὸ Σισαρβάνων οὕτω 3.6.2 λεγόμενον. καὶ τοῦ πολέμου λαβόντος τὴν πρόοδον, ὁ Κομεντίολος τὰ νῶτα τῇ παρατάξει ὑπέδειξεν, καὶ μεγάλης αὐτῷ τῆς φυγῆς