,

having built counter-fortifications and having brought up his siege-engines, he captures the city, which was exceedingly strong. 3.11.3 When the emperor Justin heard of these things, astounded at the force of the disaster, and not long after struck down by a disease of derangement and fearing a future birth of evils, he made a truce for the present year 3.11.4 with the Persians, but as the disease attacked him very fiercely, so to speak, he adorned Tiberius with adoption and, having made him a partner in the empire, proclaimed him Caesar; this man happened to be the commander of the emperor's bodyguards and shield-bearers, whom it is the custom for the Romans to call in their common 3.11.5 tongue *comes excubitorum*. And I will also set down the precepts of the emperor, which he delivered in an address to Tiberius Caesar at the time of his proclamation, not embellishing the inelegance of the language nor transforming at all the un-3.11.6 adorned phrasing, but I shall somewhere lay the bare exposition of the words under my narratives, so that by the unrobed and unadulterated nature of the language, as it naturally is, 3.11.7 the unadulterated account of what followed may proceed. Therefore, when the 3.11.7 senate had come to the same place, and the priestly order had been gathered together with the one presiding and steering the rudders of the church, the emperor, as if standing on a 3.11.8 platform, presented these things to Tiberius. "Behold, the God who makes you good. This dignity God gives to you, not I. Honor it, so that you may also be honored by him. Honor your mother who was once your mistress; you know that you were first her 3.11. servant, but now you are her son. Do not delight in blood, do not partake in murders, do not repay evil for evil, do not be like me in hatred. For I was led astray as a man (for I became prone to error) and have received according to my sins. But I will be judged with those who did this to me at the judgment 3.11.10 seat of Christ. Let not this dignity lift you up as it did me. Thus attend to all as to yourself. Know what you were and what you are now. Do not be arrogant, and you do not sin. You know what I was and what I became and what I am. All these are your children and servants. You know that I preferred you before my own kin. You see these men, 3.11.11 you see all the men of the state. Pay attention to your soldiery. Do not accept informers. Let no one say to you that your predecessor conducted himself thus; for I say these things from what I have suffered. Let those who have property enjoy it; but to those who do not have it, 3.11.12 give." And after the prayer was made by the patriarch, and the amen was said by all, and the Caesar had fallen at the feet of the emperor, the emperor 3.11.13 says to him; "If you wish it, I am; if you do not wish it, I am not. May God who made heaven and earth himself put into your heart all that I have forgotten to say to you." These things were said in the month of December, on the seventh, the sixth day of the week, in the ninth indiction. 3.12.1 And when the matters of the address had been concluded by the emperor, applause welled up from his subjects, and the acclamations took on a more violent pouring forth, as if from some rainstorm. For in reality the appointment of the Caesar was not prepared unworthily. 3.12.2 The Caesar, therefore, fulfilling the custom of an imperial proclamation, wrote letters and these were sent to the 3.12.3 king of the Persians. And at the beginning of spring he sent ambassadors and proclaimed an end to the war, desiring a certain most excellent thing; for the request was for a truce. For nothing is more precious than peace to those who have sense and remember their mortal end and their very brief passage through 3.12.4 life. And he enrolled multitudes of fighting men and by the flow of golden distribution he fashioned the souls of those enrolled to be fond of danger, purchasing from them their willingness to die out of respect for their 3.12.5 pay. Thus the ambition of the Caesar's high-mindedness extinguished the ruin of the barbarians, and dangers are restrained, difficulties cease to fester, and the attacks against the

ἀντιθέτους ἀντοικοδομήσας καὶ τὰς ἑλεπόλεις παραστησάμενος χειροῦται τὴν πόλιν καὶ λίαν κομιδῇ ἐχυρὰν 3.11.3 καθεστῶσαν. τούτων ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀκηκοὼς ᾿Ιουστῖνος, καταπλαγεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ ῥύμῃ τῆς συμφορᾶς, οὐ μετὰ πολὺ δὲ καὶ νόσῳ παραφορᾶς βεβλημένος καὶ τὴν ἐς ὕστερον τῶν κακῶν δεδιὼς ἐπικύησιν, ἀνακωχὴν μὲν τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ἔτους ἐποιεῖτο 3.11.4 πρὸς Πέρσας, τῆς νόσου δ' αὐτῷ ἐπιτιθεμένης λίαν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν γεννικῶς, Τιβέριον υἱοθεσίᾳ κοσμήσας καὶ τῆς βασιλείας κοινωνὸν ποιησάμενος ἀνηγόρευσε Καίσαρα· ἡγεμὼν δ' οὗτος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως σωματοφυλάκων καὶ ὑπασπιστῶν, ὃν κόμητα ἐξκουβιτώρων τῇ συνήθει 3.11.5 φωνῇ ἔθος ῾Ρωμαίοις καλεῖν. παραθήσομαι δὲ καὶ τὰς ὑποθήκας τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ἃς Τιβερίῳ τῷ Καίσαρι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀναρρήσεως δημηγορῶν παραδέδωκεν, οὐ καλλύνων τὸ τῆς λέξεως ἀκαλλὲς οὐδέ τι μεταμορφῶν τὸ μὴ κε3.11.6 καλλιεπημένον τῆς φράσεως, ἀλλά που γυμνὴν τὴν τῶν ῥημάτων ἔκθεσιν ὑποστορέσω τοῖς ἀφηγήμασιν, ἵνα τῷ ἀναμφιάστῳ καὶ ἀπαραχαράκτῳ τῆς λέξεως, ὡς ἔχει φύσεως, 3.11.7 τὸ τῶν παρηκολουθηκότων προέλθοι ἀνόθευτον. τῆς τοίνυν 3.11.7 συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἐς ταὐτὸν γενομένης, τοῦ τε ἱερατικοῦ καταλόγου συναθροισθέντος ἅμα τῷ ἐπιστατοῦντι καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πηδάλια διιθύνοντι, ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ὥσπερ ἑστὼς ἐπὶ 3.11.8 βήματος Τιβερίῳ τάδε παρέθετο. "ἴδε, ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀγαθύνων σε. τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα ὁ θεός σοι δίδωσιν, οὐκ ἐγώ. τίμησον αὐτό, ἵνα καὶ τιμηθῇς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. τίμα τὴν μητέρα σου τήν ποτε γενομένην σου δέσποιναν· οἶδας ὅτι πρῶτον δοῦλος 3.11. αὐτῆς ἦς, νῦν δὲ υἱός. μὴ ἐπιχαρῇς αἵμασιν, μὴ κοινωνήσῃς φόνων, μὴ κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἀποδῷς, μὴ εἰς ἔχθραν ὁμοιωθῇς ἐμοί. ἐγὼ γὰρ ὡς ἄνθρωπος εἰσωδιάσθην (καὶ γὰρ πταιστὸς ἐγενόμην) καὶ ἀπέλαβον κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου. ἀλλὰ δικάσομαι τοῖς ποιήσασί μοι τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ βή3.11.10 ματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. μὴ ἐξεπάρῃ σε τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα ὡς ἐμέ. οὕτω πρόσσχες πᾶσιν ὡς ἑαυτῷ. γνῶθι τί ἦς καὶ τί εἶ νῦν. μὴ ὑπερηφανήσῃς, καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτάνεις. οἶδας τί ἤμην καὶ τί ἐγενόμην καὶ τί εἰμί. ὅλοι οὗτοι τέκνα σού εἰσι καὶ δοῦλοι. οἶδας ὅτι τῶν σπλάγχνων μου προετίμησά σε. τούτους βλέπεις, 3.11.11 ὅλους τοὺς τῆς πολιτείας βλέπεις. πρόσεχε τῷ στρατιώτῃ σου. μὴ συκοφάντας προσδέξῃ. μὴ εἴπωσί σοί τινες ὅτι ὁ πρὸ σοῦ οὕτω διεγένετο· ταῦτα γὰρ λέγω ἀφ' οὗ ἔπαθον. οἱ ἔχοντες οὐσίας ἀπολαυέτωσαν αὐτῶν· τοῖς δὲ μὴ ἔχουσι 3.11.12 δώρησαι." καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὴν εὐχὴν παρὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου, καὶ λεχθῆναι παρὰ πάντων τὸ ἀμήν, καὶ πεσεῖν τὸν Καίσαρα εἰς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ βασιλέως, λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ 3.11.13 βασιλεύς· "ἐὰν θέλῃς, εἰμί· ἐὰν μὴ θέλῃς, οὐκ εἰμί. ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν πάντα, ὅσα ἐπελαθόμην εἰπεῖν σοι, αὐτὸς ἐμβάλῃ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου." ταῦτα ἐλέχθησαν μηνὶ ∆εκεμβρίῳ ἑβδόμῃ, ἡμέρᾳ ἕκτῃ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐνάτης. 3.12.1 ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ τῆς διαλαλιᾶς ἀπεπερατοῦτο τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, ὁ μὲν κρότος παρὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐπήγαζεν, καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐφημίας ὥσπερ ἐπομβρίας τινὸς λαβροτέραν χύσιν ἐλάμβανεν. τῷ ὄντι γὰρ οὐκ ἀναξιόλογος ἡ χειροτονία τῷ 3.12.2 Καίσαρι ἐξηρτύετο. ὁ μὲν οὖν Καῖσαρ αὐτοκρατορικῆς νόμον πληρῶν ἀναγορεύσεως ἐνεχάραττε γράμματα καὶ ταῦτα τῷ 3.12.3 Περσῶν βασιλεῖ παρεπέμπετο. ἦρος δ' ἀρχομένου πρέσβεις ἀπέστελλεν ἀπεκηρυκεύετό τε τὸν πόλεμον παγκάλου τινὸς ὀρεγόμενος πράγματος· ἐκεχειρία γὰρ ἡ ἀξίωσις ἦν. οὐδὲν γὰρ τῆς εἰρήνης καθέστηκε τιμαλφέστερον τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι καὶ μεμνημένοις τῆς θνητῆς τε λήξεως τῆς τε πρὸς 3.12.4 τὸν βίον βραχυτάτης παρόδου. ἐστρατολόγει τε καὶ πλήθη μαχίμων καὶ τῇ ῥύσει τῆς χρυσῆς διαδόσεως φιλοκινδύνους τὰς τῶν στρατολογουμένων ψυχὰς ἐτεκταίνετο, αἰδοῖ τοῦ 3.12.5 μισθώματος τὸ θανατᾶν παρ' αὐτῶν ἐξωνούμενος. ἔσβεσε τοίνυν τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν λύμην τὸ τῆς τοῦ Καίσαρος μεγαλονοίας φιλότιμον, καὶ χαλινοῦνται μὲν οἱ κίνδυνοι, ἀποφλεγμαίνουσι δὲ τὰ δυσχερῆ, ἀνακόπτονται δὲ αἱ κατὰ τῶν