Procopius of Caesarea, On Wars

desirous of whatever belonged to him in any way, and being unable to remain in the established state of things, he desired to seize all the earth, and was eager to encompass every dominion. Then (for he was not strong enough to attack the Persians by themselves, nor was he able to go against others while the Persians were resisting him) he decided to deceive you with the screen of peace, but by coercing the rest, to win over great forces for an attack on your dominion. And so, having already overthrown the kingdom of the Vandals and subjugated the Moors, with the Goths standing out of his way in the name of friendship, he has come against us, bringing with him great sums of money and many men. And it is manifest that, if he should be able to destroy the Goths completely, he will march against the Persians with us and with those who have already been enslaved, neither considering the name of friendship nor blushing at any of his sworn oaths. While, therefore, some hope of safety still remains for you, neither do us any further harm nor suffer it yourself, but see in our misfortunes how many things will happen to the Persians a little later, and consider that the Romans could never be well-disposed to your kingdom, and that if they become superior in power they will not hesitate at all to display their enmity toward the Persians. Use your power, therefore, at the opportune moment, lest you seek it after it has ceased. For the height of opportunity, once it has abated, is by no means wont to return. And it is better to be first and be in safety than to be late for the opportunities and suffer the most shameful things of all at the hands of the enemy.” When Chosroes heard these things, it seemed to him that Vittigis was advising him well, and he was even more eager to break the treaty. For being possessed by envy toward the Emperor Justinian, he was utterly indisposed to consider that the words had come to him from men who were especially hostile to the Emperor Justinian. But by his desire, he came of his own accord to be persuaded. This is indeed what he also did a little later with regard to the words of the Armenians and the Lazi, which will be recounted by me very soon. And yet they brought such charges against Justinian as would reasonably be encomiums for a noble emperor, that he was eager to make his own kingdom both greater and much more illustrious. For one might bring these same charges against Cyrus, the king of the Persians, and Alexander the Macedonian. But in fact, justice is nowhere accustomed to dwell with envy. For these reasons, then, Chosroes was intending to break the treaty. At this time it also happened that something else of the following sort occurred. That Symeones, the one who had betrayed Pharangion to the Romans, persuaded the Emperor Justinian, while the war was still at its height, to present him with certain villages of Armenian men. And having become master of the lands, he was killed by a plot of those who had long possessed them. When the evil deed had been done, the perpetrators of the murder fled to the territory of the Persians. They were two brothers, the sons of Perozes. And when the emperor heard these things, he handed over the villages to Amazaspes, the nephew of Symeones, and appointed him ruler over the Armenians. As time went on, one of the confidants of the Emperor Justinian, Acacius by name, slandered this Amazaspes, saying that he was doing evil to the Armenians and wished to betray to the Persians both Theodosiopolis and certain other towns. Having said these things, Acacius, with the emperor's approval, killed Amazaspes by treachery, and he himself received the rule of the Armenians, as a gift from the emperor. And being wicked by nature, he had the means whereby he could display the character of his soul. He therefore became the most cruel of all men toward his subjects. For he plundered their property for no reason and imposed on them a tax payment, which had never existed before, of four centenaria. And the Armenians (for they were no longer able to bear him) conspired and killed Acacius, and took refuge in Pharangion. Wherefore the emperor sent Sittas against them from Byzantium. For Sittas had been staying there, since the treaty between the Romans and the Persians had come into effect. He, having come to the Armenians, at first went into the war reluctantly, yet he was eager to tame the men and restore them to their former habits, to persuade the emperor

ὁπωσ»τιοῦν αὐτῷ προσηκόντων ἐρῶν, μένειν τε οὐ δυνά»μενος ἐν τοῖς καθεστῶσι, γῆν μὲν ἅπασαν ξυλλαβεῖν «ἐπεθύμησεν, ἑκάστην δὲ ἀρχὴν περιβαλέσθαι ἐν 2.2.7 «σπουδῇ ἔσχεν. εἶτα (οὐδὲ γὰρ Πέρσαις κατὰ μόνας «ἐγχειρεῖν ἴσχυεν οὐδὲ Περσῶν οἱ ἀντιστατούντων «οἷός τε ἦν ἐπ' ἄλλους ἰέναι) σὲ μὲν τῷ τῆς εἰρήνης «παραπετάσματι ἐξαπατᾶν ἔγνω, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς βια»ζόμενος μεγάλας δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἀρχῇ ἑταιρίζε2.2.8 «σθαι. Βανδίλων μὲν οὖν ἤδη καθελὼν τὴν βασιλείαν «καὶ Μαυρουσίους καταστρεψάμενος, Γότθων αὐτῷ «φιλίας ὀνόματι ἐκποδὼν ἱσταμένων, χρήματά τε με»γάλα καὶ σώματα πολλὰ ἐπαγόμενος ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἥκει. 2.2.9 «ἔνδηλος δέ ἐστιν, ἢν καὶ Γότθους παντάπασιν ἐξελεῖν «δύνηται, ὡς ξὺν ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς ἤδη δεδουλωμένοις «ἐπὶ Πέρσας στρατεύσει, οὔτε τὸ τῆς φιλίας ἐννοῶν 2.2.10 «ὄνομα οὔτε τι τῶν ὀμωμοσμένων ἐρυθριῶν. ἕως οὖν «ἔτι σοι λείπεται τις σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς, μήτε ἡμᾶς ἐρ»γάσῃ κακὸν περαιτέρω μηδὲν μήτε αὐτὸς πάθῃς, «ἀλλ' ὅρα μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις κακοῖς ὅσα ὀλίγῳ «ὕστερον ξυμβήσεται Πέρσαις, ἐνθυμοῦ δὲ ὡς Ῥω»μαῖοι τῇ σῇ βασιλείᾳ εὖνοι μὲν οὐκ ἄν ποτε εἶεν, «δυνάμει δὲ κρείσσους γενόμενοι οὐδὲν μελλήσουσι τὸ 2.2.11 «ἐς Πέρσας ἔχθος ἐνδείκνυσθαι. ἐν δέοντι τοίνυν τῇ «ἐξουσίᾳ χρῆσαι, μὴ παυσαμένην ἐπιζητήσῃς. λωφή»σασα γὰρ ἡ τῶν καιρῶν ἀκμὴ ἐπανιέναι οὐδαμῶς «πέφυκεν. ἄμεινον δὲ προτερήσαντα ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ «εἶναι ἢ τῶν καιρῶν ὑστερηκότα τὰ πάντων αἰσχρότατα «πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων παθεῖν.» 2.2.12 Ταῦτα ἐπεὶ Χοσρόης ἤκουσεν, εὖ τέ οἱ παραινεῖν Οὐίττιγις ἔδοξε καὶ λύειν τὰς σπονδὰς ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχε. φθόνῳ γὰρ ἐς Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα ἐχόμενος λογίζεσθαι ὡς ἥκιστα ἔγνω, ὅτι δὴ πρὸς ἀνδρῶν Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ δυσμενῶν μάλιστα οἱ λόγοι 2.2.13 ἐς αὐτὸν γένοιντο. ἀλλὰ τῷ βούλεσθαι ἐς τὸ πεισθῆναι αὐτόμολος ἦλθεν. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐς τοὺς Ἀρμενίων τε καὶ Λαζῶν λόγους ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἔδρασεν ἅπερ 2.2.14 μοι αὐτίκα μάλα λελέξεται. καίτοι τοιαῦτα Ἰουστινιανῷ ἐπεκάλουν ἐγκλήματα, ἅπερ ἂν εἰκότως βασιλεῖ γενναίῳ ἐγκώμια εἴη, ὅτι δὴ τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν αὑτοῦ μείζω τε ποιῆσαι καὶ πολλῷ ἐπιφανεστέραν ἐν σπουδῇ 2.2.15 ἔχοι. ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ Κύρῳ ἄν τις ἐπενέγκοι τῷ Περσῶν βασιλεῖ καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ Μακεδόνι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ φθόνῳ τὸ δίκαιον οὐδαμῆ εἴωθε ξυνοικίζεσθαι. διὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Χοσρόης τὰς σπονδὰς λύειν διενοεῖτο. 2.3.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τι γενέσθαι τοιόνδε ξυνέβη. Συμεώνης ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τὸ Φαράγγιον Ῥωμαίοις ἐνδοὺς, Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα πείθει, ἔτι τοῦ πολέμου ἀκμάζοντος, κώμαις αὐτόν τισιν ἀνδρῶν Ἀρμενίων 2.3.2 δωρήσασθαι. κύριός τε τῶν χωρίων γενόμενος πρὸς τῶν αὐτὰ πάλαι κεκτημένων ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς θνήσκει. 2.3.3 ἐξειργασμένου δὲ τοῦ κακοῦ οἱ τοῦ φόνου αὐτουργοὶ φεύγουσιν ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη. ἀδελφὼ δὲ ἤστην δύο Περόζου παῖδε. βασιλεύς τε ταῦτα ἀκούσας τάς τε κώμας Ἀμαζάσπῃ παραδίδωσι τῷ Συμεώνου ἀδελφιδῷ 2.3.4 καὶ ἄρχοντα κατεστήσατο Ἀρμενίοις αὐτόν. τοῦτον τὸν Ἀμαζάσπην, προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου, Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν τις ἐπιτηδείων διέβαλλεν, Ἀκάκιος ὄνομα, κακουργεῖν τε ἐς Ἀρμενίους καὶ βούλεσθαι Πέρσαις ἐνδοῦναι Θεοδοσιούπολίν τε καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα πολίσματα. 2.3.5 ταῦτα εἰπὼν γνώμῃ βασιλέως Ἀκάκιος τὸν Ἀμαζάσπην δόλῳ ἔκτεινε, καὶ τὴν Ἀρμενίων ἀρχὴν δόντος βασι2.3.6 λέως ἔσχεν αὐτός. πονηρὸς δὲ ὢν φύσει ἔσχε καθ' ὅ τι τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἤθη ἐνδείξοιτο. γέγονεν οὖν ἐς 2.3.7 τοὺς ἀρχομένους ὠμότατος ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. τά τε γὰρ χρήματα ἐληίζετο οὐδενὶ λόγῳ καὶ φόρου αὐτοῖς ἀπαγωγὴν οὔποτε οὖσαν ἐς κεντηνάρια τέσσαρα ἔταξεν. Ἀρμένιοι δὲ (φέρειν γὰρ οὐκέτι αὐτὸν οἷοί τε ἦσαν) κτείνουσί τε ξυμφρονήσαντες τὸν Ἀκάκιον καὶ ἐς τὸ Φαράγγιον καταφεύγουσι. 2.3.8 ∆ιὸ δὴ Σίτταν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐκ Βυζαντίου βασιλεὺς ἔπεμψεν. ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ὁ Σίττας διέτριβεν, ἐπειδὴ 2.3.9 Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένοντο αἱ πρὸς Πέρσας σπονδαί. ὃς δὴ ἐς Ἀρμενίους ἐλθὼν τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ὀκνηρῶς ᾔει, τιθασσεύειν μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερα ἤθη ἀντικαθιστάναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἠπείγετο, πείθειν βασιλέα