49

he took away a large territory. And when Maurice returned, the emperor received him with honor and made him his son-in-law through his daughter Constantina. And his other daughter, Charito, he joined in marriage to the general Germanus, and he honored both men as Caesars. But having fallen into a consumptive illness, being carried out on a litter into the tribunal, he had his own son-in-law Maurice proclaimed emperor there in the presence of the patriarch John and the senatorial council. And he was so overcome by the illness that he was not even able to speak to those who had gathered; for which reason he presented his will to them in writing. And returning from there to the palace, he ended his life, having reigned for three years, ten months, and eight days. 183 And so Maurice took charge of the administration of public affairs, having been crowned by the patriarch John the Faster. And he was forty-three years old when he assumed supreme power. And in legal documents he was written as Maurice, also known as Tiberius. And the Chagan, the leader of the Avars, after capturing Sirmium, demanded that another twenty thousand be added to the eighty thousand that were given to him annually; and the emperor, wishing to keep the peace, made this addition. And he also asked for an elephant, not yet having seen the animal. Therefore, the emperor sent him the largest of those he had. But the Chagan, being insatiable or seeking pretexts for not keeping the peace, demanded that another twenty thousand be added to the hundred thousand. When the emperor did not accept this addition either, he marched against the Romans and captured many cities of Illyricum; and he threatened also to destroy the Long Wall. So Maurice, sending envoys to the barbarian, made a truce. The Chagan, however, 184 being insatiable and faithless, proceeded by treachery against the Romans, while he himself remained quiet, he prepared certain nations of the Sclaveni to plunder Roman territory, who even reached as far as the Long Wall. But the emperor appointed Comentiolus as general, and through him suddenly attacked the barbarians, drove them from the Roman borders, with many being slain, and he recovered all the booty they had taken and the captives. And having joined his own sister in marriage to Philippicus, he sent him out against the Persians with a heavy army. And having come very near Nisibis and invading Persia from there, he drove away much booty from there, and returning he attacked the land of the Medes, and having plundered no less from this, he returned to Roman territory. And again attacking the Persian territories, he was similarly successful. Having fallen ill, however, he came to Martyropolis, and from there he returned to Byzantium. And a son was born to Maurice, whom he named 185 Theodosius. And Philippicus again marched out against the Persians and asked the soldiery with him if they were eager to fight the Persians. And they affirmed their eagerness with oaths. When, therefore, they engaged the enemy, the barbarians held out for a time; but when the general urged his own men to strike their horses and many of the horses fell, being struck, the Persian force was turned to flight; and it was mightily defeated and a great part of it was destroyed; and the Romans won a brilliant victory and captured about two thousand of the enemy alive. And Hormisdas, the leader of the Persians, appointing Bahram as general, ordered him to engage the Romans. But he engaged them and was defeated; when Hormisdas learned this, he sent him women's clothing and took away his command, and by letter he instructed his subordinate general to kill Bahram. But he, perceiving what a bad situation he was in, forged letters as if sent to him 186 from Hormisdas, showing anger against the entire army, and gathering it together, he had the letters read aloud and he himself reminded them of the harshness and cruelty of Hormisdas and through these things he incited them to raise their hands against their own leader. Therefore, attacking him all at once, they seized him and threw him into prison. But he asked to propose to them certain things concerning the rule of the Persians

49

πολλὴν χώραν ἀφείλετο. ὑποστρέψαντα δὲ τὸν Μαυρίκιον μετὰ τιμῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπεδέξατο καὶ κηδεστὴν ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ Κωνσταντίνᾳ αὐτὸν ἐποιήσατο. τὴν δ' ἑτέραν τὴν Χαριτὼ τῷ στρατηγῷ συνέζευξε Γερμανῷ καὶ ἄμφω δὲ τετίμηκε Καίσαρε. νόσῳ δὲ φθινάδι περιπεσών, ἐν τῷ τριβουναλίῳ φοράδην ἐκκομισθεὶς ἐκεῖ τὸν οἰκεῖον γαμβρὸν Μαυρίκιον ἀναρρηθῆναι βασιλέα πεποίηκε παρουσίᾳ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς. οὕτω δ' ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου κατείργαστο ὡς μηδὲ δύνασθαι τοῖς συνειλεγμένοις ὁμιλῆσαι· διὸ καὶ διὰ γραφῆς τούτοις τὸ ἑαυτοῦ παρέστησε βούλημα. ὑποστρέψας δ' ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησε, βασιλεύσας ἔτη τρία, μῆνας δέκα καὶ ἡμέρας ὀκτώ. 183 Ὁ δέ γε Μαυρίκιος τῆς τῶν κοινῶν διοικήσεως εἴχετο, στεφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου τοῦ νηστευτοῦ. ἦν δέ, ὅτε τῆς αὐταρχίας ἐπέβη, ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα πρὸς τρισίν. ἐγράφετο δ' ἐν τοῖς συμβολαίοις Μαυρίκιος ὁ καὶ Τιβέριος. Χαγάνος δέ, ὁ τῶν Ἀβάρων ἀρχηγός, τὸ Σίρμιον χειρωσάμενος ἐζήτησε προστεθῆναι ταῖς ὀγδοήκοντα χιλιάσι ταῖς ἐτησίως αὐτῷ παρεχομέναις καὶ ἑτέρας εἴκοσι· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰρηνεύειν ἐθέλων τὴν προσθήκην ταύτην ἐποίησεν. ὁ δὲ καὶ ἐλέφαντα ᾔτησε, μήπω τὸ ζῷον ἰδών. τὸν μείζονα τοίνυν ὧν εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῷ πέπομφεν. ὁ δὲ Χαγάνος ἀπληστευόμενος ἢ προφάσεις τοῦ μὴ εἰρηνεύειν ζητῶν, ἑτέρας εἴκοσι χιλιάδας ταῖς ἑκατὸν προστεθῆναι ἀπῄτησε. μὴ καταδεξαμένου δὲ καὶ ταύτην τὴν προσθήκην τοῦ βασιλέως ἐστράτευσε κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖνος καὶ πόλεις πολλὰς τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ ἐχειρώσατο· ἠπείλει τε καὶ τὸ Μακρὸν καταστρέψαι τεῖχος. στείλας οὖν πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον ὁ Μαυρίκιος σπονδὰς ἔθετο. ὁ μέντοι Χαγάνος 184 ἄπληστος καὶ ἄπιστος ὤν, δόλῳ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐγίνετο, αὐτὸς μὲν ἡσυχάζων, ἔθνη δέ τινα τῶν Σκλαβηνῶν παρασκευάσας τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους ληίζεσθαι, οἳ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ Μακροῦ τείχους πεφθάκασιν. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Κομεντίολον στρατηγὸν προβαλόμενος καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἀθρόως ἐπεξελθών, τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν αὐτοὺς ὁρίων ἀπήλασεν, ἀναιρεθέντων πολλῶν, καὶ τὴν λείαν ὅσην ἔλαβον καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἐπανεσώσατο. Φιλιππικῷ δὲ τὴν ἰδίαν συζεύξας ἀδελφὴν κατὰ Περσῶν αὐτὸν σὺν βαρεῖ στρατεύματι ἐξαπέστειλεν. ὁ δὲ ἄγχιστα τῇ Νισίβει γενόμενος κἀκεῖθεν ἐμβαλὼν τῇ Περσίδι, ἤλασεν ἐκεῖθεν λείαν πολλὴν καὶ ἐπανιὼν τῇ τῶν Μήδων χώρᾳ προσέβαλε καὶ ταύτης οὐ μείω τινὰ ληισάμενος ἐπανῆλθεν ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων. καὶ αὖθις δὲ τοῖς Περσικοῖς ἐπελθὼν χωρίοις ὁμοίως εὐτύχησε. νοσήσας μέντοι εἰς Μαρτυρόπολιν παραγίνεται, κἀκεῖθεν ἐπανῆκεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον. ἐτέχθη δὲ τῷ Μαυρικίῳ υἱός, ὃν ὠνόμασε 185 Θεοδόσιον. Φιλιππικὸς δὲ καὶ πάλιν κατὰ Περσῶν ἐξεστράτευσε καὶ τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν στρατιωτικὸν ἠρώτησεν εἰ πρόθυμοι τοῖς Πέρσαις εἶεν μαχέσασθαι. οἱ δὲ καὶ ὅρκοις τὸ πρόθυμον αὐτῶν ἐβεβαίουν. ὡς οὖν συνέβαλον τοῖς ἐναντίοις, μέχρι μέν τινος ἀντεῖχον οἱ βάρβαροι· ἐπεὶ δὲ τοὺς ἵππους πλήττειν αὐτῶν ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῖς οἰκείοις παρεκελεύσατο καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἵππων πληττόμενοι ἔπιπτον, ἐτράπη τὸ Περσικόν· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἥττητο κραταιῶς καὶ πολὺ τούτου μέρος διέφθαρτο· οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ λαμπρῶς νενικήκασι καὶ ζῶντας τῶν πολεμίων περὶ δισχιλίους συνέλαβον. Ὁρμίσδας δὲ ὁ τῶν Περσῶν ἀρχηγὸς Βαρὰμ προχειρισάμενος στρατηγὸν συμβαλεῖν Ῥωμαίοις ἐκέλευσεν. ὁ δὲ συμβαλὼν ἡττᾶται· ὃ γνοὺς Ὁρμίσδας γυναικείαν ἐσθῆτα στέλλει αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν στρατηγίαν ἀφείλετο καὶ τῷ ὑποστρατήγῳ αὐτοῦ διὰ γραφῆς ἐνετείλατο τὸν Βαρὰμ ἀνελεῖν. ὁ δὲ οἷ κακοῦ γέγονεν ἐννοήσας, γράμματα ὡς ἐξ Ὁρμίσδου αὐτῷ σταλέντα 186 ἐπλάσατο, ὀργὴν ἐμφαίνοντα κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος, καὶ συναθροίσας αὐτὸ τά τε γράμματα εἰς ἐπήκοον ἀναγνωσθῆναι πεποίηκε καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἀνεμίμνησκε τῆς ἀπηνείας Ὁρμίσδου καὶ τῆς ὠμότητος καὶ διὰ τούτων ἀντᾶραι χεῖρας ἠρέθισε κατὰ τοῦ σφῶν ἀρχηγοῦ. ἐπελθόντες οὖν ἀθρόον αὐτῷ κατέσχον καὶ ἐνέβαλον εἰς εἱρκτήν. ὁ δὲ ὑποθέσθαι αὐτοῖς περὶ τῆς τῶν Περσῶν ἀρχῆς ἠξίου ἅττα