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a man who was a very great friend of his, an Arsacid, John by name, the father of Artabanes, who then, trusting in Bouzes as a friend, came to him along with both Bassakes, his kinsman by marriage, and a few others; And when they had arrived and lodged in a certain place where they were to meet Bouzes on the following day, they perceived that they had come into an encirclement by the 2.3.30 Roman army. Bassakes, his son-in-law, therefore, urgently begged John to take to flight. But since he was unable to persuade him, he left him there alone and with all the others, eluding the Romans, rode back again by the same 2.3.31 road. And Bouzes, finding John alone, killed him, and from that time the Armenians, having thereafter no hope of an agreement with the Romans and being unable to prevail over the emperor in the war, went to the Persian king, with Bassakes, 2.3.32 a man of action, leading them. The leaders among them then came into the presence of Chosroes and spoke as follows: "We are many of us Arsacids, O Master, descendants of that Arsaces, who was in no way a stranger to the Parthian kingdom, at the time when the affairs of the Persians lay under the Parthians, and he became an illustrious king second to none of his contemporaries. 2.3.33 "But now we have come to you, all of us having become both slaves and fugitives, not voluntarily, however, but under the greatest compulsion, in appearance because of the Roman power, but in true reason because of your will, O 2.3.34 King. Since indeed he who gives the power to those who wish to do wrong would himself also justly bear the blame for their deeds. The story shall be told from a little way back, so that you will be able to follow all that has been done. 2.3.35 "For Arsaces, the last king of our ancestors, of his own free will yielded his rule to Theodosius, the Roman emperor, on the condition that all who were to be his kinsmen for all time should in all other respects live in freedom and 2.3.36 should in no way be subject to tribute. And we observed the agreements, until you made this notorious treaty, which one, we think, would not be wrong to call a common 2.3.37 destruction. For from that point on, paying no heed to friends and enemies, he has both confounded and thrown all human affairs into confusion—he who is your friend in word, O King, 2.3.38 but your enemy in deed. This you yourself will know before long, as soon as he is able to subdue the western peoples completely. For what of things formerly forbidden has he not done? Or what of things well established has he not 2.3.39 disturbed? Has he not imposed upon us the payment of tribute which did not previously exist, and has he not enslaved the Tzani, our neighbours, who were autonomous, and set a Roman magistrate over the king of the wretched Lazi? —a thing agreeing neither with the nature of things 2.3.40 nor easy to explain in word. Has he not sent generals to the Bosporites, who are subjects of the Huns, and appropriated their city which in no way belonged to him, and made an alliance with the powers of the Aethiopians, of whom the Romans had never even heard at all? 2.3.41 Nay more, he has laid claim to both the Homeritae and the Red Sea and is adding the palm-groves to the Roman 2.3.42 dominion. For we forbear to speak of the sufferings of the Libyans and the Italians. The whole earth does not suffice for the man; it is too small a thing for him to rule all mankind 2.3.43 together. But he is also looking about the heavens and searching out the recesses beyond the ocean, wishing to win for himself some other inhabited 2.3.44 world. Why then do you still delay, O King? Why do you respect this peace, which will perish most wretchedly, just so that he may make you his last meal after all the others? 2.3.45 "If you wish to learn what sort of man Justinian would be toward those who yield to him, you have the example close at hand in both ourselves and 2.3.46 the wretched Lazi; but if you wish to learn how he is accustomed to treat those who are unknown to him and have done him no wrong whatever, consider the Vandals and Goths and Maurousii. 2.3.47 "And indeed the main point has not yet been spoken. Has he not Alamoundaras, your man, O most mighty king, during a truce,

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αὐτῷ μάλιστα φίλος ἀνὴρ Ἀρσακίδης, Ἰωάννης ὄνομα, Ἀρταβάνου πατὴρ, ὃς δὴ τῷ Βούζῃ τότε ἅτε φίλῳ θαρσήσας ξύν τε Βασσάκῃ τῷ κηδεστῇ καὶ ἄλλοις ὀλίγοις τισὶ παρ' αὐτὸν ἦλθεν· οἳ δὴ ἐν χωρίῳ γενόμενοί τε καὶ αὐλισθέντες, ἔνθα τῷ Βούζῃ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐντυχεῖν ἔμελλον, ᾔσθοντο ἐς κύκλωσιν πρὸς τοῦ Ῥω2.3.30 μαίων στρατοῦ ἥκοντες. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν τὸν Ἰωάννην Βασσάκης ὁ γαμβρὸς ἐλιπάρει δρασμοῦ ἔχεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτὸν πείθειν οὐκ εἶχε, μόνον ἐνταῦθα καταλιπὼν ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι λαθὼν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, ὁδῷ τῇ 2.3.31 αὐτῇ ὀπίσω αὖθις ἀπήλαυνε. Βούζης τε τὸν Ἰωάννην μόνον εὑρὼν ἔκτεινε, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὔτε τινὰ ἐλπίδα ἐς Ῥωμαίους Ἀρμένιοι ξυμβάσεως πέρι τὸ λοιπὸν ἔχοντες οὔτε βασιλέα τῷ πολέμῳ ὑπεραίρειν οἷοί τε ὄντες παρὰ τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα ἦλθον, Βασσάκου 2.3.32 σφίσιν ἡγουμένου, δραστηρίου ἀνδρός. ὧν τότε οἱ πρῶτοι Χοσρόῃ ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες ἔλεξαν τοιάδε «Εἰσὶ «μὲν ἡμῶν πολλοὶ Ἀρσακίδαι, ὦ δέσποτα, ἐκείνου «Ἀρσάκου ἀπόγονοι, ὃς δὴ οὔτε τῆς Πάρθων βασι»λείας ἀλλότριος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν, ἡνίκα ὑπὸ Πάρθοις «ἔκειτο τὰ Περσῶν πράγματα, καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐπι»φανὴς γέγονε τῶν καθ' αὑτὸν οὐδενὸς ἧσσον. 2.3.33 «πάρεσμεν δὲ τανῦν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἅπαντες δοῦλοί τε καὶ «δραπέται γεγενημένοι, οὐχ ἑκούσιοι μέντοι, ἀλλ' «ἠναγκασμένοι ὡς μάλιστα, τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ ὑπὸ «τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, τῷ δὲ ἀληθεῖ λόγῳ ὑπὸ σῆς, ὦ 2.3.34 «βασιλεῦ, γνώμης. εἴπερ ὁ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῖς ἀδικεῖν «βουλομένοις διδοὺς αὐτὸς ἂν φέροιτο καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν «τῶν ἔργων δικαίως. εἰρήσεται δὲ μικρὸν ἄνωθεν ὅπως «δὴ ἅπασι παρακολουθεῖν τοῖς πεπραγμένοις δυνήσεσθε. 2.3.35 «Ἀρσάκης γὰρ ὁ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων βασιλεὺς «ὕστατος ἐξέστη τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς αὑτοῦ Θεοδοσίῳ τῷ «Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτορι ἑκών γε εἶναι, ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ ἅπαν»τες οἱ κατὰ γένος αὐτῷ μέλλοντες πάντα τὸν αἰῶνα «προσήκειν τά τε ἄλλα βιοτεύσουσι κατ' ἐξουσίαν καὶ 2.3.36 «φόρου ὑποτελεῖς οὐδαμῆ ἔσονται. καὶ διεσωσάμεθα «τὰ ξυγκείμενα, ἕως ὑμεῖς ταύτας πεποίησθε τὰς δια»βοήτους σπονδὰς, ἃς δὴ κοινόν τινα ὄλεθρον καλῶν 2.3.37 «τις, οἰόμεθα, οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι. φίλων τε γὰρ καὶ «πολεμίων τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ἀφροντιστήσας ἅπαντα ξυν»έχεέ τε καὶ ξυνετάραξε τὰ ἀνθρώπεια ὁ σὸς, ὦ βασι2.3.38 «λεῦ, τῷ λόγῳ μὲν φίλος, ἔργῳ δὲ δυσμενής. ὅπερ «καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν εἴσῃ, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα τοὺς «ἑσπερίους οἷός τε ᾖ παντάπασι καταστρέψασθαι. τί «γὰρ τῶν πρότερον ἀπειρημένων οὐκ ἔπραξεν; ἢ τί 2.3.39 «οὐκ ἐκίνησε τῶν εὖ καθεστώτων; οὐχ ἡμῖν μὲν φόρου «ἀπαγωγὴν ἔταξεν οὐ πρότερον οὖσαν, καὶ Τζάνους «τοὺς ὁμόρους ἡμῖν αὐτονόμους ὄντας δεδούλωται, «τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν ἀθλίων Λαζῶν ἄρχοντα Ῥωμαῖον «ἐπέστησε; πρᾶγμα οὔτε τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων 2.3.40 «ξυμβαῖνον οὔτε λόγῳ ῥᾴδιον ἑρμηνεύεσθαι. οὐ Βοσπο»ρίταις μὲν τοῖς Οὔννων κατηκόοις στρατηγοὺς ἔπεμψε «καὶ τὴν πόλιν προσεποιήσατο οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσῆκον, «ὁμαιχμίαν δὲ πεποίηται πρὸς τὰς τῶν Αἰθιόπων «ἀρχὰς, ὧν καὶ ἀνήκοοι τὸ παράπαν Ῥωμαῖοι ἐτύγχανον 2.3.41 «ὄντες; ἀλλὰ καὶ Ὁμηρίτας τε καὶ θάλασσαν τὴν «Ἐρυθρὰν περιβέβληται καὶ τὸν φοινικῶνα προστίθησι 2.3.42 «τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ. ἀφίεμεν γὰρ λέγειν τὰ Λιβύων «τε καὶ Ἰταλῶν πάθη. ἡ γῆ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ χωρεῖ «ξύμπασα· μικρόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἀν2.3.43 «θρώπων κρατεῖν. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὸν αἰθέρα περισκοπεῖ «καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τὸν ὠκεανὸν διερευνᾶται μυχοὺς, «ἄλλην αὑτῷ τινα οἰκουμένην περιποιεῖσθαι βουλό2.3.44 «μενος. τί οὖν ἔτι, ὦ βασιλεῦ, μέλλεις; τί δὲ τὴν «κάκιστα ἀπολουμένην εἰρήνην αἰσχύνῃ, ὅπως δηλαδή «σε ὑστάτην ποιήσηται βρῶσιν τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων; 2.3.45 «εἰ μέν ἐστί σοι βουλομένῳ μαθεῖν ὁποῖός τις ἂν «Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐς τοὺς αὐτῷ εἴκοντας γένοιτο, ἐγγύθεν «σοι τὸ παράδειγμα παρ' ἡμῶν τε αὐτῶν ἐστι καὶ 2.3.46 «τῶν ταλαιπώρων Λαζῶν· εἰ δὲ, ὅπως ποτὲ εἴωθε τοῖς «τε ἀγνῶσι καὶ οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἠδικηκόσι χρῆσθαι, Βανδί»λους τε καὶ Γότθους καὶ Μαυρουσίους διαλογίζου. 2.3.47 «τό τε δὴ κεφάλαιον οὔπω λέλεκται. οὐκ Ἀλαμούν»δαρον μὲν ἐν σπονδαῖς τὸν σὸν, ὦ κράτιστε βασιλεῦ,