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neither hands nor arms, but a fish's tail projecting from the hip. However, when the Khagan invaded Thrace with a countless multitude, the Roman general Priscus, in fear, shut himself up in the fortress of Tzurulum. The barbarian was preparing to besiege it. Then Maurice out-generaled him in the following way: he composed a letter to Priscus, advising him to hold out; for in a short while the barbarians would retreat with shame. For ships were being sent to their country with an army to plunder their homes and to take their wives and children captive. He gave this letter to someone, instructing him to fall into the hands of the barbarians while supposedly making his way to Priscus. When this happened, the barbarian read the letter and, fearing for his own people, 191 made a truce with Priscus for a few gifts and departed. And Philippicus built in Chrysopolis a monastery in the name of the Theotokos and a most splendid house in it, so that in it he might receive Maurice. And indeed John the Faster, the patriarch of Constantinople, having left this life, departed to the eternal mansions, having adorned the patriarchal throne for thirteen years and more. Therefore Cyriacus was appointed patriarch, a priest and oikonomos of the great church. By him the church of the most-holy Theotokos, which is called of the Deaconess, was built. And Peter, Maurice's kinsman, erected the church which is called of Areobindus to the Theotokos. And the empress Sophia and the Augusta Constantina offered to the emperor a crown adorned with most precious stones and extraordinary pearls. But he, having received it, dedicated it to God, bringing it to the church. The Khagan, however, again advanced against the lands of the Romans. And with the Roman armies arrayed against him, sometimes 192 he prevailed, and at other times he was defeated. And in one day seven of his sons died from a pestilential disease and fever. The emperor, having sent Comentiolus against the Khagan with a numerous army, is said to have instructed him to betray the army to the enemy, bearing a grudge against them for certain seditions and disorders. And Comentiolus, having engaged the barbarians in a disorderly fashion, himself turned to flight with those around him, having prepared for this in advance. Of the rest, some fell and others were taken prisoner. And they say that those taken prisoner were about twelve thousand. And the Khagan, puffed up by this victory, arrived as far as the Long Wall. And the emperor, having gathered people for the defense of the wall, sent them out. From the pestilential disease not only the Khagan's sons, as has been said, died, but also a great multitude of the Avars; wherefore the barbarian, being disheartened, hastened to return to his own lands. Therefore he indicated to Maurice that he should ransom the captives, giving one nomisma for each; but the emperor did not consent. And the Khagan asked to receive for each of the captives half a nomisma. But 193 he was not even thus willing to ransom the captives, partly out of parsimony (for he was short of money), and partly bearing a grudge against the soldiers. The barbarian, therefore, becoming enraged, slaughtered them all with swords and departed. From this, hatred against the emperor grew in all, and he was reviled by all. And the army made a report against Comentiolus, as having betrayed the army in the war. With those making this report was also the soldier Phocas, and he spoke insolently to the emperor, so that he was beaten by some. But the emperor, paying no heed to the accusations against Comentiolus, sent away his accusers without success. Therefore, while the emperor was in procession, a riot arose from the populace, and stones were hurled at him by some; of whom the emperor made a search and, having found some, punished them. And indeed, to his son Theodosius he betrothed the daughter of Germanus the patrician, with the patriarch Cyriacus performing the wedding ceremony. And a certain monk, holding a naked sword, had come forth from the Forum to the Chalke, saying 194 he would die by the slaughter of the sword

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οὔτε χεῖρας οὔτε βραχίονας, ἰχθύος δὲ οὐραῖον πρὸς τῷ ἰσχίῳ προβεβλημένον. τοῦ μέντοι Χαγάνου τῇ Θρᾴκῃ ἐπελθόντος μετὰ πλήθους ἀπείρου, ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς Πρίσκος δείσας εἰς τὸ φρούριον Τζουρουλοῦ συνέκλεισεν ἑαυτόν. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος πολιορκεῖν αὐτὸ ἡτοιμάζετο. τότε κατεστρατήγησεν ἐκείνου Μαυρίκιος τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ· γράμμα πρὸς Πρίσκον συντίθησιν ἀντέχειν αὐτὸν παραινοῦν· μικρὸν γὰρ ὅσον τοὺς βαρβάρους μετ' αἰσχύνης ἀναχωρῆσαι. στέλλεσθαι γὰρ πλοῖα εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν σὺν στρατεύματι ληίσασθαι τὰς οἰκίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτῶν δορυαλώτους ἑλεῖν. τοῦτο τὸ γράμμα δίδωσί τινι, ἐπισκήψας αὐτῷ περιπεσεῖν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐν τῷ πρὸς Πρίσκον δῆθεν πορεύεσθαι. οὗ γενομένου, τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὁ βάρβαρος ἀναγνοὺς καὶ δείσας περὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις, 191 σπένδεται πρὸς Πρίσκον ἐπὶ δώροις ὀλίγοις καὶ ἄπεισιν. ἔκτισε δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ἐν Χρυσοπόλει μονὴν ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς Θεοτόκου καὶ οἶκον ἐν ταύτῃ λαμπρότατον, ἵν' ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν Μαυρίκιον ὑποδέχοιτο. Ὁ δέ γε Κωνσταντινουπόλεως πατριάρχης Ἰωάννης ὁ νηστευτὴς τὸν βίον λιπὼν πρὸς τὰς ἀϊδίους μετέστη μονάς, κοσμήσας τὸν ἀρχιερατικὸν θρόνον ἐπὶ ἔτη τρισκαίδεκα καὶ ἐπέκεινα. προεχειρίσθη οὖν πατριάρχης Κυριακός, ἱερεὺς καὶ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς μεγάλης. ὑφ' οὗ ὁ τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου ναός, ὃς τῆς ∆ιακονίσσης λέγεται, ᾠκοδόμηται. καὶ Πέτρος, ὁ τοῦ Μαυρικίου ὁμαίμων, τὸν ναόν, ὃς τοῦ Ἀρεοβίνδου καλεῖται, τῇ θεοτόκῳ ἀνήγειρε. Σοφία δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ἡ Αὐγούστα Κωνσταντῖνα στέμμα προσήνεγκαν τῷ βασιλεῖ λίθοις ὑπερτίμοις καὶ μαργάροις ὑπερφυέσι κεκοσμημένον. ὁ δὲ τοῦτο λαβὼν ἀνέθετο τῷ θεῷ, τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσαγαγών. Ὁ Χαγάνος μέντοι καὶ αὖθις πρὸς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐχώρησε. καὶ τούτῳ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων ἀντιταττομένων, ποτὲ 192 μὲν ἐκράτει, ἐνίοτε δ' ἥττητο. ἐν μιᾷ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ ἐκ νόσου λοιμικῆς καὶ πυρετοῦ ἐτελεύτησαν. Κομεντίολον δὲ στείλας ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ Χαγάνου μετὰ πολυπληθοῦς στρατιᾶς λέγεται ἐντείλασθαι αὐτῷ προδοῦναι τοῖς ἐναντίοις τὸ στρατιωτικὸν διά τινας στάσεις καὶ ἀταξίας τούτοις μνησικακῶν. καὶ συμβαλὼν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἀσυντάκτως ὁ Κομεντίολος, αὐτὸς μὲν μετὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπη, πρὸς τοῦτο προπαρασκευασάμενος. τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν ἔπεσον, οἱ δ' ἐζωγρήθησαν. εἶναι δὲ τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας φασὶ περὶ δώδεκα χιλιάδας. καὶ ὁ Χαγάνος τῇ νίκῃ ταύτῃ ἐξογκωθεὶς ἄχρι τοῦ Μακροῦ τείχους ἀφίκετο. συλλέξας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς λαὸν εἰς φυλακὴν τοῦ τείχους τούτους ἐκπέπομφεν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς λοιμικῆς νόσου οὐ μόνοι οἱ τοῦ Χαγάνου υἱοί, ὡς εἴρηται, ἔθανον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλῆθος τῶν Ἀβάρων πολύ· ὅθεν ἀθυμήσας ὁ βάρβαρος ἔσπευδεν εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐπαναζεῦξαι. δηλοῖ οὖν τῷ Μαυρικίῳ ἐξωνήσασθαι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους, ἓν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ διδόντι νόμισμα· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς οὐ κατένευσε. καὶ ὁ Χαγάνος ᾔτησε λαβεῖν εἰς ἕκαστον τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἀνὰ ἥμισυ τοῦ νομίσματος. ὁ δὲ 193 οὐδὲ οὕτως τοὺς ἁλόντας ἠθέλησε πρίασθαι, τὸ μέν τι ἐκ φειδωλίας (ἥττητο γὰρ χρημάτων), τὸ δέ τι τοῖς στρατιώταις μνησικακῶν. ἐκμανεὶς οὖν ὁ βάρβαρος πάντας ξίφεσιν ἐξεθέρισε καὶ ἀνέζευξεν. ἐντεῦθεν πᾶσι μῖσος κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφύετο καὶ πρὸς πάντων ἐλοιδορεῖτο. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς κατὰ Κομεντιόλου ἀναφορὰν ἐποιήσατο, ὡς προδόντος ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τὸ στρατιωτικόν. τοῖς δὲ τὴν ἀναφορὰν ταύτην ποιουμένοις συνῆν καὶ ὁ στρατιώτης Φωκᾶς καὶ ἀναιδῶς τῷ βασιλεῖ διελέγετο, ὡς τυπτηθῆναι παρά τινων. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μὴ προσσχὼν τοῖς κατὰ τοῦ Κομεντιόλου αἰτιάμασιν ἀπράκτους τοὺς αὐτὸν αἰτιωμένους ἀνέπεμψε. λιτανεύοντος οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως στάσις ἠγέρθη παρὰ τοῦ δήμου, καὶ λίθοι κατ' αὐτοῦ παρά τινων ἠκοντίσθησαν· ὧν ζήτησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ποιησάμενος καί τινας εὑρηκὼς ἐκόλασε. τῷ γε μὴν υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Θεοδοσίῳ κατηγγύησε τὴν θυγατέρα Γερμανοῦ πατρικίου, τοῦ πατριάρχου Κυριακοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ γάμῳ πληρώσαντος τελετήν. μοναχὸς δέ τις ξίφος κατέχων γυμνὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Φόρου μέχρι τῆς Χαλκῆς προελήλυθεν, ἐν 194 φόνῳ μαχαίρας λέγων τεθνήξεσθαι