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and he built lodgings for the magistrates here, and to others he has shown it to be a prosperous city. 5.2.6 Very near this city flows a river, which the local people call the Dragon, appropriately to its shape. 5.2.7 For it twists, winding to either side and leading its eddies against itself from the opposite direction, with a crooked current, approaching now on the right, now on the left; so that it is of course necessary for those travelling here to cross it more than twenty times. 5.2.8 And it thus happened that many were destroyed when the river suddenly flooded beyond its usual level. 5.2.9 In addition, a dense thicket and a great quantity of reed growing there, impeding its outlet to the sea, caused it to be more troublesome for the places there. 5.2.10 At any rate, not long before, when many rains came on, forming pools and swelling up and spreading over a very great part of the 5.2.11 land, it worked irreparable harm. For it destroyed very many fields, and vines by the roots, and furthermore, numberless stumps of olives and of all sorts of other trees, and in addition the houses which happened to be in front of the city's circuit wall, and it crushed the inhabitants with other immense sufferings. 5.2.12 Pitying these people, the Emperor Justinian devised the following. Having cleared away the groves and cut out all the reeds, he allowed the river to make its outlets to the sea free, so that it would no longer be necessary for it to be dispersed; and having cut through the middle of the mountains, which rise up around the places there, he constructed a wagon-road in the formerly steep and precipitous 5.2.13 regions. And by this means he has made the crossing of the river for the most part unnecessary for those who are there. 5.2.14 And he has built two exceedingly wide bridges over this river, and from that time on all cross it without danger. 5.3.1 It is worthwhile to tell what good things he also accomplished for Nicaea in Bithynia. First, having completely renewed the aqueduct, which was entirely ruined and providing very little of its service, he brought it about that the city was saturated with water. 5.3.2 Then he built churches and monasteries, 5.3.3 some for women, some for men. And the palace there, a certain part of which had already fallen down, he zealously restored completely, and furthermore also a bath in the lodging of the so-called veredarii, which had been ruined for a long time. 5.3.4 And very near this city, toward the setting sun, a torrent is generally accustomed to rush down, 5.3.5 making the road there altogether impassable. And a certain bridge had been built there by men of old, which, as time went on, in no way bearing the assault of the torrent's rush (since it happened not to have been constructed in a suitable place), yielded to the violent current and went away, departing with it, leaving not even a trace of itself in the spot where it had been before. 5.3.6 But the Emperor Justinian built another bridge there, extending to such a height and width, that the former one seems not to have been even a small fraction of it, which, rising far above the torrent when it roars, safely preserves those travelling there. 5.3.7 And in Nicomedia he restored the bath of Antoninus. For its most noteworthy part had fallen down, making it, by the magnitude of the task, unexpected that it would ever be rebuilt. 5.3.8 This great river, which they now call the Sangarius, flowing down with an exceedingly strong current, being an abyss in its middle, and widening out like a sea, has remained, as far as a bridge is concerned, untouched by all, since men have existed, but by tying together a multitude of skiffs and fitting them to one another like a mat, men on foot dare to cross there, just as the army of the Medes once crossed the Hellespont in fear of Xerxes. 5.3.9 But even this does not happen for them without danger. For often, seizing all the skiffs together with their fastenings, it then blocked the crossing for those travelling there. 5.3.10 But the Emperor Justinian has now undertaken to build a bridge over it.

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καὶ καταλυτήρια ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐδείματο τῇδε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιδέδεικται αὐτὴν πόλιν εὐδαίμονα. 5.2.6 Ταύτης δὲ ῥεῖ τῆς πόλεως ἄγχιστα ποταμός, ὅνπερ ὁμωνύμως τῷ σχήματι ∆ράκοντα καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι. 5.2.7 περιστρέφεται γὰρ ἑλισσόμενος ἐφ' ἑκάτερα καὶ ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐτῷ ἀντιπεριάγων τὰς δίνας, σκολιῷ τε τῷ ῥοθίῳ, πὴ μὲν ἐν δεξιᾷ, πὴ δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ προσιών· ὥστε ἀμέλει διαβαίνειν αὐτὸν πλεῖν ἢ εἰκοσάκις ἐπάναγκές ἐστι 5.2.8 τοῖς τῇδε ἰοῦσι. πολλοῖς τε οὕτω διεφθάρθαι ξυνέβαινε τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐξαπιναίως παρὰ τὰ ξυνειθισμένα πλημ5.2.9 μύροντος. πρὸς δὲ καὶ δάσος ἀμφιλαφὲς καὶ καλάμου τῇδε φυομένου μέγα τι χρῆμα συμποδίζον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐκβολὴν χαλεπώτερον αὐτὸν ἐσκευω5.2.10 ροῦντο εἶναι τοῖς ἐκείνῃ χωρίοις. χρόνῳ γοῦν οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον, ὄμβρων οἱ ἐπιγενομένων πολλῶν, λιμνάζων τε καὶ κυρτούμενος καὶ σκεδαννύμενος ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς 5.2.11 γῆς, ἀνήκεστα κακὰ εἴργασται. χωρία τε γὰρ παμπληθῆ καθεῖλε, προρρίζους τε ἀμπέλους, ἔτι μέντοι ἐλαίας τε καὶ δένδρων ἄλλων παντοδαπῶν ἀνάριθμα πρέμνα, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὰς οἰκίας, αἳ πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου τῆς πόλεως ἐτύγχανον οὖσαι, πάθεσί τε ἄλλοις ὑπερμεγέθεσι τοὺς 5.2.12 ἐπιχωρίους ἐπέτριψεν. οὕσπερ ἐποικτισάμενος Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἐπενόει τοιάδε. τὰ μὲν ἄλση περικαθήρας καὶ τὸν κάλαμον ἐκτεμὼν ἅπαντα, ἐλευθέρας ποιεῖσθαι τῷ ποταμῷ ξυνεχώρησε τὰς ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐκβολάς, ὡς μηκέτι αὐτῷ διασκεδάννυσθαι ἐπάναγκες εἴη· τὰ δὲ ὄρη κατὰ μέσον ἀποτεμών, ἃ δὴ ἀνέχει ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, ἐν ταῖς πρότερον ἀποτόμοις καὶ κρημνώ5.2.13 δεσι χώραις ὁδὸν ἁμαξιτὸν ἐξειργάσατο. ταύτῃ τε τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν διάβασιν οὐκ ἀναγκαίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖ5.2.14 στον τοῖς ἐνταῦθα οὖσι πεποίηκεν εἶναι. καὶ γεφύρας δύο ἐς ἄγαν εὐρείας τῷ ποταμῷ τούτῳ ἐντέθειται, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀκινδύνως αὐτὸν διαβαίνουσι τὸ λοιπὸν ἅπαντες. 5.3.1 Οἷα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐν Βιθυνοῖς Νίκαιαν ἐξείργασται ἀγαθὰ εἰπεῖν ἄξιον. πρῶτα μὲν τὴν ὀχεταγωγίαν παντάπασί τε διεφθαρμένην καὶ τὴν χρείαν ὡς ἥκιστα παρεχομένην ἀνανεωσάμενος ἅπασαν, ὕδασι τὴν πόλιν κατα5.3.2 κορῆ διεπράξατο εἶναι. ἔπειτα δὲ ἱερά τε καὶ μοναστήρια 5.3.3 τὰ μὲν γυναιξί, τὰ δὲ ἀνδράσιν ἐδείματο. καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ βασίλεια, ἐκ μοίρας ἤδη καταπεπτωκότα τινός, ἀνενεώσατο σπουδῇ ἅπαντα, ἔτι μέντοι καὶ βαλανεῖον ἐν τῷ καταλυτηρίῳ τῶν βερεδαρίων καλουμένων ἐκ παλαιοῦ 5.3.4 διεφθαρμένον. ταύτης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐς τὰ πρὸς δύοντα ἥλιον ὡς ἀγχοτάτω χειμάρρους ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἐπισκήπτειν 5.3.5 φιλεῖ, ἄπορον ὅλως ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ταύτῃ ὁδόν. καὶ γέφυρα μέν τις ἐνταῦθα πεποίηται τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις, ἣ προϊόντος χρόνου προσβάλλουσαν οὐδαμῆ ἐνεγκοῦσα τὴν τοῦ χειμάρρου ἐπιρροὴν (ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ διασκευασθεῖσα ἐτύγχανεν) ὑπεχώρησέ τε τῷ ῥοθίῳ βιαζομένῳ καὶ ἀπιοῦσα σὺν αὐτῷ ᾤχετο, οὐδὲ ἴχνος 5.3.6 αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ χώρῳ ἀπολιποῦσα, οὗ πρότερον ἦν. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς γέφυραν ἐπήξατο ἐνταῦθα ἑτέραν ἐς τόσον ὕψους τε καὶ εὔρους διήκουσαν, ὥστε δὴ αὐτῆς οὐδὲ κατὰ πολλοστημόριον τὴν προτέραν οὖσαν γεγονέναι δοκεῖν, ἣ τὸν χειμάρρουν, ἡνίκα μορμύρει, κατὰ πολὺ ὑπεραίρουσα ἐν τῷ βεβαίῳ διασώζεται τοὺς ταύτῃ ἰόντας. 5.3.7 Ἐν δὲ Νικομηδείᾳ τὸ βαλανεῖον τὸν Ἀντωνῖνον ἀνενεώσατο. μοῖρα γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀξιολογωτάτη καταπεπτώκει, μεγέθει τοῦ ἔργου ἀπροσδόκητος ὅτι δὴ ἀνοικοδο5.3.8 μηθήσεται γεγενημένη. ὁ μέγας δὲ ποταμὸς οὗτος, ὅνπερ Σάγαριν καλοῦσι νῦν, σφοδρῷ μὲν κατιὼν ἐς ἄγαν τῷ ῥείθρῳ, ἐπὶ μέσης δὲ πεφυκὼς ἄβυσσος, εὐρυνόμενος δὲ θαλάσσῃ ἴσα, διαγέγονε μὲν τά γε εἰς γέφυραν ἀνέπαφος πᾶσιν, ἐξ οὗ γεγόνασιν ἄνθρωποι, ἀκάτων δὲ συνδέοντες πλῆθος καὶ φορμηδὸν αὐτὰς ἀλλήλαις ἐναρμοσάμενοι, ἐνταῦθα διαπορθμεύεσθαι τολμῶσι πεζοί, ὥσπερ ποτὲ δέει τοῦ Ξέρξου τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ὁ τῶν Μήδων στρα5.3.9 τός. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνεπικινδύνως αὐτοῖς γίνεται. πολλάκις γὰρ ὁμοῦ τοῖς δεσμοῖς συλλαβὼν τὰς ἀκάτους ἁπάσας, εἶτα τὴν διάβασιν ἀνεχαίτισε τοῖς τῇδε ἰοῦσι. 5.3.10 βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς γέφυραν αὐτῷ ἐγκεχείρηκεν ἐποικοδομεῖσθαι τανῦν.