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having a perception of this, and he sent with him some of the notable men among the Persians, who were to be his escort in name, for appearance's sake. 2.5.18 And these men he secretly ordered to go with him as far as the wall, comforting him and raising his spirits with some good hopes, so that he and all those with him might be seen by those inside rejoicing and fearing nothing. 2.5.19 And when the guards, having opened the small gate, were about to receive them into the city, they were to throw a stone or a piece of wood between the threshold and the gate and not allow it to be closed, but they themselves were also to stand in the way for some time of those who wished to close it; for the army would follow them not long after. 2.5.20 Having given these commands to the men, Chosroes held his army in readiness, and ordered them to advance on the city at a run, whenever he himself should give the signal. 2.5.21 And when they came very near the circuit-wall, the Persians saluted the bishop and remained outside, but the people of Sura, seeing the man overjoyed and being escorted with much honor by the enemy, disregarded all difficulties and opened the whole small gate and received the priest with his followers, clapping their hands and shouting many words of good omen. 2.5.22 And when they were all inside, the guards pushed the small gate to close it, but the Persians threw a stone, which had been prepared for them, in the middle. 2.5.23 And the guards, pushing still harder and using force, were in no way able to make the small gate reach the threshold. 2.5.24 Nor, indeed, did they dare to open it again, since they perceived that it was being held by the enemy. Some, however, say that the Persians threw not a stone, but a piece of wood, into the gate. 2.5.25 And while the people of Sura had not yet perceived the plot, Chosroes was present with his whole army, and the barbarians, forcing the small gate, threw it wide open, and in a short time the city was captured by storm. 2.5.26 Immediately, therefore, Chosroes, seized with anger, plundered the houses and, having killed many of the people, and having enslaved all the rest, he burned the entire city and razed it to the ground. 2.5.27 And so he sent Anastasius away, bidding him report to the Emperor Justinian where on earth he had left Chosroes, son of Cabades. 2.5.28 Afterwards, whether moved by humanity or avarice, or to please a woman, whom he had taken as a captive of war from there, Euphemia by name, and had made his wedded wife, being smitten with an extraordinary love for her (for she was exceedingly fair to look upon), Chosroes decided to do some good to the people of Sura. 2.5.29 He therefore sent to Sergiopolis, which is subject to the Romans and is named after Sergius, a famous saint, being one hundred and twenty-six stades distant from the captured city, and situated to the south of it in what is called the barbarian plain, and he ordered Candidus, the bishop there, to purchase the captives, who were twelve thousand in number, for two centenaria. 2.5.30 But he (for he said he had no money) flatly refused the transaction. Therefore Chosroes asked him to give a written agreement that he would pay the money at a later time, and so to purchase so great a number of souls for so little money. 2.5.31 And Candidus did accordingly, and agreed to pay the gold within a year, having sworn the most terrible oaths, and he set this penalty for himself, that if he should not give the money at the appointed time, he would pay double the amount, and he himself would no longer be a priest, as having disregarded his oaths. 2.5.32 Having written these things in a document, Candidus received all the people of Sura. 2.5.33 Of these a few survived, but the majority, being unable to endure the hardship that had befallen them, perished a little later. Having accomplished these things, Chosroes led his army forward. 2.6.1 Now a little before this the emperor had divided the military command of the East in two, and leaving the territory as far as the Euphrates river to the name of Belisarius, who formerly held the whole command, he entrusted the territory from there to the Persian frontier to Bouzes, whom he had charged to take care of the entire eastern command, 2.6.2 until Belisarius should return from Italy,

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αἴσθησιν ἔχοντα, καί οἱ τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις δοκίμων τινὰς παραπομποὺς ἐσομένους δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ 2.5.18 ξυνέπεμψεν. οὓς δὴ λάθρα ἐκέλευε μὲν ἰέναι ξὺν αὐτῷ ἄχρι ἐς τὸ τεῖχος, παρηγοροῦντας καί τισιν ἀγαθαῖς ἐπαίροντας ἐλπίσιν, ὥστε αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἅπαντας χαίροντάς τε καὶ οὐδὲν δεδιότας τοῖς 2.5.19 ἔνδον ὀφθῆναι. ἐπειδὰν δὲ οἱ φύλακες ἀνακλίναντες τὴν πυλίδα τῇ πόλει αὐτοὺς δέχεσθαι μέλλωσι, λίθον τινὰ ἢ ξύλον τοῦ τε οὐδοῦ καὶ τῆς θύρας μεταξὺ ῥίψαντας οὐ ξυγχωρεῖν ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοῖς ἐπιθεῖναι βουλομένοις χρόνον δή τινα ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθαι· οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὸν στρατὸν 2.5.20 ἕψεσθαι. ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ὁ Χοσρόης ἐντειλάμενος ἐν παρασκευῇ τὸν στρατὸν ἐποιεῖτο, δρόμῳ τε χωρεῖν 2.5.21 ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, ὅταν αὐτὸς σημήνῃ, ἐκέλευεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄγχιστα τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο, οἱ μὲν Πέρσαι τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀσπασάμενοι ἐκτὸς ἔμενον, οἱ δὲ Σουρηνοὶ περιχαρῆ γεγονότα τὸν ἄνδρα ὁρῶντες ξὺν τιμῇ τε πολλῇ προπεμπόμενον πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων, ἀφροντιστήσαντες δυσκόλων ἁπάντων τήν τε πυλίδα ὅλην ἀνέῳγον καὶ τὸν ἱερέα ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις κροτοῦντές τε 2.5.22 καὶ πολλὰ εὐφημοῦντες ἐδέξαντο. ἐπεί τε ἅπαντες εἴσω ἐγένοντο, τὴν μὲν πυλίδα ὡς ἐπιθήσοντες οἱ φύλακες ὤθουν, οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι λίθον, ὃς αὐτοῖς παρε2.5.23 σκεύαστο, ἐν μέσῳ ἐρρίπτουν. οἵ τε φύλακες ἔτι μᾶλλον ὠθοῦντές τε καὶ βιαζόμενοι ἐξικνεῖσθαι τῇ 2.5.24 πυλίδι ἐς τὸν οὐδὸν οὐδαμῆ ἴσχυον. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἀνοιγνύναι αὐτὴν αὖθις ἐτόλμων, ἐπεὶ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων αὐτὴν ἔχεσθαι ᾔσθοντο. τινὲς δὲ οὐ λίθον, ἀλλὰ ξύλον Πέρσας ἐς τὴν πυλίδα φασὶν ἐμβεβλῆσθαι. 2.5.25 οὔπω δὲ Σουρηνῶν σχεδόν τι τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ᾐσθημένων, παρῆν τε τῷ παντὶ ὁ Χοσρόης στρατῷ καὶ τὴν πυλίδα οἱ βάρβαροι βιασάμενοι ἀνεπέτασαν, δι' ὀλίγου 2.5.26 τε κατὰ κράτος ἥλω. εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν θυμῷ ὁ Χοσρόης ἐχόμενος τάς τε οἰκίας ἐληίσατο καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πολλοὺς μὲν κτείνας, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἅπαντας ἐν ἀνδραπόδων ποιησάμενος λόγῳ πυρπολήσας τε ξύμπασαν 2.5.27 τὴν πόλιν ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλεν. οὕτω τε τὸν Ἀναστάσιον ἀπεπέμψατο, Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπαγγέλλειν κελεύσας ὅπῃ ποτὲ γῆς Χοσρόην τὸν Καβάδου ἀπολιπὼν εἴη. 2.5.28 Μετὰ δὲ, εἴτε φιλανθρωπίᾳ εἴτε φιλοχρηματίᾳ ἐχόμενος, ἢ γυναικὶ χαριζόμενος, ἣν δὴ ἐνθένδε δορυάλωτον ἐξελὼν, Εὐφημίαν ὄνομα, γυναῖκα γαμετὴν ἐποιήσατο, ἔρωτα ἐξαίσιον αὐτῆς ἐρασθεὶς (ἦν γὰρ τὴν ὄψιν εὐπρεπὴς μάλιστα) δρᾶν τι ἀγαθὸν ὁ 2.5.29 Χοσρόης τοὺς Σουρηνοὺς ἔγνω. πέμψας οὖν ἐς Σεργιούπολιν, τὴν Ῥωμαίων κατήκοον, ἣ Σεργίου ἐπιφανοῦς ἁγίου ἐπώνυμός ἐστι, πόλεως τῆς ἁλούσης ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίοις διέχουσα, κειμένη δὲ αὐτῆς πρὸς ἄνεμον νότον ἐν τῷ βαρβαρικῷ καλουμένῳ πεδίῳ, Κάνδιδον τὸν ταύτῃ ἐπίσκοπον κεντηναρίοιν δυοῖν δισχιλίους τε καὶ μυρίους ὄντας ὠνεῖσθαι τοὺς αἰχμα2.5.30 λώτους ἐκέλευεν. ὁ δὲ (χρήματα γάρ οἱ οὐκ ἔφασκεν εἶναι) τὴν πρᾶξιν ἄντικρυς ἀνεδύετο. διὸ δὴ αὐτὸν ὁ Χοσρόης ἠξίου ἐν βιβλιδίῳ τὴν ὁμολογίαν ἀφέντα τοῦ δώσειν χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ τὰ χρήματα οὕτω δὴ ὀλίγων χρημάτων πρίασθαι ἀνδράποδα τοσαῦτα τὸ 2.5.31 πλῆθος. Κάνδιδος δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει, καὶ τὸ μὲν χρυσίον ὡμολόγησεν ἐνιαυτοῦ δώσειν, ὅρκους δεινοτάτους ὀμωμοκὼς, ζημίαν δέ οἱ αὐτῷ διώρισε ταύτην, ἢν μὴ διδοίη χρόνῳ τῷ ξυγκειμένῳ τὰ χρήματα, διπλάσια μὲν αὐτὰ δώσειν, αὐτὸν δὲ ἱερέα μηκέτι εἶναι, 2.5.32 ἅτε τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα ἠλογηκότα. ταῦτα Κάνδιδος ἐν γραμματείῳ γράψας τοὺς Σουρηνοὺς ἅπαντας ἔλαβεν. 2.5.33 ὧν ὀλίγοι μέν τινες διεβίωσαν, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι ἀντέχειν τῇ ξυμπεσούσῃ ταλαιπωρίᾳ οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον διεφθάρησαν. ταῦτα διαπεπραγμένος Χοσρόης πρόσω ἐπῆγε τὸ στράτευμα. 2.6.1 Ἐτύγχανε δὲ ὀλίγῳ ἔμπροσθεν βασιλεὺς ἀρχὴν τῆς ἕω τὴν στρατηγίδα διελὼν δίχα, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄχρι ἐς ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην ἐς τὸ Βελισαρίου ἀπολιπὼν ὄνομα, ὃς ξύμπασαν τὴν ἀρχὴν τὰ πρότερα εἶχε, τὰ δὲ ἐνθένδε μέχρι τῶν Περσικῶν ὁρίων τῷ Βούζῃ ἐπιτρέψας, ὃν δὴ ἁπάσης ἐπιμέλεσθαι τῆς ἑῴας ἀρχῆς, 2.6.2 ἕως Βελισάριος ἐξ Ἰταλίας ἐπανήκοι,