Procopius of Caesarea, On Wars

he ordered. Therefore, indeed, Bouzes, having the entire army following him, at first remained at Hierapolis; but when he learned what had befallen the Sourenes, having called together the leading men of Hierapolis 2.6.3 he spoke as follows: "For those whose struggle against the invaders is with a power on equal footing, to come to blows with the enemy directly is in no way unreasonable, but for those who happen to be much inferior to their opponents, it will be more expedient to outwit the enemy by some stratagems than by openly opposing them to go into a manifest danger. 2.6.4 How great, then, the army of Chosroes is, you surely hear. And if he should wish to take us by siege, and we should wage the war from the wall, it is likely that our provisions will fail us, while the Persians will carry off everything from our land, with no one 2.6.5 resisting. And with the siege being prolonged in this way, I think that the circuit-wall will not even suffice against the plots of the enemy, which indeed happens to be most vulnerable in many places, and something of the 2.6.6 irreparable will befall the Romans. But if with some part of the army we guard the wall of the city, and the rest seize the foothills around the city, and from there, making raids, now against the enemy's camp, now against those sent out for provisions, they will compel Chosroes, having immediately lifted the siege, to make his retreat shortly, being able neither to press the attacks against the circuit-wall with any more confidence nor to provide any of the necessities 2.6.7 for so great an army." Bouzes, having said these things, seemed to be saying what was advantageous, but he did none of the necessary things. For having selected whatever was of proven worth in the Roman 2.6.8 army, he went away and was gone. And where on earth he happened to be, neither any of the Romans in Hierapolis nor the army of the enemy was able to learn. So these things were proceeding in this way. 2.6.9 But the Emperor Justinian, upon learning of the Persian invasion, immediately sent Germanus his nephew with great haste, having three hundred men following him, and promised him that a large army would follow not long 2.6.10 after. And when Germanus arrived at Antioch, he went around the entire circuit-wall, and found that most of it was strong (for on the level ground the Orontes river flows alongside, rendering all of it impassable to attackers, and on the rising ground, being supported by precipitous places, it was least of all accessible to the enemy), but when he came to the summit, which the people of that region are accustomed to call Orocassias, he perceived that the wall along it was most 2.6.11 vulnerable. For there happens to be a certain rock there, having sufficient width for a great distance, but being a little lower in height than the circuit-wall. 2.6.12 He therefore ordered them either to cut away the rock and make a deep ditch around the wall, so that no one might go from there to climb upon the circuit-wall, or to build a great tower there and connect the structure from 2.6.13 it to the city's wall. But to the master builders it seemed that neither of these things should be done. For it would not be completed in a short time, with the enemy's invasion so imminent, and by beginning this work and not bringing it to completion, they would do nothing other than show the enemy at what point of the wall they should attack. 2.6.14 Germanus, being thwarted in this plan, at first, while expecting an army from Byzantium, had some hope 2.6.15 in it. But when, after a considerable time had passed, neither any army from the emperor had arrived, nor was there any expectation that one would arrive, he became afraid that Chosroes, learning that the emperor's nephew was there, would make it a priority above all else to capture both Antioch and himself, and leaving aside all other things, 2.6.16 would advance against it with his whole army. Since the Antiochians also had these things in mind and had held council concerning them, it seemed most expedient to them to offer money to Chosroes to escape the present danger. 2.6.17 Accordingly Megas, the bishop of Beroea, a prudent man (for he happened to be visiting them at that time)

ἐκέλευε. διὸ δὴ ὁ Βούζης ἅπαντα τὸν στρατὸν ἑπόμενον ἔχων τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱεραπόλεως ἔμενεν· ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα Σουρηνοῖς ἔμαθε, ξυγκαλέσας τοὺς Ἱεραπολιτῶν 2.6.3 πρώτους ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Οἷς μὲν ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τῆς δυ»νάμεως πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιόντας ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν, ἐς χεῖρας «τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐκ τοῦ εὐθέος καθίστασθαι οὐδὲν «ἀπεικὸς, οἷς δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων πολλῷ τῷ διαλλάσσοντι «καταδεεστέροις ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, μηχαναῖς τισι τοὺς «πολεμίους περιελθεῖν μᾶλλον ξυνοίσει ἢ ἐκ τοῦ «ἐμφανοῦς ἀντιτασσομένοις ἐς κίνδυνόν τινα προὖπτον 2.6.4 «ἰέναι. ἡλίκος μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ὁ Χοσρόου στρατὸς «ἀκούετε δήπου. ἢν δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν πολιορκίᾳ ἡμᾶς «ἐξελεῖν βούληται, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους τὸν πόλε»μον διενέγκωμεν, ἡμᾶς μὲν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐπιλείψειν «εἰκὸς, Πέρσας δὲ ἅπαντα ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας, οὐδενὸς 2.6.5 «ἀντιστατοῦντος, κομίζεσθαι. ταύτῃ τε τῆς πολιορκίας «μηκυνομένης οὐδὲ ἀρκέσειν τὸν περίβολον ταῖς τῶν «πολεμίων ἐπιβουλαῖς οἶμαι, ὃν δὴ ἐπιμαχώτατον «πολλαχόσε τετύχηκεν εἶναι, καί τι Ῥωμαίοις τῶν 2.6.6 «ἀνηκέστων ξυμβήσεσθαι. ἢν δέ γε μοίρᾳ μέν τινι «τοῦ στρατοῦ τὸ τῆς πόλεως φυλάξωμεν τεῖχος, οἱ «δὲ λοιποὶ τὰς ἀμφὶ τὴν πόλιν ὑπωρείας καταλάβω»σιν, ἐνθένδε καταθέοντες πὴ μὲν τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων «στρατόπεδον, πὴ δὲ τοὺς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἕνεκα στελ»λομένους, ἀναγκάσουσι Χοσρόην αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα λύ»σαντα τὴν προσεδρείαν, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν δι' ὀλίγου «ποιήσασθαι, οὔτε τὰς προσβολὰς ἀδεέστερον ἐπάγειν «τῷ περιβόλῳ παντελῶς ἔχοντα οὔτε τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων 2.6.7 «στρατῷ τοσούτῳ πορίζεσθαι.» τοσαῦτα ὁ Βούζης εἰπὼν λέγειν μὲν τὰ ξύμφορα ἔδοξεν, ἔπραξε δὲ τῶν δεόντων οὐδέν. ἀπολέξας γὰρ εἴ τι ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων 2.6.8 στρατῷ δόκιμον ἦν, ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο. καὶ ὅποι ποτὲ γῆς ἐτύγχανεν οὔτε τις τῶν ἐν Ἱεραπόλει Ῥωμαίων οὔτε ὁ τῶν πολεμίων στρατὸς μαθεῖν ἴσχυσε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐφέρετο τῇδε. 2.6.9 Βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς πυθόμενος τὴν Περσῶν ἔφοδον Γερμανὸν μὲν εὐθὺς τὸν ἀνεψιὸν τὸν αὑτοῦ ξὺν θορύβῳ πολλῷ τριακοσίους ἑπομένους ἔχοντα ἔπεμψε, στρατὸν δέ οἱ οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ὑπέσχετο πολὺν 2.6.10 ἕψεσθαι. ἔς τε Ἀντιόχειαν ὁ Γερμανὸς ἀφικόμενος περιῆλθε τὸν περίβολον ἅπαντα κύκλῳ, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐχυρὰ μὲν ὄντα τὰ πολλὰ ηὕρισκε (τά τε γὰρ ἐν τῷ ὁμαλεῖ ποταμὸς Ὀρόντης παραρρεῖ ξύμπαντα τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν ἄπορα ἐργαζόμενος καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀνάντει χωρίοις κρημνώδεσιν ἀνεχόμενα ἐσβατὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ὡς ἥκιστα ἦν), ἐν δὲ τῇ ἄκρᾳ γενόμενος, ἣν δὴ Ὀροκασιάδα καλεῖν οἱ ταύτῃ ἄνθρωποι νενομίκασιν, ἐπι2.6.11 μαχώτατον κατενόησεν ὂν τὸ κατ' αὐτὴν τεῖχος. πέτρα γὰρ τυγχάνει τις ἐνταῦθά πη οὖσα, εὔρους μὲν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἱκανῶς ἔχουσα, ὕψος δὲ ὀλίγῳ τοῦ περιβόλου 2.6.12 ἐλασσουμένη. ἐκέλευεν οὖν ἢ τὴν πέτραν ἀποτεμνομένους βαθύν τινα βόθρον ἀμφὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐργάζεσθαι, μή τις ἐνθένδε ἀναβησόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν περίβολον ἴοι, ἢ πύργον μέγαν τινὰ δειμαμένους ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀπ' 2.6.13 αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομίαν ἐνάψαι τῷ τῆς πόλεως τείχει. ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῶν οἰκοδομιῶν ἀρχιτέκτοσι ποιητέα τούτων ἐδόκει οὐδέτερα εἶναι. οὔτε γὰρ ἐν χρόνῳ βραχεῖ ἐπιτελῆ ἔσεσθαι οὕτως ἐγκειμένης τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδου, ἀρχόμενοί τε τοῦ ἔργου τούτου καὶ οὐκ ἐς πέρας αὐτοῦ ἐξικνούμενοι οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἢ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνδείξονται ὅπη ποτὲ τοῦ τείχους σφίσι πολεμητέα 2.6.14 εἴη. Γερμανὸς δὲ ταύτης δὴ τῆς ἐννοίας σφαλεὶς τὰ μὲν πρῶτα στρατὸν ἐκ Βυζαντίου καραδοκῶν ἐλπίδα 2.6.15 τινὰ ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἶχεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ χρόνου τριβέντος συχνοῦ οὔτε τις ἐκ βασιλέως στρατὸς ἀφίκετο οὔτε ὅτι ἀφίξεται ἐπίδοξος ἦν, ἐς δέος ἦλθε μὴ ὁ Χοσρόης πυθόμενος βασιλέως ἀνεψιὸν ἐνταῦθα εἶναι, προυργιαίτερον ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν ποιήσηται Ἀντιόχειάν τε καὶ αὐτὸν ἐξελεῖν, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀφέμενος 2.6.16 παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἴοι. ταῦτα καὶ Ἀντιοχεῦσιν ἐν νῷ ἔχουσι βουλήν τε ὑπὲρ τούτων πεποιημένοις ξυμφορώτατον ἔδοξεν εἶναι χρήματα προεμένοις Χοσρόῃ κίνδυνον τὸν παρόντα διαφυγεῖν. 2.6.17 Μέγαν τοίνυν, τὸν Βεροίας ἐπίσκοπον, ἄνδρα ξυνετὸν (ἐπιχωριάζων γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐτύγχανε τότε)