,

flowing out from the overhanging mountains and beginning from the north is not large in its course, then flowing towards the south and being water4.1.8ed by many torrents it becomes navigable and joins the Tigris. But Baram received the messengers and encompassed them with splendid hospitality, and he ordered forces of spearmen to track and to secure all the paths, 4.1. so that not even a messenger of his misfortunes might reach Hormisdas. But the king, being angry and with a dog's glare, gnashing and grinding his teeth and not having any way for his purpose to find an outlet, was driven to madness by his perplexity and was compared to those possessed by demons. 4.2.1 And when Comentiolus the Roman general in these very days had taken the fortress of Akbas and in the winter season had broken up his camp, Baram little by little was attack4.2.2ing the regions of Media. And Hormisdas, having gathered forces from the neighboring peoples, appointed Pherochánes the Persian as commander-in-chief of the war; and the name signifies the rank of magister 4.2.3 in the Roman tongue. Pherochánes, therefore, asked the king that Zadespras, whom Hormisdas had put away bound in prison, be released from his bonds and campaign with 4.2.4 him. For the Persian king had happened to condemn him to imprisonment; for this man had been caught having pocketed considerable sums of money from the city of Martyropolis. And as Hormisdas was displeased at these words, and as Pherochánes was pressing his request, the king's purpose was overcome and Zadespras was freed from his manacles. 4.2.5 Therefore, having campaigned with Pherochánes and having come near the tyrant not far from the Zabas river, he immediately deserted and went to Baram, paying Hormisdas back in equal measure for the 4.2.6 affliction in prison. When this, therefore, had occurred, Baram was greatly elated, expecting that the entire opposing army would come over to him. Pherochánes sent envoys to Baram and demanded that he change his mind and grant a respite to his tyranny, and he implored him with royal gifts; for so 4.2.7 he had been ordered by the Persian king. He, therefore, did not sell his enmity, but rather from this bought his tyranny. Therefore, since Pherochánes the Persian had previously occupied the crossing, and since the tyrant's army spent a long time in those places, 4.2.8 the provisions gave out. Baram, therefore, contriving to strengthen the effects of the insult, deceived the opposing forces with no insignificant sophism. 4.2. For he sent messengers to the opposing force, proclaiming that the opposition was not acting with purpose by taking up arms against the wronged, reminding the Persian force of Hormisdas' harshness, the extreme difficulty of his undertakings, and the wickedness of his impiety, and he revealed this man's extreme faithlessness, and simply composed a great and most persuasive catalogue 4.2.10 of Hormisdas' errors; for animosity is always fond of finding fault, and from some small pretexts knows how to construct great peaks of accusations. 4.2.11 And when the troops around Pherochánes heard these things, they changed their mind and longed for revolution, and they rejected what was honored and esteemed what was reviled. And for them the accusations of tyranny no longer remained, but the undertaking was as if it were a lawful one, having received justice as the pretext for the deeds being done. 4.3.1 And so Zoarab (one of the leaders of the Dilimnite people), and also Sarames the younger, who at that time was enrolled among the general's bodyguards, but later was in charge of King Chosroes' bodyguards, desiring another outcome and excessively longing for a change of affairs, formed a conspiracy and, suddenly attacking, they killed 4.3.2 Pherochánes by night,

ὑπερανεστηκότων ὀρῶν ἐκχεόμενος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν βορείων ἀρχόμενος οὐ πολύς ἐστι τὴν πρόοδον, εἶτα πρὸς νότον φερόμενος καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν χειμάρρων καταρδευό4.1.8 μενος ναυσίπορος γίνεται καὶ κοινοῦται τῷ Τίγριδι. ὁ δὲ Βαρὰμ τοὺς ἀγγέλους εἰσῳκίζετο καὶ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φιλοφροσύνῃ τούτους περιαυτίζεται, προστάττει δὲ καὶ δεξιολάβοις δυνάμεσιν ἰχνηλατεῖν καὶ τὰς ἀτραποὺς πάσας κατασφαλίσασθαι, 4.1. ὅπως μηδ' ἄγγελος ῾Ορμίσδᾳ τῶν ἀτυχημάτων γενήσεται. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς χαλεπαίνων τε καὶ κυνοφθαλμιζόμενος, βρύχων τε καὶ τετριγὼς τοὺς ὀδόντας καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ὅπῃ αὐτοῦ τὰ τοῦ σκοποῦ σχοίη διέξοδον ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπορίας παράφορος ἦν καὶ τοῖς δαιμονῶσιν εἰκάζετο. 4.2.1 Κομεντιόλου δὲ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων στρατηγοῦ ἐν ταύταις δὴ ταῖς ἡμέραις τὸ ῎Ακβας φρούριον ᾑρηκότος καὶ ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος διαλελυκότος τὸν χάρακα, ὁ Βαράμης τὸ κατὰ μικρὸν τοῖς τῆς Μηδίας χωρίοις προσέ4.2.2 βαλλεν. ὁ δ' ῾Ορμίσδας ἐκ τῶν περιοίκων δυνάμεις συναθροισάμενος αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ πολέμου προεστήσατο Φεροχάνην τὸν Πέρσην· τὸ δ' ὄνομα τὴν τοῦ μαγίστρου ἀξίαν 4.2.3 τῇ ῾Ρωμαϊκῇ ἐνσημαίνεται γλώττῃ. ὁ μὲν οὖν Φεροχάνης ἠξίου τὸν βασιλέα Ζαδέσπραν, ὃν ἐν εἱρκτῇ δεδεμένον ῾Ορμίσδας ἀπέθετο, τῶν δεσμῶν ἀφαιρεθῆναι καὶ συστρατεύειν 4.2.4 αὐτῷ. τούτου δὲ καταδιαιτήσας ἐτύγχανεν ὢν ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τὴν φρουράν· κατάφωρος γὰρ οὗτος ἐγεγόνει χρήματα ἱκανὰ ἐκ τῆς Μαρτύρων ἐγκολπωσάμενος πόλεως. ῾Ορμίσδου δὲ δυσανασχετοῦντος ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν, καὶ τοῦ Φεροχάνου καταλιπαίνοντος τὴν ἀξίωσιν, νικᾶται ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως σκοπὸς καὶ διαζεύγνυται τῶν χειροπεδῶν ὁ Ζαδέσπρας. 4.2.5 συνεκστρατεύσας οὖν τῷ Φεροχάνῃ καὶ τοῦ τυραννικοῦ πλησίον γενόμενος οὐ πόρρω τοῦ Ζαβᾶ ποταμοῦ, αὐτομολῶν παραυτίκα ὡς τὸν Βαράμην ἐχώρησε τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τῆς ἐν εἱρκτῇ 4.2.6 κακώσεως ἀντιταλαντεύσας ῾Ορμίσδᾳ. τούτου τοίνυν συντετυχηκότος, ἤρθη ἐπὶ μέγα ὁ Βαρὰμ καραδοκῶν καὶ ἅπασαν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀντίθετον προσχωρῆσαι στρατείαν. ὁ μὲν Φεροχάνης πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν Βαράμην ἀπέστελλε καὶ ἐξῄτει τὴν γνώμην μεταβαλλόμενον ἀνάπαυλαν τῇ τυραννίδι παρέχεσθαι, κατελιπάρει δὲ τοῦτον καὶ δώροις βασιλικοῖς· οὕτω γὰρ 4.2.7 προσετέτακτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως. ὁ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἐπρίατο τὴν ἔχθραν, ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐντεῦθεν ἐξωνεῖτο τὸ τύραννον. τὴν τοίνυν διάβασιν προκατειληφότος Φεροχάνου τοῦ Πέρσου, καὶ τοῦ τυραννικοῦ ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῖς τόποις 4.2.8 ἐνδιατρίβοντος, τὰ σιτία ἐξέλιπεν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Βαρὰμ παλαμώμενος τὰ τῆς ἐπηρείας κρατύνεσθαι οὐκ ἀναξιολόγῳ σοφίσματι 4.2. τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους ὑπέκλεπτεν. ἐξέπεμπε γὰρ τῇ ἀντιθέτῳ δυνάμει ἀγγέλους διαγορεύοντας ὡς οὐ κατὰ σκοπὸν δρᾷ τὸ ἀντίθετον ὅπλα κατὰ τῶν ἠδικημένων περιβαλλόμενον, ὑπομιμνήσκων τὸ Περσικὸν τῆς ῾Ορμίσδου τραχύτητος, τό τε τῶν ἐγχειρημάτων αὐτοῦ χαλεπώτατον, τά τε τῆς δυσσεβείας ἀθέμιτα, παρεδήλου τε τούτου τὸ ἀπιστότατον, καὶ ἁπλῶς τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ῾Ορμίσδᾳ μέγαν τινὰ καὶ πιθανώτατον κατάλογον 4.2.10 συνετάττετο· ἐς ἀεὶ γὰρ τὸ δυσμενές ἐστι φιλαίτιον, καὶ μικραῖς τισιν ἀφορμαῖς μεγάλας οἶδε κορυφὰς ἐγκλημάτων 4.2.11 τεκταίνεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ τούτων τὰ περὶ τὸν Φεροχάνην ἠκηκόει στρατεύματα, τὴν γνώμην μετέθετο καὶ νεωτερίζειν ἐγλίχετο, καὶ ἀθετεῖ τὸ τιμώμενον καὶ γεραίρει τὸ κακιζόμενον. καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς οὐκέτι λοιπὸν τὰ τῆς τυραννίδος ἐγκλήματα, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἔννομός τις ἡ ἐγχείρησις ἀφορμὴν τῶν δρωμένων ἀπολαβοῦσα τὸ δίκαιον. 4.3.1 καὶ γοῦν ὁ Ζοαρὰβ (εἷς δ' οὗτος τοῦ ∆ιλιμνιτικοῦ ἔθνους ἡγούμενος), οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Σαράμης ὁ νέος, τὸ τηνικαῦτα μὲν καιροῦ τοῖς δορυφόροις τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καταλεγόμενος, ὕστερον δὲ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως Χοσρόου σωματοφυλάκων ἐπιστατῶν, ἑτέρας ὀρεγόμενοι λήξεως τῆς τε μεταβολῆς τῶν πραγμάτων λίαν ἐκτόπως γλιχόμενοι συνωμοσίαν διέθεντο ἐξαπιναίως τε ἐπελθόντες ἀναιροῦσι 4.3.2 τὸν Φεροχάνην νυκτός,