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and the things brought were not customary) thus they, being afflicted 190 by their enemies, and now also learning that those very Persians dreaded the barbarian who had been rumored to them from some of their oracles, looked to him for help, and they supplicated that he be released and be permitted to set out against the enemies with the Romans; for taking the dread which the barbarians had for him as courage for themselves, they were ready to face danger with him beforehand and to lack nothing of what a good man, possessing virtue and confidence, would do. The emperor, hearing these things, and daily laboring over his own affairs, comes to a certain thought: that often what a physician has forbidden to the sick man, saying he would die immediately if he partook of it, the sick man, secretly partaking of it out of craving, has found in it an unexpected cure, and while the art is not yet proven to be faulty, what happened from some chance affection has benefited, with nature, through the vehemence of the craving, being strengthened as it were against the disease. 'What then,' he says, 'if even Lachanas, the barbarian, though he is nothing and gives no account of himself, yet seeming terrible to the enemies 191 and useful to the afflicted, he should release him and permit him to campaign, and all the more so from recent experience in the land of the Halizones near the Sangarius.' Having considered these things and deliberated with his own men, he releases him, having also prepared for him what was required. When he had gone forth as he was, and had only set foot upon the road, everyone was stirred, both far and near, and one could imagine nothing but a movement of the inhabited world and the earth itself. For those engaged in farm work, knowing no more than the hoe and how to goad an ox, and shepherds of flocks and those rustics, leaving their own lands and their very farming, with only staffs and shepherd's crooks, appeared of their own accord as soldiers and unarmed hoplites and undisciplined formations, taking their being arrayed under Lachanas as great confidence for conquering wherever they might appear with him. Indeed, within a few days an infinite crowd of rabble had gathered around him, knowing nothing of wars, nor of battle array, fulfilling the proverb on the spot, that 'war is sweet to the inexperienced.' For they did not set out as if to make war, nor as if to attack enemies, but as if to lay hands on spoils and to play rather than to be serious. So their rush towards the new general was such that they did not even stand still as their numbers grew, 192 not little by little but in the manner of fire by multiple proportion, so that at the same time they were going out with many times their number, with those rustics and herdsmen and ox-drivers flowing in like streams. The emperor, learning this, and fearing for the people lest they suffer something by attacking without discipline and ignorantly, or if not, that some rebellion might arise if they were successful, sending for him, recalls the barbarian, and when he had come, he immediately deposes the general and orders him to be kept in suitable custody. But that ignorant and irrational crowd, being at once dispersed, was most quickly dissolved, and each one went back to his home. 31. Meanwhile the protovestiarios also, worn out by a long-lasting disease of the kidneys (for nothing which the physicians devised for a cure seemed sufficient for the struggle against the illness, but rather even harmed the sufferer more), leaving everything, even his worldly haughtiness and display, put on the monastic habit, and what he had both done and advised against the wretched clerics, ostensibly out of zeal, he confessed, repenting, in their very presence, and sought forgiveness from them. The pain caused him so much anguish and afflicted him that it made life unlivable for him; and if any of the physicians, from taking his pulse, promised his death after a short time, he seemed a benefactor on the spot for speaking and foretelling, not for doing 193 or working, his release. So great was the pain and the agony of the kidneys for the sufferer, so that not long after he passed away,

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καὶ μὴ συνήθη τὰ προσαγόμενα) οὕτως ἐκεῖνοι κακούμε 190 νοι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ἤδη δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους Πέρσας μανθάνον τες ὡς εἶεν ὀρρωδοῦντες τὸν βάρβαρον φημισθέντα σφίσιν ἔκ τι νων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς μαντειῶν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀπ' ἐκείνου βοή θειαν ἀφεώρων, καὶ καθικέτευον ἀπολυθῆναι τοῦτον καί γ' ἐκ χωρηθῆναι κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μετὰ Ῥωμαίων ὁρμᾶν· τὴν γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὀρρωδίαν, ἣν εἶχον οἱ βάρβαροι, εἰς θάρρος τὸ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν ἔχοντας ἑτοίμους εἶναι μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ προκινδυ νεύειν καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείπειν τῶν ὅσα καὶ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ πράττοι μετὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τὸ θαρρεῖν ἔχων. ταῦτ' ἀκούων καὶ βα σιλεύς, καὶ ὁσημέραι περὶ τῶν ἰδίων πονῶν, ἐπὶ νοῦν τινὰ ἔρ χεται ὅτι πολλάκις καὶ ὃ δὴ ἰατρὸς τῷ κάμνοντι ἀπηγόρευσεν ὡς αὐτίκα τεθνηξομένῳ εἰ προσενέγκαιτο, τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ λεληθὸς ὁ νοσῶν προσενεγκάμενος ἐξ ὀρέξεως παράλογον εὗρε τὴν θερα πείαν, καὶ ἡ μὲν τέχνη οὔπω ἐλέγχεται φαύλη τις οὖσα, τὸ δὲ συμβὰν ἔκ τινος τυχηρᾶς προσπαθείας ὠφέλησε, τῷ σφοδρῷ τῆς ὀρέξεως ἀναρρωσθείσης ὡσανεὶ κατὰ τῆς νόσου τῆς φύσεως. τί γοῦν, φησίν, εἰ καὶ Λαχανᾶν μὴ ὄντα μηδέ τινα ψῆφον περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διδόντα τὸν βάρβαρον, ὅμως φοβερὸν μὲν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς 191 δόξαντα χρήσιμον δὲ καὶ τοῖς κακουμένοις, αὐτὸν ἀπολύοι καὶ ἐπιτρέποι στρατεύειν, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἐγγίονος πείρας ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἁλιζώνων γῇ κατὰ Σάγγαριν. ταῦτα διανοηθεὶς καὶ μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων σκεψάμενος ἀπολύει, προσετοιμάσας ἐκείνῳ καὶ τὰ κα θήκοντα. οὗ δὴ καὶ ἐξελθόντος ὡς εἶχε, καὶ μόνον τῆς ὁδοῦ ἁψαμένου ἅπας συνεκινεῖτο καὶ ὁ πόρρω καὶ ὁ ἐγγύς, καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν εἰκάζειν εἰ μὴ αὐτῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ γῆς μετακίνησιν. οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν γεωργικῶν ἔργων καὶ σκαπάνης οὐ πλέον εἰδότες καὶ τοῦ κεντρίσαι τὸν βοῦν, καὶ ποιμένες θρεμμάτων καὶ ἄγροικοι ἐκεῖνοι τὰς οἰκείας χώρας ἀφέντες καὶ αὐτὰς γεωπονίας, ἐν ῥάβδοις μό ναις καὶ ταῖς καλαύροψιν αὐτόματοι κατεφαίνοντο στρατιῶται καὶ ὁπλῖται ἄοπλοι καὶ συντάξεις ἀσύντακτοι, τὸ ὑπὸ Λαχανᾷ τετάχθαι εἰς θάρρος μέγα τοῦ νικᾶν ὅπου φανεῖεν σὺν αὐτῷ θέ μενοι. ἀμέλει τοι καὶ ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἄπειρον πλῆ θος συνῆκτο ξυγκλύδων, μὴ πολέμων εἰδότων, μὴ παρατάξεως, τὸ τῆς παροιμίας αὐτόθεν πληρούντων, ὅτι γλυκὺς τοῖς ἀπείροις ὁ πόλεμος. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς πολεμήσοντες ὥρμων, οὐδ' ὡς προσ βαλοῦντες ἐχθροῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς σκύλων ἐπιβαλούμενοι καὶ παίξον τες μᾶλλον ἢ σπουδάσοντες. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐκείνων ὁρμὴ περὶ τὸν νέον στρατηγὸν τοιαύτη τις ἦν ὡς μηδὲ στῆναι πληθουμένους, 192 οὐ κατ' ὀλίγον ἀλλὰ τρόπον πυρὸς κατ' ἀναλογίαν τὴν πολλα πλάσιον, ὡς ἅμα μὲν ἐξιέναι σὺν πολλαπλασίοις τούτων, δίκην ῥυάκων ἐπιρρεόντων τῶν ἀγροίκων ἐκείνων καὶ βουκαίων καὶ βοω τῶν. τοῦτο μαθὼν βασιλεύς, καὶ περὶ τῷ λαῷ δείσας μή τι πάθοι προσβαλὼν ἀσυντάκτως καὶ ἀμαθῶς, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μή τι νεωτερισθείη ἐπιτυχόντων, πέμψας εἰς αὐτὸν μετακα λεῖται τὸν βάρβαρον, καὶ ἐλθόντος ἀποχειροτονεῖ παραυτίκα τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ ἐν τῇ πρεπούσῃ τηρήσει εἶναι προστάσσει. τὸ δ' ἀμαθὲς ἐκεῖνο πλῆθος καὶ ἄλογον ἅμα διασκεδασθὲν τὴν τα χίστην ἐλύετο, καὶ τὰ οἴκοι ἕκαστος κατελάμβανεν. 31. Ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος τῇ πολυημέρῳ νόσῳ κατεργασθεὶς τῶν νεφρῶν (οὐδὲν γὰρ ὃ ἐπενόουν εἰς ἰατρείαν οἱ θεραπεύοντες ἱκανὸν εἰς τὴν κατὰ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἀνταγώνισιν ἔδοξεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον προσεζημίου τὸν πάσχοντα), ἀφεὶς τὰ πάντα καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν κοσμικὴν ὀφρὺν καὶ σκηνήν, τὸν μοναχὸν ὑποδύεται, καὶ ἃ κατὰ τῶν ταλαιπώρων κληρικῶν ξυνέπραξέ τε καὶ ξυνεβούλευσεν ὡς δῆθεν ἐκ ζήλου, αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις παροῦσι διωμολόγει μετανοῶν, καὶ ἐζητεῖτο παρ' αὐτῶν τὴν συγχώρησιν. αὐτὸν δ' ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὁ πόνος ὠδύνα καὶ ἔθλιβεν ὥστε καὶ τὸ ζῆν ἐκείνῳ ποιεῖν ἀβίωτον· κἄν πού τις τῶν Ἀσκληπιαδῶν ἐκ τῆς ἀρτηρίας ἐπισχέσεως μετὰ βραχὺ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐπηγγείλατο, εὐερ γέτης ἐκ τοῦ παρασχεδὸν ἔδοξε λέγων καὶ προμηνύων οὐ πράττων 193 οὐδ' ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἐκείνου ἀπαλλαγήν. τόσος ἦν ὁ πόνος καὶ ἡ τῶν νεφρῶν ὀδύνη τῷ πάσχοντι. ὥστε καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ με ταλλάξαι,