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he came into the king's presence with all speed and spoke as follows: "It does not seem to me, O master, that you think the same thoughts as the Romans concerning their own salvation. For they, even before the moment of danger, act with insolence toward your majesty, and when defeated they dare impossible things and do irreparable deeds to the Persians, as if they feared that any ground for humanity on your part would be left to them; but you wish to pity those who do not think they deserve to be saved and have been eager to spare those who are by no means willing. But they, having laid an ambush in a captured city, are destroying the victors with some sort of snares, even though all their own soldiers fled long ago." When Chosroes heard this, he sent many of his best men against them, who returned before long and reported that nothing untoward had happened. For the Persians had already overwhelmed the Antiochians by their numbers and routed them, and a great slaughter took place there. For the Persians, sparing no age, killed everyone in their path, young and old alike. At that time, they say that two women of noble birth among the Antiochians found themselves outside the circuit-wall, and perceiving that they would fall into the hands of the enemy (for they were already seen roaming about everywhere), they ran to the river Orontes, and fearing that the Persians might do some violence to their bodies, they covered their faces with their veils and, throwing themselves into the river's current, disappeared. Thus every form of misfortune befell the Antiochians. Thereupon Chosroes spoke to the ambassadors as follows: "I do not think the ancient saying is far from the truth, that God does not give unmixed blessings, but mixing them with evils then offers them to men. And for this reason we do not even have laughter without tears, but disaster is always fixed alongside good fortune, and grief alongside pleasures, not allowing anyone ever to enjoy the given prosperity genuinely. For this city, which is called and is in fact one of the most noteworthy in the land of the Romans, I was able to capture with the least effort, since God improvised the victory for us, as you doubtless see. However, as I behold the slaughter of so great a multitude of people, and the trophy stained with so much blood, I have felt no pleasure from the deed. And for this the wretched Antiochians are to blame, who, though unable to repulse the Persians while they were assaulting the wall, yet against the victors who had already captured the city at the first shout, they decided to fight to the death with a mindless audacity. Therefore all the notable men of the Persians, vexing me greatly, demanded that I should drag-net the city and destroy all the captives, but I ordered those who were fleeing to rush still more to their escape, so that they might be saved as quickly as possible. For to trample upon the conquered is not a holy thing." Such things Chosroes said to the ambassadors, speaking portentously and with affectation, but it did not escape their notice for what reason he was granting the fleeing Romans this opportunity. For he was the cleverest of all men at saying what was not true, at concealing the truth, and at placing the blame for his own misdeeds on those who had been wronged; furthermore, he was ready to agree to anything and to confirm his agreement with an oath, but much more ready to come to a forgetting of things recently agreed to and sworn by him, and for the sake of money he was unhesitating in subjecting his soul to every curse, while he was artfully skilled at feigning piety with his expression and at justifying his actions with his words. And he, having by deceit circumvented and in the aforesaid manner destroyed the people of Sura who had previously done him no wrong at all, when, as the city was being captured, he saw a woman of respectable and not undistinguished birth being dragged with great violence by the left hand by one of the barbarians, while she, unwilling to let go of her child, who had just been weaned from her breast, was dragging with her other hand the child who had fallen to the ground, since it was not able to keep up with this violent pace, here too displayed his own character. For they say that he, having supposedly groaned in word, and a seeming

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ὄψιν τε τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ 2.8.31 τάχος ἦλθε καὶ ἔλεξεν ὧδε «Οὐχὶ ταὐτά μοι δοκεῖς, ὦ «δέσποτα, Ῥωμαίοις ἀμφὶ τῇ τούτων σωτηρίᾳ γινώ»σκειν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τῶν κινδύνων ὑβρίζου»σιν ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν σὴν καὶ ἡσσημένοι τολμῶσί «τε τὰ ἀμήχανα καὶ δρῶσι τοὺς Πέρσας ἀνήκεστα «ἔργα, ὥσπερ δεδιότες μή τις αὐτοῖς παρὰ σοὶ φιλαν»θρωπίας λελείψεται λόγος· σὺ δὲ τούς τε σώζεσθαι «οὐκ ἀξιοῦντας ἐλεεῖν βούλει καὶ φείδεσθαι τῶν οὐ2.8.32 «δαμῆ ἐθελόντων ἐσπούδακας. οἱ δὲ προλοχίσαντες «ἐν ἁλούσῃ πόλει τοὺς νενικηκότας ἐνέδραις τισὶ «διαφθείρουσι, καίπερ ἁπάντων αὐτοῖς πάλαι πεφευγό2.8.33 «των στρατιωτῶν.» ταῦτα ὁ Χοσρόης ἀκούσας, τῶν ἀρίστων πολλοὺς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν, οἳ οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἐπανήκοντες οὐδὲν ξυμβῆναι φλαῦρον ἀπήγγελ2.8.34 λον. ἤδη γὰρ Ἀντιοχέας Πέρσαι βιασάμενοι πλήθει ἐτρέψαντο, καὶ γέγονε φόνος ἐνταῦθα πολύς. οἱ γὰρ Πέρσαι οὐδεμιᾶς ἡλικίας φειδόμενοι τοὺς ἐν ποσὶν ἅπαντας 2.8.35 ἡβηδὸν ἔκτεινον. τότε φασὶ γυναῖκας τῶν ἐν Ἀντιοχεῦσιν ἐπιφανῶν δύο γενέσθαι μὲν ἔξω τοῦ περιβόλου, αἰσθομένας δὲ ὡς ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις γενήσονται (πανταχόσε γὰρ ἤδη περιιόντες καθεωρῶντο) δρόμῳ μὲν παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν Ὀρόντην ἐλθεῖν, φοβουμένας δὲ μή τι σφᾶς ἐς τὸ σῶμα ὑβρίσωσι Πέρσαι, ταῖς τε καλύπτραις ἐγκαλυψαμένας τὰ πρόσωπα καὶ ἐς τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ῥεῦμα ἐμπεσούσας ἀφανισθῆναι. οὕτω πᾶσα κακοῦ τοὺς Ἀντιοχέας ἰδέα ἔσχεν. 2.9.1 Ἐνταῦθα ὁ Χοσρόης τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ ἀληθοῦς τὸν παλαιὸν λόγον «οἴομαι εἶναι, ὅτι δὴ οὐκ ἀκραιφνῆ τἀγαθὰ ὁ θεὸς, «ἀλλὰ κεραννύων αὐτὰ τοῖς κακοῖς εἶτα τοῖς ἀνθρώ2.9.2 «ποις παρέχεται. καὶ δι' αὐτὸ οὐδὲ τὸ γελᾶν ἄκλαυστον «ἔχομεν, παραπέπηγε δέ τις ἀεὶ τοῖς μὲν εὐτυχήμασι «συμφορὰ, ταῖς δὲ ἡδοναῖς λύπη, οὐκ ἐῶσαί τινα «γνησίας ποτὲ τῆς δεδομένης εὐημερίας ἀπόνασθαι. 2.9.3 «πόλιν γὰρ τήνδε, ἀξιολογωτάτην ἐς τὰ μάλιστα λε»γομένην τε καὶ οὖσαν ἐν γῇ τῇ Ῥωμαίων, ἀπονώτατα «μὲν ἑλεῖν ἴσχυσα, τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοσχεδιάσαντος ἡμῖν, 2.9.4 «ὡς ὁρᾶτε δήπου, τὴν νίκην. φόνον μέντοι ἀνθρώπων «ὁρῶντί μοι τοσούτων τὸ πλῆθος, αἵματί τε πολλῷ «βεβαπτισμένον τὸ τρόπαιον, οὐδεμία τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς 2.9.5 «πράξεως ἡδονῆς γέγονεν αἴσθησις. καὶ τῶνδε οἱ «ταλαίπωροι Ἀντιοχεῖς αἴτιοι, οἵ γε τειχομαχοῦντας «μὲν οὐχ οἷοί τε γεγόνασι Πέρσας ἀπώσασθαι, πρὸς «δὲ νενικηκότας ἤδη καὶ αὐτοβοεὶ τὴν πόλιν ἑλόντας «θράσει θανατῶντες ἀλογίστῳ ζυγομαχεῖν ἔγνωσαν. 2.9.6 «πάντες μὲν οὖν οἱ Περσῶν δόκιμοι πολλὰ ἐνοχλοῦντες «σαγηνεῦσαί τέ με τὴν πόλιν ἠξίουν καὶ ξύμπαντας «διαφθεῖραι τοὺς ἡλωκότας, ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς φεύγοντας «ἐκέλευον εἰς τὴν ὑπαγωγὴν ἔτι μᾶλλον ὁρμᾶν, ὅπως «ὅτι τάχιστα σώζοιντο. τὸ γὰρ ἐπεμβαίνειν τοῖς ἡλω2.9.7 «κόσιν οὐχ ὅσιον.» τοσαῦτα μὲν ὁ Χοσρόης τερατευόμενός τε καὶ διαθρυπτόμενος τοῖς πρέσβεσιν εἶπεν, οὐκ ἔλαθε μέντοι αὐτοὺς ὅτου ἕνεκα τὸν καιρὸν φεύγουσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐνδοίη. 2.9.8 Ἦν γὰρ δεινότατος ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων τὰ μὲν οὐκ ὄντα εἰπεῖν, τὰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἀποκρύψασθαι, καὶ ὧν αὐτὸς ἐξημάρτανε τὰς αἰτίας τοῖς ἠδικημένοις ἐπενεγκεῖν· ἔτι δὲ ὁμολογῆσαι μὲν ἕτοιμος ἅπαντα καὶ ὅρκῳ τὴν ὁμολογίαν πιστώσασθαι, λίαν δὲ τῶν ἔναγχος αὐτῷ ξυγκειμένων τε καὶ ὀμωμοσμένων ἑτοιμότερος ἐς λήθην ἀφῖχθαι, καὶ χρημάτων μὲν ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ πᾶν ἄγος καθεῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἄοκνος, τῷ δὲ προσώπῳ σχηματίζεσθαι τὴν εὐλάβειαν ἀτεχνῶς ἔμπειρος, ἀφοσιοῦσθαί 2.9.9 τε τῷ λόγῳ τὴν πρᾶξιν. ὃς καὶ Σουρηνοὺς, πρότερον οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν ἠδικηκότας, δόλῳ τε περιελθὼν καὶ τρόπῳ ἀπολέσας τῷ εἰρημένῳ, ἐπειδὴ γυναῖκα κοσμίαν τε καὶ οὐκ ἀφανῆ ἁλισκομένης τῆς πόλεως εἶδεν ἐκ χειρὸς μὲν τῆς ἀριστερᾶς πρός του τῶν βαρβάρων ἑλκομένην ξὺν πολλῇ βίᾳ, παιδίον δὲ, ὅπερ αὐτῇ ἄρτι τοῦ τιτθοῦ ἦν ἀπαλλαγὲν, ἀφεῖναι μὲν οὐ βουλομένην, ἕλκουσαν δὲ θατέρᾳ χειρὶ ἐμπεπτωκὸς εἰς τὸ ἔδαφος, ἐπεί οἱ ξυντρέχειν οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν τοῦτον δὴ τὸν βίαιον δρόμον, τὸν οἰκεῖον κἀνταῦθα ἐνδέδεικται 2.9.10 τρόπον. φασὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν στενάξαντα δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ, δόκησίν τε