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They drive out Hormisdas. 4.7.1 When, therefore, everything that provoked anger had been accomplished in the assembly, Chosroes is led up to the royal throne, and standing by the golden arch, as is the custom for Persians to be proclaimed, he was most royally acclaimed and his ears were flooded with acclamations. 4.7.2 For a time, therefore, he treated his father in confinement with kindness, consoling him, and he had made him a partaker of the royal feast, sending to him on golden platters savory dishes and legs of royal game, the choice parts of the limbs of buffalo and gazelles and wild asses, and fragrant wines and preparations of various appetizers, and well-baked bread and milk and cakes and as many other things as accompany the festival of the table for gluttonous tyrants. 4.7.3 But Hormisdas rejected the king's generosity and very brutally reviled those who served him; for he rightly spurned a shameful pity, driving away an insolence that feigned piety. This indeed is what sealed Hormisdas' death; for being beaten on the flanks with clubs and having the vertebrae in his neck crushed with cudgels, he ended his life most bitterly. 4.7.4 But Chosroes, having profaned the courts of the kingdom with so great an abomination, celebrated his accession to power and generously bestowed much gold on the most eminent men of the Persian kingdom, and he led the multitudes out of prison, feigning thereby that he would not be the successor to his father's inhumanity. 4.7.5 And it was the sixth day, and through a messenger he summoned Bahram to come to him and with highly valued royal gifts he tried to tame him to lay aside his tyranny, and he promised also to bestow upon him the second rank of the kingdom and to be reconciled for his past offenses and to offer an oath as a pledge of the agreement. 4.7.6 But Bahram, having read the royal letter, replied to Chosroes with these words; for I shall now quote the very phrasing of Bahram word for word. 4.7.7 "Bahram, friend to the gods, victor, illustrious, enemy of tyrants, satrap of grandees, commander of the Persian force, wise, masterful, god-fearing, irreproachable, noble, fortunate, successful, venerable, prudent, provident, 4.7.8 gentle, humane, to Chosroes, the son of Hormisdas. I have received what was written by your deficient and very slight intelligence, and I have not accepted what was sent by your audacious enterprise; for you should have used neither royal letters nor gifts towards us, especially since your appointment proceeded so irregularly according to the Persian constitution, and since the noble and worthy men did not vote with the more disorderly and low-born 4.7.9 men. Therefore, lest you fall into your father's perils, lay aside the diadem in the sacred places and withdraw from the royal places, and it is necessary to put back in prison those convicted of offenses who have dared things similar to you; 4.7.10 for it is not within your own power to release wicked men without examination from the prosecution due to them by the laws. 4.7.11 And having done these things, come to us, and you will immediately become a provincial governor of the Persian state. Farewell, considering what is advantageous. But if not, perish like your forefathers." 4.8.1 And when the letter-carrier, with a certain swift movement, had quickly arrived at the palace and delivered to the king the tablet of what had been written by Bahram, on the next day the king of the Persians, having summoned everyone, laid bare within the hearing of those who had assembled the things arrogantly written by Bahram. 4.8.2 But the satraps and the others who were resplendent in the fortunes of their ranks were indignant at the things outrageously dared by Bahram, and they roused the king to wrath, openly designating that very Bahram a common tyrant of Persia. 4.8.3 But he

ἐκκορακίζουσι τὸν ῾Ορμίσδαν. 4.7.1 ὅτε γοῦν τῷ ξυλλόγῳ ἅπαντα τὰ πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐπεπέραστο, ἀνάγεται Χοσρόης ἐπὶ τὸν βασίλειον θρόνον, τῇ τε ἀψῖδι τῇ χρυσῇ παρεστώς, ὡς ἔθος Πέρσαις ἀναγορεύεσθαι, προσεκυνεῖτο βασιλικώτατα καὶ ταῖς εὐφημίαις τὰ ὦτα 4.7.2 περιεκλύζετο. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἄχρι τινὸς τὸν πατέρα περὶ τὴν φρουρὰν ἐφιλοφρονεῖτο παρηγορούμενος τῆς τε βασιλικῆς ἑστιάσεως μέτοχον ἐπεποίητο, πέμπων ὡς αὐτὸν ἐν λεκανίσι χρυσαῖς μυττωτοὺς καὶ κῶλα θήρας βασιλικῆς, βουβαλίδων τε καὶ δορκάδων καὶ ὄνων ἀγρίων τῶν μελῶν τὰ ἐπίσημα, ἀνθοσμίας τε οἴνους καὶ ποικίλων προπομάτων κατασκευάς, ἄρτους τε εὖ πεπεμμένους καὶ γάλα καὶ λάγανα καὶ ὁπόσα ἄλλα γαστριζομένοις τυράννοις δορυφορεῖται ἐς τραπέζης 4.7.3 πανήγυριν. ὁ δ' ῾Ορμίσδας ἀπεδοκίμαζε τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως φιλότιμον καὶ λίαν κενταυρικῶς ἐλοιδορεῖτο τοῖς διακονουμένοις αὐτῷ· ὠβέλιζε γὰρ εἰκότως οἰκτειρμὸν ἐπονείδιστον ἀποπομπούμενος ὕβριν ὑποκρινομένην εὐσέβειαν. τοῦτό τοι καὶ ἀποτερματίζει τῷ ῾Ορμίσδᾳ τὸν θάνατον· τυμπάνοις γὰρ κατὰ τῶν λαγόνων παιόμενος καὶ ῥοπάλοις τοὺς ἐν τῷ τραχήλῳ σφονδύλους συνθλώμενος καταλύει τὸν βίον πικρό4.7.4 τατα. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης τηλικούτῳ μύσει τὰ τῆς βασιλείας βεβηλώσας προαύλια ἐπιβατήρια τοῦ κράτους ἐπανηγύρισε χρυσῷ τε πολλῷ ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῆς Περσῶν βασιλείας τῆς τε φρουρᾶς ὑπεξῆγε τὰ πλήθη, κατειρωνευόμενος ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ ἔσεσθαι τῆς πατρῴας ἀπανθρωπίας διά4.7.5 δοχος. ἕκτη δ' ἡμέρα, καὶ δι' ἐπιστολέως μετεπέμπετο Βαρὰμ γενέσθαι ὡς αὐτὸν καὶ δώροις βασιλικοῖς μεγατιμίοις ἐτιθάσευε τοῦτον καταθέσθαι τὸ τύραννον, ὑπισχνεῖτο δὲ καὶ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ κράτους ἀπονεῖμαι ἀξίαν αὐτῷ τοῖς τε προημαρτημένοις διαλύσασθαι ἐνέχυρόν τε τῆς ὁμολογίας ὅρκον 4.7.6 μεσίτην παρέχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ Βαρὰμ ταῖς βασιλικαῖς ἐντετυχηκὼς συλλαβαῖς τοῖσδε τὸν Χοσρόην ἠμείψατο γράμμασιν· ἤδη γὰρ παραθήσομαι καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ Βαράμου ἐπὶ λέξεως σύμφρασιν. 4.7.7 "Βαράμ, φίλος τοῖς θεοῖς, νικητής, ἐπιφανής, τυράννων ἐχθρός, σατράπης μεγιστάνων, τῆς Περσικῆς ἄρχων δυνάμεως, ἔμφρων, ἡγεμονικός, δεισιδαίμων, ἀνεπονείδιστος, εὐγενής, εὐτυχής, εὐεπίβολος, αἰδέσιμος, οἰκονομικός, προνοητικός, 4.7.8 πρᾶος, φιλάνθρωπος, Χοσρόῃ τῷ παιδὶ ῾Ορμίσδου. τὰ γραφέντα παρὰ τῆς ἐλλειποῦς ὑμῶν καὶ μικροτάτης συνέσεως ἐδεξάμην καὶ τὰ σταλέντα παρὰ τῆς σῆς τολμηρᾶς ἐγχειρήσεως οὐκ ἀπεδεξάμην· ἔδει γὰρ μήτε γράμμασι μήτε δωρήμασι βασιλικοῖς χρήσασθαι ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ μάλιστα οὕτως ἀτάκτου τῆς σῆς χειροτονίας προελθούσης κατὰ τὴν Περσικὴν πολιτείαν, καὶ μήτε τῶν εὐγενῶν καὶ ἀξιολόγων συμψήφων γενομένων τοῖς ἀτακτοτέροις καὶ δυσγενεστέροις 4.7. ἀνθρώποις. ἵνα μὴ οὖν τοῖς πατρῴοις περιπέσῃς κινδύνοις, τὸ μὲν διάδημα ἐν ἱεροῖς ἀποθέμενος τόποις τῶν βασιλικῶν τόπων ὑπέξελθε, τοὺς δ' ἐπὶ πταίσμασιν ἑαλωκότας ἐν εἱρκτῇ αὖθις ἀποθέσθαι τοὺς τὰ ὅμοιά σοι τετολμηκότας ἀναγκαῖον· 4.7.10 οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως ἴδιον ἀνεξετάστως τοὺς κακούργους ἀνθρώπους παραλῦσαι τῆς πρεπούσης αὐτοῖς 4.7.11 παρὰ τῶν νόμων ἐπεξελεύσεως. ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσας ἐλθὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ κλιματάρχης τῆς Περσικῆς πολιτείας παραυτίκα γενήσῃ. ἔρρωσο, φρονῶν τὰ συμφέροντα. εἰ δὲ μή, προγονικῶς διαφθάρηθι." 4.8.1 Τοῦ δὲ γραμματηφόρου συντόνῳ κινήσει τινὶ θᾶττον παραγεγονότος εἰς τὰ βασίλεια καὶ τὸ πτυκτίον τῶν ὑπὸ Βαράμου συγγεγραμμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ παρακομισαμένου, τῇ ἐπαύριον ἅπαντας εἰσκαλεσάμενος ὁ τοῦ Περσικοῦ βασιλεὺς εἰς ἐπήκοον τῶν συνεληλυθότων παρεγύμνου τὰ ὑπὸ Βαρὰμ 4.8.2 σοβαρῶς γεγραμμένα. οἱ δὲ σατράπαι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ταῖς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων τύχαις καταλαμπόμενοι ἐδεινοπάθουν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκτόπως τετολμημένοις τῷ Βαράμ, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐξεβάκχευον κοινὸν τῆς Περσίδος τύραννον ἐς τὸ 4.8.3 φανερὸν ἐκεῖνον αὐτὸν τὸν Βαρὰμ γράφοντες. ὁ δὲ