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the Babylonian king, fearing that with verbal threats he might provoke the tyrant to greater disobedience, hides his own opinion, and as if under an artificial veil of flattery, secretly seeking with a second appeal to make his opponent yield his arrogance, he inscribed the following in 4.8.4 a book for him. And I think it not unworthy to set forth the very composition of the speech, so that from the unadulterated exposition of the events, those who long for strange and insatiable narratives might draw the untroubled waters of truth. 4.8.5 "Chosroes, king of kings, lord of rulers, master of nations, prince of peace, savior to men, among gods a good and eternal man, but among men a most manifest god, most glorious, victor, rising with the sun and granting eyes to the night, distinguished by his ancestors, a king who hates war, gracious, he who hires the Asons and preserves the kingdom for the Persians, to Varam, 4.8.6 general of the Persians, and our friend. We received a reminder of your much-renowned bravery, and learning that you are well, we were made glad. But certain words were included in the letter which were not born from your heart; but perhaps the scribe, having become drunk with much wine and overcome by immoderate sleep, wrote down vain and strange dreams. 4.8.7 But since in these days the trees have shed their garments, and dreams have no power, for this reason we were not disturbed. And we have rightly received back the royal throne and have not overturned the laws for the Persians, and those who were saved from prison we do not try with prison again; 4.8.8 for it is not fitting for a king's gift to be lacking in power. Therefore we have so much courage not to lay aside the diadem, as to hope, even if there are other worlds, to rule over them as well. But we are coming to you in a more kingly manner, either to persuade you with words or to subdue you with arms. If you wish to fare well, think what is necessary. Be well, to be our best ally." 4..1 When, therefore, the king of the Medes had sent these things to the tyrant Varam, the forces were being collected from all sides. And he gathers the heavy-armed troops, both those around Adrabiganon and those settled in the parts of the river Zabas, and moreover he also picked up as quickly as possible those encamped around Nisibis. 4..2 And indeed, when he had arranged the forces that had been amassed for him into one place, having encouraged them with money, then he appointed commanders, urging Sarames to take charge of the right wing, ordering Zamerdes to lead the left flank, and he urged Bindoes to surround the center phalanx and to hold the rearguard. 4..3 Departing, therefore, from the palace, the king of the Persians approached a certain plain, in which a river was spread around, flowing right through the middle of each 4..4 force. Therefore, with each army having made its formation on the banks of the river, and with many words being ferried across from both Chosroes and Varam from the first dawn until the rising of the evening star, and with the dialogue being poured out into the air, and with a peaceful conclusion having in no way been allotted a termination, the war was being stitched together, and the battle 4..5 was pregnant with the onslaught of great evils. Therefore sorties were now taking place and skirmishes, and these things indeed were the warlike gateways of the battle-line. Varam, therefore, threw a trench around and constructed the other things for the safety of his fighting 4..6 force; but Chosroes, not daring to surround a palisade on the plain, while the day continued he seemed as if he would make war, but when night came on, he kept his forces safe by shutting them inside the city. From this, the troops around Chosroes had fallen into no small despondency. 4..7 But Varam, when the cowardice of the opposing force became somehow manifest, he thenceforth took courage not to steal the war; for those whom it was possible to overcome openly, these he did not deem

βασιλεὺς ὁ Βαβυλώνιος δεδιὼς μὴ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τῶν λόγων ἐκτραχύνῃ τὸν τύραννον πρὸς τὸ ἀπειθέστερον, κρύπτει μὲν παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὸ δοκοῦν, καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ παραπετάσματι τῳ ἐπιπλάστῳ τῆς κολακείας τὴν τοῦ Βαρὰμ ὑποκλέπτων δευτέραις ἀξίωσιν καθυφεῖναι τοῦ ὄγκου τὸν ἀντιπράττοντα, τάδε πως ἐν 4.8.4 βιβλίῳ ἐγχαράξας αὐτῷ. οἶμαι δ' οὐκ ἀναξιόλογον καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν συνθήκην προθεῖναι τῆς λέξεως, ἵνα τῷ ἀμεταμόρφῳ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκθέσεως ἀθόλωτα τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀρύσοιντο οἱ ξένων καὶ ἀκορέστων ἀφηγημάτων κατορεγόμενοι. 4.8.5 "Χοσρόης, βασιλεὺς βασιλέων, δυναστευόντων δεσπότης, κύριος ἐθνῶν, εἰρηνάρχης, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σωτήριος, ἐν θεοῖς μὲν ἄνθρωπος ἀγαθὸς καὶ αἰώνιος, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις θεὸς ἐπιφανέστατος, ὑπερένδοξος, νικητής, ἡλίῳ συνανατέλλων καὶ τῇ νυκτὶ χαριζόμενος ὄμματα, ἐκ προγόνων ἐπίσημος, βασιλεὺς μισοπόλεμος, χαριστικός, ὁ τοὺς ῎Ασωνας μισθούμενος καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν Πέρσαις διαφυλάττων, Βαράμ, 4.8.6 στρατηγῷ Περσῶν, ἡμετέρῳ δὲ φίλῳ. ὑπομνηστικὸν τῆς πολυθρυλήτου ὑμῶν ἀνδρείας ἐδεξάμεθα, καὶ γνόντες ὅτι ὑγιαίνετε ἐχαροποιήθημεν. τινὰ δ' ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ῥήματα παρετέθησαν, ἃ ἐκ τῆς σῆς οὐκ ἐγεννήθησαν καρδίας· ἀλλ' ἴσως ὁ τοῦ γράμματος ὑπουργὸς οἴνῳ πολλῷ μεθυσθεὶς καὶ ὕπνῳ ἀμέτρῳ περιβληθεὶς μάταια καὶ ἀλλόκοτα ἐνύπνια 4.8.7 συνεγράψατο. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὰ δένδρα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις τὰ ἱμάτια ἀπεδύσαντο, καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύουσι τὰ ἐνύπνια, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐταράχθημεν. ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τὸν βασίλειον θρόνον καλῶς ἀπελάβομεν καὶ τὰ νόμιμα Πέρσαις οὐκ ἀνετρέψαμεν, τοὺς δ' ἐκ φυλακῆς διασωθέντας πάλιν φυλακῆς οὐ πείρωμεν· 4.8.8 οὐ γὰρ πρέπει βασιλέως δωρεὰν χηρεύειν δυνάμεως. τὸ μὲν οὖν διάδημα ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τεθαρρήκαμεν μὴ ἀποτίθεσθαι, ὡς ἐλπίζειν ἡμᾶς, καὶ εἴπερ ἄλλοι εἰσὶ κόσμοι, κἀκείνων βασιλεύειν. ἐρχόμεθα δὲ πρὸς σὲ βασιλικώτερον, ἢ λόγοις πείσοντες ἢ τοῖς ὅπλοις καθυποτάξοντες. ἐὰν θέλῃς εὖ ἔχειν, φρόνει τὰ δέοντα. ὑγίαινε, ἐσόμενος ἡμῶν ἄριστος σύμμαχος." 4..1 ῞Οτε γοῦν ταῦτα ἐπεπόμφει ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Μήδων τῷ τυράννῳ Βαράμ, αἱ δυνάμεις πάντοθεν ἠρανίζοντο. συλλέγει τε τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν τούς τε περὶ τὸ ᾿Αδραβιγάνων τούς τε ἐπικαθημένους τοῖς μέρεσι τοῦ Ζαβᾶ ποταμοῦ, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀνὰ τὴν Νίσιβιν στρατοπεδευομένους ἀνελέξατο ὡς τάχος. 4..2 καὶ δῆτα ὁπηνίκα τὰς ἐπισωρευθείσας αὐτῷ δυνάμεις εἰς ἕνα ἐπεστοίχισε χῶρον χρήμασι φιλοφρονησάμενος, τότ' ἄρ' ἡγεμόνας προΐστησιν, τὸν μὲν Σαράμην τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἐπιστατεῖν παρακελευσάμενος στίφους, Ζαμέρδην δὲ τοῦ εὐωνύμου κλίτους προστάττει ἡγήσασθαι, τὸν δὲ Βινδόην τὴν μέσην περιβάλλεσθαι φάλαγγα τῶν τε ὀπισθοφυλάκων ἀντέχεσθαι παρε4..3 κελεύετο. ἀπάρας τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς προσομιλεῖ πεδίῳ τινί, ἐν ᾧ ποταμὸς περιεκέχυτο ἑκατέρας 4..4 δυνάμεως διαρρέων μεσαίτατος. ἐπὶ τῶν ὄχθων τοίνυν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἑκατέρας στρατιᾶς ποιησαμένης τὴν σύστασιν, καὶ πολλῶν λόγων ἀπό τε Χοσρόου καὶ Βαρὰμ διαπορθμευομένων ἀπὸ πρώτης ἕω μέχρις ἑσπέρας ἐπιτολῆς, καὶ τῆς διαλέξεως εἰς ἀέρα χεθείσης, καὶ μηδαμῇ μηδαμῶς εἰρηναίας λήξεως κληρωσαμένης ἀποπεράτωσιν, ὁ πόλεμος ἐκαττύετο, ἥ τε μάχη 4..5 ἐκυοφόρει μεγάλων κακῶν ἐπιφοίτησιν. τοίνυν ἐκδρομαί τε ἤδη ἐγίνοντο ἀκροβολισμοί τε, καὶ ταῦτα δὴ ταῦτα τὰ τῆς παρατάξεως προπύλαια φιλοπόλεμα. ὁ μὲν οὖν Βαράμης τάφρον περιεβάλετο τά τε ἄλλα τὰ εἰς ἀσφάλειαν τῆς μαχίμου 4..6 δυνάμεως ἐτεκταίνετο· ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης οὐ θαρρῶν χάρακα ἐν πεδίῳ περιστοιχώσασθαι ἡμέρας μὲν διατελούσης πολεμησείων ὥσπερ πως ὑπεφαίνετο, νυκτὸς δ' ἐπιούσης εἴσω τῆς πόλεως τὰς δυνάμεις περιεφρούρει συγκλείσας. ἐντεῦθεν οὐκ εἰς ὀλίγην καταπεπτώκει ἀθυμίαν τὰ περὶ τὸν Χοσρόην στρατεύ4..7 ματα. ὁ δὲ Βαράμ, ὅτε κατάδηλος ἡ τῆς ἀντιθέτου δυνάμεως γέγονέ που δειλία, ἐθάρρησε λοιπὸν μὴ κλέψαι τὸν πόλεμον· οὓς γὰρ ἐνῆν βιάσασθαι ἐς τὸ φανερόν, τούτους οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζε