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and of the houses, which happen to be around this sanctuary. 2.10.9 For it happened that the ambassadors lodged here. The Persians, however, completely abstained from the precinct. 2.10.10 A little later the ambassadors came again before Chosroes and spoke as follows: "If our words were not being spoken to you in person, O King, we would never have thought that Chosroes, son of Cabades, would have come in arms into the land of the Romans, dishonoring the oaths recently sworn to you, which seems to be the last and strongest guarantee of all among men for mutual trust and truth, and breaking the treaties, the hope of which alone is left to those who, because of misfortune in war, do not live in security. 2.10.11 For one could say that such a thing is nothing other than the life of men being changed to that of 2.10.12 wild beasts. For in making no treaties at all, warfare will certainly be left endless, and a war that has no end is by nature always wont to alienate from their own nature those who engage 2.10.13 in it. And with what intent did you write a little while ago to your brother that he himself was the cause of the treaty's being broken? Is it not clear that you are confessing that the breaking of a treaty is an exceedingly great evil? 2.10.14 If, then, he has done no wrong, you do not justly come against us now; but if it happens that some such thing has been done by your brother, then let the charge be carried by you only so far and no further, so that you yourself may seem to be superior. For he who is inferior in evil deeds would justly be victorious in better 2.10.15 ones. And yet we know well that the emperor Justinian has never opposed the peace, and we beg you not to inflict such evils upon the Romans, from which there will be no benefit for the Persians, but you will gain only this, to have done irreparable deeds improperly to those who have just made a treaty with you." 2.10.16 The ambassadors said so much. But Chosroes, hearing these things, insisted that the treaties had been broken by the emperor Justinian; and he enumerated the causes which he had provided, some of them worthy of account, but others trivial and fabricated with no reason. But he especially thought it right to point to his letters to both Alamoundaras and the Huns, written by him, as being most responsible for the war, just as was said by me in the previous account. 2.10.17 However, that any Roman man had invaded the land of the Persians or demonstrated any hostile acts, 2.10.18 he was able neither to say nor to show. The ambassadors, however, on the one hand did not refer the causes to Justinian, but to some of his subordinates, and on the other hand they took issue with the things said, as if they had not happened so. 2.10.19 Finally, Chosroes demanded that the Romans give him much money, but he advised them not to wish to secure the peace for all time by providing money only for the present 2.10.20 moment. For the friendship which comes to men for money is for the most part 2.10.21 spent along with the money. Therefore, the Romans must pay a certain fixed annual sum to the Persians. "For thus," 2.10.22 he said, "the Persians will keep the peace secure for them, by themselves guarding the Caspian Gates and no longer being vexed with them on account of the city of Daras, for which they themselves will also be paid forever." "Therefore," said the ambassadors, "the Persians wish to have the Romans as tributaries 2.10.23 for the payment of tribute." "No, but the Romans," said Chosroes, "will henceforth have the Persians as their own soldiers, supplying them with a stipulated pay for their service; since you also supply an annual sum of gold to certain Huns and Saracens, not as being tributary to them for tribute, but so that they may guard your land unravaged for all 2.10.24 time." After Chosroes and the ambassadors had said many such things to one another, they later agreed on the condition that Chosroes, receiving fifty centenaria from the Romans for the present, and five more being paid annually for all time as tribute, should do them no further harm, but that he, for his part, hostages for this

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καὶ τῶν οἰκιῶν, αἳ δὴ ἀμφὶ τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο τυγχάνουσιν οὖσαι. 2.10.9 τοὺς γὰρ πρέσβεις ἐνταῦθα καταλῦσαι ξυνέπεσε. τοῦ μέντοι περιβόλου παντάπασιν ἀπέσχοντο Πέρσαι. 2.10.10 Ὀλίγῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἥκοντες αὖθις παρὰ τὸν Χοσρόην οἱ πρέσβεις ἔλεξαν ὧδε «Εἰ μὴ πρὸς παρόντα «σὲ, ὦ βασιλεῦ, οἱ λόγοι ἐγίνοντο, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ᾠόμεθα «Χοσρόην τὸν Καβάδου ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐν ὅπλοις «ἥκειν, ἀτιμάσαντα μὲν τοὺς διομωμοσμένους σοι «ἔναγχος ὅρκους, ὃ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁπάντων ὕστα»τόν τε καὶ ὀχυρώτατον εἶναι δοκεῖ τῆς ἐς ἀλλήλους «πίστεώς τε καὶ ἀληθείας ἐνέχυρον, διαλύσαντα δὲ «τὰς σπονδὰς, ὧν ἡ ἐλπὶς ἀπολέλειπται μόνη τοῖς διὰ «τὴν ἐν πολέμῳ κακοπραγίαν οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ βιο2.10.11 «τεύουσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τὸ τοιοῦτον εἴποι τις «ἂν εἶναι ἢ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν δίαιταν ἐς τὴν τῶν 2.10.12 «θηρίων μεταβεβλῆσθαι. ἐν γὰρ τῷ μηδαμῆ σπένδε»σθαι τὸ πολεμεῖν ἀπέραντα λελείψεται πάντως, πόλε»μος δὲ ὁ πέρας οὐκ ἔχων ἐξοικίζειν τῆς φύσεως τοὺς 2.10.13 «αὐτῷ χρωμένους ἐς ἀεὶ πέφυκε. τί δὲ καὶ βουλό»μενος πρὸς τὸν σὸν ἀδελφὸν ὀλίγῳ πρότερον γέγρα»φας ὡς αὐτὸς εἴη τοῦ λελύσθαι τὰς σπονδὰς αἴτιος; «ἦ δῆλον ὅτι ὁμολογῶν κακόν τι παμμέγεθες εἶναι 2.10.14 «τὴν τῶν σπονδῶν λύσιν; εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲν «ἥμαρτεν, οὐ δικαίως τανῦν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἥκεις· εἰ δέ τι «τοιοῦτον τ' ἀδελφῷ τῷ σῷ εἰργάσθαι ξυμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ «καὶ σοὶ μέχρι τούτου γε καὶ μὴ περαιτέρω διαπεπράχθω «τὸ ἔγκλημα, ὅπως αὐτὸς κρείσσων εἶναι δοκῇς. ὁ γὰρ «ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς ἐλασσούμενος, οὗτος ἂν ἐν τοῖς ἀμεί2.10.15 «νοσι νικῴη δικαίως. καίτοι ἡμεῖς ἐξεπιστάμεθα Ἰου»στινιανὸν βασιλέα μηδεπώποτε τῆς εἰρήνης ἀπ' ἐναν»τίας ἐληλυθέναι, καὶ σοῦ δεόμεθα μὴ τοιαῦτα «ἐργάσασθαι Ῥωμαίους κακὰ, ἐξ ὧν Πέρσαις μὲν ὄνη»σις οὐδεμία ἔσται, σὺ δὲ τοῦτο κερδανεῖς μόνον, «ἀνήκεστα ἔργα τοὺς ἄρτι σοι σπεισαμένους οὐ δέον «εἰργάσθαι.» 2.10.16 Οἱ μὲν πρέσβεις τοσαῦτα εἶπον. Χοσρόης δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἰσχυρίζετο μὲν τὰς σπονδὰς πρὸς Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως λελύσθαι· καὶ τὰς αἰτίας κατέλεγεν ἅσπερ ἐκεῖνος παρέσχετο, τὰς μέν τινας καὶ λόγου ἀξίας, τὰς δὲ φαύλας τε καὶ οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ξυμπεπλασμένας. μάλιστα δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τοῦ πολέμου αἰτιωτάτας ἠξίου δεικνύναι πρός τε Ἀλαμούνδαρον καὶ Οὔννους αὐτῷ γεγραμμένας, καθάπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν 2.10.17 λόγοις ἐρρήθη. ἄνδρα μέντοι Ῥωμαῖον ἐς τὴν Περσῶν γῆν ἐσβεβληκέναι ἢ πολέμια ἔργα ἐνδείξασθαι 2.10.18 οὔτε λέγειν εἶχεν οὔτε δεικνύναι. οἱ μέντοι πρέσβεις πὴ μὲν τὰς αἰτίας οὐκ ἐς Ἰουστινιανὸν ἀνέφερον, ἀλλ' ἐς τῶν ὑπουργηκότων τινὰς, πὴ δὲ ὡς οὐχ οὕτω 2.10.19 γεγονότων ἐπελαμβάνοντο τῶν εἰρημένων. τέλος δὲ χρήματα μέν οἱ πολλὰ ὁ Χοσρόης ἠξίου διδόναι Ῥωμαίους, παρῄνει δὲ μὴ τὰ χρήματα ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα μόνον παρεχομένους τὴν εἰρήνην ἐθέλειν ἐς τὸν πάντα 2.10.20 αἰῶνα κρατύνασθαι. τὴν γὰρ ἐπὶ χρήμασι γινομένην ἀνθρώποις φιλίαν ἀναλισκομένοις ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον 2.10.21 ξυνδαπανᾶσθαι τοῖς χρήμασι. δεῖν τοίνυν Ῥωμαίους τακτόν τι φέρειν ἐπέτειον Πέρσαις. «Οὕτω γὰρ «αὐτοῖς» ἔφη «τὴν εἰρήνην Πέρσαι βέβαιον ἕξουσι, «τάς τε Κασπίας αὐτοὶ φυλάσσοντες πύλας καὶ οὐκέτι «αὐτοῖς ἀχθόμενοι διὰ πόλιν ∆άρας, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔμμι2.10.22 «σθοι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐς ἀεὶ ἔσονται.» «Οὐκοῦν» οἱ πρέσβεις ἔφασαν «ὑποτελεῖς Πέρσαι βούλονται Ῥωμαίους 2.10.23 «ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγὴν ἔχειν.» «Οὒκ, ἀλλὰ στρατιώτας «οἰκείους» ὁ Χοσρόης εἶπεν «ἕξουσι τὸ λοιπὸν Πέρσας «Ῥωμαῖοι, μισθὸν τῆς ὑπουργίας αὐτοῖς χορηγοῦντες «ῥητόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Οὔννων τισὶ καὶ Σαρακηνοῖς ἐπέ»τειον χορηγεῖτε χρυσὸν, οὐ φόρου αὐτοῖς ὑποτελεῖς «ὄντες, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἀδῄωτον γῆν τὴν ὑμετέραν φυλά2.10.24 «ξωσιν ἐς τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα.» τοιαῦτα Χοσρόης τε καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις πολλὰ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλεχθέντες ξυνέβησαν ὕστερον ἐφ' ᾧ Χοσρόην ἐν μὲν τῷ παραυτίκα κεντηνάρια πεντήκοντα πρὸς Ῥωμαίων λαβόντα, πέντε δὲ ἄλλων φερόμενον ἐπέτειον ἐς τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα δασμὸν μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ἐργάσασθαι περαιτέρω κακὸν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν μὲν ὁμήρους ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ