,

to blame the deceit and to offer a blur 4..8 to the triumphs on account of the treachery. But Chosroes, supposing that some were conspiring in the deeds attempted by the tyrant, put these men to death. On the second day, he had seen the forces around him dejected in spirit. For this reason he looked to flight and began to prepare for the escape of the 4.. women around him. So with matters being in this state, on the seventh day, and since Chosroes was unwilling to meet him in battle, Baram arranged a night battle at the new moon and fell upon the troops 4..10 around Chosroes. Therefore, since the shock was terrible, and a great clamor had suddenly arisen, and since the rout was first inflicted upon the baggage animals by the enemy, and then the slaughter had passed on to the allies of Chosroes, and many were being killed, the fighting force changed its mind and deserted to Baram and mingled with the forces 4..11 around him. Chosroes, therefore, unable to bear the height of his misfortunes, as fast as his feet could carry him, escaped this great and most extraordinary danger with a few shield-bearers. 4.10.1 And so having been cast out of his kingdom and having left Ctesiphon and swum across the Tigris river, he was at a loss as to what he should do, since some advised him to go to the eastern Scythian people, whom we are accustomed to call Turks, while others advised him to save himself in the Caucasian or Atrapaican 4.10.2 mountains. So he was perplexed by the torment of the counsels. Therefore, he very reasonably entrusted the reins of his flight to the God over all; and looking up to heaven and coming to the thought of the creator, and disregarding the fictitious gods and having offered none of his hope to Mithras, he rightly dimmed the swift current of dangers, and by changing his faith, he also changes 4.10.3 his fortune for the better. Therefore, bidding farewell to the bridle and letting go of the guiding reins, he chose to be directed by the horse, and for the rider to be steered by his mount towards what was advantageous, having entrusted to God and the horse the judgments of the outcomes; for so the occasion saw fit to improvise for the world a great subject of affairs. 4.10.4 That royal horse, therefore, led the fugitive rider through the desert. Having crossed this and passed by the Euphrates river, he approached the fortresses of Abbareon and Anathon; these were subject to taxation by the Persian state. Departing from there, Chosroes arrived at 4.10.5 the environs of the city of Circesium. And camping in the open ten stades away, he sent messengers to Circesium, declaring his arrival and his recent misfortunes and his flight to the Caesar, and asking for his return home, he requested to receive an allied force from the Romans. It was, then, the third watch of the night, and the messengers went to the gates. 4.10.6 And when what was being related by the envoys was made known to the gatekeepers of the little wall, those entrusted with the guard of the gates went quickly to the commander of the city and with urgent haste reported the reversal of fortune 4.10.7 to the commander. And the name of the garrison commander was Probus. Probus, therefore, from early morning brought Chosroes into the city, and entertained him with skill and kindness, and deemed his wives, carrying their infants at the breast, most worthy of extreme kindness, and he treated the shield-bearers and patrols (for there were thirty of them with Chosroes) 4.10.8 very well and fittingly. It was the second day, and Chosroes, the king of the Persians, requested Probus by letter to act as an envoy to the Caesar, and having inscribed royal 4.10. characters, he sent it through Probus to the emperor. On the next day to Comentiolus the general, staying in the Sacred City, the manifest affair of Chosroes

τὴν ἀπάτην καταιτιάσασθαι καὶ θόλον τοῖς 4..8 θριάμβοις διὰ τὸν δόλον παρέχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης ὑπολαβών τινας συνδιατίθεσθαι τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου διεγχειρουμένοις φόνῳ διεχρήσατο τούτους. δευτέρᾳ δ' ἡμέρᾳ τὰς περὶ αὐτὸν δυνάμεις καταβεβλημένας τὰς ψυχὰς ἑωράκει. διά τοι τοῦτο πρὸς ἀπόδρασιν εἶδε τήν τε ἀποφυγὴν τοῖς 4.. ἀμφ' αὐτὸν γυναίοις προκατειργάζετο. οὕτω δὴ τῶν πραγμάτων διακειμένων, ἑβδόμη ἡμέρα, καὶ ὁ Βαράμ, οὐκ ἐθέλοντος Χοσρόου πρὸς παράταξιν ἀπαντῆσαι, νυκτομαχίαν ἐν σκοτομήνῃ συνίστησιν ἐπιπίπτει τε τοῖς περὶ τὸν Χοσρόην στρα4..10 τεύμασιν. φοβερᾶς τοιγαροῦν οὔσης τῆς καταπλήξεως, μεγάλου τε θορύβου ἐξαπιναίως φοιτήσαντος, τῆς τε θραύσεως πρῶτα τοῖς νωτοφόροις ζώοις ἐπιφερομένης ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, εἶτα καὶ πρὸς τοὺς συμμάχους Χοσρόου μεταβεβηκότος τοῦ φόνου, πολλῶν τε ἀναιρεθέντων, μετατίθεται τὴν γνώμην τὸ μάχιμον αὐτομολεῖ τε πρὸς τὸν Βαρὰμ καὶ ταῖς 4..11 ἀμφ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεσιν ἀναμίγνυται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Χοσρόης τὴν ἀκρώρειαν τῶν δυστυχημάτων φέρειν οὐκ ἔχων, ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχε δυνάμεως, διαδιδράσκει τὸν μέγαν τοῦτον καὶ παραδοξότατον κίνδυνον μετά τινων εὐαριθμήτων ὑπασπιστῶν. 4.10.1 καὶ οὕτω τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπεπτωκὼς τὴν Κτησιφῶντά τε καταλιπὼν καὶ τὸν Τίγριν διανηξάμενος ποταμὸν διηπορεῖτο ὅ τι καὶ δράσειεν, τῶν μὲν πρὸς τὸ Σκυθικὸν τὸ ἑῷον, οὓς Τούρκους λέγειν εἰώθαμεν, γενέσθαι εἰσηγησαμένων αὐτῷ, τῶν δ' ἐν τοῖς Καυκασίοις ἢ ᾿Ατραπαϊκοῖς διασώζεσθαι 4.10.2 ὄρεσιν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἠμηχάνει ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῇ βασάνῳ τῶν παραινέσεων. τοιγαροῦν κομιδῇ ἐπιεικῶς ἀνατίθησι τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ τὰς ἡνίας τῆς ἀποδράσεως· εἴς τε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀποβλέψας καὶ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ εἰς ἔννοιαν γεγονὼς ἀγνωμονῶν τε τοὺς ἐπιπλάστους θεοὺς τῷ τε Μίθρᾳ μηδέν τι τῆς ἐλπίδος προσενεγκάμενος εἰκότως ἠμαύρωσε τὸ τῶν κινδύνων ὀξύρροπον, καὶ τὴν πίστιν μεταβαλόμενος μεταβάλλει 4.10.3 καὶ τὴν τύχην πρὸς δεξιότητα. τῷ μὲν οὖν χαλινῷ χαίρειν εἰπὼν τάς τε εὐθετιζομένας ἡνίας παρακρουσάμενος ἠξίου ὑπὸ τῆς ἵππου ἰθύνεσθαι τόν τε ἐπιβάτην ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐποχοῦντος κυβερνᾶσθαι πρὸς τὰ συμφέροντα, θεῷ καὶ ἵππῳ τὰς κρίσεις πεπιστευκὼς τῶν ἐκβάσεων· οὕτω γὰρ ηὐδόκησεν ὁ καιρὸς μεγάλην ἀποσχεδιάσαι τῷ κόσμῳ πραγμάτων ὑπόθεσιν. 4.10.4 ἡ μὲν οὖν ἵππος ἐκείνη ἡ βασίλειος ἦγε τὸν ἐπιβάτην φυγάδα ἀνὰ τὴν ἔρημον. ταύτην δὲ διανύσας καὶ τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν παραμείψας τῷ ᾿Αββαρέων καὶ ᾿Ανάθωνπλησιάζει φρουρίοις· ταῦτα δ' ὑπὸ τὸ Περσικὸν ἐφορολογεῖτο πολίτευμα. ἀπάρας δ' ἐντεῦθεν Χοσρόης ἀφικνεῖται ἐπὶ τὸ 4.10.5 Κιρκήνσιον ἐχόμενα πόλεως. δέκα δὲ σημείοις ἀγραυλιζόμενος ἀπεκπέμπει ἀγγέλους εἰς τὸ Κιρκήνσιον παραδηλῶν τὴν ἄφιξιν καὶ τὰς νεωτέρας τύχας καὶ τὴν ἐς τὸν Καίσαρα καταφυγήν, τήν τε ἐς τὰ οἴκοι κάθοδον ἐξαιτούμενος ἠξίου συμμαχικὸν ἀπὸ ῾Ρωμαίων ἀποίσεσθαι. τρίτη γοῦν φυλακὴ τῆς νυκτός, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις ἐχώρησαν. 4.10.6 ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς πυλωροῦσι τὰ τοῦ τειχίου διεξοδευόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν πρέσβεων διεγνωρίζετο, ὑπὸ τὸν ἡγεμόνα θᾶττον τῆς πόλεως οἱ τὴν φρουρὰν τῶν πυλῶν ἐγχειρισθέντες προῄεσαν τῷ τε ἡγεμόνι μετὰ συντόνου σπουδῆς τὴν περιπέτειαν 4.10.7 ἀνετίθεσαν. τῷ δὲ φρουράρχῃ ἦν ἄρα Πρόβος ὄνομα. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πρόβος ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ τὸν Χοσρόην πρὸς τὸ ἄστυ εἰσάγει, δεξιότητι δὲ καὶ φιλοφροσύνῃ τοῦτον ἐξένιζεν, τὰ δὲ τούτου γύναια παῖδας ὑπομαζίους περιαγόμενα λίαν εἰς τὰ μάλιστα φιλανθρωπίας ἠξίου, τούς τε ὑπασπιστὰς καὶ περιπόλους (τριάκοντα δ' ἄρα τῷ Χοσρόῃ ὑπῆρχον) εὖ 4.10.8 ἐποίει κάρτα ἐπιεικῶς. δευτέρα δ' ἡμέρα, καὶ Χοσρόης, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, ἐξῄτει τὸν Πρόβον διὰ γράμματος πρεσβεύειν παρὰ τὸν Καίσαρα, καὶ ἐγχαράξας βασιλείους 4.10. κεραίας διὰ Πρόβου τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἔστελλεν. τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ Κομεντιόλῳ τῷ στρατηγῷ κατὰ τὴν ῾Ιερὰν πόλιν ἐνδιατρίβοντι κατάδηλον τὴν τοῦ Χοσρόου