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having received an agreement from the ambassadors to make the departure with the whole army to their native lands, and that there ambassadors sent from the Emperor Justinian would establish the treaties concerning the peace on a firm basis for the future. 2.11.1 Then Chosroes came to Seleucia, a city on the sea, one hundred and thirty stades distant from Antioch, and there finding no Roman nor harming one, he bathed alone in the water of the sea, and sacrificing to the sun and to whomever else he wished, and having uttered many incantations, he rode 2.11.2 back. And arriving at the camp he said that he had a desire to see the city of the Apameans, being nearby, for no other reason than for sightseeing. 2.11.3 And the ambassadors unwillingly agreed to this too, on the condition, however, that he, after seeing the city and receiving from there a thousand pounds of silver, having done no other 2.11.4 harm, would ride back. But Chosroes was obvious to the ambassadors and to all the others that he was being sent to Apamea for this reason only, so that, having seized upon some insignificant pretext, he might plunder both it and the country there. Then, therefore, he went up to Daphne, the suburb of Antioch. 2.11.5 There indeed he held the grove in great wonder, and the springs of the waters; for both are remarkably worth 2.11.6 seeing. And having sacrificed to the nymphs he went away, doing no other harm, but burning the shrine of the archangel Michael along with some other houses for the 2.11.7 following reason. A Persian man riding on a horse, distinguished in the Persian army and known to King Chosroes, came to a precipitous place near the so-called Tretus with some others, where indeed is the temple of the archangel Michael, 2.11.8 the work of Evaris. This man, seeing a certain youth of the Antiochenes hiding there on foot and alone, pursued him apart from the others. And the youth was a 2.11.9 butcher, Aeimachus by name. who, when he was about to be overtaken, suddenly turning around strikes his pursuer with a stone, and hits the forehead at the membrane by the ear. And he immediately fell to the ground, and the other, drawing his 2.11.10 scimitar, kills the man. And stripping him at his leisure of his arms and all the gold and anything else he happened to be wearing, and leaping up onto the horse he rode 2.11.11 on. And whether by chance or using his experience of the places, he was able to elude the enemies and escape 2.11.12 completely. Chosroes, learning these things and being greatly grieved by the events, ordered some of his followers to burn the temple of the archangel, which I mentioned 2.11.13 before. But they, thinking this was that one, burned it along with the buildings around it, and thought they had carried out Chosroes' commands. So these things happened thus. 2.11.14 But Chosroes with the whole army went towards Apamea. And there is in Apamea a piece of wood, a cubit long, a part of the cross, on which Christ once in Jerusalem is acknowledged to have undergone his punishment not unwillingly, in ancient times to this place secretly brought by a Syrian 2.11.15 man. And it the men of old, believing it would be a great protection for both themselves and the city, having made a wooden case for it, deposited it, which indeed they adorned with much gold and precious stones, and they handed it over to three priests, on the condition that they would guard it with all security, and bringing it out every year the whole populace worships it on one day. 2.11.16 Then therefore the people of the Apameans, when they learned the Median army was coming against them, were in great fear. And hearing that Chosroes was very untruthful, and coming before Thomas, the chief priest of the city, they begged him to show them the wood of the cross, 2.11.17 so that having worshipped it for the last time, they might die. And he did so. Then indeed a spectacle came to pass there, greater than words and belief. For while the priest was carrying and showing the wood, a flame of fire was borne above it and the part of the roof directly over 2.11.18 it was illuminated with a much greater light than usual. And as the priest walked everywhere in the temple the flame went along with him,

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ὁμολογίᾳ παρὰ τῶν πρέσβεων κεκομισμένον τὴν ἀποπορείαν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ποιήσασθαι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ πρέσβεις παρὰ βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ στελλομένους τὰς ἀμφὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ ξυνθήκας ἐν βεβαίῳ τὸ λοιπὸν θέσθαι. 2.11.1 Τότε ὁ Χοσρόης ἐς Σελεύκειαν, πόλιν ἐπιθαλασσίαν, Ἀντιοχείας τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίοις διέχουσαν ἦλθεν, ἐνταῦθά τε Ῥωμαίων οὐδένα οὔτε εὑρὼν οὔτε λυμηνάμενος ἀπελούσατο μὲν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης τῷ ὕδατι μόνος, θύσας τε τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ οἷστισιν ἄλλοις ἐβούλετο, πολλά τε ἐπιθειάσας ὀπίσω ἀπή2.11.2 λαυνεν. ἔς τε τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀφικόμενος ἐπιθυμίαν οἱ ἔφασκέ τινα εἶναι τὴν Ἀπαμέων πόλιν ἐν γειτόνων οὖσαν οὐκ ἄλλου τοῦ ἕνεκα ἢ ἱστορίας θεάσασθαι. 2.11.3 ξυνεχώρουν τε οὐχ ἑκούσιοι καὶ τοῦτο οἱ πρέσβεις, ἐφ' ᾧ μέντοι αὐτὸν θεασάμενόν τε τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἀργύρου χιλίας κομισάμενον ἐνθένδε λίτρας οὐδέν τι 2.11.4 ἄλλο λυμηνάμενον ἀπελαύνειν ὀπίσω. ἔνδηλος δὲ ἦν ὁ Χοσρόης τοῖς τε πρέσβεσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅτι δὴ ἐς τὴν Ἀπάμειαν τοῦδε ἕνεκα στέλλοιτο μόνον, ὅπως δή τινος σκήψεως οὐκ ἀξιολόγου λαβόμενος αὐτήν τε καὶ τὴν ἐκείνῃ χώραν ληίσηται. τότε μὲν οὖν ἐς ∆άφνην ἀνέβη, τὸ Ἀντιοχείας προάστειον. 2.11.5 ἔνθα δὴ τό τε ἄλσος ἐν θαύματι μεγάλῳ ἐποιήσατο καὶ τὰς τῶν ὑδάτων πηγάς· ἄμφω γὰρ ἀξιοθέατα 2.11.6 ἐπιεικῶς ἐστι. καὶ θύσας ταῖς νύμφαις ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο, ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν λυμηνάμενος, τοῦ δὲ ἀρχαγγέλου Μιχαὴλ τὸ ἱερὸν καύσας ξὺν ἑτέραις τισὶν οἰκίαις ἐξ 2.11.7 αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. Πέρσης ἀνὴρ ἵππῳ ὀχούμενος, ἔν τε τῷ Περσῶν στρατῷ δόκιμος καὶ Χοσρόῃ βασιλεῖ γνώριμος, ἐς χῶρον κρημνώδη ἀμφὶ τὸν λεγόμενον Τρητὸν ἦλθε ξὺν ἑτέροις τισὶν, οὗ δὴ τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου Μιχαὴλ 2.11.8 νεώς ἐστιν, Εὐάριδος ἔργον. οὗτος ἀνὴρ τῶν τινα Ἀντιοχέων νεανίαν πεζόν τε καὶ μόνον κρυπτόμενον ἐνταῦθα ἰδὼν ἐδίωκε τῶν ἑτέρων χωρίς. ἦν δὲ κρεο2.11.9 πώλης ὁ νεανίας, Ἀείμαχος ὄνομα. ὃς ἐπειδὴ καταλαμβάνεσθαι ἔμελλεν, ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου λίθῳ τὸν διώκοντα βάλλει, ἐπιτυγχάνει τε τοῦ μετώπου ἐς τὴν παρὰ τὸ οὖς μήνιγγα. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος εὐθὺς ἔπεσεν, ὁ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀκινάκην σπα2.11.10 σάμενος κτείνει τὸν ἄνδρα. σκυλεύσας τε αὐτοῦ κατ' ἐξουσίαν τά τε ὅπλα καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν ἅπαντα καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐτύγχανεν ἀμπεχόμενος, ἐπί τε τὸν ἵππον 2.11.11 ἀναθορὼν πρόσω ἤλαυνεν. εἴτε δὲ τύχῃ εἴτε χωρίων ἐμπειρίᾳ χρησάμενος, λαθεῖν τε τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ 2.11.12 διαφυγεῖν παντελῶς ἴσχυσε. ταῦτα ὁ Χοσρόης μαθὼν καὶ τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι περιαλγήσας τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων τινὰς καῦσαι τὸν τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου νεὼν, οὗ πρόσθεν 2.11.13 ἐμνήσθην, ἐκέλευεν. οἱ δὲ τοῦτον ἐκεῖνον εἶναι ἡγούμενοι ξὺν ταῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν οἰκοδομίαις ἐνέπρησαν, ἐπιτελεῖς τε πεποιῆσθαι τὰς Χοσρόου ἐντολὰς ᾤοντο. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτως ἔσχε. 2.11.14 Χοσρόης δὲ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ τὴν ἐπὶ Ἀπάμειαν ᾔει. ἔστι δὲ ξύλον πηχυαῖον ἐν Ἀπαμείᾳ τοῦ σταυροῦ μέρος, ἐν ᾧ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ποτὲ τὴν κόλασιν οὔτε ἀκούσιον ὑποστῆναι ὁμολογεῖται, κατὰ δὴ τὸν παλαιὸν χρόνον ἐνταῦθα πρὸς Σύρου ἀνδρὸς 2.11.15 κομισθὲν λάθρα. καὶ αὐτὸ οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι φυλακτήριον μέγα σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς καὶ τῇ πόλει πιστεύοντες ἔσεσθαι θήκην αὐτοῦ ξυλίνην τινὰ πεποιημένοι κατέθεντο, ἣν δὴ χρυσῷ τε πολλῷ καὶ λίθοις ἐντίμοις ἐκόσμησαν, καὶ τρισὶ μὲν ἱερεῦσι παρέδοσαν, ἐφ' ᾧ ξὺν πάσῃ ἀσφαλείᾳ φυλάξουσιν, ἐξάγοντες δὲ ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος πανδημεὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ προσκυνοῦσι μιᾷ. 2.11.16 τότε οὖν ὁ τῶν Ἀπαμέων λεὼς, ἐπειδὴ τὸν Μήδων στρατὸν ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐπύθοντο ἰέναι, ἐν δέει μεγάλῳ ἐγένοντο. Χοσρόην δὲ ἀκούοντες ὡς ἥκιστα ἀληθίζεσθαι καὶ παρὰ Θωμᾶν τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀρχιερέα γενόμενοι ἐδέοντο τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον ἐπιδεῖξαι σφίσιν, 2.11.17 ὅπως αὐτὸ ὕστατα προσκυνήσαντες τελευτήσωσιν. ὁ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει. τότε δὴ θέαμα ξυνηνέχθη λόγου τε καὶ πίστεως κρεῖσσον ἐνταῦθα γενέσθαι. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ξύλον ὁ ἱερεὺς φέρων ἐδείκνυεν, ὕπερθεν δὲ αὐτοῦ σέλας πυρὸς ἐπεφέρετο καὶ τὸ κατ' αὐτὸν τῆς ὀροφῆς 2.11.18 μέρος φωτὶ πολλῷ ὑπὲρ τὸ εἰωθὸς κατελάμπετο. βαδίζοντός τε τοῦ ἱερέως πανταχῆ τοῦ νεὼ συμπροῄει τὸ σέλας,