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always protecting the space of the roof above it.2.11.19 So the people of the Apameans, because of the pleasure of the miracle, were both astounded and rejoiced and wept, and already all were confident about their salvation. 2.11.20 But Thomas, after he had gone around the whole temple, placed the wood of the cross in its reliquary and covered it, and the brilliant light suddenly ceased. And learning that the enemy's army had come very near the city, 2.11.21 he went with great haste to Chosroes. And when he inquired of the priest whether the Apameans wished to oppose the army of the Medes from the circuit-wall, Thomas answered that no such thing had entered the people's minds. 2.11.22 “Therefore,” said Chosroes, “receive me into the city with a few men, 2.11.23 with all the gates thrown open.” The priest said, “For it is for this very purpose of inviting you that I have come.” So the whole army pitched their camp, dispersed before the circuit-wall. 2.11.24 But Chosroes, selecting two hundred of the noblest men among the Persians, rode into the city. But when he was inside the gates, he willingly forgot the agreements made with him and the envoys, and he ordered the bishop to give not only a thousand pounds of silver, nor ten times that amount, but also all the treasures that happened to be laid up there, all of gold and silver, 2.11.25 being exceedingly great. And I think he would not have shrunk from enslaving and plundering the whole city, if some divine power had not manifestly prevented him. 2.11.26 So much did avarice dismay him and desire for glory 2.11.27 twist his mind. For he thought that enslaving cities was a great glory for him, making nothing at all of the fact that he was committing such acts against the Romans in disregard of truces and treaties. 2.11.28 And this purpose of Chosroes will be revealed by what he attempted concerning the city of Daras on this same journey, treating the agreements with complete disregard, and by what he did a little later to the people of Callinicum during a truce, things which will be told by me in the subsequent account. But God, as has been said, 2.11.29 saved Apamea. But when Chosroes had taken all the treasures and Thomas saw him already intoxicated with the abundance of wealth, he brought out the wood of the cross with its reliquary, opened the reliquary and, showing the wood, said, “O most mighty king, these things 2.11.30 “alone are left to me of all my possessions. This reliquary, “then (for it is adorned with gold and “precious stones), there is no reason why you should not take and have with all the “rest, but this wood, which is our salvation and “precious to us, this, I implore and beg you, “give to me.” So much the priest said. And Chosroes consented and fulfilled his request. 2.11.31 After this, displaying great munificence, he ordered the people to go up to the hippodrome and the charioteers 2.11.32 to compete in their accustomed manner. And he himself went up there and eagerly made himself a spectator of the proceedings. And since he had heard long before that the Emperor Justinian was an extravagant lover of the Blue colour, which is dark blue, wishing to oppose him in this matter as well, he wanted to award the victory to the Green. 2.11.33 So the charioteers, starting from the barrier, began their work, and a certain chance befell the one wearing the Blue colours 2.11.34 to pass the others and go in front. And following him in the same tracks was the one wearing the Green 2.11.35 colour. Thinking that this had happened on purpose, Chosroes was annoyed and with a threat shouted that it was not right for Caesar to be ahead of the others, and he ordered the horses that were going in front to be held back, so that for the rest of the race they might compete from behind; and when this was done just as he had ordered, thus 2.11.36 both Chosroes and the Green faction seemed to win. Thereupon one of the Apameans came before Chosroes and accused a Persian man of having gone up into his house and violating his daughter, 2.11.37 who was a virgin. And he, hearing this and boiling with anger, ordered the man to be brought. And when he was now present,
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φυλάσσον ἀεὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τῆς ὀροφῆς χώ2.11.19 ραν. ὁ μὲν οὖν τῶν Ἀπαμέων δῆμος ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ θαύματος ἡδονῆς ἐθαμβεῖτό τε καὶ ἐγεγήθει καὶ ἔκλαιεν, ἤδη τε ἅπαντες ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τὸ θαρσεῖν 2.11.20 εἶχον. ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ περιῆλθε τὸν νεὼν ἅπαντα, καταθέμενος ἐν τῇ θήκῃ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον ἐκάλυψε, καὶ τὸ σέλας ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐπέπαυτο. μαθὼν δὲ τὸν τῶν πολεμίων στρατὸν ἄγχιστά που τῆς πόλεως 2.11.21 ἥκειν, σπουδῇ πολλῇ παρὰ τὸν Χοσρόην ἀφίκετο. καὶ ὃς ἐπεὶ ἀνεπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἱερέως εἰ βουλομένοις τοῖς Ἀπαμεῦσιν εἴη ἀπὸ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀντιτάξασθαι τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ, ἀπεκρίνατο Θωμᾶς οὐδὲν τοῖς 2.11.22 ἀνθρώποις τοιοῦτο ἐς ἔννοιαν ἥκειν. «Οὐκοῦν» ἔφη ὁ Χοσρόης «δέξασθέ με τῇ πόλει ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ 2.11.23 πάσαις ἀναπεπταμέναις ταῖς πύλαις.» ὁ ἱερεὺς εἶπεν «Ἐπ' αὐτὸ γὰρ δὴ παρακαλέσων τοῦτο ἀφῖγμαι.» ὁ μὲν οὖν στρατὸς ἅπας ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο διεσκηνημένοι πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου. 2.11.24 Ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης ἄνδρας τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις ἀρίστων διακοσίους ἀπολεξάμενος ἐς τὴν πόλιν εἰσήλασεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ γέγονεν εἴσω πυλῶν, ἐπελάθετο ἑκών γε εἶναι τῶν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσι ξυγκειμένων, καὶ τὸ ἐπίσκοπον ἐκέλευε δοῦναι οὐ χίλια μόνον ἀργύρου σταθμὰ οὐδὲ τούτων δεκαπλάσια, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κειμήλια ὅσα δὴ ἐνταῦθα ἔτυχε κείμενα, χρυσᾶ τε καὶ ἀργυρᾶ 2.11.25 ξύμπαντα, μεγάλα ὑπερφυῶς ὄντα. οἶμαι δ' ἂν αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὅλην ἀνδραποδίσασθαί τε καὶ ληίσασθαι οὐκ ἂν ἀποκνῆσαι, εἰ μή τι θεῖον αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμ2.11.26 φανοῦς διεκώλυσεν. οὕτως αὐτὸν ἥ τε φιλοχρηματία ἐξέπλησσε καὶ ἔστρεφεν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἡ τῆς 2.11.27 δόξης ἐπιθυμία. κλέος γάρ οἱ μέγα τοὺς τῶν πόλεων ἀνδραποδισμοὺς ᾤετο εἶναι, οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν ποιούμενος εἰ σπονδάς τε καὶ ξυνθήκας ἠλογηκὼς τὰ τοιαῦτα 2.11.28 ἐς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐργάζεται. ταύτην τε Χοσρόου δηλώσει τὴν γνώμην ἅ τε ἀμφὶ πόλιν ∆άρας ἐν ταύτῃ δὴ ἐνεχείρησε τῇ ἀποπορείᾳ, ἐν πάσῃ ἀλογίᾳ ποιησάμενος τὰ ξυγκείμενα, καὶ ἃ Καλλινικησίους ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἐν σπονδαῖς ἔδρασεν, ἅπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ὄπισθε λελέξεται λόγοις. ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, 2.11.29 Ἀπάμειαν διεσώσατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ κειμήλια ὁ Χοσρόης ξύμπαντα εἷλε καὶ αὐτὸν μεθύοντα ἤδη τῇ τῶν χρημάτων ἀφθονίᾳ ὁ Θωμᾶς εἶδε, τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον ξὺν τῇ θήκῃ ἐξενεγκὼν ἀνέῳγέ τε τὴν θήκην καὶ τὸ ξύλον ἐνδεικνύμενος «Ὦ κράτιστε βασιλεῦ» ἔφη «ταῦτά 2.11.30 «μοι ἀπολέλειπται μόνα ἐκ πάντων χρημάτων. θήκην «μὲν οὖν τήνδε (χρυσῷ τε γὰρ κεκαλλώπισται καὶ «λίθοις ἐντίμοις) φθόνος οὐδεὶς λαβόντα σε ξὺν τοῖς «ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἔχειν, τουτὶ δὲ τὸ ξύλον, σωτήριόν τε «ἡμῖν καὶ τίμιόν ἐστι, τοῦτο, ἱκετεύω σε καὶ δέομαι, «δός μοι.» ὁ μὲν ἱερεὺς τοσαῦτα εἶπε. ξυνεχώρει δὲ Χοσρόης καὶ τὴν δέησιν ἐπιτελῆ ἐποίει. 2.11.31 Μετὰ δὲ φιλοτιμίᾳ πολλῇ χρώμενος τόν τε δῆμον ἐς τὸ ἱπποδρόμιον ἀναβαίνειν ἐκέλευε καὶ τοὺς ἡνιό2.11.32 χους ἀγωνίζεσθαι τὰ εἰωθότα σφίσιν. οὗ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀναβὰς θεατὴς γενέσθαι τῶν ποιουμένων ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιεῖτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠκηκόει πολλῷ πρότερον Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα χρώματος τοῦ Βενέτου, ὃ δὴ κυάνεόν ἐστιν, ἐκτόπως ἐρᾶν, ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐτῷ κἀνταῦθα ἰέναι βουλόμενος ἤθελε τῷ πρασίνῳ τὴν νίκην 2.11.33 ἁρμόσαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἡνίοχοι ἀπὸ βαλβίδων ἀρξάμενοι ἔργου εἴχοντο, τύχη δέ τις τῷ τὰ Βένετα ἐνδιδυσκο2.11.34 μένῳ ἐγένετο παρελάσαντι ἐπίπροσθεν ἰέναι. εἵπετο δὲ αὐτῷ κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς ἁματροχιὰς ὁ τὸ πράσινον 2.11.35 ἀμπεχόμενος χρῶμα. ὅπερ ἐξεπίτηδες ὁ Χοσρόης γεγονέναι οἰόμενος ἠγανάκτει τε καὶ ξὺν ἀπειλῇ ἀνεβόα τὸν Καίσαρα προτερῆσαι τῶν ἄλλων οὐ δέον, ἐκέλευέ τε τοὺς προτέρους ἰόντας ἵππους ἐπέχεσθαι, ὅπως τὸ λοιπὸν κατόπισθεν γενόμενοι ἀγωνίζωνται· ὅπερ ἐπειδὴ οὕτως ἐπέπρακτο ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐκέλευε, νικᾶν οὕτως 2.11.36 ὅ τε Χοσρόης καὶ μέρος τὸ πράσινον ἔδοξεν. ἐνταῦθα τῶν τις Ἀπαμέων Χοσρόῃ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων ᾐτιᾶτο Πέρσην ἄνδρα ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀναβάντα τὴν 2.11.37 παῖδα οὖσαν παρθένον βιάζεσθαι. ὁ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας καὶ τῷ θυμῷ ζέων ἄγεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκέλευε. καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆν ἤδη,