Procopius of Caesarea, On Wars

he sent orders for him to be impaled in the 2.11.38 camp. But the populace, upon learning this, cried out with all their might, something extraordinary, begging the man from the king's wrath. And Chosroes agreed to release the man to them, but secretly he impaled him not long after. So then, having accomplished these things there, he marched back with his whole army. 2.12.1 But when he arrived at the city of Chalcis, which is eighty-four stades distant from the city of Beroea, he again fell into a certain forgetfulness of his agreements, and having encamped not far from the circuit-wall, he sent Paul to threaten the Chalcideans that he would take the city by siege, unless they should purchase their safety by giving a ransom and hand over to him 2.12.2 the soldiers, as many as happened to be there, along with their commander. But the Chalcideans, having fallen into great fear of both emperors, swore an oath that very few soldiers were resident among them, although they had hidden both others and Adonachus, the commander of the soldiers, in certain small houses, so that they would not be visible to the enemy; and having with difficulty collected two centenaria of gold, since they inhabited a city that was not very prosperous, they gave it to Chosroes as a ransom and saved both the city and themselves. 2.12.3 From here Chosroes no longer wished to make his departure by the route he had come, but rather to cross the Euphrates river and plunder as much money as possible from Mesopotamia. 2.12.4 So he yoked a bridge near the place of Obbane, which is forty stades away from the fortress at Barbalissus, and he himself crossed and ordered the whole army to cross as quickly as possible, having declared that the bridge would be dismantled on the third day, and having set 2.12.5 the time of day for it. And when the appointed day arrived, it happened that some of the army were left behind, not yet having crossed, but he, taking no account of this at all, sent 2.12.6 men to dismantle the bridge. And those who were left behind made their way back to their native lands as each one was able. Then indeed a certain ambition came upon Chosroes to capture the city of Edessa. 2.12.7 For a story of the Christians was urging him to this and vexing his mind, that they insisted it was impregnable for the following reason. 2.12.8 There was a certain Abgarus in former times, toparch of Edessa (for thus they called the local kings at that time). This Abgarus was the wisest of all men of his time, and for this reason 2.12.9 a very great friend to the emperor Augustus. For, wishing to be in treaty with the Romans, he came to Rome, and upon entering into conversation with Augustus he so astounded him with his superior intelligence that Augustus no longer wished to let him go from his company, but he was at once an ardent admirer of his conversation and, whenever he met him, was in no way willing to part from him. 2.12.10 A long time, therefore, was spent by him on this stay abroad. And once, wishing to go to his native lands, and having no way to persuade Augustus to let him go, 2.12.11 he devised the following. He was sent out as if to go hunting in the regions around Rome; for he happened to have a certain studied practice in these things. And wandering over much country, he hunted many of the beasts there alive, and gathering up dust from the ground, he brought it from each country; and so he returned to Rome, having both the dust 2.12.12 and the beasts. Augustus then, having gone up to the hippodrome, sat where he was accustomed, and Abgarus, coming into his sight, showed him the earth and the beasts, explaining from what country each portion of earth and 2.12.13 which of the beasts were. Then he ordered the different portions of earth to be placed in different parts of the hippodrome, and all 2.12.14 the beasts, having been gathered together, to then be released. The attendants accordingly did so. But the beasts, separating from one another, went to that earth which happened to be 2.12.15 from the country whence each had been taken. And Augustus for a very long time watched what was happening with precision, and he marvelled that nature, being untaught, makes the native land an object of desire for the animals. But Abgarus, suddenly seizing his knees, 2.12.16 said, "And as for me, what sort of mind do you think I have, O master, for whom there is a wife

ἀνασκολοπισθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ 2.11.38 στρατοπέδῳ ἐπέστελλε. γνοὺς δὲ ὁ δῆμος παντὶ σθένει ἀνέκραγον ἐξαίσιον οἷον, πρὸς τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως ὀργῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐξαιτούμενοι. Χοσρόης δὲ ὡμολόγησε μὲν αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄνδρα ἀφήσειν, λάθρα δὲ ἀνεσκολόπισεν οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε διαπεπραγμένος παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνεν. 2.12.1 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς Χαλκίδα πόλιν ἀφίκετο, Βεροίας πόλεως τέτρασι καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα σταδίοις διέχουσαν, αὖθις ἐς λήθην τινὰ τῶν ξυγκειμένων ἦλθε, στρατοπεδευσάμενός τε τοῦ περιβόλου οὐ μακρὰν ἄποθεν ἔπεμψε Παῦλον, ἀπειλήσοντα Χαλκιδεῦσι πολιορκίᾳ τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν, εἰ μὴ τήν τε σωτηρίαν ὤνιον κτήσονται τὰ λύτρα διδόντες καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας, ὅσους ἐνταῦθα ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ξὺν τῷ ἡγεμόνι ἐκδοῖεν 2.12.2 σφίσι. Χαλκιδεῖς δὲ ἐς δέος μέγα πρὸς ἑκατέρου βασιλέως ἐμπεπτωκότες στρατιώτας μὲν ἀπώμοσαν ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιδημεῖν σφίσι, καίπερ ἄλλους τε καὶ Ἀδόναχον τὸν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἄρχοντα κρύψαντες ἐν οἰκίσκοις τισὶν, ὅπως μὴ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἔνδηλοι ὦσι· χρυσοῦ δὲ κεντηνάρια δύο συλλέξαντες μόλις, ἐπεὶ πόλιν οὐ λίαν εὐδαίμονα ᾤκουν, τῷ τε Χοσρόῃ ζωάγρια δόντες τήν τε πόλιν καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διεσώσαντο. 2.12.3 ἐνθένδε οὐκέτι ὁ Χοσρόης ἐβούλετο τὴν ἀποπορείαν ᾗπερ ἐληλύθει ποιήσασθαι, ἀλλ' Εὐφράτην τε ποταμὸν διαβῆναι καὶ χρήματα ὅτι πλεῖστα ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας 2.12.4 ληίζεσθαι. γέφυραν οὖν ζεύξας ἀμφὶ Ὀββάνης τὸ χωρίον, ὅπερ τοῦ ἐν Βαρβαλισσῷ φρουρίου τεσσαράκοντα σταδίους ἀπέχει, αὐτός τε διέβη καὶ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ὡς τάχιστα διαβαίνειν ἐπέστελλεν, ὑπειπὼν μὲν τὴν γέφυραν τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ λύσεσθαι, τάξας δὲ καὶ 2.12.5 τὸν τῆς ἡμέρας καιρόν. καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆν ἡ κυρία, τινὰς μὲν τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀπολελεῖφθαι μή πω διαβάντας ξυνέβαινεν, ὁ δὲ οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ὑπολογισάμενος ἔπεμψε 2.12.6 τοὺς τὴν γέφυραν διαλύσοντας. οἵ τε ἀπολειπόμενοι, ὡς ἕκαστός πη ἐδύνατο, εἰς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ἀνέβαινον. τότε δὴ φιλοτιμία τις Χοσρόην ἐσῆλθε πόλιν Ἔδεσσαν 2.12.7 ἐξελεῖν. ἐνῆγε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐς τοῦτο Χριστιανῶν λόγος καὶ ἔδακνεν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅτι δὴ ἀνάλωτον αὐτὴν ἰσχυρίζοντο εἶναι ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. 2.12.8 Αὔγαρος ἦν τις ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις Ἐδέσσης τοπάρχης (οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς κατὰ ἔθνος βασιλεῖς τηνικαῦτα ἐκάλουν). ὁ δὲ Αὔγαρος οὗτος ξυνετώτατος ἐγεγόνει τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ 2.12.9 βασιλεῖ Αὐγούστῳ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλος. ἔνσπονδος γὰρ Ῥωμαίοις εἶναι βουλόμενος ἐς Ῥώμην τε ἀφίκετο, καὶ τῷ Αὐγούστῳ ἐς λόγους ἥκων οὕτω δὴ αὐτὸν τῆς ξυνέσεως τῷ περιόντι ἐξέπληξεν ὥστε οὐκέτι αὐτοῦ μεθίεσθαι Αὔγουστος τῆς ξυνουσίας ἐβούλετο, ἀλλ' ἦν τε αὐτοῦ τῆς ὁμιλίας εὐθὺς διάπυρος ἐραστὴς καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἐντύχοι, ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι αὐτοῦ οὐδαμῆ ἤθελε. 2.12.10 χρόνος οὖν αὐτῷ ἐν ταύτῃ δὴ συχνὸς τῇ ἀποδημίᾳ ἐτρίβη. καί ποτε ἐς ἤθη πάτρια ἐθέλων ἰέναι πείθειν τε τὸν Αὔγουστον μεθεῖναι αὐτὸν ὡς ἥκιστα ἔχων, 2.12.11 ἐπενόει τάδε. ἐστάλη μὲν ὡς κυνηγετήσων ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Ῥώμης χωρία· μελέτην γὰρ περὶ ταῦτα κατεσπουδασμένην τινὰ ἐτύγχανεν ἔχων. περιιὼν δὲ χώραν πολλὴν συχνὰ τῶν ἐκείνῃ θηρίων ζῶντα ἐθήρα, καὶ χοῦν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ξυναμησάμενος ἔφερεν ἐκ χώρας ἑκάστης· οὕτω τε ἐπανῆκεν εἰς Ῥώμην, τόν τε χοῦν 2.12.12 καὶ τὰ θηρία ἔχων. ὁ μὲν οὖν Αὔγουστος ἐς τὸν ἱππόδρομον ἀναβὰς ἐκάθητο ᾗπερ εἰώθει, Αὔγαρος δέ οἱ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων τήν τε γῆν καὶ τὰ θηρία ἐπέδειξε, καταλέγων ἐκ ποίας ποτὲ χώρας ἥ τε γῆ ἑκάστη καὶ 2.12.13 τῶν θηρίων τίνα ποτὲ εἴη. ἔπειτα τὴν μὲν γῆν ἄλλην ἄλλῃ τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου ἐκέλευε θέσθαι, πάντα δὲ ἐς 2.12.14 ταὐτὸ τὰ θηρία ξυναγαγόντας εἶτα ἀφεῖναι. οἱ μὲν οὖν ὑπηρέται κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν. τὰ δὲ θηρία χωρὶς ἀλλήλων γενόμενα ἐς ἐκείνην ἐχώρει τὴν γῆν, ἣ δὴ 2.12.15 ἐκ τῆς χώρας ὅθεν εἴληπτο ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα. καὶ ὁ μὲν Αὔγουστος ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὰ ποιούμενα ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἔβλεπε, καὶ ἐθαύμαζέ γε ὅτι δὴ τοῖς ζῴοις ἡ φύσις ἀδίδακτος οὖσα ποθεινὴν ποιεῖται τὴν πάτριον γῆν. Αὔγαρος δὲ αὐτοῦ τῶν γονάτων ἐκ τοῦ 2.12.16 αἰφνιδίου λαβόμενος «Ἐμὲ δὲ» εἶπε «τίνα ποτὲ γνώ»μην ἔχειν, ὦ δέσποτα, οἴει, ᾧ γυνή τέ ἐστι