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He demanded of the Edessenes. They said that they were not in the least afraid for the city, but so that he might not damage the countryside, they agreed to give two centenaria of gold. And he both took the money and kept the agreements. 2.13.1 At that time the Emperor Justinian also wrote a letter to Chosroes, agreeing to fulfill the terms concerning the peace that had been agreed upon with him 2.13.2 and with the ambassadors. When Chosroes saw this letter had been brought, he both released the hostages and prepared for his departure, and he wished to give back all the Antiochene captives. 2.13.3 When the Edessenes learned this, they showed a zeal beyond belief. For there was no one who did not bring the ransom for these very captives to the sanctuary and 2.13.4 deposit it according to his means. And there were some by whom this was done even beyond their means. For the courtesans, taking off all the adornment they had on their bodies, threw it there, and if any farmer, lacking furniture or silver, had a donkey or a sheep, this 2.13.5 he brought with great eagerness to the sanctuary. A very great quantity of gold and silver and other valuables was thus collected, but nothing was given for the ransom. 2.13.6 For Bouzes happened to be present there, who undertook to prevent the transaction, expecting that some great profit would come to him from it. For this reason, indeed, Chosroes proceeded onward, taking all the cap2.13.7 tives with him. The Carrhenes, for their part, met him, offering a great sum of money; but he said it was not fitting, because most of them were not Christians, but happened to be of the old faith. 2.13.8 And yet he also accepted money when the people of Constantina offered it, although he said that the city belonged to him by inheritance. For when Cabades had captured Amida, he wished to take both Edessa 2.13.9 and Constantina. But when he had come near Edessa, he enquired of the Magi whether the city would be captured by him, pointing out the 2.13.10 place to them with his right hand. But they told him that the city would by no means be captured, inferring that because he stretched out his right hand to it, he was giving it a symbol not of capture or any other evil, but of salvation. 2.13.11 And he, hearing this, was persuaded and led his army against 2.13.12 Constantina. And arriving there, he ordered the whole army to encamp as if to besiege it. 2.13.13 Now the priest of Constantina at that time was Baradotus, a man who was both just and exceedingly dear to God, and because of this his prayer was always effective for whatever he wished; and anyone seeing his face would have immediately surmised that the man was most constantly pleasing to God. 2.13.14 This Baradotus at that time came to Cabades and brought wine and dried figs and honey and clean loaves, and he begged him not to make an attempt upon a city which was not worthy of account and had been greatly neglected by the Romans, having neither a garrison of soldiers nor any other defense, but only its 2.13.15 inhabitants, pitiable men. He said these things; and Cabades agreed to grant him the city and presented him with all the provisions which had been prepared for the army for the siege, which were exceedingly great; and thus he departed from the land of the Romans. For this reason, indeed, Chosroes claimed that the city belonged to him by inheritance. 2.13.16 And arriving at Daras, he set about a siege. From within, the Romans and Martinus the general (for he happened to be there) prepared for resistance. 2.13.17 The city is surrounded by two walls, of which the inner one is truly great and remarkable (for each tower reaches a height of one hundred feet, and the rest of the wall sixty), while the outer one happens to be much smaller, but is otherwise strong and very noteworthy. 2.13.18 The space in between is not less than fifty feet in width; here the Darenes are accustomed to drive their oxen and other animals when enemies are pressing them. 2.13.19 At first, then, Chosroes, making an assault on the western side of the circuit wall and pressing them with a multitude of missiles, set fire to the gates of the shorter wall. 2.13.20 However, none of the barbarians dared to get inside. Then, to secretly make a mine towards

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Ἐδεσσηνοὺς ᾔτει. οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τῇ πόλει μὲν δεδιέναι ἥκιστα ἔφασκον, ὅπως δὲ μὴ τοῖς χωρίοις λυμήνηται, ὡμολόγησαν δύο χρυσοῦ κεντηνάρια δώσειν. καὶ ὃς τά τε χρήματα ἔλαβε καὶ διεσώσατο τὰ ξυγκείμενα. 2.13.1 Τότε καὶ γράμματα Χοσρόῃ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἔγραψεν, ἐπιτελέσειν ὁμολογῶν τά τε αὐτῷ 2.13.2 καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἀμφὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ ξυγκείμενα. ἅπερ ἐπεὶ ὁ Χοσρόης ἀπενεχθέντα εἶδε, τούς τε ὁμήρους ἀφῆκε καὶ συνεσκευάζετο ἐς τὴν ἄφοδον, τούς τε Ἀντιοχέων αἰχμαλώτους ἀποδίδοσθαι ἅπαντας ἤθελεν. 2.13.3 ὅπερ Ἐδεσσηνοὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔμαθον, προθυμίαν ἐπεδείξαντο ἀκοῆς κρείσσω. οὐ γὰρ ἦν οὐδεὶς ὃς οὐ τὰ λύτρα ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ φέρων ὑπὲρ τούτων δὴ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων 2.13.4 κατὰ λόγον τῆς οὐσίας κατέθετο. εἰσὶ δὲ οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον ἢ κατὰ λόγον ταῦτα ἐπράσσετο. αἵ τε γὰρ ἑταῖραι τὸν κόσμον ἀφελοῦσαι, ὅσος αὐταῖς ἐν τῷ σώματι ἦν, ἐνταῦθα ἐρρίπτουν, καὶ εἴ τῳ γεωργῷ ἐπίπλων ἢ ἀργυρίου σπανίζοντι ὄνος ἢ προβάτιον ἦν, τοῦτο 2.13.5 δὴ ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν σπουδῇ πολλῇ ἦγεν. ἀθροίζεται μὲν οὖν χρυσοῦ τε καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ ἄλλων χρημάτων πάμπολυ πλῆθος, δέδοται δὲ ὑπὲρ λύτρων οὐδέν. 2.13.6 Βούζης γὰρ ἐνταῦθα παρὼν ἔτυχεν, ὃς διακωλῦσαι τὴν πρᾶξιν ὑπέστη, κέρδος οἱ ἔσεσθαι μέγα τι ἐνθένδε καραδοκῶν. διὸ δὴ ὁ Χοσρόης τοὺς αἰχμαλώ2.13.7 τους ἅπαντας ἐπαγόμενος πρόσω ἐχώρει. Καρρηνοὶ δὲ ἀπήντων χρήματα πολλὰ προτεινόμενοι· ὁ δὲ οὐ προσήκειν ἔφασκεν, ὅτι δὴ οἱ πλεῖστοι οὐ Χριστιανοὶ, ἀλλὰ δόξης τῆς παλαιᾶς τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες. 2.13.8 Καὶ μὴν καὶ Κωνσταντινιέων χρήματα διδόντων ἐδέξατο, καίπερ φάσκων οἱ ἐκ πατέρων προσήκειν τὴν πόλιν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Καβάδης Ἀμίδαν εἷλεν, Ἔδεσσάν 2.13.9 τε καὶ Κωνσταντίναν ἐξελεῖν ἤθελεν. ἀλλ' Ἐδέσσης μὲν ἀγχοῦ γενόμενος τῶν μάγων ἀνεπυνθάνετο εἴ οἱ ἁλώσιμος ἡ πόλις ἔσται, δείξας τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ τὸ 2.13.10 χωρίον αὐτοῖς. οἱ δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν ἁλώσεσθαι οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ ἔλεγον, τεκμαιρόμενοι, ὅτι δὴ τὴν δεξιὰν αὐτῇ χεῖρα προτείνας, οὐχ ἁλώσεως ταύτῃ οὐδὲ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν χαλεποῦ ξύμβολον, ἀλλὰ σωτηρίας διδοίη. 2.13.11 καὶ ὃς ταῦτα ἀκούσας, ἐπείθετό τε καὶ ἐπῆγεν ἐπὶ 2.13.12 Κωνσταντίναν τὸ στράτευμα. ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀφικόμενος ἐνστρατοπεδεύεσθαι παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ὡς πολιορκήσων 2.13.13 ἐπέστελλεν. ἦν δὲ Κωνσταντίνης ἱερεὺς τότε Βαράδοτος, ἀνὴρ δίκαιός τε καὶ τῷ θεῷ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλος, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐνεργοῦσαν ἐς ὅ τι βούλοιτο ἀεὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἔχων· οὗ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἰδὼν ἄν τις εὐθὺς εἴκασεν ὅτι δὴ τῷ θεῷ ἐνδελεχέστατα κεχα2.13.14 ρισμένος ὁ ἀνὴρ εἴη. οὗτος ὁ Βαράδοτος τηνικαῦτα παρὰ τὸν Καβάδην ἐλθὼν οἶνόν τε ἤνεγκε καὶ ἰσχάδας καὶ μέλι καὶ καθαροὺς ἄρτους, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐδεῖτο μὴ ἀποπειρᾶσθαι πόλεως, ἣ οὔτε λόγου ἀξία ἐστὶ καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίων ἀπημέληται λίαν, οὔτε στρατιωτῶν φρουρὰν ἔχουσα οὔτε ἄλλο τι φυλακτήριον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς 2.13.15 οἰκήτορας μόνους, ἀνθρώπους οἰκτρούς. ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἶπε· Καβάδης δὲ αὐτῷ τήν τε πόλιν χαριεῖσθαι ὡμολόγησε καὶ τοῖς σιτίοις ἐδωρήσατο αὐτὸν ἅπασιν, ὅσα οἱ τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἐς τὴν πολιορκίαν ἡτοίμαστο, μεγάλοις ὑπερφυῶς οὖσιν· οὕτω τε ἀπηλλάσσετο ἐκ γῆς τῆς Ῥωμαίων. διὸ δὴ ὁ Χοσρόης ἐκ πατέρων οἱ προσήκειν ἠξίου τὴν πόλιν. 2.13.16 Ἐς ∆άρας τε ἀφικόμενος ἐς πολιορκίαν καθίστατο. ἔνδοθεν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ Μαρτῖνος ὁ στρατηγὸς (καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ὢν ἔτυχε) τὰ ἐς ἀντίστασιν ἐξηρτύοντο. 2.13.17 δύο δὲ ἡ πόλις τείχεσι περιβέβληται, ὧν τὸ μὲν ἐντὸς μέγα τε καὶ ἀξιοθέατον ἀτεχνῶς ἐστιν (ἐς ὕψος γὰρ διήκει πύργος μὲν ἕκαστος ποδῶν ἑκατὸν, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο τεῖχος ἑξήκοντα), τὸ δὲ ἐκτὸς πολλῷ μὲν ἔλασσον συμβαίνει εἶναι, ἄλλως δὲ ἐχυρόν τε καὶ λόγου πολλοῦ 2.13.18 ἄξιόν ἐστι. τὸ δὲ μεταξὺ χωρίον εὖρος οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ πεντήκοντα ἔχει ποδῶν· ἐνταῦθα εἰώθασι ∆αρηνοὶ τούς τε βόας καὶ τἄλλα ζῷα πολεμίων σφίσιν ἐγκει2.13.19 μένων ἐμβάλλεσθαι. τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα ὁ Χοσρόης προσβολὴν ποιησάμενος ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τοῦ περιβόλου πλήθει τε βελῶν βιασάμενος, τὰς πύλας τείχους 2.13.20 τοῦ βραχέος ἐνέπρησεν. ἐντὸς μέντοι γενέσθαι οὐδεὶς τῶν βαρβάρων ἐτόλμησεν. ἔπειτα δὲ κατώρυχα ποιεῖσθαι λάθρα ἐς