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the tyrant's tents, women and children, the golden adornment, and the royal equipage. So they offered the more valuable things to Chosroes, and he, being very proud of the spoils, 5.11.2 proceeded most haughtily. As the sun was setting, the Romans saw the barbarians positioned on the elephants skirmishing and using the bow. For this reason, they surrounded them and won a second battle, and 5.11.3 having captured the beasts alive, they offered them to Chosroes. So, as the war had brought such an end, the Romans returned to their own camp, as night was now rising for them. On the next day, from dawn, the Roman multitude gathered 5.11.4 and despoiled the bodies of the dead. Since they had acquired great possessions, they proceeded to the royal tent of Chosroes. But those of the Roman army marched ten thousand in pursuit of Bahram, having appointed as their taxiarchs the leader of the Chalcidian regiments; and they gave the barbarian alliance to Bestam. 5.11.5 So on the third day, Chosroes and the Romans, having encamped in the enemy territory, departed on the fourth, since the dead stank for them, and they were not able to bear the stench of the foul odor. At any rate, they arrived very near the city of Ganzak. 5.11.6 King Chosroes, exulting in what had happened for him, feasted the Romans in celebration of the victory. But he himself passed the time on the couch, being sung to and played for on the flute, as is the custom 5.11.7 for Persians when celebrating victory. Having spent a tenth day in the place, when he saw that Marinus and Bestam had returned to him from the pursuit of Bahram, and he recognized the very clear departure of the enemies, he drew the Romans toward home, but he himself, having gathered the Persian phalanx, approached Babylon, having shown nothing worthy toward the Romans who had fought with him. 5.11.8 So the Roman generals departed, giving a moral to the barbarian in their words, not to be forgetful of the goodwill and salvation that had come to him from the Romans. [he asked] Therefore, having deposited these words with him, 5.11. the Romans returned home. But Chosroes, fearing lest some assassination might befall him by the natives, requested of Maurice the emperor that a thousand from the heavy infantry be sent for his bodyguard. 5.12.1 A story reached us that at that time Golindouch was in the Holy City, <at the time of> Chosroes' return to the palace. But who and from where, in poetic fashion, let the woman be described; for let us not take away the narrative about her, which is adorned with the greatest solemnities. 5.12.2 She was born, then, in Babylonia, and her family was of the Magi; her father, one of the illustrious satraps, supervised the taxes of Persia. When her prime arrived, a shining season for marriage, they gave her to a man of distinction. 5.12.3 Once, while dining with her husband, she seemed to have suddenly become paralyzed, then to remain motionless in body, and her senses returned to her somehow much later. When the spectators of the experience—if indeed one must call this divine ecstasy an experience—inquired what might have happened to the young woman, 5.12.4 she said the following. "I have seen great punishments laid up on the ground, and a delight of great blessings represented for those who worship the greatest god, the one whom the Christians worship, who have become a subject 5.12.5 of laughter for the Persians." So her husband mocked the woman's words, but when he perceived that her mind was steadfast toward a change of religion, he thought to discipline her by striking her; and he threatened that death would be her penalty, as is lawful for Persians to do to those who have rejected the doctrines 5.12.6 of the Magi. She, then, her mind winged with divine love, stopping her ears, allowed his words to be scattered to the breezes. It happened, then,

τυράννου τὰ σκηνοπήγια γυναῖκάς τε καὶ παῖδας τόν τε κόσμον τὸν χρύσεον τήν τε βασίλειον παρασκευήν. τὰ μὲν οὖν τιμιώτερα τῷ Χοσρόῃ παρείχοντο, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς σκύλοις 5.11.2 μέγα φρονῶν πρὸς τὸ σοβαρώτατον προσεχώρησεν. ἡλίου δὲ κλίναντος ὁρῶσι ῾Ρωμαῖοι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἱδρυμένους βαρβάρους ἀκροβολιζομένους καὶ τῷ τόξῳ χρωμένους. διὰ τοῦτο τούτους περιστοιχίσαντες δευτέρας μάχης κρατοῦσι τά 5.11.3 τε θηρία ζωγρήσαντες τῷ Χοσρόῃ παρείχοντο. τοῦ πολέμου τοίνυν τοιοῦτό τι πέρας ἀπενεγκαμένου, ἐς τὸν ἑαυτῶν χάρακα ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἐπανέζευξαν, ἤδη που τῆς νυκτὸς ἀνισχούσης αὐτοῖς. τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ ἡ ῾Ρωμαϊκὴ πληθὺς συναθροί5.11.4 ζεται καὶ τῶν τεθνηκότων σκυλεύει τὰ σώματα. μεγάλων τοίνυν αὐτοῖς γεγονότων κτημάτων, ἐς τὴν βασίλειον τοῦ Χοσρόου χωροῦσι σκηνήν. οἱ δὲ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ στρατοῦ κατ' ἴχνους τοῦ Βαράμου χιλιάδας ἐπεστράτευσαν δέκα κεχειροτονηκότες ταξιάρχας αὐτοῖς τὸν τῶν Χαλκιδέων ταγμάτων ἡγούμενον· Βεσταμίῳ δὲ τὴν βάρβαρον ξυμμαχίαν ἐδίδοσαν. 5.11.5 τριταῖοι τοίνυν ἐναυλισθέντες Χοσρόης τε καὶ ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἀνὰ τὸν πολέμιον χῶρον ἀπηλλάσσοντο τῇ τετάρτῃ, ὀδωδότων τῶν τεθνεώτων αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸ πνῖγος τῆς κακοσμίας φέρειν οὐκ ἔχοντες. παραγίνονται γοῦν ἄγχιστα πόλεως τοῦ Κανζάκου. 5.11.6 βασιλεὺς δὲ Χοσρόης ἐπὶ τοῖς συνενεχθεῖσιν αὐτῷ καταγαυριώμενος ἐπινίκια εἱστία ῾Ρωμαίους. αὐτὸς δὲ διέτριβεν ἀνὰ τὴν στιβάδα καταψαλλόμενός τε καὶ καταυλούμενος, ὡς ἔθος 5.11.7 Πέρσαις καθέστηκε παιωνίζουσιν. δεκάτην δὲ τῷ χώρῳ προσδιατρίψας ἡμέραν, ἐπείπερ συνεῖδε Μαρῖνόν τε καὶ Βεστάμιον ὡς αὐτὸν παλινδρομήσαντας ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Βαρὰμ διώξεως, τήν τε τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀποφοίτησιν ἐπισημοτάτην ἐγνώρισεν, τοὺς μὲν ῾Ρωμαίους ἐσέλκει πρὸς τὰ οἴκοι, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν Περσικὴν φάλαγγα συναθροίσας τῇ Βαβυλῶνι προσομιλεῖ ἄξιον οὐδὲν περὶ τοὺς συμμεμαχηκότας ῾Ρωμαίους 5.11.8 ἐπιδειξάμενος. οἱ μὲν οὖν τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων στρατηγοὶ ἐπιμύθιον τοῖς λόγοις τῷ βαρβάρῳ ἐξῄεσαν, μὴ ἀμνημονεῖν τῆς γεγονυίας αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων φιλοφροσύνης τε καὶ σωτηρίας. [ἐξῄτει] τοίνυν τούτους που αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους 5.11. ἐναποθέμενοι ἐπανῄεσαν οἴκαδε οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης δεδοικὼς μή που δολοφονία τις ὑποσταίη αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων, ἐδεῖτο Μαυρικίου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐς τὴν τοῦ σώματος φρουρὰν χιλίους ἐκ τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ παραπέμπεσθαι. 5.12.1 Λόγος δὲ ὡς ἡμᾶς ἐξεφοίτησε πρὸς τῇ ῾Ιερᾷ πόλει τὸ τηνικαῦτα καιροῦ Γολινδοὺχ γενομένην, <κατὰ> τὴν Χοσρόου πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια κάθοδον. ἀλλὰ τίς καὶ πόθεν, κατὰ τὴν ποίησιν, λελέχθω τὸ γύναιον· μὴ γὰρ οὖν ἀφελώμεθα τὴν περὶ ταύτης διήγησιν μεγίστοις σεμνολογήμασιν 5.12.2 οὖσαν κατάκοσμον. τίκτεται μὲν οὖν αὕτη ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας, μάγοι δὲ τὸ γένος αὐτῆς· πατὴρ δὲ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν σατραπευόντων ἐφορολογεῖτο τὸ Περσικόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀκμὴ ἐπέστη αὐτῇ, ὥρα λάμπουσα ἐς γάμον, ἀνδρὶ τῶν ἐπισήμων 5.12.3 ἐκδίδωσιν. συνεστιωμένη δέ ποτε τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἔδοξεν ἐξαπιναίως γεγονέναι πάρετος, εἶτα ἀκίνητος διαμένειν τῷ σώματι, καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐπανήκειν πως ἐς αὐτήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ θεαταὶ τοῦ πάθους, εἴγε καὶ πάθος δεῖ τήνδε τὴν θείαν ἀποφαίνεσθαι ἔκστασιν, διεπυνθάνοντο τί ἂν εἴη 5.12.4 τὸ συμβεβηκὸς τῇ νεάνιδι, ἔλεξε τάδε. "μεγάλας που ἐν οὔδει τεθέαμαι ἐναποκειμένας ποινάς, μεγάλων τε ἀγαθῶν πρεσβευομένην τρυφὴν τοῖς τὸν μέγιστον προσκυνοῦσι θεόν, ὃν δὴ Χριστιανοὶ θρησκεύοντες καθεστήκασι Πέρσαις ὑπό5.12.5 θεσις γέλωτος." ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐκείνης γαμέτης ἐξεμυκτήριξε τοῦ γυναίου τὰ ῥήματα, ὅτε δέ που ἑδραίαν αὐτῆς τὴν διάνοιαν πρὸς τὴν τῆς θρησκείας μετάθεσιν κατενόησεν, σωφρονίζειν ἐδόκει ῥαπίζων· ἠπείλει δὲ καὶ θάνατον εἶναι ζημίαν αὐτῇ, ὡς θέμις Πέρσαις ποιεῖν τοῖς τὰ μάγων ἀθετή5.12.6 σασι δόγματα. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῷ θείῳ ἔρωτι πτερωθεῖσα τὸν νοῦν, τὰ ὦτά που καταβύουσα, ταῖς αὔραις διαχεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους παρείχετο. γίνεται τοίνυν