,

discerning by his voice, is outsmarted by the words, and becoming very fearful, he made a treaty with Priscus for a very small amount of gold and returned to his own land as quickly as possible. For the power of the trickery had very effectively beguiled the barbarian. 6.6.1 The general, therefore, at the beginning of autumn, broke up his camp and came to Byzantium, while the Roman veterans poured into 6.6.2 Thrace to be provisioned among the villages. But at the beginning of spring the general was sent by the emperor to the Ister, so that the tribes of the Sclavenes, being prevented from crossing the river, might unwillingly provide security for Thrace; for the emperor said to Priscus that the barbarian would not be at rest unless the Roman force were to guard the Ister most closely. 6.6.3 Priscus, therefore, took the reins of the cavalry force, while Gentzon was ordered by the emperor to command the mass of infantry. Thus the Roman army was assembled around 6.6.4 Heracleia in mid-spring. And on the seventh day the general ordered the trench to be crossed, and having made a review of the allied contingent and counted the forces, he made the regular distributions of money to them. 6.6.5 So, departing from there and making four encampments, he arrived at Drizipera. And after spending fifteen days in the place, he arrived at Dorostolon in twenty encampments. 6.6.6 The Chagan, then, learned of the Roman expedition by ear and from there he sent out envoys to Priscus. So, when the envoys arrived before Priscus, Koch (he was a barbarian) began the embassy with these 6.6.7 [words]. “What is this, o gods? For those to whom piety is fitting, impiety has now somehow become convenient. The Roman state has violated the peace, the law of the treaty is debased, the salt of agreement is disregarded, the respect for faith is consumed, 6.6.8 the mediating oath is lost. The Ister sees a hostile sight and an encampment and Priscus bearing arms, who a short time ago arranged the marriage of peace between Avars and Romans. You do wrong, O Caesar, by impiously stealing the war. The undertaking is not imperial, the attitude no longer one of authority, the 6.6. plan is piratical, the deed publicly accursed. Either lay down the adornment of the crown, or do not corrupt the decorum of authority. You have taught the barbarians baseness. We did not know how to break treaties, until we found you as teachers of falsehood. Whom war has not known at rest, nor has the eye of peace seen them unfit for battle. 6.6.10 Fighting you do wrong, making a truce you vex. And when is faith left to you for cherishing warless tranquility? Respect yesterday's philanthropy, general. We saved you to be friends, not enemies. O philanthropy that travails with grief and danger! 6.6.11 Those who drew salvation from us now weigh out the opposite recompense. And we are warred against with the gods; for the acropolis of oaths is besieged, and the better is tyrannized by the worse, and deceit speaks openly, and falsehood is entrusted with leadership, and acts 6.6.12 of insolence have openly taken the field. If, then, general, you will repent with shame, you will bear the penalty only as far as the disgrace; but if not, you will have retribution as a teacher, bringing repentance in its train with misfortunes.” 6.6.13 When these words, then, had been concluded, and the army was being weighed down by the speech, Priscus gave pardon for the boldness and forgiveness for the barbarian words. 6.6.14 Therefore, not offering a retort to the rashness, he said that he had taken up war against the Sclavenes; for the Getic war was not, then, ended by the Avaric treaties and truces. 6.7.1 And on the twelfth day, the general, having constructed ships, crossed the river, and having heard that Ardagastus had made the multitudes of the Sclavenes depart, so that he might secure booty, 6.7.2 he made the attack at midnight. Ardagastus, therefore, having bidden farewell to the visions of his dreams and by the urgency of the noise

φωνῇ διαγνοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν λόγων ἀλωπεκίζεται, καὶ περιδεὴς γεγονώς, συνθήκας πρὸς τὸν Πρίσκον διαθέμενος ἐπ' ὀλιγίστῳ χρυσίῳ ἐς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὡς τάχιστα ἐπανέζευξεν. ἡ γὰρ τῆς φενάκης ἰσχὺς λίαν ἐγκρατῶς ἀπεβουκόλει τὸν βάρβαρον. 6.6.1 ῾Ο μὲν οὖν στρατηγὸς μετοπώρου ἀρχομένου διαλύσας τὸν χάρακα ἐς Βυζάντιον ἧκεν, ῾Ρωμαῖοι δ' ἀπόμαχοι εἰς 6.6.2 τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐχέοντο ἀνὰ τὰς κώμας διατρεφόμενοι. ἦρος δὲ ἀρχομένου ὁ στρατηγὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως παρὰ τὸν ῎Ιστρον ἐπέμπετο, ὅπως τὰ τῶν Σκλαυηνῶν γένη διανήξασθαι τὸν ποταμὸν κωλυόμενα ἀφοβίαν ἄκοντα τῇ Θρᾴκῃ παράσχοιντο· ἔφασκε γὰρ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τῷ Πρίσκῳ, οὐκ ἂν ἠρεμοίη τὸ βάρβαρον, εἰ μὴ τὸν ῎Ιστρον ἐς τὰ μάλιστα τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν 6.6.3 περιφρουρήσοιτο. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πρίσκος τῆς ἱππικῆς δυνάμεως τὰς ἡνίας ἐλάμβανεν, Γέντζων δὲ τῆς πεζικῆς πληθύος ἐπιστατεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως προστάττεται. τῇδε περὶ τὴν 6.6.4 ῾Ηράκλειαν ἦρος μεσοῦντος τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν συναγείρεται. ἑβδο-μαῖος δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν τάφρον μεταφοιτᾶν ἐγκελεύεται, βάσανόν τε τοῦ συμμαχικοῦ ποιησάμενος καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις διαριθμησάμενος, τὰς ἐγκυκλίους τῶν χρημάτων αὐτοῖς δια6.6.5 νομὰς ἐποιήσατο. ἀπάρας γοῦν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τέσσαρας ποιησάμενος χάρακας ἐπὶ τὰ ∆ριζίπερα γίνεται. πέντε δὲ πρὸς ταῖς δέκα ἐνδιατρίψας ἡμέραις τῷ χώρῳ εἴκοσι χάραξι πρὸς τὴν 6.6.6 ∆ορόστολον παραγίνεται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Χαγάνος ἀκοῇ τὴν ῾Ρωμαϊκὴν ἐπιστρατείαν διέγνωκε κἀντεῦθεν πρέσβεις ὡς τὸν Πρίσκον ἐξέπεμπεν. ἀφικομένων γοῦν τῶν πρέσβεων ὡς τὸν Πρίσκον, ὁ Κὸχ (βάρβαρος δὲ οὗτος) τῶνδε τῆς πρεσβείας 6.6.7 [ῥημάτων] ἀπήρξατο. "τί τοῦτο, θεοί; οἷς τὸ δεισιδαιμονεῖν ἐστιν ἁρμόδιον, ἄρτι που τὸ δυσσεβεῖν καθέστηκε πρόχειρον. εἰρήνην τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν παρελύσατο, συνθήκης θεσμὸς κιβδηλεύεται, ἅλες ὁμολογίας ἠθέτηνται, πίστεως αἰδὼς κατηνάλωται, 6.6.8 ὁ μεσίτης ὅρκος ἀπόλωλεν. ῎Ιστρος ὁρᾷ πολεμίαν ὄψιν καὶ χάρακα καὶ σιδηροφοροῦντα τὸν Πρίσκον τὸν πρὸ μικροῦ τὴν εἰρήνην ᾿Αβάροις τε καὶ ῾Ρωμαίοις νυμφαγωγήσαντα. ἀδικεῖς, ὦ Καῖσαρ, ἀνοσίως κλέπτων τὸν πόλεμον. οὐκ ἔστι βασιλικὸν τὸ ἐγχείρημα, οὐκ ἐξουσίας ἔτι τὸ φρόνημα, τὸ 6.6. βούλευμα λῃστρικόν, τὸ δρᾶμα δημοκατάρατον. ἢ τῆς στεφάνης κατάθου τὸ κόσμιον, ἢ μὴ τῆς ἐξουσίας τὴν εὐσχημοσύνην διάφθειρε. ὑμεῖς τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπολιτεύσατε τὴν φαυλότητα. τὸ παρασπονδεῖν οὐκ ἐγνώκαμεν, εἰ μὴ διδασκάλους ὑμᾶς τοῦ ψεύδους εὑρήκαμεν. οὓς ὁ πόλεμος ἠρεμοῦντας οὐκ ἔγνωκεν, οὐδὲ τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀπομάχους τεθέα6.6.10 ται ὄμμα. πολεμῶν ἀδικεῖς, σπενδόμενος ἀνιᾷ. καὶ πότε σοι πίστις ὑπολιμπάνεται τοῦ στέργειν τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀπόλεμον; τὴν χθές, στρατηγέ, φιλανθρωπίαν αἰδέσθητι. φίλους ἐσομένους ὑμᾶς, οὐ πολεμίους ἐσώσαμεν. ὢ φιλανθρωπίας 6.6.11 ὠδινούσης λύπην καὶ κίνδυνον! οἱ σωτηρίαν παρ' ἡμῶν ἀρυσάμενοι νῦν τὴν ἀντίθετον ἀμοιβὴν ταλαντεύονται. καὶ πολεμούμεθα σὺν θεοῖς· πολιορκεῖται γὰρ ὅρκων ἀκρόπολις, καὶ τυραννεῖται τὸ κρεῖττον ὑπὸ τοῦ χείρονος, καὶ δόλος παρρησιάζεται, καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος ἡγεμονίαν πιστεύεται, καὶ τὰ 6.6.12 τῆς ἐπηρείας ἀναφανδὸν ἐστρατεύσατο. εἰ μὲν οὖν, στρατηγέ, γνωσιμαχήσεις αἰδούμενος, μέχρι τῆς αἰσχύνης τὴν ζημίαν ἀποίσῃ· εἰ δὲ μή, τὴν ἀντίδοσιν ἕξεις διδάσκαλον μετὰ τῶν 6.6.13 ἀτυχημάτων τὸν μετάμελον ἀντεπάγουσαν." τούτων τοίνυν διαπερατωθέντων τῶν λόγων, καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως βαρυνομένης ὑπὸ τῆς διαλέξεως, ἐδίδου τῷ θράσει τὴν συγγνώμην ὁ 6.6.14 Πρίσκος καὶ βαρβάροις λόγοις συγχώρησιν. οὐκοῦν ἀνθυποφορὰν τῇ προπετείᾳ μὴ παρασχόμενος κατὰ τῶν Σκλαυηνῶν ἔφησεν ἄρασθαι πόλεμον· μὴ γὰρ οὖν ταῖς ᾿Αβαρικαῖς συνθήκαις τε καὶ σπονδαῖς καὶ τὸν Γετικὸν καταλύσασθαι πόλεμον. 6.7.1 δωδεκάτη δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ ναῦς ὁ στρατηγὸς συμπηξάμενος τὸν ποταμὸν διενήξατο, ἀκηκοώς τε τὸν ᾿Αρδάγαστον ποιησάμενον τὰ τῶν Σκλαυηνῶν πλήθη ἀπόδημα, ὅπως λείας 6.7.2 ἐπικυρήσειεν, μεσούσης νυκτὸς τὴν ἔφοδον ἐμπορεύεται. ὁ μὲν οὖν ᾿Αρδάγαστος ταῖς ὄψεσι τῶν ὀνειράτων χαίρειν εἰπὼν τῇ τε τοῦ θρύλου ἐπιτάσει