,

suffering very severely from his mistake.7.2.13 But Caesar, being vexed at the general's delay and astonished 7.2.14 at the inaction in the war, was writing abusive dispatches about the general. Peter, therefore, not bearing the written defamation from the emperor, and still being bitterly worn out by his sickness, relocated his camp, and after shifting camp four times, he advanced 7.2.15 upon the haunts of the Sclavenes. It was the tenth day, and the emperor Maurice sent out a royal letter to his brother to stay in Thrace; for Maurice had heard that the multitudes of the Sclavenes were directing their attacks toward 7.2.16 Byzantium. The general, as a result of this, came to the fortress of Pistus, and after this he arrived at Zaldapa. It was the second day, and he proceeded to the city of Iatrus, and indeed having passed the fortress of Latarkion, he encamped at Novae. 7.2.17 The locals, therefore, having heard that the general was coming, went out of the city and made a very grand reception for him and beseeched Peter to be a fellow-celebrant of the festival of Lupus the martyr; for on that day was the preliminary festival of Lupus 7.2.18 the martyr. The general, therefore, said that he could not spend the day in the area because of the necessary journeying; but the people of the city, having intensified their request with the superiority of their entreaties, compelled the general to become a participant in the 7.2.1 festival. Peter, therefore, having been in the city for two days, departed from there and entrenched a camp at the city of Theodorus, and at first dawn he proceeded to the so-called Curisca. 7.3.1 It was the third day, and in the city of Asemus he made his quarters. And since the people of the city had learned that the general was expected, having gone outside the city, they met Peter and made his entry into the city a very splendid 7.3.2 one. In this city, from some more ancient times, an armed force had been stationed for the constant guarding of the city; for the barbarians, being in the habit of raiding quite frequently around this city, were causing devastation.7.3.3 Therefore the established armed force in this city, having learned that the general was about to arrive, raised their standards, which the Romans call *banda*, withdrew from the city, and then, having girded themselves with their weapons, they received the general 7.3.4 very gloriously. Peter, therefore, having seen the magnificence of the soldiers of the city, attempted to remove them from the city and to mix them with the forces under his command. The citizens, therefore, and the armed force of the city, showed a law of the emperor Justin which granted to the city this armed force as a perpetual 7.3.5 provision. But on the next day the commander, raising an objection, was pressing to remove from the town the men who had been stationed for its guard. For this reason, the city's soldiers took refuge in the city's 7.3.6 church. The general, having heard of this, made known to the bishop that he should lead them out from the holy places. But as the priest was expressing his displeasure, the general sent Gentzon the taxiarch with a multitude of soldiers to drive out by force those who were taking refuge in the 7.3.7 temple. Having heard this, those who were taking refuge in the sacred precincts, having armed themselves, barred the doors of the church from all sides. Gentzon, therefore, having seen the resistance in the sacred enclosure and having discerned the absurdity of the matter, and at the same time 7.3.8 having respected the sanctity of the church, departed without success. But the general, angered by this, dismissed Gentzon from his command; and Gentzon was the leader of the infantry force. On the next day, having summoned to his own tent one of the emperor's bodyguards, whom the Romans call a *scribo*, he commanded him to undertake a certain shameless enterprise; and the demand was to drag the bishop of the city in a dishonorable manner to the camp. 7.3.

τῷ σφάλματι κρα7.2.13 ταιῶς λίαν νοσηλευόμενος. ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ ἀσχάλλων ἐπὶ τῇ τριβῇ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τήν τε περὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἀπραξίαν 7.2.14 θαυμάσας τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐλογογράφει ταῖς ὕβρεσιν. ὁ τοίνυν Πέτρος τὴν ἐν γράμμασι δυσφημίαν μὴ φέρων τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ἔτι πικρῶς ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου κατατρυχόμενος μεταποιεῖται τὸν χάρακα, καὶ τάφρους τέτταρας ἐναλλάξας ἐπὶ 7.2.15 τὰς τῶν Σκλαυηνῶν ἐνεφοίτα διατριβάς. δεκάτη δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ Μαυρίκιος βασίλειον ἐπιστολὴν τῷ αὐταδέλφῳ ἐξέπεμπεν ἐνδημῆσαι τῇ Θρᾴκῃ· ἠκηκόει γὰρ ὁ Μαυρίκιος τῶν Σκλαυηνῶν τὰ πλήθη ἐς Βυζάντιον τὰς ὁρμὰς 7.2.16 ἐπιφέρειν. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς ἐκ τούτου ἐπὶ τὸ Πιστοῦ γίνεται φρούριον, μετὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὰ Ζαλδαπὰ ἀφικνεῖται. δευτέρα δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ᾿Ιατρὸν τὴν πόλιν φοιτᾷ, καὶ δῆτα τὸ Λαταρκίου φρούριον παραμείψας εἰς Νόβας στρατοπεδεύεται. 7.2.17 οἱ τοίνυν ἐγχώριοι ἀκηκοότες τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐλευσόμενον τοῦ ἄστεος ἐξεχώρησαν καὶ συνάντησιν αὐτῷ λίαν ἐπίδοξον ἐποιήσαντο καὶ τὸν Πέτρον καθικετεύουσι συνθιασώτην τῆς Λούππου γενέσθαι τοῦ μάρτυρος πανηγύρεως· κατ' ἐκείνην γὰρ τὴν ἡμέραν ἦν ἡ προεόρτιος ἑορτὴ Λούππου 7.2.18 τοῦ μάρτυρος. ὁ μὲν οὖν στρατηγὸς διημερεῦσαι περὶ τὸν χῶρον διὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀνάγκης ὁδοιπορίαν μὴ δύνασθαι ἔφασκεν· οἱ δὲ τοῦ ἄστεος παχύναντες τὴν ἀξίωσιν τῇ ὑπεροχῇ τῶν δεήσεων τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐβιάσαντο μέτοχον γενέσθαι τῆς 7.2.1 πανηγύρεως. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος ἡμέρας δύο ἀνὰ τὸ πόλισμα γεγονὼς ἀπαίρει ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Θεοδώρου πόλιν τάφρον ἐχάραξεν, ὑπὸ πρώτην δὲ ἕω ἐν τῇ λεγομένῃ Κουρίσκᾳ φοιτᾷ. 7.3.1 τρίτη δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ ἐν ᾿Ασήμῳ τῇ πόλει τὰς ἐπαύλεις ποιεῖται. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ τοῦ ἄστεος ἐμεμαθήκεσαν προσδόκιμον ὄντα τὸν στρατηγόν, ἔξω γεγονότες τοῦ ἄστεος συναντῶσι τῷ Πέτρῳ καὶ περιφανῆ τὴν περὶ τὸ ἄστυ τούτῳ 7.3.2 ἐπεποίηντο εἴσοδον. ἐν τῷ πολίσματι τούτῳ ἀπὸ πρεσβυτέρων χρόνων τινῶν ὁπλιτικὸν συνετέτακτο ἐπὶ διαφρουρᾷ τῶν τῆς πόλεως· πυκνότερον γὰρ περὶ ταύτην τὴν πόλιν οἷα διάτ7.3.3 τοντες οἱ βάρβαροι κατεσπίλαζον. πυθόμενοι τοιγαροῦν τὸ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει ὁπλιτικὸν καθεστὸς μέλλειν ἥκειν τὸν στρατηγόν, τὰ σημεῖα ἀράμενον, ἃ βάνδα ῾Ρωμαῖοι κατονομάζουσιν, ἀποχωροῦσι τῆς πόλεως, εἶτα τοῖς ὅπλοις περιφραξά7.3.4 μενοι λίαν εὐκλεῶς τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑπεδέχοντο. ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος τὸ μεγαλοπρεπὲς τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν στρατιωτῶν θεασάμενος ἐνεχείρει τούτους ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀφαιρεῖν καὶ ταῖς περὶ αὐτὸν συναναμῖξαι δυνάμεσιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀστοὶ τό τε περὶ τὴν πόλιν ὁπλιτικὸν ᾿Ιουστίνου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὑπεδείκνυον νόμον χαριζόμενον τῇ πόλει τὴν ἔνοπλον ταύτην 7.3.5 διάδοχον πρόνοιαν. τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ὁ πολέμαρχος ἔνστασιν ποιησάμενος ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τῆς πολίχνης τοὺς συντεταγμένους ἐπὶ τῇ ταύτης φρουρᾷ κατηπείγετο. διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἱερὸν οἱ περὶ τὴν πόλιν στρατιῶται τὴν καταφυγὴν 7.3.6 ἐποιοῦντο. τούτων ὁ στρατηγὸς ἀκηκοὼς τῷ ἐπισκοποῦντι ἐδήλου τῶν ἱερῶν ὑπεξαγαγεῖν αὐτούς. δυσανασχετοῦντος δὲ τοῦ ἱερέως, ἀποστέλλει ὁ στρατηγὸς Γέντζωνα τὸν ταξίαρχον μετὰ πλήθους στρατιωτῶν ἐξωθῆσαι πρὸς βίαν τοὺς ἐπὶ 7.3.7 τῷ νεῷ τὴν καταφυγὴν ποιουμένους. τούτων δὴ ἀκηκοότες οἱ ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἑδράσμασι καταφεύγοντες, ὅπλοις φραξάμενοι τὰς θύρας τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐναποκλείουσι πάντοθεν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Γέντζων τὴν ἔνστασιν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ περιβόλῳ θεασάμενος τήν τε ἀτοπίαν τοῦ πράγματος διαγνούς, ἅμα δὲ 7.3.8 καὶ τὴν αἰδῶ τοῦ ναοῦ σεβασθείς, ἄπρακτος ἀπεφοίτα. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς καταθυμωθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀποχειροτονεῖ τῆς στρατηγίας τὸν Γέντζωνα· ἦν δὲ ὁ Γέντζων τῆς πεζικῆς δυνάμεως ἡγεμών. τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ ἕνα τινὰ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως σωματοφυλάκων, ὃν σκρίβωνα ῾Ρωμαῖοι κατονομάζουσιν, εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκηνὴν μετάκλητον ποιησάμενος ἀναιδῆ τινα διεγχείρησιν τούτῳ προσέταττεν· ἡ δὲ ἀξίωσις ἦν τὸν ἐπισκοποῦντα τὴν πόλιν ἠτιμωμένως ἕλκειν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα. 7.3.