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his kingdom; and he came to Constantinople. And after honoring him and his son greatly, the emperor dismissed them, making him magister militum of Illyricum. And when he arrived in Illyricum, the Bulgars came out in great numbers, and rushing against them he destroyed them all. And he sent their leader from among the captives to Constantinople along with others, and they were paraded in the Hippodrome. And there was a profound peace in Thrace, with the Huns no longer daring to cross the Danube. The emperor sent the Bulgar captives to Armenia and Lazica, and they were enrolled in the numbered units. Paul, bishop of Alexandria, for 2 years. 14. 16. 3. 4. 7. 1. 14. In the 14th year of Justinian, Chosroes, the king of the Persians, made a fourth invasion into the land of the Romans. And having come into the country of Commagene, he intended to proceed against Palestine and Jerusalem, so that he might plunder the treasures in Jerusalem. For he heard that this was a good country and of inhabitants with much gold. But the Romans had no intention of confronting them in any way, but having occupied the strongholds, as each was able, they wished to guard these and save themselves. But Justinian, learning this, sent against them Belisarius, who had again come from the western parts. And he, riding on the public post horses, arrived in Euphratesia with great speed. Now Justus, the emperor's nephew, along with Bouzes, the general of the East, happened to have taken refuge in Hierapolis. 220 And hearing that Belisarius had arrived, they write for him to come to them and to guard Hierapolis. But Belisarius blamed them greatly, writing to them, that it was not right to be guarding one city and to allow the enemy to march with impunity upon the land of the Romans and to ravage the cities of the empire. "For know well, that to perish with valor is better than to be saved without a fight. For this would not be called salvation, but rightly, treason. But come most quickly to the place Europus, where, having gathered the whole army, I hope to do to the enemy whatever God wills." Hearing these things, the commanders took courage, and they left Justus with a few men to guard Hierapolis, but the rest went to Europus. But when Chosroes learned that Belisarius was encamped at Europus with the entire Roman army, he was amazed; and he decided not to advance further, but sent Abandanes the secretary, a prudent man, to Belisarius, to observe both the general and the army, but ostensibly to complain that Emperor Justinian had not sent the envoys into Persia to arrange the peace. But Belisarius, learning that the envoys had arrived, himself, having chosen six thousand men who were both tall and handsome in body, went out far from the camp to hunt. And he ordered Diogenes his guardsman and Adulius, an Armenian man, to cross the river with a thousand horsemen, as if to test the river's crossing. But Belisarius, when he learned the ambassador was approaching, pitched his tent in a deserted place, showing that he had come there with no preparation. He arranged the soldiers, so that on either side of the hut were Thracians and Illyrians, Goths and Heruls, and after them Vandals and Moors. And they extended over most of the plain; for they did not stand in one place, but walked 221 about, milling around as if hunting, and they looked at Chosroes' ambassador seemingly by the way; they walked about girt up and with cheerful faces, carrying axes and javelins. And Abandanes, coming into the sight of Belisarius, said that Chosroes was grieved, because, as he had agreed, Justinian did not send ambassadors to him concerning the peace and forced Chosroes to campaign against the Romans. But Belisarius made nothing of these words, saying Chosroes was the cause

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βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἦλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει. καὶ πολλὰ αὐτὸν φιλοτιμησάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς, ποιήσας αὐτὸν στρατηλάτην τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ. καὶ ἐν τῷ παραγενέσθαι αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ Ἰλλυρικόν, ἐξῆλθον οἱ Βούλγαροι πλῆθος πολύ, καὶ ὁρμήσας κατ' αὐτῶν πάντας ἀνήλωσεν. καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν ἡγούμενον αὐτῶν μετὰ καὶ ἄλλων, καὶ ἐπόμπευσαν ἐν τῷ ἱππικῷ. καὶ ἐγένετο εἰρήνη βαθεῖα ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ, μηκέτι τολμώντων τῶν Οὔννων περᾶσαι τὸν ∆ανοῦβιν. τοὺς δὲ αἰχμαλώτους τῶν Βουλγάρων ἔπεμψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Ἀρμενίαν καὶ εἰς Λαζικήν, καὶ κατετάγησαν ἐν τοῖς νουμερίοις ἀριθμοῖς. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Παῦλος ἔτη βʹ. ιδʹ. ιϛʹ. γʹ. δʹ. ζʹ. αʹ. ιδʹ. Τῷ ιδʹ ἔτει Ἰουστινιανοῦ Χοσρόης, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, τετάρτην εἰσβολὴν εἰς τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐποιήσατο. ἐλθόντι δὲ εἰς τὴν Κωμαγηνῶν χώραν κατὰ Παλαιστίνης καὶ Ἱεροσολύμων διενοεῖτο χωρεῖν, ὅπως τὰ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις κειμήλια ληΐσηται. χώραν γὰρ ταύτην ἀγαθὴν καὶ πολυχρύσων οἰκητόρων ἤκουεν εἶναι. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τούτοις ὑπαντιάζειν τρόπῳ οὐδενὶ διενοοῦντο, τὰ δὲ ὀχυρώματα καταλαβόντες, ὡς ἕκαστος ἠδύνατο, ταῦτα διαφυλάττειν καὶ αὐτοὶ σώζεσθαι ἠβούλοντο. γνοὺς δὲ ταῦτα Ἰουστινιανὸς Βελισάριον αὖθις ἐκ τῶν ἑσπερίων ἐληλυθότα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν. ὁ δὲ ἵπποις τοῖς τοῦ δημοσίου ὀχούμενος τάχει πολλῷ εἰς τὴν Εὐφρατησίαν ἀφίκετο. Ἰοῦστος δέ, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνεψιός, σὺν Βούζῃ, τῷ στρατηγῷ τῆς ἑῴας, ἐν Ἱεραπόλει καταφυγὼν ἐτύγχανεν. ἀκούσαντες 220 δὲ Βελισάριον ἥκειν γράφουσι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀφίκεσθαι, καὶ τὴν Ἱεράπολιν διαφυλάττειν. ὁ δὲ Βελισάριος τούτους λίαν κατεμέμψατο, γράψας πρὸς αὐτούς, οὐ δίκαιον εἶναι μίαν πόλιν φυλάττειν καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων χώραν μετὰ ἀδείας βαδίζειν καὶ τὰς τῆς βασιλείας πόλεις λυμαίνεσθαι. "εὖ γὰρ ἴστε, ὅτι τὸ σὺν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀπολωλέναι τοῦ σεσῶσθαι ἀμαχητὶ ἄμεινον. οὐ γὰρ ἂν σωτηρία τοῦτο κληθείη, ἀλλὰ προδοσία δικαίως. ἀλλ' ἥκετε τάχιστα εἰς Εὔρωπον τὸ χωρίον, οὗ δὴ συλλέξας τὸ στράτευμα ὅλον, ὅσ' ἂν ὁ θεὸς θέλῃ ἐλπίδα ἔχω τοὺς πολεμίους ἐργάσασθαι." ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐθάρσησαν, καὶ Ἰοῦστον μὲν σὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ φυλάττειν τὴν Ἱεράπολιν κατέλιπον, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ εἰς Εὔρωπον ἦλθον. γνοὺς δὲ Χοσρόης Βελισάριον πάντα τὸν στρατὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατοπεδεύεσθαι ἐν Εὐρώπῳ ἐξέστη· καὶ πρόσω μὲν ἐλαύνειν οὐκέτι ἔγνω, Ἀβανδάνην δὲ τὸν γραμματέα, ἄνδρα συνετόν, πρὸς Βελισάριον ἔπεμψεν, τόν τε στρατηγὸν κατασκεψόμενον καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον, τῷ δὲ λόγῳ δῆθεν μεμψόμενον, ὅτι βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐν Περσίδι οὐκ ἔπεμψε τὴν εἰρήνην πρυτανεύσοντας. ὁ δὲ Βελισάριος μαθὼν τοὺς πρέσβεις ἥκειν, αὐτὸς μὲν ἑξακισχιλίους ἀπολεξάμενος ἄνδρας εὐμήκεις τε καὶ τὰ σώματα καλοὺς ἄπωθεν τοῦ στρατοπέδου κυνηγήσων ἐξῄει. ∆ιογένην δὲ τὸν δορυφόρον καὶ Ἀδούλιον, ἄνδρα Ἀρμένιον, τὸν ποταμὸν διαβῆναι σὺν ἱππεῦσι χιλίοις ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς ψηλαφήσοντας τὴν τοῦ ποταμοῦ διάβασιν. Βελισάριος δέ, ἐπεὶ τὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἐγγὺς ἐρχόμενον ἔγνω, τὸν παπυλεῶνα ἐπήξατο ἐν χωρίῳ ἐρήμῳ παραδηλῶν ὅτι οὐδεμιᾷ παρασκευῇ ἐνταῦθα ἥκει. τοὺς δὲ στρατιώτας διέταξεν, τῆς μὲν καλύβης ἐφ' ἑκάτερα εἶναι Θρᾷκάς τε καὶ Ἰλλυριούς, Γότθους τε καὶ Ἐλούρους, μεθ' οὓς Οὐανδήλους τε καὶ Μαυρουσίους. τοῦ τε πεδίου ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διῆκον· οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἕνα τόπον ἵσταντο, ἀλλ' ἐβάδιζον 221 εἰλυόμενοι, ὡς κυνηγετοῦντες, καὶ παρέργως, τὸ δοκεῖν, τὸν Χοσρόου πρεσβευτὴν ἔβλεπον· διεζωσμένοι τε ἐβάδιζον καὶ φαιδροὶ τὰ πρόσωπα, πελέκυάς τε βαστάζοντες καὶ μεναύλους. ὁ δὲ Ἀβανδάνης εἰς ὄψιν Βελισαρίου ἐλθὼν λυπεῖσθαι τὸν Χοσρόην ἔφασκεν, ὅτι δή, καθὰ συνέθετο, οὐκ ἔπεμψεν Ἰουστινιανὸς πρέσβεις πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ ἠνάγκασε Χοσρόην κατὰ Ῥωμαίων στρατεύεσθαι. Βελισάριος δὲ ἀντ' οὐδενὸς τούτου τοὺς λόγους ἐποιεῖτο τὸν Χοσρόην λέγων αἴτιον