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a most harsh tyrant. But the demand was that the army 8.6.10 should march back home and endure the winter season. But the emperor was troubling Peter through a messenger to cross the river and have the forces set foot on the land of the barbarians, and for the Romans to draw their provisions for the camps from there, and from there to provide a reduction in public grain rations for the treasury. 8.7.1 The general, therefore, having summoned the envoys, promised to come to them on the next day and to provide a solution to their discontent. Having accordingly sent for Guduin, he spoke to him the words of the despondent men 8.7.2. "For me, <the> dangers have become precipitous on both sides; the emperor's order has become difficult to get through. And to resist is impossible, and to [not] obey is more difficult. An avaricious character brings forth nothing good; avarice 8.7.3 has become the citadel of evils. The emperor, being afflicted by such a passion, would perhaps at some time lose his life, so that I may season my speech with some verse from Homeric tragedy. This day will begin many evils for the Romans. 8.7.4 I know and I am convinced." Peter, therefore, becoming tearful and having made an interruption in his speech because of the weeping, comes near the palisade. So on the next day he assembles the commanders of the whole army and revealed to them the emperor's 8.7.5 letter. But the leaders of the infantry regiments said to the general that the fighting men were not willing to make the crossing to the opposite side, setting out the reasons in the form of a report 8.7.6. But when Peter directed his words against the crowds, a very great storm of anger fell upon the camps. For this reason the forces, having departed from the palisade, gathered an assembly by themselves. When the leaders of the infantry saw this, they turned to flight and 8.7.7 came to Peter the general. And having held another assembly on the next day, the troops appointed as their leader the centurion Phocas, and raising him up high on a shield, they acclaimed his proclamation excessively. When Peter heard these things, he turned his thoughts to flight and made known the events to Maurice the emperor. 8.7.8 So Maurice, having summoned the ill-omened messenger into the palace, made inquiries in private about what had followed. Then he was convulsed with cares, and great helplessness flowed around him. Nevertheless, he concealed the arrival of the news and held frequent chariot races with a certain pretense, as if despising the schemes of the rebels, and he announced to the demes through heralds at the stadium 8.7. not to be disturbed by the irrational disorder of the soldiers. So the lovers of the blue color shouted these things with a song to the emperor (for we shall make mention of the very wording). "God, emperor, who commanded you to rule, will subordinate to you everyone fighting against the empire. But if he is a Roman, benefactor, <who> is ungrateful to you, He will subordinate this one to your servitude without blood8.7.10shed." It was the fourth day, and the emperor, having summoned to the palace the demarchs, whom the populace is accustomed to call administrators of the demes, (and their names were Sergius and Cosmas) inquired in detail about the 8.7.11 number of the members of the demes. Sergius, therefore, inscribed on a sheet the roster of the lovers of the green color, being one thousand five hundred, while Cosmas registered nine hundred of the opposing faction; for the Roman masses have fallen into a partiality for two colors. From this, the greatest evils burst into life; for as this rabid madness gradually increased, the affairs of the Romans were ruined. 8.8.1 The emperor, therefore, hearing that the tyrant was coming, sent out envoys as if attempting to cause the disaster to wither away. But the tyrant becomes proud at these things and rages in his rebellion

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χαλεπώτατος τύραννος. ἡ δὲ ἀξίωσις ἦν οἴκαδε τὴν δύναμιν 8.6.10 ἀναζεύξασαν τῇ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ ἐγκαρτερεῖν. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐπώχλει δι' ἐπιστολέως τὸν Πέτρον τὸν ποταμὸν διαπεραιωσάμενον τὰς δυνάμεις τῆς τῶν βαρβάρων γῆς ἐπιβῆναι, τάς τε τῶν στρατοπέδων ἀποτροφὰς αὐτόθεν τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους ἀρύσασθαι, ἐγκοπήν τε δημοσίων σιτήσεων ἐντεῦθεν τῷ πρυτανείῳ παρέχεσθαι. 8.7.1 ὁ μὲν οὖν στρατηγὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις εἰσκαλεσάμενος κατεπήγγελτο τῇ ἐσαύριον ὡς αὐτοὺς ἀφικνεῖσθαι λύσιν τε τῆς δυσφορίας παρέχεσθαι. μεταστειλάμενος τοιγαροῦν τὸν Γούδουϊν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ τῶν ἠθυμηκότων 8.7.2 προσρήματα. "ἀμφίκρημνά μοι <τὰ> τῶν κινδύνων καθέστηκεν· δυσδιεξόδευτον τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καθέστηκε πρόσταγμα. καὶ τὸ ἀντιτείνειν ἀδύνατον, καὶ τὸ [μὴ] πειθαρχεῖν χαλεπώτερον. οὐδὲν ὠδίνει καλὸν τρόπος φιλάργυρος· ἀκρόπολις 8.7.3 τῶν κακῶν ἡ φιλαργυρία καθέστηκεν. ὑπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου πάθους ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ νοσηλευόμενος τάχα ἂν πότε θυμὸν ὀλέσῃ, ἵνα καί τινι ἔπει τῆς ῾Ομηρικῆς τραγῳδίας καρυκεύσω τὸν λόγον. αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα πολλῶν κακῶν ἄρξει ῾Ρωμαίοις. 8.7.4 οἶδα καὶ πείθομαι." ἐπίδακρυς τοίνυν ὁ Πέτρος γενόμενος ἐγκοπήν τε τῷ λόγῳ διὰ τὸ δάκρυον ποιησάμενος γίγνεται πλησίον τοῦ χάρακος. τῇ οὖν ὑστεραίᾳ ἀθροίζει τοὺς ταξιάρχους τῆς πάσης δυνάμεως τό τε τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτοῖς παρε8.7.5 δήλωσε γράμμα. οἱ δὲ ἡγεμόνες τῶν ὁπλιτικῶν συνταγμάτων ἔφησαν τῷ στρατηγῷ μὴ ἐθέλειν τὸ μάχιμον ἐς τὸ ἀντιπέρας τὰς διαβάσεις ποιήσασθαι, τὰς αἰτίας ἐν ἐκθέσεως μοίρᾳ 8.7.6 ποιούμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Πέτρος ἀντιπρώρους τοῖς ὄχλοις ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς λόγους, λαῖλαψ μεγίστη θυμοῦ τοῖς στρατοπέδοις ἐνέσκηψεν. διὰ τοῦτο αἱ δυνάμεις τοῦ χάρακος ἀποκλίνασαι καταμόνας ἐκκλησίαν συνήθροισαν. τοῦτο οἱ ἡγεμόνες τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ θεασάμενοι ἀποκλίνουσιν εἰς φυγὴν καὶ 8.7.7 πρὸς Πέτρον τὸν στρατηγὸν παραγίνονται. ἑτέραν δὲ καὶ τῇ ἐς ὕστερον ἐκκλησίαν πεποιηκότα τὰ πλήθη ἔξαρχον τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον Φωκᾶν προεστήσαντο, ἐπὶ ἀσπίδος τε εἰς ὕψος ἐξάραντες εὐφήμουν ἐκτόπως τὴν ἀναγόρευσιν. τούτων ὁ Πέτρος ἀκηκοὼς εἰς ἀπόδρασιν τὰς φροντίδας μετέθηκε κατάδηλά τε τὰ συμβεβηκότα ἐπεποίητο Μαυρικίῳ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. 8.7.8 ῾Ο μὲν οὖν Μαυρίκιος τὸν ἀπαίσιον ἄγγελον εἰσκαλεσάμενος εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ἐν παραβύστῳ τῶν ἐπηκολουθηκότων ἐποιεῖτο τὰς πεύσεις. εἶτα ταῖς μερίμναις ἐσφάδαζεν, ἀμηχανία δὲ αὐτῷ περιέρρει πολλή. ὅμως ὑποκρύπτει τῶν ἀκουσμάτων τὴν ἄφιξιν ἱππικούς τε ἀγῶνας συνετέλει συχνοὺς ἀποπροσποιήσει τινὶ ὥσπερ ἐξουθενῶν τὰ τῶν νεωτερισάντων μελετήματα, τοῖς τε δήμοις ἐδήλου διὰ κηρύκων παρὰ τὸ στάδιον 8.7. ὑπὸ ἀλόγου ἀκοσμίας στρατιωτῶν μὴ ταράττεσθαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν τοῦ κυαναυγοῦς χρώματος ἐρασταὶ μετ' ᾠδῆς ἀνεβόων πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ταῦτα (καὶ αὐτῆς γὰρ τῆς ἐπὶ λέξεως συνθήκης ποιησώμεθα μνήμην). "ὁ θεός, αὐτοκράτωρ, ὁ κελεύσας σε βασιλεύειν, ὑποτάξει σοι πάντα πολεμοῦντα τὴν βασιλείαν. εἰ δὲ ῾Ρωμαῖός ἐστιν, εὐεργέτα, <ὁ> ἀγνωμονῶν σε, εἰς δουλείαν σου τοῦτον ὑποτάξει χωρὶς αἱμά8.7.10 των." τετάρτη δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ τοὺς δημάρχους ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ εἰσκαλεσάμενος πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια, οὓς διοικητὰς τῶν δήμων εἴωθε τὸ πλῆθος ἀποκαλεῖν, (ὀνόματα δὲ τούτοις Σέργιος καὶ Κοσμᾶς) ἐπυνθάνετο τῶν δημοτευόντων ἐπὶ λεπτοῦ τὸν 8.7.11 ἀριθμόν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Σέργιος ἐν χάρτῃ τὴν σύνταξιν τῶν ἐραστῶν τοῦ χλοάζοντος ἐνεχάραξε χρώματος, πεντακοσίους πρὸς τοῖς χιλίοις τυγχάνοντας, ὁ δὲ Κοσμᾶς τοὺς τῆς ἀντιθέτου αἱρέσεως ἑκατοντάδας ἐννέα συντέταχεν· εἰς δύο γὰρ χρωμάτων ἐφέσεις τὰ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων καταπέπτωκε πλήθη. ἐντεῦθεν μέγιστα κακὰ τῷ βίῳ εἰσήρρησεν· κατὰ μικρὸν γὰρ τῆς λυσσώδους ταύτης αὐξανομένης μανίας τὰ ῾Ρωμαίων διώλοντο πράγματα. 8.8.1 ῾Ο μὲν οὖν αὐτοκράτωρ ἥκειν ἀκούσας τὸν τύραννον πρέσβεις ἐξέπεμψεν ὑπομαραίνειν ὥσπερ τὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐγχειρῶν. ὁ δὲ τύραννος ἐπὶ τούτοις ὑψαυχενίζεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ νεωτερισμῷ καταμαίνεται