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Having appointed Priscus general of the East, he sent him out, writing to Heraclius, who had left the army, to go to Armenia to Narses and to make known the arrival of Priscus. For the emperor260 had ordered Philippicus to withhold a fourth part of the pay from the army. For Maurice was sick with the love of gold. But Philippicus, fearing that this might become a pretext for a revolt, did not obey the emperor, and for this reason he is removed from the generalship. And Priscus, on reaching Antioch, orders the soldiers to be assembled at Monocarton; he also summons Germanus, who had been entrusted with the command of the Edessenes, along with the bishop; and with them he set out for the camp, intending to celebrate the feast of Easter with them. The leaders of the army met him with their regiments at a distance of two miles from the camp. But Priscus, contrary to custom, did not dismount from his horse nor use the customary greetings. From this began the hatred for him; for the multitudes are vexed by public insults. And after the feast he arrogantly displayed the emperor's letters. The crowds therefore streamed toward the general's tent, some carrying swords, others stones, others clubs. Priscus therefore became terrified and, mounting his horse, escaped the danger by flight. And they, tearing down his tent, plundered all his belongings. And having reached Constantia, he was being treated by doctors for the blows from the stones and the wounds. And he sends the bishop of the city to apologize to the camp, promising to persuade the emperor to deprive them of none of the customary provisions. But the army sent the bishop away with insults and proclaimed Germanus general against his will, raising him on a shield, and they threw down the imperial statues and destroyed his images; and they were about to proceed to rebellion and to plunder the cities, if Germanus had not prevented them from this with much admonition and counsel. And Priscus made these things known to the emperor. And the emperor again made Philippicus general of the East; and Priscus returned to Byzantium.261 But the army bound itself with oaths in no way to be ruled by Maurice. But the barbarians reveled in the Roman misfortunes. But the emperor sent Aristobulus, the curator of the imperial houses, to the army, so that with oaths and gifts he might dissolve the rebellion; which he also did. And the rebellion having been averted, a very great war between the Persians and Romans occurs at Martyropolis. And the Romans having defeated the Persians by force and strategy, the Persian general Marouzas is killed. And three thousand are captured alive, as well as the taxiarchs of the Persian regiments; but only one thousand in number were saved, who also returned to Persia with dangers. And the Romans send to the emperor much from the Persian spoils and all those taken alive along with their standards. And Maurice built the Karianos portico in Blachernae, having depicted on it through painters his own deeds from childhood until his reign; and he also completed the public bath in it. Years of the World 6080. Years of the divine incarnation 580. Roman emperor Maurice, 20 years, 6th. Persian emperor Hormisdas, 15 years, 15th. Bishop of Constantinople John, 13 years, 7th. Bishop of Jerusalem John, 20 years, 16th. Bishop of Alexandria Eulogius, 27 years, 9th. Bishop of Antioch Gregory, 24 years, 18th. In this year, in the month of September, in the 6th indiction, the Lombards took up war against the Romans, and the nations of the Maurusii in Africa made great disturbances. And in Persia there is a prison called Lethe, and the king of the Persians many from
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Πρίσκον στρατηγὸν ἀνατολῆς χειροτονήσας ἀπέστειλεν, γράφει Ἡρακλείῳ καταλιπόντι τὸ στράτευμα εἰς Ἀρμενίαν παραγενέσθαι πρὸς Ναρσῆν καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πρίσκου παρουσίαν κατάδηλον ποιῆσαι. ἦν γὰρ ὁ αὐτο260 κράτωρ τῷ Φιλιππικῷ κελεύσας τετάρτην μοῖραν τῆς ῥόγας τῷ στρατῷ ἀποστερῆσαι. ἐνόσει γὰρ Μαυρίκιος τὸ φιλόχρυσον. ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς φοβηθεὶς μὴ ἀφορμὴ τυραννίδος γένηται τοῦτο, τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐχ ὑπήκουσε διά τε τοῦτο τῆς στρατηγίας ἀποπαύεται. Πρίσκος δὲ καταλαβὼν τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν προστάττει τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐπὶ τὸ Μονόκαρτον συναχθῆναι· προσκαλεῖται δὲ καὶ Γερμανόν, τὸν τὴν Ἐδεσηνῶν ἀρχὴν πεπιστευμένον, σὺν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ· καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀπήρχετο τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ πάσχα σὺν αὐτοῖς ποιησόμενος. οἱ δὲ ἡγεμόνες τοῦ στρατοῦ ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ μετὰ τῶν βάνδων ἀπὸ δύο σημείων τοῦ στρατοπέδου. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς οὐκ ἀπέβη τοῦ ἵππου οὐδὲ ταῖς συνήθεσι προσηγορίαις ἐχρήσατο. ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῷ τοῦ μίσους γέγονεν ἔναρξις· ἐπὶ ταῖς κοιναῖς γὰρ ὕβρεσι τὰ πλήθη ἀνιῶνται. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἑορτὴν τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως σοβαρῶς ἐπεδείκνυ γράμματα. συρρέουσι τοίνυν τὰ πλήθη ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ σκηνοπήγιον, τὰ μὲν ξίφη ἐπιφερόμενα, τὰ δὲ λίθους, τὰ δὲ ξύλα. γίνεται τοίνυν περιδεὴς ὁ Πρίσκος καὶ ἐπιβὰς τῷ ἵππῳ φυγῇ ἀπέδρα τὸν κίνδυνον. οἱ δὲ διαρρήξαντες τὸ τούτου σκηνοπήγιον πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ διήρπασαν. ὁ δὲ καταλαβὼν τὴν Κωνσταντίαν ὑπὸ ἰατρῶν τὰς βολὰς τῶν λίθων καὶ τὰ ἕλκη ἐθεραπεύετο. καὶ ἀποστέλλει τὸν ἐπίσκοπον τῆς πόλεως ἀπολογούμενος τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, ὑπισχνούμενος πείθειν τὸν αὐτοκράτορα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς ἀποστερεῖν τῶν εἰωθότων παρασχέσθαι. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς τὸν ἐπίσκοπον μετὰ ὕβρεως ἀπεπέμπετο τόν τε Γερμανὸν ἄκοντα στρατηγὸν ἀνηγόρευσαν ἐπὶ ἀσπίδος ὑψώσαντες, τούς τε βασιλικοὺς ἀνδριάντας κατέστρεψαν καὶ τὰς τούτου εἰκόνας ἠφάνισαν· καὶ ἐπὶ τυραννίδα χωρεῖν ἤμελλον καὶ τὰς πόλεις σκυλεύειν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Γερμανὸς τοῦτο πολλῇ νουθεσίᾳ καὶ παραινέσει τούτους ἐκώλυσεν. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ κατάδηλα πεποίηκεν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Φιλιππικὸν πάλιν στρατηγὸν τῆς ἀνατολῆς πεποίηκεν· καὶ ὁ Πρίσκος εἰς Βυζάντιον ὑπέστρε261 ψεν. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ὅρκοις κατησφαλίζετο μηδαμῶς ὑπὸ Μαυρικίου βασιλεύεσθαι. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ταῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς συμφοραῖς ἐνετρύφων. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ Ἀριστόβουλον, τὸν κουράτορα τῶν βασιλικῶν οἴκων, πρὸς τὸν στρατὸν ἀπέστειλεν, ὅπως ὅρκοις καὶ δώροις διαλύσῃ τὴν τυραννίδα· ὃ καὶ πεποίηκεν. τῆς δὲ τυραννίδος ἀποσπασθείσης, γίνεται Περσῶν καὶ Ῥωμαίων κατὰ τὴν Μαρτυρόπολιν πόλεμος μέγιστος. τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων δυνάμει καὶ στρατηγίᾳ καταπολεμησάντων τοὺς Πέρσας, ἀναιρεῖται ὁ τῶν Περσῶν στρατηγὸς Μαρουζᾶς. συλλαμβάνονται δὲ καὶ ζῶντες τρισχίλιοι καὶ οἱ τῶν Περσικῶν ταγμάτων ταξίαρχοι· χίλιοι δὲ μόνοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν διεσώθησαν, οἳ καὶ μετὰ κινδύνων ἐπὶ τὴν Περσίδα ἀνέστρεψαν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκπέμπουσι πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἐκ τῶν Περσικῶν λαφύρων πολλὰ καὶ τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας ἅπαντας σὺν τοῖς βάνδοις. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος ἔκτισε τὸν Καριανὸν ἔμβολον ἐν Βλαχέρναις ὑπογράψας ἐν αὐτῷ διὰ ζωγράφων τὰς ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις ἐκ παιδόθεν μέχρι τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας· καὶ ἀνεπλήρωσε καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ δημόσιον λουτρόν. Κόσμου ἔτη ϛπʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη φπʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Μαυρίκιος ἔτη κʹ. ϛʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Ὁρμίσδας ἔτη ιεʹ. ιεʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἔτη ιγʹ. ζʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἔτη κʹ. ιϛʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Εὐλόγιος ἔτη κζʹ. θʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Γρηγόριος ἔτη κδʹ. ιηʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Σεπτεμβρίῳ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ϛʹ, οἱ Λογγίβαρδοι πόλεμον κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἤραντο, καὶ τὰ τῶν Μαυρουσίων ἔθνη κατὰ τὴν Ἀφρικὴν μεγάλας ταραχὰς ἐποιήσαντο. ἐν δὲ τῇ Περσίδι φυλακὴ ὑπάρχει λεγομένη Λήθη, καὶ πολλοὺς ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς ἀπὸ