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should rebel against him. With such words Bahram stirred up the troops and ignited a great tyranny against Hormisdas; and having bound Bahram with oaths, they all decreed to depose Hormisdas. 264 But Hormisdas, having armed Perochanes, his magister, sent him with a force against Bahram. But Bahram made it clear to Perochanes and the troops that Persians should not bear arms against Persians; and he reminded them of the harshness of Hormisdas, his injustice, his bloodthirstiness and love of murder, his faithlessness and arrogance and violence. Perceiving that these things were truly said, the men around Perochanes went over to Bahram, and having killed Perochanes, they were united with Bahram and marched on Ctesiphon. But Hormisdas held in bonds Bindoes, who was of great rank. And while affairs were in great turmoil, Bestan, the brother of Bindoes, rushed into the prison, brought out Bindoes his brother, and having gathered a crowd of rustics and citizens, at the third hour of the day they entered the palace; and finding Hormisdas sitting royally upon the throne, they subjected him to many insults. And Bindoes, seizing Hormisdas, took the diadem from his head and handed him over to the guard, and he urged Chosroes to take possession of his father's throne. But Hormisdas sent a messenger from the prison to the Persians, asking to speak about what was advantageous for Persia. Thus it happened on the next day, and the senate of the Persians was gathered in the palace with the multitude, and they brought Hormisdas in chains. But Hormisdas reminded the Persians that they should not commit such sins against their kings, and how many trophies he had won since he became king, and how many good deeds he had done for the Persians, and how he had made the Turks pay tribute to Persia, and the Romans to desire peace, and how he had taken Martyropolis; and he recounted the brave deeds of his fathers. He demanded that Chosroes be deposed from the kingship as being contentious and greedy and bloodthirsty, arrogant and insolent and warlike; and that he had another son, and he urged them to appoint this one as 265 king. But Bindoes spoke against Hormisdas and, bringing his mistakes to the fore, stirred everyone up against Hormisdas; and they brought forth both the wife of Hormisdas and his son; and with the † things driven in they cut them in two before the eyes of Hormisdas. And having blinded Hormisdas, they put him away in prison. And Chosroes for a time treated his father kindly in the prison, providing every comfort; but Hormisdas answered him with insults, trampling on the things sent by the king. And Chosroes, becoming angry, ordered him to be beaten on the flanks with savage clubs until he died. This grieved the Persians and instilled hatred against Chosroes. And Chosroes, having gathered forces and left the palace, came against Bahram in the plain of the river Zabas, where Bahram had his camp. But Chosroes, suspecting that some of the commanders were loyal to Bahram, killed them. And when the army was thrown into confusion, Chosroes fled with a few men; and all those around Chosroes went over to Bahram. And Chosroes was at a loss what to do, with some advising him to go to the Turks, and others to the Romans. But Chosroes, mounting his horse and letting go of the reins, ordered everyone to follow the horse's movements; and the horse moved off toward the Roman territories. And he arrived at Circesium and sent envoys to make his arrival known to the Romans. And it happened that Probus the patrician, being there, received him and reported his situation to the emperor by letter. But Bahram sent envoys to Maurice, asking him not to ally with Chosroes; and the emperor Maurice ordered the general Comentiolus to receive Chosroes at Hierapolis and with royal

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αὐτοῦ στασιάσωσιν. τοιούτοις δὲ λόγοις συμβαλὼν ὁ Βαρὰμ τὰ στρατεύματα τυραννίδα μεγάλην κατὰ Ὁρμίσδα ἐξῆψεν· καὶ ὅρκοις τὸν Βαρὰμ ὀχυρώσαντες δογματίζουσι πάντες καθελεῖν τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν. 264 ὁ δὲ Ὁρμίσδας Φεροχάνην, τὸν μάγιστρον αὐτοῦ, καθοπλίσας μετὰ δυνάμεως ἀπέστειλε κατὰ Βαράμ. ὁ δὲ Βαρὰμ ἐδήλου τῷ Φεροχάνῃ καὶ τοῖς στρατεύμασιν, ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ὅπλα κατὰ Περσῶν ἐπιφέρεσθαι Πέρσας· καὶ ὑπεμίμνησκεν αὐτοὺς τὴν τοῦ Ὁρμίσδα τραχύτητα, τὸ ἄδικον, τὸ αἱμοχαρὲς καὶ φιλόφονον, τὸ ἄπιστον καὶ ἀλαζονικόν τε καὶ βίαιον. τούτων αἰσθόμενοι ἀληθῶς εἰρημένων οἱ περὶ τὸν Φεροχάνην λαοὶ πρὸς Βαρὰμ μετατίθενται καὶ τὸν Φεροχάνην ἀνελόντες τῷ Βαρὰμ ἡνώθησαν καὶ ἐπὶ Κτησιφῶντα ὥρμησαν. ὁ δὲ Ὁρμίσδας εἶχεν ἐν δεσμοῖς Βινδόην τὸν ἐν ἀξίᾳ μεγάλῃ τελοῦντα. ἐν δὲ σάλῳ μεγάλῳ τῶν πραγμάτων ὄντων, Βεστάν, ὁ τοῦ Βινδόου ἀδελφός, εἰς τὴν φρουρὰν εἰσπηδήσας ἐξάγει Βινδόην, τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ συναθροίσαντες πλῆθος ἀγροίκων τε καὶ πολιτικῶν τρίτῃ ὥρᾳ τῆς ἡμέρας εἰσέρχονται εἰς τὰ βασίλεια· καὶ εὑρόντες τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου βασιλικῶς καθεζόμενον, ὕβρεσι τοῦτον πολλαῖς καθυπέβαλον. ὁ δὲ Βινδόης κρατήσας τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν ἀφείλατο τὸ διάδημα ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς φρουρὰν τοῦτον παρέδωκεν, παρεκάλει δὲ Χοσρόην τοῦ πατρῴου θρόνου ἀνθέξεσθαι. ὁ δὲ Ὁρμίσδας ἐκ τῆς φρουρᾶς ἄγγελον ἐξέπεμψε τοῖς Πέρσαις αἰτούμενος λαλῆσαι τὰ συμφέροντα τῇ Περσίδι. γίνεται τοίνυν τῇ ἐπαύριον, καὶ συνηθροίσθη ἡ σύγκλητος τῶν Περσῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις σὺν τῷ πλήθει, καὶ ἄγουσι τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν δέσμιον. ὁ δὲ Ὁρμίσδας ἀνεμίμνησκε Πέρσας, ὡς οὐ δεῖ περὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τοιαῦτα ἐξαμαρτάνειν, καὶ ὅσα, ἀφ' οὗ ἐβασίλευσεν, τρόπαια πεποίηκεν, καὶ ὅσα εὐεργέτησε Πέρσας, καὶ ὅπως Τούρκους τῇ Περσίδι φόρους τελεῖν πεποίηκεν, Ῥωμαίους δὲ εἰρήνης ἐρᾷν, καὶ ὅπως τὴν Μαρτυρόπολιν παρέλαβεν· καὶ τὰς πατρῴας ἀριστείας ἐξήγγειλεν. ἠξίου δὲ ἀποχειροτονηθῆναι Χοσρόην τῆς βασιλείας ὡς φιλόδικον καὶ ἄπληστον καὶ αἱμοχαρῆ, ὑπεροπτικόν τε καὶ ὑβριστὴν καὶ φιλοπόλεμον· ὑπεῖναι δὲ αὐτῷ ἄλλον παῖδα, καὶ τοῦτον εἰς 265 βασιλέα προχειρίσασθαι παρεκάλει. Βινδόης δὲ πρὸς τὸν Ὁρμίσδαν ἀντέλεγε καὶ τὰ τούτου σφάλματα εἰς μέσον προβαλλόμενος πάντας διήγειρε κατὰ Ὁρμίσδα· καὶ ἄγουσιν εἰς μέσον τήν τε γυναῖκα Ὁρμίσδα καὶ τὸν υἱόν· καὶ τοῖς † προσειωθόσιν ἐπ' ὄψεσιν Ὁρμίσδα τούτους ἐδιχοτόμησαν. τὸν δὲ Ὁρμίσδαν τυφλώσαντες τῇ φρουρᾷ ἐναπέθεντο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Χοσρόης ἄχρι τινὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐφιλοφρόνησεν ἐν τῇ φρουρᾷ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν παρέχων· ὁ δὲ Ὁρμίσδας ὕβρεσι τοῦτον ἠμείβετο καταπατῶν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πεμπόμενα. ὀργισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Χοσρόης ῥοπάλοις ἀγρίοις ἐκέλευσε κατὰ τῶν λαγόνων τυπτόμενον τοῦτον ἀποθανεῖν. τοῦτο δὲ ἐλύπησε τοὺς Πέρσας καὶ μῖσος κατὰ τοῦ Χοσρόου ἐνέθηκεν. Χοσρόης δὲ συναθροίσας δυνάμεις, τῶν βασιλείων ὑπεξελθὼν κατὰ τοῦ Βαρὰμ παρεγένετο ἐν πεδίῳ τοῦ Ζάβα ποταμοῦ, ἔνθα Βαρὰμ τὸν χάρακα εἶχεν. ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Χοσρόης, ὅτι τινὲς τῶν ἀρχόντων πρόσκεινται τῷ Βαράμ, τούτους ἐφόνευσεν. ταραχθέντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀποδιδράσκει Χοσρόης μετά τινων ὀλίγων· καὶ πάντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Χοσρόην τῷ Βαρὰμ προσεχώρησαν. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης ἠπόρει, τί δρᾶσαι, ἐνίων μὲν συμβουλευόντων αὐτῷ πρὸς Τούρκους χωρεῖν, ἑτέρων δὲ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης τοῦ ἵππου ἐπιβὰς καὶ τὸν χαλινὸν ἐάσας προστάττει πᾶσιν ἕπεσθαι τοῖς τοῦ ἵππου κινήμασιν· ὁ δὲ ἵππος ἐπὶ τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ μέρη ἀπεκίνησεν. καὶ πρὸς τὸ Κερκέσιον παραγίνεται καὶ πρέσβεις ἐκπέμπει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἄφιξιν Ῥωμαίοις κατάδηλον ποιούμενος. ἔτυχε δὲ Πρόβον τὸν πατρίκιον ἐκεῖ ὄντα τοῦτον ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων τῷ βασιλεῖ μηνῦσαι τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Βαρὰμ ἀπέστειλε πρέσβεις πρὸς Μαυρίκιον αἰτούμενος μὴ συμμαχῆσαι τῷ Χοσρόῃ· κελεύει δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Μαυρίκιος Κομεντιόλῳ στρατηγῷ εἰς Ἱεράπολιν τὸν Χοσρόην ὑποδέξασθαι καὶ βασιλικαῖς