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he was securing himself. But the barbarian attempted to besiege Priscus. And Maurice, having heard these things, was at a loss what to do, but by a clever plan he outwitted the boundless force. And he persuades one of the *excubitores* with great gifts and promises to fall willingly into the hands of the barbarians. And he gives him letters for Priscus containing the following: "To the most glorious general Priscus. Do not fear the wicked attempt of the barbarians; for this has happened for their destruction. For know that the Khagan will have to return with great shame to the land granted him by the Romans. Therefore, let your glory hold out at Tzurulum, keeping them occupied. For we are sending ships by sea and are capturing their families. And he is being forced to return to his own lands with shame and loss." But the Khagan, seizing the letters and reading them, became very afraid. And having made treaties with Priscus and made peace for small and insignificant gifts, he returned to his own land in a mighty flight. Amos, bishop of Jerusalem, for 8 years. 11. 5. 12. 1. 14. 23. In this year the emperor Maurice sent Priscus with all the Roman forces to the Ister river, so that he might prevent the Sclavenian tribes from crossing over. And when he came to Dorostolon, the Khagan, having learned of it, sent out envoys to him, and accused the Romans of starting the war. But Priscus answered that "I have not come to make war against the Avars, but I was sent against the Sclavenian tribes by the emperor." But Priscus, having heard that Ardagastus had scattered the multitudes of Sclaveni for raiding, crossed the Ister 271 in the middle of the night and unexpectedly encountered Ardagastus. But Ardagastus, perceiving the danger, mounted a bareback horse and barely escaped. The Romans, having slain multitudes of Sclaveni and having cut through the land around Ardagastus and taking many captives, sent them to Byzantium by way of Tatimerus. But Tatimerus, making the journey laxly and giving himself over to drunkenness and luxury, was negligent. And on the third day, multitudes of Sclaveni attack him; and seized by cowardice, he fled and came to Byzantium. But the Romans with him, having fought stoutly against the Sclaveni, unexpectedly overcame the barbarians and brought the captives safely to the emperor in Byzantium. And the emperor, being delighted, offered hymns of thanksgiving to God with the whole city. And Priscus, taking courage, proceeded into the inner parts of the Sclaveni. And a Gepid man, being of the Christian religion, deserted to the Romans and showed the entrance to the Romans. And they overcame the barbarians; and he also said that Musocius, the king of the barbarians, was thirty units away. And by the treachery of the Gepid, Priscus crossed the river in the middle of the night and finds Musocius overcome with drunkenness. For he was celebrating the funeral feast of his own brother. And capturing him alive, he wrought great slaughter among the barbarians. And having taken many captives, they gave themselves over to luxury and drunkenness. But the barbarians, gathering together, fell upon the victors. And the retribution would have been more grievous than the preceding feat of bravery, if Genzon had not appeared with the infantry force of the Romans and with a mighty battle checked the assaults of the barbarians. And Priscus impaled those who had been entrusted with the guard duty. And at the same time Paul, the emperor's father, died in Constantinople and was buried in the imperial tombs. Likewise also Anastasia the Augusta, the mother-in-law of Maurice, and wife of Tiberius the emperor, she too was buried with Tiberius, her husband. 272 Years of the world ϛπϛʹ. Years of the divine incarnation φπϛʹ. Roman emperor Maurice for 20 years. 12. Persian king Chosroes for 39 years. 6. Bishop of Constan. John for 13 years.

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ἠσφαλίζετο. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος τὸν Πρίσκον πολιορκεῖν ἐνεχείρει. ταῦτα δὲ ἀκηκοὼς Μαυρίκιος διηπόρει, τί δρᾶσαι, εὐβουλίᾳ δὲ καταστρατηγεῖ τῆς ἀπείρου δυνάμεως· καὶ ἕνα τῶν ἐκσκουβιτόρων μεγάλαις δωρεαῖς καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι πείθει ἑκοντὶ περιπεσεῖν τοῖς βαρβάροις· καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ πρὸς Πρίσκον γράμματα περιέχοντα τάδε· "τῷ ἐνδοξοτάτῳ στρατηγῷ Πρίσκῳ. τὴν ἀλιτηρίαν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐγχείρησιν μὴ δειλιάσῃς· πρὸς γὰρ ἀπώλειαν αὐτῶν τοῦτο γέγονεν. γίνωσκε γὰρ ὅτι μετὰ πολλῆς αἰσχύνης ἔχει ὁ Χαγάνος ὑποστρέψαι εἰς τὴν ἀφιερωθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων χώραν. διὰ τοῦτο καρτερήσῃ ἡ σὴ ἐνδοξότης ἐν Τζουρουλῷ περιρέμβων αὐτούς. πέμπομεν γὰρ διὰ θαλάσσης πλοῖα καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζομεν τὰς φαμιλίας αὐτῶν. καὶ ἀναγκάζεται μετὰ αἰσχύνης καὶ ζημίας εἰς τὰ ἴδια ὑποστρέψαι." ὁ δὲ Χαγάνος κρατήσας τὰ γράμματα καὶ ἀναγνοὺς γίνεται περιδεής. καὶ συνθήκας πρὸς τὸν Πρίσκον διαθέμενος καὶ εἰρηνεύσας ἐπὶ δώροις ὀλίγοις καὶ ἀναξιολόγοις εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπανέζευξε γῆν μετὰ φυγῆς κραταιᾶς. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἀμὼς ἔτη ηʹ. ιαʹ. εʹ. ιβʹ. αʹ. ιδʹ. κγʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ Μαυρίκιος τὸν Πρίσκον σὺν πάσαις ταῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον ποταμὸν ἔπεμψεν, ὥστε τὰ Σκλαυινῶν ἔθνη διαπερᾶσαι κωλύσῃ. τούτου δὲ ἐλθόντος ἐπὶ τὸν ∆ορόστολον, ὁ Χαγάνος μαθὼν πρέσβεις ἐξέπεμψε πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ κατῃτιᾶτο Ῥωμαίους ἔναρξιν τῷ πολέμῳ διδόντας. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος ἀπελογεῖτο, ὅτι "οὐ πρὸς Ἀβάρους τὸν πόλεμον ποιῆσαι παραγέγονα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ Σκλαυινῶν ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀπεστάλην." ἀκηκοὼς δὲ ὁ Πρίσκος, ὅτι Ἀρδάγαστος τὰ πλήθη τῶν Σκλαυινῶν πρὸς τὸ πραιδεύειν διεσκόρπισεν, διαπεράσας τὸν Ἴστρον 271 μεσούσης νυκτὸς ἀδοκήτως τῷ Ἀρδαγάστῳ συνέμιξεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀρδάγαστος τοῦ κινδύνου αἰσθόμενος ἵππου τε γυμνοῦ ἐπιβὰς μόλις διασώζεται. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀνελόντες πλήθη Σκλαυινῶν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὸν Ἀρδάγαστον διατεμόντες χώραν αἰχμαλωσίας τε κρατήσαντες πολλοὺς εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἔπεμπον διὰ Τατίμερος. ὁ δὲ Τατίμερ ἐκλύτως τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενος καὶ εἰς μέθην καὶ τρυφὴν ἐπιδιδοὺς ἠμέλει. καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ πλήθη Σκλαυινῶν ἐπιτίθενται αὐτῷ· καὶ δειλίᾳ συσχεθείς, φεύγων εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἧκεν. οἱ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐγκρατῶς τοῖς Σκλαυινοῖς μαχησάμενοι κρατοῦσι τῶν βαρβάρων παραδόξως καὶ εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀποσώζουσιν· ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ εὐφρανθεὶς εὐχαριστηρίους ὕμνους μετὰ πάσης τῆς πόλεως τῷ θεῷ προσέφερεν. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος θαρρήσας εἰς τὰ ἐσώτερα μέρη τῶν Σκλαυινῶν ἐχώρει. Γήπαις δὲ ἀνὴρ τῆς θρησκείας τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὑπάρχων αὐτομολεῖ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους καὶ τὴν εἴσοδον τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπέδειξεν· καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκράτησαν· ἔφησε δὲ καὶ Μουσούκιον, τὸν ῥῆγα τῶν βαρβάρων, ἀπὸ τριάκοντα σημείων διάγειν. προδοσίᾳ δὲ τοῦ Γήπαιδος διαβὰς τὸν ποταμὸν ὁ Πρίσκος μεσούσης νυκτὸς εὑρίσκει τὸν Μουσούκιον διεφθαρμένον τῇ μέθῃ· ἐπιτάφιον γὰρ ἑορτὴν τοῦ ἰδίου ἀδελφοῦ ἑώρταζεν· καὶ τοῦτον συλλαβόμενος ζῶντα φόνον πολὺν ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις εἰργάσατο. πολλῆς δὲ αἰχμαλωσίας κρατήσαντες τρυφῇ καὶ μέθῃ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδώκασιν. συναθροισθέντες δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι τοῖς νενικηκόσιν ἐφίστανται· καὶ ἦν ἂν ἡ ἀντίδοσις χαλεπωτέρα τῆς προϋπαρξάσης ἀνδραγαθίας, εἰ μὴ ὁ Γένζων μετὰ τῆς πεζικῆς δυνάμεως τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπιστὰς μάχῃ κραταιᾷ διεκώλυσε τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν βαρβάρων. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος τοὺς τὴν φρουρὰν αὐτῷ πεπιστευμένους ἀνεσκολόπισεν. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ χρόνῳ καὶ Παῦλος, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως πατήρ, ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς μνήμασιν· ὁμοίως καὶ Ἀναστασία ἡ αὐγούστα, ἡ πενθερὰ Μαυρικίου, γυνὴ δὲ Τιβερίου τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐτάφη μετὰ Τιβερίου, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς. 272 Κόσμου ἔτη ϛπϛʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη φπϛʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Μαυρίκιος ἔτη κʹ. ιβʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη λθʹ. ϛʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἔτη ιγʹ.