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by Kavadh, king of the Persians, to perform both sacrifices and all the Persian customs, but as soon as his father Damnazes died, he immediately went up to the emperor Justin in Byzantium, and giving himself up, he beseeched him to be proclaimed king of the Lazi. And being received by the emperor he was enlightened, and having become a Christian he married a Roman woman, the granddaughter of Nomus the patrician, named Valeriana. And he took her with him to his own country, having been crowned by Justin, emperor of the Romans, and wearing a Roman imperial crown and a white, all-silk chlamys, which had, instead of a purple tablion, a golden imperial tablion, on which was in the middle a true bust, having the image of the same emperor Justin, and a white tunic with a purple border, also having golden imperial embroidery, likewise having the image of the same emperor; for the boots, which he wore, he had brought from his own country, having pearls in the Persian style; likewise also his belt was made of pearls. And he and his wife Valeriana also received many other gifts from the same emperor Justin. And when Kavadh the king of the Persians learned this, he declared these things through an ambassador to the 414 emperor Justin: "While friendship and peace are being spoken of and made between us, you do the deeds of enemies. For behold, you yourself have appointed the king of the Lazi, my subject, who is not under the Roman administration, but under the Persian state from of old." And to these things, Justin the emperor of the Romans replied through an ambassador, "We have neither received nor instigated anyone subject to your kingdom, but a certain man named Tzathius came to our palace and falling before us begged to be delivered from the Hellenic doctrine and impious sacrifices and the error of demons and to become a Christian, deeming himself worthy of the power of the eternal God and creator of all things. And hinder one who wishes to come to a better state and to know the true God? We urge that having become a Christian and been deemed worthy of the heavenly mysteries we sent him away to his own country. And from this arose enmity between the Romans and the Persians. And the king of the Persians at the same time incited a king of the Huns named Zilbigi; about whom Justin the emperor heard, that formerly he himself had incited him to aid the Romans; for he had sent him both many gifts and had received a treaty from him with an oath, when he heard that he had gone over to the king of the Persians, he was exceedingly grieved. And the same 415 Hun, incited by Kavadh king of the Persians came against the Romans with twenty thousand, being obliged to make war on the Romans. But the most divine Justin declared through an ambassador to king Kavadh, with his friendly response for the sake of peace, as if writing about something else, he says, the transgression and perjury of the same king Zilbigi, and that he had received money from the Romans against the Persians, being obliged to betray them and at the time of battle to fight as an ally for the Romans, and that we, being brothers, ought to speak in friendship and not be mocked by these dogs. And when the king of the Persians recognized these things, he questioned Zilbigi, having said: "Did you receive gifts from the Romans, being incited against the Persians?" And Zilbigi spoke the truth and confessed. And Kavadh the king of the Persians was angered, and he killed him, suspecting that he had come to him with treachery, and he slew many of his people by night, having sent a great multitude against them, who were unaware that the multitude was sent against them by the king of the Persians, but as if, he says, from another country, they fell upon the Huns and their king; and the rest of the Huns who were saved fled. And so it seemed good to king Kavadh to speak about treaties of peace, having declared it through Labroius

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ἀπὸ Κωάδου, βασιλέως Περσῶν, ποιῆσαι καὶ θυσίας καὶ πάντα τὰ ἤθη τὰ Περσικά, ἢ μόνον ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ αὐτοῦ πατὴρ ∆αμνάζης, εὐθέως ἀνῆλθε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἰουστῖνον ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ, καὶ αὑτὸν ἐκδοὺς παρεκάλεσεν αὐτὸν ἀναγορευθῆναι βασιλέα Λαζῶν. καὶ δεχθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφωτίσθη, καὶ χριστιανὸς γενόμενος ἠγάγετο γυναῖκα Ῥωμαίαν, τὴν ἐκγόνην Νόμου τοῦ πατρικίου, ὀνόματι Οὐαλεριανήν. καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν αὑτοῦ χώραν, στεφθεὶς παρὰ Ἰουστίνου, βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων, καὶ φορέσας στεφάνιον Ῥωμαϊκὸν βασιλικὸν καὶ χλαμύδα ἄσπρον ὁλοσήρικον, ἔχον ἀντὶ πορφυροῦ ταβλίου χρυσοῦν βασιλικὸν ταβλίον, ἐν ᾧ ὑπῆρχεν ἐν μέσῳ στηθάριον ἀληθινόν, ἔχοντα τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως Ἰουστίνου, καὶ στιχάριον δὲ ἄσπρον παραγαύδιον, καὶ αὐτὸ ἔχον χρυσᾶ πλουμία βασιλικά, ὡσαύτως ἔχοντα τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως· τὰ γὰρ ζταγγία, ἃ ἐφόρει, ἦν ἀγαγὼν ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ χώρας, ἔχοντα μαργαρίτας Περσικῷ σχήματι· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ ζώνη αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχε διὰ μαργαριτῶν. καὶ ἄλλα δὲ ἔλαβε δῶρα πολλὰ παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως Ἰουστίνου καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Οὐαλεριανή. Καὶ γνοὺς τοῦτο Κωάδης ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν ἐδήλωσε τῷ 414 βασιλεῖ Ἰουστίνῳ διὰ πρεσβευτοῦ ταῦτα, ὅτι Φιλίας καὶ εἰρήνης ἀναμεταξὺ ἡμῶν λαλουμένης καὶ γινομένης τὰ ἐχθρῶν πράττεις. ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὸν ὑποκείμενόν μοι βασιλέα Λαζῶν αὐτὸς προεχειρίσω, μὴ ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων διοίκησιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὴν Περσῶν πολιτείαν ἐξ αἰῶνος. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀντεδήλωσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων Ἰουστῖνος διὰ πρεσβευτοῦ, Ἡμεῖς τινα τῶν ὑποκειμένων τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ βασιλείᾳ οὔτε προσελαβόμεθα οὔτε προετρεψάμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐλθὼν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τις ὀνόματι Ζτάθιος εἰς τὰ ἡμέτερα βασίλεια ἐδεήθη προσπίπτων ἡμῖν ῥυσθῆναι τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ δόγματος καὶ θυσιῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ δαιμόνων πλάνης καὶ γενέσθαι χριστιανός, ἀξιούμενος τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ αἰωνίου θεοῦ καὶ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων. καὶ κωλῦσαι τὸν βουλόμενον εἰς βελτίονα τάξιν ἐλθεῖν καὶ γνῶναι θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἡμεῖς προτρεπόμεθα ὥστε χριστιανὸν αὐτὸν γενόμενον καὶ ἀξιωθέντα τῶν ἐπουρανίων μυστηρίων εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπελύσαμεν χώραν. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐκ τούτου ἔχθρα μεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Περσῶν. Καὶ προετρέψατο ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ῥῆγα τῶν Οὕννων ὀνόματι Ζιλγιβί· περὶ οὗ ἀκούσας Ἰουστῖνος ὁ βασιλεύς, ὅτι πρῴην μὲν αὐτὸς ἦν προτρεψάμενος αὐτὸν πρὸς βοήθειαν Ῥωμαίων· πέμψας γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ δῶρα πολλὰ καὶ σύνταξιν παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβὼν μεθ' ὅρκου, ἀκούσας ὅτι προσεῤῥύη τῷ βασιλεῖ Περσῶν, ἐλυπήθη σφόδρα. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς 415 Οὗννος, προτραπεὶς ὑπὸ Κωάδου βασιλέως Περσῶν ἦλθε κατὰ Ῥωμαίων μετὰ εἴκοσι χιλιάδων, ὀφείλων πολεμῆσαι Ῥωμαίοις. ὁ δὲ θειότατος Ἰουστῖνος ἐδήλωσε διὰ πρεσβευτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωάδῃ μετὰ φιλικῆς αὐτοῦ ἀποκρίσεως ἕνεκεν εἰρήνης, ὡς ἐπ' ἄλλῳ τινὶ γράψας, φησί, τὴν τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ζιλγιβὶ ῥηγὸς παραβασίαν καὶ ἐπιορκίαν, καὶ ὅτι παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκομίσατο χρήματα κατὰ Περσῶν, ὀφείλων αὐτοὺς προδοῦναι καὶ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς συμβολῆς ὑπὲρ Ῥωμαίων συμμαχεῖν, καὶ ὅτι δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἀδελφοὺς ὄντας εἰς φιλίαν λαλεῖν καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν κυνῶν τούτων παίζεσθαι. καὶ ἐπιγνοὺς ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν, ἐπηρώτησε τὸν Ζιλγιβίν, εἰρηκὼς ὅτι ∆ῶρα ἔλαβες παρὰ Ῥωμαίων προτραπεὶς κατὰ Περσῶν; καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ζιλγιβὶς τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ ὡμολόγησε. καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν Κωάδης, καὶ ἐφόνευσεν αὐτόν, ὑπονοήσας ὅτι δόλῳ ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ πολλοὺς τοῦ ὄχλου αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς ἀνεῖλε, πέμψας κατ' αὐτῶν πλῆθος πολύ, ἀγνοούντων ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Περσῶν ἐπέμφθη κατ' αὐτῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ἀλλὰ ὡς ἀπὸ ἄλλης χώρας, φησίν, ἐπελθόντων τοῖς Οὕννοις καὶ τῷ ῥηγὶ αὐτῶν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν Οὕννων οἱ περισωθέντες ἔφυγον. καὶ ἔδοξε λοιπὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς Κωάδης λαλεῖν περὶ πάκτων εἰρήνης, δηλώσας διὰ Λαβροΐου