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Anastasius, bishop of Antioch, for 6 years. 6. In this year, in the 3rd indiction, in the month of March, Priscus, having taken up his forces, arrives at Singidunum. But the Khagan, having gathered his own force, suddenly attacks Moesia and attempts to take the city of Tomis. For this reason Priscus, leaving Singidunum, approached him. When the festival of Easter arrived, and the Romans were wasting away from hunger, the Khagan, having heard of it, indicated to Priscus to send wagons to him, so that he might send them provisions, in order that they might celebrate their festival with cheerfulness. Therefore, having filled four hundred wagons, he sent them to them; likewise Priscus also sent back some Indian goods to the barbarian, both pepper and Indian leaf and costus and cassia and other desired things, while the Khagan was staying at Sirmium; and having received these, he was pleased with them; and until the festival was completed, both the Romans and the barbarians encamped together, and there was no fear in either army; but when the festival was completed, the barbarians separated from the Romans. And Maurice, ostensibly to assist Priscus, sent Comentiolus with an infantry force. Learning this, the Khagan campaigns against Comentiolus in Moesia, from 30 miles away from Comentiolus. And Comentiolus secretly sent a messenger to the Khagan. But some say that Maurice suggested to Comentiolus that he should deliver the Roman army to battle because of their insubordination. At midnight 279 he ordered the army to arm, not revealing to the troops that they were about to join battle. But they, supposing that he ordered them to bear arms for the sake of an exercise, did not arm themselves as they should have. But when day came, and the barbarians arrived, a great tumult seized the army; and Comentiolus threw the ranks into confusion and became for them the cause of disorder. Thus, then, the Romans turned to flight, and the barbarians, finding the people without a general, slew them mercilessly. And Comentiolus comes to Drizipera in shameful flight; and the people of the city, assailing him with insults and stones, send him away from the town. And the barbarians, coming to Drizipera, both sacked the city and burned the church of Saint Alexander, and finding his tomb covered in silver, they impiously plunder it, having also outraged the body of the martyr; and having taken many captives in Thrace, they feasted splendidly, mocking the Romans. When Comentiolus arrived in Byzantium, the greatest disturbance and turmoil descended upon the city; so that in their fear they wished to abandon Europe and relocate to Asia in Chalcedon. But the emperor, taking up the Excubitors and gathering a crowd of hoplites, guarded the Long Walls. And the demes guarded the city; and the senate advised the emperor to send an embassy to the Khagan. But God, taking vengeance for the martyr Alexander, sent a pestilential disease upon the barbarians; and in one day he killed seven sons of the Khagan by fever and buboes, along with many other crowds; so that instead of triumphal joy and paeans and songs, the barbarian had lamentations and tears and inconsolable grief. And the senate urged the Caesar to send an embassy to the Khagan. And the emperor sent Harmatzon with many gifts to the Khagan at Drizipera, who flattered the barbarian with gentle words. But the barbarian did not wish to accept the gifts, being overcome with 280 unbearable grief for his children. He said to the ambassador: "God will judge between me and Maurice the emperor; for he himself broke the peace; and I will give him back the captives, receiving from him one nomisma per soul." But Maurice did not consent to give it; and again the Khagan asked for half each

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Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἀναστάσιος ἔτη ϛʹ. ϛʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει, ἰνδικτιῶνος γʹ, μηνὶ Μαρτίῳ, ἀναλαβὼν τὰς δυνάμεις ὁ Πρίσκος ἐπὶ τὴν Σιγγιδόνα παραγίνεται. ὁ δὲ Χαγάνος συναθροίσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἄφνω τῇ Μυσίᾳ ἐφίσταται καὶ τὴν Τομέαν πόλιν ἐνεχείρει λαβεῖν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Πρίσκος τὴν Σιγγιδόνα καταλιπὼν τούτῳ ἐπλησίασεν. τῆς δὲ ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα καταλαβούσης, καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων λιμῷ τηκομένων, ἀκηκοὼς ὁ Χαγάνος τῷ Πρίσκῳ ἐδήλου ἁμάξας ἐκπέμψαι πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅπως δαπανήματα ἀποστείλῃ αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μετὰ ἱλαρότητος τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἑορτὴν ἐκπληρώσωσιν. τετρακοσίας τοίνυν ἁμάξας πληρώσας τούτοις ἐξέπεμψεν· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Πρίσκος εἴδη τινὰ Ἰνδικὰ ἀντέπεμψε τῷ βαρβάρῳ, πέπερί τε καὶ φύλλον Ἰνδικὸν καὶ κόστον καὶ κασσίαν καὶ ἕτερα τῶν ἐπιζητουμένων, καθεζομένου τοῦ Χαγάνου εἰς τὸ Σέρμιον· καὶ ταῦτα δεξάμενος ἥσθη ἐπ' αὐτοῖς· καὶ μέχρι τοῦ πληρωθῆναι τὴν ἑορτὴν Ῥωμαῖοί τε καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀλλήλοις συνηυλίζοντο, καὶ οὐκ ἦν φόβος ἐν ἑκατέραις δυνάμεσιν· τῆς δὲ ἑορτῆς πληρωθείσης διαχωρίζονται ἀπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ βάρβαροι. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος ἐπὶ συνάρσει δῆθεν τοῦ Πρίσκου Κομεντίολον ἀπέστειλε μετὰ πεζικῆς δυνάμεως. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Χαγάνος ἐπὶ τὴν Μυσίαν κατὰ Κομεντιόλου στρατεύεται ἀπὸ λʹ σημείων τοῦ Κομεντιόλου. ὁ δὲ Κομεντίολος ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ ἄγγελον πρὸς τὸν Χαγάνον ἐξέπεμψεν. φασὶ δέ τινες τὸν Μαυρίκιον ὑποθέσθαι τῷ Κομεντιόλῳ, ὅπως τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν στράτευμα παραδώσῃ πολέμοις διὰ τὰς ἀταξίας αὐτῶν. νυκτὸς δὲ μεσούσης 279 ἐκέλευσε τὸν στρατὸν ὁπλίσασθαι, μὴ παραγυμνώσας τοῖς ὄχλοις μέλλειν πόλεμον συστήσασθαι. αὐτοὶ δὲ ὑπειληφότες, ὅτι γυμνασίας ἕνεκεν σιδηροφορεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευσεν, οὐχ ὡς ἔδει ὡπλίσαντο. ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης, καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων καταλαβόντων, θρῦλος πολὺς τὸν στρατὸν κατέλαβεν· ὁ δὲ Κομεντίολος τὰς τάξεις ἐτάραττε καὶ αἴτιος αὐτοῖς ἀκαταστασίας ἐγένετο. οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς φυγὴν ἐτρέποντο, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἀστρατήγητον τὸν λαὸν εὑρηκότες ἀνηλεῶς τούτους ἐφόνευον. ὁ δὲ Κομεντίολος ἀσχήμῳ φυγῇ ἐπὶ τὰ ∆ριζίπερα γίνεται· οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ὕβρεσι καὶ λίθοις βάλλοντες αὐτὸν τοῦ ἄστεως ἀποπέμπουσιν. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἐπὶ τὰ ∆ριζίπερα ἐλθόντες τήν τε πόλιν ἐπόρθησαν καὶ τὸν ναὸν τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀλεξάνδρου ἐνέπρησαν, τόν τε τάφον αὐτοῦ ἠργυρωμένον εὑρόντες ἀνοσίως σκυλεύουσιν, καθυβρίσαντες καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ μάρτυρος· καὶ πολλὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ ποιησάμενοι εὐωχοῦντο λαμπρῶς Ῥωμαίων κατεπαιρόμενοι. τοῦ δὲ Κομεντιόλου ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καταλαβόντος, μέγιστος τάραχος καὶ κλύδων τῇ πόλει ἐνέσκηψεν· ὥστε φοβηθέντας βούλεσθαι τὴν Εὐρώπην καταλιπεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐν Χαλκηδόνι μετοικισθῆναι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τά τε ἐκσκούβιτα ἀναλαβὼν καὶ ὁπλιτικὸν συλλεξάμενος ὅμιλον τὰ Μακρὰ διεφρούρησε τείχη. οἱ δὲ δῆμοι τὴν πόλιν ἐφύλαττον· καὶ ἡ σύγκλητος παρῄνει τὸν βασιλέα πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν Χαγάνον ἐκπέμψαι. ὁ δὲ θεὸς τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τοῦ μάρτυρος Ἀλεξάνδρου ποιούμενος λοιμικὴν νόσον τοῖς βαρβάροις ἔπεμψεν· καὶ ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ ἑπτὰ υἱοὺς τοῦ Χαγάνου διὰ πυρετοῦ καὶ βουβῶνος ἀπέκτεινε σὺν πολλοῖς ἄλλοις ὄχλοις· ὥστε ἀντὶ χαρᾶς ἐπινικίου καὶ παιάνων καὶ ᾀσμάτων θρήνους καὶ δάκρυα καὶ πένθη ἀπαρηγόρητα ἔχειν τὸν βάρβαρον. ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος παρεκάλει τὸν καίσαρα πρεσβεῦσαι πρὸς τὸν Χαγάνον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν Ἁρμάτζωνα ἀπέστειλε μετὰ δώρων πολλῶν πρὸς τὸν Χαγάνον εἰς τὰ ∆ριζίπερα, ὅστις λόγοις ἠπίοις τὸν βάρβαρον ἐκολάκευεν. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος οὐκ ἠβούλετο τὰ δῶρα δέξασθαι, θρήνῳ 280 ἀσχέτῳ τῶν παίδων κατεχόμενος. ἔφασκε δὲ πρὸς τὸν πρέσβιν· "κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς ἀναμέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ Μαυρικίου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος· αὐτὸς γὰρ τὴν εἰρήνην διέλυσεν· ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀποδίδωμι αὐτῷ κατὰ ψυχὴν νόμισμα ἓν κομιζόμενος παρ' αὐτοῦ." ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος οὐκ ἠνέσχετο δοῦναι· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χαγάνος ᾐτήσατο ἀνὰ ἡμίσους