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to receive per soul; and not even so did the emperor deign to give, but not even four keratia to receive. And the Khagan, angered, killed them all and returned to his own lands, having imposed upon the Romans fifty thousand gold pieces in the treaty; and they agreed not to cross the Ister river. From this, much hatred was stirred up against Maurice the emperor, and they began to assail him with insults; likewise also the people in Thrace were moved to insult the emperor. And the army sent envoys to the emperor against Comentiolus, on the grounds that he had committed treason in the war, among whom was also Phocas, who, speaking with the emperor, fiercely contradicted him in the silentium, so that one of the patricians struck him with a mace and pulled his beard. But the emperor did not accept the people's accusation against Comentiolus, but sent them away empty-handed. For this reason also the plot against the emperor began. And at this time in Egypt in the Nile river, as Menas the prefect was traveling with people in a place called the Delta, at sunrise, anthropomorphic creatures appeared in the river, both a man and a woman. And the man was broad-chested and striking in appearance, with blond, graying hair, and he bared his nature down to the loins and was shown naked to all; but the water covered the other parts of his body. The prefect put him under oath not to end the spectacle until all had their fill of this strange sight. The woman had breasts and a smooth face, and thick hair. And until the 9th hour all the people marveled281 seeing these creatures. But at the 9th hour they sank into the river. And Menas wrote these things to the emperor Maurice. Year of the world 6093. Year of the divine incarnation 593. Emperor of the Romans, Maurice, 20 years. 19th. Emperor of the Persians, Chosroes, 39 years. 13th. Bishop of Constantinople, Cyriacus, 11 years. 7th. Bishop of Jerusalem, Isacius, 8 years. 1st. Bishop of Alexandria, Eulogius, 27 years. 22nd. Bishop of Antioch, Anastasius, 9 years. 1st. In this year, on the 26th of the month of March, in the 4th indiction, on the day of holy Pascha, Sophia the augusta, the wife of Justin, together with Constantina, the wife of Maurice, having had a very precious crown made, presented it to the emperor. But the emperor, having seen it, went into the church and offered it to God and hung it above the holy table by means of a triple chain of jewels and gold. And the augustae were greatly grieved when they learned this, and Constantina the augusta spent the feast in a fight with the emperor. But the emperor, not heeding the accusations of the armies in Thrace against Comentiolus, this same Comentiolus, taking command of the army, comes to the Ister and joins with Priscus at Singidunum; and the peace with the Avars is broken. When this was broken, they come to Viminacium, which is a great island of the Ister. And the Khagan, hearing these things, gathered his own forces and proceeds against the Roman territories; and handing over other forces to his four sons, he appointed them to guard the crossings of the Ister. And the Romans, having made rafts, swam across the river and joined battle with the sons of the Khagan, with Priscus as general. For Comentiolus, having fallen ill, remained on the island of Viminacium. And when the battle had raged for many hours, and the sun was set282ting, and three hundred Romans had been killed, four thousand of the barbarians perished. And at dawn, having again drawn up the armies, they began the battle again and again killed eight thousand of the barbarians. Likewise also on the third day, having drawn up for battle, the Romans advanced against the barbarians from the higher ground, and routing them and pushing the Avars into the waters of the lake, they drowned many of them; among whom the sons of the Khagan were also drowned; and the Romans won a conspicuous victory. But the Khagan

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λαβεῖν κατὰ ψυχήν· καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς δοῦναι κατεδέξατο, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τεσσάρων κερατίων λαβεῖν. καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὁ Χαγάνος πάντας ἀπέκτεινε καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἴδια ἀνέζευξεν, πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας χρυσῶν ταῖς σπονδαῖς τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιθείς· καὶ τὸν Ἴστρον ποταμὸν μὴ διαβαίνειν ὡμολόγησαν. ἐκ τούτου πολὺ μῖσος ἐκινήθη κατὰ Μαυρικίου τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἤρξαντο λοιδορίαις τοῦτον βάλλειν· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ πρὸς λοιδορίαν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκινήθη. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ἐντολικαρίους ἀπέπεμψε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κατὰ Κομεντιόλου ὡς προδοσίαν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ποιήσαντος, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ Φωκᾶς, ὅστις τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλεγόμενος βρυερῶς τούτῳ ἀντέλεγεν ἐν τῷ σελεντίῳ, ὥστε τινὰ τῶν πατρικίων τοῦτον ματζῶσαι καὶ τὸν πώγωνα αὐτοῦ τίλαι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς οὐ κατεδέξατο τὴν κατὰ Κομεντιόλου τοῦ λαοῦ ἔγκλησιν, ἀλλὰ τούτους ἀπράκτους ἀπέλυσεν. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀρχὴν ἐλάμβανεν. κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν τῷ Νείλῳ ποταμῷ, Μηνᾶ τοῦ ἐπάρχου μετὰ λαοῦ πορευομένου ἐν τόπῳ ἐπιλεγομένῳ ∆ῆλτα, ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος, ζῶα ἀνθρωπόμορφα ἐφάνησαν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, ἀνήρ τε καὶ γυνή. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ εὔστερνος καταπληκτικός τε τὴν ὄψιν, ξανθὸς τὴν κόμην, μιξοπόλιος, καὶ μέχρι τῆς ὀσφύος ἐγύμνου τὴν φύσιν καὶ πᾶσιν ἐδείκνυτο γυμνός· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μέρη τοῦ σώματος τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκάλυπτεν. τοῦτον ὁ ἔπαρχος ὅρκοις ἔβαλεν, μὴ καταλῦσαι τὴν θεωρίαν, πρὶν ἅπαντες ἐμφορηθῶσι τῆς παραδόξου ταύτης ὁράσεως. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τούς τε μαζοὺς εἶχε καὶ τὴν ὄψιν λείαν, καὶ τὴν κόμην βαθεῖαν. καὶ μέχρις ὥρας θʹ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐθαύ281 μαζεν ὁρῶν τὰ ζῶα ταῦτα. τῇ δὲ θʹ ὥρᾳ ἔδυσαν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ. ὁ δὲ Μηνᾶς ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ Μαυρικίῳ γεγράφηκεν. Κόσμου ἔτη ϛϟγʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη φϟγʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Μαυρίκιος ἔτη κʹ. ιθʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη λθʹ. ιγʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Κυριακὸς ἔτη ιαʹ. ζʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἰσάκιος ἔτη ηʹ. αʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Εὐλόγιος ἔτη κζʹ. κβʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἀναστάσιος ἔτη θʹ. αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Μαρτίῳ κϛʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος δʹ, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου πάσχα Σοφία ἡ αὐγούστα, ἡ γυνὴ Ἰουστίνου, ἅμα Κωνσταντίνῃ, τῇ γυναικὶ Μαυρικίου, στέμμα κατασκευάσασαι ὑπέρτιμον τῷ βασιλεῖ προσήγαγον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο θεασάμενος, ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῷ θεῷ τοῦτο προσήγαγε καὶ ἐκρέμασεν αὐτὸ ἐπάνω τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης διὰ τριχαλάστου ἁλυσιδίου διαλίθου καὶ χρυσοῦ. αἱ δὲ αὐγούσται μεγάλως ἐλυπήθησαν τοῦτο μαθοῦσαι, καὶ ἐν μάχῃ Κωνσταντῖνα ἡ αὐγούστα πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐποίησεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μὴ προσχὼν τὰς ἐγκλήσεις τῶν ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ στρατευμάτων κατὰ Κομεντιόλου, ὁ αὐτὸς Κομεντίολος ἀναλαβὼν τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον καὶ ἑνοῦται τῷ Πρίσκῳ ἐν Σιγγιδόνι· καὶ λύεται ἡ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀβάρους εἰρήνη. ταύτης λυθείσης, ἔρχονται εἰς τὸ Βιμηνάκιον, ἥτις ἐστὶ νῆσος μεγάλη τοῦ Ἴστρου. ταῦτα δὲ ἀκούσας ὁ Χαγάνος, συναθροίσας τὰς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ χωρεῖ· τοῖς δὲ τέσσαρσιν αὐτοῦ υἱοῖς παραδοὺς ἑτέρας δυνάμεις παρέστησε φρουρεῖν τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ Ἴστρου. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι σχεδίας ποιήσαντες τὸν ποταμὸν διενήξαντο καὶ πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Χαγάνου συνεστήσαντο, Πρίσκου στρατηγοῦντος. ὁ γὰρ Κομεντίολος ἀσθενήσας εἰς τὸ Βιμηνάκιον τὴν νῆσον ἐκαθέζετο. ἐπὶ πολλὰς δὲ ὥρας τοῦ πολέμου κρατήσαντος, καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου δύ282 ναντος, τριακοσίων τε Ῥωμαίων ἀναιρεθέντων, χιλιάδες τέσσαρες ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων διώλοντο. ἕωθεν δὲ πάλιν συντάξαντες τὰ στρατεύματα πάλιν τοῦ πολέμου ἀπήρξαντο καὶ πάλιν ὀκτὼ χιλιάδας τῶν βαρβάρων ἀνεῖλον. ὁμοίως καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ παραταξάμενοι ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐχώρησαν, καὶ τούτους τρέψαντες καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα τῆς λίμνης τοὺς Ἀβάρους ὠθήσαντες πολλοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπέπνιξαν· ἐν οἷς καὶ οἱ τοῦ Χαγάνου παῖδες ἀπεπνίγησαν· καὶ νίκην οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι περιφανῆ ἀνεδήσαντο. ὁ δὲ Χαγάνος