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multitudes of barbarians having Apsech as their general. And Peter sent an ambassador to Apsech concerning peace. But Apsech attempted to take the Cataracts from the Romans; and the Khagan advanced against Constantiola. And the Romans returned to Thrace and arrived at Adrianople. And the emperor, learning that the Khagan was coming against Byzantium, writes to Peter to return to the Ister, and sends Bonosus the scribe with a fleet to transport the people. And Peter, having sent Guduin the sub-general across the Ister, took many captives; learning these things, the Khagan sent Apsech with a multitude, in order to destroy the nation of the Antes as an ally of the Romans. And when this was done, a portion of the barbarians deserted to the Romans. And Maurice, coming to his senses and knowing that nothing escapes God, but that he repays all according to their works, and considering the error which he had made concerning the captives by not ransoming them, judged it better to receive the penalty for the sin in this life, and not in the one to come; and having written down prayers, he sent to all the patriarchal thrones and all the cities under him and to the monasteries in the desert and in Jerusalem and to the lauras money and wax and incense, so that they might pray for him, that he might receive his due here, 285 and not in the age to come. And he was also suspicious of Philippicus, his son-in-law, as being named with the letter phi. But Philippicus swore in various ways to the emperor that he was pure in his service and held no deceit towards him. And as Maurice was beseeching God to have mercy on his soul, one night while he was sleeping he saw a vision, that he was standing at the Brazen Gate of the palace by the icon of the Savior, and a [great] crowd was standing with him; and a voice came from the image of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, saying: "Give me Maurice." And the ministers of justice, seizing him, presented him at the porphyry omphalion there. And the divine voice said to him: "Where do you wish me to repay you? Here, or in the age to come?" And he, upon hearing, said: "O philanthropic master, just judge, here rather, and not in the age to come." And the divine voice commanded that Maurice and [Constantina], his wife, and their children and all his kindred be handed over to Phocas the soldier. Therefore, Maurice, having awakened and called his chamberlain, sent him to Philippicus, his son-in-law, to bring him in haste to the emperor. And the chamberlain, having gone, called him. And he, having arisen and called his wife, embraced her, saying: "Farewell, you will see me no more." But she cried out with weeping in a loud voice to the chamberlain, saying: "I adjure you by God, what is the matter, for which he seeks him at this hour?" And he swore that he did not know, and that "the emperor, having suddenly risen from sleep, sent me." And Philippicus asked to receive communion and so he went to the emperor. But his wife Gordia lay on the ground, wailing and weeping and beseeching God. And Philippicus, having entered the imperial bedchamber, threw himself at the feet of the emperor. And the emperor says to him: "Forgive me, for God's sake, for I have sinned against you. For until now I was suspicious of you." And having ordered the chamberlain to go out, he rose and fell at the feet of Philippicus, saying: "Forgive me; for 286 I know for certain that you have in no way sinned against me. But tell me, what soldier named Phocas do you know in our regiments?" And Philippicus, having thought, says to him: "I know one, who a short time ago was sent as a messenger from the army and spoke against your majesty." And the emperor said: "What is his appearance?" And Philippicus said: "Rather young, insolent and cowardly." Then Maurice says: "If he is cowardly,

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βαρβάρων πλήθη τὸν Ἀψὴχ στρατηγὸν ἔχοντα. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸν Ἀψὴχ πρεσβευτὴν περὶ εἰρήνης. ὁ δὲ Ἀψὴχ τοὺς Καταράκτας ἐκ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπεχείρει λαβεῖν· καὶ ὁ Χαγάνος ἐπὶ τὴν Κωνσταντίολαν ἐχώρησεν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐπανέζευξαν καὶ εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν ἀφίκοντο. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μαθών, ὅτι ὁ Χαγάνος κατὰ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἐπέρχεται, γράφει τῷ Πέτρῳ εἰς τὸν Ἴστρον ὑποστρέψαι, καὶ ἀποστέλλει Βώνοσον τὸν σκρίβωνα μετὰ ναυτιλίας τοῦ διαπερᾶναι τὸν λαόν. ἀποστείλας δὲ Πέτρος Γουδούην τὸν ὑποστράτηγον πέραν τοῦ Ἴστρου πολλῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐκράτησεν· ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ Χαγάνος τὸν Ἀψὴχ μετὰ πλήθους ἀπέστειλεν, ὅπως τὸ τῶν Ἀντῶν διολέσῃ ἔθνος ὡς σύμμαχον τῶν Ῥωμαίων. τούτου δὲ γενομένου τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπόμοιρα προσερρύη τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενος καὶ εἰδώς, ὅτι οὐδὲν τὸν θεὸν λανθάνει, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἀποδίδωσι κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπιλογισάμενος τὸ σφάλμα, ὃ ἐποίησεν εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν μὴ ἐξαγοράσας αὐτήν, συμφέρειν ἔκρινεν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἀπολαβεῖν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ μὴ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι· καὶ ποιήσας δεήσεις ἐγγράφους ἀπέλυσεν εἰς πάντας τοὺς πατριαρχικοὺς θρόνους καὶ πάσας τὰς πολιτείας τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὰ μοναστήρια τὰ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις καὶ εἰς τὰς λαύρας χρήματα καὶ κηροὺς καὶ θυμιάματα, ὅπως εὔξωνται ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐνταῦθα ἀπολάβῃ, 285 καὶ μὴ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι. ἐσκανδαλίζετο δὲ καὶ εἰς Φιλιππικόν, τὸν γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ, ὡς εἰς τὸ φῖ γράμμα ὀνομαζόμενον. ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς διαφόρως ἐπώμνυτο τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς καθαρός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν δουλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔχει παρ' αὐτῷ δόλον. τοῦ δὲ Μαυρικίου τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύοντος τοῦ ἐλεηθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, ἐν μιᾷ κοιμωμένου αὐτοῦ εἶδεν ὀπτασίαν, εἰς τὴν χαλκῆν πύλην τοῦ παλατίου τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ σωτῆρος ἑαυτὸν παρεστῶτα, καὶ λαὸν [πλεῖστον] παρεστῶτα αὐτῷ· καὶ φωνὴ γέγονεν ἐκ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγουσα· "δότε Μαυρίκιον." καὶ κρατήσαντες αὐτὸν οἱ δίκης ὑπηρέται παρέστησαν τῷ πορφυρῷ ὀμφαλίῳ τῷ ἐκεῖσε. καὶ ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ θεία φωνή· "ποῦ θέλεις ἀποδώσω σοι; ὧδε, ἢ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι;" ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας ἔφη· "φιλάνθρωπε δέσποτα, δικαιοκρίτα, ὧδε μᾶλλον, καὶ μὴ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι." καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ἡ θεία φωνὴ ἐκδοθῆναι Μαυρίκιον καὶ [Κωνσταντῖναν], τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτοῦ Φωκᾷ τῷ στρατιώτῃ. διυπνισθεὶς οὖν Μαυρίκιος καὶ καλέσας τὸν παρακοιμώμενον αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς Φιλιππικόν, τὸν γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐν σπουδῇ ἀγαγεῖν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ἀπελθὼν δὲ ὁ παρακοιμώμενος ἐκάλεσεν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἠσπάσατο αὐτὴν λέγων· "σώζου, οὐκέτι μὲ θεωρεῖς." ἡ δὲ ἀνέκραξε μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ πρὸς τὸν παρακοιμώμενον λέγουσα· "ὁρκῶ σε κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, τί ἐστι τὸ πρᾶγμα, δι' ὃ ζητεῖ αὐτὸν τῇ ὥρᾳ ταύτῃ;" ὁ δὲ ἐπωμόσατο ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ ὅτι "αἰφνίδιον ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλέ με." ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ᾐτήσατο μεταλαβεῖν καὶ οὕτως ἀπῄει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Γορδία ἔκειτο χαμαὶ ὀδυρομένη καὶ κλαίουσα καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύουσα. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ Φιλιππικὸς ἐν τῷ βασιλικῷ κοιτῶνι ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ βασιλέως. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς λέγει αὐτῷ· "συγχώρησόν μοι διὰ τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι. ἕως γὰρ τοῦ νῦν ἐσκανδαλιζόμην εἰς σέ." καὶ κελεύσας ἐξελθεῖν τὸν παρακοιμώμενον, ἀναστὰς ἔπεσεν εἰς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Φιλιππικοῦ, λέγων· "συγχώρησόν μοι· ἀσφαλῶς 286 γὰρ οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν ἥμαρτες εἰς ἐμέ. ἀλλ' εἰπέ μοι, τίνα γινώσκεις ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις τάγμασι Φωκᾶν στρατιώτην;" ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς ἀναλογισάμενος λέγει αὐτῷ· "ἕνα γινώσκω, ὅς τις πρὸ καιροῦ ὀλίγου πεμφθεὶς ἐντολικάριος ἐκ τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀντέλεγε τῷ κράτει σου." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἔφη· "ποίας ἐστὶν ἐντεύξεως;" ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς εἶπεν· "νεώτερος, θρασὺς καὶ δειλός." τότε λέγει Μαυρίκιος· "ἐὰν δειλός,