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they might fall upon the estates or upon the city, or he had only heard that they were gathering, he did not rush against them and they were scattered. And having succeeded, he disgracefully ordered the same duke to be secured and guarded. And Irenaeus, an Antiochene, was sent as duke in his place; who, having rushed against the remaining Samaritans in the mountains, destroyed many, punishing them bitterly. And Koades, the king of the Persians, received Hermogenes the 448 magister, who had been sent on a friendly embassy with gifts for the proclamation of the emperor Justinian in the month of July. And it happened at that time that Amaseia in Pontica and parts of its surrounding territory suffered from a divine scourge. And the same emperor bestowed many things on the same city. And at this time a recodification of the old laws took place; and having made his own laws, he sent them down to all the cities so that litigants might not fall into afflictions and losses, but have a swift release; which, having prepared as a single volume, he sent to Athens and to Berytus. And the same emperor separated from Antioch of Syria Prima the cities of Laodicea and Gabala and Paltus, and from Apameia of Syria Secunda the city of Balaneae, and he made a province, which he named Theodorias, giving it also the right of a metropolis. But he did not free the bishop of Laodicea from being subject to the patriarch of the city of the Antiochenes. And at the same time Myra, the metropolis of Lycia, suffered from a divine scourge; and the same emperor bestowed many things for buildings on those who were left and on the city. And at the same time a disturbance occurred in Antioch the Great in the theater. and the matters of the disturbance were reported to the same emperor. And being angered by this, he forbade the spectacle of the 449 theater, so that it would no longer be performed in the city of the Antiochenes. And at this time a great persecution of the Hellenes occurred, and many had their property confiscated, among whom died Macedonius, Asclepiodotus, Phocas son of Craterus, and Thomas the Quaestor; and from this great fear arose. And the same emperor decreed that those who held Hellenic beliefs should not hold public office, and that those of other heresies should be removed from the Roman state, having been given a period of three months to become partakers of the orthodox faith. which divine ordinance was published in all the provincial cities. And at the same time Priscus, the ex-consul and a notarius of the same emperor, incurred displeasure, and his property having been confiscated, he became a deacon and was sent to Cyzicus. And at the same time Hermogenes the magister, having returned from the Persian lands after giving the gifts, brought back replies from Koades, king of the Persians, to Justinian, emperor of the Romans, carrying sacred letters containing the following. Koades, king of kings, of the rising sun, to Flavius Justinianus Caesar, of the setting moon. We have found written in our ancient records that we are brothers to one another, and 450 if one should be in need of men or of money, the other is to provide it. And from that time until the present we have remained and continue thus; and sometimes when nations rose up against us, some we were forced to fight in battle, and others we persuaded to submit by a gift of money, so that it is clear that all that was in our treasuries has been spent. And these things we have written also to the emperors Anastasius and Justin, and we accomplished nothing more; whence we were forced to draw up for war, and coming near the Roman lands, to destroy those in between who had done no wrong, on the pretext of their disobedience. But, as you are Christians and pious, spare lives and bodies, and give us a share of gold; but if you do not do this, prepare yourselves for war, having a period of a whole year, so that we may not be thought to steal the victory and

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ἐπιῤῥίψωσιν εἰς τὰ κτήματα ἢ εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἢ μόνον ἤκουσεν ὅτι συνάγονται, οὐχ ὥρμησε κατ' αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσκορπίζοντο. καὶ διαδεξάμενος τὸν αὐτὸν δοῦκα ἀσχήμως ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ἀσφαλισθέντα φυλάττεσθαι. καὶ ἐπέμφθη ἀντ' αὐτοῦ δοὺξ Εἰρηναῖος, Ἀντιοχεύς· ὅστις ὁρμήσας κατὰ τῶν ἀπομεινάντων Σαμαρειτῶν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι, πολλοὺς ἀπώλεσε πικρῶς τιμωρησάμενος. Ὁ δὲ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Κωάδης δεξάμενος Ἑρμογένην 448 μάγιστρον, ἐν φιλίᾳ πρεσβείας πεμφθέντα μετὰ καὶ δώρων τῆς ἀναγορεύσεως τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἐν μηνὶ ἰουλίῳ. Συνέβη δὲ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ παθεῖν ὑπὸ θεομηνίας Ἀμάσειαν ἐν τῇ Ποντικῇ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς περιχώρου μέρη. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς τῇ αὐτῇ πόλει πολλὰ ἐχαρίσατο. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ ἀνακωδίκευσις ἐγένετο τῶν παλαιῶν νόμων· καὶ ποιήσας ἰδίους νόμους κατέπεμψεν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσι πρὸς τὸ τοὺς δικαζομένους μὴ περιπίπτειν θλίψεσι καὶ ζημίαις, ἀλλὰ ταχεῖαν ἔχειν τὴν ἀπαλλαγήν· ὅπερ μονόβιβλον κατασκευάσας ἔπεμψεν ἐν Ἀθήναις καὶ ἐν Βηρυτῷ. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ἀπεμέρισεν ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας τῆς πρώτης Συρίας Λαοδίκειαν καὶ Γάβαλα καὶ Πάλτον τὰς πόλεις, καὶ ἀπὸ Ἀπαμείας τῆς δευτέρας Συρίας Βαλανέας πόλιν, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἐπαρχίαν, ἥντινα ἐπωνόμασε Θεοδωριάδα, δοὺς αὐτῇ καὶ μητροπολιτικὸν δίκαιον. τὸν δὲ ἐπίσκοπον Λαοδικείας οὐκ ἠλευθέρωσε τοῦ ὑποκεῖσθαι τῷ πατριάρχῃ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων πόλεως. Ἐν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ θεομηνίας μητρόπολις τῆς Λυκίας τὰ Μύρα· καὶ πολλὰ ἐχαρίσατο τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσι καὶ τῇ πόλει εἰς κτίσματα ὁ αὐτὸς βασιλεύς. Ἐν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ἐγένετο ταραχὴ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ. καὶ τὰ τῆς ταραχῆς ἀνηνέχθη τῷ αὐτῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ ἀγανακτήσας ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐκώλυσε τὴν θέαν τοῦ 449 θεάτρου πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιτελεῖσθαι τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἀντιοχέων πόλει. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ διωγμὸς γέγονεν Ἑλλήνων μέγας, καὶ πολλοὶ ἐδημεύθησαν, ἐν οἷς ἐτελεύτησαν Μακεδόνιος, Ἀσκληπιόδοτος, Φωκᾶς ὁ Κρατεροῦ, καὶ Θωμᾶς ὁ Κοιαίστωρ· καὶ ἐκ τούτου πολὺς φόβος γέγονεν. ἐθέσπισε δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ὥστε μὴ πολιτεύεσθαι τοὺς ἑλληνίζοντας, τοὺς δὲ τῶν ἄλλων αἱρέσεων ὄντας ἀφανεῖς γενέσθαι τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς πολιτείας, προθεσμίαν τριῶν μηνῶν λαβόντας εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτοὺς κοινωνοὺς τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως. ὅστις θεῖος τύπος ἐνεφανίσθη ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐξωτικαῖς πόλεσιν. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ ἠγανακτήθη ὁ ἀπὸ ὑπάτων Πρίσκος, ὁ ἀπὸ νοταρίων τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ δημευθεὶς ἐγένετο διάκονος καὶ ἐπέμφθη ἐν Κυζίκῳ. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ καιρῷ Ἑρμογένης ὁ μάγιστρος ὑποστρέψας ἐκ τῶν Περσικῶν δοὺς τὰ δῶρα ἀνήγαγεν ἀποκρίσεις παρὰ Κωάδου, βασιλέως Περσῶν, πρὸς Ἰουστινιανόν, βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων,ἐπιφερόμενος σάκρας περιεχούσας οὕτως. Κωάδης βασιλεὺς βασιλευόντων, ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς, Φλαβίῳ Ἰουστινιανῷ Καίσαρι σελήνης δύσεως. ηὕραμεν ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἀρχαίοις ἀναγεγραμμένα ἀδελφοὺς ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλων εἶναι, καὶ 450 ἐάν τις ἐπιδεηθῇ σωμάτων ἢ χρημάτων, παρέχειν τὸν ἕτερον. καὶ μεμενήκαμεν ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος οὕτως διατελοῦντες· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐθνῶν ἡμῖν ἐπανισταμένων, τοῖς μὲν παρατάξασθαι ἠναγκάσθημεν, τοὺς δὲ καὶ διὰ δόσεως χρημάτων ὑποταγῆναι ἐπείσαμεν, ὡς δῆλον εἶναι πάντα τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις θησαυροῖς ἀναλωθῆναι. ταῦτα δὲ καὶ Ἀναστασίῳ καὶ Ἰουστίνῳ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι γεγραφήκαμεν, καὶ ἠνύσαμεν πλέον οὐδέν· ὅθεν ἠναγκάσθημεν παρατάξασθαι πολέμου χάριν, καὶ πλησίον τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν γενόμενοι τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ μηδὲν ἁμαρτήσαντας προφάσει τῆς ἐκείνων ἀπειθείας ἀπολέσαι. ἀλλ', ὡς χριστιανοὶ καὶ εὐσεβεῖς, φείσασθε ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων, καὶ μετάδοτε ἡμῖν χρυσίου· εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, εὐτρεπίσατε ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς πόλεμον, προθεσμίαν ἔχοντες ὅλου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῶμεν κλέπτειν τὴν νίκην καὶ