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of Caesar. His work also includes the so-called Homerocentra and countless other things worthy of wonder. Zosimus the Gazan rhetorician and Arcadius the prefect and others of note suffered similar things. For since Zeno had become such and so great in both murders and unlawful deeds, the divine did not neglect his destruction, but encompassing his whole body with violent and undiagnosable pains, forcibly deprived him of life. And a story circulated that he was invisibly beheaded by some divine power, with only the skin attached to his neck. Therefore, as his wife and chamberlains were providing for their own safety, they left the corpse lying naked on a plank, and scarcely around dawn did one of the unrelated people throw a linen cloth on him. After he had been laid in the tomb, the bodyguards who were stationed at the tomb said that for two nights a mournful voice was emitted from his grave: "Have mercy, have mercy, and open up for me." And when they said that another was reigning, he said, "It does not concern me; take me away to a monastery." Since they did not open it, it is said that after some time the tomb was opened, and he was found to have eaten his own arms and the boots he wore out of hunger, because he was often seized by an epileptic malady, and because Ariadne had become fond of Anastasius while he was still alive, for which reason the guards of the royal tombs were also from that time on instructed by her command not to open Zeno's tomb. 1.623 And in those times, Perozes, the king of the Persians, again marching against the White Huns, the Hephthalites, was destroyed with his entire army. For having dug a deep trench and having placed reeds and earth over it, they waited inside, but sending a few to meet them, and again turning to flight and crossing the narrow passages, which were familiar to them. But the Persians, suspecting no danger, pursued them uncontrollably, and all together with Perozes and his children, falling into the pit, were destroyed. But Perozes, sensing the danger, taking the pearl he had, most white and large, exceedingly precious, from his right ear, threw it away, so that no one after him might wear it or he be recognized as king, since it was extraordinarily worthy of sight. And so Perozes was destroyed with his whole army. And the barbarians ruled the Persians for two years for the purpose of exacting tribute. And again the survivors had Kavad, his son, as king.

And concerning the pearl, how and in what manner it was found, we have found such a story. In the Persian gulf, which lies to the north of the Red Sea, pearls are nurtured by mussels, which some call zambacs. Of these mussels, one mussel was found nurturing within itself an extraordinary and most brilliant pearl. And as this grew and became beyond measure, radiating and sending forth rays like lightning, a sea-dog fell in love with the gleam of the pearl, and of its beauty 1.624 it did not desist, but wherever the current carried the shell of the mussel, there also some avenging demon drove the dog to a frenzy. A certain fisherman therefore, seeing this strange wonder, tried by some device to despoil the mussel. But the dog did not give way; for seizing it, it would lead it to the depths. Therefore the fisherman reports to the king of the Persians the beauty of the pearl; and he gives him men who would assist in the hunt for the pearl. Coming therefore to the sea and persevering for some days, it happened that the dog withdrew a little. Immediately, therefore, the fisherman, casting himself into the sea and diving into the deep, seized the mussel and brought up the pearl, and immediately swimming up, he raised his hand, and the pearl was snatched by his companions. But before he could manage to get into the boat, the dog, arriving first, tore apart and devoured the

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Καίσαρος. τούτου πόνημα καὶ τὰ καλούμενα Ὁμηρόκεντρα καὶ ἄλλα μυρία θαύματος ἄξια. τὰ ὅμοια δὲ πέπονθε καὶ Ζώσιμος ὁ Γαζαῖος ῥήτωρ καὶ Ἀρκάδιος ὁ ἔπαρχος καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν ἐπισή μων. τοιούτου γὰρ καὶ τοσούτου γεγονότος τοῦ Ζήνωνος ἔν τε φόνοις καὶ ἀθεμίτοις πράξεσιν, οὐκ ἠμέλησε τὸ θεῖον εἰς τὴν τού του ἀναίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ σφοδραῖς καὶ ἀδιαγνώστοις ὀδύναις πᾶν τὸ σῶμα περιβαλὸν βιαίως τοῦ ζῆν ἀπεστέρησε. λόγος δὲ ἐφέρετο ὅτι ἔκ τινος θείας δυνάμεως ἐκαρατομήθη ἀοράτως, μόνης τῆς δέρεως τῷ τραχήλῳ συνημμένης. τῆς οὖν γαμετῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν θαλαμηπόλων τῆς οἰκείας ἀσφαλείας προνοουμένων, εἴασαν τὸν νεκρὸν κείμενον γυμνὸν ἐπὶ σανίδος, καὶ μόλις ἀμφὶ τὸν ὄρ θρον τῶν οὐ προσηκόντων τις ἔρριψεν αὐτῷ σινδόνα. μετὰ δὲ τὸ κατατεθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ τάφῳ ἔφασαν οἱ σωματοφύλακες οἱ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ τεταγμένοι γοερὰν φωνὴν ἐπὶ δύο νύκτας ἀποδίδο σθαι ἐκ τοῦ μνήματος αὐτοῦ "ἐλεήσατε, ἐλεήσατε, καὶ ἀνοίξατέ μοι." τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων ὅτι ἄλλος βασιλεύει, ἔφη "οὐδέν μοι μέλει· εἰς μοναστήριον ἀπαγάγετέ με." τῶν δὲ μὴ ἀνοιξάντων, λέγεται μετά τινα χρόνον τὸ μνημεῖον ἀνοιγῆναι, καὶ εὑρεθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ πείνης φαγόντα τοὺς βραχίονας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ καλίγια ἃ ἐφόρει, διὰ τὸ συχνῶς τῷ κατόχῳ νοσήματι κρατεῖσθαι, καὶ προφιλιωθῆναι ἔτι ζῶντος αὐτοῦ τὴν Ἀριάδνην τῷ Ἀναστασίῳ, ὅθεν καὶ οἱ φύλακες τῶν βασιλικῶν μνημάτων τῇ παραγγελίᾳ αὐ τῆς πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀνοιγῆναι τὸν Ζήνωνα ἐτυπώθησαν ἔκτοτε. 1.623 Ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς χρόνοις Περόζης ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς πάλιν ἐπιστρατεύσας ἐπὶ τοὺς λευκοὺς Οὕννους τοὺς Νεφθαλίτας ἀπώλετο πανστρατί. ὀρύξαντες γὰρ τάφρον βαθεῖαν καὶ καλά μους ἐπιθέντες καὶ γῆν ἐπιχώσαντες ἔμεναν ἔνδον, ὀλίγους δὲ ὑπαντῆσαι τούτοις ἀφέντες, καὶ αὖθις εἰς φυγὴν τραπέντες καὶ τὰ στενὰ διαβάντες, ἃ σφίσι γνώριμα ὑπῆρχον. οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι μηδὲν δεινὸν ὑποπτεύσαντες ἀκρατῶς τούτους ἐδίωκον, καὶ πάντες ὁμοῦ σὺν τῷ Περόζῃ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ παισὶν εἰς τὸ βάραθρον συμ πεσόντες ἀπώλοντο. ὁ δὲ Περόζης αἰσθόμενος τοῦ δεινοῦ, τὸν μάργαρον ὃν εἶχε λευκότατον καὶ μέγαν, εἰς ὑπερβολὴν ὑπέρτιμον, ἐξ ὠτὸς τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἀφελόμενος ἔρριψεν, ἵνα μή τις ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ τοῦτον φοροίη ἢ γνώριμος γένηται ὡς βασιλεύς, ἐπεὶ ἀξιοθέατος ὑπερφυῶς ἦν. καὶ οὕτω Περόζης διεφθάρη σὺν πάσῃ τῇ στρα τιᾷ. ἦρξαν δὲ Περσῶν οἱ βάρβαροι χρόνους δύο εἰς φόρου ἀπα γωγήν. καὶ πάλιν οἱ ὑπολειφθέντες Καβάδην τὸν τούτου υἱὸν εἶχον βασιλέα.

Περὶ δὲ τοῦ μαργαρίτου, πῶς καὶ ποίῳ τρόπῳ εὑρέθη, τοι αύτην εὕρομεν ἱστορίαν. ἐν τῷ Περσικῷ κόλπῳ τῷ πρὸς βορρᾶν κειμένῳ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης τρέφονται μαργαρῖται ὑπὸ κτε νῶν, οὕς τινες ζάμβακας ὀνομάζουσι. τούτων τῶν κτενῶν εὑρέθη τρέφων ἐν ἑαυτῷ κτεὶς εἷς μαργαρίτην ὑπερφυῆ καὶ λαμπρότατον. αὐξηθέντος δὲ τούτου καὶ παρὰ τὸ μέτρον γεγονότος αὐγάς τε δίκην ἀστραπῆς ἀκτινοβολοῦντος καὶ διαπέμποντος, ἠράσθη κύων θαλάττιος τῆς αὐγῆς τοῦ μαργαρίτου, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ὡραιότητος 1.624 οὐκ ἀφίστατο, ἀλλ' ὅπου δ' ἂν ἦγε τὸ ῥεῦμα τὸ ἔλυτρον τοῦ κτε νός, ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸν κύνα δαίμων τις ἀλιτήριος ἐξεβάκχευεν. ἁλιεὺς οὖν τις τὸ ξένον τοῦτο θεασάμενος τέρας ἐδοκίμασε διά τινος μηχανῆς ἀποσυλῆσαι τὸν κτένα. ἀλλ' ὁ κύων οὐκ ἐνεδίδου· ἁρ πάζων γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ βάθος ἐνῆγε. καταμηνύει τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἁλιεὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Περσῶν τὸ τοῦ μαργάρου κάλλος· ὁ δὲ δίδωσιν αὐτῷ ἄνδρας τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἄγραν τοῦ μαργάρου συμπρά ξοντας. ἐλθόντες οὖν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καί τινας ἡμέρας ἐγκαρ τερήσαντες, ἔτυχε τὸν κύνα μικρὸν ὑποχωρῆσαι. εὐθὺς οὖν ὁ ἁλιεὺς δισκεύσας αὑτὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ καταδὺς ἐν τῷ βάθει ἐδράξατο τοῦ κτενὸς καὶ τὸν μαργαρίτην ἀνήγαγε, καὶ εὐθέως ἀνα δραμὼν ὕψωσε τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν συνόντων ἡρπάγη ὁ μάρ γαρος. πρὶν δὲ φθάσαι εἰσελθεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ λέμβῳ, φθάσας ὁ κύων διέσπασε καὶ κατερόφησε τὸν