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He is. And he was a Cappadocian. And Maurice [and] Tiberius ordered it to be written in the contracts. And he was crowned by the patriarch John the Faster, and after a short time he held his wedding. And in the month of April, fires and windstorms occurred in the forum, and they destroyed many houses. And on the tenth of May a great earthquake occurred and a horse race was held. And the Avars, who a short time before had captured Sirmium, a notable city of Europe, sent an embassy to the emperor, and they demanded that another 20,000 be added to the eighty thousand gold coins which they received annually from the Romans; and the emperor, desiring peace, accepted this. And they also asked for an elephant, an Indian animal, to be sent to them for a spectacle, and a golden couch; and when these were sent, 1.692 they returned both, having scorned the couch. And they asked again for another 20,000 on top of the hundred. But when the emperor did not accept, the chagan marched out and destroyed the city of Singidunum and captured other cities and Anchialus, and he also threatened to destroy the long walls. But the emperor sent Elpidius the patrician with Comentiolus as ambassadors to the chagan, and the barbarian agreed to keep the peace on the terms of the treaty. In the second year, the emperor is proclaimed consul, and he bestows many treasures on the city. And he appoints Philippicus general of the east, having made him his brother-in-law by marrying him to Gordia, his own sister. And Philippicus, suddenly falling upon the Persian lands and taking much booty, advanced into the country of the Medes, and having destroyed many places, returned again to Roman territory. But when the chagan violated the peace and was plundering the long wall, as the general of the Romans, Comentiolus, approached, he suddenly fell upon them and killed a great multitude and drove them away. And coming to Adrianople, he encountered Andragastus, the general of the Sclaveni, carrying off booty; and falling upon him, he rescued the captives and won a great victory. At that time also some Greeks, while dining in someone's house, were led to insults and anathemas against the most holy Theotokos. And the others, immediately seized by evil spirits, paid the penalty, but the master of the house saw in a dream the 1.693 Theotokos standing over him and scoring his knees with a rod and not even deigning him a word. And immediately waking up to the pains, he found his feet severed, and from then on, being carried about publicly on a litter and lying exposed, he confessed the just judgment of God and the indignation of the all-blameless Theotokos against him. In the third year, Philippicus, having gone to the Persian land and having seized Arzane, took much booty, and he instilled cowardice in the Persian armies. But having fallen ill, he appoints his nephew to lead the people, and he came to Constantinople while sick. And in the same year a son was born to the emperor, and he named him Theodosius. In the fourth year, Philippicus, having gone out of the city, takes up arms against the Persians, and engaging them, he wins the battle. But on the next day, Cardarigas, having again rallied his forces, takes up arms for battle, and a second battle having been joined, the Romans win again and many Persians are killed, and two thousand are also captured alive and sent to Byzantium. And Cardarigas fled to Dara; but the Persians of the fort sent him away with insults. And Philippicus sent the wounded to the cities to be healed, and he sent Heraclius, the father of the emperor Heraclius, who was a subordinate general, to spy on the barbarians. But he himself invades Babylonia, and sits down before 1.694 the fortress of Chlomaron. And Cardarigas levies private citizens with baggage animals, and through strong places on a moonless night gets behind the Romans, in no way daring to lay hands on them.

255

ἐστίν. ἦν δὲ Καππαδόκης. ἐκέλευσε δὲ γράφεσθαι ἐν τοῖς συμβολαίοις Μαυ ρίκιος [καὶ] Τιβέριος. ἐστέφθη δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰωάννου τοῦ νηστευτοῦ, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον τὸν γάμον πεποίηκε. τῷ δὲ Ἀπριλλίῳ μηνὶ γεγόνασιν ἐν τῷ φόρῳ ἐμπρησμοὶ καὶ ἀνέμων καταιγίδες, καὶ πολλὰς οἰκίας διώλεσαν. καὶ τῇ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Μαΐου γέγονε σεισμὸς μέγας καὶ ἱππικὸν ἐτελέσθη. πρεσβεύουσι δὲ οἱ Ἄβαρες πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, οἱ πρὸ ὀλίγου τὸ Σίρμιον χειρω σάμενοι, πόλιν τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐπίσημον, καὶ ἠξίουν ταῖς ὀγδοή κοντα χιλιάσι τοῦ χρυσίου, ἃς ἐτησίως ἐλάμβανον παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις, προστεθῆναι ἄλλας κʹ· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης ἐφιέμενος τοῦτο κατεδέξατο. ᾔτησαν δὲ καὶ ἐλέφαντα, ζῷον Ἰνδικόν, ἐκπεμφθῆ ναι αὐτοῖς πρὸς θέαν, καὶ κλίνην χρυσῆν· ὧν καὶ πεμφθέντων 1.692 ἀμφότερα ἀντέστρεψαν, τὴν κλίνην εὐτελίσαντες. ᾐτοῦντο δὲ πάλιν ἄλλας κʹ πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατόν. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως μὴ καταδεξα μένου, στρατεύσας ὁ χαγάνος τὴν Σιγιδῶνα πόλιν κατέστρεψε καὶ ἑτέρας πόλεις ἐχειρώσατο καὶ τὴν Ἀγχίαλον, ἠπείλει δὲ καὶ τὰ μακρὰ τείχη καταστρέψαι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἐλπίδιον τὸν πατρίκιον σὺν Κομμεντιόλῳ πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν χαγάνον ἀπέστειλε, καὶ ὁ βάρβαρος ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν πάκτων συνθήκαις εἰρήνην ἄγειν καθωμο λόγει. Τῷ βʹ ἔτει ὕπατος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀναγορεύεται, καὶ πολλοὺς θησαυροὺς τῇ πόλει δωρεῖται. προβάλλεται δὲ Φιλιππικὸν στρα τηγὸν τῆς ἑῴας, ποιήσας αὐτὸν γαμβρὸν εἰς Γορδίαν τὴν ἰδίαν ἀδελφήν. ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς τοῖς Περσικοῖς ἀθρόως ἐπεισπεσὼν καὶ πολλὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν λαβὼν εἰς τὴν τῶν Μήδων χώραν παρα βάλλει, καὶ πολλὰ χωρία διαφθείρας εἰς Ῥωμανίαν αὖθις ὑπέ στρεψε. τοῦ δὲ χαγάνου τὴν εἰρήνην ἀθετήσαντος καὶ τῷ μακρῷ τείχει ληϊζομένου, ὡς προσεπέλασεν ὁ στρατηγὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων Κωμμεντιόλος, τούτοις ἀθρόως ἐπεισπεσὼν πολλὰ πλήθη ἀνεῖλε καὶ τούτους ἀπήλασεν. ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει Ἀνδραγάστῳ περιπίπτει τῷ Σθλαβίνων στρατηγῷ αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐπιφερομένῳ· καὶ τούτῳ ἐπεισπεσὼν τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν διέσωσε καὶ νίκην μεγάλην περιεβάλετο. τότε καί τινες Ἕλληνες ἐν οἴκῳ τινὸς ἀριστῶντες εἰς ὕβρεις καὶ ἀναθεματισμοὺς τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου προήχθη σαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι παραυτὰ πονηροῖς πνεύμασι ληφθέντες δίκας ἀπετίννυον, ὁ δεσπότης δὲ τῆς οἰκίας εἶδε κατ' ὄναρ ἐπι 1.693 στᾶσαν αὐτῷ τὴν θεοτόκον καὶ βεργίῳ τὰ αὐτοῦ γόνατα περιχα ράξασαν καὶ μηδὲ λόγου αὐτὸν ἀξιώσασαν. ὁ δὲ εὐθὺς ἔξυπνος τοῖς πόνοις γενόμενος εὗρε τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ κεκομμένους, κἀν τεῦθεν λοιπὸν δημοσίᾳ φοράδην ἀγόμενος καὶ προκείμενος τὴν δι καιοκρισίαν ἐξωμολογεῖτο τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν τῆς παναμώμου θεο τόκου κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀγανάκτησιν. Τῷ γʹ ἔτει Φιλιππικὸς ἐπὶ τὴν Περσικὴν ἐλθών, καταλαβὼν τὴν Ἀρξάνην μεγάλην αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐκράτησε, καὶ δειλίαν ἐμποιεῖ τοῖς Περσικοῖς στρατεύμασι. νοσήσας δὲ τὸν ἀνεψιὸν χειροτονεῖ καθηγεῖσθαι τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν νοσῶν παρα γέγονε. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐτέχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ υἱός, καὶ ὠνόμασεν αὐτὸν Θεοδόσιον. Τῷ δʹ ἔτει Φιλιππικὸς ἐξεληλυθὼς τῆς πόλεως πρὸς Πέρσας ὁπλίζεται, καὶ τούτοις συμβαλὼν νικᾷ τὸν πόλεμον. τῇ δ' ὑστε ραίᾳ πάλιν ἀναλαβὼν Καρδαρίχας τὰς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεις πρὸς πό λεμον ὁπλίζεται, καὶ δευτέρου πολέμου κροτηθέντος νικῶσι πάλιν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἀναιροῦνται Πέρσαι πολλοί, χειροῦνται δὲ καὶ ζῶντες δισχίλιοι καὶ εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον πέμπονται. ὁ δὲ Καρδαρί χας προσέφυγεν εἰς τὸ ∆αράς· οἱ δὲ τοῦ κάστρου Πέρσαι μεθ' ὕβρεων τοῦτον ἀπεπέμψαντο. ὁ δὲ Φιλιππικὸς τοὺς γενομένους τραυματίας εἰς τὰς πόλεις παρέπεμψεν ἰατρεύεσθαι, καὶ Ἡρά κλειον τὸν τοῦ Ἡρακλείου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος πατέρα, ὑποστρά τηγον ὄντα, ἐπὶ κατασκοπὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐξέπεμψεν. αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα εἰσβάλλει, καὶ τὸ Χλόμαρον φρούριον παρα 1.694 καθέζεται. ὁ δὲ Καρδαρίχας στρατολογεῖ ἰδιώτας μεθ' ὑποζυ γίων, καὶ δι' ὀχυρῶν τόπων ἐν ἀσελήνῳ νυκτὶ ἐπὶ τὰ νῶτα γίνεται τῶν Ῥωμαίων, μηδαμῶς θαρρῶν χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἐμβαλεῖν.