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he went to Dalmatia, and seizing Balbe and the forty cities around it, he sacked them. But Priscus, having learned these things, sent Gunduês to spy on what was happening; who, having found the barbarians marching through difficult places, encountered two of them overcome with wine, who also said that the khagan had handed over the captives to two thousand hoplites and sent them to their own lands. Gunduês, having learned these things, hid in a small ravine, and at dawn, coming upon their rear, he suddenly killed them all and brought the captives to Priscus. But the khagan, learning of the failure, returned to his own country, and Priscus returned to his own. And in the 18th year, taking the forces, he comes 1.700 to Singidunum. But the khagan, having gathered his own force, suddenly attacks Moesia. And when the feast of Easter arrived, both remained quiet in peace; and when the feast was completed, the barbarians separated from the Romans, and a varied pursuit having occurred from both sides, a multitude of Romans was partly slaughtered and partly taken captive. Then indeed the khagan, crying out against Maurice as the cause of the people's slaughter, said to give the captives for a nomisma each, and again for two of a nomisma, and again for 4 keratia each. But Maurice was not willing to buy them even so. Wherefore the khagan, becoming angry, killed them all. And they were 12 thousand, and their price was reckoned at two miliarisia each #22βθλγʹ. And having done this, the khagan returned to his own lands, having imposed 50 thousand on the Romans by treaty. And the army sent a delegation against Comentiolus for having committed treason in the war, among whom was also Phocas, who, while conversing with the emperor, strongly contradicted him at Selentium. And one of the patricians slapped him and plucked out his beard, but the emperor dismissed him without success. From this also the plot against the emperor had its beginning. Around this time in Egypt, when Menas the eparch was traveling with the people on the river Nile, in the place called Delta, at sunrise, anthropomorphic creatures appeared in the river, both a man and a woman; and the man was well-formed, well-chested, astonishing in appearance, blond of hair, with some gray, and his nature was bare down to the loins, 1.701 and the water covered the remaining parts of his body. The eparch put him under oaths not to end the spectacle, until all had been sated with this wondrous sight. And the woman had breasts and a smooth face and deep hair. And until the 9th hour all the people marveled, seeing these creatures, and at the 9th they sank into the river. And behold, a multitude of crocodiles also appeared. The crocodile is at once a beast and a great fish, and it is amphibious. And the color of its back resembles a black rock, but its belly is white, and it has 4 feet, and a great and rough tail; for it is the end of a single bone of the spine. And it is serrated on top like the points of saws, and it strikes and wounds at the same time. Its head is fitted to and level with its shoulders; and as long as it has not opened its mouth, it is the head of a beast, but when it gapes, it becomes all mouth, making the chasm up to its shoulders. There is a small animal, the hydris, which is also called hyllos, having the form of a dog. This animal, having rolled itself in mud, and watching for a sleeping crocodile, leaps through its mouth (for the crocodile sleeps with its mouth open), going into its belly, and tearing this apart, it comes out through the anus, killing it.

In the 19th year, at holy Easter, Sophia Augusta the wife of Justin, together with Constantina the wife of Maurice, having had a very precious crown made, brought it to the emperor. But the emperor, having seen this, went into the great church and offered it to God, hanging it above the holy table. And 1.702 the peace with the barbarians having been broken, the khagan again advances against the Roman lands. But to the

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∆αλματίαν ἐχώρησε, καὶ καταλαβὼν τὴν Βάλβην καὶ τὰς περὶ αὐτὴν τεσσαράκοντα πόλεις ταύτας ἐπόρθησεν. ὁ δὲ Πρί σκος ταῦτα μαθὼν Γουνδούην ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ τῶν πραττομένων ἀπέστειλεν· ὃς καταλαβὼν τοὺς βαρβάρους διὰ δυσβάτων χωρίων βαδίζοντας, περιτυγχάνει δύο ἐξ αὐτῶν τῷ οἴνῳ κεκαρωμένους, οἳ καὶ ἔφασαν δισχιλίοις ὁπλίταις τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τὸν χαγάνον παραδεδωκέναι καὶ πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀποστεῖλαι. ταῦτα ὁ Γουν δούης μεμαθηκὼς κρύπτεται ἐν μικρᾷ φάραγγι, καὶ ἑωθινὸς ἐπὶ τὰ νῶτα τούτων γενόμενος ἀθρόως πάντας ἀνεῖλε καὶ τὴν αἰχμα λωσίαν πρὸς τὸν Πρίσκον ἤγαγεν. ὁ δὲ χαγάνος τὰ τῆς ἀποτυ χίας μαθὼν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπανέζευξε χώραν, καὶ ὁ Πρίσκος ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὰ ἴδια. Καὶ τῷ ιηʹ ἔτει λαβὼν τὰς δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὴν Σιγιδῶνα παρα 1.700 γίνεται. ὁ δὲ χαγάνος συναθροίσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἄφνω τῇ Μυσίᾳ ἐφίσταται. τῆς δὲ ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα καταλαβούσης ἀμφό τεροι μετ' εἰρήνης ἡσύχασαν· καὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς πληρωθείσης δια χωρίζονται ἀπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἱ βάρβαροι, καὶ ποικίλου διωγμοῦ ἐξ ἀλλήλων τῶν μερῶν γενομένου πλῆθος Ῥωμαίων τὸ μὲν κατα σφάττεται τὸ δὲ αἰχμαλωτίζεται. τότε δὴ ὁ χαγάνος κατὰ Μαυ ρικίου ὡς αἰτίου τῆς σφαγῆς τοῦ λαοῦ καταβοῶν εἶπε διδόναι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀνὰ νομίσματος, καὶ πάλιν δύο τοῦ νομίσματος, καὶ πάλιν ἀνὰ κεράτια δʹ. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος οὐδὲ οὕτως τούτους ἠθέλησεν ἀγοράσαι. ὅθεν θυμωθεὶς ὁ χαγάνος πάντας ἀπέκτει νεν. ἦσαν δὲ χιλιάδες ιβʹ, ἀνεβιβάζετο δὲ ἡ τιμὴ αὐτῶν ἀνὰ μιλιαρισίων δύο #22βθλγʹ. καὶ οὕτως ποιήσας ὁ χαγάνος εἰς τὰ ἴδια ὑπέστρεψε, νʹ χιλιάδας ταῖς Ῥωμαίων σπονδαῖς ἐπιθείς. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ἔπεμψε κατὰ Κομεντιόλου ὡς προδοσίαν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ποιήσαντος, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ Φωκᾶς, ὃς διαλεγόμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ βριαρῶς τούτῳ ἀντέλεγεν ἐν τῷ Σελεντίῳ. καί τις τῶν πατρικίων τοῦτον ἐρράπισε καὶ τὸν πώγωνα ἐξέτιλεν, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτον ἄπρακτον ἀπέλυσεν. ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιβουλὴ ἀρχὴν ἐλάμβανε. κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ Μηνᾶ τοῦ ἐπάρχου ἐν τῷ Νείλῳ ποταμῷ μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ πορευομένου, ἐν τόπῳ τῷ ἐπιλεγομένῳ ∆έλτα, ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος ζῷα ἀνθρωπό μορφα ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ ἐφάνησαν, ἀνήρ τε καὶ γυνή· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ εὔστολος, εὔστερνος, καταπληκτικὸς τὴν ὄψιν, ξανθὸς τὴν κόμην, μιξοπόλιος, καὶ μέχρι τῆς ὀσφύος ἐγύμνου τὴν φύσιν, 1.701 τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μέρη τοῦ σώματος τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκάλυπτε. τοῦτον ὁ ἔπαρ χος ὅρκοις ἔβαλλε μὴ καταλῦσαι τὴν θεωρίαν, πρὶν ἅπαντας ἐμφορηθῆναι τῆς παραδόξου ταύτης ὁράσεως. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τούς τε μασθοὺς εἶχε καὶ τὴν ὄψιν λείαν καὶ κόμην βαθεῖαν. καὶ μέχρις ὥρας θʹ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐθαύμασεν, ὁρῶν τὰ ζῷα ταῦτα, καὶ τῇ θʹ ἔδυσαν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ. καὶ ἰδοὺ καὶ κροκοδείλων πλῆθος ἀνεφάνη. ὁ δὲ κροκόδειλος θηρίον ἐστὶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἰχθὺς μέγας, ἀμφίβιος δέ. καὶ ἡ μὲν χροιὰ τοῦ νώτου αὐτοῦ πέτρᾳ ἔοικε μελαίνῃ, ἡ δὲ γα στὴρ λευκή, πόδες δὲ δʹ, καὶ οὐρὰ μεγάλη καὶ τραχεῖα· τῆς ῥά χεως γάρ ἐστιν ἑνὸς ὀστέου τελευτή. ἐντέτμηται δὲ ἄνωθεν ὡς αἱ τῶν πριόνων ἀκμαί, καὶ τύπτει ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ τραυματίζει. ἡ κεφαλὴ δὲ προσηρμοσμένη τοῖς ὤμοις καὶ ἐξισουμένη· καὶ ἐφ' ὅσον μὲν οὐ κέχηνε, θηρίου κεφαλή ἐστιν, ἐπὰν δὲ χάνῃ, ὅλη γίνεται στόμα μέχρι τῶν ὤμων ποιοῦσα τὸ χάσμα. ζῷον δέ ἐστι μικρὸν ἡ ὕδρις, ἥτις καὶ ὕλλος λέγεται, κυνὸς ἔχουσα μορφήν. αὕτη εἰς πηλὸν κυλισαμένη, ἐπιτηροῦσά τε τὸν κροκόδειλον καθεύ δοντα, εἰσπηδᾷ διὰ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ (κεχηνὼς γὰρ ὁ κροκό δειλος καθεύδει) εἰς τὴν γαστέρα τούτου χωροῦσα, καὶ ταύτην διαρρήσσουσα ἐξέρχεται διὰ τῆς ἕδρας ἀπονεκροῦσα αὐτόν.

Τῷ ιθʹ ἔτει, τοῦ ἁγίου πάσχα, Σοφία Αὐγοῦστα ἡ γυνὴ Ἰουστίνου, ἅμα Κωνσταντίνᾳ τῇ γυναικὶ Μαυρικίου, στέμμα κατασκευάσασαι ὑπέρτιμον τῷ βασιλεῖ προσήγαγον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο θεασάμενος, ἀπελθὼν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῷ θεῷ τοῦτο προσήγαγε, κρεμάσας ἐπάνω τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης. λυθείσης δὲ 1.702 τῆς πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους εἰρήνης πάλιν ὁ χαγάνος ἐπὶ τὰ Ῥω μαϊκὰ χωρεῖ. τοῖς δὲ