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having handed over other forces to his four sons, he stationed them to guard the crossings of the Ister. But the Romans, having made rafts, crossed the river; and Priscus, joining battle with the sons of the khagan from morning until evening, with three hundred Romans being killed, destroyed four thousand of the barbarians, and on the next day again he killed eight thousand of the barbarians. On the third day the Romans advanced against the barbarians from the higher ground, and routing them, drove them to the waters of the lake, drowning many of them, among whom the sons of the khagan were also drowned, and the Romans won a conspicuous victory. But the khagan, having again gathered many forces, came against the Romans. When war was joined, the barbarians are routed and the Romans achieve a victory more distinguished than all others. And Priscus, having arranged four thousand men, ordered them to cross the river Tissus to spy on the barbarians' encampments. But the barbarians, knowing nothing of what had happened, were celebrating and feasting. The Romans, falling upon them unexpectedly, wrought a very great slaughter; for they killed thirty thousand Gepids and other barbarians, and taking very many captives they returned to Priscus. But the khagan, again gathering forces, arrives at the Ister, and joining battle, the barbarians are defeated and are drowned in the river. And with them also perish multitudes of Sclaveni. And they took alive 3,000 Avars, and 2,000 barbarians. But the khagan sent ambassadors to the emperor, wishing to ransom those taken alive. But Maurice, not yet having learned of the conspicuous victory of the Romans, writes to Priscus to give back to the khagan only the barbarians. In the same year a certain monk, preeminent in ascetic practice, holding a naked sword, ran brandishing his sword from the Forum to the Chalke and prophesied to the emperor before all that he would die by the slaughter of the sword. Likewise Herodianus also publicly announced to Maurice the things that would happen to him. Then also the demes, dressing a man named Maurus, who resembled Maurice, in a coarse cloak and weaving a crown of garlic and placing it on his head, and seating him on a donkey, began to mock him, saying, "He has found the heifer tender, and like a young rooster has jumped on her, and has made children like wooden bells. My saint, o saint, give it to him on the head, so that he may not be arrogant; and I shall bring you the great ox for a prayer-offering." Such were the things from the demos. And this was not recorded idly, but so that we might know that whenever someone provokes the Master, he becomes a plaything for his fellow slaves. In the twentieth year he joined his son Theodosius in marriage to the daughter of Germanus the patrician. In the same year Maurice, coming to himself and realizing 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, he judged it profitable for him to receive the penalty for his sin in this life and not in the next. And having written prayers, he sent them to every patriarch and monk in all the monasteries and to Jerusalem, that they might ask God for him to be punished here and not there. He was also troubled about Philippicus his son-in-law, because of a prophecy that the one who would kill him had the letter phi in his name, even though Philippicus swore to him in various ways that he should have no fear from him. So when all were praying about this, Maurice saw in a dream one night himself standing at the Chalke Gate of the palace before the icon of the Savior, and with him a large crowd of captives who were accusing him. And a voice came from the holy image, saying, "Give up Maurice." And the supposed attendants, seizing him, placed him in the porphyry omphalion there. And the divine voice says to him, "Where do you wish

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τέσσαρσιν αὐτοῦ υἱοῖς παραδοὺς ἑτέρας δυνάμεις παρέστησε φρουρεῖν τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ Ἴστρου. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι σχεδίας ποιήσαντες τὸν ποταμὸν διεπέρασαν· καὶ μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ χαγάνου συμβαλὼν ὁ Πρίσκος ἀπὸ πρωῒ ἕως ἑσπέ ρας, τριακοσίων Ῥωμαίων ἀναιρεθέντων, τέσσαρας χιλιάδας τῶν βαρβάρων ὤλεσε, καὶ τῇ ἐπιούσῃ πάλιν ὀκτὼ χιλιάδας τῶν βαρ βάρων ἀνεῖλε. τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐχώρησαν, καὶ τούτους τρέψαντες ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα τῆς λίμνης ἤλασαν, πολλοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποπνίξαντες, ἐν οἷς καὶ οἱ τοῦ χαγάνου παῖδες ἀπεπνίγησαν, καὶ νίκην οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι περι φανῆ ἀνεδήσαντο. ὁ δὲ χαγάνος πάλιν συναθροίσας δυνάμεις πολλὰς κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἦλθε. πολέμου δὲ κροτηθέντος τρέπονται οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ νίκην ποιοῦνται Ῥωμαῖοι πασῶν ἐπισημοτέραν. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος τέσσαρας χιλιάδας συντάξας τὸν Τίσσον ποταμὸν περᾶσαι ἐκέλευσεν εἰς τὸ κατασκοπῆσαι τὰ τῶν βαρβάρων σκηνώ ματα. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι μηδὲν τῶν γεγονότων ἐγνωκότες ἑορτάζον τες ἐσυμποσίαζον. τούτοις οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀπροόπτως ἐπεισπεσόντες μέγιστον φόνον εἰργάσαντο· τριάκοντα γὰρ χιλιάδας Γηπέδων καὶ ἑτέρων βαρβάρων ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ πλείστην αἰχμαλωσίαν λαβόντες πρὸς τὸν Πρίσκον ὑπέστρεψαν. ὁ δὲ χαγάνος πάλιν δυνάμεις ἀθροίσας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον παραγίνεται, καὶ συμβαλόντες πόλεμον ἡττῶνται οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἀποπνίγονται. συν απόλλυνται δὲ τούτοις καὶ Σθλαβίνων πλήθη. ζῶντας δὲ ἐκρά 1.703 τησαν Ἄβαρας μὲν #22γςʹ, βαρβάρους δὲ #22βʹ. ὁ δὲ χαγάνος πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀπέστειλεν, ἀναλαβέσθαι τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας βου λόμενος. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος μήπω μαθὼν τὴν περιφανῆ τῶν Ῥω μαίων νίκην, γράφει τῷ Πρίσκῳ ἀποδοῦναι τῷ χαγάνῳ τοὺς βαρ βάρους καὶ μόνους. Τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει μοναχός τις ἐν ἀσκήσει διαλάμπων, σπάθην γυμνὴν κρατῶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ φόρου μέχρι τῆς χαλκῆς ξιφήρης δια δραμὼν τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐν φόνῳ μαχαίρας τεθνήξε σθαι προηγόρευσεν. ὁμοίως καὶ Ἡρωδιανὸς Μαυρικίῳ εἰς τὸ φανερὸν προσανήγγειλε τὰ τούτῳ συμβησόμενα. τότε καὶ οἱ δῆ μοι ἄνδρα παρόμοιον τῷ Μαυρικίῳ Μαῦρον, περιβαλόντες σάγον καὶ στέφανον πλέξαντες ἀπὸ σκορόδων καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ περιθέντες κεφαλῇ, ὄνῳ τε τοῦτον ἐπικαθίσαντες ἔπαιζον, "εὕρηκε" λέγοντες "τὴν δαμάλην ἁπαλήν, καὶ ὡς τὸ καινὸν ἀλεκτόριον πεπήδηκεν αὐτήν, καὶ ἐποίησε παιδία ὡς τὰ ξυλοκώδωνα. ἅγιέ μου, ἅγιε, δὸς αὐτῷ κατὰ κρανίου, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρηται· κἀγώ σοι τὸν μέγαν βοῦν προσαγάγω εἰς εὐχήν." τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ παρὰ τοῦ δήμου. καὶ οὐ περιττῶς ὑπεμνηματίσθη, ἀλλ' ἵν' εἰδῶμεν ὡς ἐπειδάν τις παροξύνῃ τὸν δεσπότην, τοῖς αὐτοῦ παίγνιον γίνεται συνδού λοις. Τῷ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει Θεοδόσιον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ συνῆψε πρὸς γά μον τῇ θυγατρὶ Γερμανοῦ τοῦ πατρικίου. τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει Μαυρί κιος ἐν αὑτῷ γενόμενος, καὶ ἐννοήσας ὅτι οὐδὲν τὸν θεὸν λαν θάνει ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἀποδίδωσι κατὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπιλογισάμε 1.704 νος τὸ σφάλμα ὃ ἐποίησεν εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, μὴ ἐξαγοράσας αὐτήν, συμφέρειν ἔκρινεν αὐτῷ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἀπολαβεῖν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ μὴ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. καὶ ποιήσας δεήσεις ἐγγράφους ἀπέστειλε πρὸς πάντα πατριάρχην καὶ μοναχὸν εἰς πάντα τὰ μονα στήρια καὶ εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἵνα αἰτήσωνται τὸν θεὸν ἐνταῦθα καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖ τοῦτον κολασθῆναι. ἐσκανδαλίζετο δὲ καὶ εἰς Φιλιπ πικὸν τὸν γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ, ὡς τὸ φῖ ἔχειν εἰς χρηματισμὸν τὸν τοῦτον ἀναιρήσοντα, καί τοι διαφόρως αὐτῷ Φιλιππικοῦ ὀμνυμέ νου μὴ ἔχειν ἐξ αὐτοῦ φόβον τινά. πάντων οὖν περὶ τούτου εὐχο μένων, εἶδεν ὁ Μαυρίκιος ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ὡς εἰς τὴν χαλκῆν πύλην τοῦ παλατίου ἱστάμενον ἑαυτὸν ἔμπροσθεν τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ σωτῆ ρος, καὶ λαὸν πολὺν σὺν αὐτῷ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐγκαλούντων. καὶ φωνὴ γέγονεν ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου χαρακτῆρος λέγουσα "δότε Μαυρί κιον." καὶ οἱ δῆθεν ὑπηρέται κρατήσαντες αὐτὸν παρέστησαν ἐν τῷ πορφυρῷ ὀμφαλίῳ τῷ ἐκεῖσε. καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ θεία φωνή "ποῦ θέλεις