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be established. And he advised him rather to write himself on his own behalf; and at the same time to permit Arbenus to make known to the Beroeans their agreements and oaths with each other, and how it would also be a pleasure to you for them to go over to him. But he permitted him to have the letters written as he dictated, in whatever way seemed advantageous to him. But he ordered Arbenus to speak with the Beroeans on behalf of the emperor and make it clear to them that he thought it made no difference whether they went over to him or to the emperor. Thus their plan came to fruition. And Arbenus, having come to Beroea, both presented the Kral's letters to be read in the assembly and secretly distributed the emperor's to those who were suitable. And the Beroeans, both the nobles and the people alike, had previously chosen the emperor's side, and at that time, being pressed by 2.353 the war with the Triballi—for they were making many and continuous raids against them, and were harming the country by plundering it—and seeing already that they were on the razor's edge of danger, being forced to be enslaved to the Triballi, and especially being incited by the nobles (for with few exceptions they had all chosen the emperor's side), they voted for the emperor's return; and immediately they chose ambassadors, from the nobles Astraperes, from the people Alleluia, and from those enrolled in the clergy of the church a man named Syrus, and they sent them to the emperor, begging him to come to them as quickly as possible. And when the ambassadors arrived, they declared to the emperor the ancient goodwill of the city and how, since this civil war among the Romans had been stirred up, they themselves were in suspense and prayed for his arrival and were eager to attach themselves to him and to help finish the war. But when difficulties befell him through the betrayal of his companions and he went across the border to the Triballi, they had especially wished to summon him to the city right from the start; but fearing that for these reasons they might become the cause of greater misfortunes for him, since the Kral was plotting against him out of envy that he should take the city, they had refrained from the attempt until now. But now that the opportunity had come and the Kral did not seem to be displeased, they themselves had come with great pleasure and eagerness to receive him. And they advised him not to delay, nor to postpone the opportunity, lest some other event should occur and ruin the undertaking. The emperor, then, acknowledged many thanks to the city 2.354 for its goodwill and to the ambassadors for their zeal for him; and he reported to the Kral what the ambassadors from Beroea had said. And he, amazed that they did not, like the rest of the cities, forbid talk about the emperor, he himself also decided that the work should be brought to completion. But Helen, his wife, also introduced great earnestness and advised the emperor not to let the opportunity slip, but, considering everything else secondary, to apply himself only to winning over Beroea. For the return to Didymoteichon was necessary, but to hold Beroea would be no less profitable, as it was able to contribute much to the war. And she advised him not to wait for the army being prepared to follow him, but taking the Germans, as many as the Kral and she herself would provide, who were always prepared for campaigns because they were mercenaries, to hasten to Beroea with his own men. And if they should receive him, as they promised, if he should also need that army for assistance, it would come later, once it was prepared. But if they should change their minds and send him away, he should turn back and use the army that was already prepared and make an attempt at returning. Such things did the Kral's wife suggest to the emperor, and she herself both provided her own Latin mercenaries and persuaded her husband. 58. And the emperor, having acknowledged many thanks for their friendship to 2.355 both the Kral and his wife, both for their friendship and for their zeal for him, came to Beroea with the mercenaries together with the Romans accompanying him; and they received him eagerly, opening the gates, and they offered themselves most zealously for the campaigns out of ambition and without expense. And immediately Servia also

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καταστῇ. συνεβούλευέ τε μᾶλλον γράφειν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ· ἅμα δὲ καὶ Ἀρμπένῳ ἐπιτρέπειν Βεῤῥοιώταις τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτῶν συνθήκας καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους φανεροὺς ποιεῖν, καὶ ὡς εἴη καὶ σοὶ πρὸς ἡδονὴν τὸ προσχωρεῖν αὐτοὺς αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ τὰ μὲν γράμματα ἐπέτρεπεν αὐτὸν ὑπαγορεύοντα γράφεσθαι, οἷ ἂν δοκῇ αὐτῷ συμφέρειν. Ἄρμπενον δὲ ἐκέλευεν ὑπὲρ βασιλέως Βεῤῥοιώταις διαλέγεσθαι καὶ φανερὸν αὐτοῖς ποιεῖν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἡγοῖτο διαφέρειν αὐτῷ τε προσχωρεῖν καὶ βασιλεῖ. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἡ ἐπίνοια αὐτοῖς εἰς τέλος ἥκει. Ἄρμπενος δὲ εἰς Βέῤῥοιαν ἐλθὼν, τά τε Κράλη γράμματα παρείχετο ἀναγινώσκεσθαι ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας καὶ τὰ βασιλέως τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις κρύφα διεδίδου. Βεῤῥοιῶται δὲ καὶ πρότερον μὲν τὰ βασιλέως ᾑρημένοι οἵ τε ἄριστοι ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἦσαν, καὶ τότε δὲ ὑ 2.353 πὸ τοῦ Τριβαλῶν πολέμου πιεζόμενοι, πολλὰς γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ συνεχεῖς ἐποιοῦντο τὰς ἐφόδους, καὶ κακῶς ἐποίουν τὴν χώραν ληϊζόμενοι, καὶ συνορῶντες ἤδη, ὡς ἐν χρῷ κινδύνου καθεστᾶσι δουλεύειν Τριβαλοῖς ἀναγκαζόμενοι, ἄλλως τε καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρίστων ἐναγόμενοι, πλὴν γὰρ ὀλίγων τὰ βασιλέως ἦσαν πάντες ᾑρημένοι, ἐψηφίσαντο τὴν βασιλέως κάθοδον· αὐτίκα τε ᾑροῦντο πρέσβεις, ἐκ μὲν τῶν ἀρίστων Ἀστραπήρην, τοῦ δήμου δὲ Ἀλληλούϊαν, ἐκ τῶν κατειλεγμένων δὲ τῷ κλήρῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας Σύρον ὠνομασμένον, καὶ ἔπεμπον πρὸς βασιλέα, τάχιστα δεόμενοι ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτούς. οἱ πρέσβεις δὲ ἐπεὶ ἧκον, τήν τε ἀρχαίαν εὔνοιαν τῆς πόλεως ἐδήλουν βασιλεῖ καὶ ὡς, τοῦ πολέμου τοῦδε τοῦ συγγενικοῦ Ῥωμαίοις κεκινημένου, μετέωροι αὐτοὶ ἦσαν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπιδημίαν ἦγον δι' εὐχῆς καὶ πρόθυμοι ἦσαν αὐτῷ προσνέμειν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὸν πόλεμον συγκατεργάζεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκ προδοσίας τῶν συνόντων συμβαίη περὶ αὐτὸν τὰ δυσχερῆ καὶ ἔλθοι ὑπερόριος πρὸς Τριβαλοὺς, μάλιστα μὲν βεβουλῆσθαι εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς εἰς τὴν πόλιν προσκαλεῖσθαι· δεδοικότας δὲ μὴ διὰ ταῦτα μειζόνων αὐτῷ συμφορῶν αἴτιοι καταστῶσι, τοῦ Κράλη διὰ φθόνον καὶ τὸ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν πόλιν ἐπιβουλεύσαντος, τῆς πείρας ἀποσχέσθαι ἄχρι νῦν. καιροῦ δὲ ἥκοντος νυνὶ καὶ Κράλη μὴ δοκοῦντος δυσχεραίνειν, ἥκειν καὶ αὐτοὺς σὺν ἡδονῇ πολλῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ παραληψομένους. συνεβούλευόν τε μὴ μέλλειν, μηδὲ ὑπερτίθεσθαι τὸν καιρὸν, μή τι συμβὰν ἕτερον λυμήνηται τῇ πράξει. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν τῇ τε πόλει πολλὰς ὡ 2.354 μολόγει τῆς εὐνοίας χάριτας καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσι τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν σπουδῆς· Κράλῃ δὲ ἀπήγγελλεν, ὅσα οἱ ἐκ Βεῤῥοίας πρέσβεις εἴποιεν. θαυμάσας δὲ ἐκεῖνος, ὅτι μὴ τοὺς περὶ βασιλέως λόγους, ὡς καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν πόλεων, ἀπαγορεύοιεν, ἐπέκρινε καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς πέρας ἄγεσθαι τὸ ἔργον. Ἑλένη δὲ ἡ τούτου γαμετὴ καὶ πολλὴν εἰσῆγε τὴν σπουδὴν καὶ παρῄνει βασιλεῖ, μὴ τὸν καιρὸν προΐεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πάντα δεύτερα ἡγησάμενον, μόνου ἔχεσθαι τοῦ Βέῤῥοιαν ὑποποιεῖσθαι. ἀναγκαίαν μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὴν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἐπάνοδον εἶναι, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ λυσιτελήσειν καὶ τὸ Βέῤῥοιαν κατασχεῖν, πολλὰ δυναμένην πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον συνάρασθαι. συνεβούλευέ τε μὴ τὴν παρασκευαζομένην αὐτῷ ἕπεσθαι περιμένειν στρατιὰν, ἀλλὰ Γερμανοὺς παραλαβόντα, ὅσους Κράλης τε παρέξεται καὶ αὐτὴ, ἀεὶ πρὸς τὰς στρατείας παρεσκευασμένους ὄντας διὰ τὸ μισθοφορεῖν, ἅμα τοῖς οἰκείοις σπεύδειν ἐπὶ Βέῤῥοιαν. κἂν μὲν δέχωνται, ὥσπερ ἐπαγγέλλονται, εἰ δέοιτο καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐκείνης πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν, ὕστερον ἥξειν παρασκευασθεῖσαν. εἰ δὲ μεταβαλόντες ἀποπέμποιεν, ἀναστρέψαντα χρῆσθαι τῇ στρατιᾷ ἤδη παρεσκευασμένῃ καὶ ἀποπειρᾷν πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον. τοιαῦτα μὲν ἡ Κράλη ὑπετίθετο γαμετὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ αὐτή τε παρείχετο τοὺς ἰδίους μισθοφόρους Λατίνους καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἔπειθε. νηʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ Κράλῃ τε πολλὰς τῆς φιλίας χάριτας 2.355 ὁμολογήσας καὶ γαμετῇ καὶ τῆς φιλίας ἅμα καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν σπουδῆς, τοὺς μισθοφόρους ἔχων ἅμα τοῖς συνοῦσι Ῥωμαίοις, ἧκεν εἰς τὴν Βέῤῥοιαν· καὶ ἐδέξαντο προθύμως ἀνοίξαντες τὰς πύλας, παρείχοντό τε ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὰς στρατείας ὑπὸ φιλοτιμίας προθυμοτάτους καὶ χωρὶς ἀναλωμάτων. αὐτίκα δὲ Σέρβιά τε