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happened and he leapt into the ships. And weighing anchor from there and finding a favorable wind, on that day they put in at Messene in Sicily, which is seven hundred stades distant from Croton, and lies opposite Rhegium. 7.29.1 At this time an army of Sclaveni, having crossed the river Ister, did irreparable harm to all of the Illyrians as far as Epidamnus, killing and enslaving all who came in their way, young and old alike, 7.29.2 and plundering their property. And they were already strong enough to capture many forts there which had previously seemed strong, since no one defended them, and they went about 7.29.3 plundering the entire country at will. But the commanders of the Illyrians, having an army of fifteen thousand men, followed them, yet they dared not go anywhere 7.29.4 near the enemy. And then also earthquakes, both very severe and extraordinary, occurred many times in the winter season, both in Byzantium and other places, all of them 7.29.5 at night. And the inhabitants there were in great fear, suspecting that they would be buried, yet nothing 7.29.6 bad happened to them from this. Then also the river Nile, rising more than eighteen cubits, flooded Egypt and irrigated all of it, but while in the upper Thebaid the waters subsided and receded at the proper times, allowing the inhabitants there to sow the land and 7.29.7 attend to their other tasks as was customary; yet when it first flooded the lower country, it did not recede, but troubled it throughout the whole sowing season, a thing which had never happened before in all time, and in some places the water, having subsided, flooded 7.29.8 again not much later. And so all the seeds rotted, as many as had happened to be cast into the earth in the meantime. And the people were in great helplessness at the unexpectedness of the disaster, and most of the other animals perished from lack of food. 7.29.9 Then also the sea-monster, which the Byzantines called Porphyrius, was captured. This sea-monster had been troubling Byzantium and the surrounding places for more than fifty years, not continuously, however, but leaving off, 7.29.10 as it might happen, for a very long time in between. And it sank many ships, and it threw the passengers of many into a great panic, forcibly carrying them to the most distant places. 7.29.11 Now Emperor Justinian had made it his business to capture this beast, but he was unable by any device to accomplish his purpose. But how it happened to be captured now, I shall declare. The sea happened to be very calm, and a very great multitude of dolphins were gathering somewhere near the mouth of the Euxine Pontus. 7.29.12 They, suddenly seeing the sea-monster, fled as each was able, and most of them went toward the mouth of the Sagaris. The sea-monster, having caught some of them, was able to swallow them 7.29.13 immediately. But whether driven by hunger or by rivalry, it pursued them no less, until it unwittingly ran 7.29.14 aground somewhere very near the land. And there, having encountered very deep mud, it struggled and thrashed about in every way to get away from there as quickly as possible, but it was in no way able to escape this shoal, but sank even deeper into the mud. 7.29.15 When this news came to all the inhabitants of the vicinity, they immediately ran to it, and striking it from all sides most relentlessly with axes, they did not kill it even so, but 7.29.16 they dragged it with some strong ropes. And placing it on wagons, they found it to be about thirty cubits in length, and ten in breadth. There, dividing it up among certain groups, some of them tasted it on the spot, and others decided to salt the portion that fell to them. 7.29.17 But the Byzantines, when they heard of the earthquakes and knew what had happened concerning the Nile and this sea-monster, immediately began to foretell whatever pleased each of them would come to pass. 7.29.18 For men, being at a loss about present circumstances, are accustomed to make marvels of the future, and being worn down by what troubles them, to infer what will happen 7.29.19 by no reason. But I of prophecies and portents

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ἐγίνετο καὶ ἐς τὰς ναῦς ἐσεπήδησεν. ἔνθεν τε ἄραντες καὶ πνεύματος ἐπιτυχόντες ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ Σικελίας Μεσήνῃ προσέσχον, ἣ τοῦ μὲν Κρότωνος ἑπτακοσίους σταδίους διέχει, Ῥηγίνων δὲ καταντικρὺ κεῖται. 7.29.1 Ὑπὸ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον Σκλαβηνῶν στράτευμα διαβάντες ποταμὸν Ἴστρον Ἰλλυριοὺς ἅπαντας ἄχρι Ἐπιδαμνίων ἔδρασαν ἀνήκεστα ἔργα, κτείνοντες καὶ ἀνδραποδίζοντες τοὺς ἐν ποσὶν ἡβηδὸν ἅπαντας 7.29.2 καὶ τὰ χρήματα ληϊζόμενοι. ἤδη δὲ καὶ φρούρια ἐνταῦθα πολλά τε καὶ δοκοῦντα ἐχυρὰ τὰ πρότερα εἶναι οὐδενὸς ἀμυνομένου ἐξελεῖν ἴσχυσαν, καὶ περιήρχοντο 7.29.3 ξύμπαντα κατ' ἐξουσίαν διερευνώμενοι. οἱ δὲ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἄρχοντες στράτευμα πεντακισχιλίων τε καὶ μυρίων ἔχοντες εἵποντο, ἄγχιστα μέντοι τῶν πολεμίων 7.29.4 οὐδαμῆ ἐτόλμων ἰέναι. τότε δὲ καὶ σεισμοὶ πολλάκις χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ σκληροί τε λίαν καὶ ὑπερφυεῖς ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ χωρίοις ἄλλοις ἐγένοντο, νύκτωρ ἅπαν7.29.5 τες. καὶ οἱ μὲν ταύτῃ ᾠκημένοι καταχωσθήσεσθαι ὑποτοπήσαντες ἐν δέει μεγάλῳ ἐγένοντο, οὐδὲν μέντοι 7.29.6 ἐνθένδε φλαῦρον αὐτοῖς ξυνηνέχθη παθεῖν. τότε καὶ Νεῖλος ὁ ποταμὸς ὑπὲρ ὀκτωκαίδεκα πήχυς ἀναβὰς ἐπέκλυσε μὲν τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἤρδευσε πᾶσαν, ἀλλὰ ἐν μὲν Θηβαΐδι τῇ ὕπερθεν οὔσῃ ὑφιζάνοντά τε καὶ ἀποχωροῦντα τοῖς καθήκουσι χρόνοις τὰ ὕδατα παρείχετο τοῖς τῇδε ᾠκημένοις σπείρειν τε τὴν γῆν καὶ 7.29.7 τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι ᾗπερ εἰώθει· χώρας δὲ τῆς ἔνερθεν ἐπειδὴ πρῶτον ἐπεπόλασεν, οὐκέτι ἀπέβη, ἀλλ' ἐνοχλῶν αὐτῇ ξύμπαντα διαγέγονε τὸν τοῦ σπείρειν καιρὸν, οὐ ξυμπεσὸν τοῦτό γε πρότερον ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος, ἔστι δὲ οὗ καὶ ἀπολωφῆσαν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπέκλυσεν 7.29.8 αὖθις οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ταύτῃ τε ἅπαντα ἐσεσήπει τὰ σπέρματα, ὅσα δὴ μεταξὺ καταβεβλημένα ἐς τὴν γῆν ἔτυχε. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄνθρωποι τῷ παραλόγῳ τῆς ξυμφορᾶς ἀμηχανίᾳ πολλῇ εἴχοντο, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ζῴων ἀπορίᾳ τροφῆς τὰ πλεῖστα ἐφθάρη. 7.29.9 Τότε καὶ τὸ κῆτος, ὃ δὴ Βυζάντιοι Πορφύριον ἐκάλουν, ἑάλω. τοῦτό τε τὸ κῆτος πλέον μὲν ἢ ἐς πεντήκοντα ἐνιαυτοὺς τό τε Βυζάντιον καὶ τὰ ἀμφ' αὐτὸ χωρία ἠνώχλει, οὐκ ἐφεξῆς μέντοι, ἀλλὰ διαλεῖ7.29.10 πον, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, πολύν τινα μεταξὺ χρόνον. καὶ πολλὰ μὲν κατέδυσε πλοῖα, πολλῶν δὲ τοὺς ἐπιβάτας ξυνταράττον τε καὶ βιαζόμενον ὡς ἀπωτάτω ἀπήνεγκεν. ἐπιμελὲς μὲν οὖν Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἐγεγόνει τὸ θηρίον τοῦτο χειρώσασθαι, ἐπιτελέσαι δὲ τὸ βούλευμα οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ ἔσχεν. ὅπως δὲ αὐτῷ τανῦν ἁλῶναι 7.29.11 ξυνέπεσεν, ἐγὼ δηλώσω. ἐτύγχανε μὲν γαλήνη τὴν θάλασσαν πολλὴ ἔχουσα, δελφίνων δὲ πάμπολύ τι πλῆθος ἄγχιστά πη τοῦ στόματος Πόντου τοῦ Εὐξείνου 7.29.12 ξυνέρρεον. οἵπερ ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου τὸ κῆτος ἰδόντες ἔφευγον ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονεν, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι ἀμφὶ τοῦ Σαγάριδος τὰς ἐκβολὰς ἦλθον. τινὰς μὲν οὖν αὐτῶν καταλαβὸν τὸ κῆτος καταπιεῖν εὐθὺς ἴσχυ7.29.13 σεν. εἴτε δὲ πείνῃ εἴτε φιλονεικίᾳ ἔτι ἐχόμενον οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἐδίωκεν, ἕως δὴ αὐτὸ ἄγχιστά πη τῆς γῆς 7.29.14 ἐκπεσὸν ἔλαθεν. ἐνταῦθά τε ἰλύϊ βαθείᾳ κομιδῆ ἐντυχὸν ἐβιάζετο μὲν καὶ πάντα ἐκίνει, ὅπως δὴ ἐνθένδε ὅτι τάχιστα ἀπαλλάσσοιτο, διαφυγεῖν δὲ τὸ τέναγος τοῦτο οὐδαμῆ εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῷ πηλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον 7.29.15 ἐγίνετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἐς τοὺς περιοίκους ἅπαντας ἦλθε, δρόμῳ εὐθὺς ἐπ' αὐτὸ ᾔεσαν, ἀξίναις τε πανταχόθεν ἐνδελεχέστατα κόψαντες οὐδ' ὣς ἔκτειναν, ἀλλὰ 7.29.16 σχοίνοις ἁδραῖς τισιν εἷλκον. ἔν τε ἁμάξαις ἐνθέμενοι εὕρισκον μῆκος μὲν πηχῶν μάλιστα τριάκοντα ὂν, εὖρος δὲ δέκα. ἐνταῦθά τε κατὰ συμμορίας τινὰς διασπασάμενοι οἱ μέν τινες αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἐγεύσαντο, οἱ δὲ καὶ μοῖραν ταριχεῦσαι τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν 7.29.17 σφίσιν ἔγνωσαν. Βυζάντιοι δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τῶν τε σεισμῶν ᾔσθοντο καὶ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα ἀμφί τε τῷ Νείλῳ καὶ τῷ κήτει τούτῳ ἔγνωσαν, προὔλεγον αὐτίκα ξυμβήσε7.29.18 σθαι ὅσα δὴ αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ ἤρεσκε. φιλοῦσι γὰρ ἄνθρωποι τοῖς παροῦσι διαπορούμενοι τὰ ἐσόμενα τερατεύεσθαι, καὶ τοῖς ἐνοχλοῦσιν ἀποκναιόμενοι τὰ ξυμ7.29.19 βησόμενα λόγῳ οὐδενὶ τεκμηριοῦσθαι. ἐγὼ δὲ μαντείας τε καὶ τεράτων