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to force the difficult passage. But whenever it gets inside the circuit-wall, it goes about the entire city and fills its cisterns, and then it goes out, and falling into a chasm very near the circuit-wall, it disappears. And where it issues forth from there has become clear to no one up to the present time. 8.7.9 And this chasm did not happen in ancient times, but long after the Emperor Anastasius had built this city, the nature of the place itself spontaneously created it, and for this reason it happens that those wishing to besiege the city of Dara are hard pressed by a great lack of water. 8.7.10 Chosroes, therefore, having failed in this attempt, as I have said, came to the thought that, even if it were possible for him to subdue some other city of the Romans, he would never be able to establish himself in the midst of the Romans, with many strongholds left behind him in the hands of the enemy. 8.7.11 For it was for this very reason that he razed Antioch to the ground when he captured it, and departed from the land of the Romans. For which reason, his mind being lifted up, he was carried on to a more far-reaching hope, seeking out impracticable deeds. 8.7.12 For having heard in what manner on the left of the Euxine Sea these barbarians, who dwell about the Maeotic Lake, securely overrun the land of the Romans, so he said it would be possible for the Persians, holding Lazica, with no trouble, whenever they wished, to go straight to Byzantium, without crossing the sea at any point, just as the other barbarian nations, 8.7.13 which are settled there, always do. For these reasons the Persians lay claim to Lazica. But I shall return to the point from which I made the digression in my account. 8.8.1 Chorianes, then, and the Median army encamped about the river Hippis. And when Goubazes, the king of the Colchians, and Dagisthaeus, who was in command of the Roman army, learned this, they deliberated in common and led the Ro- 8.8.2 man and Lazic army against the enemy. And having come to the other side of the river Hippis and encamped there, they held a council concerning the present situation, whether it would be better for them to remain and receive the enemy's attack or to go against the enemy, so that, by making a display of their own courage to the Persians, and making it plain to their adversaries that they were advancing against them in a spirit of contempt, and by being the first to join battle, they might be able to enslave the spirit of their opponents. 8.8.3 And when the opinion of those who urged an advance against the enemy prevailed, they all straightway set out against them. Thereupon the Lazi no longer deigned to be drawn up with the Romans, putting forward the reason that the Romans, for their part, were entering the struggle not risking their country nor their most vital interests, while for themselves the danger was for their children and wives and their fatherland. 8.8.4 so that they would blush before their own wives, if it should befall them to be defeated by the enemy. For they suspected that by this necessity they would improvise a valour which they did not possess. 8.8.5 And they were eager to go to close quarters with the enemy first and by themselves, so that the Romans might not throw them into confusion in the action, not being equally zealous with them for the 8.8.6 danger. When the Lazi had made this bold proposal, Goubazes was overjoyed, and calling them together a little way from the Romans, he exhorted them as follows: "As for an exhortation urging you to courage, I do not know if 8.8.7 "I need to make any to you, O men. For to those whom "the necessity of the situation stirs up to zeal, "I think there is no need of any exhortation, which is precisely 8.8.8 "what has befallen us in the present circumstances. For the danger is for our wives "and children and our fatherland, and simply "to speak, for our all, for which things 8.8.9 "the Persians are coming against us. And to those who try to take away by force some of their "possessions, no one at all yields, "since nature compels them to fight for what belongs to them. 8.8.10 "And you are not ignorant that nothing stops the greed "of the Persians, when they have it in their power "to be able, nor will they only rule over us or impose tributes "or otherwise make us subjects, if we have not for"gotten what Chosroes attempted against us not long "before, if now

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τὴν δυσχωρίαν βιάζεσθαι. ἐπειδὰν δὲ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐντὸς γένηται, τήν τε πόλιν περιιὼν ξύμπασαν καὶ τὰς ταύτῃ δεξαμενὰς ἐμπλησάμενος εἶτα ἔξεισιν, ὡς ἀγχοτάτω τε τοῦ περιβόλου ἐς χάος ἐμπεσὼν ἀφανίζεται. καὶ ὅπη ποτὲ τὸ ἐνθένδε ἐκδίδωσιν οὐδενὶ 8.7.9 γέγονε φανερὸν ἐς τόδε τοῦ χρόνου. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ χάος οὐκ ἐπὶ παλαιοῦ γεγονὸς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἢ τὴν πόλιν Ἀναστάσιος βασιλεὺς ἐδείματο ταύτην ἡ φύσις αὐτὸ τοῦ χωρίου ἀπαυτοματίσασα ἔθετο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ξυμβαίνει τοῖς προσεδρεύειν ἐθέλουσιν ἀμφὶ πόλιν ∆άρας πιέζεσθαι ὕδατος ἀπορίᾳ πολλῇ. 8.7.10 Ταύτης οὖν, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, ἀποτυχὼν ὁ Χοσρόης τῆς πείρας ἐς ἔννοιαν ἦλθεν ὡς, ἢν καὶ πόλιν οἱ Ῥωμαίων ἑτέραν τινὰ παραστήσασθαι δυνατὰ εἴη, ἀλλὰ καθίζεσθαι οὐ μή ποτε οἷός τε εἴη ἐν μέσῳ Ῥωμαίων, ὀχυρωμάτων τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπολελειμμένων ὀπίσω 8.7.11 πολλῶν. καὶ Ἀντιόχειαν γὰρ τούτου δὴ εἵνεκα ἐς ἔδαφος καθελὼν ἡνίκα ἐξεῖλεν, ἀπηλλάγη ἐκ Ῥωμαίων τῆς γῆς. διὸ δὴ μετεωρισθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπὶ μακροτέρας ἐλπίδος ὠχεῖτο, διερευνώμενος ἀμήχανα ἔργα. 8.7.12 ἀκοῇ γὰρ ἔχων ὅντινα τρόπον ἐπ' ἀριστερᾷ Πόντου τοῦ Εὐξείνου οὗτοι δὴ βάρβαροι, οἳ ἀμφὶ τὴν Μαιῶτιν ᾤκηνται Λίμνην, καὶ ἀδεῶς κατατρέχουσι Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν, οὕτω καὶ Πέρσαις Λαζικὴν ἔχουσι πόνῳ οὐδενὶ δυνατὰ ἔσεσθαι ἔλεγεν, ἡνίκα ἂν βουλομένοις ᾖ, εὐθὺ Βυζαντίου ἰέναι, οὐδαμῆ διαπορθμευομένοις τὴν θάλασσαν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα βαρβαρικὰ ἔθνη, 8.7.13 ἃ ταύτῃ ἵδρυται, ἐσαεὶ δρῶσι. διὰ ταῦτα μὲν Λαζικῆς Πέρσαι μεταποιοῦνται. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅθεν τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ λόγου ἐποιησάμην ἐπάνειμι. 8.8.1 Χοριάνης μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ Μήδων στρατὸς ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Ἵππιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα Γουβάζης τε, ὁ Κόλχων βασιλεὺς, ἔμαθε καὶ ∆αγισθαῖος, ὅσπερ ἡγεῖτο τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, ἐπίκοινα βουλευσάμενοι ἦγον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους τὸ Ῥω8.8.2 μαίων καὶ Λαζῶν στράτευμα. γενόμενοί τε Ἵππιδος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ θάτερα καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι τὰ παρόντα ἐν βουλῇ εἶχον, πότερα μένουσί τε αὐτοῖς καὶ δεχομένοις ἐπιόντας τοὺς πολεμίους ξυνοίσει μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους σφίσιν ἰτέον, ὅπως δὴ θάρσους τοῦ σφετέρου ποιησάμενοι ἐπίδειξιν Πέρσαις, ἔνδηλά τε τοῖς ἐναντίοις καταστησάμενοι ὡς καταφρονήματι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἴωσι, τῆς τε ξυμβολῆς αὐτῆς ἄρχοντες δουλῶσαι τῶν ἀνθισταμένων τὸ φρόνημα 8.8.3 ἱκανοὶ εἶεν. ἐπειδή τε ἡ γνώμη ἐνίκα τῶν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους παρακαλούντων, ὥρμηντο ἐπ' αὐτοὺς εὐθὺς ἅπαντες. ἐνταῦθα Λαζοὶ Ῥωμαίοις ξυντάσσεσθαι οὐκέτι ἠξίουν, προτεινόμενοι ὅτι δὴ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν οὔτε πατρίδος οὔτε τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων προκινδυνεύοντες ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα καθίστανται, αὐτοῖς δὲ ὑπέρ τε παίδων καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ γῆς τῆς πατρῴας ὁ κίνδυνός ἐστιν. 8.8.4 ὥστε κἂν γυναῖκας τὰς σφετέρας ἐρυθριῷεν, εἰ σφίσι πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων ξυμβαίη κρατεῖσθαι. ταύτῃ δὴ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ τὴν οὐκ οὖσαν αὐτοῖς ἀρετὴν αὐτοσχεδιάσειν 8.8.5 ὑπώπτευον. πρῶτοί τε αὐτοὶ κατὰ μόνας ὤργων τοῖς πολεμίοις ὁμόσε ἰέναι, ὅπως αὐτοὺς μὴ ξυνταράξωσιν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ Ῥωμαῖοι, οὐχ ὅμοια σφίσιν ἐς τὸν κίν8.8.6 δυνον προθυμούμενοι. ταῦτα νεανιευσαμένων Λαζῶν περιχαρὴς ὁ Γουβάζης γενόμενος μικρόν τε ἄποθεν Ῥωμαίων αὐτοὺς ξυγκαλέσας τοιάδε παρεκελεύσατο «Παραίνεσιν μὲν ἐς εὐψυχίαν ὁρμῶσαν οὐκ οἶδα εἴ 8.8.7 «τινα δεῖ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες, ποιεῖσθαι. οἷς γὰρ «ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκη τὴν προθυμίαν ἀνίστησι, «παρακελεύσεως ἂν οὐδεμιᾶς προσδεῖν οἴομαι, ὅπερ 8.8.8 «καὶ ἡμῖν ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι τετύχηκεν. ὑπὲρ γυναικῶν 8.8.8 «γὰρ καὶ παίδων καὶ γῆς τῆς πατρῴας καὶ ἁπλῶς «εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ὁ κίνδυνός ἐστιν, ὑπὲρ ὧν 8.8.9 «ἡμῖν ἐπίασι Πέρσαι. τοῖς δέ τι ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τῶν «ὑπαρχόντων βιαζομένοις οὐδεὶς τῶν πάντων παρα»χωρεῖ, ὑπερμάχεσθαι τῶν προσηκόντων ἀναγκαζούσης 8.8.10 «τῆς φύσεως. οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε δὲ ὡς Πέρσαις τὴν πλεονε»ξίαν οὐδὲν ἵστησιν, ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ γεγονόσι τοῦ δύνα»σθαι, οὐδὲ ἄρξουσι μόνον ἡμῶν ἢ τάξουσι φόρους «ἢ τὰ ἄλλα κατηκόους ποιήσονται, εἴ τι μὴ ἐπιλε»λήσμεθα ὧν Χοσρόης ἐγκεχείρηκεν ἐφ' ἡμῖν οὐ πολλῷ «πρότερον, ἢν νῦν