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to yield to the conquerors; nor, "indeed, is it inglorious to live following the present fortune. 8.12.5 For necessity, even when it attains no good hope, justly escapes dishonor, even if it is clothed with the most shameful deeds. For to an irremediable evil 8.12.6 pardon is naturally attached. Do not, therefore, emulate despair in a manifest danger, nor exchange your safety for arrogance, but consider that it is impossible for the dead to come back to life, while the survivors will have use of themselves 8.12.7 in time to come, if this seems to be the better course. Therefore take final counsel and consider what is expedient, knowing this, that those would be the best counsels in which the power to repent 8.12.8 will be available to those who have counselled. As for us, we pity you even as you fight against the odds and we spare those who are dying, and we deem it right to have mercy on those who are both weakened and weary of life, as is the 8.12.9 law for Roman Christians. Nothing else will result for you, except that by changing your state for the better, you will have Justinian as your lord instead of Chosroes; for on these 8.12.10 terms we agree to give you pledges. Do not, then, destroy yourselves, when it is possible to be saved. For it is not a good thing to persist in dreadful circumstances for no benefit at all, since this is not to be valiant, but 8.12.11 to court death. He is noble who endures the most terrible things, when he expects some useful result from it. For men do not praise a voluntary death, where some hope better than its attendant danger is at hand, but a useless end of life is rash folly, and senseless boldness in the face of death seems to men of sound mind 8.12.12 not a becoming pretext of the energetic. And yet you must also consider this, lest you seem to be ungrateful toward the divine. For if it wished to destroy you, O men, it would not, I think, 8.12.13 have delivered you to those who desire to save you. So then, our proposals are such as these. You will deliberate, of course, as befits you to be." 8.12.14 The exhortation was something like this. But the Persians were not willing to receive the words even with a hearing, but pretending to be deaf, 8.12.15 they feigned that they did not understand. And then, at the general's command, the Romans threw fire into the acropolis, thinking that in this way the enemy would surrender their 8.12.16 bodies to them. And as the flame spread greatly, the barbarians, with their fate before their eyes, knowing well that it would be their lot to be burned to ashes very soon, having no hope, and not knowing how they might be saved by defending themselves, were not even so willing to become subject to their enemies, but immediately, all together with the acropolis, to the amazement of the Roman army at what was being done, were consumed by the flames and perished. 8.12.17 And with how much zeal Chosroes treated Lazica, became manifest at that time; for he, having selected the most notable soldiers of all, established them in the garrison of Petra, and he deposited so great a number of weapons, that when the Romans plundered them, it fell to each soldier to have the equipment of five men, although it happened that many were also burned in the acropolis. 8.12.18 And a great quantity of grain and salted meats and of the other provisions was found, as much as would have sufficed all the besieged for five years. 8.12.19 But the Persians had not happened to store wine there, except for sour wine and a sufficient supply of beans. 8.12.20 And since the Romans also found water flowing in from the conduit there, they were in great wonder and at a loss, until they learned the whole account concerning the secret conduits. And what this is I will immediately declare. 8.12.21 When Chosroes, having captured Petra, established the garrison there, knowing well that the Romans would besiege it with every device, and that they would at once and without any delay attempt to cut the aqueduct, he devised 8.12.22 the following. This water, which was brought into the city, he divided into three parts, and having made a very deep trench, he constructed three conduits, one at the bottom of the trench

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κεκρατηκόσιν ὑπείκειν· οὐδὲ «μὴν ἄδοξον τὸ τύχῃ τῇ παρούσῃ ἑπομένους βιῶναι. 8.12.5 «ἀνάγκη γὰρ οὐδὲ ἀγαθῆς τινος ἐλπίδος τυχοῦσα τὴν «ἀτιμίαν ἐκφεύγει δικαίως, ἢν καὶ τῶν ἔργων περι»βάλληται τὰ αἰσχρότατα. κακῷ γὰρ τῷ ἀμηχάνῳ τὸ 8.12.6 «σύγγνωμον ἕπεσθαι πέφυκε. μὴ τοίνυν τὴν ἀπό»νοιαν ἐν προὔπτῳ ζηλοῦτε κινδύνῳ, μηδὲ τῆς σω»τηρίας τὴν ἀλαζονείαν ἀλλάξασθε, ἀλλ' ἐνθυμεῖσθε «ὡς ἀναβιώσεσθαι μὲν τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἀδύνατον, «οἱ δὲ περιόντες καὶ χρόνῳ διαχρήσονται σφᾶς αὐτοὺς 8.12.7 «ὕστερον, ἤν γε τοῦτο κρεῖσσον εἶναι δοκῇ. βουλεύ»σασθε οὖν τὴν ὑστάτην βουλὴν καὶ περισκοπεῖσθε τὰ «ξύμφορα, ἐκεῖνο εἰδότες, ὡς ταῦτα ἂν τῶν βουλευ»μάτων τὰ βέλτιστα εἴη ἐν οἷς τὸ μεταμέλειν τοῖς 8.12.8 «βουλευσαμένοις ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ ἔσται. ὡς ἡμεῖς γε ὑμᾶς «καὶ ζυγομαχοῦντας οἰκτείρομεν καὶ θανατώντων φει»δόμεθα καὶ πρὸς τὸν βίον ἐνδιαθρυπτομένους τε καὶ «βλακεύοντας ἐλεεῖν ἀξιοῦμεν, ᾗ Ῥωμαίοις Χριστιανοῖς 8.12.9 «νόμος. ἄλλο τε ὑμῖν περιέσται οὐδὲν, πλήν γε δὴ «ὅτι τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω μεταβαλόντες Ἰου»στινιανὸν ἀντὶ Χοσρόου κύριον ἕξετε· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τού8.12.10 «των ὑμῖν καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δώσειν ὁμολογοῦμεν. μὴ «τοίνυν ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς διαχρήσησθε, παρὸν σώζεσθαι. «οὐ γὰρ εὐτυχὲς ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾷ «τὸ παράπαν ὀνήσει, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ 8.12.11 «θανατᾶν τοῦτό γε. γενναῖος δὲ ὃς ἂν ἐγκαρτερῇ τὰ «δεινότατα, ἡνίκα τι προσδοκᾷ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χρήσιμον. «οὐ γὰρ ἐπαινοῦσι τὴν ἑκούσιον τελευτὴν ἄνθρωποι, «ἔνθα δή τις ἐπίκειται κρείσσων τῷ κατ' αὐτὴν κιν»δύνῳ ἐλπὶς, ἀλλὰ βίου μὲν καταστροφὴ ἄχρηστος «ἄνοια προπετὴς, τὸ δὲ εἰς θάνατον ἀνόητον θράσος «τοῦ δραστηρίου πρόσχημα οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς τοῖς γε σώ8.12.12 «φροσιν εἶναι δοκεῖ. καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο ἐκλογίζεσθαι «χρὴ, μή τι δόξητε καὶ εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἀγνωμονεῖν. εἰ «γὰρ ἀπολεῖν ἐβούλετο, ὦ ἄνδρες, ὑμᾶς, οὐκ ἂν, οἶμαι, 8.12.13 «παραδεδώκει τοῖς διασώζειν ἐφιεμένοις. τὰ μὲν οὖν «παρ' ἡμῶν τοιαῦτά ἐστι. βουλεύσεσθε δὲ ὑμεῖς δη»λονότι, ὧνπερ ἀξίοις ὑμῖν ξυμβαίνει εἶναι.» 8.12.14 Ἡ μὲν παραίνεσις ταύτῃ πη εἶχε. Πέρσαι δὲ τοὺς λόγους οὐδὲ ὅσον ἀκοῇ δέχεσθαι ἤθελον, ἀλλ' ἐθελο8.12.15 κωφοῦντες ὅτι δὴ οὐκ ἐπαΐοιεν προσεποιοῦντο. καὶ τότε, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐγκελευσαμένου, Ῥωμαῖοι πῦρ τῇ ἀκροπόλει ἐμβέβληνται, τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ἐνδώσειν τὰ 8.12.16 σώματα σφίσι τοὺς πολεμίους οἰόμενοι. τῆς δὲ φλογὸς ἐπὶ μέγα χωρούσης οἱ βάρβαροι, τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῖς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄντος, ἐξεπιστάμενοι ὅτι δὴ σφίσιν αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα τετεφρῶσθαι ξυμβήσεται, ἐλπίδα οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντες, οὐδὲ εἰδότες καθ' ὅ τι σωθήσονται ἀμυνόμενοι, οὐδ' ὣς ὑποχείριοι τοῖς πολεμίοις γενέσθαι ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ ξὺν τῇ ἀκροπόλει εὐθὺς ἅπαντες, θαυμάζοντος τὰ ποιούμενα τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, κατα8.12.17 φλεγόμενοι διεφθάρησαν. δι' ὅσης τε σπουδῆς ὁ Χοσρόης Λαζικὴν ἦγε, τηνικάδε φανερὸν γέγονεν· ὅς γε στρατιώτας μὲν τοὺς πάντων λογιμωτάτους ἀπολεξάμενος ἐν τῷ τῆς Πέτρας κατεστήσατο φυλακτηρίῳ, ὅπλα δὲ κατέθετο τοσαῦτα τὸ πλῆθος, ὥστε ληϊσαμένων αὐτὰ Ῥωμαίων στρατιώτῃ ἑκάστῳ πέντε ἀνδρῶν ἐπιβαλεῖν σκευὴν, καίτοι κἀν τῇ ἀκροπόλει πολλὰ καυ8.12.18 θῆναι ξυνέβη. εὕρηται δὲ καὶ σίτου καὶ τεταριχευμένων κρεῶν μέγα τι χρῆμα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων, ὅσα δὴ ἔμελλε πενταετὲς τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις 8.12.19 πᾶσιν ἐπαρκέσειν. οἶνον δὲ οὐκ ἔτυχον ἐνταῦθα καταθέμενοι Πέρσαι, πλήν γε ὅτι τόν τε ὀξίνην καὶ διαρκῆ 8.12.20 κύαμον. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ ὀχετοῦ ἐπιρρέον ἐνταῦθα Ῥωμαῖοι εὗρον, ἐν θαύματι μεγάλῳ γενόμενοι διηποροῦντο, ἕως τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀμφὶ τοῖς κρυφίοις ὀχετοῖς ἔμαθον. ὅ τι δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 8.12.21 Ἡνίκα Πέτραν ὁ Χοσρόης ἑλὼν τῇδε τὸ φυλακτήριον κατεστήσατο, εὖ εἰδὼς ὡς Ῥωμαῖοι προσεδρεύσουσι μὲν αὐτῇ μηχανῇ πάσῃ, εὐθὺς δὲ διελεῖν τὴν ὀχεταγωγίαν μελλήσει οὐδεμιᾷ ἐγχειρήσουσιν, ἐπενόει 8.12.22 τοιάδε. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ὕδωρ, ὅπερ ἐς τὴν πόλιν εἰσήγετο, ἐς τρεῖς διελὼν μοίρας κατώρυχά τε βαθεῖαν κομιδῆ ποιησάμενος, ὀχετοὺς ἐτεκτήνατο τρεῖς, τὸν ἕνα μὲν κάτω ἐς τῆς κατώρυχος