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for men's life, both power and wisdom. For those who are superior to their neighbors in power both live their lives with authority and always lead the weaker wherever they wish, while those who are enslaved to the stronger because of their weakness, healing their powerlessness with intelligence, pursue the rulers with flattery and are no less able to live in their own homes, enjoying through flattery all the things of which they happen to be deprived on account of their weakness. 8.16.24 And these things are not so among some nations for them, while among others it is not in this way, but, so to speak, it is fixed by nature in all men everywhere in the inhabited world, just like anything else. 8.16.25 And so you, my dear Goubazes, if you think you will survive the war with the Persians, neither delay nor let anything be a hindrance to you. 8.16.26 For you will find us of Lazica wherever you wish, both withstanding your attack and drawn up in battle against you for this land with all our might; so that it will be possible for you in your struggle to prove your valor against us. 8.16.27 If, however, you yourself know that you are unable to oppose the power of the Persians, you, good sir, manage the second course, 'know thyself,' and do obeisance to your own master Chosroes as king and victor and lord. 8.16.28 Ask that he be gracious to you for what you have done, so that for the future you may be able to be rid of the evils that trouble you. 8.16.29 For I guarantee that King Chosroes will be gracious to you and will give you pledges, providing you as hostages the children of the notable rulers among the Persians, so that you will have in security for all time both your other interests and your safety and your kingdom. 8.16.30 But if neither of these is to your liking, but you, going away to some other country, grant to the Lazi, who have become miserable through your folly, to breathe again at last and to recover from the difficulties which press upon them, and do not wish to inflict this endless destruction upon them, riding upon a precarious hope; I mean, 8.16.31 that of Roman aid. For they will never be able to help you, just as they have not been able to up to this day." Mermeroes wrote these things. 8.16.32 But not even so did he persuade Goubazes, but he remained in the hills of the mountains, awaiting aid from the Romans and, due to his hatred for Chosroes, being very unwilling to incline toward despair of the Romans. 8.16.33 For men for the most part adapt their thought to the need of their desire, and they always agree with the argument that pleases them, and they accept everything from it, not considering whether it might be false, but being ill-disposed toward what grieves them, they disbelieve it, not investigating whether it might be true. 8.17.1 About this time, some monks who had come from India, and had learned that it was the Emperor Justinian's earnest desire that the Romans should no longer buy silk from the Persians, came to the emperor and promised that they would so manage matters concerning silk that the Romans would no longer procure this merchandise from the Persians their enemies, or from any other nation; 8.17.2 for they had spent a long time in a country situated beyond the many nations of India, which is called Serinda, and there they had learned accurately by what means it would be possible for silk to be produced in the land of the Romans. 8.17.3 And when the emperor was most diligently investigating and inquiring whether their story was true, the monks said that some worms were the creators of the silk, nature being their teacher and continually compelling them to work. 8.17.4 But it was impossible to bring the worms here alive, but their offspring was easy and altogether simple to transport. And the offspring of these worms were the innumerable eggs of each. 8.17.5 And these eggs, a long time after being laid, men cover with dung and, having warmed them for a sufficient time in this way, produce living creatures. 8.17.6 When they said these things, the emperor, having promised to reward the men with great gifts, persuaded them to confirm their story by the deed. 8.17.7 And they, having come again to Serinda, the

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ἀνθρώποις τὸν βίον, «δύναμίς τε καὶ φρόνησις. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῷ δυνατῷ «περιόντες τῶν πέλας αὐτοί τε βιοτεύουσι κατ' ἐξου»σίαν καὶ ὅπη βούλονται τοὺς καταδεεστέρους ἐσαεὶ «ἄγουσιν, οἱ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν δεδουλωμένοι τοῖς «κρείττοσι, τῷ ξυνετῷ τὴν ἀδυναμίαν ἰώμενοι, θωπείᾳ «τοὺς κρατοῦντας μετίασι καὶ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἐν τοῖς «οἰκείοις βιοῦν δύνανται, πάντων ἀπολαύοντες τῇ κο»λακείᾳ, ὧνπερ αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν στερεῖσθαι 8.16.24 «ξυμβαίνει. καὶ ταῦτα οὐ παρὰ μὲν τῶν ἐθνῶν τισι «σφίσι φέρεται οὕτως, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐ ταύτῃ «πη ἔχει, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώποις ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπασι πανταχόθι «γῆς τῆς οἰκουμένης ὥσπερ ἄλλο τι ἐμπέπηγε φύσει. 8.16.25 «καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὦ φίλε Γουβάζη, ἢν μὲν οἴει περιέσε»σθαι Περσῶν τῷ πολέμῳ, μήτε μέλλε μήτε σοι ἐμπό8.16.26 «διον γινέσθω μηδέν. εὑρήσεις γὰρ ἡμᾶς τῆς Λαζι»κῆς ἔνθα ἂν βούλοιο ὑφισταμένους τε τὴν σὴν ἔφοδον «καὶ ἀντιπαραταττομένους ὑπὲρ χώρας τῆσδε ὅση δύ»ναμις· ὥστε παρέσται σοι διαγωνιζομένῳ ἀνδραγαθί8.16.27 «ζεσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς. εἰ μέντοι ἀδύνατος ὢν Περσῶν «τῇ δυνάμει ἀντιτάσσεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸς οἶδας, σὺ δὲ, «ὦ 'γαθὲ, τὸ δεύτερον διαχείριζε, τὸ γνῶθι σαυτὸν, «καὶ προσκύνει τὸν σαυτοῦ δεσπότην Χοσρόην ἅτε 8.16.28 «βασιλέα καὶ νενικηκότα καὶ κύριον. αἴτει τέ σοι τῶν «πεπραγμένων ἵλεων εἶναι, ὅπως ἂν τὸ λοιπὸν δυνατὸς 8.16.29 «εἴης τῶν ἐνοχλούντων ἀπηλλάχθαι κακῶν. ὡς ἔγωγε «ἀναδέχομαι βασιλέα Χοσρόην ἵλεών τέ σοι γενήσεσθαι «καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δώσειν, ὁμήρους σοι παρεχόμενον παῖδας «τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις λογίμων ἀρχόντων, ὡς τά τε ἄλλα «καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν σὴν τὸν 8.16.30 «πάντα αἰῶνα ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ἕξεις. εἰ δέ σοι τούτων «οὐδέτερον βουλομένῳ ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ σὺ ἔς τινα ἑτέραν «ἀπιὼν χώραν δὸς τοῖς διὰ τὴν σὴν ἀβουλίαν ταλαι»πώροις γενομένοις Λαζοῖς ἀναπνεῦσαί ποτε καὶ ἀπὸ «δυσκόλων τῶν αὐτοῖς ἐγκειμένων ἀνενεγκεῖν, μηδὲ «αὐτοῖς ἀπέραντον ὄλεθρον τόνδε προστρίβεσθαι βού»λου ἐπὶ σφαλερᾶς τῆς ἐλπίδος ὀχούμενος· λέγω δὲ 8.16.31 «τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐπικουρίας. οὐ γάρ σοι τιμωρεῖν ποτε «δυνατοὶ ἔσονται, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἄχρι ἐς τὴν ἡμέραν «δεδύνηνται τήνδε.» Μερμερόης μὲν ταῦτα ἔγραψε. 8.16.32 Γουβάζην δὲ οὐδ' ὣς ἔπειθεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς τῶν ὀρῶν κολωνοῖς ἔμενε, καραδοκῶν τὴν ἐκ Ῥωμαίων ἐπικουρίαν καὶ τῷ ἐς τὸν Χοσρόην ἔχθει ὡς ἥκιστα ἐς τὴν 8.16.33 Ῥωμαίων ἀπόγνωσιν ἐγκλίνειν ἐθέλων. οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι τὴν διάνοιαν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βουλήματος ἁρμόζονται χρείαν, καὶ λόγῳ μὲν τῷ ἀρέσκοντι αὐτοὺς ἀεὶ προσχωροῦσι, καὶ προσίενται τὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντα, οὐ διασκοπούμενοι μὴ ψευδὴς εἴη, τῷ δὲ λυποῦντι χαλεπῶς ἔχοντες ἀπιστοῦσιν, οὐ διερευνώμενοι μὴ ἀληθὴς εἴη. 8.17.1 Ὑπὸ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον τῶν τινες μοναχῶν ἐξ Ἰνδῶν ἥκοντες, γνόντες τε ὡς Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ σπουδῆς εἴη μηκέτι πρὸς Περσῶν τὴν μέταξαν ὠνεῖσθαι Ῥωμαίους, ἐς βασιλέα γενόμενοι οὕτω δὴ τὰ ἀμφὶ τῇ μετάξῃ διοικήσεσθαι ὡμολόγουν, ὡς μηκέτι Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκ Περσῶν τῶν σφίσι πολεμίων ἢ ἄλλου του 8.17.2 ἔθνους τὸ ἐμπόλημα τοῦτο ποιήσωνται· χρόνου γὰρ κατατρῖψαι μῆκος ἐν χώρᾳ ὑπὲρ Ἰνδῶν ἔθνη τὰ πολλὰ οὔσῃ, ἥπερ Σηρίνδα ὀνομάζεται, ταύτῃ τε ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐκμεμαθηκέναι ὁποίᾳ ποτὲ μηχανῇ γίνε8.17.3 σθαι τὴν μέταξαν ἐν γῇ τῇ Ῥωμαίων δυνατὰ εἴη. ἐνδελεχέστατα δὲ διερευνωμένῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἀναπυνθανομένῳ εἰ ὁ λόγος ἀληθὴς εἴη ἔφασκον οἱ μοναχοὶ σκώληκάς τινας τῆς μετάξης δημιουργοὺς εἶναι, τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῖς διδασκάλου τε οὔσης καὶ διηνεκῶς 8.17.4 ἀναγκαζούσης ἐργάζεσθαι. ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν σκώληκας ἐνθάδε ζῶντας διακομίζειν ἀμήχανα εἶναι, τὸν δὲ αὐτῶν γόνον εὔπορόν τε καὶ ῥᾴδιον ὅλως. εἶναι δὲ τῶν σκωλήκων τῶνδε τὸν γόνον ᾠὰ ἑκάστου ἀνάριθμα. 8.17.5 ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ᾠὰ χρόνῳ πολλῷ τῆς γονῆς ὕστερον κόπρῳ καλύψαντες ἄνθρωποι ταύτῃ τε διαρκῆ θερμή8.17.6 ναντες χρόνον ζῷα ποιοῦσι. ταῦτα εἰπόντας ὁ βασιλεὺς μεγάλοις τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀγαθοῖς δωρήσασθαι ὁμο8.17.7 λογήσας τῷ ἔργῳ πείθει ἐπιρρῶσαι τὸν λόγον. οἱ δὲ γενόμενοι ἐν Σηρίνδῃ αὖθις τά