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they were at Selymbria, the army was left outside, but the captains and commanders and generals, being not a few, came to the emperor. And the emperor feasted them lavishly. And the house in which the emperor was staying was so constructed that those sitting could both see the sea and likewise be seen by those passing by. So the Persians were feasting, and not a few triremes and piratical penteconters from Byzantium immediately appeared, and sailing past—for they knew the emperor was staying there—spared no insults and threats. But the Persians immediately stood up and shot at the men in the triremes from the house with frequent missiles, and wounded some. And the admirals, seeing the Persians fighting, at first were amazed and perplexed as to what it could be; but when they learned that the Persian force had gone over to the empe 2.595 ror, they immediately turned back, all hope having been taken from them, and the emperor, having provided gifts to the leaders of the army, sent them away to their own land; for he did not need them at that time. But they, considering it no small loss to withdraw empty-handed, campaigned against the Mysians, and killed and enslaved many during that raid, and seized a great many cattle, and, if ever, they ravaged Mysia. And it was said that the emperor had permitted them the raid in return for the alliance; but the rumour-mongers were lying utterly. For not only then did the emperor, but never at any other time did he willingly bring the barbarians against the Mysians; but being too numerous to be led by the Romans, they went on their own accord for the sake of profit. For it was not possible to take anything from the Romans, since some were already destroyed, and the remainder were subject to the emperor, to whom they said they were allies and friends. Rather, therefore, he took the greatest care to always announce the raid of the barbarians to the Mysians; and often in this way they were saved by taking refuge in the cities and thickets. But indeed, he always made a long speech to his friends, vexed about the Romans being enslaved, because things which he did not wish, but was even exceedingly grieved that they were happening, these things he was forced to do by those who were making war; 2.596 and against them he said he thought it just to defend himself, not only because they did not accept peace, but because, if they should somehow prevail over them, they would cruelly kill everyone, as it is possible to conjecture the future from what has already happened. For which reasons he chose the alliance of the barbarians, lest they themselves, making use of them, as they often attempted, should destroy him and his companions. But towards those being killed and enslaved and enduring the worst things, he had no plausible defense. For what wrong have farmers and women and infants done, who every day are slaughtered and given over to slavery and are raised in barbarian customs and laws and are led to fall away from God the creator? Or modest virgins, and temples being destroyed, and holy things being trampled and insulted and handed over to the hands of the godless, contrary to all justice and reason? At which things he also shed tears, thinking of the reckonings for these things from the just judge and that inexorable and fearful tribunal. Nevertheless, he necessarily held again to the same things that were happening, placing the blame on those who were not willing to end the war, but were always plotting and taking no pity on those being killed, and these being subject to them. The barbarians, therefore, leading many captives from the Mysians, crossed over into Asia. 2.597 7. But those in Byzantium, when they had openly despaired of warring against the emperor, plotted again secretly, and ordered a certain Monomachus, who was the nephew of Tagaris the great stratopedarch, having poison, to desert to the emperor, then to reveal the plot, forsooth, and to show the drugs. And whenever he should obtain security and confidence on account of his seeming goodwill, then to use the plot fearlessly and other drugs

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Σηλυμβρίαν ἦσαν, ἡ στρατιὰ μὲν ἔξω κατελείπετο, λοχαγοὶ δὲ καὶ ἡγεμόνες καὶ στρατηγοὶ, οὐκ ὀλίγοι ὄντες, πρὸς βασιλέα ἦλθον. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἱστία φιλοτίμως ἐπ' αὐτοῦ. οὕτω δὲ ἦν ἡ οἰκία κατεσκευασμένη, ἐν ᾗ ηὐλίζετο ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὥστε καθημένους ὁρᾷν τε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ὁρᾶσθαι ὁμοίως ὑπὸ τῶν παριόντων. εἱστιῶντο μὲν οὖν οἱ Πέρσαι, καὶ αἱ ἐκ Βυζαντίου παρῆσαν αὐτίκα τριήρεις οὐκ ὀλίγαι καὶ πεντηκόντοροι λῃστρικαὶ, καὶ παραπλέοντες ᾔδεσαν γὰρ ἐκεῖ βασιλέα διατρίβοντα, τῶν ὕβρεων ἠφείδουν καὶ τῶν ἀπειλῶν. οἱ Πέρσαι δὲ αὐτίκα ἀναστάντες ἔβαλλον τοὺς τριηρίτας ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας συχνοῖς τοῖς βέλεσι, καὶ ἐτραυμάτισάν τινας. οἱ ναύαρχοι δὲ τοὺς Πέρσας ὁρῶντες μαχομένους, πρῶτα μὲν ἐθαύμαζον καὶ διηπόρουν, ὅ,τι εἴη· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπύθοντο τὸ Περσικὸν προσκεχωρηκότας βασι 2.595 λεῖ, ἀνέστρεφον αὐτίκα, πάσης αὐτοῖς ἐλπίδος περιαιρεθείσης, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἄρχουσι τῆς στρατιᾶς δῶρα παρασχόμενος ἀπέπεμπε πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν· οὐ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐδεῖτο τότε. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ζημίαν οὐ μικρὰν ἡγούμενοι τὸ κεναῖς ἀναχωρεῖν χερσὶν ἐπεστράτευσαν Μυσοῖς, καὶ ἀπέκτειναν πολλοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἔφοδον ἐκείνην καὶ ἠνδραποδίσαντο, καὶ βοσκημάτων ἐκράτησαν παμπόλλων, καὶ, εἴπερ ποτὲ, ἐκάκωσαν Μυσίαν. ἐλέγετο δὲ, ὡς βασιλεὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρέψειε τὴν ἔφοδον ἀμειβόμενος τῆς συμμαχίας· ἐψεύδοντο δὲ ἀκράτως οἱ λογοποιοῦντες. οὐχ ὅτι τότε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἄλλοτέ ποτε ἑκὼν εἶναι τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπήγαγε Μυσοῖς· ἀλλὰ πλείους ὄντες, ἢ ὥστε ἄγεσθαι ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν αὐτοὶ ἐπῄεσαν κέρδους ἕνεκα. λαμβάνειν γὰρ παρὰ Ῥωμαίων οὐδὲν ἐξῆν, τῶν μὲν ἤδη διεφθαρμένων, τῶν ὑπολοίπων δὲ τελούντων ὑπὸ βασιλέα, ᾧ σύμμαχοι καὶ φίλοι εἶναι ἔλεγον. μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ πρόνοιαν ἐποιεῖτο πλείστην τοῖς Μυσοῖς τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἔφοδον ἀεὶ μηνύειν· καὶ πολλάκις ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ τρόπου διεσώθησαν ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς λόχμας καταδύντες. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους ἀεὶ πολύν τινα λόγον ἐποιεῖτο περὶ Ῥωμαίων τῶν ἐξανδραποδιζομένων ἀγανακτῶν, ὅτι ἃ μὴ βούλοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄχθοιτο γινομένων οὐ μετρίως, ταῦτα ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμούντων πράττειν 2.596 ἀναγκάζοιτο· καὶ πρὸς μὲν ἐκείνους ἔφασκεν ἀμύνεσθαι δίκαιον ἡγεῖσθαι, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ μὴ καταδέχεσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀλλ' ὅτι, εἰ καὶ τρόπῳ δή τινι περιγένοιντο αὐτῶν, πάντας ὠμῶς ἀποκτενοῦσιν, ὡς ἐκ τῶν γεγενημένων εἰκάζειν ἔξεστι τὰ μέλλοντα. δι' ἃ καὶ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων αἱρεῖσθαι συμμαχίαν, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοὶ χρησάμενοι, ὥσπερ πολλάκις ἐπεχείρησαν, διαφθείρωσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς συνόντας. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς κτεινομένους καὶ ἐξανδραποδιζομένους καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὑπομένοντας οὐδεμίαν εὐπρόσωπον ἀπολογίαν ἔχειν. τί γὰρ ἠδικήκασιν ἄνθρωποι γεωργοὶ καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ βρέφη νήπια, ἃ καθημέραν κατασφάττεται καὶ πρὸς δουλείαν ἀποδίδοται καὶ ἤθεσι καὶ νόμοις ἐντρέφεται βαρβαρικοῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀφίστασθαι ἐνάγεται θεοῦ τοῦ πλάσαντος; ἢ γυναῖκες αἰσχυνόμεναι παρθένοι, καὶ ναοὶ καταστρεφόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ἅγια συμπατούμενα καὶ περιυβριζόμενα καὶ ἀθέων χερσὶ παραδιδόμενα παρὰ πάντα τοῦ δικαίου καὶ εὐλόγου λόγον; ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἐπεδάκρυε τὰς παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ περὶ τούτων ἐννοῶν εὐθύνας καὶ τὸ ἀπαραλόγιστον ἐκεῖνο δικαστήριον καὶ φοβερόν. ὅμως τῶν αὐτῶν πάλιν ἀναγκαίως εἴχετο τῶν γινομένων, τὴν αἰτίαν εἰς τοὺς μὴ καταλύειν τὸν πόλεμον ἐθέλοντας ἀνατιθεὶς, ἀλλ' ἐπιβουλεύοντας ἀεὶ καὶ μηδένα τῶν κτεινομένων ἔλεον λαμβάνοντας, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπ' αὐτοῖς τελούντων. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι πολλὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἄγοντες ἀπὸ Μυσῶν ἐπεραιώθησαν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν. 2.597 ζʹ. Οἱ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ δὲ ἐπεὶ φανερῶς ἀπέγνωσαν πολεμεῖν πρὸς βασιλέα, ἐπεβούλευον αὖθις ἀφανῶς, καὶ Μονομάχον τινὰ, ἀδελφιδοῦν ὄντα Τάγαρι τῷ μεγάλῳ στρατοπεδάρχῃ, δηλητήριον ἔχοντα αὐτομολεῖν ἐκέλευον πρὸς βασιλέα, εἶτα μηνύειν δῆθεν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ τὰ φάρμακα φανεροῦν. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀδείας λάβηται καὶ παῤῥησίας διὰ τὴν δοκοῦσαν εὔνοιαν, τότ' ἤδη τῇ ἐπιβουλῇ χρῆσθαι ἀδεῶς καὶ φάρμακα ἕτερα