VI
It had happened a little before this that the emperor had divided into two parts the military command of the East, leaving the portion as far as the River Euphrates under the control of Belisarius who formerly held the command of the whole, while the portion from there as far as the Persian boundary he entrusted to Bouzes, commanding him to take charge of the whole territory of the East until Belisarius should return from Italy. Bouzes therefore at first remained at Hierapolis, keeping his whole army with him; but when he learned what had befallen Sura, he called together the first men of the Hierapolitans and spoke as follows: “Whenever men are confronted with a struggle against an assailant with whom they are evenly matched in strength, it is not at all unreasonable that they should engage in open conflict with the enemy; but for those who are by comparison much inferior to their opponents it will be more advantageous to circumvent their enemy by some kind of tricks than to array themselves openly against them and thus enter into foreseen danger. How great, now, the army of Chosroes is you are assuredly informed. And if, with this army, he wishes to capture us by siege, and if we carry on the fight from the wall, it is probable that, while our supplies will fail us, the Persians will secure all they need from our land, where there will be no one to oppose them. And if the siege is prolonged in this way, I believe too that the fortification wall will not withstand the assaults of the enemy, for in many places it is most susceptible to attack, and thus irreparable harm will come to the Romans. But if with a portion of the army we guard the wall of the city, while the rest of us occupy the heights about the city, we shall make attacks from there at times upon the camp of our antagonists, and at times upon those who are sent out for the sake of provisions, and thus compel Chosroes to abandon the siege immediately and to make his retreat within a short time; for he will not be at all able to direct his attack without fear against the fortifications, nor to provide any of the necessities for so great an army.” So spoke Bouzes; and in his words he seemed to set forth the advantageous course of action, but of what was necessary he did nothing. For he chose out all that portion of the Roman army which was of marked excellence and was off. And where in the world he was neither any of the Romans in Hierapolis, nor the hostile army was able to learn. Such, then, was the course of these events.
But the Emperor Justinian, upon learning of the inroad of the Persians, immediately sent his nephew Germanus with three hundred followers in great disorder, promising that after no great time a numerous army would follow. And Germanus, upon reaching Antioch, went around the whole circuit of the wall; and the greater part of it he found secure, for along that portion of it which lies on the level ground the River Orontes flows, making it everywhere difficult of access, and the portion which is on higher ground rises upon steep hills and is quite inaccessible to the enemy; but when he attained the highest point, which the men of that place are accustomed to call Orocasias, he noticed that the wall at that point was very easy to assail. For there happens to be in that place a rock, which spreads out to a very considerable width, and rises to a height only a little less than the fortifications. He therefore commanded that they should either cut off the rock by making a deep ditch along the wall, lest anyone should essay to mount from there upon the fortifications, or that they should build upon it a great tower and connect its structure with the wall of the city. But to the architects of public buildings it seemed that neither one of these things should be done. For, as they said, the work would not be completed in a short time with the attack of the enemy so imminent, while if they began this work and did not carry it to completion, they would do nothing else than shew to the enemy at what point in the wall they should make their attack. Germanus, though disappointed in this plan, had some hope at first because he expected an army from Byzantium. But when, after considerable time had passed, no army arrived from the emperor nor was expected to arrive, he began to fear lest Chosroes, learning that the emperor’s nephew was there, would consider it more important than any other thing to capture Antioch and himself, and for this reason would neglect everything else and come against the city with his whole army. The natives of Antioch also had these things in mind, and they held a council concerning them, at which it seemed most advisable to offer money to Chosroes and thus escape the present danger.
Accordingly they sent Megas, the bishop of Beroea, a man of discretion who at that time happened to be tarrying among them, to beg for mercy from Chosroes; and departing from there he came upon the Median army not far from Hierapolis. And coming into the presence of Chosroes, he entreated him earnestly to have pity upon men who had committed no offence against him and who were not able to hold out against the Persian army. For it was becoming to a king least of all men to trample upon and do violence to those who retreated before him and were quite unwilling to array themselves against him; for not one of the things which he was then doing was a kingly or honourable act, because, without affording any time for consideration to the Roman emperor, so that he might either make the peace secure as might seem well to both sovereigns, or make his preparations for war in accordance with a mutual agreement, as was to be expected, he had thus recklessly advanced in arms against the Romans, while their emperor did not as yet know what had come upon them. When Chosroes heard this, he was utterly unable by reason of his stupidity to order his mind with reason and discretion, but still more than before he was lifted up in spirit. He therefore threatened to destroy all the Syrians and Cilicians, and bidding Megas follow him, he led his army to Hierapolis. When he had come there and established his camp, since he saw that the fortifications were strong and learned that the city was well garrisoned with soldiers, he demanded money from the Hierapolitans, sending to them Paulus as interpreter. This Paulus had been reared in Roman territory and had gone to an elementary school in Antioch, and besides he was said to be by birth of Roman extraction. But in spite of everything the inhabitants were exceedingly fearful for the fortifications, which embraced a large tract of land as far as the hill which rises there, and besides they wished to preserve their land unplundered; accordingly they agreed to give two thousand pounds of silver. Then indeed Megas entreated Chosroes in behalf of all the inhabitants of the East, and would not cease his entreaty, until Chosroes promised him that he would accept ten centenaria of gold and depart from the whole Roman empire.
Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅ τε Μέγας ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγεὶς τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀντιοχέας ἤλαυνε καὶ ὁ Χοσρόης τὰ λύτρα λαβὼν ἐς Βέροιαν ᾔει. [2] Βέροια δὲ Ἀντιοχείας μὲν καὶ Ἱεραπόλεως μεταξὺ κεῖται, δυοῖν δὲ ἡμερῶν ὁδῷ εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ ἑκατέρας διέχει. [3] ὁ μὲν οὖν Μέγας ἅτε ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ πορευόμενος ὀξύτερον ᾔει, ὁ δὲ Περσῶν στρατὸς μοῖραν ἀεὶ τὴν ἡμίσειαν τῆς ὁδοῦ ἤνυε. [4] τετάρτῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ μὲν ἐς Ἀντιόχειαν, οἱ δὲ ἐς τὸ Βεροίας προάστειον ἦλθον. [5] καὶ χρήματα Χοσρόης τοὺς Βεροιαίους τὸν Παῦλον στείλας εὐθὺς ἔπραττεν, οὐχ ὅσα πρὸς τῶν Ἱεραπολιτῶν ἔλαβε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων διπλάσια, ἐπεὶ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτοῖς ἐπιμαχώτατον ὂν πολλαχῆ εἶδε. [6] Βεροιαῖοι δέ ῾θαρρεῖν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ περιβόλῳ οὐδαμῆ εἶχον̓ ξὺν προθυμίᾳ μὲν ὑπεδέξαντο ἅπαντα δώσειν, δισχίλια δὲ δόντες ἀργύρου σταθμά, τὰ λειπόμενα διδόναι οὐκ ἔφασαν οἷοί τε εἶναι. [7] ἐγκειμένου τε σφίσι διὰ ταῦτα Χοσρόου, νυκτὸς ἐπιλαβούσης ἐς τὸ φρούριον ἅπαντες ὃ ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει ἐστὶ κατέφυγον ξὺν τ�
�ῖς ἄλλοις στρατιώταις, οἳ δὴ ἐνταῦθα ἐπὶ φυλακῇ ἐτετάχατο. [8] τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐστέλλοντο μὲν πρὸς Χοσρόου ἐς τὴν πόλιν τινὲς ἐφ̓ ᾧ τὰ χρήματα λήψονται, οἱ δὲ ἄγχιστά πη τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενοι κεκλεισμένας μὲν τὰς πύλας ἁπάσας εὗρον, ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὐδενὶ ἐντυχεῖν ἔχοντες τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ παρόντα σφίσιν ἐσήγγελλον. [9] καὶ ὃς τῷ τείχει κλίμακας ἐπιθέντας ἀποπειρᾶσθαι τῆς ἀνόδου ἐκέλευεν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν. [10] οὐδενός τε σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου γενόμενοι τὰς μὲν πύλας κατ̓ ἐξουσίαν ἀνέῳγον, [11] ἐδέχοντο δὲ τῇ πόλει τόν τε στρατὸν ἅπαντα καὶ Χοσρόην αὐτόν. θυμῷ τε πολλῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἤδη ἐχόμενος τὴν πόλιν ὀλίγου δέοντος ἐνέπρησε πᾶσαν. ἐς δὲ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον τειχομαχεῖν ἔγνω. [12] ἐνταῦθα οἱ. μὲν Ῥωμαίων στρατιῶται καρτερῶς ἀμυνόμενοι τῶν πολεμίων τινὰς ἔκτεινον, τῷ δὲ Χοσρόῃ εὐτύχημα μέγα τῷ τῶν πολιορκουμένων ἀξυνέτῳ γενέσθαι ξυνέβη, οἳ δὴ οὐ μόνοι ἐς τὸ φρούριον τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ ξύν τε τοῖς ἵπποις καὶ ζῴοις τοῖς ἄλλοις κατέφυγον, ταύτῃ τε τῇ σμικρολογίᾳ καταστρατηγηθέντες ἐς κίνδυνον ἦλθον. [13] μιᾶς γὰρ οὔσης ἐνταῦθα πηγῆς, ἵππων τε καὶ ἡμιόνων καὶ ζῴων ἑτέρων οὐ δέον αὐτὴν ἐκπεπωκότων, ἀποξηρανθῆναι ξυνέβη τὸ ὕδωρ. Βεροιαίοις μὲν τὰ πράγματα ὧδέ πη εἶχεν. [14] Ὁ δὲ Μέγας εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ἀφικόμενος ἀγγείλας τε ὅσα οἱ πρὸς Χοσρόην ξυνέκειτο, ἔργῳ ταῦτα ἐπιτελεῖν οὐδαμῆ ἔπειθεν. [15] ἐτύγχανε γὰρ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννην τε τὸν Ῥουφίνου καὶ Ἰουλιανὸν τὸν τῶν ἀπορρήτων γραμματέα πρέσβεις παρὰ Χοσρόην στείλας. ἀσηκρήτις καλοῦσι τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦτο Ῥωμαῖοι: σήκρητα γὰρ καλεῖν τὰ ἀπόρρητα νενομίκασιν. [16] οἳ δὴ ἐς Ἀντιόχειαν ἀφικόμενοι ἔμενον. Ἰουλιανός τε, τῶν πρέσβεων ἅτερος, διαρρήδην ἀπεῖπεν ἅπασι χρήματα μὴ διδόναι τοῖς πολεμίοις, μηδὲ τὰς βασιλέως ὠνεῖσθαι πόλεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Γερμανῷ διέβαλλε τὸν ἀρχιερέα Ἐφραίμιον, ἅτε τῷ Χοσρόῃ ἐνδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχοντα. [17] διὸ δὴ Μέγας ἄπρακτος ἀνεχώρησεν. Ἐφραίμιος δέ, ὁ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος, δείσας τὴν Περσῶν ἔφοδον ἐς Κίλικας ἦλθεν. [18] οὗ δὴ καὶ Γερμανὸς ἀφίκετο οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον, ὀλίγους μέν τινας ἐπαγόμενος, τοὺς δὲ πλείστους ἐνταῦθα ἐάσας. [19] Μέγας δὲ κατὰ τάχος ἐς Βέροιαν ἥκων περιώδυνός τε τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι γενόμενος ᾐτιᾶτο Χοσρόην εἰργάσθαι Βεροιαίους ἀνόσια ἔργα, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸν μὲν ἐς Ἀντιόχειαν ὡς ἐπὶ ταῖς σπονδαῖς στείλειε, τῶν δὲ πολιτῶν οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν ἠδικηκότων τά τε χρήματα ἐληίσατο καὶ ἠνάγκασε σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐν τούτῳ δὴ τῷ φρουρίῳ καθεῖρξαι, οὕτω τε τὴν πόλιν ἐμπρήσας ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος οὐ δέον καθεῖλε. [20] πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Χοσρόης ἀπεκρίνατο ὧδε ‘Τούτων μέντοι, ὦ ἑταῖρε, αὐτὸς αἴτιος, ἐνταῦθα ἀναγκάσας ἡμᾶς διατρῖψαι: οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τεταγμένῳ καιρῷ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πολὺ τούτου γε ὑστερήσας τανῦν ἀφῖξαι. [21] τῶν δὲ σῶν πολιτῶν τὴν ἀτοπίαν τί ἄν τις ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ὦ βέλτιστε, μακρολογοίη; οἵ γε τακτὸν ἡμῖν ὡμολογηκότες ἀργύριον δώσειν ὑπὲρ τῆς σφῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίας, οὔπω καὶ νῦν ἐπιτελεῖν οἴονται δεῖν τὰ ξυγκείμενα, ἀλλ̓ ἀνέδην οὕτω χωρίου ἰσχύϊ θαρσήσαντες περιορῶσιν ἡμᾶς ὡς μάλιστα ἠναγκας μένους ἐς φρουρίου πολιορκίαν, ὡς ὁρᾷς δήπου, καθίστασθαι. [22] οὕς γε δὴ ἔγωγε ξὺν θεοῖς ἐλπίδα ἔχω ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον τίσασθαι, καὶ Περσῶν τῶν μοι οὐ δέον πρὸ τοῦδε τοῦ τείχους ἀπολωλότων τὴν κόλασιν ἐς τοὺς αἰτίους ἐπιτελέσειν.’ [23] ὁ μὲν Χοσρόης τοσαῦτα εἶπεν, ὁ Μέγας δὲ ἀμείβεται ὧδε ‘Εἰ μέν, ὅτι βασιλεὺς ἀνθρώποις οἰκτροῖς τε καὶ ἀτιμοτάτοις ταῦτα ἐπικαλεῖς, σκοπήσειεν ἄν τις, ἀνάγκη μηδὲν ἀντιλέγοντα τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁμολογεῖν: τῇ γὰρ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ ἄλλῃ καὶ τὸ τῷ λόγῳ κρατεῖν ἕπεσθαι πέφυκεν: [24] ἢν δέ τῳ ἐξῇ τἄλλα ἀποσεισαμένῳ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον ἑλέσθαι, οὐδὲν ἂν ἡμῖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, δικαίως ἐπικαλεῖν ἔχοις: ὅπως δὲ ἅπαντα ἀκούσῃ πρᾴως. [25] ἐγὼ μὲν γάρ, ἐπειδὴ ἅπερ Ἀντιοχεῦσιν ἐπήγγελλες, δηλώσων ἐστάλην, ἑβδομαῖός σοι ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων ῾οὗ τί ἂν γενέσθαι δύναιτο θᾶσσον;᾿ ταῦτά σοι ἐξειργασμένα ἐς πατρίδα τὴν ἐμὴν εὗρον. [26] οἱ δὲ δὴ πάντων ἤδη τῶν τιμιωτάτων ἐκστάντες, εἶτα ἐς τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς ἀγῶνα καθίστανται μόνον, κρείσσους, οἶμαι, γεγενημένοι ἤ σοί τι τὸ λοιπὸν τῶν χρημάτων εἰσφέρειν. [27] τὸ γὰρ ἐκτιννύναι τι τῶν οὐ παρόντων ἀνθρώπῳ ἂν οὐδεμία μηχανὴ γένοιτο. [28] πάλαι δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εὖ τε καὶ καλῶς διώρισται τὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ὀνόματα: ἐν οἶς καὶ τόδε ἐστίν, ἀγνωμοσύνης κεχωρίσθαι ἀσθένειαν. [29] ἡ μὲν γὰρ τρόπου ἀκολασίᾳ ἐς τὸ ἀντιτείνειν χωροῦσα μισεῖσθαι, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, εἴωθεν, ἡ δὲ τῷ τῆς ὑπουργίας ἀδυνάτῳ ἐς ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐκφερομένη ἐλεεῖσθαι ἱκανῶς πέφυκεν. [30] ἔασον τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ἅπαντα, ὦ βασιλεῦ, κληρωσαμένους τὰ χείριστα τοῦτο γοῦν φέρεσθαι παραμύθιον, τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν τῶν ξυμπεπτωκότων ἡμῖν αὐτοὺς αἰτίους γενέσθαι. [31] καὶ χρήματα μέν σοι ὅσα λαβὼν ἔχεις διαρκεῖν οἴου, μὴ τῷ σῷ ταῦτα σταθμώμενος ἀξιώματι, ἀλλὰ τὴν Βεροιαίων σκοπῶν δύναμιν. [32] περαιτέρω δὲ ἡμᾶς βιάζου μηδέν, μή ποτε δόξῃ�
� οἷς ἐγκεχείρηκας ἀδύνατος εἶναι: τὸ γὰρ ὑπερβάλλον ἀεὶ τῷ ἀμηχάνῳ τετίμηται: τὸ δὲ μὴ τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις ἐγχειρεῖν κράτιστον. [33] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν μοι ἀπολελογήσθω ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ὑπὲρ ἀνδρῶν τῶνδε. ἢν δέ γε τοῖς ταλαιπώροις ξυγγενέσθαι δυνατὸς εἴην, ἔχοιμι ἄν τι καὶ ἄλλο τῶν νῦν με λεληθότων [34] εἰπεῖν.’ τοσαῦτα τὸν Μέγαν εἰπόντα ὁ Χοσρόης ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀφῆκεν ἰέναι. ὃς δὴ ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος καὶ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα ἀμφὶ τῇ πηγῇ μαθὼν ἅπαντα, δεδακρυμένος τε παρὰ Χοσρόην αὖθις ἀφίκετο καὶ πρηνὴς κείμενος οὐδὲν μὲν Βεροιαίοις ἰσχυρίζετο ἀπολελεῖφθαι τῶν πάντων χρημάτων, μόνα δέ οἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἱκέτευε χαριεῖσθαι τὰ σώματα. [35] ταῖς τε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὀλοφύρσεσιν ὁ Χοσρόης ἠγμένος τὴν δέησιν ἐπιτελῆ ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ διομοσάμενος ἅπασι τοῖς ἐν ἀκροπόλει τὰ πιστὰ ἔδωκε. [36] Βεροιαῖοι δὲ παρὰ τοσοῦτον κινδύνου ἐλθόντες, ἀπέλιπόν τε τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀπαθεῖς κακῶν καὶ ἀπιόντες ᾤχοντο ὡς ἕκαστός πη: [37] ἐβούλετο. τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγοι μὲν αὐτοῖς τινες εἵποντο, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι ἐθελούσιοι παρὰ Χοσρόην αὐτόμολοι ἦλθον, ἐπικαλοῦντες ὅτι δὴ τὰς συντάξεις χρόνου μακροῦ σφίσι τὸ δημόσιον ὦφλε, καὶ ξὺν αὐτῷ ὕστερον ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἐχώρησαν.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 339