nothing good to eat. Wherefore also the Roman emperor sent them each
year a fixed amount of gold, with the condition that they should never
plunder the country thereabout. And the barbarians had sworn to observe
this agreement with the oaths peculiar to their nation, and then,
disregarding what they had sworn, they had been accustomed for a long
time to make unexpected attacks and to injure not only the Armenians,
but also the Romans who lived next to them as far as the sea; then,
after completing their inroad in a short space of time, they would
immediately betake themselves again to their homes. And whenever it _so_
happened that they chanced upon a Roman army, they were always defeated
in the battle, but they proved to be absolutely beyond capture owing to
the strength of their fastnesses. In this way Sittas had defeated them
in battle before this war; and then by many manifestations of kindness
in word and in deed he had been able to win them over completely. For
they changed their manner of life to one of a more civilized sort, and
enrolled themselves among the Roman troops, and from that time they have
gone forth against the enemy with the rest of the Roman army. They also
abandoned their own religion for a more righteous faith, and all of them
became Christians. Such then was the history of the Tzani.

Beyond the borders of this people there is a canon whose walls are both
high and exceedingly steep, extending as far as the Caucasus mountains.
In it are populous towns, and grapes and other fruits grow plentifully.
And this canon for about the space of a three days' journey is tributary
to the Romans, but from there begins the territory of Persarmenia; and
here is the gold-mine which, with the permission of Cabades, was worked
by one of the natives, Symeon by name. When this Symeon saw that both
nations were actively engaged in the war, he decided to deprive Cabades
of the revenue. Therefore he gave over both himself and Pharangium to
the Romans, but refused to deliver over to either one the gold of the
mine. And as for the Romans, they did nothing, thinking it sufficient
for them that the enemy had lost the income from there, and the Persians
were not able against the will of the Romans to force the inhabitants of
the place to terms, because they were baffled by the difficult country.

At about the same time Narses and Aratius who at the beginning of this
war, as I have stated above,[20] had an encounter with Sit