, should make his departure with
the whole army to his native land, and that there ambassadors sent from
the Emperor Justinian should arrange on a firm basis for the future the
compact regarding the peace.

XI

Then Chosroes went to Seleucia, a city on the sea, one hundred and
thirty stades distant from Antioch; and there he neither met nor harmed
a single Roman, and he bathed himself alone in the sea-water, and after
sacrificing to the sun and such other divinities as he wished, and
calling upon the gods many times, he went back. And when he came to the
camp, he said that he had a desire to see the city of Apamea which was
in the vicinity for no other reason than that of his interest in the
place. And the ambassadors unwillingly granted this also, but only on
condition that after seeing the city and taking away with him from there
one thousand pounds of silver, he should, without inflicting any further
injury, march back. But it was evident to the ambassadors and to all the
others that Chosroes was setting out for Apamea with this sole purpose,
that he might lay hold upon some pretext of no importance and plunder
both the city and the land thereabout. Accordingly he first went up to
Daphne, the suburb of Antioch, where he expressed great wonder at the
grove and at the fountains of water; for both of these are very well
worth seeing. And after sacrificing to the nymphs he departed, doing no
further damage than burning the sanctuary of the archangel Michael
together with certain other buildings, for the following reason. A
Persian gentleman of high repute in the army of the Persians and well
known to Chosroes, the king, while riding on horseback came in company
with some others to a precipitous place near the so-called Tretum, where
is a temple of the archangel Michael, the work of Evaris. This man,
seeing one of the young men of Antioch on foot and alone concealing
himself there, separated from the others and pursued him. Now the young
man was a butcher, Aeimachus by name. When he was about to be overtaken,
he turned about unexpectedly and threw a stone at his pursuer which hit
him on the forehead and penetrated to the membrane by the ear. And the
rider fell immediately to the ground, whereupon the youth drew out his
sword and slew him. Then at his leisure he stripped him of his weapons
and all his gold and whatever else he had on his person, and leaping
upon his horse rode on. And whether by the favour of fortune or