striven recently to attach to himself the Huns who are utterly unknown to him, in order to make trouble for thee?  And yet an act more strange than this has not been performed in all time.  For since he perceived, as I think, that the overthrow of the western world would speedily be accomplished, he has already taken in hand to assail you of the East, since the Persian power alone has been left for him to grapple with.  The peace, therefore, as far as concerns him, has already been broken for thee, and he himself has set an end to the endless peace.  For they break the peace, not who may be first in arms, but they who may be caught plotting against their neighbours in time of peace.  For the crime has been committed by him who attempts it, even though success be lacking.  Now as for the course which the war will follow, this is surely clear to everyone.  For it is not those who furnish causes for war, but those who defend themselves against those who furnish them, who are accustomed always to conquer their enemies.  Nay more, the contest will not be evenly matched for us even in point of strength.  For, as it happens, the majority of the Roman soldiers are at the end of the world, and as for the two generals who were the best they had, we come here having slain the one, Sittas, and Belisarius will never again be seen by Justinian.  For disregarding his master, he has remained in the West, holding the power of Italy himself.  So that when thou goest against the enemy, no one at all will confront thee, and thou wilt have us leading the army with good will, as is natural, and with a thorough knowledge of the country.”  When Chosroes heard this he was pleased, and calling together all who were of noble blood among the Persians, he disclosed to all of them what Vittigis had written and what the Armenians had said, and laid before them the question as to what should be done.  Then many opinions were expressed inclining to either side, but finally it was decided that they must open hostilities against the Romans at the beginning of spring. [539 A.D.] For it was the late autumn season, in the thirteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Justinian.  The Romans, however, did not suspect this, nor did they think that the Persians would ever break the so-called endless peace, although they heard that Chosroes blamed their emperor for his successes in the West, and that he preferred against him the charges which I have lately mentioned.

IV

[539 A.D.] At that time also the comet appeared, at first about as long as a tall man, but later much larger.  And the end of it was toward the west and its beginning toward the east, and it followed behind the sun itself.  For the sun was in Capricorn and it was in Sagittarius.  And some called it “the swordfish” because it was of goodly length and very sharp at the point, and others called it “the bearded star”; it was seen for more than forty days.  Now those who were wise