though a Christian, was serving under Alamoundaras, Ambrus by name, came by night along the wall of the city, and reporting to them the whole plan, bade them by no means receive the Persians into the city.  Thus those who were sent by Chosroes returned to him unsuccessful, and he, boiling with anger, began to make plans to capture the city.  He accordingly sent an army of six thousand, commanding them to begin a siege and to make assaults upon the fortifications.  And this army came there and commenced active operations, and the citizens of Sergiopolis at first defended themselves vigorously, but later they gave up, and in terror at the danger, they were purposing to give over the city to the enemy.  For, as it happened, they had not more than two hundred soldiers.  But Ambrus, again coming along by the fortifications at night, said that within two days the Persians would raise the siege since their water supply had failed them absolutely.  For this reason they did not by any means open negotiations with the enemy, and the barbarians, suffering with thirst, removed from there and came to Chosroes.  However, Chosroes never released Candidus.  For it was necessary, I suppose, that since he had disregarded his sworn agreement, he should be a priest no longer.  Such, then, was the course of these events.

But when Chosroes arrived at the land of the Commagenae which they call Euphratesia, he had no desire to turn to plundering or to the capture of any stronghold, since he had previously taken everything before him as far as Syria, partly by capture and partly by exacting money, as has been set forth in the preceding narrative.  And his purpose was to lead the army straight for Palestine, in order that he might plunder all their treasures and especially those in Jerusalem.  For he had it from hearsay that this was an especially goodly land and peopled by wealthy inhabitants.  And all the Romans, both officers and soldiers, were far from entertaining any thought of confronting the enemy or of standing in the way of their passage, but manning their strongholds as each one could, they thought it sufficient to preserve them and save themselves.

The Emperor Justinian, upon learning of the inroad of the Persians, again sent Belisarius against them.  And he came with great speed to Euphratesia since he had no army with him, riding on the government post-horses, which they are accustomed to call “veredi,” while Justus, the nephew of the emperor, together with Bouzes and certain others, was in Hierapolis where he had fled for refuge.  And when these men heard that Belisarius was coming and was not far away, they wrote a letter to him which ran as follows:  “Once more Chosroes, as you yourself doubtless know, has taken the field against the Romans, bringing a much greater army than formerly; and where he is purposing to go is not yet evident, except indeed that we hear he is very near, and that he has injured no place, but is always moving ahead.  But come