Procopius - History of the Wars, Books I and II (of 8)

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IV

Not long after this, disregarding the oath he had sworn, he was eager to
avenge himself upon the Huns for the insult done him. He therefore
straightway gathered together from the whole land all the Persians and
their allies, and led them against the Ephthalitae; of all his sons he
left behind him only one, Cabades by name, who, as it happened, was just
past the age of boyhood; all the others, about thirty in number, he took
with him. The Ephthalitae, upon learning of his invasion, were aggrieved
at the deception they had suffered at the hands of their enemy, and
bitterly reproached their king as having abandoned them to the Medes.
He, with a laugh, enquired of them what in the world of theirs he had
abandoned, whether their land or their arms or any other part of their
possessions. They thereupon retorted that he had abandoned nothing,
except, forsooth, the one opportunity on which, as it turned out,
everything else depended. Now the Ephthalitae with all zeal demanded
that they should go out to meet the invaders, but the king sought to
restrain them at any rate for the moment. For he insisted that as yet
they had received no definite information as to the invasion, for the
Persians were still within their own boundaries. So, remaining where he
was, he busied himself as follows. In the plain where the Persians were
to make their irruption into the land of the Ephthalitae he marked off a
tract of very great extent and made a deep trench of sufficient width;
but in the centre he left a small portion of ground intact, enough to
serve as a way for ten horses. Over the trench he placed reeds, and upon
the reeds he scattered earth, thereby concealing the true surface. He
then directed the forces of the Huns that, when the time came to retire
inside the trench, they should draw themselves together into a narrow
column and pass rather slowly across this neck of land, taking care that
they should not fall into the ditch[7]. And he hung from the top of the
royal banner the salt over which Perozes had once sworn the oath which
he had disregarded in taking the field against the Huns. Now as long as
he heard that the enemy were in their own territory, he remained at
rest; but when he learned from his scouts that they had reached the city
of Gorgo which lies on the extreme Persian frontier, and that departing
thence they were now advancing against his army, remaining himself with
the greater part of his troops inside the trench, he sent forward a
small detachment with instructions to allow themselves to be seen at a
distance by the enemy in the plain, and, when once they had been seen,
to flee at full speed to the rear, keeping in mind his command
concerning the trench as soon as they drew near to it. They did as
directed, and, as they approached the trench, they drew themselves into
a narrow column, and all passed over and joined the rest of the army.
But the Persians, having no means of perceiving the stratagem, gave
chase at full speed across a very level plain, possessed as they were by
a spirit of fury against the enemy, and fell into the trench, every man
of them, not alone the first but also those who followed in the rear.
For since they entered into the pursuit with great fury, as I have said,
they failed to notice the catastrophe which had befallen their leaders,
but fell in on top of them with their horses and lances, so that, as was
natural, they both destroyed them, and were themselves no less involved
in ruin. Among them were Perozes and all his sons. And just as he was
about to fall into this pit, they say that he realized the danger, and
seized and threw from him the pearl which hung from his right ear,--a
gem of wonderful whiteness and greatly prized on account of its
extraordinary size--in order, no doubt, that no one might wear it after
him; for it was a thing exceedingly beautiful to look upon, such as no
king before him had possessed. This story, however, seems to me
untrustworthy, because a man who found himself in such peril would have
thought of nothing else; but I suppose that his ear was crushed in this
disaster, and the pearl disappeared somewhere or other. This pearl the
Roman Emperor then made every effort to buy from the Ephthalitae, but
was utterly unsuccessful. For the barbarians were not able to find it
although they sought it with great labour. However, they say that the
Ephthalitae found it later and sold it to Cabades.

The story of this pearl, as told by the Persians, is worth recounting,
for perhaps to some it may not seem altogether incredible. For they say
that it was lodged in its oyster in the sea which washes the Persian
coast, and that the oyster was swimming not far from the shore; both its
valves were standing open and the pearl lay between them, a wonderful
sight and notable, for no pearl in all history could be compared with it
at all, either in size or in beauty. A shark, then, of enormous size and
dreadful fierceness, fell in love with this sight and followed close
upon it, leaving it neither day nor night; even when he was compelled to
take thought for food, he would only look about for something eatable
where he was, and when he found some bit, he would snatch it up and eat
it hurriedly; then overtaking the oyster immediately, he would sate
himself again with the sight he loved. At length a fisherman, they say,
noticed what was passing, but in terror of the monster he recoiled from
the danger; however, he reported the whole matter to the king, Perozes.
Now when Perozes heard his account, they say that a great longing for
the pearl came over him, and he urged on this fisherman with many
flatteries and hopes of reward. Unable to resist the importunities of
the monarch, he is said to have addressed Perozes as follows: "My
master, precious to a man is money, more precious still is his life, but
most prized of all are his children; and being naturally constrained by
his love for them a man might perhaps dare anything. Now I intend to
make trial of the monster, and hope to make thee master of the pearl.
And if I succeed in this struggle, it is plain that henceforth I shall
be ranked among those who are counted blessed. For it is not unlikely
that thou, as King of Kings, wilt reward me with all good things; and
for me it will be sufficient, even if it so fall out that I gain no
reward, to have shewn myself a benefactor of my master. But if it must
needs be that I become the prey of this monster, thy task indeed it will
be, O King, to requite my children for their father's death. Thus even
after my death I shall still be a wage-earner among those closest to me,
and thou wilt win greater fame for thy goodness,--for in helping my
children thou wilt confer a boon upon me, who shall have no power to
thank thee for the benefit--because generosity is seen to be without
alloy only when it is displayed towards the dead." With these words he
departed. And when he came to the place where the oyster was accustomed
to swim and the shark to follow, he seated himself there upon a rock,
watching for an opportunity of catching the pearl alone without its
admirer. As soon as it came about that the shark had happened upon
something which would serve him for food, and was delaying over it, the
fisherman left upon the beach those who were following him for this
service, and made straight for the oyster with all his might; already he
had seized it and was hastening with all speed to get out of the water,
when the shark noticed him and rushed to the rescue. The fisherman saw
him coming, and, when he was about to be overtaken not far from the
beach, he hurled his booty with all his force upon the land, and was
himself soon afterwards seized and destroyed. But the men who had been
left upon the beach picked up the pearl, and, conveying it to the king,
reported all that had happened. Such, then, is the story which the
Persians relate, just as I have set it down, concerning this pearl. But
I shall return to the previous narrative.

[484 A.D.] Thus Perozes was destroyed and the whole Persian army with
him. For the few who by chance did not fall into the ditch found
themselves at the mercy of the enemy. As a result of this experience a
law was established among the Persians that, while marching in hostile
territory, they should never engage in any pursuit, even if it should
happen that the enemy had been driven back by force. Thereupon those who
had not marched with Perozes and had remained in their own land chose as
their king Cabades, the youngest son of Perozes, who was then the only
one surviving. At that time, then, the Persians became subject and
tributary to the Ephthalitae, until Cabades had established his power
most securely and no longer deemed it necessary to pay the annual
tribute to them. And the time these barbarians ruled over the Persians
was two years.

V

But as time went on Cabades became more high-handed in the
administration of the government, and introduced innovations into the
constitution, among which was a law which he promulgated providing that
Persians should have communal intercourse with their women, a measure
which by no means pleased the common people. [486 A.D.] Accordingly they
rose against him, removed him from the throne, and kept him in prison in
chains. They then chose Blases, the brother of Perozes, to be their
king, since, as has been said, no male offspring of Perozes was left,
and it is not lawful among the Persians for any man by birth a common
citizen to be set upon the throne, except in case the royal family be
totally extinct. Blases, upon receiving the royal power, gathered
together the nobles of the Persians and held a conference concerning
Cabades; for it was not the wish of the majority to put the man to
death. After the expression of many opinions on both sides there came
forward a certain man of repute among the Persians, whose name was
Gousanastades, and whose office that of "chanaranges" (which would be
the Persian term for general); his official province lay on the very
frontier of the Persian territory in a district which adjoins the land
of the Ephthalitae. Holding up his knife, the kind with which the
Persians were accustomed to trim their nails, of about the length of a
man's finger, but not one-third as wide as a finger, he said: "You see
this knife, how extremely small it is; nevertheless it is able at the
present time to accomplish a deed, which, be assured, my dear Persians,
a little later two myriads of mail-clad men could not bring to pass."
This he said hinting that, if they did not put Cabades to death, he
would straightway make trouble for the Persians. But they were
altogether unwilling to put to death a man of the royal blood, and
decided to confine him in a castle which it is their habit to call the
"Prison of Oblivion." For if anyone is cast into it, the law permits no
mention of him to be made thereafter, but death is the penalty for the
man who speaks his name; for this reason it has received this title
among the Persians. On one occasion, however, the History of the
Armenians relates that the operation of the law regarding the Prison of
Oblivion was suspended by the Persians in the following way.

There was once a truceless war, lasting two and thirty years, between
the Persians and the Armenians, when Pacurius was king of the Persians,
and of the Armenians, Arsaces, of the line of the Arsacidae. And by the
long continuance of this war it came about that both sides suffered
beyond measure, and especially the Armenians. But each nation was
possessed by such great distrust of the other that neither of them could
make overtures of peace to their opponents. In the meantime it happened
that the Persians became engaged in a war with certain other barbarians
who lived not far from the Armenians. Accordingly the Armenians, in
their eagerness to make a display to the Persians of their goodwill and
desire for peace, decided to invade the land of these barbarians, first
revealing their plan to the Persians. Then they fell upon them
unexpectedly and killed almost the whole population, old and young
alike. Thereupon Pacurius, who was overjoyed at the deed, sent certain
of his trusted friends to Arsaces, and giving him pledges of security,
invited him to his presence. And when Arsaces came to him he shewed him
every kindness, and treated him as a brother on an equal footing with
himself. Then he bound him by the most solemn oaths, and he himself
swore likewise, that in very truth the Persians and Armenians should
thenceforth be friends and allies to each other; thereafter he
straightway dismissed Arsaces to return to his own country.

Not long after this certain persons slandered Arsaces, saying that he
was purposing to undertake some seditious enterprise. Pacurius was
persuaded by these men and again summoned him, intimating that he was
anxious to confer with him on general matters. And he, without any
hesitation at all, came to the king, taking with him several of the most
warlike among the Armenians, and among them Bassicius, who was at once
his general and counsellor; for he was both brave and sagacious to a
remarkable degree. Straightway, then, Pacurius heaped reproach and abuse
upon both Arsaces and Bassicius, because, disregarding the sworn
compact, they had so speedily turned their thoughts toward secession.
They, however, denied the charge, and swore most insistently that no
such thing had been considered by them. At first, therefore, Pacurius
kept them under guard in disgrace, but after a time he enquired of the
Magi what should be done with them. Now the Magi deemed it by no means
just to condemn men who denied their guilt and had not been explicitly
found guilty, but they suggested to him an artifice by which Arsaces
himself might be compelled to become openly his own accuser. They bade
him cover the floor of the royal tent with earth, one half from the land
of Persia, and the other half from Armenia. This the king did as
directed. Then the Magi, after putting the whole tent under a spell by
means of some magic rites, bade the king take his walk there in company
with Arsaces, reproaching him meanwhile with having violated the sworn
agreement. They said, further, that they too must be present at the
conversation, for in this way there would be witnesses of all that was
said. Accordingly Pacurius straightway summoned Arsaces, and began to
walk to and fro with him in the tent in the presence of the Magi; he
enquired of the man why he had disregarded his sworn promises, and was
setting about to harass the Persians and Armenians once more with
grievous troubles. Now as long as the conversation took place on the
ground which was covered with the earth from the land of Persia, Arsaces
continued to make denial, and, pledging himself with the most fearful
oaths, insisted that he was a faithful subject of Pacurius. But when, in
the midst of his speaking, he came to the centre of the tent where they
stepped upon Armenian earth, then, compelled by some unknown power, he
suddenly changed the tone of his words to one of defiance, and from then
on ceased not to threaten Pacurius and the Persians, announcing that he
would have vengeance upon them for this insolence as soon as he should
become his own master. These words of youthful folly he continued to
utter as they walked all the way, until turning back, he came again to
the earth from the Persian land. Thereupon, as if chanting a
recantation, he was once more a suppliant, offering pitiable
explanations to Pacurius. But when he came again to the Armenian earth,
he returned to his threats. In this way he changed many times to one
side and the other, and concealed none of his secrets. Then at length
the Magi passed judgment against him as having violated the treaty and
the oaths. Pacurius flayed Bassicius, and, making a bag of his skin,
filled it with chaff and suspended it from a lofty tree. As for Arsaces,
since Pacurius could by no means bring himself to kill a man of the
royal blood, he confined him in the Prison of Oblivion.

After a time, when the Persians were marching against a barbarian
nation, they were accompanied by an Armenian who had been especially
intimate with Arsaces and had followed him when he went into the Persian
land. This man proved himself a capable warrior in this campaign, as
Pacurius observed, and was the chief cause of the Persian victory. For
this reason Pacurius begged him to make any request he wished, assuring
him that he would be refused nothing by him. The Armenian asked for
nothing else than that he might for one day pay homage to Arsaces in the
way he might desire. Now it annoyed the king exceedingly, that he should
be compelled to set aside a law so ancient; however, in order to be
wholly true to his word, he permitted that the request be granted. When
the man found himself by the king's order in the Prison of Oblivion, he
greeted Arsaces, and both men, embracing each other, joined their voices
in a sweet lament, and, bewailing the hard fate that was upon them, were
able only with difficulty to release each other from the embrace. Then,
when they had sated themselves with weeping and ceased from tears, the
Armenian bathed Arsaces, and completely adorned his person, neglecting
nothing, and, putting on him the royal robe, caused him to recline on a
bed of rushes. Then Arsaces entertained those present with a royal
banquet just as was formerly his custom. During this feast many speeches
were made over the cups which greatly pleased Arsaces, and many
incidents occurred which delighted his heart. The drinking was prolonged
until nightfall, all feeling the keenest delight in their mutual
intercourse; at length they parted from each other with great
reluctance, and separated thoroughly imbued with happiness. Then they
tell how Arsaces said that after spending the sweetest day of his life,
and enjoying the company of the man he had missed most of all, he would
no longer willingly endure the miseries of life; and with these words,
they say, he dispatched himself with a knife which, as it happened, he
had purposely stolen at the banquet, and thus departed from among men.
Such then is the story concerning this Arsaces, related in the Armenian
History just as I have told it, and it was on that occasion that the law
regarding the Prison of Oblivion was set aside. But I must return to the
point from which I have strayed.

VI

While Cabades was in the prison he was cared for by his wife, who went
in to him constantly and carried him supplies of food. Now the keeper of
the prison began to make advances to her, for she was exceedingly
beautiful to look upon. And when Cabades learned this from his wife, he
bade her give herself over to the man to treat as he wished. In this way
the keeper of the prison came to be familiar with the woman, and he
conceived for her an extraordinary love, and as a result permitted her
to go in to her husband just as she wished, and to depart from there
again without interference from anyone. Now there was a Persian notable,
Seoses by name, a devoted friend of Cabades, who was constantly in the
neighbourhood of this prison, watching his opportunity, in the hope that
he might in some way be able to effect his deliverance. And he sent word
to Cabades through his wife that he was keeping horses and men in
readiness not far from the prison, and he indicated to him a certain
spot. Then one day as night drew near Cabades persuaded his wife to give
him her own garment, and, dressing herself in his clothes, to sit
instead of him in the prison where he usually sat. In this way,
therefore, Cabades made his escape from the prison. For although the
guards who were on duty saw him, they supposed that it was the woman,
and therefore decided not to hinder or otherwise annoy him. At daybreak
they saw in the cell the woman in her husband's clothes, and were so
completely deceived as to think that Cabades was there, and this belief
prevailed during several days, until Cabades had advanced well on his
way. As to the fate which befell the woman after the stratagem had come
to light, and the manner in which they punished her, I am unable to
speak with accuracy. For the Persian accounts do not agree with each
other, and for this reason I omit the narration of them.

Cabades, in company with Seoses, completely escaped detection, and
reached the Ephthalitae Huns; there the king gave him his daughter in
marriage, and then, since Cabades was now his son-in-law, he put under
his command a very formidable army for a campaign against the Persians.
This army the Persians were quite unwilling to encounter, and they made
haste to flee in every direction. And when Cabades reached the territory
where Gousanastades exercised his authority, he stated to some of his
friends that he would appoint as chanaranges the first man of the
Persians who should on that day come into his presence and offer his
services. But even as he said this, he repented his speech, for there
came to his mind a law of the Persians which ordains that offices among
the Persians shall not be conferred upon others than those to whom each
particular honour belongs by right of birth. For he feared lest someone
should come to him first who was not a kinsman of the present
chanaranges, and that he would be compelled to set aside the law in
order to keep his word. Even as he was considering this matter, chance
brought it about that, without dishonouring the law, he could still keep
his word. For the first man who came to him happened to be
Adergoudounbades, a young man who was a relative of Gousanastades and an
especially capable warrior. He addressed Cabades as "Lord," and was the
first to do obeisance to him as king, and besought him to use him as a
slave for any service whatever. [488 A.D.] So Cabades made his way into
the royal palace without any trouble, and, taking Blases destitute of
defenders, he put out his eyes, using the method of blinding commonly
employed by the Persians against malefactors, that is, either by heating
olive oil and pouring it, while boiling fiercely, into the wide-open
eyes, or by heating in the fire an iron needle, and with this pricking
the eyeballs. Thereafter Blases was kept in confinement, having ruled
over the Persians two years. Gousanastades was put to death and
Adergoudounbades was established in his place in the office of
chanaranges, while Seoses was immediately proclaimed "adrastadaran
salanes,"--a title designating the one set in authority over all
magistrates and over the whole army. Seoses was the first and only man
who held this office in Persia; for it was conferred on no one before or
after that time. And the kingdom was strengthened by Cabades and guarded
securely; for in shrewdness and activity he was surpassed by none.

VII.

A little later Cabades was owing the king of the Ephthalitae a sum of
money which he was not able to pay him, and he therefore requested the
Roman emperor Anastasius to lend him this money. Whereupon Anastasius
conferred with some of his friends and enquired of them whether this
should be done; and they would not permit him to make the loan. For, as
they pointed out, it was inexpedient to make more secure by means of
their money the friendship between their enemies and the Ephthalitae;
indeed it was better for the Romans to disturb their relations as much
as possible. It was for this reason, and for no just cause, that Cabades
decided to make an expedition against the Romans. [502 A.D.] First he
invaded the land of the Armenians, moving with such rapidity as to
anticipate the news of his coming, and, after plundering the greater
part of it in a rapid campaign, he unexpectedly arrived at the city of
Amida, which is situated in Mesopotamia, and, although the season was
winter, he invested the town. Now the citizens of Amida had no soldiers
at hand, seeing that it was a time of peace and prosperity, and in other
respects were utterly unprepared; nevertheless they were quite unwilling
to yield to the enemy, and shewed an unexpected fortitude in holding out
against dangers and hardships.

Now there was among the Syrians a certain just man, Jacobus by name, who
had trained himself with exactitude in matters pertaining to religion.
This man had confined himself many years before in a place called
Endielon, a day's journey from Amida, in order that he might with more
security devote himself to pious contemplation. The men of this place,
assisting his purpose, had surrounded him with a kind of fencing, in
which the stakes were not continuous, but set at intervals, so that
those who approached could see and hold converse with him. And they had
constructed for him a small roof over his head, sufficient to keep off
the rain and snow. There this man had been sitting for a long time,
never yielding either to heat or cold, and sustaining his life with
certain seeds, which he was accustomed to eat, not indeed every day, but
only at long intervals. Now some of the Ephthalitae who were overrunning
the country thereabout saw this Jacobus and with great eagerness drew
their bows with intent to shoot at him. But the hands of every one of
them became motionless and utterly unable to manage the bow. When this
was noised about through the army and came to the ears of Cabades, he
desired to see the thing with his own eyes; and when he saw it, both he
and the Persians who were with him were seized with great astonishment,
and he entreated Jacobus to forgive the barbarians their crime. And he
forgave them with a word, and the men were released from their distress.
Cabades then bade the man ask for whatever he wished, supposing that he
would ask for a great sum of money, and he also added with youthful
recklessness that he would be refused nothing by him. But he requested
Cabades to grant to him all the men who during that war should come to
him as fugitives. This request Cabades granted, and gave him a written
pledge of his personal safety. And great numbers of men, as might be
expected, came flocking to him from all sides and found safety there;
for the deed became widely known. Thus, then, did these things take
place.

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