The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. XIIII.

Tiberius the Emperour sent Iustinianus with a great armie against Chosroes, and droue him out of the Romaine dominions.

THe aforesayd Tiberius hauing set in order, as right and reason did require, such summes of money as his predecessour had both wickedly and iniuriously appoynted to be gathered, made ready for battaile, gathered together a great armie of valiant souldiers and noble persons beyond the Alpes about Rhene, & on this side of the Alpes, of the nation called Messagetae, with other Scythian nations, out of Paeonia, Mysia, Illyria and Isauria, so that he had well nigh a hundred and fiftie * troupes of chosen horsemen ready and well appoynted, by meanes whereof he* 1.1 gaue the vtter foile vnto Chosroes, who immediatly after y^• winning of Daras, had in the sommer time ouerrunne Armenia, and thence marched forwards towards Caesarea, y^• head Citie of Cap∣padocia. This Chosroes behaued him selfe so insolently towards the Empire of Rome, that when the Emperour sent Legates vnto him, he would not once voutchsafe to geue them the hearing, but very disdainefully bad them follow him to Caesarea, and that there he would sitte and heare what they had to say. When he sawe the Romaine host (whose captaine was Iustinianus the bro∣ther of Iustinus, that was piteously murthered at Alexandria) all in armour comming of the con∣trary to meete him, the trumpettes sowne to battaile, the armies ready to ioyne together, the cla∣mour of the souldiers pearcing the cloudes in the skie, orderly placed in the front in battaile a∣ray, foming out with great furie present death. Last of all, when he espied so great and so goodly a troupe of horsemen, as none of the Emperours before euer thought of, he was greatly astonied, and by reason it so fell out vnlooked for and vpon a sodaine, he sighed heauely and would not geue the first onsette. As he deferred the battaile, lingered still, spent time idlely, and craftely went a∣bout to deceaue them, Curs a Scythian, Captaine of the right wing of the battaile set vpon him,* 1.2 and when the Persians could not withstand his violence, but quite forsooke the front of the host, Curs made a great slaughter of the ennemies. Last of all he pursued the souldiers at their backs, where the artillarie and preparation of Chosroes, and of his whole armie lay. He tooke all the kings treasure and Iewelles, all his ordinance for warre, yea when Chosroes both sawe and suffe∣red it, thinking that to be farre better, then that Curs should sette on him. Curs with his souldiers gotte great spoyle and summes of money, and tooke away their beastes loded with fardelles and packes, where also the fire lay which Chosroes king of Persia worshipped for his God, thus ha∣uing* 1.3 foiled the Persian armie, and sounding a hymne to the praise of God, he returned in the Eue∣ning about candlelight vnto his companie, who by that time had left the aray they were sette in. Chosroes in all this while stirred not, neither as yet was the battaile begonne, but only light skir∣mishes, one while of this side, an other while of that side, as the maner is. Chosroes sette a mightie beacon on fire in the night, and purposed then to geue the ennemie battaile: the Romaines hauing two armies: he set about midnight on that host which lay in campe of the Northside, they being sodainly taken and vnprouided, recoyled and gaue backe, he went forwardes, tooke Melitina a

Citie not farre of, that was destitute of a garrison and Citizens to repell his violence, sette all on fire, and sought to cutte ouer the riuer Euphrates. When the Romaine armies ioyned together & pursued after him, he fearing him selfe, got vp on an Olyphant, and passed ouer Euphrates▪ but the greater part of his armie in swimming and conueying them selues ouer, were drowned in the deapth of the water. He vnderstanding of this misfortune, got him away with all speede. Where∣fore Chosroes in the ende being thus plagued and recompenced for his insolencie and disdaine to∣wards the Romaines, returned into the East with as many as were left him aliue. There the league was of force, that none should assault him. Iustinianus after all, ouerrunne the marches of the Persian dominions, continued there all winter long, without let or anoyance. About the eight ••alends of Iulie he returned backe without the losse of any one part of his host, and spent all som∣mer with prosperous successe and ioy of Martiall prowesse about the boundes where the Romain and Persian dominions doe part a sunder.

Notes

• * 1.1

  * 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in La∣tine t••rma, a troupe, as Varro thin∣keth, quasi terdena thir¦tie, their cap¦taine is cal∣led decu••io, sometake the troupe to be 32. horsmen, some other 64. horsmen.
• * 1.2

  Curs a Scy∣thian.
• * 1.3

  A wise God, that could be taken in warres.