city of Edessa in Mesopotamia.  And Chosroes remained quiet expecting these men.  But in the course of the journey thither Constantianus became ill and much time was consumed; in the meantime it came about that the pestilence fell upon the Persians.  For this reason Nabedes, who at that time held the office of general in Persarmenia, sent the priest of the Christians in Dubios by direction of the king to Valerianus, the general in Armenia, in order to reproach the envoys for their tardiness and to urge the Romans with all zeal toward peace.  And he came with his brother to Armenia, and, meeting Valerianus, declared that he himself, as a Christian, was favourably disposed toward the Romans, and that the king Chosroes always followed his advice in every matter; so that if the ambassadors would come with him to the land of Persia, there would be nothing to prevent them from arranging the peace as they wished.  Thus then spoke the priest; but the brother of the priest met Valerianus secretly and said that Chosroes was in great straits:  for his son had risen against him in an attempt to set up a tyranny, and he himself together with the whole Persian army had been taken with the plague; and this was the reason why he wished just now to settle the agreement with the Romans.  When Valerianus heard this, he straightway dismissed the bishop, promising that the envoys would come to Chosroes at no distant time, but he himself reported the words which he had heard to the Emperor Justinian.  This led the emperor immediately to send word to him and to Martinus and the other commanders to invade the enemy’s territory as quickly as possible.  For he knew well that no one of the enemy would stand in their way.  And he commanded them to gather all in one place and so make their invasion into Persarmenia.  When the commanders received these letters, all of them together with their followers began to gather into the land of Armenia.

And already Chosroes had abandoned Adarbiganon a little before through fear of the plague and was off with his whole army into Assyria, where the pestilence had not as yet become epidemic.  Valerianus accordingly encamped close by Theodosiopolis with the troops under him; and with him was arrayed Narses, who had with him Armenians and some of the Eruli.  And Martinus, the General of the East, together with Ildiger and Theoctistus, reached the fortress of Citharizon, and fixing his camp there, remained on the spot.  This fortress is separated from Theodosiopolis by a journey of four days.  There too Peter came not long afterwards together with Adolius and some other commanders.  Now the troops in this region were commanded by Isaac, the brother of Narses.  And Philemouth and Beros with the Eruli who were under them came into the territory of Chorzianene, not far from the camp of Martinus.  And Justus, the emperor’s nephew, and Peranius and John, the son of Nicetas, together with Domentiolus and John, who was called the Glutton, made camp near the place called Phison,