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 in these matters disagreed
utterly with each other, and one announced that one thing, another that
another thing was indicated by this star; but I only write what took
place and I leave to each one to judge by the outcome as he wishes.
Straightway a mighty Hunnic army crossing the Danube River fell as a
scourge upon all Europe, a thing which had happened many times before,
but which had never brought such a multitude of woes nor such dreadful
ones to the people of that land. For from the Ionian Gulf these
barbarians plundered everything in order as far as the suburbs of
Byzantium. And they captured thirty-two fortresses in Illyricum, and
they carried by storm the city of Cassandria (which the ancients called