es was purposing to break off the treaty.

III

At this same time another event also occurred; it was as follows. That
Symeon who had given Pharangium into the hands of the Romans persuaded
the Emperor Justinian, while the war was still at its height, to present
him with certain villages of Armenia. And becoming master of these
places, he was plotted against and murdered by those who had formerly
possessed them. After this crime had been committed, the perpetrators of
the murder fled into the land of Persia. They were two brothers, sons of
Perozes. And when the Emperor heard this, he gave over the villages to
Amazaspes, the nephew of Symeon, and appointed him ruler over the
Armenians. This Amazaspes, as time went on, was denounced to the Emperor
Justinian by one of his friends, Acacius by name, on the ground that he
was abusing the Armenians and wished to give over to the Persians
Theodosiopolis and certain other fortresses. After telling this,
Acacius, by the emperor's will, slew Amazaspes treacherously, and
himself secured the command over the Armenians by the gift of the
emperor. And being base by nature, he gained the opportunity of
displaying his inward character, and he proved to be the most cruel of
all men toward his subjects. For he plundered their property without
excuse and ordained that they should pay an unheard-of tax of four
centenaria[2]. But the Armenians, unable to bear him any longer,
conspired together and slew Acacius and fled for refuge to Pharangium.

Therefore the emperor sent Sittas against them from Byzantium. For
Sittas had been delaying there since the time when the treaty was made
with the Persians. So he came to Armenia, but at first he entered upon
the war reluctantly and exerted himself to calm the people and to
restore the population to their former habitations, promising to
persuade the emperor to remit to them the payment of the new tax. But
since the emperor kept assailing him with frequent reproaches for his
hesitation, led on by the slanders of Adolius, the son of Acacius,
Sittas at last made his preparations for the conflict. First of all he
attempted by means of promises of many good things to win over some of
the Armenians by persuasion and to attach them to his cause, in order
that the task of overpowering the others might be attended with less
difficulty and toil. And the tribe called the Aspetiani, great in power
and in numbers, was willing to join him. And they went to Si