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 amon