the land of the Romans and the Persians: there
they met and negotiated as to how they should do away with their
differences and settle effectually the question of the peace. Chosroes
also came to the Tigris River, which is distant from the city of Nisibis
about two days journey, in order that, when the details of the peace
should seem to both parties to be as well arranged as possible, he might
betake himself in person to Byzantium. Now many words were spoken on
both sides touching the differences between them, and in particular
Seoses made mention of the land of Colchis, which is now called Lazica,
saying that it had been subject to the Persians from of old and that the
Romans had taken it from them by violence and held it on no just
grounds. When the Romans heard this, they were indignant to think that
even Lazica should be disputed by the Persians. And when they in turn
stated that the adoption of Chosroes must take place just as is proper
for a barbarian, it seemed to the Persians unbearable. The two parties
therefore separated and departed homeward, and Chosroes with nothing
accomplished was off to his father, deeply injured at what had taken
place and vowing vengeance on the Romans for their insult to him.

After this Mebodes began to slander Seoses to Cabades, saying that he
had proposed the discussion of Lazica purposely, although he had not
been instructed to do so by his master, thereby frustrating the peace,
and also that he had had words previously with Hypatius, who was by no
means well-disposed toward his own sovereign and was trying to prevent
the conclusion of peace and the adoption of Chosroes; and many other
accusations also were brought forward by the enemies of Seoses, and he
was summoned to trial. Now the whole Persian council gathered to sit in
judgment moved more by envy than by respect for the law. For they were
thoroughly hostile to his office, which was unfamiliar to them, and also
were embittered by the natural temper of the man. For while Seoses was a
man quite impossible to bribe, and a most exact respecter of justice, he
was afflicted with a degree of arrogance not to be compared with that of
any other. This quality, indeed, seems to be inbred in the Persian
officials, but in Seoses even they thought that the malady had developed
to an altogether extraordinary degree. So his accusers said all those
things which have been indicated above, and added to this that the man
was by no means willin