Chosroës, son of the above king, presented himself before Edessa,
but without any better success. Upon the point of abandoning his
enterprise, he made it known, by a herald, that he meant to sell all
the prisoners he had taken at Antioch. The whole city of Edessa,
animated by the zealous and active charity which religion inspires, was
in a state of eager impatience to redeem these unhappy victims of war.
Every one wished to contribute in proportion to, or even beyond their
fortune, to this pious purpose. Each person carried his offering to
the great church, which was speedily filled with treasures of various
kinds. Courtesans from their vices, honest peasants from their labours,
if they had but a goat or a sheep, contributed cheerfully to the
liberation of their fellow Christians. This generous emulation produced
a sufficient ransom for all the prisoners. But, as is too often the
case, this wealth, collected for holy purposes, became so great as to
attract the cupidity of Buzes, who commanded the city for the emperor
Justinian: when it was collected, he appropriated the whole to himself,
and Chosroës took his prisoners to a better market.