,

so that the Khagan, having praised his inviolability on account of his virtue, freely laid down the war. 2.17.4 And from morning, having crossed the woods of the so-called Astike, he approached Adrianople and attacked the city more vigorously, and the men of the city resisted more bravely. 2.17.5 And among the Byzantines the rumor was buzzed about that Castus and Ansimuth had been captured, and a great rumor swept through the city. And the emperor was reviled most openly by certain foolish and garrulous men of the populace, whose fortunes were unenviable and whose opinions were undesirable, and composing blasphemous songs against him they mocked, melodiously satirizing the abomination, attributing the 2.17.6 misfortune not to chance but to folly. But the abuse did not produce anger in the emperor; for the soul of the emperor was barren towards anger and unacquainted with the flame of passion. 2.17.7 And the enemies gave back Castus, having been very lavishly paid, as it is possible to learn from our elders, 2.17.8 and there is no harm in believing it. But the emperor set his own concerns against the enemies and was equipping himself for the war with greater preparation. And John, whom it is the custom for many to call Mystacon 2.17., he appointed general, and he also chose Drocton as a subordinate general to him, entrusting a certain auxiliary force to him. This man was a Lombard by race, a most valiant man and most steadfast in war. 2.17.10 And when they came near the city of Adrianople, they made the barbarians desist from the siege, and on the second day the war was ended. Therefore the Romans were victorious, having engaged with the barbarians, and made the battle unequal; for the subordinate general Drocton 2.17.11 out-generalled the enemies. For by a feigned flight his wing seemed to the enemies to be turning its back, as if the Roman force feared its opponent; then on the contrary it pursued back and getting behind the barbarians destroyed those 2.17.12 it encountered. Therefore at the hour of midday the Avars departed, scattered in different directions and moving randomly in a hasty flight. But the general did not pursue the opponent; for he philosophized on the measure of good fortune, being wary, as is likely, of extreme successes. 2.17.13 for fortune loves to reverse itself and is untrustworthy, and victory changes sides among men, so that I might also sprinkle something from Homer's tablet on my narratives. 2.18.1 Heraclius, therefore, at this very time, again invaded the Persian state, and for the Medes 2.18.2 evil was fond of visiting. And when he arrived, he attacks a certain very strong fort; and this was situated upon a high rock. and the subordinate general was arranging both the city-takers 2.18.3 and the engines. And the Persians also contrived certain other devices against the attacks, and they wove certain kinds of tunics. having collected hairs and having twisted the weft with the warp they completed long tunics and stuffed these with chaff for strength, and having made them into pads they hung them from the wall, and with these they received the assaults, with the softness of the resistant preparation 2.18.4 softening the hardness of the projectiles. And many of the missiles flew over the fort itself; and others were carried down against the fortification itself. But Heraclius allowed no truce to the attacks, changing by night and by day the men assigned 2.18.5 to the task. For those who had just recently partaken of the labors received rest from the succeeding force, and others in turn rose up, laboring with them, and again others 2.18.6 took part in the toil with them. For this reason those defending the fortification grew weak, and their strength was exhausted. In this way indeed the fort is also taken and came under the Romans; and when it was captured, the general installed a garrison in it. 2.18.7 And those with Theodore and Andrew the

ὥστε τὸν Χαγάνον τὴν ἀσυλίαν διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπαινέσαντα προῖκα καταθέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον. 2.17.4 ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ δὲ διαπεραιωθεὶς τὰς ὕλας τῆς λεγομένης ᾿Αστικῆς τῇ ᾿Αδριανουπόλει προστρίβεται ἀγωνιστικώτερόν τε τῷ ἄστει προσέβαλλεν, ἀντικαθίσταντό τε καὶ οἱ τοῦ ἄστεος ἀλκιμώτερον. 2.17.5 τοῖς δὲ Βυζαντίοις περιεβομβεῖτο ὡς Κάστος ἥλω καὶ ᾿Ανσιμούθ, καὶ πολὺς τῇ πόλει ἐπεκύμαινε θρῦλος. ἐλοιδορεῖτο δ' ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐς τὸ φανερώτατον ἀπό τινων τῶν τοῦ πλήθους ἀσυνέτων καὶ στωμύλων ἀνδρῶν, ὧν καὶ τὰ τῆς τύχης ἦν ἀνεπίφθονα καὶ τὰ τῆς γνώμης ἀζήλωτα, καὶ βλασφήμους ᾠδὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ συντιθέντες διέσυρον κωμῳδοῦντες ἐμμελῶς τὸ ἀπαίσιον, οὐ τύχῃ ἀλλ' ἀνοίᾳ τὸ 2.17.6 δυσπραγὲς περιάπτοντες. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπέτεκεν ἡ λοιδορία θυμὸν τῷ αὐτοκράτορι· στεῖρα γὰρ ἦν πρὸς ὀργὴν ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ψυχὴ καὶ πρὸς τὴν θυμικὴν φλόγα ἀσυνουσίαστος. 2.17.7 τὸν δὲ Κάστον ἀπέδοντο χρηματισθέντες λίαν δαψιλῶς οἱ πολέμιοι, ὡς ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς πρεσβυτέρων ἔστι λαβεῖν, 2.17.8 καὶ τὸ πιστεύειν ἀζήμιον. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὰς ἑαυτοῦ φροντίδας τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀντέταξε καὶ μείζονι παρασκευῇ πρὸς τὸ πολέμιον ἐξηρτύετο. καὶ τὸν ᾿Ιωάννην, ὃν δὴ Μυστάκωνα 2.17. τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔθος ἀποκαλεῖν, στρατηγὸν προεστήσατο, ἐχειροτόνει δὲ καὶ τὸν ∆ρόκτωνα ὥσπερ αὐτῷ ὑποστράτηγον παρῄορόν τινα δύναμιν ἐμπιστεύσας αὐτῷ. Λογόβαρδος δ' οὗτος τὸ φῦλον, ἀνὴρ ἀλκιμώτατος καὶ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἐμβριθέ2.17.10 στατος. ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ τὴν ᾿Αδριανοῦ πόλιν ἐγένοντο, τοὺς βαρβάρους τῆς πολιορκίας ἀφίστων, δευτέρᾳ τε ἡμέρᾳ ὁ πόλεμος ἐτετέλεστο. ἐνίκων τοίνυν ῾Ρωμαῖοι τοῖς βαρβάροις συμμίξαντες καὶ ἑτεραλκέα τὴν μάχην διέθεντο· κατεστρατήγει γὰρ τῶν 2.17.11 πολεμίων ὁ ὑποστράτηγος ∆ρόκτων. ἐπιπλάστῳ γὰρ φυγῇ τὸ ἐκείνου κέρας ἔδοξε τοῖς πολεμίοις τὰ νῶτα παρέχεσθαι, ὡς οἷα δεδοικότος τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ τὸ ἀντίπαλον· εἶτα τοὔμπαλιν ἀντεδίωξε καὶ μετόπισθε τῶν βαρβάρων γενόμενον τοὺς 2.17.12 συντυχόντας διώλεσεν. ἀπῄεισαν τοιγαροῦν μεσημβρίας ὥρᾳ οἱ ῎Αβαροι, ἄλλος ἄλλῃ διεσπαρμένοι καὶ ὡς ἂν τύχοι φερόμενοι μετὰ συντόνου τινὸς ἀποδράσεως. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς οὐ κατεδίωξε τὸ ἀντίπαλον· ἐφιλοσόφει γὰρ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας τὸ μέτρον τὰς ἐπ' ἄκρον εὐεξίας, ὥσπερ εἰκός, εὐλαβούμενος. 2.17.13 φιλυπόστροφον γὰρ ἡ τύχη καὶ ἄπιστον, νίκη δ' ἐπαμείβεται ἄνδρας, ἵνα καί τι τῆς ῾Ομήρου δέλτου ἐπισπείρω τοῖς ἀφηγήμασιν. 2.18.1 ῾Ηράκλειος μὲν οὖν κατὰ τοῦτον δῆτα τὸν χρόνον ἐπέβη αὖ πάλιν τῆς Περσῶν πολιτείας, καὶ τοῖς Μήδοις 2.18.2 φιλεπίδημον ἦν τὸ κακόν. ὁπηνίκα δὲ παρεγένετο, προσβάλλει ἐχυρωτάτῳ φρουρίῳ τινί· τοῦτο δ' ὑψηλῆς ὑπερεκαθέζετο πέτρας. καὶ διεκόσμει· ὁ ὑποστράτηγος τὰς ἑλεπόλεις 2.18.3 τε καὶ τὰς μηχανάς. ἀντιπαλαμῶνται δὲ καὶ Πέρσαι πρὸς τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ἕτερα ἄττα σοφίσματα, ἱστουργοῦσι δὲ καὶ οἷα χιτῶνάς τινας. τρίχας συλλέξαντες καὶ τῷ στήμονι τὴν κρόκην συστρέψαντες προμήκη τὰ χιτώνια διετέλεσαν καὶ τούτους ἀχύρου εἰς τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ἐνεφόρησαν, ναστούς τε κατεργασάμενοι ἐξήρτων τοῦ τείχους, καὶ τούτοις τὰς προσβολὰς ὑπεδέχοντο τῷ μαλθακῷ τῆς ἀντιτύπου παρα2.18.4 σκευῆς τῶν ἐκπομπῶν τὸ στερρὸν ἐκμαλακίζοντες. ὑπερίπταντο δ' αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν βολῶν καὶ τοῦ φρουρίου αὐτοῦ· ἕτεραι δὲ καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐχυρώματος κατεφέροντο. ὁ δ' ῾Ηράκλειος οὐδεμίαν ἀνακωχὴν παρενετίθει ταῖς προσβολαῖς νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἀμείβων τοὺς ἐφισταμένους 2.18.5 τῷ ἔργῳ. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔναγχος τῶν πόνων μετειληχότες ὑπὸ τῆς διαδόχου δυνάμεως ἀντελάμβανον τὴν ἀνάπαυλαν, ἕτεροι δ' αὖ συμπονοῦντες ἐκείνοις ἐξανίσταντο, κἀκείνοις αὖθις 2.18.6 τοῦ μόχθου συνελάμβανον ἕτεροι. διά τοι τοῦτο ἐξασθενοῦσιν οἱ τιμωροῦντες τῷ ἐχυρώματι, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς τὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐξίτηλα. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ καθαιρεῖται τὸ φρούριον καὶ ὑπὸ ῾Ρωμαίους ἐγίνετο· ἐπεὶ δ' ἥλω, φρουρὰν ἐν αὐτῷ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐνεκάθισεν. 2.18.7 Οἱ δ' ἀμφὶ τὸν Θεόδωρον καὶ τὸν ᾿Ανδρέαν τὸ