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he sent to him, deigning at last to have his fill of the destruction of men and to make a treaty on the terms of annual tribute. But he did not receive the embassy. So again another embassy was sent to him, asking for peace. But the Persian gave arrogant and blasphemous replies, saying that he would never spare the Christians unless they denied the crucified one and worshipped the sun. So the emperor, despairing of peace, planned to campaign against the Persians; for which reason he also hastened to make a truce with the Khagan, who had not ceased plundering Thrace. Therefore, sending to him, he asked for peace; and the barbarian did not refuse. So the emperor, being pleased, went out of the ci206 ty and encamped outside the Long Wall with the imperial magnificence and bodyguard and much money, which he was bringing as gifts to the Khagan. But the barbarian, disregarding both the oaths and the agreements, rushed to seize the emperor. But in this he did not succeed (for he managed to escape), yet having taken the imperial baggage and the bodyguard, and indeed the money and many thousands of captives with complete impunity, he returned. Again, therefore, Heraclius sent an embassy to him, charging him with faithlessness and drawing him toward peace; and he made a treaty. And the emperor, departing from the ruling city of cities, arrived in Caesarea, where Crispus was general; and as he was sick or pretending to be so, the emperor went to him, to visit and to deliberate about what should be done. But he received him contemptuously, neither going out to meet him nor rising from his couch, and in their conversations behaving in a rather arrogant manner. But Heraclius understood what was happening and was vexed at being despised, but he pretended neither 207 to be vexed nor to understand Crispus's contempt for him. At this time it was announced to him that the Augusta had borne a son. And he had left the armies to Crispus, but he himself returned to Byzantium. However, when Nicetas, the son of the patrician Gregoras, entered the ruling city of cities, the emperor held him in great honor, calling him brother. Crispus also returned from the campaign. Therefore, when a meeting of the senate was held and the patriarch was present, as he was about to baptize the emperor's son, the emperor said to those present, "He who insults the emperor, what is he worthy of?" And they answered, "He is not worthy to live; for he has made himself unworthy of all clemency." And the emperor recounted the things done by Crispus, while he was present; then turning to him, he said, "You who did not make me a son-in-law, you would never make me a friend either." He therefore ordered him to become a cleric. And from Martina his niece he had two sons, Fabius, whom he also named Heraclonas, and David, the other one. But as Chosroes was plundering and destroying everything, and had subjected Palestine 208 to himself and taken Jerusalem by siege, it is said that a countless multitude of Christians were slain. For the Jews, buying them cheaply, murdered them, the number of whom they say totals about nine myriads. And indeed the patriarch of the holy city of Jerusalem and the precious wood of the cross the Persians took and carried to Persia. The emperor, therefore, being at a loss for an army comparable to his enemies', and also for money, borrowed silver and gold from both the great church and the other holy houses and with these he struck coin. And he gathered a people from the themes and trained them in military experience and called upon allies. Going forth, therefore, after the festival of Easter from the city and attacking Sarbarus, Chosroes' arch-satrap who had been sent against the Romans with a heavy force, he routed him and cut down his armies and made them the work of the sword. At this time, the Khagan, having broken the truce, came against Byzantium, and his forces encamped before the wall, devastating everything outside. whence both those of the city and the

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αὐτὸν ἔστειλε, κόρον λαβεῖν ποτε τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φθορᾶς ἀξιῶν καὶ σπείσασθαι ἐπὶ συνθήκαις ἐτησίων δασμῶν. ὁ δὲ τὴν πρεσβείαν οὐ προσήκατο. πάλιν οὖν ἑτέρα πρεσβεία πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην ἐξαιτουμένη. ὁ δὲ Πέρσης ὑπερηφάνους καὶ βλασφήμους τὰς ἀποκρίσεις πεποίηκε, λέγων μὴ ἄν ποτε φείσασθαι τῶν χριστιανῶν, εἰ μὴ τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον ἀρνήσαιντο καὶ σεβασθῶσι τὸν ἥλιον. ἀπογνοὺς οὖν τὴν εἰρήνην ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιστρατεῦσαι διενοεῖτο κατὰ Περσῶν· διὸ καὶ ἔσπευδε θέσθαι πρὸς τὸν Χαγάνον σπονδάς, μὴ ἀφιστάμενον τοῦ τὴν Θρᾴκην ληίζεσθαι. στείλας τοίνυν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην ᾔτει· καὶ ὁ βάρβαρος οὐκ ἀνένευσεν. ἡσθεὶς οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξῆλθε τῆς πό206 λεως καὶ ἔξω τοῦ Μακροῦ τείχους ηὐλίσατο μετὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς πολυτελείας καὶ δορυφορίας καὶ χρημάτων πολλῶν, ἃ τῷ Χαγάνῳ δῶρα ἐκόμιζεν. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος ἀλογήσας τῶν ὅρκων τε καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν ὥρμησε τὸν βασιλέα συσχεῖν. ἀλλὰ τούτου μὲν οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν (ἔφθη γὰρ διαδράς), τὴν μέντοι βασιλικὴν ἀποσκευὴν καὶ τὴν δορυφορίαν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ δορυαλώτων χιλιάδας πολλὰς κατὰ πᾶσαν ἄδειαν εἰληφὼς ὑπέστρεψεν. αὖθις οὖν ὁ Ἡράκλειος πρεσβείαν ἔθετο πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐπεγκαλῶν αὐτῷ ἀπιστίαν καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην αὐτὸν ἐφελκόμενος· ὁ δὲ σπένδεται. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς βασιλευούσης ἀπάρας τῶν πόλεων ἀφίκετο εἰς Καισάρειαν, ἔνθα καὶ ὁ Κρίσπος ἦν στρατηγῶν· οὗ νοσοῦντος ἢ τοῦτο προσποιουμένου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπῄει ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐπισκεψόμενος καὶ βουλευσόμενος περὶ τῶν πρακτέων. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸν ὀλιγώρως ἐδέχετο, μήτε προσυπαντῶν μήτε μὴν τῆς κλίνης ἐξανιστάμενος κἀν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις ἀλαζονικώτερόν πως διατιθέμενος. Ἡράκλειος δὲ συνίει μὲν τὸ γινόμενον καὶ καταφρονούμενος ἤχθετο, ὑπεκρίνετο δὲ μήτ' 207 ἄχθεσθαι μήτε συνιέναι τῆς ὀλιγωρίας τοῦ Κρίσπου τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἐν τούτῳ ἀγγέλλεται αὐτῷ ἡ Αὐγούστα τεκοῦσα υἱόν. καὶ τὰ μὲν στρατεύματα τῷ Κρίσπῳ καταλελοίπει, αὐτὸς δ' ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον. τοῦ Νικήτα μέντοι τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πατρικίου Γρηγορᾶ εἰσεληλυθότος εἰς τὴν τῶν πόλεων βασιλεύουσαν, ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν ἐν τιμῇ μεγάλῃ πεποίητο, ἀδελφὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζων. ἐπανέζευξε δὲ καὶ ὁ Κρίσπος ἐκ τῆς στρατείας. συλλόγου τοίνυν τῆς συγκλήτου γενομένου καὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου παρόντος, ὡς μέλλοντος βαπτίσαι τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως υἱόν, φησὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας ὁ βασιλεύς "ὁ ὑβρίζων τὸν βασιλέα τίνος ἐστὶν ἄξιος;" οἱ δὲ ἀπεκρίναντο "οὐ ζῆν ἐστιν ἄξιος· πάσης γὰρ φιλανθρωπίας ἑαυτὸν ἀνάξιον ἔθετο." καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Κρίσπου κἀκείνου παρόντος κατέλεγεν· εἶτα πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπιστραφεὶς ἔφη "ὃς γαμβρὸν οὐκ ἐποίησας, οὐδὲ φίλον ἂν ποιήσεις ποτέ." ἐκέλευσεν οὖν αὐτὸν κληρικὸν γενέσθαι. ἐκ δὲ Μαρτίνης τῆς ἀνεψιᾶς αὐτοῦ ἔσχε δύο υἱούς, Φάβιον, ὃν καὶ Ἡρακλωνᾶν ὠνόμασε, καὶ ∆αβὶδ τὸν λοιπόν. Τοῦ δὲ Χοσρόου πάντα ληιζομένου καὶ ἀφανίζοντος ὑφ' 208 ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ τὴν Παλαιστίνην πεποιηκότος καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιορκίᾳ ἑλόντος, λέγεται ἄπειρόν τι πλῆθος ἀναιρεθῆναι χριστιανῶν. ἐξωνούμενοι γὰρ αὐτοὺς εὐώνως οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐφόνευον, ὧν περὶ μυριάδας ἐννέα φασὶ συγκορυφοῦσθαι τὸν ἀριθμόν. τὸν δέ γε πατριάρχην τῆς ἁγίας πόλεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὰ τίμια τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλα οἱ Πέρσαι λαβόντες εἰς Περσίδα ἤγαγον. ἀπορῶν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀναλόγου τοῖς ἐναντίοις στρατεύματος, πρὸς δὲ καὶ χρημάτων, ἄργυρον μὲν καὶ χρυσὸν ἐδανείσατο ἔκ τε τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν εὐαγῶν οἴκων καὶ διὰ τούτων ἔκοψε νόμισμα. λαὸν δ' ἐκ τῶν θεμάτων συνέλεγε καὶ τούτους πρὸς πολεμικὴν ἐμπειρίαν ἐγύμναζε καὶ συμμάχους προσεκαλέσατο. ἐξελθὼν οὖν μετὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ πάσχα τῆς πόλεως καὶ προσβαλὼν Σαρβάρῳ τῷ τοῦ Χοσρόου ἀρχισατράπῃ μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως κατὰ Ῥωμαίων σταλέντι, τρέπεται τοῦτον καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ συγκόπτει καὶ μαχαίρας ἔργον ποιεῖ. Ἐν τούτοις παρασπονδήσας ὁ Χαγάνος ἐπῆλθε τῇ Βυζαντίδι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τείχους αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, δῃοῦσαι σύμπαντα τὰ ἐκτός. ὅθεν οἵ τε τῆς πόλεως καὶ ὁ