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having successively set fire to lands and having sacked Samosata, and with the same impetus having crossed the Euphrates in the great absence of anyone to hinder them because the enemy was encamped opposite the emperor, and having taken much booty and plunder, they returned to the emperor who was still staying by the Zarnouch river, where Keramision is, and seeming to be idle, but most wisely accomplishing such things through those under his command. 269 40 Setting out from there, the emperor with his whole army went along the road leading towards Melitene. And having come to the banks of the Euphrates, when he saw it in the summer season flooding and spreading like a sea, he considered it ignoble and unworthy of the force with him to sit down by the crossing and humbly wait for the river to become passable, he decided to cross it by a bridge, and everything for the work was prepared with haste. And wishing to console the labor of his own soldiers and persuade them to bear their toils easily, and at the same time to wear himself out with voluntary labors, so that if an involuntary one should often happen, he might not suffer from the strangeness nor be found unaccustomed, he joined the soldiers in the work very eagerly, and lifting the greater burdens on his own shoulders he carried them to the bridge. One could see then a weight of the same size which the emperor easily carried, being carried with difficulty by three soldiers together. And so having crossed the Euphrates he immediately sacked the fortress which is called Rapsakion. And having separately ordered the Chaldian and Koloneian troops to overrun the land between the Euphrates and the Arsinos, through them he took possession of much booty and captives and he sacked the fortresses, both that of Kourtikion and Chachon and Amer and the one called Mourinix and Abdela. And he himself, attacking Melitene, at that time well-manned and having a large multitude of barbarians, who met him before the city with barbarian 270 war cries and snortings, he showed his own valor, so that not only those under him but also the enemy were manifestly amazed at his manliness and facility. For having joined battle with the enemy both prudently and youthfully, and having appeared noble in hand-to-hand combat and excelling in daring, and being seen in the midst of dangers both courageous and undaunted, he first routed those arrayed against him with great slaughter; then thus those with him each pursued those opposite them, killing them as far as the city, so that the plain before the city was strewn with many dead and the water before the wall was mixed with blood, and many were also captured alive, and others willingly deserted out of fear, while the remaining ones were shut up in the city and were completely prevented from any further sally. There the emperor intended both to set up engines and send for every siege instrument and to display deeds of daring and nobility in the siege; but when he saw the city was strong in its circuit of walls and difficult to capture because of the multitude of those defending from the wall, and he learned from the deserters that they had a great abundance of provisions and did not fear a long siege, departing from there he attacked the land of the Manichaeans. And having cut down the trees of this land and having given the houses to the fire and destroying everything in his path, he set on fire and razed their fortress called Argaouth and that of Koutakion and Stephanos and Rachat. 271 Then having treated all the people under his command with lavish kindness, and having honored each of those who had excelled in bravery with prizes for valor, with much spoil and crowns of victory he returned to the reigning city; and entering through the Golden Gates as of old the emperors who celebrated triumphs in most-glorious Rome, and having received the cries of victory and acclamations from the people, and to the great palace of the Wisdom of God, in order to offer up prayers and fitting thanksgiving, straightaway as he was from the road

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ἐφεξῆς πυρπολήσαντες χώρας καὶ τὸ Σαμόσατον ἐκπορ- θήσαντες, καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ ῥύμῃ τὸν Εὐφράτην περάσαντες κατὰ πολλὴν ἐρημίαν τῶν κωλυσόντων διὰ τὸ παραστρατοπεδεύειν τοὺς πολεμίους τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ πολλὴν λαβόντες αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ λάφυρα, ὑπέστρεψαν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ετι πρὸς τῷ Ζαρ- νοὺχ ποταμῷ, ενθα τὸ Κεραμίσιον ἐστί, διατρίβοντα καὶ ἀργεῖν μὲν δοκοῦντα, τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα πανσόφως διὰ τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα κατα- πραττόμενον. 269 40 ̓Εντεῦθεν αρας ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ παντὸς στρατοῦ τὴν ὡς ἐπὶ Μελιτηνὴν ἀπάγουσαν διῄει ὁδόν. πρὸς δὲ ταῖς οχθαις τοῦ Εὐφράτου γενόμενος, ὡς ειδεν αὐτὸν ωρᾳ θέρους πλημμυ- ροῦντα καὶ πελαγίζοντα, τὸ δὲ προσκαθῆσθαι τῇ διαβάσει καὶ ταπεινὸν προσμένειν γενέσθαι τὸν ποταμὸν ἀγεννὲς ἐνόμισε καὶ ἀνάξιον τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν δυνάμεως, γεφύρᾳ τοῦτον εγνω διαλαβεῖν, καὶ πάντα πρὸς τὸ εργον σπουδῇ ηὐτρεπίζετο. θέλων δὲ τὸν κόπον παραμυθεῖσθαι τῶν οἰκείων στρατιωτῶν καὶ τοὺς πόνους ῥᾳδίως ὑποφέρειν πεῖσαι, αμα δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἑκουσίοις ἀποτρύχειν πόνοις, ινα εἰ καὶ ἀκούσιος πολλάκις συμβῇ, μὴ ξενοπαθῇ μηδὲ ἀήθης εὑρίσκοιτο, συνεφήπτετο τοῦ εργου τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ μάλα προθύμως, καὶ τὰ μείζονα βάρη τοῖς οἰκείοις αιρων ωμοις πρὸς τὴν γέφυραν διεκόμιζεν. ειδεν αν τις τότε ἰσομέγεθες βάρος ουπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς ῥᾳδίως ἐβάσταζε, τρεῖς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὁμοῦ μόλις διακομίζοντας. ουτω δὲ τὸν Εὐφράτην περαιωθεὶς τὸ φρού- ριον εὐθὺς ο ̔Ραψάκιον λέγεται ἐξεπόρθησεν. ἰδίᾳ δὲ τοὺς Χάλ- δους καὶ Κολωνιάτας τὴν μεταξὺ χώραν Εὐφράτου καὶ ̓Αρσίνου κελεύσας καταδραμεῖν, λείας πολλῆς καὶ ἀνδραπόδων δι' αὐτῶν ἐκυρίευσεν καὶ τὰ φρούρια τό τε Κουρτικίου καὶ τὸ Χαχὸν καὶ τὸ Αμερ καὶ τὸ Μουρινὶξ καλούμενον καὶ τὸ Αβδελα ἐξεπόρθησεν. αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ Μελιτηνῇ προσβαλών, εὐανδρούσῃ τότε καὶ πλῆθος ἐχούσῃ βαρβάρων συχνόν, οι πρὸ τῆς πόλεως μετὰ βαρβαρικῶν 270 ἀλαλαγμῶν καὶ φρυαγμάτων ἀπήντων αὐτῷ, τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν ἐπεδείξατο, ὡς μὴ μόνον τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους περιφανῶς ἐκπλαγῆναι τὴν ἀνδρίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐχέρειαν. ἐμφρό- νως γὰρ αμα καὶ νεανικῶς προσμίξας τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναῖος φανεὶς καὶ τόλμῃ διαφέρων, καὶ παρὰ δεινὰ ὁρώ- μενος εὐθαρσής τε καὶ ἀκατάπληκτος, πρῶτος τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμέ- νους ἐτρέψατο φόνῳ πολλῷ· ειθ' ουτως οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ τοὺς κατ' αὐτοὺς εκαστοι καὶ μέχρι τοῦ αστεος ἀναιροῦντες ἐδίωκον, ὡς πολ- λοῖς νεκροῖς τὸ πρὸς τῆς πόλεως πεδίον καταστρωθῆναι καὶ τὸ πρὸ τοῦ τείχους υδωρ αιματι κερασθῆναι, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ζῶντας ἁλῶναι, καὶ αλλους τῷ δέει ἑκόντας αὐτομολῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ περι- λιπεῖς εἰς τὸ αστυ συγκλεισθῆναι καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐξόδου παντάπα- σιν ειργεσθαι. ενθα διενοεῖτο μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς μηχανάς τε πήγνυ- σθαι καὶ απαν οργανον πολιορκητικὸν μεταπέμπεσθαι καὶ εργα τόλμης καὶ γενναιότητος περὶ τὴν τειχομαχίαν ἐνδείξασθαι· ὡς δὲ ἑώρα τὴν πόλιν τειχῶν τε περιβολῇ καρτερὰν καὶ πλήθει τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ἀμυνομένων δυσάλωτον, ἐπύθετο δὲ παρὰ τῶν αὐτο- μόλων καὶ ἐπιτηδείων εχειν ἀφθονίαν πολλὴν καὶ μὴ δεδιέναι χρο- νίαν πολιορκίαν, αρας ἐντεῦθεν τῇ Μανιχαίων προσέβαλε γῇ. δενδροτομήσας δὲ ταύτην καὶ τὰς οἰκίας πυρὶ δοὺς καὶ πᾶν δια- φθείρων τὸ ἐν ποσί, τὸ ̓Αργαοὺθ λεγόμενον αὐτῶν φρούριον καὶ τὸ Κουτακίου καὶ Στεφάνου καὶ ̔Ραχὰτ ἐμπρήσας κατέσκαψεν. 271 ειτα τὸν ὑπὸ χεῖρα πάντα λαὸν πλουσίως φιλοφρονησάμενος, καὶ τῶν ἀριστευσάντων εκαστον ἀριστείοις τιμήσας, μετὰ πολλῶν λα- φύρων καὶ νικητικῶν στεφάνων ὑπέστρεψε πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν· καὶ διὰ τῶν Χρυσῶν πυλῶν εἰσελθὼν ὡς οἱ πάλαι κατὰ τὴν μεγα- λόδοξον ̔Ρώμην τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων τοὺς θριάμβους κατάγοντες, καὶ τὰς παρὰ τοῦ δήμου νικητικὰς ἐκβοήσεις καὶ εὐφημίας δεξά- μενος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέγα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας ἀνάκτορον, ὡς τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν εὐχαριστίαν ἀποδώσων, εὐθὺς ὡς ειχεν ἐξ ὁδοῦ