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having arrived, and having been crowned with the crown of victory by the then-reigning patriarch, he was restored to the palace. 41 And again political cares occupied him, and he dealt appropriately with embassies from various nations; and having rejoiced for a short while with his children and his wife, and having gone around the sacred and divine temples throughout the city and offered his prayers, he was again, as was his custom, engaged in political administration and judgments, demonstrating his solicitude and vigilant providence for his subjects. Nevertheless, he did not cease each day to enter the sacred and divine temple and beseech the Lord, and putting forward as mediators to God for this purpose both the Archistrategos Michael and Elijah the prophet, that he not depart from this life before he had seen the destruction of Chrysocheir and had fixed three arrows in his wicked head. which also happened later. 272 For in the following year, when the aforementioned Chrysocheir invaded the lands of the Romans and was plundering them, the emperor, as was his custom, sent against him the commander of the Schools. Who, having set out and taken the entire Roman army with him, since he shrank from openly opposing him face to face, the Roman forces for the time being followed him at a certain distance, and he checked the partial raids, and did not allow them to scatter fearlessly throughout the country. As the barbarian, then, was partly successful and partly not, and as the season was already calling him, he remembered his return to his own lands and was returning to his own country with much booty, the commander of the Schools set apart two of the generals, the one of Charsianon and the one of the Armeniacs, each with the force around him, so that they might accompany and follow Chrysocheir as far as Bathyrryax, and from there, if he should send an army against the Roman borders, to make this clear to the Domestic, but if he should enter his own lair, marching without turning back, they were to let him be and return to him again. (42) Now when the barbarian army had arrived in the evening at the so-called Bathyrryax and had encamped down at the foot of the mountain, and the Roman generals had occupied the higher ground above it and were considering what to do, some strife and rivalry over precedence fell upon the soldiers and 273 taxiarchs and lochagoi of the two themes, with those of Charsianon claiming for themselves the first rank in valor and courage, while, on the other hand, those of the Armeniacs would not yield the primacy in warlike bravery for the others to take. As, then, their contentiousness proceeded further and their spirits were provoked, it is said to have been spoken by the leaders of the Armeniac contingent, "Why do we each act boldly in vain words and boast emptily, when it is possible to demonstrate our disputed valor by deeds? For since the enemy is not far off, it is possible for the best men to be revealed in action and for the superior ones to be judged by their nobility in close combat." The generals, therefore, having heard such words, and having perceived the people's impulse and eagerness for bravery, and also understanding the assistance from the terrain, that they were about to attack from higher ground those who were encamped on the plain, they divide the force in two; and it was decided that the picked part of it, up to six hundred men, along with the generals, should attack the army of the barbarians, while they drew up the rest of the small Roman army there on the high ground to give the appearance of a large number, and having given a signal for the right time, so that when these men should attack the enemy, those men also, with a mighty war-cry and with trumpets, as the very mountains echoed, would let loose a terrifying shout, they themselves put on their full armor, and unseen, by night, to the 274 camp of the enemies

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παραγεγονώς, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ τότε πατριαρχοῦντος τῷ τῆς νίκης στεφάνῳ ταινιωθείς, ἀπεκατέστη εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. 41 Καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν φροντίδες πολιτικαὶ διεδέχοντο, καὶ ταῖς ἀπὸ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν πρεσβείαις τὰ πρόσφορα ἐχρημάτιζε· καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον τοῖς τέκνοις συνευφρανθεὶς καὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὸ αστυ περιελθὼν ἱεροὺς καὶ θείους ναοὺς καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀποδούς, συνήθως ην αυθις ἐπὶ τῶν πολιτικῶν διοικήσεων καὶ τῶν κρίσεων, τὴν περὶ τὸ ὑπήκοον κηδεμονίαν καὶ αγρυπνον πρόνοιαν ἐνδεικνύμενος. οὐ διελίμπανε δὲ ομως καθ' ἑκάστην εἰς τὸν ἱερὸν καὶ θεῖον ναὸν εἰσιὼν καὶ ἱκετεύων τὸν κύριον, καὶ μεσίτας πρὸς τοῦτο τόν τε ἀρχιστράτηγον Μιχαὴλ καὶ ̓Ηλιοὺ τὸν προφήτην πρὸς θεὸν προβαλλόμενος, τοῦ μὴ πρότερον τοῦ βίου ὑπεξελθεῖν πρὶν η τὸν τοῦ Χρυσόχειρος ολεθρον ἐπιδεῖν καὶ τρία βέλη τῇ αὐτοῦ καταπῆξαι μιαρᾷ κεφαλῇ. ο καὶ γέγονεν υστερον. 272 τῷ γὰρ ἐπιόντι χρόνῳ εἰς τὰς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐμβαλόντος χώρας τοῦ προμνημονευθέντος Χρυσόχειρος καὶ ταύτας ληϊζομένου, ἀπο- στέλλει κατ' αὐτοῦ συνήθως ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν τῶν σχολῶν ἐξηγού- μενον. ος ἐξελθὼν καὶ πάντα τὸν ̔Ρωμαϊκὸν στρατὸν συμπαρα- λαβών, ἐπεὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐμφανῶς ἀντιστῆναι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπε- δειλία, τὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων στρατεύματα συμπαρείπετο τέως αὐτῷ ἀπό τινος διαστήματος, καὶ τὰς μερικὰς ἀνεῖργε καταδρομάς, καὶ οὐ συνεχώρει κατὰ τῆς χώρας ἀδεῶς διασκίδνασθαι. ὡς ουν τὰ μὲν δρῶν τὰ δὲ ἀπρακτῶν ὁ βάρβαρος, ηδη καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ κα- λοῦντος αὐτόν, τῆς πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐπανόδου ἐμνήσθη καὶ μετὰ λείας συχνῆς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν ὑπέστρεφεν, ἀφώρισε δύο τῶν στρατηγῶν ὁ τῶν σχολῶν ἐξηγούμενος, τόν τε τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ καὶ τῶν ̓Αρμενίων, μετὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτοὺς δυνάμεως εκαστον, ωστε συμπαρομαρτεῖν καὶ ἐφέπεσθαι τῷ Χρυσόχειρι αχρι τοῦ Βαθυρ- ρύακος, κἀκεῖθεν εἰ μὲν ἐπαφήσει κατὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαϊκῶν ὁρίων στρατόν, δῆλον τοῦτο τῷ δομεστίκῳ ποιήσασθαι, εἰ δὲ πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον φωλεὸν ἀμεταστρεπτὶ βαδίζων εἰσδύνειεν, ἐάσαντας τοῦτον αυθις ἐπανελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν. (42) ηδη ουν τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ στρατεύματος γεγονότος ἐν ἑσπέρας καιρῷ κατὰ τὸν καλούμενον Βαθυρρύακα καὶ αὐλισμένου κάτω πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ορους ὑπώρειαν, τῶν δὲ ̔Ρωμαϊκῶν στρατηγῶν καταλαβόντων τὰ τούτου μετεωρό- τερα καὶ τὸ μέλλον ἀποσκοπούντων, ἐμπίπτει τις ερις περὶ τῶν πρωτείων καὶ αμιλλα τοῖς τῶν δύο θεμάτων στρατιώταις καὶ 273 ταξιάρχαις καὶ λοχαγωγοῖς, τῶν μὲν τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπι- γραφόντων τὸ πρεσβεῖον τῆς κατ' ἀλκὴν ἀρετῆς, εμπαλιν δὲ τῶν ̓Αρμενιακῶν μὴ μεθιεμένων τῆς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀνδρίας τὸ πρω- τεῖον ἐκείνους λαβεῖν. ὡς ουν ἐπὶ πλέον τὰ τῆς φιλονεικίας αὐτοῖς ἐχώρει καὶ τὰ φρονήματα διηρέθιστο, λεχθῆναί φασι παρὰ τῶν πρωτευόντων τοῦ τῶν ̓Αρμενιακῶν συστήματος ὡς ινα τί μάτην ἐν λόγοις εκαστοι θρασυνόμεθα καὶ αὐχοῦμεν διακενῆς, ἐξὸν τοῖς εργοις τὴν ἀμφισβήτητον ἀρετὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι; τῶν γὰρ πολεμίων οὐ μακρὰν ἀπεχόντων, εξεστιν ἐπὶ τῶν εργων φανῆναι τοὺς ἀρι- στεῖς καὶ ἐκ τῆς κατὰ χεῖρα γενναιότητος κριθῆναι τοὺς ὑπερέχον- τας. τοὺς τοιούτους τοίνυν λόγους διακηκοότες οἱ στρατηγοί, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἀνδρίαν ὁρμὴν καὶ προθυμίαν κατανοήσαντες τοῦ λαοῦ, συννοήσαντες δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου βοήθειαν, οτι ἐξ ὑπερδε- ξίων τοῖς ἐν ἐπιπέδῳ κατηυλισμένοις μέλλουσιν ἐπιτίθεσθαι, διχῇ διαιροῦσι τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ τὸ μὲν εκκριτον αὐτῆς αχρις εκτης ἑκατοντάδος μετὰ τῶν γε τῶν στρατηγῶν προσβαλεῖν ἐκρίθη τῷ τῶν βαρβάρων στρατῷ, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς εὐαριθμήτου ̔Ρωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς ἐς δόκησιν πλήθους αὐτοῦ που πρὸς τὰ μετέωρα συσκευ- άσαντες, καὶ σύνθημα δόντες καιροῦ, ιν' οταν ουτοι προσβά- λωσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, κἀκεῖνοι σὺν ἀλαλαγμῷ μεγίστῳ καὶ σάλπιγξι, συνεπηχούντων καὶ τῶν ὀρέων αὐτῶν, ἐκπληκτικὴν βοὴν ἀναρρή- ξωσιν, αὐτοὶ τὰς πανοπλίας ἐνδύονται, καὶ ἀφανῶς διὰ νυκτὸς τῇ 274 στρατοπεδείᾳ τῶν δυσμενῶν