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he fought at Tarsus and was victorious. And when the emir of Tarsus once wrote to him words full of blasphemy and madness against our Lord Jesus Christ and God and his most holy mother, saying, "Behold, what good will the son of Mary do for you, or she who bore him, when I come against you with a mighty force," he took that abusive letter 285 with many tears and presented it to the icon of the Mother of God, who was shown holding her son in her arms, saying, "Behold, O Mother of the Word and God, and you, who are pre-eternal from the Father and under time from your mother, what things this barbarian and arrogant new Sennacherib has reproached and raged against your chosen people, and be a helper and defender of your servants, and let all the nations know the might of your dominion." Having prayed and said these things to God with a contrite heart and many tears, he took up the Roman forces and went against Tarsus. And indeed, having arrived at the place called Podandos, where the river of the same name flows, he found the barbarian army drawn up against him. And this noble man, with all the force around him, which he had previously strengthened for the battle with words of encouragement, attacked with faith in God, and having displayed many deeds of both intelligence and courage, and while the generals under him, the taxiarchs and lochagoi, and the entire multitude fought manfully, the multitude of the barbarians was routed with great slaughter, after their emir had fallen first and all the flower of the force around him. But a few of those at the camp and of those stationed somewhere at the rear, having barely escaped the danger, were saved by fleeing to Tarsus. Therefore, having buried his own men, and having gathered the enemy into one place and made a great mound from them, 286 so that it might be a monument for those who came after, he returned to his own territory with much booty and spoils and many captives, being disposed with moderation concerning the victory and considering it the work of God alone, and ascribing to Him the strategy and this great triumph. For which reason, fearing lest by greed for victory and the desire for more, the jealous power of Nemesis might ruin what had already been accomplished, as often happens, he refrained from advancing further. But having made known what had been achieved to the emperor, he was prevented by the envy of his peers from receiving the rewards worthy of his deeds, who constantly rumored, pre-occupying the imperial ears and slandering the man as having been deliberately negligent and having deprived the Romans of the capture of Tarsus; for they said, "When God had given it into our hands, if he had followed up on the victory, with the multitude emboldened by what they had accomplished, we lost it through the negligence of the general." By these things being said many times, the emperor was persuaded (for often even the prudent are deceived when things pleasing to them are said) and he removed Andrew from his command, as one who had not completely followed through on his heroic deeds against the enemy, and in his place he appointed to command the tagmata and the entire army that Kestas called Styppiotis, who promised to take Tarsus and foolishly thought he would accomplish many other noble things. (51) Who, immediately taking all the 287 Roman forces and setting out against Tarsus, showed Andrew to be not deliberately negligent and cowardly, but circumspect and prudent and an excellent general. For, considering the barbarians to be easy prey and having deliberated on none of the necessary things beforehand, nor setting ambushes, nor thinking anything worthy of strategic experience and good counsel, he came near Tarsus at the place called Chrysoboullon, with a foolish mindset and reckless audacity. But the barbarians, observing his unguarded state from the fact that he neither occupied strong positions nor an encampment

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Ταρσοῦ παρετάξατο καὶ νενίκηκε. γράψαντος δέ ποτε πρὸς αὐ- τὸν τοῦ ἀμηρεύοντος τῆς Ταρσοῦ λόγους βλασφημίας καὶ ἀπο- νοίας μεστοὺς κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ὑπεραγίας αὐτοῦ μητρός, οτι ιδω τί σοι ὁ τῆς Μαρίας ὠφε- λήσει υἱὸς καὶ αυτη ἡ τοῦτον γεννήσασα ἐν τῷ μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς ἀπιέναι με κατὰ σοῦ, λαβὼν ἐκεῖνος τὸ λοίδορον γραμμα- 285 τεῖον μετὰ δακρύων πολλῶν τῇ εἰκόνι τῆς θεομήτορος, ἠγκαλισμέ- νον φερούσης καὶ τὸν υἱόν, προσανέθετο, ἐπειπὼν "ιδε, ω μῆ- τερ τοῦ λόγου τε καὶ θεοῦ, καὶ σὺ ὁ προαιώνιος ἐκ πατρὸς καὶ ὑπὸ χρόνον ἐκ τῆς μητρός, οια ὠνείδισε καὶ ἐφρυάξατο κατὰ τοῦ σοῦ περιουσίου λαοῦ ὁ βάρβαρος ουτος καὶ ἀλαζὼν ὁ νέος Σεναχη- ρίμ, καὶ γενοῦ βοηθὸς καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴς τῶν δούλων σου, καὶ γνώτω πάντα τὰ εθνη τὸ κράτος τῆς δυναστείας σου." ταῦτα πρὸς θεὸν μετὰ συντριβῆς καρδίας καὶ δακρύων πολλῶν προσευ- ξάμενος καὶ εἰπών, αρας τὰς ̔Ρωμαϊκὰς δυνάμεις ἀπῄει κατὰ Ταρσοῦ. καὶ δὴ κατὰ τὸν τόπον γενόμενος ος λέγεται Ποδανδός, ενθα καὶ ὁ ὁμώνυμος ῥεῖ ποταμός, τὸ βαρβαρικὸν ευρεν ἀντιπα- ραταττόμενον στράτευμα. προσβαλὼν δὲ μετὰ τῆς εἰς θεὸν πε- ποιθήσεως ὁ γενναῖος ουτος μετὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ἁπάσης δυνά- μεως, ην τοῖς παρακλητικοῖς τῶν λόγων πρότερον πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐπέρρωσε, καὶ πολλὰ καὶ συνέσεως καὶ ἀνδρίας εργα ἐπιδειξάμε- νος, καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν δὲ ὑποστρατήγων ταξιαρχῶν τε καὶ λοχα- γῶν καὶ σύμπαντος τοῦ πλήθους ἀνδρικῶς ἀγωνισαμένων, τρέπε- ται φόνῳ πολλῷ τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων πλῆθος, πρότερον αὐτοῦ πε- σόντος τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ἀνθούσης πάσης δυνάμεως. ὀλίγοι δέ τινες τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ χάρακος καὶ τῶν ἐν ἐσχάτοις που τε- ταγμένων, διαφυγόντες μόλις τὸν κίνδυνον, πρὸς Ταρσὸν ἀπο- σώζονται. θάψας ουν τοὺς οἰκείους, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους εἰς ενα χῶρον συναγαγὼν καὶ μέγαν ἀπὸ τούτων ποιησάμενος κολωνόν, 286 ὡς ἀντὶ στήλης ειη καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα, εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ὑπέστρεψε μετὰ λείας καὶ λαφύρων καὶ αἰχμαλώτων πολλῶν, σωφρόνως περὶ τὴν νίκην διατεθεὶς καὶ μόνου θεοῦ τὸ εργον ποιούμενος καὶ ἐκείνῳ ἐπιγράφων τὴν στρατηγίαν καὶ τὸ μέγα τοῦτο ἐκνίκημα. διὸ καὶ δείσας μὴ ἀπληστίᾳ νίκης καὶ τῇ ἐφέσει τοῦ πλείονος καὶ τὰ προϋπ- ηργμένα, οια συμβαίνει πολλάκις, τὸ τῆς Νεμέσεως λυμήνηται φθονερόν, ἀπέσχετο τοῦ πρόσω χωρεῖν. δῆλα δὲ τὰ καταπρα- χθέντα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ποιησάμενος ἐκωλύθη διὰ τὸν τῶν ὁμοτί- μων φθόνον αξια τῶν εργων τὰ βραβεῖα λαβεῖν, οι συνεχῶς διε- θρύλουν προκαταλαμβάνοντες τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀκοὰς καὶ τὸν ανδρα διαβάλλοντες ὡς ἐθελοκακήσαντα καὶ ἀποστερήσαντα ̔Ρωμαίους τὴν αλωσιν τῆς Ταρσοῦ· "οτε" γάρ φασιν "εἰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν ταύ- την δέδωκεν ὁ θεός, εἰ ἐπεξῆλθε τῇ νίκῃ, τεθαρρηκότος τοῦ πλή- θους οις κατειργάσαντο, ἀπωλέσαμεν ταύτην τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ." ὑφ' ων πολλάκις λεγομένων ὁ βασιλεὺς παραπεί- θεται (ἀπατῶνται γὰρ πολλάκις καὶ φρόνιμοι λεγομένων αὐτοῖς τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν) καὶ παραλύει τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν ̓Ανδρέαν ὡς μὴ τελείως ἐπεξελθόντα τοῖς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀριστεύμασιν, καὶ ἀντ' ἐκείνου προβάλλεται εἰς τὸ τῶν ταγμάτων ἐξηγεῖσθαι καὶ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐκεῖνον τὸν Κεστὰ τὸν Στυππιώτην λεγόμενον, τήν τε Ταρσὸν ἐξελεῖν ὑπισχνούμενον καὶ αλλα πολλὰ καὶ γενναῖα ἀφρόνως οἰόμενον καταπράξεσθαι. (51) ος αὐτίκα πάσας τὰς 287 ̔Ρωμαϊκὰς δυνάμεις λαβὼν καὶ ἐξορμήσας κατὰ Ταρσοῦ εδειξε τὸν ̓Ανδρέαν οὐκ ἐθελόκακον καὶ δειλὸν ἀλλὰ περιεσκεμμένον καὶ φρόνιμον καὶ αριστον στρατηγόν. ἡγησάμενος γὰρ τοὺς βαρβά- ρους ἑτοίμην λείαν καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν δεόντων προδιασκεψάμενος, οὐδὲ προλοχίσας, οὐδὲ στρατηγικῆς ἐμπειρίας καὶ εὐβουλίας ἐπά- ξιόν τι φρονήσας, πλησίον γίνεται τῆς Ταρσοῦ κατὰ τὸν τόπον ος Χρυσόβουλλον λέγεται, μετὰ φρονήματος ἀνοήτου καὶ θρά- σους ἀπερισκέπτου. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τὸ ἀπροφύλακτον αὐτοῦ κα- τασκεψάμενοι ἐκ τοῦ μήτε τόπους ὀχυροὺς καταλαβέσθαι μήτε χάρακα