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to save himself and immediately turn to flight. Therefore, those who had been appointed, embracing this as a great gain, 7.14.4 turned to flight. Thence the remaining Roman forces, seeing this, fell into confusion. Therefore, as the sun was setting, the Romans having made a camp at a distance of two stades, encamped indeed in this place. But the Avars did not move from the places where they had spent their time the day before. 7.14.5 But in the middle of the night, under the pretense of some men running ahead, the general, having gathered a select group in secret, ordered them to escape. Then from dawn Comentiolus, armed with iron so to speak, ironically said that he would hunt from four stades. For this reason, as fast as his feet could carry him, he made his escape. 7.14.6 Therefore, at midday the troops came to realize the folly of Comentiolus, and perceiving that the general had shifted his concerns to flight, they crossed the neighboring river, and fled with a certain very great disorder 7.14.7 for forty stades from the camp. And since the retreat was without a leader, they fell into the greatest fears. But the barbarians, marching behind, swam across the so-called Iatrus river. Therefore, when the enemies attacked 7.14.8 the Romans, perplexity and fear came upon the army. Therefore, the flight of the Roman multitude became headlong. Thence the barbarians surrounded the strongholds of the passes; the Romans were accustomed to call these clisurae in their native tongue. 7.14. But many of the Romans were slain. But since the slaughter among the Romans was continuous, the army, having formed a phalanx, thrust out the barbarian by force. Therefore the Avars, by the 7.14.10 force of the attack, withdrew from the passes. Thus, then, the Romans with great dangers regained the passes. But Comentiolus in a shameful flight arrived at Drizipera and approaching the gates of the city, he begged to be granted entry and to wash himself with hot water. But the citizens sent away the cowardly general with insults and stones. But Comentiolus came to the Long Walls. 7.14.11 But the barbarians, since the Romans had gradually turned back, arrived at Drizipera, and they both sacked the city and consumed with all-devouring fire the church of Alexander, the renowned among 7.14.12 the martyrs; and having found the tomb of the martyr flowing with silver, they impiously plundered it and committed outrage by the casting out of the body lying upon the tomb, and, being exceedingly boastful over their victories, they gave themselves over to feasting. 7.15.1 Therefore in these days our Jesus, confirming his power over all the nations, and having received the inhabited world as an inheritance from the father and the ends of the earth as a possession, in no way left his own kingdom unwitnessed to the Khagan. 7.15.2 For by a sudden onset of plague the multitudes of the barbarians were afflicted, and the evil was for them inescapable and admitting of no device. Therefore the Khagan was exacted noteworthy penalties for having dishonored Alexander the martyr; for seven of his sons were afflicted with buboes and with a certain violent and fiery fever, and in one day they ended their life here. 7.15.3 Thus, then, the Khagan unhappily celebrated his victories; for instead of paeans and songs and hymns and clapping of hands and harmony of choirs and billowing laughter, he had lamentations and tears and inconsolable grief and an unbearable loss. For he was being struck by armies of angels, and the blow was visible, but the battle-line was invisible. 7.15.4 Therefore, when Comentiolus arrived in the imperial city, the disturbances also arrived with him, and as the city was tossed about by rumor, the dangers were vividly imagined in their expectations, and in his imagination everyone, being awake, dreamt of the dreadful fates. 7.15.5 Therefore to such a point of misfortune did the affairs of the Byzantines proceed, as even the

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διασώσασθαι καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν παραυτίκα χωρῆσαι. ἀντὶ πολλοῦ τοίνυν τοῦτο οἱ προστεταγμένοι περιπτυξάμενοι ἀπο7.14.4 κλίνουσι πρὸς φυγήν. ἐντεῦθεν αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων δυνάμεις τοῦτο θεώμεναι πρὸς τάραχον καταπίπτουσιν. δυομένου τοιγαροῦν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀπὸ σημείων δύο ῾Ρωμαίων ποιησαμένων χάρακα, ἐν τούτῳ δῆτα τῷ χώρῳ στρατοπεδεύονται. οἱ δὲ ῎Αβαροι οὐ μετεφοίτων τῶν τόπων, ἔνθα τῇ 7.14.5 προτεραίᾳ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιήσαντο. μεσούσης δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐν προσχήματι προθεόντων τινῶν ἐπιλέκτους ὁ στρατηγὸς συμφραξάμενος ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ διαφυγεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐγκελεύεται. εἶτα ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ ὁ Κομεντίολος τῷ σιδήρῳ ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἐνοπλισάμενος κατειρωνεύετο ὡς ἀπὸ τεττάρων σημείων κυνηγετεῖν. διά τοι τοῦτο, ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχεν, τὴν ἀπόδρασιν ἐποιεῖτο. 7.14.6 ἡλίου τοίνυν μεσοῦντος εἰς ἔννοιαν τῆς Κομεντιόλου ἀνοίας τὰ στρατόπεδα γίνεται, καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν κατανενοηκότα τὰς φροντίδας πρὸς φυγὴν μετατιθέντα τὸν γείτονα διεπεραιώσαντο ποταμόν, καὶ ἀποδιδράσκουσι μετά τινος ἀκοσμίας 7.14.7 μεγίστης τεσσαράκοντα σημεῖα τοῦ χάρακος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνηγεμόνευτος ἡ ἀποφοίτησις ἦν, μεγίστοις περιπίπτουσι φόβοις. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι κατόπιν βαδίζοντες τὸν λεγόμενον ᾿Ιατρὸν διενήξαντο ποταμόν. ἐπιτιθεμένων τοίνυν τῶν πολεμίων 7.14.8 ῾Ρωμαίοις, τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἀπορία καὶ δέος μετήρχετο. γίνεται τοίνυν ἡ φυγὴ κραταιὰ τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων πληθύος. ἐντεῦθεν οἱ βάρβαροι τὰ ἐχυρώματα τῶν διαβάσεων περικάθηνται· κλεισούρας τῇ πατρίῳ ῾Ρωμαῖοι φωνῇ ἀποκαλεῖν ταῦτα εἰώ7.14. θασιν. ἀτὰρ ἀναιροῦνται τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων πολλοί. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ φόνος τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίοις ἦν διαρκής, τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν συστησάμενον φάλαγγα ἐξωθεῖται βίᾳ τὸν βάρβαρον. οἱ τοίνυν ῎Αβαροι τῇ 7.14.10 ῥύμῃ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως ἀποφοιτῶσι τῶν διαβάσεων. οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι μεγάλοις κινδύνοις τῶν παρόδων ἀντιλαμβάνονται. ὁ δὲ Κομεντίολος ἀσχήμῳ φυγῇ πρὸς τὰ ∆ριζίπερα παραγίνεται καὶ ταῖς πύλαις προσομιλήσας τοῦ ἄστεος ἠξίου εἰσόδου τυχεῖν καὶ θερμοῖς ὕδασιν ἀπορρύψασθαι. οἱ δὲ ἀστοὶ ὕβρεσι καὶ λίθοις τὸν ἀπόμαχον στρατηγὸν ἀπεπέμποντο. ὁ δὲ Κομεντίολος ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη γίνεται τὰ Μακρά. 7.14.11 οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι κατὰ σμικρὸν τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων εἰς τοὐπίσω τραπέντων ἐπὶ τὰ ∆ριζίπερα παραγίνονται τήν τε πόλιν ἐπόρθησαν καὶ τὸν ᾿Αλεξάνδρου ναὸν τοῦ περιφανοῦς ἐν 7.14.12 τοῖς μάρτυσι τῷ παμφάγῳ πυρὶ κατηνάλωσαν· τόν τε τάφον τοῦ μάρτυρος εὑρηκότες ἀργύρῳ περιρρεόμενον ἀνοσίως σκυλεύουσι καθυβρίζουσί τε τῇ ἐκβολῇ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ τύμβῳ ἐγκείμενον, καὶ λίαν ἐπὶ ταῖς νίκαις ὑψαυχενιζόμενοι ταῖς εὐωχίαις καταστιβαδεύονται. 7.15.1 ᾿Εν ταύταις τοιγαροῦν ταῖς ἡμέραις τὸ κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν κράτος αὐτοῦ ὁ ἡμέτερος πιστούμενος ᾿Ιησοῦς, εἰς κληρονομίαν τε παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν οἰκουμένην λαβὼν κατάσχεσίν τε τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, οὐδαμῶς τῷ Χαγάνῳ 7.15.2 ἀμάρτυρον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν παρῆκεν. ἀθρόᾳ γὰρ ἐπιφοιτήσει λοιμοῦ τὰ τῶν βαρβάρων περιπίπτουσι πλήθη, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ κακὸν ἀπαραίτητον καὶ σοφίσματος οὐκ ἀνεχόμενον. εἰσπράττεται τοιγαροῦν ὁ Χαγάνος, ἀνθ' ὧν ᾿Αλέξανδρον ἠτιμάκει τὸν μάρτυρα, ἀξιολόγους ποινάς· ἑπτὰ γὰρ παῖδες αὐτῷ βουβῶσι περιτυγχάνουσι θέρμῃ τε ῥαγδαίᾳ τινὶ καὶ φλογώδει, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τὸν τῇδε καταλύουσι βίον. 7.15.3 οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ Χαγάνος δυστυχῶς εὐτυχεῖ τὰ ἐπινίκια· ἀντὶ γὰρ παιώνων καὶ ᾀσμάτων καὶ ὕμνων καὶ κρότων χειρῶν καὶ συμφωνίας χορῶν καὶ γέλωτος κυματίζοντος θρήνους εἶχε καὶ δάκρυα καὶ πένθη ἀπαρηγόρητα καὶ ζημίαν ἀνυπομόνητον. ἐβάλλετο γὰρ ὑπὸ στρατευμάτων ἀγγέλων, καὶ φανερὰ μὲν ἦν ἡ πληγή, ἀόρατος δὲ ἡ παράταξις. 7.15.4 Κομεντιόλου τοίνυν εἰς τὸ βασίλειον ἐνδημήσαντος ἄστυ, συνενδημοῦσιν αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ θόρυβοι, καὶ τῷ θρύλῳ κλυδωνιζομένης τῆς πόλεως, ἐζωγραφοῦντο ταῖς ἐλπίσιν οἱ κίνδυνοι, τῇ τε φαντασίᾳ τὰς ἀπαισίους τύχας ἅπας ἐγρηγόρως ὠνει7.15.5 ρατεύετο. ἐς τηλικοῦτο τοίνυν κακοῦ τὰ τῶν Βυζαντίων ἐχώρει, ὡς καὶ τὴν