146

a new campaign. He began to train these men and taught them the works of war. For having divided the army in two, he ordered them to make battle formations and engagements against one another bloodlessly, and he taught them to have a war cry and paeans and a war-shout and arousal, so that, even if they should find themselves in wars, they might not be taken by surprise, but advancing confidently against the enemy as if into a game. And the emperor, taking in his hands the theandric image, which hands did not paint, but such as the Word who forms and fashions all things formed in an image without painting, as he brought forth a conception without seed, and trusting in this divinely-painted image, he began the contests, having given pledges to the people, that he would fight with them until death and that he would be joined to them as to his own children. For he wished to hold his authority not by fear, so much as by love. And finding the army in a state of great indolence and cowardice, disorder and disarray, and scattered in many parts of the land, he quickly gathered them all into one place. And all, as if with one accord, praised the might and the courage of the emperor. And he himself, strengthening them with these words, said: "See, brothers and children, how the enemies of God have trampled our country and laid waste our cities and burned304 down the altars and filled the tables of the bloodless sacrifices with murderous blood, and they defile the churches, which do not admit the passions, with most passionate pleasures." And again he armed the people for military exercise, having made two armed divisions, and there were trumpets and phalanxes of shields, and an armored people stood ready. And when the battalions were securely formed, he ordered them to engage one another, and there were violent pushings and clashes against each other, and a semblance of war was displayed. And it was a dreadful sight to see, a spectacle of fear without dangers, and gestures towards slaughter without blood, and before the necessity, the ways of necessity, so that each one, taking his starting points from the danger-free slaughter, might remain safer. And having thus armed everyone, he commanded them to abstain from injustice and to hold fast to piety. And having arrived at the parts of Armenia, he ordered select men to run ahead; and since the Saracens were then under a treaty, a multitude of Persian horsemen intended to fall upon the emperor secretly. But the emperor's vanguard, encountering these, brought their general as a prisoner to Heraclius and, having routed them, killed many. And when winter came on, the emperor turned aside towards the Pontic region, and it seemed good to the barbarians to besiege him while he was wintering there. But eluding the Persians and turning back, he invades Persia. When the barbarians learned this, they fell into despair at the unexpectedness of his entrance. And Sarbaros, the general of the Persians, taking his own force, came into Cilicia, so that by marching upon Roman territory he might outflank him. But fearing lest the emperor, by invading Persia through Armenia, should throw it into confusion, he did not have his own reasoning settled as to what he should do. Nevertheless, he was forced to follow behind the Roman 305 army, planning to steal the battle and attack them on a moonless night. But since the night was a full moon, he was thwarted in his plan, and he blasphemed the moon which before had been venerable to him. And the moon suffered an eclipse on that very night by coincidence. From this, Sarbaros was afraid to attack the emperor and took to the mountains like the gazelles, seeing from on high the skillful and wise strategy of the Romans. And the emperor, knowing his cowardice, boldly encamped in places full of rest, provoking him to war. And descending secretly from the mountain they often engaged in partial skirmishes, and in everything the Romans had the upper hand, and the army gained more courage, seeing the emperor leaping forward before everyone and fighting boldly. But a certain Persian a short time before

146

νέαν στρατείαν. τούτους δὲ γυμνάζειν ἤρξατο καὶ τὰ πολεμικὰ ἔργα ἐξεπαίδευσεν. διχῇ γὰρ διελὼν τὸν στρατὸν παρατάξεις τε καὶ συμβολὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀναιμωτὶ ποιήσασθαι ἐκέλευσεν, κραυγήν τε πολεμικὴν καὶ παιᾶνας καὶ ἀλαλαγμὸν καὶ διέγερσιν ἔχειν τούτους ἐδίδασκεν, ἵνα, κἂν ἐν πολέμοις εὑρίσκωνται, μὴ ξενίζωνται, ἀλλὰ θαρροῦντες ὡς εἰς παίγνιον κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν χωρήσωσιν. λαβὼν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν χερσὶ τὴν θεανδρικὴν μορφήν, ἣν χεῖρες οὐκ ἔγραψαν, ἀλλ' οἵαν ἐν εἰκόνι ὁ πάντα μορφῶν καὶ διαπλάττων λόγος ἄνευ γραφῆς μόρφωσιν, ὡς ἄνευ σπορᾶς κύησιν ἤνεγκεν, καὶ τούτῳ πεποιθὼς τῷ θεογράφῳ τύπῳ ἀπήρξατο τῶν ἀγώνων, πιστὰ δοὺς τῷ λαῷ, ὡς σὺν αὐτοῖς μέχρι θανάτου ἀγωνίσηται καὶ ὡς τέκνοις οἰκείοις τούτοις συναρμόσηται. ἐβούλετο γὰρ τὴν ἐξουσίαν οὐ φόβῳ, ὅσον ἐν πόθῳ ἔχειν. εὑρὼν δὲ τὸν στρατὸν εἰς ῥαθυμίαν πολλὴν καὶ δειλίαν, ἀταξίαν τε καὶ ἀκοσμίαν καθεστῶτα καὶ εἰς πολλὰ τῆς γῆς μέρη ἐσπαρμένον συντόμως πάντας εἰς ἓν συνήγαγεν. καὶ πάντες ὡς ἐκ μιᾶς συμφωνίας ὕμνησαν τὸ κράτος καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ βασιλέως. αὐτὸς δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τούτους ἐπιρρωννύων ἔλεγεν· "ὁρᾶτε, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ τέκνα, ὡς οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ θεοῦ κατεπάτησαν ἡμῶν τὴν χώραν καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἠρήμωσαν καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήρια κατ304 έκαυσαν καὶ τὰς τραπέζας τῶν ἀναιμάκτων θυσιῶν αἱμάτων μιαιφόνων ἐπλήρωσαν, καὶ τὰς ἀδέκτους τῶν παθῶν ἐκκλησίας ἐν ἡδοναῖς χραίνουσιν ἐμπαθεστάταις." πάλιν δὲ τὸν λαὸν πρὸς γυμνασίαν πολεμικὴν ὥπλιζε τάξεις δύο ἐνόπλους ποιησάμενος, σάλπιγγές τε καὶ φάλαγγες ἀσπίδων, καὶ λαὸς τεθωρακισμένος ἵστατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀσφαλῶς συνέστησαν τὰ τάγματα, συμβαλεῖν ἀλλήλοις ἐκέλευσεν, ὠθισμοί τε βίαιοι καὶ συγκρούσματα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐγίνοντο, καὶ σχηματισμὸς πολέμου ἐδείκνυτο. καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν φρικτὸν θέαμα φόβου χωρὶς κινδύνων, καὶ πρὸς φόνους συννεύσεις αἱμάτων δίχα, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῆς ἀνάγκης τοὺς τρόπους, ὅπως ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἀκινδύνου σφαγῆς λαβὼν ἀφορμὰς ἀσφαλέστερος μένῃ. οὕτω δὲ καθοπλίσας πάντας παρήγγειλεν ἀδικίας ἀπέχεσθαι καὶ εὐσεβείας ἀντέχεσθαι. παραγενόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη Ἀρμενίας προτρέχειν ἐκέλευσεν ἐπιλέκτους· τῶν δὲ Σαρακηνῶν τότε ὑπὸ πάκτων ὄντων τῶν Περσῶν πλῆθος ἱππέων λάθρα ἐπιπεσεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ διενοεῖτο. οἱ δὲ προτρέχοντες τοῦ βασιλέως τούτοις συναντήσαντες τόν τε στρατηγὸν αὐτῶν δεσμώτην ἤγαγον πρὸς Ἡράκλειον καὶ τούτους τρεψάμενοι πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλον. ἐπεὶ δὲ χειμὼν κατέλαβεν, ἀποκλίνας ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸ Πόντιον κλίμα, ἔδοξε τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐν τούτῳ αὐτὸν παραχειμάζοντα πολιορκεῖν. λαθὼν δὲ τοὺς Πέρσας καὶ ἐπιστραφεὶς εἰς τὴν Περσίδα εἰσβάλλει. τοῦτο μαθόντες οἱ βάρβαροι εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἦλθον τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ τῆς τούτου εἰσόδου. ὁ δὲ Σάρβαρος, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν στρατηγός, λαβὼν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἦλθεν ἐν Κιλικίᾳ, ὅπως ἐπὶ Ῥωμανίαν ἐξελθὼν τοῦτον περιτρέψῃ. φοβηθεὶς δέ, μὴ διὰ τῆς Ἀρμενίας εἰς τὴν Περσίδα ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰσβαλὼν ταύτην ταράξῃ, οὐκ εἶχε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λογισμὸν βεβηκότα, ὅ τι δράσῃ. ὅμως ἠναγκάσθη ἀκολουθεῖν ὀπίσω τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ 305 στρατοῦ, κλέψαι μεριμνῶν τὸν πόλεμον καὶ διὰ νυκτὸς ἀφεγγοῦς τούτοις προσβαλεῖν. πανσελήνου δὲ οὔσης τῆς νυκτός, ἀπεκρούσθη τοῦ σκέμματος, καὶ τὴν πρὶν σεβασμίαν αὐτῷ ἐδυσφήμει σελήνην. ἡ δὲ σελήνη ὑπέστη κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν νύκτα ἐκ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος. ἐκ τούτου ἐδειλία ὁ Σάρβαρος προσβαλεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὰ ὄρη κατέλαβεν ὡς αἱ δορκάδες ὁρῶν τὴν καλλίτεχνον καὶ σοφὴν στρατηγίαν ἀφ' ὕψους τῶν Ῥωμαίων. γνοὺς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν τούτου δειλίαν, θαρρῶν ἐν τόποις ηὐλίζετο ἀναπαύσεως πλήρεσιν, ἐρεθίζων τοῦτον πρὸς πόλεμον. κατερχόμενοι δὲ λάθρα τοῦ ὄρους πολλάκις συμπλοκὰς μερικὰς ἐποιοῦντο, καὶ ἐν παντὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπροτέρευον, καὶ θάρσος ἐπὶ πλεῖον ὁ στρατὸς ἐλάμβανεν, ὁρῶντες τὸν βασιλέα παντὶ προπηδῶντα καὶ εὐτόλμως πολεμοῦντα. Πέρσης δέ τις πρὸ ὀλίγου χρόνου