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having become a refugee, was enrolled in the emperor's army. This man, having deserted, went to the Persians, hoping they would destroy the Roman army. But seeing their cowardice, after the tenth day he came to the emperor and precisely reported all the faintheartedness of the barbarians. And Sarbaros, no longer enduring the delay in the mountain, was compelled to rush into battle, and having divided the army into three parts, he came down suddenly at daybreak before the rising of the sun, having prepared for war. And the emperor, having foreknown this, and having likewise arranged the army into three phalanxes, led them into battle. And when the sun rose, and the emperor was positioned towards the east, its ray dazzled the Persians, which they worshipped as a god. And the emperor made his people pretend to be turned in flight; and they, having broken their phalanxes, thought they were pursuing them without restraint. Therefore the Romans, turning about, courageously turned them to flight and killed many, and having driven them into the mountain, they cast them into precipices and impassable places and crushed all of them; and in the precipices they were dwelling like wild goats. And they also took many alive as prisoners. And they also took their camp and all their baggage. And the Romans, stretching their hands on high, gave thanks to God and prayed fervently for the emperor who had commanded them well. For those who before did not dare to see even Persian dust now, finding their tents undisturbed, plundered them. For who would have expected the most invincible race of the Persians ever to turn its back to the Romans? And the emperor, leaving the army with the general to winter in Armenia, himself returned to Byzantium. Year of the world 6114. Year of the divine incarnation 614. Emperor of the Romans, Heraclius, 31 years. 13. King of the Persians, Chosroes, 39 years. 35. Bishop of Constantinople, Sergius, 29 years. 14. Bishop of Jerusalem, Zacharias, 22 years. 14. Bishop of Alexandria, George, 14 years. 4. In this year, on the 15th of the month of March, of the 11th indiction, the emperor Heraclius, departing from the queen of cities, arrived swiftly in Armenia. But Chosroes, the king of the Persians, sent Sarbarazas with his army to invade the land of the Romans. And Heraclius wrote to Chosroes, either to embrace peace, or he himself would invade Persia with his army. But Chosroes neither embraced peace nor gave any credence to the report that Heraclius would dare to approach Persia. And the emperor on the 20th of the month of April invaded Persia. And Chosroes, learning this, ordered Sarbarazas to return; and having gathered his armies from all of Persia and having handed them over to Saïn, he commanded them to be united with Sarbarazas with all speed and thus to advance against the emperor. But Heraclius, calling his army together, roused them with words of exhortation, saying: "Men, my brothers, let us take into mind the fear of God and let us strive to avenge the insult to God. Let us stand bravely against the enemies who have wrought many terrible things against Christians. Let us respect the sovereign power of the Romans, and let us stand against the impiously armed enemies. Let us take faith, the slayer of slaughters. Let us consider that we are inside the land of the Persians and that flight brings great danger. Let us avenge the violations of the virgins; seeing the severed limbs of our soldiers, let our hearts be pained. The danger is not without reward, but a provider of eternal life. Let us stand manfully, and the Lord God will work with us, and will destroy our enemies." And when the emperor had exhorted the people with these and many other words, one answered him on behalf of all: "You have enlarged our hearts, master, by widening your mouth in exhortation. Your words have sharpened our swords, and have made them living things. You have given us wings through your words.

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πρόσφυξ γενόμενος ἐν τῷ στρατῷ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐτάττετο. οὗτος ἀποδρὰς πρὸς τοὺς Πέρσας ἀπῆλθεν ἐλπίζων αὐτοὺς τὴν Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰν ὀλέσαι. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν δειλίαν μετὰ δεκάτην ἡμέραν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἦλθε καὶ πᾶσαν ἀκριβῶς τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐξεῖπεν ἀτολμίαν. ὁ δὲ Σάρβαρος μηκέτι ὑποφέρων τὴν ἐν τῷ ὄρει διατριβὴν ἠναγκάσθη πρὸς πόλεμον ὁρμῆσαι, εἰς τρία δὲ μέρη διελὼν τὸ στράτευμα κατῆλθεν ἄφνω ἐπιφωσκούσης ἡμέρας πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου ἀναβάσεως εὐτρεπισάμενος πρὸς πόλεμον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προγνοὺς καὶ συντάξας τὸν στρατὸν ὁμοίως εἰς τρεῖς φάλαγγας εἰς τὴν μάχην προήγαγεν. τοῦ δὲ ἡλίου ἀνατείλαντος, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ ἀνατολὰς εὑρεθέντος, τοὺς Πέρσας ἐσκότιζεν ἡ τούτου ἀκτίς, ἣν ὡς θεὸν προσεκύνουν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐσχημάτισε τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς φυγὴν τραπέντας· καὶ λύσαντες ἐκεῖνοι τὰς φάλαγγας ἀκρατῶς διώκειν τούτους ἐνόμιζον. ἐπιστραφέντες οὖν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι εὐψύχως τούτους ἐτρέψαντο καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλον, ἐλάσαντές τε αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄρος εἰς κρημνοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλον καὶ τόπους δυσβάτους καὶ πάντας αὐτῶν συνέτριψαν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς κρημνοῖς αἰγῶν ἀγρίων δίκην ἐσκηνοβάτουν. πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ζῶντας ἐζώγρη306 σαν. παρέλαβον δὲ καὶ τὸ τούτων στρατόπεδον καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν 306 ἀποσκευὴν αὐτῶν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς ὕψος τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείναντες τῷ θεῷ ηὐχαρίστουν καὶ τῷ στρατηγήσαντι καλῶς βασιλεῖ συντόνως προσηύχοντο. οἱ γὰρ πρὶν μηδὲ Περσικὴν κόνιν τολμήσαντες ἰδεῖν νῦν τὰς σκηνὰς τούτων ἀσαλεύτους εὑρόντες ἐλαφυραγώγησαν. τίς γὰρ ἤλπιζε τὸ τῶν Περσῶν δυσμαχώτατον γένος νῶτα δοῦναί ποτε Ῥωμαίοις; ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν στρατὸν σὺν τῷ στρατηγῷ καταλιπὼν εἰς Ἀρμενίαν παραχειμάσαι αὐτὸς εἰς Βυζάντιον ὑπέστρεψεν. Κόσμου ἔτη ϛριδʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη χιδʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος ἔτη λαʹ. ιγʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη λθʹ. λεʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Σέργιος ἔτη κθʹ. ιδʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ζαχαρίας ἔτη κβʹ. ιδʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Γεώργιος ἔτη ιδʹ. δʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Μαρτίῳ ιεʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιαʹ, ἀπάρας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος τῆς βασιλίδος πόλεως κατὰ τάχος ἀφίκετο εἰς Ἀρμενίαν. Χοσρόης δέ, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, ἀπέστειλε τὸν Σαρβαραζᾶν σὺν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ στρατῷ εἰσβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆν. Ἡράκλειος δὲ ἔγραφε πρὸς Χοσρόην, ἢ τὴν εἰρήνην ἀσπάσασθαι, ἢ ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν Περσίδα σὺν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ στρατῷ εἰσβαλεῖν. ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης οὔτε τὴν εἰρήνην ἠσπάζετο οὔτε τι τὸν λόγον ἡγεῖτο, ὅτι Ἡράκλειος τολμᾷ τῇ Περσίδι πλησιάσαι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῇ κʹ τοῦ Ἀπριλλίου μηνὸς εἰσέβαλεν εἰς τὴν Περσίδα. καὶ μαθὼν τοῦτο Χοσρόης τὸν Σαρβαραζᾶν ὑποστρέψαι ἐκέλευσεν· καὶ ἐπισυνάξας ἐκ πάσης τῆς Περσίδος τὰ ἑαυτοῦ στρατεύματα καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτὰ τῷ Σάϊν κατὰ τάχος ἑνωθῆναι αὐτὰ τῷ Σαρβαραζᾶν προσέταξε καὶ 307 οὕτω χωρῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἡράκλειος δὲ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στράτευμα λόγοις παραινετικοῖς διήγειρεν αὐτούς, λέγων· "ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί μου, λάβωμεν εἰς νοῦν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φόβον καὶ ἀγωνισώμεθα τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ὕβριν ἐκδικῆσαι. στῶμεν γενναίως κατ' ἐχθρῶν τῶν πολλὰ δεινὰ Χριστιανοῖς ἐργασαμένων. αἰδεσθῶμεν τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων αὐτοδέσποτον κράτος, καὶ στῶμεν κατ' ἐχθρῶν δυσσεβῶς ὡπλισμένων. λάβωμεν πίστιν τῶν φόνων φονεύτριαν. ἀναλογισώμεθα ὅτι ἔνδον· ἐσμὲν τῆς τῶν Περσῶν γῆς καὶ μέγαν κίνδυνον φυγὴ φέρει. ἐκδικήσωμεν τὰς φθορὰς τῶν παρθένων, τὰ τετμημένα μέλη τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἡμῶν ὁρῶντες πονήσωμεν τὰς καρδίας. οὐκ ἔστιν ἄμισθος ὁ κίνδυνος, ἀλλ' αἰωνίου ζωῆς πρόξενος. στῶμεν ἀνδρείως, καὶ κύριος ὁ θεὸς συνεργήσει ἡμῖν, καὶ ὀλέσει τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν." ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τοῦ βασιλέως παραινέσαντος τῷ λαῷ, ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων· "ἥπλωσας ἡμῶν τὰς καρδίας, δέσποτα, τὸ σὸν πλατύνας ἐν παραινέσει στόμα. ὤξυναν οἱ λόγοι σου τὰ ξίφη ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔμψυχα ταῦτα εἰργάσαντο. ἀνεπτέρωσας ἡμᾶς διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων σου.