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we blush seeing you leading us in the battles, and we follow in all your commands." And the emperor, taking up the army, immediately advanced into inner Persia, burning down the cities and the villages with fire; and a certain fearsome wonder also occurred there. For at the summer solstice, the air became dewy, refreshing the army of the Romans, so that they took up good hopes. And when Heraclius heard that Chosroes was in the city of Gazaca with 40,000 fighting men, he rushed against him; and having sent ahead some of the Saracens under him to run forward, they met the watch of Chosroes, and some of these they killed, and others they fettered and brought with their general to the emperor. When Chosroes learned this, leaving the city and the army, he took to flight. And Heraclius, pursuing, killed those he caught, and the rest, fleeing, were scattered. And the emperor, having seized the city of Gazaca, was refreshing his army in its 308 suburbs. And the Persians who had fled to him said that Chosroes, having fled, had consumed by fire all the crops in those places, having gone to Thebarmais, the city in the east, in which was the temple of Fire and the treasures of Croesus, the king of the Lydians, and the deceit of the coals. Taking these things, he proceeded to Dastagerd. And the emperor, departing from Gazaca, seized Thebarmais; and entering into it, he consumed with fire the temple of Fire, and having destroyed the whole city with fire, he pursued after Chosroes in the narrow passes of the land of the Medes, and in these difficult places Chosroes moved from place to place; and Heraclius, pursuing him, sacked many cities and lands. And when winter arrived, he held council where to spend the winter with his army; and some said in Albania, others to invade Chosroes himself. But the emperor ordered the army to purify themselves for three days, and opening the gospels of God, he found it permitting him to winter in Albania. Immediately, therefore, turning back, he set out for Albania. And in the midst of the journey, having many Persian captives with him, he received not a few raids from the Persian armies; but he himself, by the cooperation of God, won a victory over all. And when a severe winter and frost fell upon him on the journey, arriving himself in Albania with 50,000 prisoners, he, pitying them with his compassionate heart, released them from their bonds, and gave them care and rest; so that all with tears prayed for him to become the deliverer of Persia also, by destroying the world-destroyer Chosroes. 14. 36. 15. 15. 5. In this year Chosroes, the king of the Persians, appointed Sarablangas as general, an energetic man and puffed up with great pride; and having handed over to him the army called the Chosroegetae and 309 Perozitae, he sent him into Albania against Heraclius. But invading the highlands of Albania, they did not dare to stand for battle face to face with the emperor; but they held the passes leading to Persia, thinking to ambush him. But Heraclius, at the beginning of spring, departing from Albania through level plains where provisions were abundantly available, made his way towards Persia, even though he covered a long distance by a great journey. But Sarablangas marched by the narrow road as by a shortcut, in order to get ahead of him in the land of Persia. And Heraclius exhorted the army, saying: "Let us realize, brothers, that the army of the Persians, wandering in impassable places, both weakens their horses and exhausts themselves. But let us hasten to advance against Chosroes with great speed, so that by falling upon him unexpectedly we may throw him into confusion." But the army did not advise to do this, especially the allies of the Lazi and the Abasgians and the Iberians. Thence they fall into misfortunes. For Sarbarazas also arrived with his army, whom Chosroes had armed with all power and

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ἐρυθριῶμεν σὲ θεωροῦντες προάγοντα ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις, καὶ ἑπόμεθα ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς σοῖς κελεύσμασιν." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀναλαβὼν τὸ στράτευμα εὐθὺς ἐν τῇ ἐνδοτέρᾳ Περσίδι ἐχώρησε πυρὶ καταφλέγων τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς κώμας· καὶ γίνεταί τι θαῦμα κἀνταῦθα φοβερόν. ἐν γὰρ τῇ θερινῇ τροπῇ ἀὴρ γέγονε δροσώδης ψυχαγωγῶν τὸν τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατόν, ὥστε ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτούς. ἀκούσας δὲ Ἡράκλειος, ὅτι Χοσρόης ἐν Γαζακῷ τῇ πόλει ἐστὶ σὺν μʹ χιλιάσιν ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν, ὥρμησε κατ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ προπέμψας τινὰς τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν Σαρακηνοὺς προτρέχειν, συναντῶσι τῇ τοῦ Χοσρόου βίγλᾳ, καὶ τούτων τοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλον, τοὺς δὲ πεδήσαντες σὺν τῷ στρατηγῷ αὐτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσήνεγκαν. τοῦτο μαθὼν Χοσρόης, καταλιπὼν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ στράτευμα φυγῇ ἐχρήσατο. ὁ δὲ Ἡράκλειος ἐπιδιώξας τοὺς μὲν φθάσας ἀνεῖλεν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ φυγόντες διεσκεδάσθησαν. καὶ καταλαβὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν Γαζακῶν πόλιν ἐν τοῖς 308 ταύτης προαστείοις ἀνελάμβανε τὸν στρατὸν αὐτοῦ. οἱ δὲ καταφυγόντες πρὸς αὐτὸν Πέρσαι ἔλεγον, ὅτι φυγὼν ὁ Χοσρόης πυρὶ ἀνήλωσε πάντα τὰ λήϊα ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς τόποις ἐλθὼν εἰς Θηβαρμαῒς τὴν πόλιν ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ, ἐν ᾗ ὑπῆρχεν ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Πυρὸς καὶ τὰ χρήματα Κροίσου, τοῦ Λυδῶν βασιλέως, καὶ ἡ πλάνη τῶν ἀνθράκων. ταῦτα λαβὼν ἐπὶ τὸ ∆ασταγὲρδ ἐχώρει. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀπάρας ἀπὸ Γαζακῶν καταλαμβάνει τὴν Θηβαρμαΐς· καὶ εἰσελθὼν ἐν ταύτῃ πυρὶ ἀνήλωσε τὸν τοῦ Πυρὸς ναὸν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν πυρὶ ἀναλώσας κατεδίωκεν ὀπίσω Χοσρόου ἐν τοῖς στενοῖς τῆς τῶν Μήδων χώρας, καὶ ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσχωρίαις τόπον ἐκ τόπου ὁ Χοσρόης ἤμειβεν· καὶ ὁ Ἡράκλειος τοῦτον διώκων πολλὰς πόλεις ἐπόρθησε καὶ χώρας. χειμῶνος δὲ καταλαβόντος, βουλὴν ἐποιεῖτο ποῦ παραχειμάσαι μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἔφασκον ἐν Ἀλβανίᾳ, οἱ δὲ κατ' αὐτὸν εἰσβαλεῖν τὸν Χοσρόην. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσε τὸν λαὸν ἁγνίζεσθαι τρεῖς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἀνοίξας τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγέλια εὗρεν ἐπιτρέποντα αὐτῷ ἐν Ἀλβανίᾳ παραχειμάσαι. εὐθέως οὖν ἐπιστρέψας ὥρμησεν ἐν Ἀλβανίᾳ. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἔχων πολλὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Περσῶν σὺν αὐτῷ οὐκ ὀλίγας ἐπιδρομὰς ὑπὸ τῶν Περσικῶν στρατευμάτων ἐδέχετο· αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ συνεργίᾳ νίκην κατὰ πάντων ἤρατο. χειμῶνος δὲ σφοδροῦ ἐπιπεσόντος αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ κρύους, φθάσας αὐτὸς ἐν Ἀλβανίᾳ νʹ χιλιάδας δεσμίους ἔχων τούτους τῇ εὐσυμπαθήτῳ αὐτοῦ καρδίᾳ ἐλεήσας τῶν δεσμῶν ἔλυσεν, καὶ ἐπιμελείας καὶ ἀναπαύσεως μετεδίδου· ὥστε πάντες μετὰ δακρύων τούτῳ ηὔχοντο ῥύστῃ γενέσθαι καὶ τῆς Περσίδος, τὸν κοσμόλεθρον ἀνελόντι Χοσρόην. ιδʹ. λϛʹ. ιεʹ. ιεʹ. εʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Χοσρόης, ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεύς, Σαραβλαγγᾶν προεβάλετο στρατηγόν, ἄνδρα δραστήριον καὶ τύφῳ πολλῷ ἐπηρμένον· καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτῷ στρατὸν τοὺς λεγομένους Χοσροηγέτας καὶ 309 Περοζίτας ἐν Ἀλβανίᾳ ἔστειλε κατὰ Ἡρακλείου. εἰσβαλόντες δὲ εἰς τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Ἀλβανίας οὐκ ἐθάρρησαν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς πόλεμον στῆναι· ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐπὶ Περσίδα ἀγούσας κλεισούρας ἐκράτησαν νομίζοντες τοῦτον λοχῆσαι. ὁ δὲ Ἡράκλειος ἅμα ἔαρι ἀπάρας τῆς Ἀλβανίας δι' ὑπτίων πεδίων καὶ τὰς τροφὰς δαψιλῶς εὐπορούντων τὴν πάροδον ἐποιεῖτο ἐπὶ Περσίδα, εἰ καὶ μήκους διάστημα πολλῇ ὁδῷ ἤνυεν. ὁ δὲ Σαραβλαγγᾶς διὰ τῆς στενῆς ὁδοῦ ὡς διὰ συντόμου ἤλαυνε τοῦ προλαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ Περσίδος. Ἡράκλειος δὲ παρῄνει τῷ λαῷ λέγων· "γνῶμεν, ἀδελφοί, ὡς ἡ στρατιὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἐν τοῖς δυσβάτοις τόποις πλανωμένη τούς τε ἵππους αὐτῶν παραλύει καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκνευροῖ. ἡμεῖς δὲ σπεύσωμεν κατὰ Χοσρόου χωρῆσαι ἐν πολλῷ τάχει, ὥστε ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἐπιπεσόντες αὐτὸν θορυβήσωμεν." ὁ δὲ λαὸς οὐ συνεβούλευε τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, μάλιστα οἱ τῶν Λαζῶν καὶ τῶν Ἀβασγῶν καὶ τῶν Ἰβήρων σύμμαχοι. ἐντεῦθεν ἐν συμφοραῖς περιπίπτουσιν. κατέλαβε γὰρ καὶ Σαρβαραζᾶς μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, οὓς ἐξώπλισε Χοσρόης πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ