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the emperor ordered the Grand Domestic to take it, and to proceed to the coastal regions around Byzantium, awaiting the attack of the barbarians. And he himself, intending to attack at the same time from the sea, was arming triremes. The Grand Domestic, therefore, established the army at a certain place called Ennakosia; and having posted scouts 1.506 in as many places as possible where he suspected a landing of the Persians, he spent the night there. And around dawn some of the scouts reported that the barbarians had made their landing on the shores there, and they offered as true proof of their report the fact that they had been wounded by them. But the barbarians did not all land at one place, but not far distant from each other, they made two anchorages; so those from one party turned towards other places, while those of the other, after sending forward a few scouts of their own, the rest advanced in formation, as if they were going to come through those places where the Grand Domestic was lying in ambush. And when those who had been sent ahead came near the Roman army, all but a few fell, having run into them unexpectedly; and as many as were saved, coming to their own army, reported that they had been destroyed, having encountered an army small indeed, as we thought, being unable to discern clearly because of the night, but good and most excellent in matters of war. And indeed the commanders of the Persian army, having learned this, prepared as for battle. And when day had already come, both the Romans and the barbarians engaged one another and held out for a long time, all being distinguished and well-known men among the Persians; nevertheless, being completely defeated, except for seven, some died during the battle, and others were captured. And at the same hour the emperor was sailing past with two triremes, which 1.507 he had manned during the night; for the others happened not to be seaworthy. And learning that some of the barbarians had been defeated by the Grand Domestic and the army, and that they were now preparing to advance against the others, disembarking from the trireme, since the imperial horses were not present, mounting a horse of the Grand Domestic, he led the army and advanced against the Persians with great haste and eagerness. And having come to the places which the Persians were plundering, he both joined battle and was completely victorious. For except for a few, they themselves, some fell in the battle, and others were captured. And as many as were able to escape destruction, coming to their own ships, they manned one, and embarking on two others, eight on one, and ten on the other, and hoisting sails and having the good fortune of a following wind, they unexpectedly escaped being destroyed, thus God from on high decreeing both salvation and defeat for the barbarians. For the two triremes that had come with the emperor, when they saw the Persian ships had raised their sails towards the sea in flight, having given up the pursuit by rowing because they saw the Persian ships from a distance using a following wind, they themselves also hastened to raise their sails. But as they were raising them, on one the ropes with which they were hoisting the yard-arm broke; and on the other the yard-arm, being brought down, fell onto the deck. And so they refrained from the pursuit, having given up. And the remaining thirty-eight Persian ships were left 1.508 empty on the shore. And the emperor with the army and the triremes camped there for the night, stripping the corpses of the enemy. And in the middle of the same night, other barbarians in nine ships, knowing nothing of what had happened, sailed down to the same shores to join the others. And unexpectedly encountering the two Roman triremes, they were dismayed by the surprise; however, taking courage because of their small number, they engaged in battle. And they came close to destroying the triremes. For the barbarians even boarded one of them. Nevertheless, the trireme crews, turning to valor, were victorious and took control of all the Persian ships, with one being able to escape. And these men too, like the previous ones, were chosen from the most renowned among the Persians. Whence also the

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οὖσαν τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ἐκέλευεν ὁ βασιλεὺς παραλαβόντα, πρὸς τὰ περὶ Βυζάντιον χωρεῖν παράλια χωρία, τὴν ἔφοδον τῶν βαρβάρων περιμένοντα. αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς ἅμα ἐκ θαλάσσης ἐπιθησόμενος, ἐφώπλιζε τριήρεις. ὁ μέγας μὲν οὖν δομέστικος πρός τινι χωρίῳ Ἐννακόσια προσαγορευομένῳ ἐγκαθίδρυσε τὴν στρατιάν· κατασκό 1.506 πους τε καταστήσας ἐφ' ὅσα μάλιστα χωρία ἀπόβασιν ὑπώπτευε τῶν Περσῶν, διενυκτέρευεν ἐκεῖ. περὶ δὲ ὄρθρον ἐκ τῶν κατασκόπων τινὲς ἀπήγγελλον, ὡς οἱ βάρβαροι τοῖς ἐκεῖ αἰγιαλοῖς τὴν ἀπόβασιν ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ τεκμήριον ἀληθὲς τῆς ἀγγελίας ἐποιοῦντο τὸ τραυματίαι γεγενῆσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν. οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ οὐκ ἐφ' ἑνὶ χωρίῳ προσέσχον πάντες, ἀλλ' οὐ μακρὰν ἀλλήλων διεστηκότες, δύο ναυλοχίας ἐποιήσαντο· οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῆς μιᾶς μερίδος πρὸς ἕτερα ἐτράποντο χωρία, οἱ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας ὥσπερ σκοπούς τινας ὀλίγους ἑαυτῶν προπέμψαντες, οἱ λοιποὶ συντεταγμένοι ᾔεσαν, ὡς διὰ τῶν χωρίων ἐκείνων ἐλευσόμενοι, οἷς ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἐνήδρευεν. ὡς δὲ οἱ προτεταγμένοι ἐκεῖνοι ἐγένοντο πλησίον τῆς Ῥωμαίων στρατιᾶς, πλὴν ὀλίγων πάντες ἔπεσον, ἀπροσδοκήτοις ἐμπεσόντων· ὅσοι δὲ διεσώθησαν, εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν ἐλθόντες στρατιὰν, ἀπήγγελλον ὡς διαφθαροῖεν, στρατιᾷ περιτυχόντες ὀλίγῃ μὲν, ὡς ᾠήθημεν, καθαρῶς οὐκ ἔχοντες διὰ τὴν νύκτα διαγνῶναι, ἀγαθῇ δὲ καὶ τὰ πολέμια κρατίστῃ. ὃ δὴ καὶ οἱ τῆς Περσικῆς ἄρχοντες πυθόμενοι στρατιᾶς, παρεσκευάσαντο ὡς ἐπὶ μάχην. ἐπιγενομένης δὲ ἤδη καὶ ἡμέρας, συνεπλέκοντο οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀντέσχον μὲν ἐπὶ πολὺ, τῶν παρὰ Πέρσαις ἐπιφανῶν ὄντες καὶ γνωρίμων πάντες· ὅμως νικηθέντες κατὰ κράτος, πλὴν ἑπτὰ οἱ μὲν ἀπέθανον παρὰ τὴν μάχην, οἱ δ' ἑάλωσαν. τῆ αὐτῆς δὲ ὥρας καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δυσὶ τριήρεσι παρέπλει, ἃς 1.507 ἦν τῆς νυκτὸς πεπληρωκώς· ἕτεραι γὰρ οὐκ ἔτυχον οὖσαι πλώϊμοι. πυθόμενος δὲ ὡς οἱ μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων ἡττηθεῖεν παρὰ μεγάλου δομεστίκου καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς, ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς ἑτέρους ἤδη παρασκευάζονται χωρεῖν, ἀποβὰς τῆς τριήρεως, ἐπεὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν οὐ παρῆσαν ἵπποι, τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἵππῳ ἐπιβὰς, ἄγων καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν ἐχώρει κατὰ τῶν Περσῶν σπουδῇ πολλῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ. καὶ γενόμενος καθ' ἃ οἱ Πέρσαι ἐληΐζοντο χωρία, συνέβαλλέ τε καὶ ἐνίκα κατὰ κράτος. πλὴν γὰρ ὀλίγων καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ μὲν ἔπεσον κατὰ τὴν μάχην, οἱ δ' ἑάλωσαν. ὅσοι δὲ τὸ διαφθαρῆναι ἠδυνήθησαν διαφυγεῖν, παρὰ τὰς ναῦς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐλθόντες, μίαν μὲν ἐπλήρουν, δυσὶ δὲ ἑτέραις, τῇ μὲν ὀκτὼ, δέκα δὲ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ἐπιβάντες, ἱστία τε ἄραντες καὶ πνεύματος εὐτυχηκότες ἐπιφόρου, παρὰ δόξαν διέφυγον τὸ ἀπολέσθαι, οὕτως ἄνωθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν καὶ τὴν ἧτταν τοῖς βαρβάροις πρυτανεύοντος. αἱ γὰρ μετὰ βασιλέως ἐλθοῦσαι δύο τριήρεις, ἐπεὶ τὰς Περσικὰς εἶδον ἀραμένας πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος ἱστία ἐπὶ φυγῇ, τῇ εἰρεσίᾳ τὴν δίωξιν ἀπαγορεύσαντες διὰ τὸ μηκόθεν τὰς Περσικὰς ὁρᾷν ἐπιφόρῳ πνεύματι χρωμένας, αἴρειν ὥρμηντο ἱστία καὶ αὐτοί. ἅμα δὲ αἰρόντων, τῶν μὲν ἐῤῥάγησαν οἱ κάλω οἷς ἀνῆγον τὴν κεραίαν· τῶν ἑτέρων δὲ ἡ κεραία καταχθεῖσα κατέπεσεν ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος. καὶ οὕτως ἀπέσχοντο τὸ διώκειν ἀπειπόντες. αἱ λοιπαὶ δὲ πέντε τρεῖς καὶ τριάκοντα οὖσαι νῆες Περσικαὶ κατελείφθη 1.508 σαν ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ κεναί. βασιλεὺς δὲ μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ αἱ τριήρεις ηὐλίσαντο αὐτοῦ τὴν νύκτα σκυλεύοντες τοὺς νεκροὺς τῶν πολεμίων. τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ νυκτὸς περὶ μέσην ἕτεροι βάρβαροι ἐννέα ναυσὶ, μηδὲν εἰδότες τῶν γεγενημένων, κατέπλεον ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς αἰγιαλοὺς ὡς συμμίξοντες τοῖς ἄλλοις. ἀπροσδοκήτως δὲ ταῖς δυσὶ τριήρεσι περιπεσόντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων κατεπλάγησαν μὲν τῷ ἀδοκήτῳ· πλὴν διὰ τὴν ὀλιγότητα θαῤῥήσαντες αὐτῶν, συνεπλέκοντο πρὸς μάχην. καὶ παρ' ὀλίγον μὲν ἦλθον τὰς τριήρεις διαφθεῖραι. ἐπέβησαν γὰρ οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ τῆς μιᾶς. πλὴν πρὸς ἀλκὴν τραπόμενοι οἱ τριηρῖται ἐνίκησάν τε καὶ πασῶν ἐκράτησαν Περσικῶν νεῶν, μιᾶς διαδρᾶναι δυνηθείσης. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ πρότεροι λογάδες τῶν παρὰ Πέρσαις ὀνομαστοτάτων. ὅθεν καὶ οἱ