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he had commanded them. But they, attacking and plundering whatever came their way, suddenly fell upon Neocaesarea and sacked it, and filled with spoils, they departed from there. When this was reported to the emperor, it filled him with despondency, and taking the more lightly-armed of the army, he went by difficult roads and mountains, hastening to overtake the enemy. When, therefore, he came upon them unexpectedly, he cast them all into a panic, and they immediately looked to flight, leaving behind right there both the booty and their baggage. There was, however, not much destruction of the barbarians, since those with the emperor were exhausted from the journey and were not able to pursue for long. Nevertheless, the captives who had been taken and whatever else filled out the booty, were all set free. From there he took the road leading to Syria and sent a detachment to Melitene, while he himself, having set out for Aleppo, carried off much booty of men and other animals. And from there he came to Hierapolis of Syria; and having attempted to besiege it, he received the city by treaty. Then, when the barbarians attacked a part of the Roman army and defeated it, none of the others was eager to come to the aid of the defeated. But the emperor, being inside the captured city and having learned what had happened, very quickly rushed out with those around him to the assistance of the defeated. And the ruler of Aleppo, learning of the Romans' defeat, also joined the other barbarians with all his own force, expecting to carry off the emperor as a captive of his spear at once. And they surrounded the Roman camp; the emperor, however, brought battle upon them without a herald (for he went out of the stockade and led the army out with him, with neither the sound of trumpets being made nor any other clear signal), he routed the enemy and forced them to look to flight. If, therefore, the Roman army had pursued for a long time, it would have won a very great and famous victory. For the horses of the Arabs are swift indeed in their first charge and swiftest of all others, but they do not extend their run for long, but tire out very quickly. But being recalled and refraining from the pursuit, they saved the enemy, but deprived themselves of a great achievement and glory. Nevertheless, to the emperor, that the Romans had at all dared to press against the enemy and had cast off much of their former cowardice, seemed a sufficient piece of good fortune. And the acropolis of Hierapolis was garrisoned, by order of the emperor. And having come upon other towns and passing some by on account of their being impregnable, but seizing others, he arrived at the city of Cilicia called Alexandron. And as he was departing from there it is reported to him that Amorion had been plundered and many killed. The emperor, therefore, was distressed at these things, but being unable to aid those who had suffered, after having made arrangements for his own army, so that they might pass the winter season without lacking necessities, he himself returned to the queen of cities, being disposed more arrogantly, as if he had perhaps achieved more, not only towards others, but also towards the empress herself. But she, perceiving that her hopes had turned to the contrary, was vexed and had a swelling heart, not concealing her reproaches. But as spring was just beginning to shine forth, the emperor again thought of another campaign. So having departed from Byzantium and arrived in Caesarea, he learned that a great multitude of Turks was overrunning the country, and by sending a part of the army against them in some places, and in others engaging them himself, he routed the enemy and, putting all those taken alive to the sword, he set his course towards the Euphrates. However, having appointed Philaretus as general (the man was of the Brachamios family, seeming to be sufficiently experienced in military matters, but being of a life not good, but very much counterbalancing his calling), to this man he hands over half the army, while he himself turned aside towards the more northern parts. But appearing to those with Philaretus, the enemy cast them into a panic

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αὐτῶν ἐνετείλατο. οἱ δὲ ἐπιόντες τὰ προστυχόντα τε ληιζόμενοι τὴν Νεοκαισάρειαν αἰφνίδιον ἐπεισπεσόντες αὐτῇ ἐξεπόρθησαν καὶ λαφύρων ἐμπλησθέντες ἐκεῖθεν ἀπῄεσαν. τοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀγγελθὲν ἀθυμίαν ἐνέσταξε, καὶ τοὺς εὐζωνοτέρους ἀναλαβὼν τοῦ στρα690 τεύματος ἀπῄει διὰ δυσβάτων ὁδῶν καὶ ὀρῶν, φθάσαι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐπειγόμενος. ὡς οὖν αὐτοῖς ἐπῆλθεν ἀδόκητος, εἰς πτοίαν ἐνέβαλεν ἅπαντας, καὶ πρὸς δρασμὸν ἀπεῖδον εὐθύς, αὐτοῦ που καταλιπόντες καὶ τὴν λείαν καὶ τὴν ἀποσκευήν. φθορὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν βαρβάρων οὐ πάνυ τι γέγονε, τῶν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα κεκοπιακότων ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ μὴ οἵων τε ὄντων διώκειν ἐπὶ πολύ. οἱ μέντοι ληφθέντες αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον ἐπλήρου τὴν λείαν, ξύμπαντα ἠλευθέρωτο. ἐκεῖθεν τῆς πρὸς Συρίαν ἥψατο ἀπαγούσης καὶ φάλαγγα μὲν εἰς Μελιτηνὴν ἐξαπέστειλεν, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς τὸ Χάλεπ ὁρμήσας πολλὴν ἀπήγαγε λείαν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ζῴων ἄλλων. κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ἱεράπολιν τῆς Συρίας ἐγένετο· καὶ πολιορκεῖν ἐπιχειρήσας αὐτὴν ὁμολογίᾳ τὴν πόλιν παρέλαβεν. εἶτα τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπιθεμένων μέρει τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ ἡττησάντων αὐτό, οὐδεὶς τῶν ἄλλων εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν ἡττωμένων γενέσθαι προεθυμήθη. ὁ δέ γε βασιλεὺς ἔνδον τῆς ἑαλωκυίας πόλεως ὢν καὶ τὸ συμβὰν ἐγνωκώς, ταχύτατα μετὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν εἰς ἀρωγὴν τῶν ἡττημένων ἐξώρμησε. μαθὼν δὲ ὁ τοῦ Χάλεπ ἡγεμονεύων τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἧτταν προσέθετο καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις βαρ691 βάροις μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας πάσης δυνάμεως, αὐτίκα τὸν βασιλέα προσδοκῶν ἀπαγαγεῖν δορυάλωτον. καὶ τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν κύκλῳ στρατόπεδον περιέλαβον· ὁ μέντοι βασιλεὺς ἀκήρυκτον αὐτοῖς τὴν μάχην ἐπενεγκών (ἐξῄει γὰρ τοῦ χάρακος καὶ τὸ στράτευμα συνεξήγαγε, μήτε σαλπίγγων γενομένης ἠχῆς μήθ' ἑτέρου διαδήλου συνθήματος), ἐτρέψατο τοὺς ἐναντίους καὶ εἰς φυγὴν ἠνάγκασεν ἀπιδεῖν. εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ πολὺ τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν ἐπεδίωξε στράτευμα, νίκην ἂν ἤρατο μεγίστην καὶ περιβόητον. οἱ γὰρ ἵπποι τοῖς Ἄραψι ταχεῖς μέν εἰσι τὴν πρώτην ὁρμὴν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ποδωκέστατοι, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ τὸν δρόμον ἐκτείνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀποκναίουσι τάχιστα. ἀνακληθέντες δὲ καὶ τῆς διώξεως ἀποσχόμενοι τοὺς ἐναντίους μὲν περιέσωσαν, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ μεγάλου κατορθώματος καὶ εὐκλείας ἐστέρησαν. ὅμως τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι ὅλως οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀντεπιέναι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀπεθάρρησαν καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῆς πρῴην δειλίας ἀπέθεντο, ἀρκοῦν ἐδόκει εὐτύχημα. ἐνῴκιστο δὲ τῆς Ἱεραπόλεως ἡ ἀκρόπολις, τοῦ βασιλέως προστάξαντος. ἑτέροις δὲ πολίσμασιν ἐπελθὼν καὶ τὰ μὲν διὰ τὸ ἀνάλωτον παρελθών, τὰ δὲ κατασχὼν εἰς πόλιν τῆς Κιλικίας τὴν Ἀλεξανδρῶνα λεγομένην κατήντησε. κἀκεῖθεν ἀπ692 ιόντι λαφυραγωγηθῆναι τὸ Ἀμόριον διαγγέλλεται καὶ κτανθῆναι πολλούς. ἐδυσφόρησε μὲν οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεύς, μὴ δυνάμενος δ' ἐπαμῦναι τοῖς πεπονθόσι, τὰ περὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον στρατὸν οἰκονομησάμενος, ἵνα τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥραν ἀνενδεῶς τῶν ἀναγκαίων παρέλθωσιν, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων ἐπανῆλθεν, ἀλαζονικώτερον διακείμενος, ὡς τάχα κατωρθωκὼς πλείω, οὐ μόνον πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν βασίλισσαν. ἡ δὲ πρὸς τοὐναντίον αὐτῇ τὰς ἐλπίδας τραπείσας κατανοοῦσα ἐδυσχέραινε καὶ τὴν καρδίαν εἶχεν οἰδαίνουσαν, τὰς ἐπιπλήξεις μὴ στέγουσα. Ἄρτι δ' ἀναλάμπειν ἠργμένου τοῦ ἔαρος αὖθις ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑτέρας ἐκστρατείας ἐμέμνητο. ἐκδημήσας τοίνυν τῆς Βυζαντίδος καὶ γενόμενος εἰς Καισάρειαν ἔμαθε Τούρκων πλῆθος πολὺ κατατρέχειν τὴν χώραν, καὶ τούτοις πῇ μὲν μέρος τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐπαφιείς, πῇ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς συμβαλών, ἐτρέψατο τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας τῷ ξίφει πάντας ὑπαγαγὼν πρὸς τὸν Εὐφράτην ἐτίθει τὸ ὅρμημα. τὸν μέντοι Φιλάρετον 693 στρατηγὸν προβαλόμενος (ἦν δὲ τοῦ Βραχαμίων γένους ὁ ἀνήρ, δοκῶν μὲν πρὸς στρατιωτικὴν ἐμπειρίαν ἱκανῶς ἔχειν, βίου δὲ τυγχάνων οὐκ ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀντιρρόπου πάνυ πρὸς τὴν κλῆσιν αὐτοῦ), τούτῳ τὸ ἥμισυ παραδίδωσι τοῦ στρατεύματος, αὐτὸς δ' ἀπένευσε πρὸς τὰ βορειότερα. τοῖς δὲ μετὰ τοῦ Φιλαρέτου ἐπιφανέντες οἱ ἐναντίοι πτοίαν ἐνέβαλον