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Phocas during the festivals, holding a great consular celebration. And Chosroes the king of the Persians sent out a great force against the Romans. And with Germanus having been wounded in the war, the Romans are defeated, and on the 10th day Germanus dies. And Phocas, having increased the pact with the Khagan, thinking the barbarians would be at peace, took the forces from Europe and sent them against the Persians under Narses the general; and engaging with the Persians, he is defeated and loses a great multitude. Phocas, having heard this, having made his brother Domentziolus curopalates, appoints him general. In the 3rd year, the Persians destroyed many of the Roman cities. And Domentziolus, having given his word to Narses, and having persuaded him with many oaths that he would suffer no injustice from Phocas, sent him away to Phocas. But Phocas, not keeping the oaths, burned him with fire. Therefore the 1.711 Romans were in great grief, because Narses inspired great fear in the Persians, so that they would frighten their children with Narses. In the 4th year, the Augusta Constantina with her three daughters takes refuge in the church. Phocas therefore sends for the women to come out. But the patriarch Cyriacus did not consent to this, but having been assured by oaths from Phocas, he enclosed them in a monastery. In the same year, the Persians took Dara and all of Mesopotamia and Syria, taking a countless number of captives. When the patriarch Cyriacus died, Thomas, deacon and sacellarius of the great church, is ordained. In the 5th year, the tyrant killed many friends of Maurice and gave them over to the fire, and he cut off with a sword Constantina with her three daughters at the mole of Eutropius, where Maurice also was killed, and many others of the nobles of the palace, and countless of the lower ranks. And at the same time the Persians, having crossed the Euphrates, took captive all of Syria and Palestine and Phoenicia. In the 6th year, Crispus the patrician, not bearing to see the unjust murders and the terrible things being done by Phocas, writes to Heraclius the patrician and general of Africa, that he should send Heraclius his son and Nicetas the son of Gregoras the patrician, his second-in-command, so that they might come against 1.712 the tyrant; for he heard that a rebellion against him was being plotted by them. In the 7th year, the Persians went out with Cardarigas and took Armenia and Cappadocia, and they also routed the Romans. And they also took Galatia and Paphlagonia, and came as far as Chalcedon, ravaging every age without mercy. And while the Persians were acting tyrannically outside the city, Phocas inside was doing worse than them. In his 8th year, the Antiochene Jews, having become disorderly, made an uprising against the Christians, and they slaughter Anastasius the great patriarch of Antioch, having put his private parts in his mouth. With him they also slaughtered many of the Antiochenes. And Phocas, having made Bonosus comes of the east and Kopanas stratelates, sent them against them; attacking them, they killed and mutilated many and exiled them from the city. And Heraclius, having equipped many ships and an army from Africa, took Constantinople, carrying also the acheiropoieton image of our lord and God Jesus Christ. And when war broke out in the harbor of Sophia between Phocas and Heraclius, the scoundrel, having been defeated, fled to the palace. And a certain Photinus, having been wronged by Phocas with respect to his wife, entered the palace with soldiers, disgracefully raised him from the throne and stripped him of the imperial robe, and having dressed him in black 1.713 and put chains on him, led him dishonored to Heraclius. Seeing him, he said, "Is this how, wretch, you have administered the state?" And he, being in despair, said, "You will administer it better." And immediately Heraclius orders first his hands and feet to be cut off, then his shoulders and genitals, and then his head. And the

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Φωκᾶς ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς, ῥίψας ὑπα τείαν πολλήν. Χοσρόης δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Περσῶν δύναμιν πολ λὴν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐξαπέστειλε. τοῦ δὲ Γερμανοῦ πληγέντος ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ἡττῶνται Ῥωμαῖοι, τῇ ιʹ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τελευτᾷ Γερμανός. ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς τῷ χαγάνῳ τὸ πάκτον ἐπαυξήσας, νομίζων ἠρεμεῖν τοὺς βαρβάρους, τὰς δυνάμεις ἀπὸ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἑλὼν ἐπὶ Πέρ σας ἀπέστειλεν ὑπὸ Ναρσῇ στρατηγῷ· συμβαλὼν δὲ τοῖς Πέρσαις ἡττᾶται καὶ πλῆθος ἀπόλλυσι πολύ. τοῦτο Φωκᾶς ἀκούσας ∆ο μεντζίολαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν κουροπαλάτην ποιήσας χειροτονεῖ στρα τηγόν. Τῷ γʹ ἔτει πολλὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πόλεις οἱ Πέρσαι ἠφάνι σαν. ὁ δὲ ∆ομεντζίολας λόγον δοὺς τῷ Ναρσῇ, καὶ ὅρκοις πολ λοῖς πείσας αὐτὸν μηδεμίαν ἀδικίαν παρὰ τοῦ Φωκᾶ ὑπομένειν, ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν πρὸς Φωκᾶν. ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς μὴ φυλάξας τοὺς ὅρ κους τοῦτον πυρὶ κατέκαυσεν. ἐν λύπῃ οὖν μεγάλῃ γεγόνασιν οἱ 1.711 Ῥωμαῖοι, ὅτι φόβον μέγαν εἶχεν εἰς Πέρσας ὁ Ναρσῆς, ὥστε τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν διὰ τοῦ Ναρσῆ ἐκφοβεῖν. Τῷ δʹ ἔτει ἡ Αὐγοῦστα Κωνσταντῖνα σὺν ταῖς τρισὶ θυγα τράσιν αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν προσφεύγει. πέμπει οὖν ὁ Φωκᾶς ἐξελθεῖν τὰ γύναια. ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης Κυριακὸς τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέ νευσεν, ὅρκοις δὲ βεβαιωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Φωκᾶ ἐν μοναστηρίῳ ἐγ κλείει. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει οἱ Πέρσαι παρέλαβον τὸ ∆αρὰς καὶ πᾶ σαν τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ Συρίαν, αἰχμαλωσίαν λαβόντες ἧς οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμός. τοῦ πατριάρχου Κυριακοῦ τελευτήσαντος χει ροτονεῖται Θωμᾶς διάκονος καὶ σακελλάριος τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλη σίας. Τῷ εʹ ἔτει πολλοὺς φίλους τοῦ Μαυρικίου ὁ τύραννος ἀπέ κτεινε καὶ πυρὶ παρέδωκε, τὴν δὲ Κωνσταντῖναν σὺν ταῖς τρισὶ θυγατράσιν αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ μόλῳ Εὐτροπίου, ἔνθα καὶ Μαυρίκιος ἀνῃρέθη, ξίφει ἀπέτεμε, καὶ ἄλλους μὲν τῶν ἐνδόξων τοῦ παλα τίου πολλούς, τῶν δὲ κατωτέρω ἀναριθμήτους. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ χρόνῳ οἱ Πέρσαι τὸν Εὐφράτην διαβάντες πᾶσαν τὴν Συρίαν καὶ Παλαιστίνην καὶ Φοινίκην ᾐχμαλώτευσαν. Τῷ ʹ ἔτει Κρίσπος ὁ πατρίκιος μὴ φέρων ὁρᾶν τοὺς ἀδί κους φόνους καὶ τὰ δεινὰ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Φωκᾶ γινόμενα, γράφει πρὸς Ἡράκλειον τὸν πατρίκιον καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἀφρικῆς, ὅπως ἀποστείλῃ Ἡράκλειον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ Νικήτην τὸν υἱὸν Γρη γορᾶ πατρίκιον, τὸν ὑποστράτηγον αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἔλθωσι κατὰ 1.712 τοῦ τυράννου· ἤκουε γὰρ κατ' αὐτοῦ μελετωμένην παρ' αὐτῶν ἀνταρσίαν. Τῷ ζʹ ἔτει οἱ Πέρσαι ἐξῆλθον σὺν τῷ Καρδαρίχᾳ καὶ παρέ λαβον Ἀρμενίαν καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, ἔτρεψαν δὲ καὶ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους. παρέλαβον δὲ καὶ τὴν Γαλατίαν καὶ Παφλαγονίαν, καὶ ἦλθον μέχρι Χαλκήδονος λυμαινόμενοι ἀφειδῶς πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν Πέρσαι ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐτυράννουν, ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς ἔνδον χείρονα αὐτῶν ἐποίει. Τῷ ηʹ ἔτει αὐτοῦ ἀτακτήσαντες οἱ Ἀντιοχεῖς Ἑβραῖοι στάσιν ἐποίησαν κατὰ Χριστιανῶν, καὶ ἀποσφάττουσιν Ἀναστάσιον τὸν μέγαν πατριάρχην Ἀντιοχείας, βαλόντες τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν Ἀντιοχέων κατέσφα ξαν. ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς Βόνοσον κόμητα ἀνατολῆς καὶ Κοπανᾶν στρα τηλάτην ποιήσας ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς κατ' αὐτῶν· οἷς ἐπελθόντες πολλοὺς ἐφόνευσαν καὶ ᾐκρωτηρίασαν καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐξώρισαν. ὁ δὲ Ἡράκλειος πλοῖα πολλὰ ἐξ Ἀφρικῆς ἐξοπλίσας καὶ στρατὸν τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν κατέλαβεν, ἐπιφερόμενος καὶ τὴν ἀχειρο ποίητον εἰκόνα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. καὶ πολέμου συρραγέντος εἰς τὸν λιμένα τῆς Σοφίας μεταξὺ Φωκᾶ καὶ Ἡρακλείου, ἡττηθεὶς ὁ ἀλιτήριος ἔφυγεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. Φω τεινὸς δέ τις ὑπὸ Φωκᾶ εἰς τὴν σύζυγον ἀδικηθείς, εἰσελθὼν μετὰ στρατιωτῶν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, ἀτίμως τοῦ θρόνου τοῦτον ἀναστή σας καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐσθῆτος ἀπογυμνώσας, καὶ μέλανα ἐνδύ 1.713 σας καὶ κλοιὰ περιθείς, ἄτιμον πρὸς Ἡράκλειον ἀπήγαγεν. ὃν θεασάμενος εἶπεν "οὕτως, ἄθλιε, τὴν πολιτείαν διῴκησας;" ὁ δὲ ἀπεγνωσμένος ὢν ἔφη "σὺ κάλλιον ἔχεις διοικῆσαι." καὶ παρευθὺ κελεύει Ἡράκλειος πρῶτον μὲν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ἐκκοπῆναι, εἶθ' οὕτως τοὺς ὤμους καὶ τὰ αἰδοῖα, ἔπειτα τὴν κεφαλήν. τὸ δὲ