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they did not join battle with each other. When evening fell, the emperor kept to the road, and the barbarians followed behind him again. But having changed their route, wishing to get ahead of him, they fell into a marshy place and were forced to get out. But the emperor was traversing the land of Persarmenia. And since that land was held by the Persians, many flocked to Sarbarazas, and his force was increased; but when winter came, each one was scattered to his own place. Learning this, the emperor planned to make a surprise attack by night. And having selected strong horses, and having divided the bravest of the army, he ordered some to advance against the barbarian, while he himself followed behind them with the others. And hurrying, they seized a village of the Albanians at the ninth hour of the night. And when the Persians learned of the attack and rushed against them, the Romans killed them all, except for one, the proverbial fire-bearer, who also informed the barbarian. And the barbarian, naked and barefoot, mounted a horse and secured his safety by flight. Finding his wives and all the flower of the Persians, both commanders and satraps and elite soldiers, who had gone up on 1.725 the roofs and were making a din of war, he brought them down with fire, and some he killed, some he consumed with fire, and some he took captive; and very few were saved by fleeing. And he also took the barbarian's arms, both the golden shield and sword and spear, and his golden and jeweled belt and his sandals. And having taken these things, he proceeded against those scattered in the villages, whom he pursued and killed many and took prisoners. Then, gathering his army together with joy, he wintered in those places. In the 15th year, the emperor Heraclius with his army, having crossed the Syrian road over the Taurus, in seven days with much toil reached the Tigris river, then Martyropolis and Amida; and both the army and the captives rested. From there the emperor sent letters to Byzantium, and he revealed all his affairs, and brought joy to the city. But Sarbarazas came against him. And the emperor, having selected a squadron of soldiers, sent them to guard the passes leading to him, and he himself, rushing through the exits to the east, went to meet the barbarians face to face, and having crossed the Nymphius river, he reached the Euphrates, where there was a woven bridge of ropes and wool, which Sarbarazas had dismantled and moved entirely to the other bank. But the emperor, running along the river, found a ford, and he crossed it without danger, unexpectedly, in the month of March. And having reached Samosata, again 1.726 crossing the Taurus he arrived at Germaniceia, and having passed Adana he came to the Taurus river. But Sarbarazas, stretching out the bridge again, crossed the Euphrates and followed behind him. And the emperor, having crossed the Sarus, rested the army. And the barbarian also reached the opposite side. And finding the river and the bridge and the fortifications on it held by the Romans, he encamped. But the Romans, running out in a disorderly way across the bridge, caused a great slaughter of Persians; whom the emperor advised not to run out in a disorderly way, lest they become a path for the enemy. But they did not obey, and not long after they paid the price for their disobedience, as the barbarian laid ambushes for them. When the emperor saw them being killed, he came to their aid. But a certain gigantic man, meeting the emperor in the middle of the bridge, attacked him; whom the emperor struck and threw into the stream. When he had fallen, the barbarians were turned to flight, and in the narrow part of the bridge they were thrown into the river. And others were killed by swords, as the emperor with a few men fought back bravely beyond human strength, so that Sarbarazas was astonished and said to a certain Margarites, "Do you see the Caesar, O

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ἀλλήλοις οὐ συνέβαλον. ἑσπέρας δὲ καταλαβού σης ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς ὁδοιπορίας εἴχετο, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι πάλιν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἠκολούθουν. ἐναλλάξαντες δὲ τὴν ὁδόν, προλα βεῖν τοῦτον βουλόμενοι, ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς τόπον τελματώδη, καὶ ἠναγκάσθησαν ἐξελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν γῆν Περσαρμενίας παρέτρεχε. τῆς γῆς δὲ ἐκείνης ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν κρατουμένης πολλοὶ συνέτρεχον τῷ Σαρβαραζᾷ, καὶ ηὐξεῖτο ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ· χειμῶνος δὲ ἐπιγενομένου ἐσκορπίσθη ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τόπον. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς διενοεῖτο ἐν νυκτὶ κλέψαι τὸν πόλεμον. καὶ ἐπιλεξάμενος ἵππους εὐσθενεῖς, καὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ τοὺς ἀν δρειοτέρους διελών, προάγειν τοὺς μὲν ἐκέλευσε κατὰ τοῦ βαρβά ρου, αὐτὸς δὲ σὺν τοῖς ἑτέροις ὀπίσω τούτων εἵπετο. σπεύσαν τες δὲ κατέλαβον χωρίον Ἀλβανῶν ὥρᾳ θʹ τῆς νυκτός. τῶν δὲ Περσῶν γνόντων τὴν ἔφοδον καὶ ὁρμησάντων κατ' αὐτῶν, οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τούτους πάντας ἀνεῖλον, πάρεξ ἑνὸς τὸ τοῦ λόγου πυρ φόρου, ὃς καὶ τῷ βαρβάρῳ ἐμήνυσεν. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος γυμνὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδετος ἵππῳ ἐπιβὰς φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπορίζετο. τού του τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ πᾶν τὸ Περσικὸν ἄνθος, ἄρχοντάς τε καὶ σατράπας καὶ στρατιώτας ἐπιλέκτους καταλαβὼν ἀνελθόντας ἐπὶ 1.725 τῶν δωμάτων καὶ πόλεμον κροτοῦντας, διὰ πυρὸς καθῆλε, καὶ οὓς μὲν ἔκτεινεν, οὓς δὲ πυρὶ ἀνάλωσεν, οὓς δὲ αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβεν· ὀλίγοι δὲ πάνυ φυγόντες ἐσώθησαν. ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ βαρβάρου, τήν τε χρυσῆν ἀσπίδα καὶ μάχαιραν καὶ δόρυ, καὶ τὴν χρυσῆν καὶ διάλιθον ζώνην καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα αὐ τοῦ. ταῦτα δὲ λαβὼν χωρεῖ κατὰ τῶν διεσπαρμένων ἐν τοῖς χωρίοις, οὓς καὶ διώξας πολλοὺς ἔκτεινε καὶ δεσμίους ἔλαβεν. εἶτα ἐπισυνάξας τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στρατόπεδον μετὰ χαρᾶς ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς τόποις παρεχείμασε. Τῷ ιεʹ ἔτει ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἡράκλειος μετὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου αὐτοῦ τὴν τῶν Σύρων ὁδὸν τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ Ταύρῳ ὑπερβάς, ἐν ἑπτὰ ἡμέραις κόπῳ πολλῷ καταλαμβάνει τὸν Τίγριν ποταμόν, εἶτα τὴν Μαρτυρόπολιν καὶ τὴν Ἄμιδαν· καὶ διαναπαύονται ὅ τε στρατὸς καὶ ἡ αἰχμαλωσία. ἐντεῦθεν γράμματα πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐξαπ έστειλεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν πάντα ἐδήλωσε, καὶ χαρὰν τῇ πόλει ἐνεποίησεν. ὁ δὲ Σαρβαραζᾶς ἐπῆλθε κατ' αὐ τοῦ. ἐπιλεξάμενος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἴλην στρατιωτῶν ἀπέστειλε φυ λάττειν τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγούσας κλεισούρας, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς πρὸς ἀνατολὴν ἐκδραμὼν διεξόδους ἀντιπρόσωπος ᾔει τοῖς βαρβάροις, καὶ περάσας τὸν Νυμφίον ποταμὸν κατέλαβε τὸν Εὐφράτην, ἐν ᾧ ἡ πλεκτὴ γέφυρα ἐκ σχοινίων καὶ ἐρίων ἦν, ἣν ὁ Σαρβαραζᾶς λύ σας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτέραν γῆν πᾶσαν μετήγαγε. παραδραμὼν δὲ ὁ βασι λεὺς τὸν ποταμὸν εὗρε πόρον, καὶ ἀκινδύνως τοῦτον ἐπέρασε πα ραδόξως τῷ Μαρτίῳ μηνί. καὶ καταλαβὼν τὰ Σαμόσατα, πάλιν 1.726 τὸν Ταῦρον διαβὰς εἰς Γερμανίκειαν ἀφίκετο, καὶ περάσας τὴν Ἄδαναν ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν Ταῦρον ποταμόν. ὁ δὲ Σαρβαραζᾶς τὴν γέφυραν πάλιν ἐκτείνας τὸν Εὐφράτην ἐπέρασε καὶ ἠκολούθει ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς περάσας τὸν Σάρον διανέπαυσε τὸν στρατόν. καταλαμβάνει δὲ καὶ ὁ βάρβαρος εἰς τὸ ἀντίπεραν μέρος. εὑρὼν δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν γέφυραν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ προπύργια κρατηθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἠπλήκευσεν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀτάκτως ἐκτρέχοντες διὰ τῆς γεφύρας πολὺν φόνον ἐποι οῦντο Περσῶν· οἷς ὁ βασιλεὺς παρῄνει μὴ ἐκτρέχειν ἀτάκτως, μήπως γένωνται τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὁδός. οἱ δ' οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ δίκην ἔτισαν τῆς παρακοῆς, τοῦ βαρβάρου ἐνέδρας κατ' αὐτῶν ποιησαμένου. οὓς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑωρακὼς ἀναιρουμένους συνεπημύνατο. ἀνὴρ δέ τις γιγαντιαῖος μέσον τῆς γεφύρας τῷ βασιλεῖ συναντήσας προσέβαλεν· ὃν καὶ πατάξας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ ῥείθρῳ ἔρριψεν. οὗ πεσόντος οἱ βάρβαροι εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπη σαν, καὶ τῷ στενωπῷ τῆς γεφύρας εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἐρριπτοῦντο. ἄλλοι δὲ ξίφεσιν ἀνῃροῦντο, τοῦ βασιλέως μετ' ὀλίγων τινῶν γενναίως ἀπομαχομένου ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον, ὡς καὶ τὸν Σαρβαραζᾶν ἐκπλαγῆναι καὶ πρός τινα μαγαρίτην εἰπεῖν "ὁρᾷς τὸν Καίσαρα, ὦ