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their ruler, having sought the cause, since he found that the greater part of his people had been destroyed in civil strife, returns with shame to his own lands. And the men of the fleet also, seeing them withdrawing, immediately departed; whom a storm, overtaking them on the Euxine Sea, allowed but a few to depart to their own lands. But Sarbarus, though distressed at these things, nevertheless did not move from besieging Chalcedon, but wintered there, raiding the parts across the straits and destroying their cities. In the 17th year, Heraclius, having invaded Persia with the Turks unexpectedly on account of the winter, threw Chosroes into a state of panic. But the Turks, seeing the winter and the constant raids of the Persians, and not bearing to toil with the emperor, began to slip away little by little, and all of them, abandoning him, returned. And the emperor addressed his people, saying: "Know, brothers, that no one wishes to be our ally, but only God and the Theotokos who bore him without seed. And this is happening so that He might show among us and all these people His own power, by sending down to us His help." And Chosroes, having gathered all his forces, appoints Razastes as their general, a most warlike and brave man, and sends him against Heraclius. And the emperor was setting fire to the cities and villages of Persia, and he put the captured Persians to the sword. And in the month of October he reached the country of Chamaitha, and he rested the army for one week. And Razastes, having come, followed behind, and as the Romans consumed the provisions behind them, he followed, starving, so that many of his beasts perished. And the emperor on the first of the month of December, having crossed the river Zabas near the city of Nineveh, pitched camp. And Razastes also arrived. And the emperor sends Boanes the stratelates with a few select soldiers. And he found a squadron of the Persians, of whom he captured 20 and brought them to the emperor, having slain the others. And he also brought the head of their commander and his all-gold sword and the sword-bearer of Razastes, who also told the emperor that Razastes was determined to fight you, and Chosroes has sent him three thousand armed men, but they have not yet arrived. The emperor, learning these things, sent the baggage train ahead and he himself followed. And having found a suitable place, he wished to join battle with Razastes before he could be united with the three thousand. And the emperor, leaping forth before all, encounters a great commander of the Persians, and by the power of God and of the Theotokos, he strikes him down.

Then a second in like manner, and a third, who gave the emperor a wound on the lip with a spear. A fierce battle having been joined, Razastes falls, and almost all of his commanders, and the greater part of his army. And fifty Romans fell, of whom ten died. And the battle lasted from morning until the eleventh hour, and there was no rout. And during the night they rested, but around the eighth hour of the night the Persians, taking up their camp, encamped in fear at the foot of a rugged mountain. And the Romans, finding the corpse of Razastes, took his all-gold shield and his cuirass and his armlets and his saddle, all of solid gold, and his tunic. And many were also captured alive. And the emperor, having encouraged the army, marched against Chosroes, so that by frightening him he might persuade him to send word to Sarbarus to withdraw from Byzantium. And the emperor, having crossed the bridges of the Lesser Zabas, encamped at the houses of Iesdemon, celebrating the birth of Christ in them. And having passed from there, the emperor captured another palace of Chosroes called Rousa, and he destroyed this. and from there he captured another palace called Beklam, in which there was also a hippodrome and three fattened ostriches and gazelles

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τὴν αἰτίαν ζητήσας ὁ ἄρχων αὐτῶν, ἐπεὶ τὸ πλεῖον τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐμφυλίως ἀναλωθὲν εὗρεν, ὑποστρέφει μετ' αἰσχύνης εἰς τὰ ἴδια. οἱ δὲ τοῦ πλοΐμου καὶ αὐτοὶ τούτους ἰδόντες ὑποχωρήσαντας εὐθέως ἀνεχώρησαν· οὓς κατὰ τὸν Εὔξει νον πόντον ζάλη καταλαβοῦσα ὀλίγους τινὰς ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἀφίησιν. ὁ δὲ Σάρβαρος ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀχθεσθεὶς ὅμως τὴν Χαλκηδόνα παρακαθήμενος οὐ μετέστη, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἐχείμασε, πραι δεύων τὰ περατικὰ μέρη καὶ ἀφανίζων τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν. Τῷ ιζʹ ἔτει εἰσβαλὼν ἐν Περσίδι ὁ Ἡράκλειος σὺν τοῖς Τούρ κοις ἀπροσδοκήτως διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα εἰς ἔκστασιν ἐνέβαλε τὸν Χοσρόην. οἱ δὲ Τοῦρκοι τόν τε χειμῶνα ὁρῶντες καὶ τὰς συνε χεῖς ἐκδρομὰς τῶν Περσῶν, τῷ τε βασιλεῖ μὴ φέροντες συγκο 1.730 πιᾶν, ἤρξαντο κατ' ὀλίγον ὑπορρέειν, καὶ πάντες ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ὑπέστρεψαν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διελάλησε τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, λέγων "γνῶτε, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν συμμαχῆσαι θέλει, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνος ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἡ τοῦτον τεκοῦσα ἀσπόρως θεοτόκος. τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται ὅπως δείξῃ ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ πᾶσι τούτοις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δυνα στείαν, καταπέμψας ἡμῖν τὴν αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν." ὁ δὲ Χοσρόης ἐπισυνάξας πάντα τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ προβάλλεται αὐτοῖς στρατηγὸν Ῥαζάστην, ἄνδρα πολεμικώτατον καὶ ἀνδρεῖον, καὶ κατὰ Ἡρακλείου πέμπει. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τάς τε πόλεις καὶ κώμας Περσίδος ἐπυρπόλει, καὶ τοὺς κρατουμένους Πέρσας ἀνεῖλεν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ. τῷ Ὀκτωβρίῳ δὲ μηνὶ κατέλαβεν εἰς τὴν χώραν Χαμαϊθᾶ, καὶ διανέπαυσε τὸν λαὸν ἑβδομάδα μίαν. ὁ Ῥαζάστης δὲ ἐλθὼν ἠκολούθει ὄπισθεν, καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀναλισκόντων τὰς τροφὰς ὄπισθεν αὐτὸς πεινῶν ἠκολούθει, ὡς πολλὰ τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτοῦ διαφθαρῆναι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῇ πρώτῃ τοῦ ∆εκεβρίου μηνὸς διαβὰς τὸν Ζαβᾶν ποταμὸν πλησίον τῆς πόλεως Νινευὶ κατεσκή νωσε. κατέλαβε δὲ καὶ ὁ Ῥαζάστης. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀποστέλλει Βοάνην τὸν στρατηλάτην μετ' ἐπιλέκτων στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγων. ὁ δὲ εὗρε βάνδον τῶν Περσῶν, ἐξ ὧν κʹ κρατήσας ἤνεγκε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, τοὺς ἄλλους φονεύσας. ἤνεγκε δὲ καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ κόμητος αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ σπαθίον αὐτοῦ ὁλόχρυσον καὶ τὸν σπαθά ριον τοῦ Ῥαζάστου, ὃς καὶ εἶπε τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ὡρισμένος ἐστὶν ὁ Ῥαζάστης πολεμῆσαί σοι, καὶ τρισχιλίους ὡπλισμένους ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ Χοσρόης, ἀλλ' ἀκμὴν οὐκ ἔφθασαν. ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ βα 1.731 σιλεὺς προαπέστειλε τὸ τοῦλδον ἔμπροσθεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπηκολού θει. εὑρὼν δὲ τόπον ἐπιτήδειον ἠθέλησε συμβαλεῖν πόλεμον μετὰ Ῥαζάστου πρὸ τοῦ ἑνωθῆναι τοῖς τρισχιλίοις. καὶ προπηδήσας πάντων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἄρχοντι μεγάλῳ τῶν Περσῶν συναντᾷ, καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει καὶ τῆς θεοτόκου καταβάλλει τοῦτον.

Eἶτα καὶ δεύτερον ὁμοίως καὶ τρίτον, ὅστις ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ μετὰ δόρα τος εἰς τὸ χεῖλος. μάχης οὖν κροτηθείσης σφοδρᾶς πίπτει ὁ Ῥα ζάστης καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ σχεδὸν πάντες καὶ τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ στρατοῦ αὐτοῦ. ἔπεσον δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πεντήκοντα, ἐξ ὧν δέκα ἀπέθανον. ἵστατο δὲ ὁ πόλεμος ἀπὸ πρωΐας ἕως ὥρας ἑνδεκά της, καὶ τροπὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο. καὶ τὴν μὲν νύκτα ἡσύχασαν, περὶ ὥραν δὲ ηʹ τῆς νυκτὸς λαβόντες οἱ Πέρσαι τὸ φοσσάτον αὐτῶν ἠπλήκευσαν εἰς πόδας ὅρους τραχεινοῦ ἔμφοβοι. οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ εὑρόντες τὸν τοῦ Ῥαζάστου νεκρὸν ἔλαβον τὸ σκουτάριον αὐτοῦ ὁλόχρυσον καὶ τὸ λωρίον καὶ τὰ βραχιόνια αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σέλλαν, πάντα ὁλόχρυσα, καὶ τὸ σκαραμάγγιον αὐτοῦ. κατεσχέθησαν δὲ καὶ ζῶντες πολλοί. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς θαρσοποιήσας τὸν στρατὸν κατὰ Χοσρόου ἤλαυνεν, ὅπως τοῦτον ἐκφοβήσας πείσῃ ἀποστεῖ λαι πρὸς Σάρβαρον ἀναχωρῆσαι τοῦ Βυζαντίου. διαπεράσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς γεφύρας τοῦ μικροῦ Ζαβᾶ κατεσκήνωσεν εἰς τοὺς οἴκους τοῦ Ἰεσδεμόν, ἑορτάσας ἐν αὐτοῖς τὴν Χριστοῦ γέννησιν. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ διελθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατέλαβον ἕτερον παλάτιον τοῦ Χοσρόου λεγόμενον Ῥοῦσα, καὶ τοῦτο κατέστρεψεν. ἐξ ἐκείνου 1.732 δὲ εἰς ἕτερον κατέλαβε παλάτιον τὸ λεγόμενον Βεκλάμ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ 1.732 ἱπποδρόμιον ἦν καὶ στρουθιῶνες τρεῖς σιτευτοὶ καὶ δορκάδες