Speech to the soldiers ..... hearing of your very great renown from your deeds, O men, I do not know what praise to weave for you now from a royal tongue; for such things have I heard about you and such things were reported by the account of my faithful servants. For they reported to me accurately, they made known your valor with love of truth, how great was your courage, how great your impetus, and how great the nobility you showed against the enemy, and how you were fighting not as against men but, as it were, lording it over wretched women, and not as though carrying out a contest and a war, but rather making a sort of game of them. And yet, they were mounted on horses of unattainable speed, and most strongly fortified with weapons, weapons whose craftsmanship was inimitable, and they lacked nothing of all that was for safety and for inspiring terror. But since they were deprived of the one greatest thing, I mean the hope in Christ, all their things were proven to be empty and were in vain; for this reason also their dead became, he says, an example upon the face of the plain, and like grass behind the reaper and there was no one to gather it. But you, taking courage in it and entrusting your souls to it, have set up such trophies against the enemy and have won such victories, which have run through the whole inhabited world, and have made you famous not only in your own countries, but also in every city. And now every tongue and every ear, the one speaks of your wonders, the other is roused to hear. I want you, taking courage in this, my treasured people, my strength, my invincible might, to fight against the enemy more eagerly than before, or rather, you will fight. This I know clearly; for the very nature of things teaches me. For one who has contended against his opponent and has been victorious does not treat him as before, even after this; but having dispelled all the fear which troubled him before the trial, he rushes with great courage against the one who is now clearly known. Besides, knowing that the enemy will not come with the same impetus, having now come to the test of your courage, but they will be checked and will be suspicious, and will be on their guard against suffering the same things as their predecessors; and that which now casts you into boldness, this will certainly push them into fear. Take courage therefore, O my men, take courage, and fill your souls with eagerness, and show the enemy what those who trust in Christ can do, and what those who claim Beliar, that is, Muhammad, as their helper. For you become not only avengers and champions of Christians, but also of Christ himself, who is wickedly rejected by them. What then, men know how to reward those who fight for them, but will Christ not stretch out a hand to those who arm themselves against his enemies? He is our helper, O men, he it is who alone is mighty and powerful in wars, whose sword is sharpened like lightning, whose arrows are drunk with the blood of those who resist him, who shatters bows and turns fortified cities into a mound of earth, and humbles the eyes of the proud, but of those who hope in him, he teaches their hands for war, and makes their arms a bronze bow, and gives them the shield of salvation. On him therefore let us place all our hope, instead of all weapons let us be fortified by his cross, with which you were also armed before when you made the mighty men of Chambdas the work of the sword, and others, like the Egyptians of old, you delivered to the water. The vile Chambdas had those in whom he hoped, we heard that they were his whole arm and strength. But you who easily routed such noble men, how will you appear against those who are left, who are useless and especially timid and fearful? Of whom perhaps nothing is inconsistent with what was said by the divine Isaiah, that "those who are left will be like a little gazelle

Oratio ad milites ..... ἀκούων ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μεγίστην εὔκλειαν, οὐκ οἶδα ποῖον ὑμῖν τὸν ἔπαινον ἐκ βασιλικῆς ἄρτι πλέξω τῆς γλώττης· οἷα γὰρ ἤκουσταί μοι περὶ ὑμῶν καὶ οἷα διὰ τῆς ἀναφορᾶς ἀνηγγέλη τῶν ἐμῶν πιστῶν θεραπόντων. Ἐκεῖνοι γάρ μοι κατεμήνυσαν ἀκριβῶς, ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ὑμῶν ἀρετὴν φιλαλήθως ἐγνώρισαν, πόσην μὲν τὴν ἀνδρείαν, πόσην δὲ τὴν ὁρμήν, πόσην δὲ τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπεδείξασθε γενναιότητα, καὶ ὅπως οὐχ ὡς πρὸς ἄνδρας ἦτε διαμαχόμενοι ἀλλὰ γυναικῶν, οἷον ἀθλίων, κατεπαιρόμενοι, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἀγῶνα καὶ πόλεμον διανύοντες, ἀλλ' ὡς παίγνιόν τι μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ποιούμενοι. Καίτοι καὶ ἵπποις ἐπιβεβηκότων αὐτῶν τὸ τάχος, οὐκ ἐφικτοῖς, καὶ ὅπλοις ὀχυρώτατα πεφραγμαίνων, ὅπλοις τὴν τέχνην οὐ μιμητοῖς, καὶ πᾶν ὅ, τι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν καὶ ἔκπληξιν ἦν, οὐδενὸς ἐλλείποντο. Ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ ἑνὸς ἐστέρηντο τοῦ μεγίστου, τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἐλπίδος φημί, πάντα αὐτοῖς εἰς κενὸν ἠλέγχετο καὶ μάταια ἦν· διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐγένοντο, φησίν, οἱ νεκροὶ αὐτῶν παράδειγμα ἐπὶ προσώπου πεδίου, καὶ ὡς χόρτος ὀπίσω θερίζοντος καὶ ὁ συνάγων οὐκ ἦν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐπ' αὐτῇ θαρρήσαντες καὶ τὰς ὑμετέρας αὐτῇ ψυχὰς πιστεύσαντες, τοιαῦτα κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐστήσατε τρόπαια καὶ τοιαύτας ἤρασθε νίκας, αἳ πανταχοῦ μὲν τῆς οἰκουμένης διέδραμον, ὀνομαστοὺς δὲ ὑμᾶς οὐ κατὰ τὰς πατρίδας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν διέθηκαν. Καὶ νῦν ἅπασα γλῶσσα καὶ οὖς ἅπαν, ἡ μὲν τὰ ὑμέτερα λέγει θαύματα, τὸ δὲ πρὸς ἀκοὴν διανίσταται. Ἐν ταύτῃ θαρροῦντας ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔτι βούλομαι, λαὸς ἐμὸς περιούσιος, ἰσχὺς ἐμή, σθένος ἀήττητον, προθύμως μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀγωνίσασθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀγωνιεῖσθε. Τοῦτ' οἶδα σαφῶς· αὐτὴ γὰρ ἡ φύσις διδάσκει μὲ τῶν πραγμάτων. Ὁ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν ἀντίπαλον τὸν αὐτοῦ διαγωνισάμενος καὶ νενικηκώς, οὐχ ὡς πρότερον αὐτῷ χρῆται καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· ἀλλὰ λύσας ἅπαν τὸ δέος, ὁ πρὸ τῆς πείρας αὐτὸν ἐθορύβει, σὺν πολλῷ τῷ θάρσει πρὸς τὸν σαφῶς ἤδη γινωσκόμενον ἐφορμᾷ. Ἄλλωστε δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς εἰδότες ὡς οὐ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁρμῆς ἥξουσιν, εἰς πεῖραν ἐλθόντες ἤδη τῆς ὑμῶν ἀνδρείας, ἀλλὰ συσταλήσονται καὶ ὑπόψονται, καὶ τὸ παθεῖν τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς προτέροις φυλάξονται· καὶ ὅπερ νῦν ὑμᾶς εἰς τόλμαν ἐμβάλλει, τοῦτ' ἐκείνους πάντως εἰς φόβον ὠθεῖ. Θαρσεῖτε τοιγαροῦν, ᾧ ἄνδρες ἐμοί, θαρσεῖτε, καὶ προθυμίας ἐμπλήσατε τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς δείξατε τί μὲν οἱ πεποιθότες εἰς Χριστὸν δύνανται, τί δὲ οἱ Βελιάρ, εἴτουν Μουχοῦμετ, ἐπιγραφόμενοι βοηθόν. Οὐ γὰρ χριστιανῶν μόνον ἐκδικηταὶ καὶ ὑπέρμαχοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ γίνεσθε, τοῦ κακῶς ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἀθετουμένου. Τί οὖν, ἄνθρωποι μὲν ἴσασι τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀγωνιζομένους ἀμείβεσθαι, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ὀρέξει χεῖρα τοῖς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῶν ἐκείνου ὁπλιζομένοις; Ἐκεῖνος ἡμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐκεῖνός ἐστι βοηθός, ὃς κραταιὸς μόνος καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμοις, οὗ παροξύνεται μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἀστραπὴν ἡ μάχαιρα, μεθύσκεται δὲ τὰ βέλη ἐξ αἵματος τῶν ἀνθεστηκότων αὐτῷ, ὃς συντρίβει τόξα καὶ τίθησι πόλεις ὀχυρὰς εἰς χῶμα, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς μὲν ὑπερηφάνων ταπεινοῖ, τῶν δέ γε ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἐλπιζόντων διδάσκει μὲν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς πόλεμον, τίθησι δὲ τόξον χαλκοῦν τοὺς βραχίονας, δίδωσι δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑπερασπισμὸν σωτηρίας. Ἐπ' αὐτῷ τοιγαροῦν ὅλην τὴν ἐλπίδα θῶμεν, ἀντὶ πάντων ὅπλων τῷ ἐκείνου σταυρῷ φραξώμεθα, ᾧ καὶ πρῴην ὑμεῖς ὁπλισάμενοι τοὺς τοῦ Χαμβδᾶν κραταίους τοὺς μὲν ἔργον μαχαίρας πεποιήκατε, τοὺς δέ, κατὰ τοὺς πρόπαλαι Αἰγυπτίους, ὕδατι παρεδώκατε. Ἐκείνους ὁ μιαρὸς Χαμβδᾶν εἶχεν ἐφ' οἷς ἤλπιζεν, ἐκείνους ἠκούομεν εἶναι τὸν ὅλον αὐτοῦ βραχίονα καὶ τὸ σθένος. Οἱ δὲ τοὺς οὕτω γενναίους εὐχερῶς τροπωσάμενοι, τί πρὸς τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ἀχρείους καὶ μάλιστα περιδεεῖς ὄντας καὶ πεφοβημένους φανήσεσθε; Ὧν οὐδὲν ἴσως ἀπᾴδει τὸ παρὰ τοῦ θείου ῥηθὲν Ἠσαΐου ὅτι "ἔσονται οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι ὡς δορκάδιον