Heracliadis iii acroaseos fragmenta

You throb, Achilles, and intoxicate the mind. I will now speak to you, if you do not wish to stop your ears. Let us take, men, into our mind the fear of God. Let us stand against enemies who have wrought many terrible things against Christians. Let us all revere the autocratic power of the Romans. Let us stand against enemies impiously armed. Let us take faith, the murderess of murders. For we are within. For flight brings great danger. Let us avenge the corruptions of virgins. Limbs cut off. One instead of all. You have spread our hearts, O Master, widening your mouth in exhortation. Your words have sharpened our swords. The error of the coals. And they, in turn, to invade Chosroes himself. To become a deliverer even of Persia, the world-destroyer.

Chosroes of the Persians wandering in the impassable places. Do not let the multitude of enemies trouble you, brothers; if God wills, one will put a thousand to flight. Let us take the crown of martyrs, so that time may praise us. Of all deeds, one worker is utterly counterfeit, as the saying goes. You see these things long ago through your spyglass. To steal the battle by night from the boundless calamity of the Syrmatae. For it is naturally likened to a bull, leaping and kicking its hind legs high, then raising its neck in a curve. To which neither is their nature inferior in thirst, nor is their hardness lacking in dust, but they are superior to thirst and hardship; nor again are they lacking in dust to cast off their labors. He himself, running out, went by opposite paths, and having crossed the greatest Nymphius, which, flowing into the streams of the Tigris, is deprived of being called Nymphius. He had no toil at the crossing of the Euphrates. This, O most mighty one, having crossed the estranged road as if it were a land route, and at the narrowness of the bridge, the barbarians threw themselves like frogs. For how does a bold man arm himself for battle and stand alone against so great a multitude?

But just as an anvil spits back the blows—for a Slav with a Hun and a Scythian with a Bulgar, and again a Mede, having conspired with the Scythian, though they have divisions of tongues and places and are separate and far apart, they stirred up one battle against us—and he sent forth a multitude of an army, having arrived, and hardening and constricting the moistures in a stony manner (for the evil breath of all Thrace), and devices and constructions of bastard towers, and having yoked together the carved vessels they spread them out, multitudes approached, as if estimated to gather eight myriad-commands. For you had, you had the Virgin conspiring with you, who foretold to you the future of your aim. Having her as your customary shield-bearer, you waged counter-campaign from an immaterial heart against the counter-artifices of the contests' instruments. For you had the hope of God as a bow, running more sharply than the speed of lightning, and faith as towers, and tears as arrows, and the Spirit as fire; and you made tortoises, bending your knee and lowering your neck.

and sending back groans like stones, you turned back the stone-throwing barbarians. This newly-drawn phalanx, which a mother bore without seed, the barbarian, by word and manner, fleeing fearlessly and running back like a dog, the army held back the cavalry consumption; the army drags consumption toward us with speed; in the garden of the renowned battle, become plunderers. For if the courage of Persia itself were extinguished, always, as it seems, circumstances aroused by continuous labors give rise to impulses for better plans, especially when they find a nature sharpened for boldness. For there is a sting, and especially for barbarians, to be fickle in changes. For having divided the army into three masses, he drew back your forces, as it seemed, by running around. But if he is idle and resents the drunkenness, and the lawless pleasures of the barbarian, inspired by the burning of drunkenness, they kindled; having abandoned this abominable drunkenness and all the filth of foreign songs, many Bacchants were seen involuntarily dancing the final dance, and all, as in a festival of evils, one after another misfortune was unfortunate, holding in one battle and resounding in battles, drawing all like a magnet stone, or rather to say the Heraclean stone. For you have a more attractive nature; for you drew them like the tension of the sun draws moisture to itself. For the advances of swords and stones, you came in the midst of shields with heavy speed; the double fold of the tunic, falling in, checked your swift volley. For who expected the dragon Chosroes to flee?

He turned to the channels of the Tigris. I pursue and run toward peace. Yet I do not willingly burn Persia, but am compelled. Let us throw down our arms. Let us quench the fire, before it consumes everything. Since he was already within the chariots, they bind him with a more secure bond. They lead him into the house of darkness, which he himself fortified, having built it from youth. A meager loaf. Which he gathered in vain. He desolated the world. Chosroes endured various laborious sallies. Mystical contemplation. The creator of the creation. They went out to meet him, taking branches and torches. They moistened the earth. The whole race of Rome is in labor, squeezing out your praises like milk. I too was one of those hastening to shout. And you wish to give substance to all of us and to make us children of God day by day.