XLVI. e paid by God and pofterity." These magnani- CHAP. mous fentiments were fupported by the vigour of his actions. He repelled the threefold attack of the Perfians, improved the divifions of their chiefs, and, by a well-concerted train of marches, retreats, and successful actions, finally chafed them from the field into the fortified cities of Media and Affyria. In the severity of the winter feafon, Sabaraza deemed himself secure in the walls of Salban; he was surprised by the activity of Heraclius, who divided his troops and performed a laborious march in the silence of the night. The flat roofs of the houses were defended with useless valour against the darts and torches of the Romans the fatraps and nobles of Perfia, with their wives and children, and the flower of their martial youth, were either flain or made prifoners. The general escaped by a precipitate flight, but his golden armour was the prize of the conqueror; and the foldiers of Heraclius enjoyed the wealth and repose which they had fo nobly deferved. On the return of fpring, the emperor traversed in seven days the mountains of Curdistan, and paffed without refiftance the rapid stream of the Tigris. Oppreffed by the weight of their spoils and captives, the Roman army haulted under the walls of Amida; and Hera clius informed the fenate of Conftantinople of his fafety and fuccefs, which they had already felt by the retreat of the befiegers. The bridges of the Euphrates were deftroyed by the Perfians; but as foon as the emperor had discovered a ford, they haftily retired to defend the banks of the SaVOL. VIII. R rus, XLVI. CHAP. rus, in Cilicia. That river, an impetuous torrent," was about three hundred feet broad, the bridge was fortified with ftrong turrets, and the banks were lined with Barbarian archers. After a bloody conflict, which continued till the evening, the Romans prevailed in the affault, and a Perfian of gigantic fize was flain and thrown into the Sarus by the hand of the emperor himself. The enemies were dispersed and difmayed; Heraclius pursued his march to Sebaste in Cappadocia; and at the expiration of three years, the fame coaft of the Euxine applauded his return from a long and victorious expedition 93. Deliverance of the Per fians and Avars, Instead of skirmishing on the frontier, the two Conftanti- monarchs who difputed the empire of the East nople from aimed their desperate ftrokes at the heart of their rival. The military force of Perfia was wafted by A. D. 626. the marches and combats of twenty years, and many of the veterans, who had survived the perils of the fword and the climate, were still detained in the fortreffes of Egypt and Syria. But the revenge and ambition of Chofroes exhaufted his kingdom; and the new levies of fubjects, ftrangers, and flaves, were divided into three formidable bodies 94. The first army of fifty thousand 92 At ten parafangs from Tarfus, the army of the younger Cyrus passed the Sarus, three plethra in breadth: the Pyramus, a stadium in breadth, ran five parafangs farther to the east (Xenophon, Anábaf. 1.i. p. 33, 34.). 93 George of Pifidia (Bell, Abaricum, 246-265. p. 49.) celebrates with truth the perfevering courage of the three campaigns (TgEis megidermes) against the Perfians. 94 Petavius (Annotationes ad Nicephorum, p. 62, 63, 64.) difcriminates the names and actions of five Perfian generals who were fucceffively fent against Heraclius, men, XLVI. men, illuftrious by the ornament and title of the CHAP. golden fpears, was deftined to march against Heraclius; the fecond was ftationed to prevent his junction with the troops of his brother Theodorus; and the third was commanded to besiege Conftantinople, and to fecond the operations of the chagan, with whom the Perfian king had ratified a treaty of alliance and partition. Sarbar, the general of the third army, penetrated through the provinces of Afia to the well-known camp of Chalcedon, and amused himself with the destruction of the facred and prophane buildings of the Afiatic fuburbs, while he impatiently waited the arrival of his Scythian friends on the oppofite fide of the Bofphorus. On the twenty-ninth of June, thirty thousand Barbarians, the vanguard of the Avars, forced the long wall, and drove into the capital a promifcuous crowd of peasants, citizens, and foldiers. Fourfcore thoufand 95 of his native " fubjects, and of the vaffal tribes of Gepida, Ruffians, Bulgarians, and Sclavonians, advanced under the standard of the chagan; a month was spent in marches and negotiations, but the whole city was invested on the thirty-first of July, from the fuburbs of Pera and Galata to the Blachernæ and seven towers; and the inhabitants defcried with terror the flaming fignals of the European and Afiatic fhores. In the mean while the magiftrates 95 This number of eight myriads is specified by George of Pifidia (Bell. Abar. 219.). The poet (50-88.) clearly indicates that the old chagan lived till the reign of Heraclius, and that his son and fucceffor was born of a foreign mother. Yet Foggini (Annotat. p. 57.) has given another interpretation to this paffage. XLVI. CHAP. of Conftantinople repeatedly strove to purchase the retreat of the chagan: but their deputies were rejected and infulted; and he fuffered the patricians to stand before his throne, while the Perfian envoys, in filk robes, were feated by his fide. "You fee," said the haughty Barbarian, “the "proofs of my perfect union with the great king; "and his lieutenant is ready to fend into my camp a felect band of three thousand warriors. "Presume no longer to tempt your master with a "partial and inadequate ranfom: your wealth and your city are the only prefents worthy of my acceptance. For yourselves, I fhall permit you "to depart, each with an under-garment and a "fhirt; and, at my entreaty, my friend Sarbar "will not refufe a paffage through his lines. Your "abfent prince, even now a captive or a fugitive, "has left Conftantinople to its fate; nor can you "escape the arms of the Avars and Perfians, un"lefs you could foar into air like birds, unlefs like "" fishes you could dive into the waves 96." During ten fucceffive days, the capital was affaulted by the Avars, who had made fome progrefs in the science of attack; they advanced to sap or batter the wall, under the cover of the impenetrable tortoife; their engines difcharged a perpetual 96 96 A bird, a frog, a mouse, and five arrows, had been the prefent of the Scythian king to Darius (Herodot. 1. i4. c. 131, 132.). Subftituez une lettre à ces fignes (fays Rouffeau, with much good tafte) plus elle fera menaçante moins elle effrayera: ce ne fera qu'une fanfarronade dont Darius n'eut fait que rire (Emile, tom. iii. p. 146.). Yet I much question whether the fenate and people of Conftantinople laughed at this meffage of the chagan. XLVI. volley of stones and darts; and twelve lofty towers CHAP. of wood exalted the combatants to the height of the neighbouring ramparts. But the fenate and people were animated by the spirit of Heraclius, who had detached to their relief a body of twelve thousand cuiraffiers; the powers of fire and mechanics were ufed with fuperior art and fuccefs in the defence of Conftantinople; and the gallies, with two and three ranks of oars, commanded the Bofphorus, and rendered the Perfians the idle spectators of the defeat of their allies. The Avars were repulfed; a fleet of Sclavonian canoes was destroyed in the harbour; the vaffals of the chagan threatened to defert, his provifions were exhaufted, and after burning his engines, he the fignal of a flow and formidable retreat. the Romans afcribed this fignal deliverance to the virgin Mary; but the mother of Chrift would furely have condemned their inhuman murder of the Perfian envoys, who were entitled to the rights of humanity, if they were not protected by the laws of nations 97. J gave The devotion of Alliances and con After the divifion of his army, Heraclius pru, dently retired to the banks of the Phafis, from quests of whence he maintained a defenfive war against the Heracl.us. fifty thousand gold fpears of Perfia. His anxiety was relieved by the deliverance of Conftantinople; 97 The Pafchal Chronicle (p. 392–397.) gives a minute and authentic narrative of the fiege and deliverance of Conftantinople. Theophanes (p. 264.) adds fome circumstances; and a faint light may be obtained from the fmoke of George of Fifidia, who has compofed a poem (de Bello Abarico, p. 45-54 ) to commemorate this aufpicious event. |