ians. But the
Persians had by no means disclosed this fact to the Romans, plainly
awaiting the outcome of the attempts upon the wall which they had
planned, in order that, if they should be able to capture it, they might
seem in no way to be violating the treaty, while if defeated, as
actually happened, they might draw up the treaty at the invitation of
the Romans. And when Rhecinarius had gone inside the gates, the Persians
demanded that those who were to arrange the peace should come to
Chosroes without any delay, but the Romans said that envoys would be
sent three days later; for that just at the moment their general,
Martinus, was unwell.

And Chosroes, suspecting that the reason was not a sound one, prepared
for battle. And at that time he only threw a great mass of bricks upon
the embankment; but two days later he came against the fortifications of
the city with the whole army to storm the wall. And at every gate he
stationed some of the commanders and a part of the army, encircling the
whole wall in this way, and he brought up ladders and war-engines
against it. And in the rear he placed all the Saracens with some of the
Persians, not in order to assault the wall, but in order that, when the
city was captured, they might gather in the fugitives and catch them as
in a drag-net. Such, then, was the purpose of Chosroes in arranging the
army in this way. And the fighting began early in the morning, and at
first the Persians had the advantage. For they were in great numbers and
fighting against a very small force, since the most of the Romans had
not heard what was going on and were utterly unprepared. But as the
conflict advanced the city became full of confusion and tumult, and the
whole population, even women and little children, were going up on to
the wall. Now those who were of military age together with the soldiers
were repelling the enemy most vigorously, and many of the rustics made a
remarkable shew of valorous deeds against the barbarians. Meanwhile the
women and children, and the aged also, were gathering stones for the
fighters and assisting them in other ways. Some also filled numerous
basins with olive-oil, and after heating them over fire a sufficient
time everywhere along the wall, they sprinkled the oil, while boiling
fiercely, upon the enemy who were assailing the wall, using a sort of
whisk for the purpose, and in this way harassed them still more. The
Persians, therefore, soon gave up and began t