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perhaps neither shield nor breastplate being able to ward off 1.1.16 any of its force. But there are some who, taking least thought of these things, revere and marvel at ancient times, but grant no advantage to modern inventions. 1.1.17 But none of these things will prevent the greatest and most noteworthy events from happening in these wars. But first, beginning a little way back, will be told all that befell the Romans and the Medes in their wars to suffer and to do. 1.2.1 When Arcadius, the emperor of the Romans, was about to end his life in Byzantium (for he had a son, Theodosius, who had not yet been weaned), he was at a loss concerning both the child and the empire, being quite unable to arrange both well. 1.2.2 For a certain thought occurred to him that if he should provide some partner for Theodosius in the sovereignty, he would in fact be destroying his own son, by bringing against him a hostile power clothed in the imperial authority, 1.2.3 but if he should establish him alone on the throne, many would aspire to the empire, taking advantage, as was likely, of the child's helplessness, and rising up would with no trouble make themselves tyrants, after destroying Theodosius, since he had no kinsman in Byzantium 1.2.4 who could be his guardian. For he in no way hoped that his uncle Honorius would be able to help, since the affairs of Italy were already in a bad state. 1.2.5 And no less did matters concerning the Medes trouble him, fearing that these barbarians, taking advantage of the emperor's 1.2.6 youth, might do irreparable harm to the Romans. Having fallen into this perplexity, Arcadius, although not sharp-witted in other matters, formed a plan which was able to save both his son and the empire with ease, whether by consulting with some of the wise men, many of whom are accustomed to attend a king, or by some divine inspiration that came to him. 1.2.7 For having made a will, he named his son as successor to the sovereignty, and appointed as his guardian Isdigerdes, the king of the Persians, whom indeed in his will he earnestly enjoined to preserve the empire for Theodosius with all his strength and foresight. 1.2.8 So Arcadius, having thus settled both the empire and his own affairs, died; but Isdigerdes, the king of the Persians, when he saw this document brought to him, being already exceedingly famous for the magnanimity of his character, displayed a virtue worthy of much wonder 1.2.9 and praise. For he in no way disregarded the instructions of Arcadius, but continued to maintain a boundless peace with the Romans for the whole time, 1.2.10 and preserved the empire for Theodosius. For instance, he immediately wrote a letter to the Roman senate, not refusing to be the guardian of the emperor Theodosius, and threatening war if anyone should attempt to form a plot against him. 1.2.11 But when Theodosius had become a man and reached an advanced age, and Isdigerdes had fallen sick and departed from the world, Vararanes, the king of the Persians, invaded the land of the Romans with a great army, but did nothing disagreeable, and returned to his own country unsuccessful in the following manner. 1.2.12 The emperor Theodosius had sent Anatolius, the general of the East, alone as an envoy to the Persians; who, when he had come very near the army of the Medes, leaped down from his horse alone, 1.2.13 and went on foot towards Vararanes. And Vararanes, seeing him, inquired of those present who the man approaching might be. And they said that he was the general of the Romans. 1.2.14 Therefore the king, struck with amazement at the exceeding honor, himself turned his horse back and rode away, 1.2.15 and the whole host of the Persians followed him. And when he came to his own land, he received the envoy with much friendliness and agreed to the peace just as Anatolius desired of him, on the condition, however, that neither side should build any new fortification in its own territory which was on the borders of the other. When this had been settled by them, each side managed its own affairs as it wished. 1.3.1 But later on, Perozes, the king of the Persians, was engaged in a war concerning boundaries with the nation of the Ephthalite Huns, whom they call white,

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ἀσπίδος ἴσως οὔτε θώρακος ἀποκρούεσθαί 1.1.16 τι δυναμένου τῆς ῥύμης. εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ τούτων ἥκιστα ἐνθυμούμενοι σέβονται μὲν καὶ τεθήπασι τὸν παλαιὸν χρόνον, οὐδὲν δὲ ταῖς ἐπιτεχνήσεσι διδόασι πλέον. 1.1.17 ἀλλὰ τούτων οὐδὲν κωλύσει μὴ οὐχὶ μέγιστά τε καὶ ἀξιολογώτατα ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς πολέμοις ξυμβῆναι. λελέξεται δὲ πρῶτον ἀρξαμένοις μικρὸν ἄνωθεν ὅσα Ῥωμαίοις ξυνηνέχθη καὶ Μήδοις πολεμοῦσι παθεῖν τε καὶ δρᾶσαι. 1.2.1 Ἡνίκα τὸν βίον Ἀρκάδιος ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺςἐν Βυζαντίῳ τελευτᾶν ἤμελλεν (ἦν γάρ οἱ παῖς Θεοδόσιος οὔπω τοῦ τιτθοῦ ἀπαλλαγεὶς), διηπορεῖτο ἀμφί τε τῷ παιδὶ καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ, εὖ θέσθαι ἄμφω ὡς 1.2.2 ἥκιστα ἔχων. ἐγίνετο γάρ τις αὐτῷ ἔννοια, ὡς, ἢν μὲν κοινωνόν τινα Θεοδοσίῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας πορίζηται, αὐτὸς ἂν τὸν παῖδα τὸν αὑτοῦ διαχρησάμενος τῷ ἔργῳ εἴη, πολέμιον αὐτῷ δύναμιν τὴν βασίλειον περιβεβλη1.2.3 μένον ἐπαγαγὼν, ἢν δὲ μόνον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καταστήσηται, πολλοὶ μὲν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιβατεύσουσι, τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς ἐρημίας, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἀπολαύοντες, ἐπαναστάντες δὲ πόνῳ οὐδενὶ τυραννήσουσι, τὸν Θεοδόσιον διαφθείραντες, ἐπεὶ οὐδένα ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ξυγ1.2.4 γενῆ εἶχεν, ὅστις ἂν αὐτῷ ἐπίτροπος εἴη. Ὁνώριον γάρ οἱ τὸν θεῖον ἐπαρκέσειν οὐδαμῆ ἤλπισε, πονηρῶν 1.2.5 ἤδη τῶν Ἰταλίας πραγμάτων ὄντων. οὐδὲν δὲ ἧσσον καὶ τὰ ἐκ Μήδων αὐτὸν ξυνετάρασσε, δεδιότα μὴ οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι τῆς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος καταθέοντες 1.2.6 ἡλικίας ἀνήκεστα ἔργα Ῥωμαίους δράσωσιν. ἐς ταύτην Ἀρκάδιος τὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἐμπεπτωκὼς, καίπερ οὐ γεγονὼς εἰς τὰ ἄλλα ἀγχίνους, βουλεύεται βουλὴν, ἥτις οἱ τόν τε παῖδα καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν διασώσασθαι εὐπετῶς ἴσχυσεν, εἴτε κοινολογησάμενος τῶν λογίων τισὶν, οἷοι πολλοὶ βασιλεῖ παρεδρεύειν εἰώθασιν, ἢ θείας τινὸς ἐπιπνοίας 1.2.7 αὐτῷ γενομένης. διαθήκης γὰρ διαθεὶς γράμματα, διάδοχον μὲν τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀνεῖπε τὸν παῖδα, ἐπίτροπον δὲ αὐτῷ κατεστήσατο Ἰσδιγέρδην τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα, ᾧ δὴ πολλὰ ἐν ταῖς διαθήκαις ἐπέσκηψε Θεοδοσίῳ τὴν βασιλείαν σθένει τε καὶ προνοίᾳ πάσῃ 1.2.8 ξυνδιασώσασθαι. Ἀρκάδιος μὲν ὧδε τήν τε ἀρχὴν καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα διοικησάμενος ἐτελεύτησεν· Ἰσδιγέρδης δὲ ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς, ἐπεὶ τὸ γράμμα τοῦτο ἀπενεχθὲν εἶδεν, ὢν καὶ πρότερον ἐπὶ τρόπου μεγαλοφροσύνῃ διαβόητος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, ἀρετὴν ἐπεδείξατο θαύματός 1.2.9 τε πολλοῦ καὶ λόγου ἀξίαν. τὰς γὰρ Ἀρκαδίου ἐντολὰς ἐν ἀλογίᾳ οὐδεμιᾷ ποιησάμενος εἰρήνῃ τε ἀφθόνῳ χρώμενος διαγέγονεν ἐς Ῥωμαίους τὸν πάντα χρόνον 1.2.10 καὶ Θεοδοσίῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν διεσώσατο. αὐτίκα γοῦν πρὸς Ῥωμαίων τὴν βουλὴν γράμματα ἔγραψεν, ἐπίτροπός τε οὐκ ἀπαρνούμενος Θεοδοσίου βασιλέως εἶναι καὶ πόλεμον ἐπανατεινόμενος, ἤν τις αὐτῷ ἐς ἐπιβουλὴν ἐγχειροίη καθίστασθαι. 1.2.11 Ἐπεὶ δὲ Θεοδόσιος μὲν ἀνήρ τε ἐγεγόνει καὶ ἡλικίας πόρρω ἀφῖκτο, Ἰσδιγέρδης δὲ νοσήσας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο, ἐπῆλθε μὲν ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν Οὐαραράνης ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς στρατῷ μεγάλῳ, ἔδρασε δὲ οὐδὲν ἄχαρι, ἀλλ' ἄπρακτος ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς 1.2.12 τὰ οἰκεῖα τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. Ἀνατόλιον τὸν τῆς ἕω στρατηγὸν Θεοδόσιος ὁ βασιλεὺς πρεσβευτὴν ἐς Πέρσας μόνον αὐτὸν ἐτύγχανε πέμψας· ὃς ἐπειδὴ ἄγχιστα ἐγεγόνει τοῦ Μήδων στρατοῦ, ἀποθρώσκει μὲν τοῦ ἵππου μό1.2.13 νος, πεζῇ δὲ βαδίζων ἐπὶ Οὐαραράνην ᾔει. καὶ αὐτὸν Οὐαραράνης ἰδὼν τῶν παρόντων ἀνεπυνθάνετο ὅστις ποτὲ ὁ προσιὼν εἴη. οἱ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων εἶναι στρα1.2.14 τηγὸν ἔφασαν. καταπλαγεὶς οὖν τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντι τῆς τιμῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς στρέψας τὸν ἵππον ὀπίσω ἀπή1.2.15 λαυνε, καί οἱ ἅπας ὁ τῶν Περσῶν λεὼς εἵπετο. γενόμενος δὲ ἐν γῇ τῇ οἰκείᾳ τόν τε πρεσβευτὴν ξὺν φιλοφροσύνῃ πολλῇ εἶδε καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ξυνεχώρησεν οὕτως, ὥσπερ Ἀνατόλιος αὐτοῦ ἔχρῃζεν, ἐφ' ᾧ μέντοι μηδέτεροι ἐν χωρίῳ οἰκείῳ ἐν γειτόνων τοῖς τῶν ἑτέρων ὁρίοις ὄντι ὀχύρωμα νεώτερόν τι ἐργάζονται. οὗ δὴ αὐτοῖς ἐξειργασμένου ἑκάτεροι τὰ οἰκεῖα ὅπη ἐβούλοντο ἔπρασσον. 1.3.1 Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον Περόζης ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸ Οὔννων τῶν Ἐφθαλιτῶν ἔθνος, οὕσπερ λευκοὺς ὀνομάζουσι, πόλεμον περὶ γῆς ὁρίων διέφερε,