It was a way out of necessity, but from perplexity he then turned the mass of his arrogance to humiliation. For on the one hand an agitated mind then possessed him, and persuaded him to retreat backwards from your power to an opposing course, but he was wary of the plan, seeing the outcomes everywhere uncertain for the opposite course; on the other hand, from necessity he hastened to retrace the Cilician passes and the position of the road, which was steep and constricted by cliffs and ravines; but here too an overturning again seized his mind. For the passage through Armenia gnawed at him, lest you invade from there and utterly confound all of Persia. And raging much with his bastard counsels, he had reasoning established nowhere, but just as an easily rolled, unstable stone rushes toward a downward depth, but striking a buttress is overturned, so the many of his counsels, having slipped, the rollings of this stone, pushed by unstable outbursts, were overturned by contrary opinions. Nevertheless he was led on and, like a dog bound with chains, was dragged along behind by necessity. And toiling rashly and laboring in vain, he drove a double course for a single road. But as he encountered your ready and pre-secured tactical skills, he understood that the battle was nerveless for him, he planned a theft and prepared to take the night as a collaborator for his purpose; for he was then preparing for attacks, seeking a moonless time for his stealthy deeds. But when he saw the all-shining luminary that shines brightly on the night after the day, he had the torch as a refutation of his theft, and then he held the moon, formerly revered, as an opponent, being treated impiously; and somewhere, being vexed in himself, the barbarian mind prayed that the goddess of Persia not run to her waxing, but rather cease. 3 The goddess of Persia suffered an eclipse, she suffered an eclipse both in word and in deed. And I think she rejoices, for the sake of Persia's harm, to be waning and ceasing and diminishing; for she always wishes rather to fail them than to shine before them, being impiously honored. But for us the torch of the lordly sun, warming us, even now kindles our words, and a pious Phoebus comes forth for us, purifying all with a purificatory word; but he abhors the decrees of Loxias, fleeing the twisted riddles of error. And with many things now stirring in the midst, there were then fifteen days in which, unceasingly running out to the struggles, you were arraying the army for battle lines. But the barbarian, both in race and in manner, did not at all hold the reins of his mind; for he both promised battle many times and came to such great shame that, attacking you daily, he was overthrown, daring what was not to be dared and running backwards. So he occupied mountains like the gazelles, and he dwelt among rocks like hares in fear.

But wickedness is not a thing without purpose, and in doing this he was immediately caught; for he would run down to impassable places, so that he might get a pretext for postponing the battle of your ready troops. But you yourself led your prepared army toward land spread out evenly, and somewhere from a mountain the barbarian, having observed your artful and wise strategy, and having been struck with amazement at such good order, he fixed his battalions there in fear and remained, turned to stone with the stones. These things are not colored for the sake of favor; but they are altogether simple words of truth, which if we were to keep silent, the stones perhaps would break forth with voices of the things that have been done. But since the barbarian's cowardice was providing much postponement from habit—for being cowardly and timid, he appeared brave only in the seeming of battle—he held the <δὲ> battle lines without moving; for thus they were depicted only as painters paint pictures, and here you dare more than Alexander's plan, most excellent one, but without danger. not as one unwilling to run into danger, but as one unwilling to stumble through lack of counsel; for a general is safe through good counsels, but he is not safer through acts of daring. And so then you pitched a tent between the armies, giving easy opportunities for the battle; and dinner was ready for you in the middle, in appearance only; for the mind

ἀνάγκης ἦν πόρος, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀπορίας εἰς ταπείνωσιν τότε τὸν ὄγκον ἀντέστρεψε τῆς ἐπάρσεως. πῇ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἠρεθισμένη τότε γνώμη κατεῖχε, καὶ κατόπιν τοῦ σοῦ κράτους παλινδρομεῖν ἔπειθεν εἰς ἀνάρροπον, ἀλλ' εὐλαβεῖτο τοῦ σκοποῦ τἀναντία βλέπων ἀδήλους πανταχοῦ τὰς ἐκβάσεις· πῇ δ' ἐξ ἀνάγκης τὰς Κιλικίας εἰσόδους καὶ τὴν δυσάντη καὶ κατεστενωμένην κρημνοῖς τε καὶ φάραγξι τῆς ὁδοῦ θέσιν ἀνατρέχειν ὥρμησεν· ἀλλὰ κἀνθάδε ἀνατροπὴ κατεῖχε τὴν γνώμην πάλιν. τῆς Ἀρμενίας γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ διέξοδος ἔδακνε, μήπως ἔνθεν εἰσβαλὼν φθάσῃς καὶ πᾶσαν ἄρδην συνταράξῃς Περσίδα. καὶ πολλὰ λυττῶν τοῖς νόθοις βουλεύμασι λογισμὸν εἶχεν οὐδαμοῦ βεβηκότα, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εὐκύλιστος ἄστατος λίθος ἐπείγεται μὲν πρὸς κατάρροπον βάθος, εἰς δ' ἀντέρεισμα προσβαλὼν ἀνετράπη, οὕτως ὀλισθήσαντα τῶν βουλευμάτων τὰ πολλὰ τοῦδε τοῦ λίθου κυλίσματα ταῖς ἀστατούσαις ἐκφοραῖς ὠθούμενα γνώμαις ἀνετρέποντο ταῖς ἐναντίαις. ὅμως ὑπήχθη καὶ κατόπιν κυνὸς δίκην σειραῖς δεθέντος ἐξ ἀνάγκης εἵλκετο. εἰκῇ δὲ μοχθῶν καὶ μάτην πονούμενος διπλοῦς δρόμους ἤλαυνεν εἰς ὁδὸν μίαν. ἀλλ' ὡς ἑτοίμοις καὶ προησφαλισμέναις ταῖς τακτικαῖς σου προσβαλὼν εὐτεχνίαις ἄνευρον αὑτῷ τὴν μάχην ἠπίστατο, κλοπὴν μεριμνᾷ καὶ παρεσκευάζετο λαβεῖν συνεργὸν τοῦ σκοποῦ τὴν εὐφρόνην· πρὸς γὰρ ἐπελεύσεις λοιπὸν εὐτρεπίζετο ζητῶν ἀφεγγῆ καιρὸν εἰς τὰ κλέμματα. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μεθ' ἡμέραν τὴν νύκτα παμφαίνοντα παμφαῆ βλέπων ἔλεγχον εἶχε τῆς κλοπῆς τὴν λαμπάδα, καὶ τὴν σελήνην λοιπὸν ὡς ἐναντίαν τὴν πρὶν σεβαστὴν εἶχε δυσσεβουμένην· καί που καθ' αὑτὸν δυσφορῶν ἐπηύξατο ὁ βάρβαρος νοῦς μὴ πρὸς αὔξησιν τρέχειν λήγειν δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν θεὸν τῆς Περσίδος. 3 Ἔκλειψιν ἔσχεν ἡ θεὸς τῆς Περσίδος, ἔκλειψιν ἔσχε καὶ λόγῳ καὶ πράγματι. οἶμαι δέ, χαίρει Περσικῆς βλάβης χάριν φθίνουσα καὶ λήγουσα καὶ μειουμένη· ἀεὶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ἐκλείπειν θέλει ἤπερ προλάμπειν δυσσεβῶς τιμωμένη. ἡμᾶς δὲ λαμπὰς ἡλίου τοῦ δεσπότου θάλπουσα καὶ νῦν ἐξανάπτει τοὺς λόγους, καὶ Φοῖβος ἡμῖν εὐσεβὴς προέρχεται πάντας καθαίρων ἐκ καθαρσίου λόγου· τοῦ Λοξίου δὲ τοὺς ὅρους βδελύττεται τὰ στρεβλὰ φεύγων τῆς πλάνης αἰνίγματα. ἤδη δὲ πολλῶν ἐν μέσῳ κινουμένων τρεῖς πεντάριθμοι λοιπὸν ἦσαν ἡμέραι ἐν αἷς ἀπαύστως εἰς ἀγῶνας ἐκτρέχων πρὸς τὰς παρατάξεις τὸν στρατὸν συνεκρότεις. ὁ βάρβαρος δὲ καὶ γένει καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ οὐκ εἶχε τοῦ νοῦ παντελῶς τὰς ἡνίας· καὶ πολλάκις γὰρ τὴν μάχην ὑπέσχετο καὶ πρὸς τοσαύτην ἦλθεν αἰσχύνην, ὅτι καθ' ἡμέραν σοι προσβαλὼν ἀνετράπη, ἄτολμα τολμῶν καὶ τρέχων ὑπόστροφα. ὄρη μὲν οὖν κατεῖχεν ὡς αἱ δορκάδες, ᾤκει τε πέτρας ὥσπερ οἱ πτῶκες φόβῳ.

οὐκ ἄσκοπον δὲ χρῆμα τῆς πονηρίας, καὶ τοῦτο πράττων εὐθέως ἡλίσκετο· εἰς δυσβάτους γὰρ προσκατέτρεχεν τόπους, ὅπως ἀφορμὴν εἰς ὑπέρθεσιν λάβοι τῆς σῆς ἑτοίμων τῶν στρατευμάτων μάχης. αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς γῆν εὐθέτως ἡπλωμένην τὸν σὸν στρατὸν προσῆγες ηὐτρεπισμένον, καί που σκοπήσας ἐξ ὄρους ὁ βάρβαρος τὴν καλλίτεχνον καὶ σοφὴν στρατηγίαν, καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην ἐκπλαγεὶς εὐταξίαν ἔπηξεν αὐτοῦ σὺν φόβῳ τὰ τάγματα καὶ τοῖς λίθοις ἔμεινε συλλιθούμενος. οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα πρὸς χάριν κεχρωσμένα· ἁπλοῖ δὲ πάντως τῆς ἀληθείας λόγοι, οὓς εἰ σιωπήσαιμεν, αἱ πέτραι τάχα φωνὰς ἀπορρήξουσι τῶν πεπραγμένων. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλὴν ἐξ ἔθους ὑπέρθεσιν τοῦ βαρβάρου παρεῖχεν ἡ δειλανδρία δειλὸς γὰρ ὢν κἄτολμος, ἀνδρεῖος μόνον ἐν τῇ δοκήσει τῆς μάχης ἐφαίνετο· τὰς <δὲ> παρατάξεις εἶχε μὴ κινουμένας· οὕτω γὰρ ἦσαν ἱστορημέναι μόνον ὡς ζωγραφοῦσιν οἱ γραφεῖς τὰς εἰκόνας, κἀνταῦθα τολμᾷς τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου πλέον, κράτιστε, γνώμης, ἀλλὰ κινδύνου δίχα. οὐχ ὥσπερ εἰς κίνδυνον οὐ θέλων τρέχειν ἀλλὰ σφαλῆναι μὴ θέλων ἀβουλίᾳ· εὐβουλίαις γὰρ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἀσφαλής, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τόλμαις ἐστὶν ἀσφαλέστερος. καὶ δὴ μεταξὺ τῶν στρατευμάτων τότε σκηνὴν ἔπηξας, εὐχερεῖς πρὸς τὴν μάχην διδοὺς ἀφορμάς· καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἐν μέσῳ ἕτοιμον ἦν σοι σχηματισμῷ καὶ μόνῳ· ὁ νοῦς γὰρ