they may prepare; then, by slackening the reins of their horses, they may with a charge distance themselves a little from their pursuers, so that they may be relieved a little from the weight of the enemies pressing upon them, and that the latter, by spurring their horses more sharply in pursuit, may render them exhausted and faint. When our pursued men approach the hidden place, let them pass by either on the right or on the left, so that, when the hidden force comes out, they do not meet them on the spot and injure one another; and after this, when the pursued men turn back along with those in the hidden place, and their charge against the enemy is made from two sides, this too will be to the advantage of our army. 17.9 Let the place of the hidden force be suitable for concealing them well; let it have no narrows or difficult ground at its exit, but let it be level and wide, in no way hindering their charge and swift attack against the enemy, especially if they are about two thousand men; for with such a number, the exit of such a place must be wide and straight. And let the lookout post, where the commander of the men in the hidden place stands watching, be suitable so that he can see the pursuing enemies from a great distance and estimate and observe the number of their men and how they are conducting the pursuit. 17.10 When the pursuers have approached the hidden place, having called upon the aid of God, let them charge against them with a swift, most vehement, and brave attack, with shouting and battle-cries. And let the pursued also turn back, and, their charge against the enemy having been made from two sides, this too will be to the advantage of our army. And if everything is done according to the present instruction, having above all the aid of God joined with them, what a destruction and ruin of the enemy will then occur, those who have experience of such things know. For how then, with their horses exhausted by the long and intense pursuit and their men worn out by the great toil of the battle, will the worst of evils not befall them? 17.11 But if—which is entirely unexpected—the enemy should be strong enough to resist, their entire force having come up in such a battle, and a stubborn fight should ensue with all their army fighting to reverse their defeat, and this should happen as a second possibility, the army's commander must, by some signal and command and a recall trumpet, separate his own men from the hand-to-hand fighting, they turning their backs—but not with a charge and disorderly flight, but in an orderly manner—and provoke the enemy to pursuit. And as the enemy battle lines press on and pursue, they will fall into the larger ambush. And the pursued, passing through on one side of the ambush, as we have said, whenever those in the large ambush charge against them, let the pursued also immediately turn back, and they will be found fighting the enemy from two sides; and this will procure a great advantage for the army. 17.12 If, then, the pursuers reach as far as the ambush and unexpectedly fall into it and they attack them with a bold and brave charge from the hidden place, by the grace of Christ they will utterly defeat them and will win great glory for themselves. But if, through some errors, they should not be able to completely overcome the enemy's battle lines, as they have a heavy force and are fighting strongly with their whole army, since you also have the infantry force as your ally, you will rather prevail over them. And if they are not utterly defeated, yet you will make many of them the work of the sword, and you may take even more of them as slaves, and they will be subjected to great fear and terror, so that they no longer dare to overrun and plunder our lands with impunity; rather, they will hasten to reach their own. 17.13 And these things, just as those before us handed down to us and the from the

παρασκευάσωσιν· εἴθ' οὕτως ἐπιδιδόντες τοὺς χαλινοὺς τῶν ἵππων μετ' ἐλασίας μακρυνθῶσι μικρὸν τῶν διωκόντων, ἵνα καὶ τοῦ βάρους τοῦ ἐπικειμένου αὐτοῖς τῶν πολεμίων μικρὸν κουφισθῶσι κἀκεῖνοι ὀξύτερον τοὺς ἵππους ἐλαύνοντες πρὸς δίωξιν ἀτόνους καὶ λειποψυχοῦντας ἐργάσωνται. Ἐγγιζόντων δὲ τῷ ἐγκρύμματι τῶν διωκομένων τοῦ λαοῦ ἡμῶν, εἴτε δεξιὰ εἴτε εὐώνυμα διελθέτωσαν, ἵνα τοῦ ἐγκρύμματος ἐξερχομένου μὴ κατὰ τόπον αὐτοῖς συναντήσωσι καὶ ἀλλήλους παραβλάψωσι· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν διωκομένων σὺν αὐτοῖς τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν τῷ ἐγκρύμματι ὑποστρεφόντων, καὶ ἐκ δύο μερῶν τῆς ὁρμῆς αὐτῶν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων γινομένης, εἰς ὠφέλειαν καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ ἡμετέρου στρατοῦ γενήσεται. 17.9 Ἔστω δὲ ὁ τόπος τοῦ ἐγκρύμματος ἐπιτήδειος πρὸς τὸ καλῶς αὐτοὺς ἀποκρύπτειν· στένωμα δὲ ἢ δυσχωρίαν εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον μηδαμῶς ἐχέτω, ἀλλ' ἐφόμαλος ἔστω καὶ εὐρύχωρος, μηδὲν παρεμποδίζων τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν καὶ ὀξεῖαν ἐπίθεσιν, καὶ μάλιστα περὶ τοὺς δισχιλίους ὄντων· ἐπὶ γὰρ τοσούτου ἀριθμοῦ πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐθῆ εἶναι δεῖ τὴν ἔξοδον τοῦ τοιούτου χώρου. Καὶ ἡ περιωπὴ δέ, ἐν ᾗ ἵσταται βλέπων ὁ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐγκρύμματι ἀρχηγός, ἐπιτηδεία ἔστω ὥστε καθορᾶν ἀπὸ πολλοῦ διαστήματος τοὺς διώκοντας πολεμίους καὶ τὴν ποσότητα τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῶν στοχάζεσθαι καὶ κατανοεῖν καὶ ὅπως τὴν δίωξιν ποιοῦνται. 17.10 Ἐγγισάντων δὲ τῶν διωκόντων ἐπὶ τῷ ἐγκρύμματι, ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν, ὀξέῳ καὶ σφοδροτάτῳ καὶ ἀνδρείῳ ὁρμήματι μετὰ κραυγῆς καὶ ἀλαλαγμοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν ὁρμησάτωσαν. Ὑποστρεφέσθωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ διωκόμενοι, καί, ἐκ δύο μερῶν τῆς ὁρμῆς αὐτῶν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων γεγενημένης, εἰς ὠφέλειαν καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ ἡμετέρου στρατοῦ γενήσεται. Καὶ εἰ ἀκολούθως πάντα κατὰ τὸν παρόντα πραχθείη διορισμόν, ἔχοντες πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν συνεφαπτομένην αὐτοῖς, οἵα τότε καταστροφὴ καὶ ὄλεθρος τῶν πολεμίων γενήσεται, οἱ πεῖραν τῶν τοιούτων ἔχοντες ἴσασιν. Καὶ πῶς γὰρ ἄρα, τῶν ἵππων τῇ μακρᾷ καὶ συντόνῳ διώξει ἠτονηκότων καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῷ πολλῷ πόνῳ τῆς μάχης ἐκλελοιπότων, οὐ τὰ κακῶν ἔσχατα τούτοις συμβήσεται; 17.11 Εἰ δέὅπερ πάντη ἀνέλπιστόν ἐστινἰσχύσουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι ἀντιστῆναι πάσης αὐτῶν τῆς δυνάμεως ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ πολέμῳ παραγενομένης καὶ καρτερὰ μάχη γένηται πανστρατὶ αὐτῶν μαχομένων διὰ τὸ τὴν ἧτταν αὐτῶν ἀνακαλέσασθαι, καὶ κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον τοῦτο συμβῇ, δεῖ τὸν τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀρχηγὸν ἀπὸ συνθήματός τινος καὶ διορισμοῦ καὶ σάλπιγγος ἀνακλητικῆς διαχωρίσαι τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς ἐκ χειρῶν μάχης, νῶτα διδόντων αὐτῶνπλὴν μὴ σὺν ἐλασίᾳ καὶ φυγῇ ἀκόσμῳ, ἀλλ' εὐτάκτωςἐρεθίζειν τε τοὺς πολεμίους πρὸς δίωξιν. Ἐπικειμένων δὲ τῶν παρατάξεων τῶν πολεμίων καὶ διωκουσῶν, τῇ μείζονι ἐνέδρᾳ περιπεσοῦνται. Καὶ οἱ διωκόμενοι, ἐν ἑνὶ μέρει τῆς ἐνέδρας, ὡς ἔφημεν, διερχόμενοι, ὁπόταν κατ' αὐτῶν οἱ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐνέδρᾳ ὄντες ὁρμήσωσιν, ὑποστρεφέσθωσαν παραυτίκα καὶ οἱ διωκόμενοι, καὶ εὑρεθήσονται ἐκ δύο μερῶν τοῖς πολεμίοις μαχομένοι· καὶ πολλὴν τοῦτο τῷ στρατῷ προξενήσει τὴν ὠφέλειαν. 17.12 Εἰ οὖν οἱ διώκοντες ἄχρι τῆς ἐνέδρας καταλάβωσι καὶ ἀπροόπτως ταύτῃ περιπέσωσι καὶ τολμηρῷ καὶ ἀνδρείῳ ὁρμήματι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐγκρύμματος κατ' αὐτῶν ἐφορμήσουσι, τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι κατὰ κράτος τούτους ἡττήσουσι καὶ μέγα κλέος ἑαυτοῖς περιποιήσονται. Εἰ δὲ διά τινα σφάλματα μὴ τελέως δυνηθῶσι τῶν παρατάξεων τῶν ἐχθρῶν περιγενέσθαι, ὡς δύναμιν βαρεῖαν ἐχόντων καὶ ἰσχυρῶς πανστρατὶ αὐτῶν μαχομένων, ἔχων καὶ τὸ πεζὸν στράτευμα συμμαχοῦν τί σοι, σὺ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ὑπερισχύσεις. Καὶ εἰ μὴ κατὰ κράτος ἡττηθῶσιν, ἀλλ' οὖν πολλοὺς αὐτῶν μαχαίρας ἔργον ποιήσεις, πλείονας δὲ τούτων καὶ ἀνδραπόδων λόγῳ κατάσχῃς, καὶ φόβῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ καταπλήξει ὑποβληθῶσιν, ὡς μηκέτι τολμᾶν ἀδεῶς τὰς χώρας ἡμῶν κατατρέχειν καὶ ληΐζεσθαι· μᾶλλον δὲ σπεύσουσι τὴν ἰδίαν καταλαβεῖν. 17.13 Καὶ ταῦτα μέν, καθὼς οἱ πρὸ ἡμῶν ἡμῖν παρέδοσαν καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ