from long experience, we have written. It is fitting for you to act against the likely impending circumstance; for not as the counsels of men, but as the providence of God from above will balance each matter, and the end of the war follows. 18.t Concerning when the general must make a raid from two sides of the enemy 18.1 But if the enemy should still persist, which is unexpected after being so wounded, patrolling our lands in the manner of an army, burning and destroying, not daring to send their people anywhere far off on a raid, the general should send a considerable force to the other side of the enemy, where he himself is not raiding; and to attack and wound those who are raiding from three or four miles from the camp, here and there, in order to prevent them from gathering provisions, so that as a result of this, having a shortage of provisions, they may be forced to withdraw. 18.2 But if you see, O general, the enemy still guarding themselves and not allowing those sent out to collect supplies to ride far, it is necessary to devise also this ambush for their harm; to observe the enemy's pickets, those going out to guard them and standing far from the camp, and whichever of them returns more slowly to their tents, perhaps waiting until their comrades who are searching the nearby places return to their tents, hasten to lay an ambush against it. 18.3 And through experienced scouts, if possible, to estimate the number of the enemy standing in the picket, and having selected more fighting men of the cavalry than these, you will prepare an ambush for the enemy, placing over them a brave and most experienced commander. And command him that a few men of the people under him should put on the tunics of farmers; and to mix with them in truth also some of the country-folk and farmers. And all are to be unarmed and their heads uncovered, and some also unshod, but all on horseback, holding very short wooden poles, in order to deceive the enemy and to create in them the opinion that they were not of the army, but some farmers, who are called homestead-guards. And these are not to be more than twenty. And bring them into villages in groups of six or even more near each other, having some livestock in the same villages, whether they be pack-animals and oxen, or horses and mules. 18.4 And about the eleventh hour of the day, command them to appear to the enemy, entering quickly from one village to another and being distracted, so that they may take up their livestock and save them towards the strongholds. Therefore, when the enemy standing in the picket see these men, some leading their livestock, and others driving them, and they will suspect that these are country-folk and farmers, they will pursue them unrestrainedly and unguardedly. And being pursued, those who have assumed the guise of homestead-guards and farmers will hasten to reach the place where the ambush is set, and the enemy pursuing them will fall into the ambush unguardedly. And when they draw near to those who have lain in ambush, let such men, attacking them with a well-ordered mind and impetus, crash together; and it is clear that the enemy will not stand against them even for a short time, but having turned their backs, many of them will be both killed and become prisoners of war. 18.5 But if the place where such things are carried out should be near the enemy army, and a multitude of the enemy people should come out for the avenging of those being pursued, it is necessary for the general also to set up another force behind such an ambush, in a suitable place, as an ambush, being two miles away from the first ambush. And if, as we said, an enemy force should pursue those in the first ambush, those coming out of the second ambush against them will save their own men, and will wound and kill the enemy. 18.6 It is necessary, therefore, O general, to carry out such a stratagem around sunset;

μακροῦ χρόνου ἐμπειρία, συνεγραψάμεθα. Σοὶ δὲ πρὸς τὴν εἰκὸς ἐπερχομένην περίστασιν προσήκει διαγενέσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ὡς αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βουλαί, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ ἄνωθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ταλαντεύσει καὶ τὸ τοῦ πολέμου ἕπεται πέρας. 18.τ Περὶ τοῦ πότε δεῖ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐκ δύο μερῶν τῶν πολεμίων παραδρομὴν ποιῆσαι 18.1 Εἰ δὲ ἔτι ἐπιμείνουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι, ὅπερ ἀνέλπιστόν ἐστι μετὰ τὸ οὕτως τραυματισθῆναι, τὰς χώρας ἡμῶν φοσσατικῶς περιπολοῦντες, κατακαίοντές τε καὶ διαφθείροντες, μηδαμοῦ εἰς κοῦρσον μήκοθεν τὸν λαὸν αὐτῶν τολμῶντες ἀποστέλλειν, χρὴ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀξιόλογον δύναμιν εἰς τὸ ἕτερον μέρος τῶν πολεμίων ἀποστεῖλαι, ἐν ᾧ αὐτὸς μὴ παρατρέχει· καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τριῶν ἢ τεσσάρων μιλίων τοῦ φοσσάτου παρεκτρέχουσιν ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν ἐπιτίθεσθαι καὶ τραυματίζειν, πρὸς τὸ διακωλύειν αὐτοὺς τροφὰς ἀναλαμβάνειν, ἵνα ὡς ἐκ τούτου σπάνιν ἔχοντες τροφῶν ἀναγκασθῶσιν ὑποστρέψαι. 18.2 Εἰ δὲ ὁρᾷς, ὦ στρατηγέ, τοὺς πολεμίους ἔτι ἑαυτοὺς παραφυλάττοντας καὶ μὴ πόρρω ἐξελαύνειν τοὺς εἰς συλλογὴν χρειῶν ἀποστελλομένους παραχωροῦντας, καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἐνέδραν εἰς βλάβην αὐτῶν ἐπινοήσασθαι δεῖ· τὰ φοῦλκα διασκοπῆσαι τῶν πολεμίων, τὰ εἰς φυλακὴν αὐτῶν ἐξερχόμενα καὶ πόρρω τοῦ φοσσάτου ἱστάμενα, καὶ οἷον ἐξ αὐτῶν βραδύτερον ὑποστρέφει εἰς τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν, ἴσως καρτεροῦν ἕως οὗ οἱ τὰ πλησίον αὐτῶν χωρία ἀνερευνῶντες ἑταῖροι αὐτῶν πρὸς τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν ὑποστρέψουσι, κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐνεδρεῦσαι ἐπείχθητι. 18.3 Καὶ δι' ἐμπείρων βιγλατόρων, εἰ δυνατόν, στοχάσασθαι τὴν ποσότητα τῶν εἰς τὸ φοῦλκον ἱσταμένων πολεμίων, καὶ τούτων πλείονας μαχίμους ἄνδρας τῶν ἱππέων ἀπολεξάμενος λόχον γενέσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παρασκευάσεις, ἀρχηγὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐφιστῶν ἀνδρεῖον καὶ ἐμπειρότατον. ∆ιορίσασθαί τε αὐτὸν ὀλίγους τινὰς τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λαοῦ χιτῶνας ἀμφιάσασθαι γεωργῶν· συμμίξαι τε αὐτοῖς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καί τινας τῶν ἀγροτῶν καὶ γεωργικῶν. Ἀόπλους δὲ πάντας εἶναι καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀσκέπους, τινὰς δὲ καὶ ἀνυποδέτους, ἐφίππους δὲ ἅπαντας ξυλοκόντια κατέχοντας πάνυ κονδά, πρὸς τὸ ἀπατῆσαι τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ δόξαν αὐτοῖς ἐμποιῆσαι ὡς οὐκ εἶεν τοῦ στρατοῦ, ἀλλὰ γεωργοί τινες, οἱ λεγόμενοι οἰκοφύλακες. Μὴ πλείους δὲ τούτους εἶναι τῶν εἴκοσι. Εἰσαγαγεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐν χωρίοις ἀνὰ ἓξ ἢ καὶ πλείονας πλησίον ἀλλήλων, ἔχοντας κτήνη τινὰ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς χωρίοις, εἴτε ὑποζύγια εἶεν καὶ βόες, εἴθ' ἵπποι τε καὶ ἡμίονοι. 18.4 Περὶ δὲ ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν τῆς ἡμέρας διορίσασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐμφανισθῆναι τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀπὸ χωρίου πρὸς ἕτερον χωρίον δρομαίως εἰσερχομένους καὶ περισπωμένους, ὅπως τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν ἀναλάβωνται καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὀχυρώματα διασώσωσι. Τούτους τοίνυν, ἡνίκα οἱ εἰς τὸ φοῦλκον ἱστάμενοι πολέμιοι θεάσονται τὰ μὲν τῶν κτηνῶν αὐτῶν παρέλκοντας, τὰ δὲ ἐπελαύνοντας, καὶ ἀγρότας εἶναι καὶ γεωργοὺς τούτους ὑποτοπήσουσιν, ἀκρατῶς καὶ ἀφυλάκτως τούτους ἐπιδιώξουσιν. ∆ιωκόμενοι δὲ οἱ τὸ σχῆμα τῶν οἰκοφυλάκων καὶ γεωργῶν ὑποδύντες σπουδάσουσι καταλαβεῖν ἐν ᾧ τὸ ἔγκρυμμα ἵσταται, καὶ τούτους οἱ πολέμιοι διώκοντες περιπεσοῦνται τῇ ἐνέδρᾳ ἀπαραφυλάκτως. Ἐπὰν δὲ τοῖς λοχήσασι προσεγγίσωσιν, εὐτάκτῳ φρενὶ καὶ ὁρμῇ κατ' αὐτῶν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐφορμήσαντες συρραγήτωσαν· καὶ δῆλον ὡς οὐκ ἀντιστήσονται κἂν πρὸς μικρὸν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἀλλὰ νῶτα δόντες πολλοὶ τούτων καὶ ἀναιρεθήσονται καὶ δορυάλωτοι γένωνται. 18.5 Εἰ δὲ σύνεγγυς ὁ χῶρος εἴη τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν στρατιᾶς, ἐν ᾧ τὰ τοιάδε τελεῖται, καὶ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν πολεμίων εἰς ἐκδίκησιν τῶν διωκομένων ἐξέλθῃ, χρὴ τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ ὄπισθεν τῆς τοιαύτης ἐνέδρας καὶ ἕτερον λαὸν, τόπον εἰς ἐπιτήδειον, εἰς ἔγκρυμμα καταστῆσαι, ἀπέχον τῆς προτέρας ἐνέδρας μίλια δύο. Καὶ εἴγε, ὡς ἔφημεν, τοὺς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ἐνέδρᾳ λαὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιδιώξει, οἱ τοῦ δευτέρου ἐγκρύμματος ἐξερχόμενοι κατ' αὐτῶν τοὺς μὲν οἰκείους περισώσουσι, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους κατατραυματίσουσι καὶ θανατώσουσι. 18.6 ∆εῖ οὖν τὴν τοιαύτην μηχανήν, ὦ στρατηγέ, περὶ δυσμὰς ἡλίου ἐξεργάσασθαι·