,

of the barbarian [the Persian]; for the Romans too seemed to boast greatly over the recent events, how they had penetrated into the Persian state, how they had seized booty, how they had tricked Cardarigan. 1.15.12 But the general dismissed the assembly, and the Persian did not bring his words to a conclusion. A few days therefore passed, and he of Nisibis, pre-eminent in priestly honor, comes to the general, bringing forth the same words as Mebodes. 1.15.13 Thereupon, therefore, the general sent the Persians' proposals by a letter-carrier to the emperor. And the emperor, having read the jots of the general, immediately annulled them with imperial commands, ordering Philippicus to reject these most shameful treaties as unbecoming of Roman majesty. 1.15.14 And so the general, having received the imperial tablets, encamped at Mambrathon. 1.15.15 Thus, then, the war was swelling. The army commander, having gathered the hoplite force, inquired if they were bringing their souls, inspired by some manly passion, to the battle-line. And when the forces assented and fortified their hopes with the compacts of oaths, the general, moving from there, came to Bibas, where the river Arzamon flows by.

2.t.1 HISTORY II

2.1.1 On the next day he moved his camp to the heights bordering the plain, having placed it at the foothills of the mountain on the left of Mount Izala. Mount Izala is most fruitful; for it is wine-bearing, and brings forth countless other kinds of fruits. The mountain is most populous, and its inhabitants are brave men, and the mountain is most contested 2.1.2 and disputed; for the enemy is not settled far away. And you could not persuade these men to move from their contentious country, neither by threatening nor by flattering, although the neighboring Persians often 2.1.3 lay waste to their land and plunder it. This Mount Izala passes by another mountain called Aisumas. Aisumas is like a kind of ridge and extends to a very great height, and from its peak two foothills descend. 2.1.4 From these Izala makes its advance, and itself beginning below, rising to a height, then bending up little by little, stretching out its neck with its ascents, it comes as far as the river Tigris. And it would have been joined to the Eous or Caucasus, if some creative considerations had not made the separation. 2.1.5 There the general anchored the fighting force, intending that from the Persian river Bouron up to the Arzamon there is no water, and the enemy must choose one of two things: 2.1.6 for either it will remain inactive, embracing the guard at home, or on the contrary, trying to press upon the Latins, it will be weakened by toil and thirst, and the cavalry will be destroyed as quickly as possible, since the Roman force does not allow the barbarians to draw water from the river Arzamon. 2.1.7 It was the third day, and the Persian contingent had learned that the Romans were staying by the Arzamon. 2.2.1 Cardarigan had reached such a point of arrogance that he poured broad laughter on the messengers as if it were some trifling matter. But when the report buzzed more clearly around the Persian force, 2.2.2 the enemy was provoked. The satrap asked the practitioners of divinations and demanded to learn from the magi traces of prophecy, and he demanded that those possessed by the spirit of a Python, and who presented an appearance of pregnancy by the turning of the demon, should foretell what was to come. 2.2.3 Those possessed by the demons said that victory would attend the Medes, and that the Romans, out of formation,

βαρβάρου [τοῦ Πέρσου]· ἐδόκουν γὰρ καὶ ῾Ρωμαῖοι μεγαλαυχεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔναγχος γεγενημένοις, ὡς ἐσέδυσαν ἐς τὴν Περσῶν πολιτείαν, ὡς λείας ἐκράτησαν, ὡς τὸν Καρδαριγὰν ἐφενάκισαν. 1.15.12 ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν διέλυσεν, καὶ ὁ Πέρσης οὐκ ἐπέθηκε τέλος τοῖς ῥήμασιν. ὀλίγαι τοίνυν ἡμέραι διῳχήκασιν, καὶ ὁ τῆς Νισίβιδος τῆς ἱερατικῆς προλάμπων τιμῆς ὡς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀφικνεῖται τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Μεβόδῃ ῥήματα ἐς μέσον 1.15.13 τιθέμενος. τὸ τηνικαῦτα τοιγαροῦν ὁ στρατηγὸς τοὺς Περσῶν λόγους δι' ἐπιστολέως ἐς βασιλέα παρέπεμψεν. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὰς τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἱστορήσας κεραίας βασιλικοῖς παραυτίκα ἀνεῖλε προστάγμασιν, τὸν Φιλιππικὸν ἐγκελευσάμενος τὰς αἰσχίστας ταύτας σπονδὰς ἀποπέμπεσθαι ὡς ἀπᾳδούσας 1.15.14 ῾Ρωμαϊκῆς μεγαλειότητος. καὶ μέντοι ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰς αὐτοκρατορικὰς δέλτους περιπτυξάμενος ἐπὶ τὸ Μαμβραθῶν 1.15.15 στρατοπεδεύεται. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐσφρίγα ὁ πόλεμος. ὁ δὲ στρατίαρχος συναγείρας τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἐπυνθάνετο, εἰ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀρρενικῷ τινι ἔρωτι ἐπιτεθειασμένας ἐπιφέρονται πρὸς παράταξιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατένευον αἱ δυνάμεις συνθήκαις τε ὅρκων τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐχύρουν, μεταστὰς ἐντεῦθεν ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τὸ Βίβας παραγίνεται, ἔνθα ὁ ποταμὸς παραρρεῖ τοῦ ᾿Αρζάμων.

2.τ.1 ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Βʹ

2.1.1 Τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ τὸν χάρακα μετέβαλλεν εἰς τὰ παρύψηλα τοῦ πεδίου κατὰ τοὺς πρόποδας τοῦ ὄρους ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τοῦ ᾿Ιζαλὰ ὄρους πεποιηκώς. τὸ δὲ ὄρος ὁ ᾿Ιζαλὰς πολυτοκώτατον· οἰνοφόρον γάρ, καὶ ἄλλα γένη μυρία καρπῶν ἐπιφέρεται. πολυανθρωπότατόν τε τὸ ὄρος, καὶ οἰκήτορες αὐτῷ ἄνδρες ἀγαθοί, ἐπίμαχόν τε τὸ ὄρος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα 2.1.2 καὶ ἀμφίβολον· οὐ πόρρω γὰρ ἀπῴκισται τὸ πολέμιον. τούτους τε μεθιστάναι τῆς φιλονείκου χώρας οὐκ ἂν πείσαις οὔτε ἀπειλῶν οὔτε θωπεύων, καίτοι πολλάκις τῶν ὁμόρων Περσῶν 2.1.3 ὑποτεμνομένων τὴν αὐτῶν γῆν καὶ ληϊζομένων. τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ὄρος ὁ ᾿Ιζαλὰς ἕτερον παραμείβεται ὄρος προσαγορευόμενον ᾿Αϊσουμᾶς. τὸ δ' ᾿Αϊσουμᾶς ὥσπερ ἀκρώρειά τίς ἐστι καὶ ἐς μέγιστον ὕψος ἐκτείνεται, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μετεώρου δύο καθέρπουσι 2.1.4 πρόποδες. ἐκ δὲ τούτων ὁ ᾿Ιζαλὰς τὴν πρόοδον ἐπιφέρεται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπαρχόμενος κάτωθεν εἰς ὕψος, εἶτα κατὰ σμικρὸν ἀνακύπτων, ταῖς ἐπιδόσεσιν ἐκτανύσας τὸν αὐχένα μέχρι τοῦ Τίγριδος γίνεται ποταμοῦ. καὶ ἂν τῷ ῾Εῴῳ ἢ Καυκάσῳ συνήπτετο, εἰ μὴ δημιουργικαὶ φροντίδες τινὲς τὴν διάκρισιν 2.1.5 ἐποιήσαντο. ἐνταῦθα τὸ μάχιμον ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐνωρμίσατο διανοούμενος ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Περσικοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Βούρων μέχρι τοῦ ᾿Αρζάμων ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔνεστιν, καὶ δυοῖν θάτερον 2.1.6 ἀνάγκη τὸ πολέμιον ἑλέσθαι· ἢ γὰρ ἀτρεμήσει τὴν οἴκοι φρουρὰν ἀσπασάμενον, ἢ ἔμπαλιν Λατίνοις ἐπικεῖσθαι πειρώμενον μαλακισθήσεται τῷ πόνῳ καὶ τῷ δίψει, ἥ τε ἵππος διολεῖται ὡς τάχιστα, τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων μὴ συγχωρούσης δυνάμεως ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ ᾿Αρζάμων ὕδωρ τοὺς βαρβάρους 2.1.7 ἀρύσασθαι. τρίτη δ' ἡμέρα, καὶ τὸ Περσικὸν ἐπέπυστο σύνταγμα ὡς οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἀνὰ τὸ ᾿Αρζάμων διατρίβουσιν. 2.2.1 ῾Ο δὲ Καρδαριγὰν ἐς τοσοῦτον ἐληλάκει φρυάγματος ὡς γέλωτα τῶν ἀναγγελλόντων καταχέειν πλατὺν ὡς περὶ φληνάφου του πράγματος. ὡς δὲ τὰ τοῦ λόγου τὸ Περσικὸν περιε2.2.2 βόμβει τρανέστερον, παρεδριμύττετο τὸ πολέμιον. ὁ δὲ σατράπης τοὺς θεραπευτὰς τῶν μαγγανευμάτων διηρώτα καὶ παρὰ τῶν μάγων ἠξίου ἴχνη πυθέσθαι προρρήσεως, τάς τε πνεύματι Πύθωνος ἐνθουσιώσας καὶ φαντασίαν κυήσεως παρεχομένας τῇ τοῦ δαιμονίου περιφορᾷ ἠξίου τὸ ἐσόμενον 2.2.3 προαγορεῦσαι. οἱ δὲ τῶν δαιμονίων κάτοχοι ἔφασκον τὴν νίκην Μήδοις παρέπεσθαι, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἔκταξιν ῾Ρωμαίους