,

having been chosen by lot. "For war," they were saying, "does not possess obvious movements, since it is fond of variety and multiform; for its nature is to tread upon changes, having as its one certainty uncertainty. But the ill-omened result from chance hence exceeds the good fortune from success infinitely." And they persuaded the general to alter the position a little. The plain, where the war was being waged, was named Solachon, taking its name from a certain neighboring place. From there also came Theodore, whom the Byzantines called Zetonumius, who also held the office of magister among the Romans; from afar he bore his lineage; yes indeed, and that Solomon, the emperor's eunuch, who drew up the battle line in the Carthaginian war in Libya, when Justinian adorned the imperial throne. And these things have been written by Procopius the historian in the tablet of his history. When the Persian phalanxes engaged with the Roman divisions, Vitalius the taxiarch quickly broke up the opposing force, having charged more boldly than the other units. And he wrought a very great slaughter and captured the Persian baggage train, which it is customary for the Romans in the local tongue to call *touldon*. Thus, however, the victorious part was occupied with the plunder. And the general was both perplexed and angry, observing these things of disorder. And so he devised a prudent plan and, taking off the helmet from his own head (for this was distinctive and conspicuous), he placed it upon Theodore the Ilivinian; and he was a bodyguard of the general. Then he orders him to strike with his sword those trafficking in the spoils. Which, indeed, having happened, benefited the battle line most greatly. But they, suspecting that the general was going about and correcting them as they were plundering of their error, turned their attention to the battle and took part in the labors of war. But the routed opposing force was saved in the middle Persian division, where Cardarigan was in command. At any rate, since the Persian center wing had become deeper on account of the addition of the fleeing left wing, the opposing Roman force would have had difficulty in prevailing, if they had not dismounted from their horses and engaged in close combat. So the centermost phalanxes were sufficient in fighting, and the war was prolonged for them, so that it came about that the battle line stood upon the remains, the surface of the ground being covered by the prevailing mass of the dead. But as the evil was unending, some divine thought arbitrated against the foreigner, making the battle turn the other way, and a voice flew about, urging the Romans with a great shout to spur on their horses against the enemy. Therefore the Romans obey this command and prevail over the force opposite them. The Roman side suspected that the voice had come from Stephen the captain, and after the war the Romans inquired if that very Stephen had happened to be the originator of the stratagem. But he denied it and swore a great oath, that he had never brought forth the device of such an undertaking; for he did not wish to hunt for glory from this and to distort some divine deliberations into his own sagacity. And the third Roman division, which is to say the left, threw the opposing wing into confusion, and what was being saved was pursued heavily as far as Daras, the place being twelve stades distant from the battle line. Therefore, as the Roman victories were becoming so brilliant, the barbarian force gave up the fight and turned to flight. But the remnant of the Persian center division along with their own general escaped the danger on a certain hill. And when the Roman side heard that some of the enemy on the hill were both terrified and shunning the victorious force, it immediately surrounded the stronghold and the enemy to desert

κληρωσάμενοι. "ὁ γὰρ πόλεμος" ἔφασκον "οὐκ ἐπίδηλα τὰ κινήματα κέκτηται, ἅτε φιλοποίκιλος ὢν καὶ πολύμορφος· φύσις γὰρ αὐτῷ ταῖς μεταβολαῖς ἐμβατεύειν μίαν πίστιν τὸ ἄπιστον ἔχοντι. τὸ δ' ἐκ τύχης ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαίσιον τῆς ἐκ τῆς ἐπιτεύξεως εὐπραγίας ἐς τὸ ἀπειρο2.3.12 πλάσιον ὑπερβέβηκεν." καὶ πείθουσι τὸν στρατηγὸν βραχύ τι μεταμεῖψαι τὴν στάσιν. τὸ δὲ πεδίον, ἔνθα ἐχειρουργεῖτο ὁ πόλεμος, Σολάχων ὠνόμαστο ἀπὸ χωρίου τινὸς γειτνιά2.3.13 ζοντος τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν ἀράμενον. ἐντεῦθεν καὶ Θεόδωρος, ὃν Ζητονούμιον ἀπεκάλουν Βυζάντιοι, ὁ καὶ τὴν παρὰ ῾Ρωμαίοις μαγιστερίαν διανύσας ἀρχήν, ἕκαθεν τὸ γένος ἐφέρετο· ναὶ δῆτα καὶ Σολομὼν ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως εὐνοῦχος, ὁ τὸν Καρχηδόνιον πόλεμον ἐν Λιβύῃ παραταξάμενος, ὅτε τὸν αὐτοκρατορικὸν δίφρον ᾿Ιουστινιανὸς διεκόσμησεν. καὶ ταῦτα Προκοπίῳ τῷ συγγραφεῖ ἐν τῷ πτυκτίῳ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐγγέγραπται. 2.4.1 ᾿Επεὶ δ' αἱ τοῦ Περσικοῦ φάλαγγες τοῖς ῾Ρωμαϊκοῖς λόφοις προσέμιξαν, Βιτάλιος ὁ ταξίαρχος τὴν ἀντίθετον θᾶττον διέλυσε δύναμιν προκύψας τῶν ἄλλων θρασύτερον τάξεων. ἀτὰρ μέγιστον φόνον εἰργάσατο τήν τε Περσικὴν ἀποσκευὴν ἐχειρώσατο, ἣν σύνηθες ῾Ρωμαίοις τῇ ἐπιχωρίῳ φωνῇ τοῦλδον 2.4.2 ἀποκαλεῖν. οὕτω μέντοι τὸ νενικηκὸς περὶ τὴν λείαν ἠσχόλητο. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς διηπορεῖτό τε καὶ ἐχαλέπαινε ταῦτα 2.4.3 δὴ τὰ τῆς ἀκοσμίας θεώμενος. καὶ οὖν ἔμφρονα βουλὴν ἐσχεδίασε καὶ τὸ κράνος (ἐπίσημον δ' ἄρα τοῦτο ἦν καὶ κατάδηλον) τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κορυφῆς ἀπεκδὺς Θεοδώρῳ τῷ ᾿Ιλιβινῷ περιτέθεικεν· δορυφόρος δ' οὗτος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ. εἶτα προστάττει τῷ ξίφει παῖσαι τοὺς ἐμπορευομένους τὰ λάφυρα. ὃ δὴ καὶ γεγονὸς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὤνησε τὴν παρά2.4.4 ταξιν. οἱ δ' ὑπονοήσαντες τὸν στρατηγὸν περινοστεῖν καὶ λωποδυτοῦντας αὐτοὺς ἐπανορθοῦσθαι τοῦ σφάλματος πρὸς τὴν μάχην τὴν φροντίδα μετέθεντο καὶ τῶν πολεμικῶν μετελάμβανον πόνων. τὸ δ' ἀντίπαλον διασπασθὲν ἐς τὴν μέσην τῶν Περσῶν διεσώζετο μοῖραν, οὗ ἦν ὁ Καρδαριγὰν τὴν 2.4.5 ἐπιστασίαν ποιούμενος. βαθυτέρου γοῦν τοῦ μέσου κέρατος τῶν Περσῶν γεγονότος διὰ τὴν ἐπιπρόσθησιν τοῦ ἀποδράντος εὐωνύμου κέρατος, χαλεπῶς ἂν εἶχε διενεγκεῖν ἡ ῾Ρωμαίων ἀντίπαλος δύναμις, εἰ μὴ τῶν ἵππων ἀποβάντες αὐτῶν 2.4.6 κατασυστάδην τὰς συμπλοκὰς ἐποιήσαντο. αἱ μὲν οὖν μεσώταται φάλαγγες ἐξήρκουν μαχόμεναι, καὶ ὁ πόλεμος αὐταῖς ἐμηκύνετο, ὡς συμβαίνειν ἐπὶ τῶν λειψάνων ἑστάναι τὸ παραταττόμενον, τῆς ἐπιφανείας τῆς γῆς περικαλυπτομένης 2.4.7 διὰ τὴν ἐπιπολάζουσαν τῶν τεθνεώτων συνέχειαν. ὡς δὲ τὸ κακὸν ἀτελεύτητον ἦν, θεία τις διάνοια κατεδιαίτησε τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου ἑτεραλκέα ποιουμένη τὴν μάχην, καὶ φωνὴ περιίπταται ῾Ρωμαίους μεγάλῳ τῷ ἀπηχήματι ἐγκελευομένη τὴν ἵππον κεντεῖν τὴν πολέμιον. πείθονται τοιγαροῦν ῾Ρωμαῖοι τούτῳ δὴ τῷ προστάγματι καὶ κρατοῦσι τῆς ἀντιμετώπου 2.4.8 δυνάμεως. τὴν δὲ φωνὴν ἀπὸ Στεφάνου τοῦ λοχαγοῦ προελθεῖν τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ὑπενόησεν, καὶ μετὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπυνθάνοντο ῾Ρωμαῖοι, εἰ προβολεὺς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ Στέ2.4. φανος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν τοῦ στρατηγήματος. ὁ δ' ἀπηνήνατο καὶ ἐπὶ μέγαν ὅρκον ὀμεῖτο, μηδέποτε τοιαύτης ἐπιβολῆς τὸ σόφισμα προενέγκασθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ἤθελε θηρᾶσθαι τὴν εὔκλειαν καὶ θεῖά τινα μελετήματα εἰς οἰκείαν παραμορ2.4.10 φῶσαι ἀγχίνοιαν. ὁ δὲ τρίτος λόφος ὁ ῾Ρωμαίων, ταὐτὸν δ' εἰπεῖν ὁ εὐώνυμος, τὴν ἐναντίαν κεραίαν συνέχεεν, καὶ τὸ σωζόμενον ἐμβριθῶς ἐδιώκετο ἄχρι τοῦ ∆αρὰς δυοκαίδεκα 2.4.11 σημεῖα τοῦ χώρου ἀπῳκισμένου τῆς παρατάξεως. τοίνυν οὕτω λαμπρῶν τῶν ῾Ρωμαϊκῶν γινομένων τροπαίων, ἐγνωσιμάχει τὸ βάρβαρον καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν μετετίθετο. τὸ δ' ἀποδρὰν τῆς μέσης μοίρας τῆς Περσικῆς ἅμα τῷ σφῶν αὐτῶν στρα2.4.12 τηγῷ ἔν τινι βουνῷ ἀποκλίνει τὸν κίνδυνον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ἠκηκόει ἐν τῷ βουνῷ τινας τῶν πολεμίων τεθηπέναι τε καὶ τὸ κεκρατηκὸς ὑποστέλλεσθαι, διεστεφάνου εὐθὺς τὸ ἐχύρωμα καὶ αὐτομολεῖν τὸ πολέμιον