,

he gives the order. And they 2.4.13 were killing and strutting with the arrogance of desperation. Therefore the Romans looked down on them; for they had not realized that Cardarigan had crept up on the hill and was strongly on his guard 2.4.14 against the danger. Cardarigan, therefore, being without food and pressed by hunger, held out on the hill for a third and a fourth day; for the unexpected danger had placed the Persian general in such great fear. For reversals of fortune are fearsome when they happen contrary to expectations; for along with events, they also change men's minds. 2.5.1 When they returned to the general, Stephen was liable to the greatest charge, because he had not subdued the remainder. But he, with a most masterful defense, refuted the general's criticisms, 2.5.2 saying: "I know both how to respect the limits of victory and to fear the summit of fortune; for it has a wicked scale and does not know how to bear success that swaggers beyond what is proper." Thus, then, the Persians, finding the 2.5.3 descent from the heights unhindered, crept down. And when they had descended from the hill, they accompanied the Romans who were returning and gathering within the camp. Therefore many were killed, and more than a thousand were captured, who were also sent to Byzantium. 2.5.4 But Cardarigan, before the engagement in the war, commanded the Persians to break those leather water-skins, thereby making the Median spirit more reckless and ready for danger, making this very point clear to them, that unless they undertook great dangers, their water supply was lost to them, since the Roman army was encamped around the river Arzamon 2.5.5 and was guarding the stream more diligently. His recklessness, however, did not turn out well for him. For it is foolish to trust in the dice of fortune and be confident in the heights of danger, and to reap good outcomes from pre-existing mistakes. For when the beginning is unphilosophical, the conclusions will also have a progression 2.5.6 akin to what came before. This, indeed, also destroyed many of the Medes after the defeat; for some of the Persians, having fallen into wells, drank too greedily and came to a great misfortune, as their stomachs, with the sudden influx of water, were unable to bear the intake of the water loaded upon them. 2.5.7 But Cardarigan, arriving in the area of Daras, risked entry into the city. For the townsmen, that is, the Persians guarding the city, refused to open the gates to the Medes; for Persian law did not tolerate admitting 2.5.8 shield-throwers. And when they reviled Cardarigan and with insults added to his misfortune, they persuaded him to go home, having sent him off with the most shameful words. 2.5.9 As the day was declining, a sudden outbreak of confusion occurred in the Roman camp, and a rumor spread that a Persian force was surrounding them for an attack and was about to 2.5.10 mount the palisade. Therefore Heraclius, the father of the emperor Heraclius, and another of the commanders, mounted their horses and, armed in iron, with an irresistible impulse rode around searching for the barbarian force; and they came up the hill, on which Cardarigan's men, who had recently fled, 2.5.11 were encamped. And so they rushed to the heights and looked around from a very great watchtower, and the enemy was not visible. Since, then, they had made the search plain, and there was no deception in their observation, they returned to the Roman camp. 2.6.1 And in a certain part of the path they caught sight of a Roman soldier dying a hard death, his body adorned with four 2.6.2 missiles. For on one side, a Median arrow, having sunk deep into his upper lip, was rooted through his helmet, and another, again, having entered the other lip from below, was stretched out in the opposite way, so that the tongue was pierced in the form of a Chi by certain diametrical points with the opposing junctions of the arrowheads, 2.6.3 and from there the champion was unable to close

ἐγκελεύεται. οἱ δ' 2.4.13 ἐθανάτων καὶ ἐς ἀπονοίας ὀφρὺν ἀπεσοβαρεύοντο. οὐκοῦν οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι περιφρονοῦσιν αὐτούς· οὐ γὰρ ἐγνώκεισαν τὸν Καρδαριγὰν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ ἀνερπύσαντα ἰσχυρῶς τε παρευλα2.4.14 βεῖσθαι τὸν κίνδυνον. ὁ μὲν οὖν Καρδαριγὰν ἀπόσιτος ὢν ὑπό τε τοῦ λιμοῦ πιεζόμενος ἐνεκαρτέρει ἐν τῷ βουνῷ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην ἡμέραν· ἐν τηλικούτῳ γὰρ δέει διέθετο τὸν τοῦ Περσικοῦ στρατίαρχον ὁ ἀδόκητος κίνδυνος. φοβεραὶ γὰρ αἱ μεταβολαὶ παρὰ τὰς ἐλπίδας συρρεύσασαι· μετὰ γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τὰς γνώμας ἀμείβουσιν. 2.5.1 ὡς δὲ παρὰ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐπανέζευξαν, ὑπεύθυνος μεγίστου ἐγκλήματος ὁ Στέφανος ἦν, ὅτι μὴ παρεστήσατο τὸ λειπόμενον. ὁ δ' ἡγεμονικωτάτῃ ἀπολογίᾳ τὰς μέμψεις τοῦ στρατηγοῦ διεκρού2.5.2 σατο φήσας· "οἶδα καὶ μέτρα νίκης τιμᾶν καὶ τὴν ἀκρώρειαν δεδιέναι τῆς τύχης· μισοπόνηρον γὰρ ἔχει τὴν πλάστιγγα καὶ φέρειν οὐκ οἶδεν εὐπραγίαν βρενθυομένην πέρα τοῦ δέοντος." οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ Πέρσαι σχολαίαν εὑρηκότες τὴν 2.5.3 κάθοδον τῶν παρυψήλων καθείρπυσαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦ λόφου κατέδυσαν, συμπαρομαρτοῦσι ῾Ρωμαίοις ἐπανιοῦσι καὶ συναθροιζομένοις ἀνὰ τὸν χάρακα. οὐκοῦν ἀναιροῦνται πολλοί, ἥλωσαν δὲ πλείους ἢ χίλιοι, οἳ καὶ ἐς Βυζάντιον παραπέμπονται. 2.5.4 ῾Ο δὲ Καρδαριγὰν πρὸ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιβολῆς τοὺς δερματίνους ἐκείνους ἀμφορεῖς διαρρήξασθαι τῷ Περσικῷ ἐγκελεύεται φιλοκινδυνότερον ἐς θράσος ἐντεῦθεν τὸ Μηδικὸν ἐργαζόμενος, τοῦτο δῆτα σφίσι παραδηλῶν, ὡς εἰ μὴ μεγάλων κινδύνων ἐφάψοιντο, ἀπόλωλε τούτοις ἡ ὕδρευσις, τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ τὸν ποταμὸν τοῦ ᾿Αρζάμων περικαθημένου 2.5.5 καὶ διαφρουροῦντος τὸ ῥεῖθρον φιλοπονώτερον. οὔκουν δ' αὐτῷ ἐς ἀγαθὸν περιέστη τὸ θράσος. ἀμαθὲς γὰρ τῷ κύβῳ τῆς τύχης πιστεύσαντα ταῖς ἀκρωρείαις τῶν κινδύνων καταθαρρεῖν καὶ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἐκβάσεις ἐκ τῶν προϋπαρξάντων σφαλμάτων ἀπερανίζεσθαι. ἀφιλοσόφου γὰρ ὑπούσης ἀρχῆς, οἰκείαν τοῖς προϋφεστῶσι καὶ τὰ συμπεράσματα ἕξει τὴν 2.5.6 πρόοδον. τοῦτό τοι καὶ πολλοὺς τοῦ Μηδικοῦ μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν διέφθειρεν· φρέασι γὰρ περιπεσόντες τινὲς τοῦ Περσικοῦ λαφύττουσιν ἀπληστότερον καὶ ἐς μέγα κακοῦ ἀποκλίνουσιν, τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῖς τῇ ἀθρόᾳ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐμβολῇ διενεγκεῖν οὐκ ἐχούσης τοῦ ἐπιφορτισθέντος ὕδατος τὴν ἀντίληψιν. 2.5.7 ῾Ο δὲ Καρδαριγὰν εἰς τὰ περὶ τὸ ∆αρὰς ἀφικόμενος τὴν ἐς τὸ ἄστυ παρεκινδύνευεν εἴσοδον. οἱ γὰρ ἀστοί, ἤτοι οἱ περιφρουροῦντες Πέρσαι τὸ πόλισμα ἀναπετάσαι ἀπέλεγον τοῖς Μήδοις τὰς πύλας· μὴ γὰρ οὖν εἰσοικίσασθαι τοὺς 2.5.8 ῥιψάσπιδας Περσικὸν νόμον ἀνέχεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν Καρδαριγὰν ἐβλασφήμουν καὶ ταῖς ὕβρεσι τῇ συμφορᾷ συνεπετίθεντο, πείθουσιν ἐς τὰ οἴκοι χωρεῖν αἰσχίστοις αὐτὸν παραπέμψαντες λόγοις. 2.5. ῾Ημέρας δὲ κλινούσης ἐξαπιναίως ἐπιδημία θορύβων τῷ ῾Ρωμαϊκῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἐγγίγνεται, καὶ φήμη διέρρευσε δύναμιν τὸ Περσικὸν περιβάλλεσθαι ἐπίθετον καὶ ὅσον οὔπω 2.5.10 ἐπιβήσεσθαι μέλλειν τοῦ χάρακος. οὐκοῦν ὁ ῾Ηράκλειος, ὁ ῾Ηρακλείου πατὴρ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ ἕτερος τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἱππάζοντό τε καὶ σιδήρῳ φραξάμενοι ὁρμῇ ἀκατασχέτῳ περιεπόλουν τὸ βαρβαρικὸν ἀνιχνεύοντες· καὶ ἀνὰ τὸν βουνὸν ἀφικνοῦνται, ἐν ᾧ οἱ περὶ τὸν Καρδαριγὰν ἔναγχος ἀπο2.5.11 δράντες ἐνηυλίζοντο. καὶ οὖν ἄττουσι πρὸς τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ περισκοποῦσιν ἔκ τινος μεγίστης περιωπῆς, καὶ τὸ πολέμιον ἦν ἀφανές. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἐς τὸ τρανὲς τὴν ἔρευναν ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ φενάκη τις ἐν τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ οὐκ ἐνῆν, ἀνὰ τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ἐπανάγονται. 2.6.1 ἐν δέ τινι μοίρᾳ τῆς ἀτραποῦ δυσθανατῶντα στρατιώτην ῾Ρωμαῖον περιεβλέψαντο, τέτρασι 2.6.2 βολαῖς τὸ σῶμα κοσμούμενον. εἰς μὲν γὰρ τὴν ὑπερῴαν χελύνην Μηδικὸς ὀϊστὸς ἐς βάθος ἐσδὺς ἀνὰ τὸ κράνος ἐρρίζωτο, ἕτερος δ' αὖ ἐπὶ θάτερον χεῖλος ἔνερθεν εἰσφρήσας ἀντιθέτως πως ἀνετείνετο, ὡς κατά τινας διαμέτρους κεραίας κεχιῶσθαι τὴν γλῶτταν ταῖς ἀντιτύποις συμβολαῖς τῶν ἀκίδων, 2.6.3 κἀντεῦθεν μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν ἀριστέα μύσαι