,

his lips. He also carried around the shaft of a spear in his left arm, and in his flank another strike of a Median javelin. 2.6.4 This indeed was the epitaph of his valor. So then, those around Heraclius, seeing the champion, that noble man, streaming with blood, admiring his courage, mount him 2.6.5 on a horse and carried him through to the camp. Then they pull out the other weapons fixed in his body and draw them out, but the one in his side they could not extract; for those practicing these very arts of Chiron and Machaon whispered among themselves that his soul would also depart with the exit of the weapon. 2.6.6 But that Macedonian, or Leonidas in spirit, or Callimachus, or Cynaegirus—though it will suffice to call him a Roman—as he overheard the words of the physicians, asked if the Roman side had won. And when those standing around him affirmed it and said that the Latins had raised a trophy, 2.6.7 he tested their words with oaths. And when he truly learned that the Romans had carried off the lighter scale in the war, while the Persians, weighed down to a fall by the opposite inclination with the weight of defeat, leaping up with his panting breath, what was said was a great comfort to him and a charm for his pain, 2.6.8 and he then awaited his death, and with a nod he, as it were, urged the onlookers to pull out without hesitation from his side that famous Median reed; for one departing the world would not find any other such good provision to carry away from things under the moon. 2.6. They say the champion was from the roster of the Quartoparthians, so-called being those who made their stays in the city of Beroea in Syria. And when the death-dealing arrow was pulled from his side, that great and most noble soul of the champion rushed out with it—shall I say, poetically, that it hastened to arrive at the Elysian field? But I am ashamed to insult the dignity of triumphs with myth. 2.6.10 On the following day, the general made an inspection of the heavy infantry and honored the wounded with gifts, and ornaments of gold and silver were an exchange for the valor of a soul, and he weighed the reward by the 2.6.11 measure of the dangers. For to some a prize worthy of their courage was given, to another a Persian horse, beautiful to behold and good for war, to another a silver helmet and quiver, to another a shield and breastplate and spears. And the Romans inherited as many possessions as there were bodies in the 2.6.12 war. In the middle of the day the general broke formation and sent the wounded out to the cities and the nearby forts, so that they might be healed and, with certain gentle remedies, the works of Asclepius, soothe the sharp pains of their wounds. 2.6.13 He himself, taking up the rest of the force, invades the lands of the Medes, and whatever Persian lands were without provision, suffered badly. And the rush of the Romans was irresistible and hard to meet for those who encountered it. 2.7.1 The Roman general, then, came upon the country of Arzanene like some sea-storm or violent thunderbolt, quite suddenly, and dealt rather harshly with the Persian state. The inhabitants of Arzanene went down into the empty spaces of the earth; for a story has reached us that they have structures deep below, like some kind of cave-like buildings. 2.7.2 Therefore, in these very subterranean dwellings, salvation for a time was stored up for themselves. Indeed, the people of Arzanene, thinking this was a good safeguard, also stored loaves of bread and barley cakes in the hollows. 2.7.3 But not long after, having eluded notice for a short time, they were discovered by the Romans, when some who had been captured told of the mysteries under the ground and showed 2.7.4 clearly what was secret. And so the Romans tried to find those hiding underground by sounds, and the test by echoes was for them a truthful messenger, relating the secret rites in the 2.7.5 bowels of the earth. And indeed the people of Arzanene were brought up just as

τῷ χείλη. περιεφέρετο δὲ καὶ δόρατος εἰσπομπὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ εὐωνύμου βραχίονος, ἐπί τε τῇ λαπάρῃ ἑτέραν βολὴν Μηδικοῦ ἀκοντίου. 2.6.4 αὕτη τοι καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτῷ τὸ ἐπιτάφιον ἦν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τὸν ῾Ηράκλειον τῷ γενναίῳ περιρρεόμενον τὸν ἀριστέα θεώμενοι αἵματι, ἀγάμενοι τῆς εὐψυχίας ἐποχοῦσι 2.6.5 τῇ ἵππῳ καὶ ὡς τὸν χάρακα διεκόμισαν. εἶτά οἱ ἐφέλκονται τὰ μὲν ἄλλα βέλη τὰ ἐμπεπηγότα τῷ σώματι καὶ παρεξάγουσιν, τὸ δ' ἀνὰ τὴν πλευρὰν ἐξελέσθαι οὐκ εἶχον· διεψιθύριζον γὰρ ὡς ἑαυτοὺς οἱ ταῦτα δὴ τὰ Χείρωνος καὶ Μαχάονος τεχνώμενοι μελετήματα, ὡς συνεκδημήσει αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ 2.6.6 τῇ τοῦ βέλους ἐξόδῳ. ὁ δὲ Μακεδὼν ἐκεῖνος ἢ Λεωνίδας τὸ φρόνημα ἢ Καλλίμαχος ἢ Κυνέγειρος, ἀρκέσει δὲ τὸ ῾Ρωμαῖον ἀποκαλεῖν, ὡς τῶν λόγων τῶν ἰατρῶν ὑπῃσθάνετο, ἤρετο εἰ τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν εἴη νενικηκός. ὡς δ' οἱ περιεστῶτες αὐτὸν κατέφασκον καὶ ἄρασθαι Λατίνους τρόπαιον ἔλεξαν, 2.6.7 ἐβασάνιζεν ὅρκοις τὰ ῥήματα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ῾Ρωμαίους ὄντως ἐπέπυστο τὴν κούφην κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἀπενέγκασθαι πλάστιγγα, Πέρσας δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν ῥοπὴν τῷ βάρει τῆς ἥττης καθελκομένους πρὸς πτώματα, ἀνασκιρτήσας τῷ ἄσθματι, μέγα τι παραμύθιον καὶ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος θελκτήριον ὑπῆν 2.6.8 αὐτῷ τὸ λεγόμενον, καὶ τὸ τεθνάναι λοιπὸν ἐκαραδόκει, καὶ τῷ νεύματι τοὺς ὁρῶντας ὥσπερ ὑπέσαινεν ὑπεξάγειν ἀφειδῶς ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς τὸν Μηδικὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ διαβόητον δόνακα· οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσειν τοιοῦτό τι ἄλλο ἐφόδιον ἀγαθὸν ἀποφέρεσθαι τῶν ὑπὸ σελήνην τὸν τοῦ κόσμου ὑπεξερχόμενον. 2.6. τὸν δὲ ἀριστέα φασὶ τοῦ καταλόγου γεγονέναι τῶν Κουαρτοπάρθων, οὕτω τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐπιφερομένων τῶν ἐν Βεροίᾳ τῇ πόλει Συρίας τὰς διατριβὰς ποιουμένων. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ βέλος τὸ ἐπιθανάτιον τῆς πλευρᾶς ὑπεξήγετο, συνεξορμᾷ ἡ μεγάλη ἐκείνη καὶ γεννικωτάτη τοῦ ἀριστέως ψυχή, εἴπω ἀνὰ τὸ ᾿Ηλύσιον ποιητικῶς ἐπειγομένη ἀφικέσθαι χωρίον; ἀλλ' αἰσχύνομαι μύθῳ προπηλακίζειν τὸ τῶν θριάμβων ἀξίωμα. 2.6.10 ῾Ο δὲ στρατηγὸς τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ἐξέτασιν τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ ἐποιεῖτο καὶ δώροις τοὺς τραυματίας ἐφιλοφρονήσατο, καὶ χρύσεος κόσμος ἀργύρεός τε ἀρετῆς ψυχῆς ἀντίδοσις ἦν, καὶ τῷ 2.6.11 μέτρῳ τῶν κινδύνων τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἐταλάντευεν. οἷς μὲν γὰρ ἀξία ἆθλον εὐτολμίας ἐγίνετο, ἄλλῳ Πέρσης ἵππος, καλὸς μὲν ἐς θέαν, ἀγαθὸς δὲ πρὸς πόλεμον, ἄλλῳ κράνος ἀργύρεον καὶ φαρέτρα, ἑτέρῳ ἀσπὶς καὶ θώραξ καὶ δόρατα. καὶ τοσούτων ἐκληρονόμουν ῾Ρωμαῖοι κτημάτων ὁπόσων σωμάτων ὁ 2.6.12 πόλεμος. μεσούσης δ' ἡμέρας διέλυσεν ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν ἔκταξιν εἴς τε τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰ παρακείμενα φρούρια τὸ τετρωμένον ἐξέπεμπεν, ὅπως ἀκέσοιτο καὶ ἠπίοις τισὶ μαγγανεύμασιν, ἔργοις ᾿Ασκληπιοῦ, τὰς τῶν τραυμάτων ἀκμὰς 2.6.13 κατευνάσοιτο. αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀναλαβὼν τῆς δυνάμεως ἐσβάλλει ἐς τὰ τῶν Μήδων, καὶ ὅσα τῶν Περσικῶν προμηθείας ἐχήρευεν, ἔπασχε κακῶς. καὶ ἀνανταγώνιστος ἦν ἡ ῾Ρωμαίων ὁρμὴ καὶ δυσάντητος τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν. 2.7.1 ῾Ο μὲν οὖν ῾Ρωμαίων στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ τῇ ᾿Αρζανηνῇχώρᾳ οἷά τις λαῖλαψ ἐπιθαλάττιος ἢ ῥαγδαῖος σκηπτὸς ἐξαπιναίως πως ἐπεφοίτησε καὶ τὴν Περσῶν πολιτείαν ἀργαλεώτερον διεχρήσατο. οἱ δὲ τῆς ᾿Αρζανηνῆς οἰκήτορες ὑπὸ τὰ τῆς γῆς διακενώματα κατεδύοντο· ἔχειν γὰρ ἐκείνους ἐς βάθος δίκην τινῶν ἀντρωδῶν οἰκοδομημάτων κατασκευὰς 2.7.2 λόγος ἐς ἡμᾶς ἐνεδήμησεν. τοιγαροῦν ἀνὰ ταύτας δὴ τὰς ὑπογείους καταγωγὰς ἡ σωτηρία τέως σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἀπεθησαυρίζετο. μενοῦνγε καὶ ἄρτους καὶ μάζας ἐν τοῖς κοιλώμασιν ἀπεταμιεύοντο φυλακῆς ἐν καλῷ εἶναι οἱ τῆς ᾿Αρζανηνῆς 2.7.3 ταῦτα διανοούμενοι. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ κατάφωροι ῾Ρωμαίοις ἐγίνοντο πρός τι βραχὺ τὴν αἴσθησιν παρακλέψαντες, τῶν ἑαλωκότων τὰ ὑπὸ γῆν ἐξειπόντων μυστήρια καὶ ἐπιδειξα2.7.4 μένων εἰς τὸ ἐναργὲς τὸ ἀπόρρητον. καὶ οὖν ἤχοις ἀπεπειρῶντο ῾Ρωμαῖοι τῶν ὑπὸ γῆν ἐμφωλευόντων, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἡ διὰ τῶν ἀπηχημάτων ἀπόπειρα ἄγγελος ἀψευδὴς τὰ τῶν 2.7.5 λαγόνων τῆς γῆς διηγούμενος ὄργια. καὶ μέντοι ἀνήγοντο οἱ τῆς ᾿Αρζανηνῆς ὥσπερ