,

because of the peacefulness of the fortress. For like some venerable mediator a great chasm lay in the middle and separated each force. For the barbarian understood that the Persians, unable to bear a hostile sight, would not endure the victorious [force] attacking them somehow immediately and all at once after their recent 2.8. misfortunes. For this reason Zabertas deployed the Persian [force] on the opposite side along the lip of the ravine. And the ravine was a no-man's land, like a natural trench, a good guard entrusted with either force, where indeed the Romans and 2.8.10 the barbarian [force] spent no little time. But the Roman [force] was eager to leap out of the trench, desiring an engagement. But since the Persian [force] was avoiding the attack because of the ravine that was acting as an umpire, 2.8.11 for a time the slaughter was held in abeyance. After this, the Persians got to the rear of the Roman [force], having stolen the view by night; for they went around secretly, encircling the ravine, and by a circuitous march got behind the Romans, and from there the Persians had the security to encamp on the upper reaches of the mountain, where the [fort] 2.8.12 of Chlomaron is situated. Therefore it happened that the Romans, having departed from there, dug the trench at the foothills of the mountain. To such an extent did the forces become next-door neighbors to each other, that they could understand each other's speech and clearly perceive the neighing of the horses. For this reason the Romans abstain from the siege of Chlomaron; for it was not possible for them to take the fort for the future. 2..1 But on the following day around the first watch of the night, during the deepest sleep, an incurable fear disturbed the general and drove him to a senseless flight. 2..2 So, full of fear, since he was not able to bear the assault of the terror, he went away, departing, having communicated his withdrawal 2..3 to none of the multitude following him; to such an extent of power had his panic driven him, although the Median [force] did not have power to match the Romans, and indeed with famine 2..4 severely oppressing the barbarian [force]. The general therefore reaches Aphumon, which at that time was under the Romans. Therefore terrors and fears and disturbances and perplexities befall the Roman [force]. And the evil was 2..5 inconsolable; for it was prolonged by a moonless night. Some therefore were fleeing and traversing the difficult exits of the paths and were making their departures with dangers, and the reason for the flight was unexamined; but the barbarians were at a loss as to what the Romans were contriving, and comprehension was difficult to attain. 2..6 The multitudes therefore stream into the intervening ravine and are enveloped by dreadful evils, in the dark of the moon the baggage animals 2..7 as it were being utterly destroyed by slips in the trench. And with the Romans crowding together and wheeling about, pushing and being pushed in the confusion, it was not possible for them to find a release from that which held them; such an evil did the ignorance of a general 2..8 bring forth. And yes, by heaven, if indeed ten boys of the Persian [force], those very ones who carry the baggage from the camp and serve the barbarian, had shouted out on that day, as if indeed the multitude of the Persians was following them and was about to partake of the slaughter, the entire Roman army would have been utterly destroyed, so that there was a risk, I think, that not even a messenger of the disaster would be saved. Such an evil did the flanks of folly birth for them. 2.. And so under the light of dawn as the darkness was being split apart, with difficulty the Roman army made its way through and is transferred to Aphumon. From there the forces revile the general and ridicule him within earshot. 2..10 But the Persian [force] followed at a leisurely and gentle pace. For it did not dare to join hands openly; for the enemy's panic 2..11 had not become evident to it. They act as a rearguard, therefore, and the rear of the Roman force was being struck by arrows, and they were shooting at

διὰ τὸ εἰρηναῖον τοῦ ἐχυρώματος. οἷα γάρ τις μεσίτης αἰδέσιμος χάσμα τι μέγα ἐς μέσον ὑπῆν ἑκατέραν τε διέκρινε δύναμιν. συνηπίστατο γὰρ ὁ βάρβαρος ὡς οὐχ ὑπομενοῦσιν οἱ Πέρσαι ἀμέσως πως καὶ ἀθρόον τὸ νενικηκὸς ἐπιτιθέμενον τῷ νεαρῷ 2.8. τῶν ἀτυχημάτων πολεμίαν ὄψιν φέρειν οὐκ ἔχοντες. διά τοι τοῦτο ὁ Ζαβέρτας ἐς τὸ ἀντιπρόσωπον ἀνὰ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ φάραγγος τὸ Περσικὸν ἐφηπλώσατο. καὶ ἦν ἡ φάραγξ μεταίχμιον ὡσπερεὶ τάφρος αὐτόματος, φύλαξ τις ἀγαθὸς ὁποτέραν πιστευόμενος δύναμιν, ἔνθα δὴ οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοί τε καὶ 2.8.10 τὸ βάρβαρον οὐκ ὀλίγον διετέλεσαν χρόνον. τὸ δὲ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν τῆς τάφρου ἐξάλλεσθαι κατωρέγετο συμπλοκῆς ἐφιέμενον. τοῦ δὲ Περσικοῦ τὴν ἐπιφορὰν ἀποκλίνοντος διὰ τὸν παραβρα2.8.11 βεύοντα φάραγγα, τέως ἀνακωχὴν ὁ φόνος ἐλάμβανεν. μετὰ τοῦτο γίνονται Πέρσαι ἐπὶ τὰ νῶτα τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ τὴν θέαν νυκτὶ παρακλέψαντες· περινοστοῦσι γὰρ λαθραίως περικυκλώσαντες τὴν φάραγγα καὶ περιφορᾷ τῆς βαδίσεως κατόπιν ῾Ρωμαίων ἐγίνοντο, κἀντεῦθεν ἄδειαν ἴσχουσι Πέρσαι ἀνὰ τὰς ὑπερωρείας τοῦ ὄρους στρατοπεδεύεσθαι, ἵνα ἵδρυται τὸ 2.8.12 Χλομαρῶν. τοιγαροῦν ῾Ρωμαίους συνέβαινε τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἀπάραντας ὑπὸ τοὺς πρόποδας τοῦ ὄρους διορύττειν τὴν τάφρον. ἐς τοσοῦτον ἀγχίθυροί τε καὶ γείτονες ἀλλήλων αἱ δυνάμεις ἐγένοντο, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἀλλήλων συνιέναι φωνὴν καὶ τοῦ χρεμετίσματος τῶν ἵππων ἐς τὸ τρανὲς ὑπαισθάνεσθαι. διά τοι τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ Χλομαρῶν πολιορκίας ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἀπέχονται· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν τὸ φρούριον αὐτοῖς τὸ λοιπὸν παραστήσεσθαι. 2..1 Τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ ἀμφὶ πρώτην τῆς νυκτὸς φυλακήν, ὑπὸ τὸν βαρύτατον ὕπνον, δέος τι ἀνήκεστον τὸν στρατηγὸν διετάραξε καὶ πρὸς ἀπόδρασιν παράλογον τοῦτον ἐξέμηνεν. 2..2 οὐκοῦν ὡς εἶχε δέους, ἐπεὶ τοῦ δείματος οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν φέρειν τὴν ἔφοδον, ᾤχετο ἀπιών, μηδενὶ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως 2..3 μεταδοὺς τῆς ἑπομένης πληθύος αὐτῷ· ἐς τοσοῦτον ἐληλάκει δυνάμεως ἡ κατάπληξις, καίτοι τοῦ Μηδικοῦ οὐκ ἀντίρροπον ἔχοντος ῾Ρωμαίοις τὸ δύνασθαι, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ 2..4 ἐς τὸ ἰσχυρὸν τὸ βάρβαρον παραθλίβοντος. ἐπιβαίνει γοῦν τοῦ ᾿Αφούμων ὁ στρατηγὸς τὸ τηνικαῦτα καιροῦ ὑπὸ ῾Ρωμαίους ὑπάρχοντος. οὐκοῦν δείματα καὶ φόβοι θόρυβοί τε καὶ ἀπορίαι τῷ ῾Ρωμαϊκῷ περιπίπτουσιν. καὶ τὸ κακὸν ἀπαρη2..5 γόρητον ἦν· ἀσελήνῳ γὰρ νυκτὶ ἐμηκύνετο. οἱ μὲν οὖν διέφευγον καὶ διήνυον τῶν ἀτραπῶν τὰ δυσέξοδα καὶ μετὰ κινδύνων τὰς ἀποφοιτήσεις ἐπεποίηντο, καὶ ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀποδράσεως ἦν ἀνεξέταστος· οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι διηπόρουν τί ἂν παλαμῶνται ῾Ρωμαῖοι, καὶ δυσέφικτος ἦν ἡ κατάληψις. 2..6 συρρέουσι τοίνυν τὰ πλήθη τῷ μεσίτῃ τῷ φάραγγι καὶ ἐξαισίοις κακοῖς περιβάλλονται, ἐν σκοτομήνῃ τῶν ὑποζυγίων 2..7 ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ ὥσπερ διολλυμένων τοῖς ὀλισθήμασιν. τῶν δὲ ῾Ρωμαίων συστρεφομένων τε καὶ ἀνελιττομένων, ὠθούντων τε καὶ ὠθουμένων ταῖς περιτροπαῖς, λύσιν οὐκ ἦν ἐκείνους εὑρεῖν τοῦ συνέχοντος· τοιοῦτό τι κακὸν ἀμαθία στρατηγοῦ 2..8 ἀπεκύησεν. καὶ ναὶ μὰ τόν, εἴγε τοῦ Περσικοῦ δέκα δῆτα παιδάρια, τούτων δῆτα τῶν περιαγομένων τὴν ἀποσκευὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ χάρακος καὶ διυπηρετουμένων τῷ βαρβάρῳ, κατεκελάδησαν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὡς ἅτε δὴ τῆς πληθύος τῶν Περσῶν συνεπομένης αὐτοῖς καὶ ὅσον οὔπω μεταληψομένης τοῦ φόνου, τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ἅπαν καταδιόλωλε σύνταγμα, ὡς κινδυνεύειν, οἶμαι, καὶ ἄγγελον τῆς συμφορᾶς ἀποσώζεσθαι. τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς κακὸν αἱ τῆς ἀβουλίας λαγόνες ὠδίνησαν. 2.. καὶ οὖν ὑπὸ τὰ ἑωθινὰ καταυγάσματα περισχιζομένου τοῦ σκότους, μόλις τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν διεξωδεύετο στράτευμα καὶ ἐς τὸ ᾿Αφούμων μεταβιβάζεται. ἐντεῦθεν βλασφημοῦσι τὸν στρατηγὸν αἱ δυνάμεις καὶ εἰς ὑπήκοον ἐκωμῴδουν αὐτόν. 2..10 τὸ δὲ Περσικὸν σχολαίως καὶ ἠρέμα παρείπετο. οὐκ ἐθάρρει γὰρ ἐς τὸ φανερὸν χεῖρας ἐμμίξαι· οὐ γὰρ κατάφωρον αὐτῷ 2..11 ἐγεγόνει ἐκδειματούμενον τὸ πολέμιον. οὐραγοῦσι τοίνυν, καὶ τὰ κατόπιν τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως τόξοις ἐβάλλετο, ἐπετοξάζοντό τε οἱ