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For here it is not lawful to use either a golden ring or a belt or a clasp or anything else whatsoever, unless one has been deemed worthy by the king. 1.17.29 And thereafter Cabades was considering in what way he himself might campaign against the Romans. For since Mirranes had failed in this way, as has been said, he had confidence in no one else. 1.17.30 And while he was at a great loss, Alamoundaros the king of the Saracens came forward and said, "It is not right, O master, to trust fortune in all things, nor to think that one must succeed in all wars. For this is not even likely, nor is it human nature; but this notion is also most 1.17.31 disadvantageous to those who hold to it. For when those who have hoped that all good things would be theirs happen to fail at some time, their hope, having guided them improperly, 1.17.32 has grieved them more than is fitting. For this very reason men, since they cannot always have confidence in fortune, do not enter into the danger of war straightforwardly, even if they boast of surpassing the enemy in everything, but by deceit and by certain devices they are eager to outwit their adversaries. 1.17.33 For those who face danger from an opponent, the prospect of victory does not proceed with certainty. Now therefore, O king of kings, be not so exceedingly grieved by the misfortunes of Mirranes, nor wish again to make trial 1.17.34 of fortune. For in Mesopotamia and the land called Osroene, since it is very near to your borders, the cities are the most fortified of all, and they now have a multitude of soldiers such as never before, so that if we go there, the contest will not be on safe ground for us; however, in the land which happens to be beyond the Euphrates river, and in Syria which borders it, there is neither a city's 1.17.35 fortification nor an army worthy of mention. For I have often heard these things from the Saracens who were sent to these places for the purpose of spying. 1.17.36 And there, indeed, they say is the city of Antioch, which in wealth and size and population is the first of all the cities that belong to the Romans in the East; which, indeed, is both unguarded and destitute of soldiers. 1.17.37 For the people of this city care for nothing else except for festivals and luxury, and for their constant rivalry with each other in the theatres. 1.17.38 so that if we go against them unexpectedly, it is not at all unlikely that we shall capture the city by a sudden attack, and then, having encountered no enemy army, return to Persian territory, before the soldiers in Mesopotamia have yet learned what has happened. 1.17.39 And concerning a lack of water or any other of the necessities, let no thought enter your mind. For I will guide the army wherever it may seem best to be." 1.17.40 When Cabades heard these things, he was able neither to oppose nor to disbelieve. For Alamoundaros was both most intelligent and well-versed in the experience of war, and most loyal to the Persians, and exceptionally energetic, who indeed for a period of fifty years brought the Roman state to its knees. 1.17.41 For beginning from the borders of Egypt and all the way to Mesopotamia, he plundered the lands there, and harried and carried off everything in succession, both burning the buildings in his path and always enslaving the people by many tens of thousands, and killing most of them for no reason, while selling the rest for great sums of money. 1.17.42 And no one at all met him in battle. For he never made his raid without reconnaissance, but so suddenly and at a time most opportune for himself, that he for his part was for the most part already gone, departing with all the booty, while the generals and soldiers were just beginning to learn of what had happened and to gather against him. 1.17.43 And if by some chance they did manage to overtake him somewhere, this barbarian, falling upon his pursuers while they were still unprepared and not in battle formation, both routed and destroyed them with no trouble, and once he even captured alive all the pursuing soldiers along with their commanders. 1.17.44 These were Timostratus the brother of Rufinus and John the son of Lucas, whom indeed he later sold for ransom, acquiring for himself from them a wealth that was not mean nor ordinary. 1.17.45 And in sum

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ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὔτε δακτυλίῳ χρυσῷ οὔτε ζώνῃ οὔτε περόνῃ χρῆσθαι οὔτε ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν θέμις, ὅτι μὴ ἐκ βασιλέως ἀξιω1.17.29 θέντι. καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ὁ Καβάδης ἐν βουλῇ εἶχεν ὅντινα τρόπον αὐτὸς ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους στρατεύοι. Μιρράνου γὰρ σφαλέντος οὕτως, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐπ' ἄλλῳ 1.17.30 οὐδενὶ τὸ θαρρεῖν εἶχε. καί οἱ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀπορουμένῳ Ἀλαμούνδαρος ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν βασιλεὺς προσελθὼν εἶπεν «Οὐ πάντα, ὦ δέσποτα, χρεών ἐστι «πιστεύειν τῇ τύχῃ οὐδὲ τοὺς πολέμους οἴεσθαι δεῖν «κατορθοῦν ἅπαντας. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰκὸς τοῦτό γε οὐδὲ «ἄλλως ἀνθρώπειον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀξύμφορος αὕτη μά1.17.31 «λιστα τοῖς αὐτῇ ἐχομένοις ἡ ἔννοιά ἐστι. τοὺς γὰρ «ἅπαντα σφίσιν ἐλπίσαντας τἀγαθὰ ἔσεσθαι σφαλέντας «ποτὲ, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, ἡ ἐλπὶς οὐ δέον ἡγησαμένη 1.17.32 «τοῦ προσήκοντος μᾶλλον ἠνίασε. διὸ δὴ οὐκ ἔχοντες «ἀεὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τύχῃ τὸ θαρρεῖν ἄνθρωποι οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ «εὐθέος ἐς κίνδυνον πολέμου καθίστανται, κἂν τῷ «παντὶ τῶν πολεμίων ὑπεραίρειν αὐχῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἀπάτῃ «τε καὶ μηχαναῖς τισι περιελθεῖν τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐν 1.17.33 «σπουδῇ ἔχουσιν. οἷς γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου ὁ κίν»δυνός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐν βεβαίῳ τὰ τῆς νίκης χωρεῖ. νῦν «οὖν μήτε οἷς Μιρράνης ἠτύχησεν οὕτω περιώδυνος, «ὦ βασιλέων βασιλεῦ, γίνου, μήτε αὖθις ἀποπειράσα1.17.34 «σθαι βούλου τῆς τύχης. Μεσοποταμίας γὰρ καὶ τῆς «Ὀσροηνῆς καλουμένης χώρας, ἅτε τῶν σῶν ὁρίων «ἄγχιστα οὔσης, αἵ τε πόλεις ὀχυρώταταί εἰσι πασῶν «μάλιστα καὶ στρατιωτῶν πλῆθος οἷον οὐ πώποτε «πρότερον τανῦν ἔχουσιν, ὥστε ἡμῖν αὐτόσε ἰοῦσιν «οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τὰ τῆς ἀγωνίας γενήσεται, ἐν «μέντοι τῇ χώρᾳ, ἣ ἐκτὸς Εὐφράτου ποταμοῦ τυγχάνει «οὖσα, καὶ τῇ ταύτης ἐχομένῃ Συρίᾳ οὔτε πόλεως 1.17.35 «ὀχύρωμα οὔτε στράτευμα λόγου ἄξιόν ἐστι. ταῦτα «γὰρ πολλάκις πρὸς τῶν ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ ἐς ταύτας 1.17.36 «ἐσταλμένων Σαρακηνῶν ἤκουσα. ἔνθα δὴ καὶ πόλιν «Ἀντιόχειαν εἶναί φασι, πλούτῳ τε καὶ μεγέθει καὶ «πολυανθρωπίᾳ πρώτην πόλεων ἁπασῶν τῶν ἐν τοῖς «ἑῴοις Ῥωμαίοις οὖσαν· ἣ δὴ ἀφύλακτός τε καὶ στρα1.17.37 «τιωτῶν ἔρημός ἐστιν. οὐ γὰρ ἄλλου οὐδενὸς τῷ «ταύτης δήμῳ ὅτι μὴ πανηγύρεών τε καὶ τρυφῆς μέλει «καὶ τῆς ἐν θεάτροις ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλονεικίας. 1.17.38 «ὥστε ἢν ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἴωμεν, τήν «τε πόλιν αἱρήσειν ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς «καὶ μηδενὶ ἐντυχόντας πολεμίων στρατῷ εἶτα ἐπανελ»θεῖν ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη, οὔπω πεπυσμένων τὰ ξυμ1.17.39 «πεσόντα τῶν ἐν Μεσοποταμίᾳ στρατιωτῶν. ὕδατος «δὲ ἢ ἄλλου του τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀπορίας πέρι μηδέν «σε εἰσίτω. ἐγὼ γὰρ τῷ στρατῷ ἐξηγήσομαι ὅπη ἂν «δοκῇ ἄριστα εἶναι.» 1.17.40 Ταῦτα ἀκούσας Καβάδης οὔτε ἀντιτείνειν οὔτε ἀπιστεῖν εἶχεν. ἦν γὰρ Ἀλαμούνδαρος ξυνετώτατός τε καὶ τῆς κατὰ πόλεμον ἐμπειρίας εὖ ἥκων, Πέρσαις τε πιστὸς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, καὶ διαφερόντως δραστήριος, ὃς δὴ ἐς πεντήκοντα ἐνιαυτῶν χρόνον ἐς γόνυ ἐλθεῖν 1.17.41 τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐποίησε πράγματα. ἐκ γὰρ τῶν Αἰγύπτου ὁρίων ἀρξάμενος καὶ μέχρι ἐς Μεσοποταμίαν ληιζόμενος τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, ἦγέ τε καὶ ἔφερεν ἐφεξῆς ἅπαντα, καίων τε τὰς ἐν ποσὶν οἰκοδομίας καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους κατὰ πολλὰς ἀεὶ μυριάδας ἀνδραποδίζων, καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἀποκτείνων οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἀποδιδόμενος χρημάτων μεγά1.17.42 λων. ἀπήντα δέ οἱ τῶν πάντων οὐδείς. οὐ γάρ ποτε ἀνεπισκέπτως ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἔφοδον, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐξαπιναίως τε καὶ αὐτῷ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἐπιτηδείως, ὥστε ὁ μὲν ἤδη ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ξὺν τῇ λείᾳ πάσῃ ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοί τε καὶ στρατιῶται πυνθάνεσθαί τε τὰ ξυμπεσόντα καὶ ἀγείρεσθαι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἤρχοντο. 1.17.43 ἢν δέ που αὐτὸν καὶ καταλαβεῖν τύχῃ τινὶ ἔσχον, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἀπαρασκεύοις τε οὖσι καὶ οὐ ξυντεταγμένοις ἐπιπεσὼν τοῖς διώκουσιν ὁ βάρβαρος οὗτος ἔτρεπέ τε καὶ διέφθειρεν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, καί ποτε τοὺς διώκοντας στρατιώτας ξὺν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐζώγρησεν ἅπαντας. 1.17.44 Τιμόστρατος δὲ ἦν ὁ Ῥουφίνου ἀδελφὸς καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ τοῦ Λουκᾶ παῖς, οὓς δὴ ἀπέδοτο ὕστερον, πλοῦτον αὐτῶν οὐ φαῦλον οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα περιβαλλόμενος. 1.17.45 καὶ τὸ ξύμπαν