,

on account of the gentler tone, so to speak, of the conversation. And birds guide the spectators more musically with their songs, perched on the new shoots of the trees, and they sing to them a song that is soothing, without anger, making them forget all evils, and with their songs they send great freedom from pain to the travelers. 2.11.8 The ivy and the myrtle and the smilax, along with all the other flowers, in a certain most beautiful harmony, bring to perfection a certain immaterial luxury with their scents most abundantly, and they enrich the visitor with their fragrances, as if by some most excellent law of hospitality, offering some 2.11. preparation of delight to those who come. There, indeed, on the previous day, along with the next, the general ordered the army to encamp. And the general ordered Martin, who was a captain, to scout for the Avar force from dawn around the wooden bridge of the neighboring river, and to see if the enemy had crossed the stream, and Castus to investigate the movements of the enemy at the stone crossing, what their intentions were, and if they were encamped on the opposite bank. 2.11.10 But when Martin had seen that the enemy was just about to cross the stream, he returned back and rejoined the forces around Comentiolus. 2.11.11 But Castus, going down, crossed the river and, arriving on the other side, encounters the enemy skirmishers and quite vigorously destroyed them all with the 2.11.12 sword. But having done such things, he was not able to preserve his present success, due to the suggestions of some perverse demon. For he did not return to Comentiolus, but went off to the wooden bridge and tried to accompany 2.11.13 Martin. But when he failed in his plan, as the sun was setting, he stayed the night in that place. On the following day, the enemy passed the night and was ferried across to the other side by means of the wooden bridge; for it was not possible to cross the stream otherwise. For the river was deep near the banks and, surging with its current, it prevented those who attempted the passage. 2.11.14 And as Castus also gave the signal for home and was leading back to the camp, the hostile multitude met them head-on, and the evil was hard to face and devoid of stratagem. 2.12.1 But sweat poured down Castus, and he was cast down in spirit by helplessness, and he dreaded and feared, and the disaster progressed to a great evil. 2.12.2 And the company was immediately split apart, and one turned one way, another another, as cowardice had it, and like hares or fawns pushing aside the snares of a hunter they hid themselves away in the valleys, concealed 2.12.3 in the groves. And some of the Romans, having been captured by the Avars, were incurably tortured and endured different devices of torment at different times. And a most bitter manner of death was threatened to them, unless they revealed where Castus had happened to turn. 2.12.4 Therefore they confess and point out Castus, hiding like some small leaf in the middle of the woods. And so the commander was taken alive and became a rich prize for the enemy. But also a very large portion of the army along with Castus was captured by the enemies. 2.12.5 And the war received more impetus and was kindled to greater fury. For the Khagan, as from some starting-point of evils, sent forth a great army, in order that it might cut through all of 2.12.6 Thrace. The enemy accordingly leaps to plunder through the borders of Mesembria, and indeed they killed the guards (these were five hundred, guarding the strongholds) 2.12.7 who had drawn up more heroically. And a certain commander Ansimuth (he was the leader of an infantry force stationed in Thrace), when he perceived that the Avar force was approaching, gathered his army and was saving it by moving toward the Long 2.12.8 Walls. And he himself happened to be at the rear of the force and was urging the army inward. This indeed while he was alive

διὰ τὸ τῆς ὁμιλίας ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν μαλθακώτερον. ξεναγωγοῦσί τε ὄρνιθες τοὺς θεατὰς τοῖς μέλεσι μουσικώτερον ἐν τοῖς νεοβλάστοις τῶν δένδρων ὀχούμενοι, ᾄδουσί τε αὐτοῖς νηπενθές τε ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθον ἁπάντων, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν ἀλυπίαν τοῖς ὁδίταις 2.11.8 ταῖς ᾠδαῖς παραπέμπουσιν. ὁ δὲ κιττὸς καὶ ἡ μυρρίνη καὶ ἡ σμῖλαξ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀνθῶν καλλίστῃ τινὶ συμφωνίᾳ τρυφὴν ἄϋλόν τινα ταῖς ὀσμαῖς τελεσφοροῦσι κομιδῇ ἀφθονώτατα, καὶ καταπλουτοῦσι ταῖς εὐωδίαις τὸν ἐνδημήσαντα ὥσπερ τινὶ φιλοξενίας ἀρίστῳ θεσμῷ παρα2.11. σκευὴν θυμηδίας τινὰ τοῖς φοιτηταῖς προφερόμενοι. ἔνθα δὴ τῇ προτεραίᾳ, ἅμα τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τὸ στρατόπεδον προσέταττεν ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐναυλίζεσθαι. περὶ τὴν ξυλίνην δὲ γέφυραν τοῦ γείτονος ποταμοῦ ἀνιχνεύειν τὸ ᾿Αβαρικὸν ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ λοχίτῃ γε ὄντι Μαρτίνῳ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐγκελεύεται ἐπισκοπεῖν τε, εἴγε διεπεραιώθη τὸν ῥοῦν τὸ πολέμιον, Κάστον δὲ κατὰ τὴν λιθίνην διάβασιν ἀνερευνᾶσθαι τὰ τῶν πολεμίων κινήματα, πῶς τε ἔχουσι γνώμης, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀντιπέρας 2.11.10 εἴγε στρατοπεδεύοιντο. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ Μαρτῖνος ἐτεθέατο διαπεραιοῦσθαι τὸν ῥοῦν ὅσον οὔπω τὸ πολέμιον μέλλον, παλίνορσος οἷα ἐπανῆκε καὶ συνέρρει τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Κομεντίολον 2.11.11 στρατεύμασιν. ὁ δὲ Κάστος ὑπεσβαίνων τόν τε ποταμὸν διεπεραιώσατο καὶ εἰς τὸ πέραν ἀφικόμενος συγγίνεται τοῖς προθέουσι τῶν ἀντιπάλων καὶ ῥωμαλεώτερον ἅπαντας τῷ 2.11.12 ἀκινάκῃ διώλεσεν. δράσας δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν τὴν παροῦσαν εὐπραγίαν διαφυλάξασθαι σκαιοῦ τινος δαίμονος ὑποθήκαις. οὐκ ἀνέζευξε γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Κομεντίολον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ξυλίνην ἀποιχόμενος γέφυραν συμπαρομαρτεῖν 2.11.13 ἐπειρᾶτο Μαρτίνῳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ διητύχησε τοῦ βουλήματος, ἡλίου δυομένου ἐπαννύχιζε κατὰ τὸν χῶρον. τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ διενυκτέρευε τὸ πολέμιον καὶ διὰ τῆς ξυλίνης γεφύρας εἰς τὸ πέραν διεπορθμεύετο· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν ἄλλως διαπεραιοῦσθαι τὸ ῥεῖθρον. ἀγχιβαθὴς γὰρ ὁ ποταμὸς ἐπεφύκει πελαγίζων τε τῷ ῥοθίῳ τοὺς ἐπιβαίνοντας τῆς πορείας ἀπεῖργεν. 2.11.14 συννεύοντος δὲ καὶ Κάστου ὡς τὰ οἴκοι καὶ ἀνταναγομένου ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον, ἀντιμέτωπον τὸ δυσμενὲς συνεκύρησε πλῆθος, καὶ δυσάντητον ἦν τὸ κακὸν καὶ σοφίσματος ἄμοιρον. 2.12.1 ἀτὰρ ἱδρὼς περιέρρει τῷ Κάστῳ, ἀπορίᾳ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν κατεβάλλετο, ὠρρώδει τε καὶ ἐδεδίει, καὶ ἐς μέγα κακοῦ τὰ 2.12.2 τῆς συμφορᾶς εἶχε τὴν πρόοδον. περισχίζεται δὲ παραυτίκα τὸ σύνταγμα, καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλῃ, ὡς εἶχε δειλίας, ἐτράπετο, καὶ οἷα πτῶκές τινες ἢ νεβροὶ κυνηγέτου ἐπιβουλὰς παρωθούμενοι πρὸς τὰ τέμπη παρεκρύπτοντο, ἐγκεκορδυλημένοι 2.12.3 τοῖς ἄλσεσιν. ἁλόντες δέ τινες τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Αβάρων ἀνήκεστά τε ᾐκίζοντο καὶ ἄλλας ἄλλοτε στρεβλώσεων ἐπινοίας ὑπέμενον. ἠπειλεῖτο δ' αὐτοῖς καὶ τρόπος θανάτου πικρότατος, εἰ μὴ τὸν Κάστον ὅπῃ καὶ τύχοι τραπέντα 2.12.4 παραδηλώσωσιν. τοιγαροῦν καθομολογοῦνται δακτυλοδεικτοῦσί τε τὸν Κάστον οἷά πως ἐπιφυλλίδα τινὰ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ὕλης ἀποκρυπτόμενον. καὶ οὖν ἐζωγρεῖτο ὁ ταξιάρχης καὶ λιπαρόν τι κύρμα τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐγίνετο. ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείστη ἀπόμοιρα τοῦ στρατεύματος ἅμα τῷ Κάστῳ ὑπὸ τῶν δυσμενῶν συνεσφίγγετο. 2.12.5 ῾Ο δὲ πόλεμος ἐπίδοσιν μᾶλλον ἐλάμβανε καὶ πρὸς τὸ λαβρότερον ἐξεκαίετο. ὁ γὰρ Χαγάνος ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος ἀφετηρίας κακῶν ἐπαφίησι στρατιὰν πολλήν, ὅπως τὴν 2.12.6 Θρᾴκην διατέμηται πᾶσαν. ἐνάλλεται τοίνυν ἐπὶ προνομὴν τὸ πολέμιον διὰ τῶν τῆς Μεσημβρίας ὁρίων, καὶ δῆτα τοὺς φύλακας (πεντακόσιοι δ' οὗτοι, περιφρουροῦντες τὰ ἐχυρώ2.12.7 ματα) ἡρωϊκώτερον παραταξαμένους ἀνεῖλον. ᾿Ανσιμοὺθ δέ τις ταξίαρχος (πεζικοῦ δὲ οὗτος στρατεύματος ἡγεμόνευε περὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐνδιατρίβοντος), ὁπηνίκα ᾔσθετο τὸ ᾿Αβαρικὸν ἐπιφοιτῆσαν, ἠθροίκει τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ πρὸς τὰ Μακρὰ 2.12.8 τείχη διέσωζεν. αὐτὸς δ' ἐπὶ τὸ οὔραιον τῆς δυνάμεως ἐτύγχανεν ὢν συνώθει τε πρὸς τὸ εἴσω τὸ στράτευμα. τοῦτό τοι καὶ ζῶντα