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But let it comfort me; for what is noble has not obtained equal good will from all, nor do right actions seem worth pursuing to everyone. For virtue is something lofty and hard to attain and not shared by the many, either because of the strength of vice or the lack of desire for what is better." 2.15.1 When the old man resounded these words to the assembly, he inflamed the multitude and incited them to battle, making the impulses of the best men irrepressible, and somehow spurring on the more sluggish with his speech as with a whip 2.15.2 and reshaping their cowardice. A great shout was raised from the council, and with acclamations they made the theatre resound, admiring the magnanimity of the old soldier. Immediately, all having come to a unanimous decision akin to their own sentiment, they dissolved the council and turned to their full armor. 2.15.3 They therefore came down from Haemus upon Calvomuntis and Libidurgon, intending to make war, and they see the Khagan staying not far away somewhere, but having pitched his tents carelessly at a distance of about four milestones, since his host had poured out over 2.15.4 all of Thrace. Comentiolus, at any rate, arranged the army and, having formed it into one column, allowed it to march; and it is ordered to proceed towards Astica and to spend the night on watch and on the next day to fall upon the Khagan like a hurricane and to cause the greatest slaughter through the engagement 2.15.5. But it seemed good to some chance to counterfeit the rules of strategy; for like a drone it destroyed the honeycombs of good counsel and like some bee plunders the general's 2.15.6 labors. For when the sun had shown its back to the gloomy night, and the beautiful and light-bringing lamp had wrapped up her brightness and yielded to the power of the night, one of the pack-animals 2.15.7 threw off its load. It happened that its owner was walking in front. But those following and seeing the beast of burden somehow dragging its load more disorderly behind it, ordered the master to turn back and 2.15.8 to right the pack-animal from its failing. This, you see, became the cause of the disorder and spontaneously produced a turning back; for the word was misheard by the many, and what was said was a false signal, and it seemed to signify flight, as if the enemy had suddenly appeared to them and 2.15.9 had stolen upon them unawares. When the greatest confusion fell upon the army, a great uproar arose from them, and everyone shouted piercingly to return, and in their native tongue one ordered another to turn back, shouting "torna, torna" with the greatest panic, as if 2.15.10 a night battle had unexpectedly broken out among them. The whole company was thus torn apart like the strings of a lyre from their harmony. Thereupon the Khagan escaped this second and greatest danger, and as fast as his feet could carry him, he had abandoned his usual quarters and moved to another place, and he achieved a deliverance more remarkable than the former one. 2.15.11 The Roman army also did similar things, and the flight was a kind of mutual one, and a false fear spun the Roman camp around, and a counterfeit danger threw them into confusion. 2.15.12 Nevertheless, most of the Avars were killed, an unexpected engagement having occurred between both armies; for some of the Roman company turned back and engaged the enemy most vigorously. 2.15.13 When the Khagan had recovered from these two alarms, having beaten back the rocky crag of the attacks, he gathered the barbarian force and attacked the Roman cities and captured the fortress of Appiaria. But it does not seem superfluous to me to relate how, and to grant a small story as an insertion to the narrative. 2.16.1 There was a certain soldier, Bousas by name, a man good in battle and more glorious than the other champions who had contended, on account of the virtue of his soul, and of these

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ἀλλ' ἔμοιγε περιθάλπειν ἐάτω· οὐ γὰρ τὸ καλὸν τῆς ὁμοίας παρὰ πάντων εὐνοίας τετύχηκεν, οὔτε τὰ δεξιὰ τοῖς πᾶσι σπουδάσαι δοκεῖ. ἡ γὰρ ἀρετὴ ὑψηλόν τι χρῆμα καὶ δύσαντες καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς οὐ μετόν, ἢ διὰ κακίας ἰσχὺν ἢ ἀνορεξίαν τοῦ κρείττονος." 2.15.1 ᾿Επεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ γέρων τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐνήχει τὰ ῥήματα, ἐζωπύρει τὸ πλῆθος καὶ παρώτρυνε πρὸς παράταξιν, τῶν μὲν βελτίστων ἀκαθέκτους τὰς ἐφέσεις ποιούμενος, τῶν δὲ νωθροτέρων οἷα μάστιγι τῷ λόγῳ τινὶ διανύττων πως 2.15.2 καὶ μεταπλάττων τὸ ἄνανδρον. βοὴ δὲ πολλὴ ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς ἐκεκίνητο, καὶ ταῖς εὐφημίαις κατεκελάδουν τὸ θέατρον ἀγάμενοι τῆς μεγαλονοίας τὸν στρατιώτην τὸν γέροντα. παραχρῆμα δ' ἀδελφὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν γνώμης συμφρονήσαντες ἅπαντες τὴν βουλὴν διαλύσαντες ἐς πανοπλίαν ἐτρέποντο. 2.15.3 κατῆραν τοίνυν τοῦ Αἵμου ἐπὶ Καλβομοῦντις καὶ Λιβιδουργὸν πολεμησείοντες, καὶ τὸν Χαγάνον εἰσορῶσιν οὐ πόρρω που διατρίβοντα, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀπὸ σημείων τεττάρων ἀπεριμερίμνως τὰς σκηνὰς συμπηξάμενον, ἅτε δὴ τῆς ἐκείνου πληθύος ἀνὰ 2.15.4 πᾶσαν ἐκχεθείσης τὴν Θρᾴκην. διακοσμήσας γοῦν ὁ Κομεντίολος τὸ στράτευμα καὶ ἐς τάξιν μίαν συντάξας βαδίζειν εἴα· καὶ πρὸς τὴν ᾿Αστικὴν χωρεῖν διατάττεται τήν τε νύκτα διὰ φυλακῆς ἔχειν προσπίπτειν τε τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τῷ Χαγάνῳ λαίλαπος δίκην καὶ μέγιστον φόνον διὰ τῆς ὁμιλίας 2.15.5 παρέχεσθαι. ἀλλ' ἔδοξε τύχῃ τινὶ παραχαράττειν τῆς στρατηγίας τοὺς γνώμονας· κηφῆνος γὰρ δίκην τοὺς τῆς εὐβουλίας σίμβλους ἠφάνισε καὶ οἷα μελίττης τινὸς τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τοὺς 2.15.6 πόνους ληΐζεται. τοῦ γὰρ ἡλίου τὰ νῶτα τῇ σκυθρωπῷ νυκτὶ παραδείξαντος, καὶ τῆς περικαλλοῦς καὶ φωσφόρου λαμπάδος τὸ φαιδρὸν περιστειλαμένης καὶ παραχωρούσης κράτει νυκτερινῷ, ἕν τι τῶν ὑποζυγίων τὸν ἐπικείμενον 2.15.7 παραπέρριψε φόρτον. συνέτυχε δὲ τὸν κεκτημένον εἰς τὸ πρόσω βαδίζειν. οἱ δὲ παρεπόμενοι καὶ ὁρῶντες τὸ νωτοφόρον ζῶον τὰ ἐπικείμενά πως αὐτῷ ἐπισυρόμενον ἀκοσμότερον εἰς τοὐπίσω τραπέσθαι τὸν δεσπότην ἐκέλευον τό τε 2.15.8 σκευοφόρον ζῶον ἐπανορθοῦσθαι τοῦ πλημμελήματος. τοῦτό τοι τῆς ἀταξίας γέγονεν αἴτιον καὶ τὴν εἰς τοὐπίσω παλίρροιαν αὐτοματίζεται· παρηχεῖται γὰρ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ φωνή, καὶ παράσημον ἦν τὸ λεγόμενον, καὶ φυγὴν ἐδόκει δηλοῦν, ὡς οἷα τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιφανέντων ἀθρόον αὐτοῖς καὶ 2.15. παρακλεψάντων τὴν δόκησιν. μεγίστου δὲ συμπεσόντος τῷ στρατεύματι θρύλου, θροῦς παρ' αὐτῶν πολὺς ἐπανίσταται, παλιννοστεῖν τε ἐβόα πᾶς γεγωνὼς διαπρύσιον, ἐπιχωρίῳ τε γλώττῃ εἰς τοὐπίσω τραπέσθαι ἄλλος ἄλλῳ προσέταττεν, "τόρνα, τόρνα" μετὰ μεγίστου ταράχου φθεγγόμενοι, οἷα 2.15.10 νυκτομαχίας τινὸς ἐνδημούσης ἀδοκήτως αὐτοῖς. διασπᾶται γοῦν ἅπαν τὸ σύνταγμα ὥσπερ ἁρμονίας τινὸς τῶν ἐν τῇ λύρᾳ νευρῶν. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Χαγάνος τὸν δεύτερον τοῦτον καὶ μέγιστον διεδίδρασκε κίνδυνον, καὶ ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχεν, καταλελοίπει τὰς συνήθεις διατριβὰς καὶ πρὸς ἕτερον μετῳκίζετο χῶρον, σωτηρίαν τε τῆς προτέρας παραδοξοτέραν ηὐτύ2.15.11 χησεν. παραπλήσια δὲ καὶ τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ἔδρα, καὶ ἀμοιβαία τις ἦν ἡ φυγή, καὶ φόβος τις κίβδηλος τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν περιεστρόβει στρατόπεδον, καὶ νόθος αὐτοὺς ἐξετάραττε 2.15.12 κίνδυνος. ὅμως ἀναιροῦνται τῶν ᾿Αβάρων οἱ πλείους, συμπλοκῆς ἀδοκήτου συνενεχθείσης ἀμφοῖν τοῖς στρατεύμασιν· ἀντιστραφέντων γάρ τινων τῆς ῾Ρωμαϊκῆς συμμορίας, εὐσθενέστατα τοῖς πολεμίοις προσέμιξαν. 2.15.13 ᾿Επεὶ δὲ τῶν δισσῶν τούτων θορύβων ὁ Χαγάνος ἀνέπνευσεν, τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐφόδων σπιλάδα διακρουσάμενος, τὸ βαρβαρικὸν συναθροίσας ταῖς ῾Ρωμαϊκαῖς προσέβαλλε πόλεσι τό τε φρούριον τὴν ᾿Αππιάρειαν ἐχειρώσατο. οὐ περιττὸν δέ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ τὸ ὅπως διεξελθεῖν καὶ μικρόν τινα λόγον ὥσπερ ἐμβόλιμον τῇ συνεχείᾳ χαρίζεσθαι. 2.16.1 στρατιώτης τις ἦν, Βουσᾶς ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐς παράταξιν καὶ τῶν ἐνηθληκότων ἄλλων ἀριστέων διὰ ψυχῆς ἀρετὴν ἐνδοξότερος, τούτων τε