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They repaired Matzaron (this too is a fortress), which had grown old with time. This happened to be not far from Beïoudaes. And while Theodore was engaged in the building, farmers came to him, urging him to take Beïoudaes, revealing that there was not a sufficient garrison in it. Those around Theodore and Andrew immediately intended to add the deed to their words, and marching through the night they made a forced journey. And it had been decided by them to attack Beïoudaes by night. And being unable to achieve their own purpose, they arrived at the fortress around the morning songs of the birds. And the inhabitants recognized the Roman attack in advance and were without fear on account of the impregnability of the place. Then, taking courage from the rock, they came forward and began with a volley of arrows. 2.18.10 There happened to be one entrance to the fortress and it was difficult for a hostile hand to approach; for the matter of entry was entrusted to a single tower projecting from the fortification, as if surrounded by some adamantine stones, or if there is anything of a nature more 2.18.11 solid than these. So the Romans, dismounting from their horses, charged the rock, and the prelude to the contest was conducted with volleys from bows. But for those in the fortress, sometimes stones were their defense, at other times catapults, and as if from some lookout or very high watchtower they made their casts, as if 2.18.12 driving out the enemy from on high. While the Roman force was occupied, some Roman daredevils, locking their shields together, going little by little and at a walk, entrusting the whole of their valor to audacity, went ahead of those following, and paying no mind to the missiles from the rock, they moved forward, and they pushed the barbarian force from the rock.2.18.13 And the besieged, having left their allied rock, entered the fortress and surrendered the entrance to the enemy. And the Romans, having taken control of the rock's fortifications, 2.18.14 laid very strong siege to the fortress. But those standing on the battlements were not able to ward off the enemy, being unable to withstand the endless supply of arrows, but appearing all at once, they immediately showed their backs instead of their faces. 2.18.15 But a certain man, Sapeir, in body like the Tydeus celebrated by Homer, but in spirit even beyond Tydeus (for he was a Heracles in soul, and if anyone was ever mightier than he; for I do not hesitate, because of the greatness of his virtue, to place Heracles in second place, even if we are lacking in the comparison), carrying sharp stakes, 2.18.16 he leaps upon the fortification and travels aloft. Having inserted one stake into the tower between the joints of the building (for the fortress was constructed with dry stone), he steps on the stake with his foot, then having again, as it were, implanted the other stake, he supports his remaining foot, and taking hold of the projecting stones, he held on tightly 2.18.17 with his hands, and thus he contrived the ascent. And as the besieged were unable to withstand the sight of the arrows, that man Sapeir held firmly to the battlement. And the fortification would have been captured in that first assault, if not one of the Persian company, suddenly appearing, had not pushed that very champion off with one of the shields that were projecting from the fortification. 2.18.18 And he, slipping, was carried downwards with the shield, "headlong in the dust, upon his crown and shoulders," with a certain Homeric fall. Nevertheless he did not perish; for his comrades received him on their shields and saved him, wounded; 2.18.1 for the iron points of javelins grazed him very slightly. But he steadfastly returned again to that task and leaped up once more, wrapping his hands around the battlement like some inescapable tentacles of an octopus, 2.18. and held on to the battlement with a powerful grip. But the opposing Persian contrived a plot sister to the other one, and since the

Ματζάρων (φρούριον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο) τῷ χρόνῳ γεγηρακὸς διωρθώσαντο. οὐκ ἄπο δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ Βεϊουδαὲς ἐτύγχανεν ὄν. ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ περὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν ὁ Θεόδωρος ἐνησχολεῖτο, ἧκον παρ' αὐὸν γεωργοὶ παραθήγοντες τὸ Βεϊουδαὲς παραστήσασθαι, μὴ ἀποχρῶσαν ὑπεῖναι φρουρὰν ἐν αὐτῷ παρα2.18.8 δηλώσαντες. οἱ δὲ περὶ Θεόδωρον καὶ ᾿Ανδρέαν παραχρῆμα ἐπιθέσθαι τὴν πρᾶξιν τοῖς λόγοις διενοήθησαν καὶ διανυκτε2.18. ρεύσαντες συντόνῳ τῇ ὁδοιπορίᾳ ἐκέχρηντο. ἐπιθέσθαι δὲ νυκτὸς τῷ Βεϊουδαὲς τούτοις ἐδέδοκτο. καὶ μὴ ἐξισχύσαντες τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐφικέσθαι βουλήσεως περὶ τοὺς ἑωθινοὺς τῶν ὀρνίθων κελάδους τῷ φρουρίῳ ἐπέστησαν. καὶ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι τὴν ῾Ρωμαϊκὴν προεγνώρισαν ἔφοδον καὶ ἀδεεῖς ἦσαν διὰ τὸ τῶν τόπων δυσάλωτον. εἶτα ἀναθαρρήσαντες τῇ πέτρᾳ προκύπτουσι καὶ τῶν ἀποπομπαίων βελῶν προκατήρχοντο. 2.18.10 εἴσοδος δὲ τῷ φρουρίῳ μία οὖσα ἐτύγχανε καὶ δυσπρόσιτος ἦν πολεμίᾳ χειρί· ἑνὶ γὰρ πύργῳ τὰ τῆς εἰσαγωγῆς ἐπεπίστευτο προβεβλημένῳ τοῦ ἐχυρώματος, ὥσπερ ἀδαμαντίνοις περικειμένῳ λίθοις τισίν, ἢ εἴ τι τούτων τὴν φύσιν ἐστὶ 2.18.11 στεγανώτερον. οἱ οὖν ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἀποβάντες τῶν ἵππων προσαράττουσι τῇ πέτρᾳ, καὶ ταῖς ἀπὸ τόξων φοραῖς ἐτελεῖτο τὰ τῆς ἀγωνίας προαύλια. τοῖς δ' ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ ποτὲ μὲν λίθοι ἀμυντήρια ἦν, ἄλλοτε καταπέλται, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀπόπτου τινὸς ἢ μεγίστης περιωπῆς τὰς καταβολὰς ἐπεποίηντο, οἷα 2.18.12 ξενηλατοῦντες διὰ τῶν ὑψηλῶν τὸ πολέμιον. ἀσχολούσης δὲ τῆς ῾Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως, τολμητίαι τινὲς τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ συμ-φραξάμενοι ταῖς ἀσπίσιν, κατ' ὀλίγον καὶ βάδην ἰόντες τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἀριστείας ἀναθέντες τῷ θράσει προηγοῦντο τῶν ἑπομένων καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς πέτρας καταβολῶν οὐ φροντίζοντες εἰς τὸ πρόσω ἐχώρουν, καὶ διωθοῦσι τῆς πέτρας τὸ βάρβα2.18.13 ρον. οἱ δὲ πολιορκούμενοι τὴν σύμμαχον καταλείψαντες πέτραν, εἰσδύντες εἰς τὸ φρούριον παρέδοσαν τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν εἴσοδον. οἱ δὲ ῾Ρωμαῖοι τῶν τῆς πέτρας ὀχυρωμάτων 2.18.14 κρατήσαντες λίαν ἰσχυρῶς τὸ φρούριον περικάθηνται. οἱ δ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἑστῶτες ἀποσοβεῖν οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν τὸ ἀντίπαλον τὸ ἄπειρον τῶν βελῶν ὑπομένειν οὐκ ἔχοντες, ἀλλ' ἀθρόον ἐπιφαινόμενοι παραυτίκα ἀντὶ τῶν προσώπων 2.18.15 τὰ νῶτα ἐδείκνυον. Σάπειρ δέ τις ἀνήρ, τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὡς ὁ παρὰ τῷ ῾Ομήρῳ Τυδεὺς ἀνυμνούμενος, τὴν δὲ γνώμην καὶ περαιτέρω Τυδέως (῾Ηρακλῆς γὰρ ἦν τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ εἴ τις τούτου ἐγεγόνει ποτὲ ἀλκιμώτερος· οὐ γὰρ ἀποκνέω τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν ῾Ηρακλέα ἐν δευτέροις τιθείς, εἰ καὶ τῷ παραλλήλῳ λειπόμεθα), σκόλοπας ὀξεῖς ἐπιφερόμενος 2.18.16 ἐνάλλεται τῷ ἐχυρώματι καὶ μετεωροπορεῖ. τὸν μὲν ἕνα σκόλοπα ἐνείρας τῷ πύργῳ ἀνὰ τὰς ἁρμογὰς τοῦ οἰκοδομήματος (ἦν γὰρ λίθῳ ξηρῷ διεσκευασμένον τὸ φρούριον), ἐπιβαίνει ἐπὶ τοῦ σκόλοπος τῷ ποδί, εἶτα τὸν ἕτερον αὖθις ὥσπερ ἐγκεντρίσας σκόλοπα, τὸν λειπόμενον τοῖν ποδοῖν ἐπερείδει, καὶ τῶν ἐξηρτημένων λίθων ἐπειλημμένος ἀπρὶξ 2.18.17 εἴχετο ταῖς χερσίν, οὕτω τε τὴν ἄνοδον ἐσοφίζετο. τῶν δὲ πολιορκουμένων τὴν θέαν τῶν βελῶν μὴ ὑπομένειν οἵων τε ὄντων, ἰσχυρῶς εἴχετο τῆς ἐπάλξεως ὁ Σάπειρ ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ. καὶ ἂν ἥλω κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐκείνην ἐπιβολὴν τὸ ἐχύρωμα, εἰ μή τις τῶν τῆς Περσικῆς συμμορίας ἀθρόον ἐπιφανεὶς ἑνὶ τῶν θυρεῶν τῶν προβεβλημένων τοῦ ἐχυρώματος ἐκεῖνον 2.18.18 αὐτὸν τὸν ἀριστέα ἐξώθησεν. ὁ δὲ κατολισθήσας ἐς τὸ κάτω ἐφέρετο μετὰ τοῦ θυρεοῦ, "κύμβαχος ἐν κονίῃσιν, ἐπὶ βρεχμόν τε καὶ ὤμους", ῾Ομηρικῷ τῳ συμπτώματι. ὅμως οὐ διόλωλεν· ὑποδέχονται γὰρ αὐτὸν ταῖς ἀσπίσιν οἱ συμπονοῦντες καὶ τραυματίαν διεσώζοντο· προσνύττουσι γὰρ αὐτὸν τὰ τῶν 2.18.1 ἀκοντίων σιδήρια μικρὸν κομιδῇ. ὁ δὲ καρτερικῶς αὖθις ἐπ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἔργον ἐχώρει καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἀνέθορεν, τῇ ἐπάλξει τὰς χεῖρας περιβαλὼν οἷα πολύπους ἀφύκτους πλεκτάνας 2.18. τινάς, καὶ εἴχετο καρτερᾷ τινι λαβῇ τῆς ἐπάλξεως. ὁ δ' ἀντίπαλος Πέρσης ἀδελφὴν τῆς ἑτέρας ἐπιβουλῆς ἐξειργάσατο, καὶ σαθρωθείσης ἔναγχος τῆς