being given out, and going under the earth by the inscrutable wisdom of the creator; and again from the 130 Celtic mountains gushing up, and winding through Europe, and, being cut into five mouths, emptying its stream into the Pontus, which is named Euxine. Some say the Phison happens to be the one cutting through the land of India, which they are also accustomed to call the Ganges, near which is found the emerald stone. 2. But the triremes in this way were brought up the Ister. And John the emperor, having departed from Byzantium, arrives at Adrianople with the whole army. which they say Orestes the son of Agamemnon founded, when he underwent his wandering after the slaying of Clytemnestra, his own mother; and from him it was previously called Orestias. and that again the emperor Hadrian, while fighting the Scythians, was taken with the position of the place, and fortified it with strong surrounding walls, and named it Adrianople. And when the emperor arrived there, and learned from the scouts that the paths leading into the land of the Mysians were difficult to enter and narrow, which they also call "kleisourai" (passes), naming them so because they are as if locked, were not being guarded by the Scythians, having gathered the captains and commanders, he spoke as follows: I thought indeed, O fellow soldiers, that the Scythians, expecting our arrival among them for a long time, would have closed off with all their strength the most strategic and narrowest, and difficult to approach, parts of the paths with some battlements and fences, so that it would not be easy for us to enter further. But since the arrival of the divine Easter deceived them, so that they did not secure the roads in advance and 131 bar our passage, not being persuaded that we, leaving behind the things that accompany the great feast, the wearing of bright robes, and processions, and luxuries, and spectacles, would turn ourselves to the toils and hardships of war, it seems to me we would do best, if we seize the opportunity at once, and having prepared with all possible speed, we pass along the narrow road, before the Tauro-Scythians perceive our attack, and rush to defense in the difficult terrain. For if we are first in crossing the dangerous places, and we attack them unexpectedly, I think (let it be said with God's help), we will also take the city of Preslav by a single shout, where the Mysians have their royal palace; and setting out from there, we will most easily overcome the Russian desperation. 3. But these things the emperor said, but to the generals and commanders this daring that had been spoken of seemed ill-timed, and a rashness to no purpose falling into mindless desperation, urging them to lead the Roman force incautiously across a hollow and precipitous road in a foreign land. So, while they were silent for a considerable time, the emperor, taking up again and swelling with indignation, says: That to proceed in wars not with calculation, but with willfulness and rashness, is accustomed to cause the greatest danger and irremediable destruction, I myself also know, having been engaged in battles from my youth, and having won many trophies, as you know, and victories. But that, in situations where opportunity, standing as it were 132 on a razor's edge, does not allow one to handle affairs according to one's own judgment, one must snatch it beforehand, and arrange one's own affairs well, I think you yourselves will agree with me, having gathered much experience from the successive and fluctuating fortunes of wars. If then you obey me at all as I advise the better course, while the Scythians have lapsed into ease, not yet having perceived our arrival, let us seize the opportunity, and victory will accompany the crossing of the pass. For if they should perceive us about to cross, and into opposition in the narrow places

ἐκδιδόμενον, ὑποδυόμενόν τε κατὰ γῆν ἀμηχάνῳ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ σοφίᾳ· καὶ αὖθις ἐκ τῶν 130 Κελτικῶν ὀρέων ἀναπιδύοντα, ἑλισσόμενόν τε διὰ τῆς Εὐρώπης, καὶ, εἰς πέντε τεμνόμενον στόματα, τὸν ῥοῦν ἐσβάλλειν παρὰ τὸν Πόντον, ὃς Εὔξεινος ὀνομάζεται. τινὲς δὲ Φισῶν τὸν τὴν Ἰνδικὴν τέμνοντα γῆν τυγχάνειν, ὃν καὶ Γάγγην κικλήσκειν εἰώθασι, παρ' ᾧ ἐξευρίσκεται ὁ λίθος ὁ σμάραγδος. βʹ. Ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν τριήρεις τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον ἀνήχθησαν. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἀπάρας, ἐς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ σὺν παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι παραγίνεται. ἣν Ὀρέστην φασὶ πολίσαι τὸν τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος, ὅτε τὸν πλάνον ὑπέστη μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν Κλυταιμνήστρας, τῆς ἰδίας μητρός· ἐξ ἐκείνου τε Ὀρεστιάδα κεκλῆσθαι τὸ πρότερον. Ἀδριανὸν δὲ αὖθις τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, Σκύθαις μαχόμενον, ἁλῶναί τε τῇ θέσει τῆς χώρας, καὶ ταύτην ἐχυροῖς περιβόλοις τειχίσαι, καὶ Ἀδριανοῦ ὀνομάσαι. ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀφικόμενος, ἀναμαθών τε πρὸς τῶν σκοπῶν, ὡς ἐπάγουσαι εἰς τὴν τῶν Μυσῶν δυσέμβολοι καὶ ἐστενωμένοι ἀταρπιτοὶ, ἃς καὶ κλεισούρας, διὰ τὸ οἱονεὶ κατακεκλεῖσθαι, κατονομάζουσι, παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν οὐ παραφυλάττονται, τοὺς λοχαγοὺς καὶ ταξιάρχους συναγηοχὼς, ἔλεξε τοιάδε· Ὤιμην μὲν, ὦ συστρατιῶται, Σκύθας τὴν ἡμετέραν ὡς αὐτοὺς ἐκ πολλοῦ προσδοκῶντας ἄφιξιν, παντὶ σθένει τὰ ἐπικαιρότατα καὶ στενώτατα, δυσπρόσοδά τε, τῶν ἀταρπιτῶν, θριγκοῖς τισι καὶ ἑρκίοις συγκλεῖσαι, ὡς μὴ εὐπετῶς ἡμῖν εἴη εἰς τὰ πρόσω εἰσιτητέα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τοῦ θείου Πάσχα ἐπέλευσις ἔσφηλε τούτους, προκατασφαλίσασθαι τὰς ὁδοὺς καὶ 131 ἀπεῖρξαι τὴν ἡμῶν πάροδον, μὴ πεισθέντας, ὡς καταλιπόντες ἡμεῖς τὰ τῇ μεγάλῃ ἑορτῇ ἐφεπόμενα, λαμπροφορίας, καὶ προόδους, καὶ τρυφὰς, καὶ θέατρα, περὶ πόνους καὶ ταλαιπωρίας πολέμων ἐναποκλίνομεν, δοκεῖ μοι ἄριστα πράξειν, εἰ ἐξαυτῆς ἁρπάσωμεν τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ὡς ἔχομεν τάχους ἐνσκευασάμενοι, τὴν ἐστενωμένην ὁδὸν παροδεύσωμεν, πρὸ τοῦ Ταυροσκύθας αἰσθέσθαι τὴν ἡμῶν ἔφοδον, καὶ εἰς ἀλκὴν κατὰ τὰς δυσχωρίας ὁρμῆσαι. εἰ γὰρ προτερήσομεν τὴν τῶν ἐπισφαλῶν χωρίων διάβασιν, καὶ ἀπροσδόκητοι τούτοις προσβάλωμεν, οἶμαι (σὺν Θεῷ δὲ εἰρήσθω), αὐτοβοεὶ καὶ τὴν πόλιν Πραισθλάβαν αἱρήσειν, ᾗ Μυσοῖς ἐστὶ τὰ βασίλεια· κἀκεῖθεν ὁρμώμενοι, ῥᾷστα τὴν Ῥωσικὴν ἀπόνοιαν καταγωνισόμεθα. γʹ. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοῖς δέ γε στρατηγοῖς καὶ ταξιάρχοις ἄκαιρος ἐδόκει ταυτὶ τὰ ῥηθέντα τόλμα, καὶ τηνάλλως θράσος ἐς ἀπόνοιαν ἐκπίπτον ἀλόγιστον, ἀπερισκέπτως τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν δύναμιν διὰ σηραγγώδους καὶ κρημνώδους ὁδοῦ διαβιβάζειν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοδαπῆς προτρεπόμενα. ἐφ' ἱκανὸν οὖν χρόνον σιωπώντων αὐτῶν, ἀναλαβὼν αὖθις καὶ ἀνοιδήσας ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ φησίν· Ὅτι μὲν τὸ μὴ λελογισμένως παρὰ τοὺς πολέμους χωρεῖν, ἀλλ' αὐθαδῶς καὶ θρασέως, κίνδυνον εἴωθεν ὡς μάλιστα προξενεῖν καὶ πανολεθρίαν ἀνήκεστον, ἐπίσταμαι καὶ αὐτὸς, ἐκ νεότητος ταῖς μάχαις ἀναστραφεὶς, καὶ πολλὰ τρόπαια, καθὼς ἴστε, καὶ νίκας ἀναδησάμενος. ὅτι δὲ, ἐν οἷς ὁ καιρὸς, ὡς 132 ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς ἑστηκὼς, μὴ κατὰ γνώμην χρῆσθαι τοῖς πράγμασι δίδωσι, δεῖ που τοῦτον προαρπάζειν, καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα εὖ τίθεσθαι, συνθήσεσθαί μοι δοκῶ καὶ αὐτοὺς, ἐμπειρίαν πολλὴν ἀναλεξαμένους ἐκ τῆς ἀλλεπαλλήλου καὶ ἑτεροκλινοῦς τῶν πολέμων ῥοπῆς. εἴ τι οὖν μοι πείθεσθε τὰ λῴονα συμβουλεύοντι, ἕως οἱ Σκύθαι πρὸς ῥᾳστώνην ἀναπεπτώκασι, μήπω τὴν ἡμῶν αἰσθόμενοι ἄφιξιν, ἁρπάσωμεν τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ ἡ νίκη τῇ διαβάσει τῆς κλεισούρας συνέψεται. εἰ γὰρ διαβησείοντας ἡμᾶς αἴσθοιντο, καὶ εἰς ἀντίπαλον ἐπὶ τῶν στενωπῶν