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by nature is fearsome to the brave. To these men iron is like grass, and the pains of the missiles are a craving that kindles them to take on greater dangers. Therefore, keep your backs unknown to the enemy; 3.13.10 show them to be uninitiated in your backs. I know that wounds are the sources of triumphs. Flight leads to slavery, and does not save; for a pretext of cowardice knows not how to keep a promise of safety. Strip off your bodies before your breastplates, your life before your shields. Fight with all your limbs; let no limb be without a share in the dangers. 3.13.11 With the convergence of your weapons wall in the battle-line, with the mingling 3.13.11 of your horses entrench the phalanxes, with the harmony of your stance fence yourselves in like a structure of solid stones. Let not the spears leap from your grasp; shoot, not being 3.13.12 deprived of your missiles. The Persians do not have an immortal nature; the Medes do not have an unshakeable fortune. The barbarians do not have tireless hands; the Parthians do not have an advantage in their limbs. They do not have twin souls; their bodies are not of adamant. The Persians too are initiated into the mysteries of death. In this, war is just; for it has not marshaled immortals against mortals. 3.13.13 The Romans have hired Justice as an ally, having sought peace again. The Median force has marshaled injustice as its opposite; for it always abhors what is peaceful and honors the love of war as if it were a propitious god. 3.13.14 Ours is not a false religion, we have not set up bastard gods as leaders. We do not have a god that is whipped; 3.13.15 for we do not ordain a horse for worship. We do not worship a god who is turned to ash, today burning and after a little while not even appearing. Smoke and matter do not constitute theology, and decay has refuted the false name. 3.13.16 The barbarian is puffed up with his good cheer; but good fortune knows not how to remain by itself when it mounts unjust altars. And injustice is often strengthened, but it is also turned toward destruction. Go forth, therefore, to war in a manner worthy of your name, lest along with our affairs we be penalized 3.13.17 in our names as well. Let us not betray our allied shields, but let us embrace them like some beautiful lovers, and let us fight for them as for some fellow travelers from our fatherlands. Be Laconian as you engage; let every man be a Cynaegirus, even if he has not boarded a ship. Nothing is more womanish than to run away, nor is anything by nature more to be shunned than to be captured. Therefore it is fitting either to die or to fashion victorious hopes. 3.13.18 Behold in a mirror the newly-levied armies of the Caesar. Nothing of the refuse is scattered among the assembled troops, the array is unstained; for so the ambition of the emperor was pleased. 3.13.1 I, the orator, will therefore be the first to work the war with my hands, I will hire the hands of all with my zeal, being ashamed not to suffer what one must suffer. But the desire for words gives way for me, and action becomes the forerunner of theory; for the soul's ardor knows how to oppose even the laws of nature. 3.13. Today angels are enrolling you and recording the souls of the dead, providing them not an equal wage, but one exceeding it infinitely 3.13.21 in the weight of the gift. Let no one who is a pleasure-lover in his soul wield a spear, let no friend of luxury partake in the rites of war; let no one who prides himself on his possessions be a partner in this enterprise. The space between the armies seeks lovers of danger. Come now, let us put an end to our words with deeds, and let us channel our theory into battle-array." 3.14.1 When, therefore, such words had been instructed to the forces, the phalanxes were eager for battle-array and were glad to suffer anything and were spurred on to risk themselves for virtue; for they disposed their souls together with the exhortations of the general. 3.14.2 And when the Mede heard of the Romans' bold purpose, he prepared for war and the horse was adorned with frontlets

ἀριστεῦσι πέφυκε φοβερόν. τούτοις οἷα μὲν χόρτος ἐστὶν ὁ σίδηρος, αἱ δὲ τῶν βελῶν ἀλγηδόνες ὄρεξις ὑπεκκαίουσα μειζόνων κινδύνων ἐφάπτεσθαι. οὐκοῦν ἀνιστόρητα τὰ νῶτα τοῖς πολεμίοις φρουρήσατε· ἀμυήτους αὐτοὺς τῶν μεταφρένων 3.13.10 ἐνδείξασθε. πηγὰς θριάμβων οἶδα τὰ τραύματα. δουλαγωγοῦσιν αἱ διαφυγαί, καὶ οὐ σώζουσιν· οὐκ οἶδε γὰρ κακίας ὑπόθεσις σωτηρίας σώζειν ὑπόσχεσιν. ἀποδύσασθε πρὸ τῶν θωράκων τὰ σώματα, πρὸ τῶν ἀσπίδων τὸ ζῆν. τοῖς ὅλοις μάχεσθε μέλεσιν· μηδὲν ἔστω μέλος τῶν κινδύνων ἀμέτοχον. 3.13.11 τῇ συννεύσει τῶν ὅπλων τειχίσατε τὴν παράταξιν, τῇ συμμίξει 3.13.11 τῶν ἵππων τὰς φάλαγγας χαρακώσατε, τῷ συμφώνῳ τῆς στάσεως στεγανῶν λίθων δίκην οἰκοδομίας ἑαυτοὺς περιφράξατε. μὴ ἐξαλλέσθω τῆς παλάμης τὰ δόρατα· βάλλετε τῶν 3.13.12 βελῶν μὴ στερούμενοι. οὐκ ἔστι Πέρσαις φύσις ἀθάνατος· οὐκ ἔστι τύχη Μήδοις ἀκίνητος. οὐκ εἰσὶ βαρβάροις χεῖρες ἀκάματοι· οὐ πλεονεκτοῦσι Πάρθοι τοῖς μέλεσιν. οὐ διδύμους ἔχουσι τὰς ψυχάς· οὐκ ἀδαμάντινα τούτοις τὰ σώματα. μυοῦνται καὶ Πέρσαι θανάτου μυστήρια. ἐν τούτῳ δίκαιός ἐστιν ὁ πόλεμος· οὐ γὰρ ἀθανάτους κατὰ θνητῶν ἐπεστρά3.13.13 τευσεν. οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι τὴν δίκην ἐμισθώσαντο σύμμαχον τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ αὖθις ἐπιζητήσαντες. τὸ Μηδικὸν ἀντίθετον ἑαυτῷ τὸ δίκαιον ἐπεστράτευσεν· ἀεὶ γάρ που τὸ εἰρηναῖον βδελύττεται καὶ οἷα θεὸν ἐπιδέξιον γεραίρει τὸ φιλοπόλεμον. 3.13.14 οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἐψευσμένη θρησκεία, οὐ νόθους θεοὺς ἡγεμόνας προεστησάμεθα. οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν θεὸς μαστιζόμενος· 3.13.15 οὐ γὰρ ἵππον χειροτονοῦμεν εἰς λάτρευμα. οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν θεὸν πρὸς τέφραν μετατιθέμενον, σήμερον φλεγόμενον καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον μηδὲ φαινόμενον. οὐ καπνὸς καὶ ὕλη τὴν θεολογίαν συνίστησιν, ὁ δὲ μαρασμὸς τὴν ψευδωνυμίαν διήλεγξεν. 3.13.16 κομᾷ ταῖς εὐθυμίαις ὁ βάρβαρος· ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδεν εὐπραγία μένειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἀδίκων βωμῶν ἐπιβαίνουσα. καὶ τὸ μὴ δίκαιον πολλάκις κρατύνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς φθορὰν μετατίθεται. χωρεῖτε τοιγαροῦν ἀξίως τῆς ὑμετέρας προσηγορίας πρὸς πόλεμον, ἵνα μὴ μετὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ζημιωθῶμεν 3.13.17 καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα. μὴ προδῶμεν τὰς συμμάχους ἀσπίδας, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐρωμένας τινὰς ὡρικὰς ταύτας περιπτυξώμεθα, καὶ οἷα πατρίδων συνεκδήμων τινῶν τούτων ὑπερμαχήσωμεν. λακωνίσατε συμπλεκόμενοι· ἅπας ἔστω Κυνέγειρος, εἰ καὶ μὴ νηὸς ἐπιβέβηκεν. οὐδὲν τοῦ διαδρᾶναι καθέστηκε θηλυκώτερον, οὐδὲ τοῦ ἁλῶναι πέφυκεν ἀπευκτότερον. οὐκοῦν ἢ τεθνάναι προσήκει ἢ νικηφόρους τὰς ἐλπίδας τεκταίνεσθαι. 3.13.18 ἐνοπτρίσασθε τὰς νεοφύτους ἐπιστρατείας τοῦ Καίσαρος. οὐδὲν ἀπόλεκτον τοῖς ἀθροίσμασιν ἐγκατέσπαρται, ἀκηλίδωτός ἐστιν ἡ ἔκταξις· οὕτω γὰρ ηὐδόκησε τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως φιλό3.13.1 τιμον. χειρουργήσω τοίνυν ὁ δημηγόρος ἐγὼ πρῶτος τὸν πόλεμον, τὰς πάντων χεῖρας τῇ προθυμίᾳ μισθώσομαι παθεῖν τὸ μὴ παθεῖν αἰσχυνόμενος. προκόπτει δέ μοι τῶν ῥημάτων ἡ ἔφεσις, καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις τῆς θεωρίας γίνεται πρόδρομος· οἶδε γὰρ ζέσις ψυχῆς καὶ τοῖς τῆς φύσεως θεσμοῖς ἀντι3.13. τάττεσθαι. σήμερον ὑμᾶς στρατολογοῦσιν ἄγγελοι καὶ τὰς τῶν τεθνεώτων ψυχὰς ἀναγράφονται, οὐ μισθὸν ἰσοστάσιον αὐταῖς παρεχόμενοι, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ ἀπειροπλάσιον ὑπερβαίνοντα 3.13.21 τῇ ὁλκῇ τοῦ δωρήματος. μηδεὶς φιλήδονος τὴν ψυχὴν δόρυ κινείτω, μηδεὶς φίλος τρυφῆς ὀργίων μετεχέτω πολέμου· μηδεὶς μέγα φρονῶν ἐπὶ κτήμασι κοινωνείτω τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος. ἐραστὰς κινδύνων ζητεῖ τὸ μεταίχμιον. ἄγε δή, πέρας τοῖς λόγοις ἐπιθήσωμεν ἔργοις, καὶ πρὸς παράταξιν τὴν θεωρίαν μετοχετεύσωμεν." 3.14.1 Τῶν τοιούτων τοίνυν κατηχηθέντων ταῖς δυνάμεσι λόγων, ὀργῶσιν αἱ φάλαγγες πρὸς παράταξιν καὶ πάντα παθεῖν ἀσμενίζουσι καὶ προκινδυνεύειν τῆς ἀρετῆς παροτρύνονται· συνδιετίθεντο γὰρ τὰς ψυχὰς ταῖς τοῦ στρατηγοῦ 3.14.2 παραινέσεσιν. τοῦ δὲ Μηδικοῦ ἀκηκοότος τῆς τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων ἀλκῆς τὴν προαίρεσιν, εὐθετίζεται πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ κοσμεῖται μὲν ἵππος καπφαλάροις