,

and with cuirasses, and the fighting men were clad in iron, and having mounted their horses, they advanced slowly against the Romans in a certain compact order with 3.14.3 a solemn gait. Therefore, when the Roman army had also formed a phalanx, the standards were raised. But the trumpets blared around, the dust danced on high, and the roar spread, flooding the area, and surging with the noise of neighing and flowing around with the clash of weapons, it naturally changed every voice 3.14.4 to something inarticulate. The barbarian force, then, extended its line lengthwise, thinking thereby to create for the opposing forces the impression of an infinite multitude; 3.14.5 but the Roman force, having formed a deep battle-array teeming with density, so that it almost seemed to be solid and resistant, as if pegged with iron and counter-forged, stood its ground like statues holding their position immovably and seeming to long for battle only by their postures, and by its appearance it astounded the barbarian force, so that from this sight the souls of the Medes were coaxed towards the softer impulses of 3.14.6 cowardice. The Babylonians, then, were shooting arrows against the Roman masses, so as to hide the sun's rays with the discharge of their shafts, and with the torrential outpouring of reeds, it seemed a winged roof was spread in the air overhead, improvised by the flight of the javelins. 3.14.7 The Romans, however, engaged in close-quarters combat, warding off the barbarian force with spears and swords, cutting through the assault of the volley of arrows, and from there, rendering the opponents powerless against their stratagems, they gained the upper hand in the war. 3.14.8 Therefore, as the battle became most noteworthy for both the Romans and the Parthians, and as the Persian battle-line was broken because their troop was not formed with depth, and as the Babylonian preparation was at a loss for a rearguard force, there being no support, and then as the opposing force pressed heavily, the barbarian force looked to destruction 3.14. and turned to flight. And the Persians are initiated into the opposite of their hopes, and they are taught by the 3.14.10 example not to be arrogant in their wrongdoings. The Babylonians, then, being defeated, were fleeing as fast as their feet could carry them, while the Romans, keeping up the attack, were giving the Parthians a taste of evils. Moreover, in addition to these things, they also plunder the Persian camp, and they first seized the king's tents as booty and splendidly carry off all the baggage; and having captured the elephants, they send them along with the Persian spoils 3.14.11 to the Caesar. But when the king of the Persians was defeated and had made his retreat homeward a disgrace, having come to Melitene he set fire to the beauty of the city, finding it unwalled and full of all tranquility, and crossing the Euphrates he made his withdrawal through Arzane, by law publicly branding the shame of his misfortune; for he decrees that it is not fitting for a king of the Persians to undertake expeditions to war in the future. 3.15.1 Thus, therefore, the king of the Persians, having triumphed by law over the ill-omened event, was at a loss as to what he should do. But the Roman force joined in attacking the Persian misfortunes and advanced into the interior of Babylonia, and everything in their path is plundered and circumcised, and whatever they came upon 3.15.2 became an object of destruction. Therefore, having become masters of the Hyrcanian sea and having done and inflicted many terrible things upon the Parthians, they did not withdraw to their own land; for the season of winter coincided with these events, and the misfortunes were left behind for Persia. But when spring arrived, the Romans returned, bringing with them their valor as a companion on the journey. 3.15.3 The Medes, therefore, unable to bear what had happened, bare-headed blasphemed against their own king in their vexation. For the of the war greatly distressed them

τε καὶ τοῖς θώραξιν, σιδηροφορεῖται δὲ καὶ τὸ μάχιμον, ἐπιβάντες τε τῶν ἵππων συμπεφραγμένῃ τάξει τινὶ ἐπῄεσαν ἠρέμα ῾Ρωμαίοις μετὰ 3.14.3 σοβαροῦ του βαδίσματος. τοίνυν καὶ τοῦ ῾Ρωμαϊκοῦ φραξαμένου ἤρθη τὰ σημεῖα. ἀτὰρ περιλαλοῦσιν αἱ σάλπιγγες, ἐς ὕψος ἡ κόνις ἐχόρευεν, ὁ δὲ θρῦλος διεχεῖτο πελαγίζων τὸν χῶρον καὶ τῷ ψόφῳ κυμαίνων τοῦ χρεμετίσματος τῇ τε δονήσει τῶν ὅπλων περιρρεόμενος ἅπασαν εἰκότως φωνὴν 3.14.4 μετέβαλλε πρὸς τὸ ἄναρθρον. τὸ μὲν οὖν βάρβαρον ἐπὶ μήκους διατείνει τὴν τάξιν φαντασίαν ἀπείρου πλήθους ἐντεῦθεν οἰόμενον ταῖς ἀντιπαλαμωμέναις ποιεῖσθαι δυνάμεσιν· 3.14.5 τὸ δὲ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν βαθεῖαν τὴν σύνταξιν ποιησάμενον πυκνότητι βρίθουσαν, ὡς μονονουχὶ εἶναι δοκεῖν στερεμνίαν καὶ ἀντίτυπον σιδήρῳ πατταλευθεῖσαν καὶ ἀντιχαλκευομένην ἑστάναι παράταξιν δίκην ἀνδριάντων ἀκινήτως ἐχόντων καὶ μόνον τοῖς σχήμασι δοκούντων πολέμων ὀρέγεσθαι, κατέπληττέ τε τῇ θέᾳ τὸ βάρβαρον, ὡς ὑποσαίνεσθαι διὰ τὴν ὄψιν ἐντεῦθεν τὰς τῶν Μήδων ψυχὰς πρὸς τὰ μαλθακώτερα τῆς 3.14.6 ἀνανδρίας κινήματα. οἱ μὲν οὖν Βαβυλώνιοι κατὰ τῶν ῾Ρωμαϊκῶν ἀθροισμάτων ἐπετοξάζοντο, ὡς τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἀποκρύπτειν ἀκτῖνας τῇ ἐκπομπῇ τῶν βελῶν, καὶ τῇ ῥαγδαίᾳ τῶν δονάκων ἐκχύσει τέγος ὑπόπτερον ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἠέρι κατεστορέσθαι δοκεῖν τῇ πτήσει τῶν ἀκοντίων σχεδιαζό3.14.7 μενον. ῾Ρωμαῖοι δὲ πρὸς τὴν κατασυστάδην συμπλοκὴν ἐνεχείρησαν δόρασί τε καὶ ξίφεσι τὸ βάρβαρον ἀμυνόμενοι, τῆς ἐπιφορᾶς τῶν βελῶν τὴν ἐπιβολὴν διατέμνοντες, ἐντεῦθέν τε ἐκλύτους τῶν σοφισμάτων τοὺς ἀντικαθεστῶτας διατι3.14.8 θέμενοι προτερεύουσιν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον. τοιγαροῦν ἀξιολογωτάτης ῾Ρωμαίοις τε καὶ Πάρθοις γενομένης τῆς μάχης, τῆς τε Περσικῆς παραλυθείσης ἐκτάξεως διὰ τὸ μὴ πρὸς βάθος συνεστάναι τὸ στῖφος, οὐραγούσης τε δυνάμεως διηπορημένης τῆς Βαβυλωνίας παρασκευῆς, τοῦ ἀντερείδοντος μὴ ὑπόντος, εἶτα ἐπιβριθούσης τῆς ἀντιθέτου δυνάμεως, πρὸς ὄλεθρον 3.14. εἶδε τὸ βάρβαρον ἀποκλίνει τε πρὸς φυγήν. καὶ μυοῦνται μὲν Πέρσαι τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐλπίδων, παιδεύονται δὲ τῷ 3.14.10 παραδείγματι μὴ μέγα φρονεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν Βαβυλώνιοι ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχον ἀπεδίδρασκον ἡττηθέντες, ῾Ρωμαῖοι δ' ἐχόμενοι τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν κακῶν τοῖς Πάρθοις πεῖραν ἐδίδοσαν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ τὸν Περσικὸν ληΐζονται χάρακα τά τε σκηνοπήγια τοῦτο βασιλέως προενομεύσαντο καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν λαφυραγωγοῦνται λαμπρῶς· τῶν τε ἐλεφάντων κρατήσαντες ἅμα τοῖς σκύλοις 3.14.11 τοῖς Περσικοῖς παραπέμπουσι πρὸς τὸν Καίσαρα. ἐπεὶ δ' ἡττήθη ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς καὶ τὴν ἀνάζευξιν οἴκαδε ἐπονείδιστον ἐπεποίητο, ἐπὶ τὴν Μελιτηνὴν γεγονὼς ἐνεπίμπρα τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ἄστεος, ἄφρακτον οὖσαν εὑρὼν ἠρεμίας τε πάσης κατάκομον, Εὐφράτην τε διαβὰς διὰ τῆς ᾿Αρζανηνῆς τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιήσατο νόμῳ τὴν αἰσχύνην στηλιτεύσας τοῦ ἀτυχήματος· θεσμοθετεῖ γὰρ μὴ τὰς ἐπὶ πόλεμον ἐξόδους προσήκειν ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν ἐμπορεύεσθαι. 3.15.1 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τῷ νόμῳ θριαμβεύσας ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς τὸ ἀπαίσιον διηπορεῖτο ὅ τι καὶ πράξειεν. τὸ δὲ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν ταῖς Περσικαῖς συνεπετίθετο συμφοραῖς καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐνδόμυχα τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἐχώρησεν, κεραΐζεταί τε καὶ περιτέμνεται πάντα τὰ ἐν ποσίν, καὶ τὰ ἐντυγχάνοντα 3.15.2 τῆς διαφθορᾶς ἐγίνετο παρανάλωμα. τῆς τοίνυν ῾Υρκανικῆς θαλάττης ἐπιβάται γενόμενοι πλεῖστά τε δράσαντες καὶ χειρουργήσαντες τοῖς Πάρθοις ἀπαίσια εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν οὐκ ἀνέζευξαν· χειμῶνος γὰρ ὥρα τοῖς πράγμασι συνεκύρησεν, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀτυχημάτων τῇ Περσίδι κατελιπαίνετο. ἦρος δ' ἐνδημήσαντος ἐπανῆκον ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἐπιφερόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἀνδρα3.15.3 γαθίαν συνέκδημον. οἱ μὲν οὖν Μῆδοι τὰ συμβεβηκότα φέρειν οὐκ ἔχοντες εἰς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν σφῶν αὐτῶν γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ ἐβλασφήμουν ἀσχάλλοντες. παρελύπει γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἡ τοῦ πολέμου