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to be impos»sible; for that which is excessive is always honoured by impos»sibility; and it is best not to attempt the impossible. 2.7.33 «Let these things, then, be my defence for the «moment on behalf of these men. But if I might be able to meet with the unfor»tunate men, I would have something 2.7.34 «else to say of the things which have now escaped me.» When Megas had said this much, Chosroes allowed him to go to the acropolis. And he, having arrived there and learned all that had happened concerning the spring, came back again to Chosroes in tears and, lying prostrate, he claimed that nothing at all of their possessions was left to the Beroeans, but he begged him to grant only the bodies 2.7.35 of the people. And Chosroes, moved by the man’s lamentations, fulfilled his request, and having sworn an oath, he gave pledges to all those in the acropolis. 2.7.36 The Beroeans, having come through so great a danger, left the acropolis unharmed by evils and went away, 2.7.37 each to wherever he wished. A few of the soldiers followed them, but most of them willingly deserted to Chosroes, alleging that the state had for a long time owed them their pay, and with him they later went to the Persian lands. 2.8.1 But Chosroes (for Megas said he had in no way persuaded the Antiochenes to bring money) marched against them with his whole 2.8.2 army. Some of the Antiochenes departed from there with their possessions and fled, each as best he could. And all the rest intended to do the same thing, had not the commanders of the soldiers in Libanus arrived in the meantime, Theoctistus and Molatzes, with six thousand men, and prevented them by encouraging them with hopes. 2.8.3 And not long after this the Persian army also arrived. And having pitched their tents there, they all encamped by the Orontes 2.8.4 river and not far from it. Chosroes sent Paul to the wall and demanded money from the Antiochenes, [saying he would] depart from there for ten centenaria of gold, and it was clear that he would accept even less than this for 2.8.5 his withdrawal. And at that time the ambassadors, having come before Chosroes, both saying many things concerning the breaking of the peace and having heard from him, 2.8.6 departed. But on the following day the populace of the Antiochenes (for they are not serious, but are given to jests and disorder) hurled many insults at Chosroes from the battlements and mocked him with unseemly 2.8.7 laughter; and when Paul came near the wall and advised them to purchase themselves and the city for a little money, they almost killed him by shooting arrows, if he had not foreseen it and taken precautions. For this reason Chosroes, boiling with anger, decided to assault the wall. 2.8.8 Therefore on the next day he led all the Persians to the wall and ordered some to attack in one place and others in another from the river, while he himself, with the most numerous and best troops, attacked at the high ground. For there, as was said by me 2.8.9 before, the circuit-wall was most assailable. There the Romans (for the structure on which they were to stand and fight happened to be very narrow) devised the following. Binding long beams to one another they hung them between the towers, and thus they made these spaces much wider, so that even more men from there might be able 2.8.10 to repel the besiegers. The Persians, then, pressing on most vigorously, sent frequent volleys of arrows from all sides, especially over the top of the 2.8.11 high ground. But the Romans defended themselves with all their might, not only the soldiers, but also many of the most courageous young men 2.8.12 of the populace. And the besiegers there seemed to be engaging in the battle on equal terms with the enemy. For the rock, being broad and high and as if set against the circuit-wall, 2.8.13 made the encounter as if on level ground. And if anyone of the Roman army had dared with three hundred men to go outside the wall and, seizing that rock first, to repel the attackers from there, the city would never, I think, have come into any danger 2.8.14 from the enemy. not

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ἀδύ»νατος εἶναι· τὸ γὰρ ὑπερβάλλον ἀεὶ τῷ ἀμηχάνῳ «τετίμηται· τὸ δὲ μὴ τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις ἐγχειρεῖν κρά2.7.33 «τιστον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν μοι ἀπολελογήσθω ἐν τῷ «παραυτίκα ὑπὲρ ἀνδρῶν τῶνδε. ἢν δέ γε τοῖς τα»λαιπώροις ξυγγενέσθαι δυνατὸς εἴην, ἔχοιμι ἄν τι 2.7.34 «καὶ ἄλλο τῶν νῦν με λεληθότων εἰπεῖν.» τοσαῦτα τὸν Μέγαν εἰπόντα ὁ Χοσρόης ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀφῆκεν ἰέναι. ὃς δὴ ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος καὶ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα ἀμφὶ τῇ πηγῇ μαθὼν ἅπαντα, δεδακρυμένος τε παρὰ Χοσρόην αὖθις ἀφίκετο καὶ πρηνὴς κείμενος οὐδὲν μὲν Βεροιαίοις ἰσχυρίζετο ἀπολελεῖφθαι τῶν πάντων χρημάτων, μόνα δέ οἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἱκέτευε χαριεῖ2.7.35 σθαι τὰ σώματα. ταῖς τε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὀλοφύρσεσιν ὁ Χοσρόης ἠγμένος τὴν δέησιν ἐπιτελῆ ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ διομοσάμενος ἅπασι τοῖς ἐν ἀκροπόλει τὰ πιστὰ ἔδωκε. 2.7.36 Βεροιαῖοι δὲ παρὰ τοσοῦτον κινδύνου ἐλθόντες ἀπέλιπόν τε τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀπαθεῖς κακῶν καὶ ἀπιόντες 2.7.37 ᾤχοντο ὡς ἕκαστός πη ἐβούλετο. τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγοι μὲν αὐτοῖς τινες εἵποντο, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι ἐθελούσιοι παρὰ Χοσρόην αὐτόμολοι ἦλθον, ἐπικαλοῦντες ὅτι δὴ τὰς συντάξεις χρόνου μακροῦ σφίσι τὸ δημόσιον ὦφλε, καὶ ξὺν αὐτῷ ὕστερον ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἐχώρησαν. 2.8.1 Χοσρόης δὲ (καὶ γάρ οἱ Μέγας χρήματα ἔφασκεν οὐδαμῆ πεπεικέναι Ἀντιοχέας φέρειν) παντὶ 2.8.2 τῷ στρατῷ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ᾔει. Ἀντιοχέων δέ τινες μὲν ἐνθένδε ξὺν τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐξαναστάντες ἔφευγον ὡς ἕκαστός πη ἐδύνατο. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο διενοοῦντο καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ξύμπαντες, εἰ μὴ μεταξὺ ἥκοντες οἱ τῶν ἐν Λιβάνῳ στρατιωτῶν ἄρχοντες, Θεόκτιστός τε καὶ Μολάτζης, ξὺν ἑξακισχιλίοις ἀνδράσιν ἐλπίσι τε αὐτοὺς 2.8.3 ἐπιρρώσαντες διεκώλυσαν. οὗ δὴ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον καὶ τὸ Περσῶν στράτευμα ἦλθεν. ἐνταῦθά τε διεσκηνημένοι ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο ἅπαντες πρός τε Ὀρόντῃ τῷ 2.8.4 ποταμῷ καὶ αὐτοῦ οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν. Χοσρόης τε Παῦλον παρὰ τὸν περίβολον στείλας τοὺς Ἀντιοχέας χρήματα ᾔτει, δέκα χρυσοῦ κεντηναρίων ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι ἐνθένδε, ἔνδηλός τε ἦν καὶ τούτων ἐλάσσω ἐπὶ 2.8.5 τῇ ἀναχωρήσει ληψόμενος. καὶ τότε μὲν ἥκοντες παρὰ τὸν Χοσρόην οἱ πρέσβεις, εἰπόντες τε ἀμφὶ τῇ διαλύσει τῆς εἰρήνης πολλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνου ἀκούσαντες 2.8.6 ἀνεχώρησαν. τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν Ἀντιοχέων ὁ δῆμος (εἰσὶ γὰρ οὐ κατεσπουδασμένοι, ἀλλὰ γελοίοις τε καὶ ἀταξίᾳ ἱκανῶς ἔχονται) πολλὰ ἐς τὸν Χοσρόην ὕβριζόν τε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων καὶ ξὺν γέλωτι ἀκόσμῳ 2.8.7 ἐτώθαζον· καὶ Παῦλον τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγγὺς ἥκοντα παραινοῦντά τε χρημάτων ὀλίγων σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὠνεῖσθαι, ὀλίγου ἐδέησαν τοξεύσαντες κτεῖναι, εἰ μὴ προϊδὼν ἐφυλάξατο. διὸ δὴ ζέων τῷ θυμῷ ὁ Χοσρόης τειχομαχεῖν ἔγνω. 2.8.8 Τῇ οὖν ὑστεραίᾳ ἐπαγαγὼν ἅπαντας Πέρσας ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἄλλους μὲν ἄλλῃ προσβάλλειν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐκέλευεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς πλείστους τε καὶ ἀρίστους ἔχων κατὰ τὴν ἄκραν προσέβαλλε. ταύτῃ γὰρ, ὥς μοι 2.8.9 ἔμπροσθεν ἐρρήθη, ἐπιμαχώτατος ὁ περίβολος ἦν. ἐνταῦθα Ῥωμαῖοι (στενοτάτη γὰρ ἡ οἰκοδομία ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐφ' ἧς ἱστάμενοι πολεμεῖν ἔμελλον) ἐπενόησαν τάδε. δοκοὺς μακρὰς ἐς ἀλλήλους ξυνδέοντες μεταξὺ τῶν πύργων ἐκρέμων, οὕτω τε πολλῷ εὐρυτέρας δὴ ταύτας τὰς χώρας ἐποίουν, ὅπως ἔτι πλείους ἐνθένδε 2.8.10 ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς τειχομαχοῦντας οἷοί τε ὦσιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν Πέρσαι ἰσχυρότατα ἐγκείμενοι πανταχόθεν τὰ τοξεύματα συχνὰ ἔπεμπον, ἄλλως τε καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῆς 2.8.11 ἄκρας ὑπερβολήν. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἠμύνοντο δυνάμει πάσῃ, οὐ στρατιῶται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ δήμου εὐτολ2.8.12 μότατοι νεανίαι πολλοί. ἐδόκουν δὲ οἱ τειχομαχοῦντες ἐνταῦθα ἐς τὴν μάχην ἐκ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου τοῖς πολεμίοις καθίστασθαι. ἡ γὰρ πέτρα, εὐρεῖά τις καὶ ὑψηλὴ οὖσα καὶ ὥσπερ ἀντιτεταγμένη τῷ περιβόλῳ 2.8.13 καθάπερ ἐφ' ὁμαλοῦ εἶναι τὴν ξυμβολὴν ἐποίει. καὶ εἰ μέν τις ἐθάρσησε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ξὺν τριακοσίοις ἔξω τε γενέσθαι τοῦ περιβόλου καὶ τὴν πέτραν ἐκείνην προτερήσας καταλαβεῖν ἐνθένδε τε τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνασθαι, οὐκ ἄν ποτε, οἶμαι, πρὸς τῶν 2.8.14 πολεμίων ἐς κίνδυνόν τινα ἡ πόλις ἦλθεν. οὐ