80

departing from here, "this barbarian will fall upon some other land of the Emperor Justinian, and this one exceedingly good, "but having no garrison of soldiers anywhere, know well that "to perish with valour is in every way better than to be saved without a fight. 2.20.27 "For this would not be salvation, "but would rightly be called betrayal. But come as "quickly as possible to Europus, where, having gathered the whole "army, whatever God may grant, I have hope of dealing with the 2.20.28 "enemy." When the commanders saw this message brought to them, they took courage and left Justus there with a few men to guard Hierapolis, while the rest went with the rest of the army to Europus. 2.21.1 But Chosroes, learning that Belisarius with the entire Roman army was encamped at Europus, decided not to advance further, but sent one of the royal secretaries, Abandanes by name, a man with a great reputation for intelligence, to Belisarius, to spy out what sort of general he was, and ostensibly to complain that Emperor Justinian had utterly failed to send envoys to the Persians to negotiate the terms of peace as had been agreed. Upon learning this, Belisarius 2.21.2 did as follows. He himself, having selected six thousand men who were especially tall and handsome in body, set out far from the camp as if to go hunting, and he ordered Diogenes the guardsman and Adolius the son of Acacius, an Armenian by birth, who always served the emperor in the palace in matters of silence (the Romans call those on whom this honour is conferred *silentiarii*), but who was then a commander of some Armenians, to cross the river with a thousand horsemen and patrol the bank there, always giving the enemy the impression that, if they wished to cross the Euphrates and proceed to their own land, they would never permit it. And they acted accordingly. 2.21.3 But Belisarius, since he had learned that the envoy was somewhere very near, pitched a hut of some coarse linen, which they are accustomed to call a *papilio*, and sat there, as if in a deserted place, making it plain that he had come there with no preparation. And his soldiers 2.21.4 he arranged as follows. On either side of the hut were Thracians 2.21.4 and Illyrians, and after them Goths, and next to these Heruli, after whom were Vandals and Moors. And they extended over a very great part of the plain. 2.21.5 For they did not stand and remain always in the same place, but were spread out from each other and strolling about, and they looked at the envoy of Chosroes 2.21.6 casually and with the least possible concern. And not one of them had a cloak or any other kind of mantle, but they were clad in linen tunics and trousers, and thus girt 2.21.7 they walked about. And each man had his horse-whip, but for a weapon one had a sword, another an axe, 2.21.8 and another a bare bow. And they all gave the impression that, disregarding all other matters, they were hastening 2.21.9 to go hunting. So Abandanes, coming into the presence of Belisarius, said that King Chosroes was indignant, because, contrary to what had been previously agreed, Caesar (for so the Persians call the emperor of the Romans) had not sent the envoys to him, and for this reason Chosroes had been forced to come into the land of the Romans under arms. 2.21.10 But Belisarius, neither taking fright, although so great a multitude of barbarians was encamped somewhere very near, nor becoming at all perturbed by the speech, but with a smiling and relaxed countenance, replied, "It is not in this way," saying, "that Chosroes has now acted that it is customary for men 2.21.11 "to conduct affairs. For other men, if there is "some dispute between them and any of their neighbours, send embassies "to them first, and when they do not obtain reasonable terms, 2.21.12 "then they go to war against them. But he, "having come into the midst of the Romans, then proposes terms for "peace." Having said this much, he dismissed the envoy. 2.21.13 And he, having come to Chosroes, advised him to depart as quickly 2.21.14 as possible. For he said that he had encountered a general who was the bravest and most intelligent of all men, and soldiers such as

80

ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγεὶς «ὁ βάρβαρος οὗτος ἑτέρᾳ τινὶ ἐπισκήψει βασιλέως Ἰου»στινιανοῦ χώρᾳ, καὶ ταύτῃ διαφερόντως μὲν ἀγαθῇ, «φρουρὰν δὲ οὐδαμῆ στρατιωτῶν ἐχούσῃ, εὖ ἴστε ὅτι «τὸ ξὺν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀπολωλέναι τοῦ σεσῶσθαι ἀμαχητὶ 2.20.27 «τῷ παντὶ ἄμεινον. οὐ γὰρ ἂν σωτηρία τοῦτό γε, «ἀλλὰ προδοσία δικαίως καλοῖτο. ἀλλ' ἥκετε ὅτι «τάχιστα ἐς τὸν Εὐρωπὸν, οὗ δὴ συλλέξας τὸ στρά»τευμα ὅλον ὅσα ἂν ὁ θεὸς διδῷ ἐλπίδα ἔχω τοὺς 2.20.28 «πολεμίους ἐργάσασθαι.» ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ἀπενεχθέντα οἱ ἄρχοντες εἶδον, ἐθάρρησάν τε καὶ Ἰοῦστον μὲν ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν αὐτοῦ ἔλιπον ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν Ἱεράπολιν φυλάξουσιν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐς Εὐρωπὸν ἦλθον. 2.21.1 Χοσρόης δὲ μαθὼν Βελισάριον παντὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐστρατοπεδεῦσθαι ἐν Εὐρωπῷ, πρόσω μὲν ἐλαύνειν οὐκέτι ἔγνω, τῶν δὲ βασιλικῶν γραμματέων ἕνα, Ἀβανδάνην ὄνομα, δόξαν ἐπὶ ξυνέσει πολλὴν ἔχοντα, παρὰ Βελισάριον ἔπεμψε, τὸν στρατηγὸν ὁποῖός ποτε εἴη κατασκεψόμενον, τῷ δὲ λόγῳ μεμψόμενον, ὅτι δὴ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐς Πέρσας ἥκιστα πέμψειεν, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ ἀμφὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ κατὰ τὰ ξυγκείμενα πρυτανεύσωσιν. ὅπερ μαθὼν Βελισάριος 2.21.2 ἐποίει τοιάδε. αὐτὸς μὲν ἑξακισχιλίους ἀπολεξάμενος ἄνδρας εὐμήκεις τε καὶ τὰ σώματα καλοὺς μάλιστα μακράν που ἄποθεν τοῦ στρατοπέδου ὡς κυνηγετήσων ἐστάλη, ∆ιογένην δὲ τὸν δορυφόρον καὶ Ἀδόλιον τὸν Ἀκακίου, ἄνδρα Ἀρμένιον γένος, βασιλεῖ μὲν ἀεὶ ἐν παλατίῳ τὰ ἐς τὴν ἡσυχίαν ὑπηρετοῦντα (σιλεντιαρίους Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσιν οἷς ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη ἐπίκειται), τότε δὲ Ἀρμενίων τινῶν ἄρχοντα, τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντας ξὺν ἱππεῦσι χιλίοις περιιέναι τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἠιόνα ἐκέλευε, δόκησιν ἀεὶ παρεχομένους τοῖς πολεμίοις ὡς, ἢν ἐθέλωσι τὸν Εὐφράτην διαβάντες ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν ὁδῷ ἰέναι, οὐ μήποτε ἐπιτρέψουσι. καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν. 2.21.3 Βελισάριος δὲ, ἐπεὶ τὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἄγχιστά πη ἐπέπυστο εἶναι, καλύβην ἐκ παχειῶν τινῶν σινδόνων πηξάμενος, ἣν δὴ παπυλεῶνα καλεῖν νενομίκασιν, ἐκάθητο ἐκεῖ, ὥσπερ ἐν χωρίῳ ἐρήμῳ, παραδηλῶν ὅτι δὴ οὐδεμιᾷ παρασκευῇ ἐνταῦθα ἥκοι. τοὺς δὲ στρατιώ2.21.4 τας διέταξεν ὧδε. τῆς μὲν καλύβης ἐφ' ἑκάτερα Θρᾷκές 2.21.4 τε καὶ Ἰλλυριοὶ ἦσαν, Γότθοι δὲ μετ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ τούτων ἐχόμενοι Ἔρουλοι, μεθ' οὓς Βανδίλοι τε καὶ Μαυρούσιοι ἦσαν. τοῦ τε πεδίου ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διῆκον. 2.21.5 οὐ γὰρ ἑστῶτες ἐπὶ χώρας ἀεὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔμενον, ἀλλὰ διεστηκότες τε ἀπ' ἀλλήλων καὶ περιπάτους ποιούμενοι παρέργως τε καὶ ὡς ἥκιστα κατεσπουδασμένως ἐς τὸν 2.21.6 Χοσρόου πρεσβευτὴν ἔβλεπον. εἶχε δὲ αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς οὔτε χλαμύδα οὔτε ἄλλην ἐπωμίδα τινὰ, ἀλλὰ χιτῶνας μὲν λινοῦς καὶ ἀναξυρίδας ἀμπεχόμενοι, εἶτα διεζωσ2.21.7 μένοι ἐβάδιζον. εἶχε δὲ τὴν τοῦ ἵππου μάστιγα ἕκαστος, ὅπλον δὲ τῷ μὲν ξίφος ἦν, τῷ δὲ πέλεκυς, 2.21.8 τῷ δὲ τόξα γυμνά. δόκησίν τε παρείχοντο ἅπαντες ὅτι δὴ ἀφροντιστήσαντες τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων κυνη2.21.9 γετήσειν ἠπείγοντο. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀβανδάνης Βελισαρίῳ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων δεινὰ ποιεῖσθαι τὸν βασιλέα Χοσρόην ἔφη, ὅτι δὴ καθὰ ξυνέκειτο πρότερον οὐ πέμψειε παρ' αὐτὸν τοὺς πρέσβεις ὁ Καῖσαρ (οὕτω γὰρ τὸν Ῥωμαίων βασιλέα καλοῦσι Πέρσαι) καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὁ Χοσρόης ἠνάγκαστο ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐν ὅπλοις ἥκειν. 2.21.10 Βελισάριος δὲ οὔτε κατορρωδήσας, ἅτε πη ἄγχιστα ἐστρατοπεδευμένων βαρβάρων τοσούτων τὸ πλῆθος, οὔτε τῷ λόγῳ ἐς ταραχήν τινα καταστὰς, ἀλλὰ γελῶντί τε καὶ ἀνειμένῳ τῷ προσώπῳ ἀμείβεται «Οὐ ταύτῃ» λέγων «ᾗ τῷ Χοσρόῃ τανῦν εἴργασται νενόμισται τοῖς 2.21.11 «ἀνθρώποις τὰ πράγματα. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι, ἤν τι «ἀντιλέγοιτο σφίσι τε καὶ τῶν πέλας τισὶ, πρεσβεύουσι «μὲν ἐς αὐτοὺς πρότερον, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τῶν μετρίων μὴ 2.21.12 «τύχωσιν, οὕτω δὴ πολέμῳ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἴασιν. ὁ δὲ «γενόμενος ἐν μέσοις Ῥωμαίοις, εἶτα τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς «εἰρήνης προτείνεται λόγους.» ὁ μὲν τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν τὸν πρεσβευτὴν ἀπεπέμψατο. 2.21.13 Ὁ δὲ παρὰ Χοσρόην γενόμενος παρῄνει οἱ ὅτι τά2.21.14 χιστα ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. στρατηγῷ τε γὰρ ἐντυχεῖν ἔφη ἀνδρειοτάτῳ τε καὶ ξυνετωτάτῳ ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων καὶ στρατιώταις οἵους