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he himself had never seen others, whose good order he could admire most of all, and that the contest for both himself and Belisarius was not on an equal footing of risk, but that it differed, because if he himself were victorious, he would conquer a slave of Caesar, but if he were defeated, should it so happen, he would bring great shame both upon his kingdom and upon the Persian race, and the Romans, if defeated, could easily save themselves in their fortifications and their own land, but of his own men, if any reverse should occur, not even 2.21.15 a messenger would escape to the land of the Persians. Chosroes, being persuaded by this suggestion, wished to return to Persian territory, but was in a great quandary. 2.21.16 For he thought that the crossing of the river was being guarded by the enemy, and he was not able to march back by the same road, since it was completely deserted of people, because all their provisions had already failed them, which they had had with them previously when they invaded the land of the Romans. 2.21.17 Finally, after much deliberation, it seemed to him most expedient to risk a battle, to come to the land on the other side, and to make his march through a country abounding in all 2.21.18 good things. But Belisarius knew well that not even ten myriads of men would ever be sufficient to check Chosroes' crossing; (for the river happens to be navigable by boats for a very great distance in many places of this region, and the Persian army was otherwise too strong to be shut off from the crossing by some few of the enemy;) but at first he instructed the men with Diogenes and Adolius, along with the thousand, to patrol the bank there, so that they might throw the barbarian into confusion 2.21.19 by a kind of feint. And Chosroes, being frightened by this, as I have related, feared that there might be some obstacle to his departure from the land of the Romans. 2.21.20 And it seemed to him a matter of great account to drive the army of Chosroes from there, without risking any battle against many myriads of barbarians with soldiers who were both very few and utterly terrified of the Median army. Therefore he ordered Diogenes and Adolius to remain quiet. 2.21.21 Chosroes, at any rate, having constructed a bridge with great speed, suddenly crossed the river Euphrates with his whole 2.21.22 army. For to the Persians all rivers are crossable with no trouble, since as they march they have hook-shaped iron pieces in readiness, with which they join long timbers to one another and improvise a bridge on the 2.21.23 spot wherever they may wish. And as soon as he was on the opposite mainland, sending to Belisarius, he said that he for his part had granted the Romans the withdrawal of the Median army, and that he was expecting envoys from them, whom it was fitting for them to send to him not 2.21.24 long after. And Belisarius, having himself also crossed the river Euphrates with the entire Roman army, 2.21.25 immediately sent men to Chosroes. They, when they came before him, after praising his withdrawal at length, promised that envoys would come to him from the emperor very soon, who would put into effect the agreements previously made concerning the peace with him. 2.21.26 And they asked that he treat the Romans as friends during his march. And he undertook to do this also, if they would give him one of their notable men as a hostage for this agreement, on the condition 2.21.27 that they would do what had been agreed. So the envoys, returning to Belisarius, reported the words of Chosroes, and he, arriving at Edessa, immediately sent John the son of Basileius, the most distinguished of all the Edessenes in both birth and wealth, as a hostage to Chosroes, 2.21.28 who was by no means willing. And the Romans held Belisarius in high acclaim, and the man seemed to them to have gained more renown in this deed than when he brought Gelimer captive 2.21.29 or Vittigis to Byzantium. For it was in truth worthy of much account and praise that, while all the Romans were terrified and hiding in their fortifications, and Chosroes with a great army was in the midst of the Roman dominion, a general with a few men, arriving in between by a swift march from Byzantium, should encamp opposite the king of the Persians, and that Chosroes unexpectedly, either the

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ἄλλους αὐτὸς οὐ πώποτε εἶδεν, ὧν δὴ τὴν εὐκοσμίαν θαυμάσειε μάλιστα πάντων, εἶναί τε οὐκ ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τοῦ κινδύνου αὐτῷ τε καὶ Βελισαρίῳ τὴν ἀγωνίαν, διαφέρειν δὲ, ὅτι νικήσας μὲν αὐτὸς τὸν Καίσαρος νικήσει δοῦλον, ἡσσηθεὶς δὲ, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, μέγα τι αἶσχος τῇ τε βασιλείᾳ πορίσεται καὶ τῷ Περσῶν γένει, καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν νενικημένοι ῥᾳδίως ἂν ἔν τε ὀχυρώμασι καὶ γῇ τῇ αὐτῶν διασώζοιντο, αὐτῶν δὲ, ἤν γέ τι ἐναντίωμα ξυμβαίη, οὐδ' 2.21.15 ἂν ἄγγελος διαφύγοι ἐς τὴν Περσῶν χώραν. ταύτῃ ὁ Χοσρόης ἀναπεισθεὶς τῇ ὑποθήκῃ ἀναστρέφειν μὲν ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἐβούλετο, ἀμηχανίᾳ δὲ πολλῇ εἴχετο. 2.21.16 τήν τε γὰρ διάβασιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων φυλάσσεσθαι ᾤετο καὶ ὁδῷ τῇ αὐτῇ, ἐρήμῳ ἀνθρώπων παντάπασιν οὔσῃ, ὀπίσω ἀπελαύνειν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν, ἐπεὶ ἅπαντα σφᾶς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἤδη ἐπιλελοίπει, ἅπερ τὸ πρότερον ξὺν αὑτοῖς ἔχοντες ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων 2.21.17 ἐσέβαλον. τέλος δὲ πολλὰ λογισαμένῳ ξυμφορώτατόν οἱ ἔδοξεν εἶναι μάχῃ διακινδυνεύσαντι ἐς γῆν τε τὴν ἀντιπέρας ἥκειν καὶ διὰ χώρας πᾶσιν εὐθηνούσης τοῖς 2.21.18 ἀγαθοῖς τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι. Βελισάριος δὲ εὖ μὲν ἠπίστατο ὡς οὐδ' ἂν δέκα μυριάδες ἀνδρῶν τὴν διάβασιν Χοσρόῃ ἀναχαιτίζειν ποτὲ ἱκαναὶ εἶεν· (ὅ τε γὰρ ποταμὸς πολλαχῆ τῶν ταύτῃ χωρίων ναυσὶ διαβατὸς ὢν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τυγχάνει καὶ κρεῖσσον ἦν ἄλλως τὸ Περσῶν στράτευμα ἢ πρὸς πολεμίων ὀλίγων τινῶν τῆς διαβάσεως ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι·) τοῖς δὲ ἀμφὶ ∆ιογένην τε καὶ Ἀδόλιον σὺν τοῖς χιλίοις ἐπέστελλε τὰ πρῶτα περιιέναι τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἀκτὴν, ὅπως δὴ ἐς ταραχὴν 2.21.19 ἀφασίᾳ τινὶ τὸν βάρβαρον καταστήσονται. ὅνπερ δεδιξάμενος, ὥσπερ μοι ἐρρήθη, ἔδεισε μή τι αὐτῷ ἐμπόδισμα εἴη ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων γῆς. 2.21.20 λόγου τε οἱ πολλοῦ ἄξιον ἐφαίνετο εἶναι ἐξελάσαι ἐνθένδε τὸν Χοσρόου στρατὸν, οὐδεμιᾷ κινδυνεύσαντι μάχῃ πρὸς μυριάδας βαρβάρων πολλὰς ξὺν στρατιώταις λίαν τε ὀλίγοις οὖσι καὶ ἀτεχνῶς κατεπτηχόσι τὸν Μήδων στρατόν. διὸ δὴ ἐκέλευε ∆ιογένην τε καὶ Ἀδόλιον ἡσυχῆ μένειν. 2.21.21 Ὁ γοῦν Χοσρόης γέφυραν σὺν πολλῷ τάχει πηξάμενος ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου διέβη παντὶ 2.21.22 τῷ στρατῷ. Πέρσαις γὰρ πόνῳ οὐδενὶ διαβατοί εἰσι ποταμοὶ ἅπαντες, ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖς ὁδῷ ἰοῦσιν ἀγκιστροειδῆ σιδήρια ἐν παρασκευῇ ἐστιν, οἷς δὴ ξύλα μακρὰ ἐς ἄλληλα ἐναρμόζοντες γέφυραν αὐτοσχεδιάζουσιν ἐκ τοῦ 2.21.23 παραυτίκα ὅπη ἂν σφίσι βουλομένοις εἴη. ἐπεὶ δὲ τάχιστα γέγονεν ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ, πέμψας παρὰ Βελισάριον αὐτὸς μὲν Ῥωμαίοις κεχαρίσθαι τοῦ Μήδων στρατοῦ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἔφασκε, προσδέχεσθαι δὲ τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν πρέσβεις, οὓς σφίσι παρέσεσθαι οὐκ 2.21.24 ἐς μακρὰν ἄξιον εἶναι. Βελισάριος δὲ παντὶ καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν διαβὰς 2.21.25 παρὰ Χοσρόην εὐθὺς ἔπεμψεν. οἳ, ἐπεὶ παρ' αὐτὸν ἵκοντο, πολλὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως ἐπαινέσαντες πρέσβεις ἐς αὐτὸν ἥξειν παρὰ βασιλέως αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ὑπέσχοντο, οἳ δὴ τὰ ἀμφὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ ξυγκείμενα πρότερον 2.21.26 ἔργῳ ἐπιτελῆ πρὸς αὐτὸν θήσονται. ἠξίουν τε διὰ Ῥωμαίων ἅτε φίλων αὐτῷ τῇ πορείᾳ χρῆσθαι. ὁ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ὑπεδέχετο ἐπιτελέσειν, εἴ τινά οἱ δοῖεν τῶν δοκίμων ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, ἐφ' 2.21.27 ᾧ τὰ ξυγκείμενα πράξουσιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις παρὰ Βελισάριον ἐπανήκοντες τοὺς Χοσρόου λόγους ἀπήγγελλον, ὁ δὲ εἰς τὴν Ἔδεσσαν ἀφικόμενος Ἰωάννην τὸν Βασιλείου παῖδα, γένει τε καὶ πλούτῳ πάντων τῶν Ἐδεσσηνῶν διαφανέστατον, ὅμηρον τῷ Χοσρόῃ 2.21.28 οὔτι ἑκούσιον εὐθὺς ἔπεμψε. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ Βελισάριον ἐν εὐφημίαις εἶχον, μᾶλλόν τε σφίσιν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐν τούτῳ εὐδοκιμῆσαι τῷ ἔργῳ ἐδόκει ἢ ὅτε Γελίμερα δορυά2.21.29 λωτον ἢ τὸν Οὐίττιγιν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἤνεγκεν. ἦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς λόγου καὶ ἐπαίνου πολλοῦ ἄξιον, πεφοβημένων μὲν κἀν τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι κρυπτομένων Ῥωμαίων ἁπάντων, Χοσρόου δὲ στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ἐν μέσῃ γεγονότος Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ, ἄνδρα στρατηγὸν ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ δρόμῳ ὀξεῖ ἐκ Βυζαντίου μεταξὺ ἥκοντα ἀπ' ἐναντίας τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως στρατοπεδεύσασθαι, Χοσρόην δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου, ἢ τὴν