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2.24.18 they were learning of the invasion. But suddenly Peter, having consulted with no one, rashly invaded the enemy's country with his men. When Philemouth and Beros, the leaders of the Heruli, 2.24.19 learned of this on the following day, they immediately followed. And when Martin and Valerian and their men learned this, they made the invasion with all 2.24.20 speed. And a little later they all joined one another in the enemy's land, except for Justus and those with him, who, as was said, were encamped far away from the rest of the army, and having learned of their invasion later, they themselves also invaded the enemy territory opposite them as quickly as possible, 2.24.21 but they were in no way able to join their fellow-commanders. All the others, however, marched straight for Doubios, neither plundering nor doing anything else unpleasant in the land of the Persians. 2.25.1 Doubios is a region that is good in other respects and has a continually healthy climate and water, and it is an eight days’ journey from Theodosiopolis. 2.25.2 And there are plains here suitable for cavalry, and many very populous villages are situated very close to one another, and many merchants live in them for business. 2.25.3 For bringing their wares from India and the neighboring Iberians and, so to speak, from all the peoples in Persia and from some of the Romans, they trade with one another here. 2.25.4 And the priest of the Christians they call Catholicos in the Greek tongue, because he alone is set over 2.25.5 all the regions there. And at a distance of about one hundred and twenty stades from Doubios, on the right as one goes from the land of the Romans, there is a mountain, difficult to cross and otherwise precipitous, and a certain village situated in a very narrow, difficult place, Anglon 2.25.6 by name. There Nabedes, as soon as he learned of the enemy's attack, withdrew with his whole army, and taking courage in the strength of the position, 2.25.7 shut himself in. And the village lies at the very edge of the mountain, and there is a strong fort with the same name as this village on the precipitous ground. 2.25.8 Nabedes, then, by blocking the entrances to the village with stones and wagons, made it still more difficult 2.25.9 of access. And in front he dug a trench and stationed his army there, having first placed infantry ambushes in some old huts. And the whole Persian army amounted to four thousand men. 2.25.10 These things, then, were done in this way. But the Romans, arriving at a place a day’s journey distant from Anglon, captured one of the enemy who was going out to spy and inquired where Nabedes might now be. And he said that the man had withdrawn from Anglon with the whole army of the Medes. 2.25.11 When Narses heard this he was greatly disturbed, and he reviled his fellow-commanders, reproaching them for their delay. 2.25.12 And the others also did this same thing, insulting one another, and for the rest, disregarding battle and danger, they eagerly set about plundering the places there. 2.25.13 Setting out, therefore, without a general and in disorder, they advanced in no formation, neither having any signal among themselves, as is customary in such contests, nor being distinguished in any way in their 2.25.14 ranks. For the soldiers, mixing with the baggage-carriers, marched as if going to the most ready plunder 2.25.15 of great treasures. But when they came near Anglon, they sent out scouts, who on their return reported to them 2.25.16 the battle-array of the enemy. The generals, dismayed by the unexpected, thought it altogether shameful and unmanly to turn back with an army of so great a size, but having drawn up the army as best they could under the circumstances into three divisions, they advanced straight against the enemy. 2.25.17 Peter, then, held the right wing, Valerian the left, and Martin and his men were stationed in the center. And coming very near the enemy they remained quiet, keeping their formation with disorder. 2.25.18 The reason was both the difficult terrain, being exceedingly precipitous, and the fact that they had been drawn up for battle on the spur of the moment. 2.25.19 Furthermore, the barbarians also, having drawn themselves up into a small space, remained quiet, looking around for the
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2.24.18 ἐσβολῆς ἐπυνθάνοντο. ἄφνω δὲ Πέτρος, οὐδενὶ κοινολογησάμενος, ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἀνεπισκέπτως ἐς τὴν πολεμίαν ἐσέβαλλεν. ὅπερ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπιγινομένῃ γνόντες Φιλημούθ τε καὶ Βῆρος, οἱ τῶν Ἐρούλων 2.24.19 ἡγούμενοι, εὐθὺς εἵποντο. ἐπεί τε ταῦτα οἵ τε ἀμφὶ Μαρτῖνον καὶ Βαλεριανὸν ἔμαθον, τῇ ἐσβολῇ κατὰ 2.24.20 τάχος ἐχρῶντο. ἅπαντες δὲ ἀλλήλοις ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἀνεμίγνυντο ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ, πλὴν Ἰούστου τε καὶ τῶν ξὺν αὐτῷ, οἳ δὴ μακράν τε ἄποθεν, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐστρατοπεδευμένοι τοῦ ἄλλου στρατοῦ, καὶ χρόνῳ ὕστερον τὴν ἐκείνων ἐσβολὴν γνόντες, καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐσέβαλλον ὡς τάχιστα ἐς τὴν κατ' αὐτοὺς πολεμίαν, 2.24.21 ἀναμίγνυσθαι δὲ τοῖς ξυνάρχουσιν οὐδαμῆ ἔσχον. οἱ μέντοι ἄλλοι ξύμπαντες ἐπορεύοντο εὐθὺ ∆ούβιος, οὔτε ληιζόμενοι οὔτε τι ἄλλο ἄχαρι πράσσοντες ἐς τὴν Περσῶν χώραν. 2.25.1 Ἔστι δὲ τὸ ∆ούβιος χώρα τις τά τε ἄλλα ἀγαθὴ καὶ ἀέρων τε καὶ ὑδάτων εὐεξίαν τινὰ διαρκῶς ἔχουσα, Θεοδοσιουπόλεως δὲ ὁδῷ ἡμερῶν ὀκτὼ διέχει. 2.25.2 καὶ πεδία μὲν ἐνταῦθα ἱππήλατά ἐστι, κῶμαι δὲ πολλαὶ πολυανθρωπότατοι ᾤκηνται ἀγχοτάτω ἀλλήλαις καὶ πολλοὶ ἔμποροι κατ' ἐργασίαν ἐν ταύταις οἰκοῦσιν. 2.25.3 ἔκ τε γὰρ Ἰνδῶν καὶ τῶν πλησιοχώρων Ἰβήρων πάντων τε ὡς εἰπεῖν τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις ἐθνῶν καὶ Ῥωμαίων τινῶν τὰ φορτία ἐσκομιζόμενοι ἐνταῦθα ἀλλήλοις ξυμ2.25.4 βάλλουσι. τόν τε τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἱερέα Καθολικὸν καλοῦσι τῇ Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ, ὅτι δὴ ἐφέστηκεν εἷς ὢν 2.25.5 ἅπασι τοῖς ταύτῃ χωρίοις. ∆ούβιος δὲ ἄποθεν ὅσον εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίων ἐν δεξιᾷ ἰόντι ἐκ Ῥωμαίων τῆς γῆς ὄρος ἐστὶ δύσβατόν τε καὶ ἄλλως κρημνῶδες, καὶ κώμη τις ἐν δυσχωρίᾳ στενοτάτη κειμένη, Ἀγγλὼν 2.25.6 ὄνομα. οὗ δὴ ὁ Ναβέδης, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἔφοδον ἔγνω, παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἀποχωρήσας 2.25.7 χωρίου τε ἰσχύϊ θαρσήσας καθεῖρξεν αὑτόν. καὶ ἡ μὲν κώμη ἐς τοῦ ὄρους τὰ ἔσχατα κεῖται, φρούριον δὲ ἐχυρὸν τῇ κώμῃ ταύτῃ ὁμώνυμον ἐν τῷ κρημνώδει 2.25.8 ἐστίν. ὁ γοῦν Ναβέδης λίθοις μὲν καὶ ἁμάξαις τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν κώμην ἀποφράξας εἰσόδους δυσπρόσοδον ἔτι 2.25.9 μᾶλλον εἰργάσατο ταύτην. ἐπίπροσθε δὲ τάφρον τινὰ ὀρύξας ἐνταῦθα τὸ στράτευμα ἔστησε, προλοχίσας οἰκίσκους τινὰς παλαιοὺς ἐνέδραις πεζῶν. ἐς τετρακισχιλίους δὲ ἄνδρας ἅπαν ξυνῄει τὸ Περσῶν στράτευμα. 2.25.10 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράσσετο τῇδε. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἀφικόμενοι ἐς χῶρον ἡμέρας ὁδῷ Ἀγγλῶν διέχοντα, τῶν τινα πολεμίων ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ ἰόντα λαβόντες ἐπυνθάνοντο ὅπη ποτὲ τανῦν ὁ Ναβέδης εἴη. καὶ ὃς ἀνακεχωρηκέναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐξ Ἀγγλῶν παντὶ τῷ Μήδων 2.25.11 στρατῷ ἔφασκεν. ὃ δὴ ὁ Ναρσῆς ἀκούσας δεινὰ ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ τοῖς ξυνάρχουσι τὴν μέλλησιν ὀνειδίζων 2.25.12 ἐλοιδορεῖτο. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἄλλοι ἐποίουν, ἐς ἀλλήλους ὑβρίζοντες, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν μάχης τε καὶ κινδύνου ἀφροντιστήσαντες ληίζεσθαι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία 2.25.13 ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιοῦντο. ἄραντες τοίνυν ἀστρατήγητοί τε καὶ ἄτακτοι κόσμῳ οὐδενὶ ἐπίπροσθεν ᾔεσαν, οὔτε τι ἔχοντες σύμβολον ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς, ᾗπερ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀγῶσιν εἴθισται, οὔτε πη διακεκριμένοι ἐν 2.25.14 τάξει. τοῖς γὰρ σκευοφόροις οἱ στρατιῶται ἀναμιγνύμενοι ἐπορεύοντο ὡς ἐπὶ ἁρπαγὴν ἑτοιμοτάτην ἰόντες 2.25.15 χρημάτων μεγάλων. ἐπεὶ δὲ Ἀγγλῶν ἀγχοῦ ἐγένοντο, πέμπουσι κατασκόπους, οἳ δὴ αὐτοῖς ἐπανιόντες ἀπήγ2.25.16 γελλον τὴν τῶν πολεμίων παράταξιν. οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ καταπλαγέντες ἀναστρέφειν μὲν ξὺν στρατῷ τοσούτῳ τὸ πλῆθος αἰσχρόν τε καὶ ἄνανδρον ὅλως ᾤοντο εἶναι, τάξαντες δὲ ὡς ἐκ τῶν παρόντων εἰς τὰ τρία τέλη τὸ στράτευμα εὐθὺ τῶν πολεμίων 2.25.17 ἐχώρουν. Πέτρος μὲν οὖν κέρας τὸ δεξιὸν εἶχε, Βαλεριανὸς δὲ τὸ εὐώνυμον, εἰς δὲ τὸ μέσον οἱ ἀμφὶ Μαρτῖνον ἐτάσσοντο. γενόμενοι δὲ ἄγχιστά πη τῶν ἐναντίων ἡσύχαζον, τὴν τάξιν σὺν ἀκοσμίᾳ φυλάσσον2.25.18 τες. αἴτιον δὲ ἦν ἥ τε δυσχωρία κρημνώδης ὑπερφυῶς οὖσα καὶ τὸ ἐξ ὑπογύου διαταχθέντας ἐς τὴν μάχην 2.25.19 καθίστασθαι. ἔτι μέντοι καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐς ὀλίγον ξυναγαγόντες ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, περισκοπούμενοι τῶν