,

having awakened from sleep, mounting a bare horse he had made his escape. The barbarian accordingly fell in with the Romans and dismounting from his horse, he embraced battle at close quarters. 6.7.3 But since he could not bear the opposing rush, he contrived his flight through a certain difficult passage. And so Ardagastus excelled in his movements, possessing a nature accustomed to this. 6.7.4 But a rather grim fate befell him, and the barbarian ran into the stump of a very large tree. From there he would have been a very desirable prey for his pursuers, if a river had not been his savior; for by swimming across he escaped 6.7.5 the danger. The Romans therefore, having made great numbers of Sclavenes a dinner for the sword, cut through the land around Ardagastus, and making the captives fast with pieces of wood, 6.7.6 they sent them to Byzantium. But Priscus became a cause of disorder for the troops. For he undertook that the emperor should receive the first portion of the booty, the second the emperor’s elder son, and then that the rest of the emperor’s offspring should be allotted shares, trafficking in greed through the abundance of the emperor’s fine family. 6.7.7 Therefore since the Roman army was being insulted with paltry spoils, tyranny arose and confusion held sway. The general, therefore, fearing what had been done and with regret rejecting the scheme of his previous actions, gave the victory to second thoughts. 6.7.8 Therefore, toward dusk he summoned the commanders of the forces, and he persuaded them by a turn of phrase that he had done nothing improper on the previous day. 6.7. Therefore, when the commanders of the regiments unanimously decreed what had been settled by the persuasion of his words, the troops flocked to the general. And so the general in his native tongue began these words to the Romans. 6.7.10 "Men and friends and soldiers and allies, who excel in war but are unprofessional in disorder, if you will prepare your hearing and straighten your heart, I too 6.7.11 shall begin my words of advice. Perhaps in my words I shall also cause some little pain by correcting the perversity of your ways; for from this it is good for the commander to fear nothing from his 6.7.12 speech because of the risk to friendship. Why, when you campaign with us, did you yesterday and the day before rage rashly and excessively, so to speak? I was vexing your interests by taking booty for the emperor. You were annoyed at displaying the triumphs. Everyone was angry with the general for bequeathing feats of valor and trophies to the city and emperors and peoples. And what witnesses will you have to declare 6.7.13 your heroic deeds? Who will be a spectator of your labors? Where shall we set up the tablets of your good fame? And how and where and when and to whom shall we proclaim 6.7.14 your courage? For if you yourselves are to be the witnesses of what is deposited, the labor is unbelievable, the success unacceptable, the trophies a myth, the elegant pledges of the narratives uncertain, since the account is bereft 6.7.15 and the plausible lacks proof. Will you who are philosophical about death and have chosen to suffer and do all things not scorn spoils for the sake of goodwill? Are not the spoils taxed so that you may prolong the applause? Why do you enslave your souls with avarice, you who desire to enslave the enemy and purchase victories with perils of the soul? 6.7.16 The desires for possessions do not know how to become a source of good repute, nor does the longing for money preserve the striving for praise. Therefore, either abandon one or the other, or do not adulterate the laws of military service." 6.8.1 While the general was still swelling with these words and playing the Attic orator in a Roman way, applause burst forth from the crowd, and hostility changed to goodwill, blame to praise, mockery to acceptance, 6.8.2 and everything was being changed and transformed; for the power of the tongue knows how to rule nature, to legislate against necessity, and to divert judgment

διανήψας τοῦ ὕπνου, ἵππου γυμνῆς ἐπιβὰς τὴν φυγὴν ἐπεποίητο. περιπίπτει γοῦν ῾Ρωμαίοις ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ ἀποβὰς τῆς ἵππου κατασυστάδην τὴν 6.7.3 μάχην ἀσπάζεται. ἐπεὶ δὲ φέρειν οὐκ εἶχε τὴν ἀντίθετον ῥύμην, διὰ δυσχωρίας τινὸς τὴν φυγὴν περιβάλλεται. ὅθεν οὖν ᾿Αρδάγαστος ἐπροτέρευε τοῖς κινήμασιν ἐθάδα πρὸς τοῦτο 6.7.4 κεκτημένος τὴν φύσιν. σκαιοτέρας τε τύχης συμπεσούσης αὐτῷ, πρέμνῳ μεγίστου δένδρου τινὸς περιπίπτει ὁ βάρβαρος. ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς διώκουσιν ἦν ἂν θήραμα καὶ μάλα εὐκτόν, εἰ μὴ ποταμὸς αὐτῷ σωτήριος γέγονεν· διανήξας γὰρ ἀποδιδράσκει 6.7.5 τὸν κίνδυνον. οἱ μὲν οὖν ῾Ρωμαῖοι πλήθη Σκλαυηνῶν μαχαίρας ποιησάμενοι δεῖπνον τὴν ἀμφὶ τὸν ᾿Αρδάγαστον διατέμνονται χώραν, ἐνέρσει τε ξύλων τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας 6.7.6 ποιήσαντες ἐς Βυζάντιον ἔπεμπον. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος ἐγίνετο τοῖς στρατεύμασιν ἀκοσμίας ὑπόθεσις. ἐνεχείρει γὰρ τὴν πρώτην τῆς λείας ἀπόμοιραν τὸν βασιλέα κομίζεσθαι, τὴν δὲ δευτέραν τὸν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος παῖδα τὸν μείζονα, εἶτα καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιγονὴν μερίδας ἀποκληρώσασθαι, τῷ ἀφθόνῳ τῆς βασιλικῆς εὐτεκνίας τὴν πλεονεξίαν 6.7.7 ἐμπορευόμενος. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἐξιτήλοις σκύλοις τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν καθυβρίζετο, τυραννὶς ἐπεφοίτα καὶ τάραχος ἡγεμόνευεν. ὀρρωδήσας γοῦν ὁ στρατηγὸς τὸ πραχθὲν καὶ μεταμέλῳ τῶν προϋπηργμένων τὴν ἐπιβολὴν ὀβελίσας, ταῖς δευτέραις φροντί6.7.8 σιν ἐδίδου τὰ νικητήρια. τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὸ λυκόφως τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τῶν δυνάμεων μετεπέμπετο, καὶ πείθει τῇ τῶν ῥημάτων περιστροφῇ ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν μὴ καθηκόντων κατὰ τὴν προτεραίαν 6.7. εἰργάσατο. ὅτε τοίνυν τὸ ἀραρὲν ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν λόγων πειθοῦς οἱ τῶν ταγμάτων ἐξάρχοντες συμφώνως ἀπεδογμάτισαν, ὡς τὸν στρατηγὸν τὰ πλήθη συρρέουσιν. καὶ γοῦν ὁ στρατηγὸς τῇ πατρίῳ φωνῇ τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίοις τῶνδε τῶν λόγων ἀπήρξατο. 6.7.10 "῎Ανδρες καὶ φίλοι καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ σύμμαχοι, οἱ πρὸς πόλεμον ἀριστεύοντες, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀκοσμίαις ἰδιωτεύοντες, εἰ τὴν ἀκοὴν εὐθετήσητε καὶ τὴν καρδίαν εὐθύνητε, κἀγὼ 6.7.11 τῶν νουθετημάτων ἀπάρξομαι. ἴσως δέ τι τοῖς λόγοις καὶ λυπήσω μικρὸν τὸ διάστροφον τῶν τρόπων ἐπανορθούμενος· κἀντεῦθεν γὰρ τῷ ταξιάρχῃ καλὸν μηδέν τι δεδοικέναι τῆς 6.7.12 διαλέξεως διὰ τὸν τῆς φιλίας κίνδυνον. τί καθ' ἡμῶν συστρατεύοντες ἐχθές τε καὶ τρίτην εἰκῇ τε καὶ λίαν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἐφρυάξασθε; παρελύπουν τὰ ὑμέτερα λαφυραγωγῶν βασιλεῖ. ἠνιᾶσθε τοὺς θριάμβους ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. ἐνεκότει πᾶς τῷ στρατηγῷ τῇ πόλει καὶ βασιλεῦσι καὶ δήμοις κατακληροδοτοῦντι ἀριστείας καὶ τρόπαια. καὶ τίνας ἕξετε τῶν 6.7.13 ἀνδραγαθημάτων ἀποφήνασθαι μάρτυρας; τίς ὑμῖν θεατὴς τῶν πόνων γενήσεται; ποῦ τῆς εὐκλείας τοὺς πίνακας καθιδρύσωμεν; ὅπως τε καὶ ποῖ καὶ πότε καὶ τίσι τὴν ἀνδρείαν 6.7.14 κηρύξωμεν; εἰ γὰρ τῶν κατατιθεμένων ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθε μάρτυρες, ἄπιστος ὁ πόνος, ἀναπόδεκτον τὸ εὐτύχημα, μῦθος τὰ τρόπαια, ἀβέβαια τὰ τῶν διηγημάτων ἐπίκομψα ἐνέχυρα, τοῦ λόγου 6.7.15 χηρεύοντος καὶ τοῦ πιθανοῦ τὴν ἀπορίαν ἐπέχοντος. οἱ φιλοσοφοῦντες τὸν θάνατον καὶ πάντα καὶ πάσχειν καὶ πράττειν ἑλόμενοι οὐ καταφρονήσητε λαφύρων διὰ τὴν εὔνοιαν; οὐ φορολογεῖσθε τὰ λάφυρα, ἵνα τὸν κρότον μακρολογήσητε; τί τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὸ φιλοχρηματίας ἀνδραποδίζεσθε οἱ δουλαγωγεῖν τὸ πολέμιον ὀρεγόμενοι καὶ κινδύνοις ψυχῆς τὰς νίκας 6.7.16 ὠνούμενοι; οὐκ ἴσασι τῶν κτημάτων οἱ ἔρωτες εὐδοξίας ὑπόθεσις γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν χρημάτων ἡ ὄρεξις διασώζειν τῶν ἐπαίνων τὴν ἔφεσιν. ἢ θάτερον οὖν ἀπολείπετε, ἢ τοὺς τῆς στρατείας νόμους μὴ κιβδηλεύετε." 6.8.1 ῎Ετι γοῦν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τοῖς λόγοις ἐπικυμαίνοντος καὶ τὰ Θεμιστοκλέους ῾Ρωμαϊκῶς ἀττικίζοντος, κρότος ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους ἀνέθορεν, καὶ πρὸς εὔνοιαν τὰ τῆς δυσμενείας μετήρχετο, ὁ δὲ ψόγος πρὸς ἔπαινον, πρὸς ἀποδοχὴν τὰ τοῦ 6.8.2 σκώμματος, καὶ πάντα μετεγίνετό τε καὶ μετετίθετο· οἶδε γὰρ γλώττης ἀλκὴ καὶ φύσεως ἄρχειν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης νομοθετεῖν καὶ μετοχετεύειν γνώμης