,

Priscus, taking up the proposals, and having lavished splendid gifts on the deserter and having secured him with most glorious promises, had sent him to deceive 6..5 this barbarian. And so the Gepid comes to Musocius and asks to take a multitude of dugout canoes from him, so that he might ferry across 6..6 those who had been defeated around Ardagastus. Musocius, therefore, thinking the things being stitched together for him by deceit were some sort of windfall, gave the dugout canoes, so that the Gepid might rescue those around Ardagastus. So having taken one hundred and fifty small boats, and thirty extra rowers, he arrives on the opposite side of the river, which the natives 6..7 call the Paspirius. And Priscus, according to the plan, began the march at dawn. But the Gepid man, eluding the notice of those who had come with him, in the middle of the night comes to the Roman commander, and asked to take away one hundred soldiers, so that he might destroy by the edge of the sword 6..8 the barbarians at the lookout post. Therefore the general, having assembled two hundred men, gives them to the taxiarch Alexander. And when the Roman force was approaching the Paspirius river, 6.. the Gepid set Alexander in an ambush. Therefore, when night came, the barbarians, on the one hand, happened to be inclined to sleep, and having become very drunk, they held fast to their dreams. But the Gepid, to destroy the barbarians, 6..10 dissembled. And it was the third watch, and moving a little way off and having come to the ambush, he leads Alexander out from the company. And so, having led the Romans straight to the Paspirius river and having both received and given the signal, he advanced against the barbarians. Therefore, while the barbarians were still communing with sleep, through Avar songs the Gepid gave the signal to Alexan- 6..11 der. And Alexander, coming upon the barbarians, inflicted on them the loss of sleep and life. And when he became master of the small boats, he sent messengers to the general, intensifying the impulses of the 6..12 attack. And Priscus, taking three thousand men and distributing them into the small boats, swam across the Paspirius river. And indeed, in the middle of the night, they made a beginning of the assault. The barbarian, therefore, being overcome with drink, was destroyed; for he had on that day a funereal 6..13 feast for a departed brother, as is their custom. Therefore, the fear became great. Therefore, having been taken alive, the barbarian was captured. And the Romans spent the whole night amidst the bloodshed. But when the day was dawning, the slaughter received a respite from the general. And around the third hour of the morning, the baggage and the forces, 6..14 the general ferried across. Therefore the Romans, becoming arrogant because of what had happened, inclined themselves to luxury, then were stitched together with drunkenness, and having adulterated their successes with drunken violence, they neglected the watch, which it is usual for the Romans in their native tongue to call a *sculca* 6..15. Therefore the defeated, having been gathered together, countered the Roman assault; and the requital would have been harsher than the success, if Gentzon, having drawn up the infantry forces around, had not prevailed in the battle. And at dawn Priscus impaled the commanders of the guard, yes, and also bitterly scourged some of the heavy infantry. 6.10.1 And the emperor sends Tatimer in turn to the commander, carrying imperial tablets; and the demand of the tablets was that the Romans should spend the winter season there. Therefore, when Tatimer had arrived, and the imperial dispatches had been made known, a murmur spread through the ar6.10.2 my. Therefore the Roman multitude mutinied, having thrust aside the words of the emperor, and attempted to spend the cold season at home; for not to encamp on barbarian land; for they said that the colds were hard to endure, and the 6.10.3 multitudes of barbarians were unconquerable. But the general, with some tactical persuasion, softened the obstinacy of the army. And when the forces became obedient, on barbarian land the Roman commander pitches camp. 6.10.4 Therefore, in these days

Πρίσκος τοὺς λόγους ἀράμενος δώροις τε λαμπροῖς τὸν ηὐτομοληκότα λιπάνας ἐπαγγελίαις τε περιδόξοις ἐχυρωσάμενος, ἐξαπατῆσαι 6..5 τοῦτον ἐπεπόμφει τὸν βάρβαρον. καὶ οὖν ὁ Γήπαις πρὸς Μουσώκιον γίνεται αἰτεῖ τε μονοξύλων πλήθη ἀπὸ τούτου ἑλεῖν, ὅπως τοὺς ἠτυχηκότας περὶ τὸν ᾿Αρδάγαστον περαιώ6..6 σηται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Μουσώκιος ἕρμαιόν τι δοκῶν τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπάτης αὐτῷ καττυόμενα ἐδίδου μονόξυλα, ὅπως ὁ Γήπαις τοὺς περὶ τὸν ᾿Αρδάγαστον διασώσηται. ἑκατὸν τοίνυν πρὸς τοῖς πεντήκοντα ἀκατίοις λαβών, καὶ προσκώπους τριάκοντα, εἰς τὸ ἀντιπέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ παραγίνεται, ὃν οἱ ἐγχώριοι 6..7 Πασπίριον ὀνομάζουσιν. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος κατὰ τὸ σύνθημα ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ ἀπήρχετο τῆς βαδίσεως. ἀτὰρ ὁ Γήπαις ἀνὴρ τῶν συνεληλυθότων κλέψας τὴν αἴσθησιν μεσούσης τῆς νυκτὸς πρὸς τὸν τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων πολέμαρχον γίνεται, καὶ ἠξίου ἑκατὸν ὁπλίτας ἀποίσεσθαι, ὅπως στόματι μαχαίρας 6..8 τοὺς πρὸς τῇ σκοπῇ βαρβάρους ὀλέσειεν. τοίνυν ὁ στρατηγὸς ἄνδρας διακοσίους συμφράξας τῷ ταξιάρχῳ δίδωσιν ᾿Αλεξάνδρῳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ ῾Ρωμαϊκὸν τῷ Πασπιρίῳ ἐπλησίαζε ποταμῷ, 6.. εἰς ἐνέδραν τὸν ᾿Αλέξανδρον ὁ Γήπαις ἐκάθισεν. νυκτὸς τοιγαροῦν γεγονυίας οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι κατωφερεῖς περὶ τὸν ὕπνον ὄντες ἐτύγχανον ἔξοινοί τε γεγονότες λίαν τῶν ἐνυπνίων ἀντείχοντο. ὁ δὲ Γήπαις τοὺς βαρβάρους διαφθείρειν 6..10 κατειρωνεύετο. τρίτη δὲ φυλακή, καί τι μικρὸν μεταστὰς καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐνέδραν γενόμενος ὑπεξάγει τοῦ λόχου ᾿Αλέξανδρον. καὶ οὖν διιθύνας ῾Ρωμαίους ἐπὶ τὸν Πασπίριον ποταμὸν καὶ σύνθημα λαβών τε καὶ δοὺς ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐχώρησεν. ἔτι τοίνυν τῶν βαρβάρων προσομιλούντων τῷ ὕπνῳ, δι' ᾿Αβαρικῶν ᾀσμάτων ἐδίδου ὁ Γήπαις τῷ ᾿Αλεξάν-6..11 δρῳ τὸ σύνθημα. ὁ δὲ ᾿Αλέξανδρος ἐπιστὰς τοῖς βαρβάροις ὕπνου καὶ ζωῆς τὴν ζημίαν παρείχετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν ἀκατίων γέγονεν ἐγκρατής, πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀγγέλους ἐξέπεμπε τῆς 6..12 ἐπιβολῆς τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐπιτείνων. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος τρισχιλίους ἀράμενος καὶ διανείμας εἰς τὰ ἀκάτια τὸν Πασπίριον ποταμὸν διενήξατο. καὶ δῆτα μεσούσης νυκτὸς τῇ ἐφόδῳ παρεῖχον τὴν ἔναρξιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν βάρβαρος κάτοινος ὢν τῇ μέθῃ διέφθαρτο· ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἐπιτάφιος 6..13 ἑορτὴ ἐπὶ ἀδελφῷ κατοιχομένῳ, ὡς ἔθος αὐτοῖς. ὁ μὲν οὖν φόβος μέγας ἐγίνετο. ζωγρηθεὶς τοίνυν ἥλω ὁ βάρβαρος. οἱ δὲ ῾Ρωμαῖοι κατεπαννυχίζοντο ἐν τοῖς αἵμασιν. ἡμέρας δὲ λαμπούσης ἐλάμβανεν ὁ φόνος ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τὴν ἀνάπαυλαν. ὑπὸ δὲ τρίτην ἕω τὴν ἀποσκευὴν τάς τε δυνάμεις 6..14 ὁ στρατηγὸς διεπορθμεύσατο. τοίνυν οἱ ῾Ρωμαῖοι φρονηματισθέντες ἐπὶ τοῖς συγκυρήσασι πρὸς τρυφὴν κατεκλίνοντο, εἶτα τῇ μέθῃ συρράπτονται, καὶ τῇ παροινίᾳ τὰς εὐπραξίας νοθεύσαντες τῆς διαφρουρᾶς κατημέλησαν, ἣν σκούλκαν 6..15 σύνηθες τῇ πατρίῳ φωνῇ ῾Ρωμαίοις ἀποκαλεῖν. τὸ μὲν οὖν νενικημένον συναθροισθὲν ἀντιταλαντεύει ῾Ρωμαίοις τὴν ἔφοδον· καὶ ἦν ἂν ἡ ἀντίδοσις χαλεπωτέρα τῆς ἐπιτεύξεως, εἰ μὴ ὁ Γέντζων τὰς δυνάμεις τὰς πεζικὰς περιστησάμενος τῆς μάχης ἐκράτησεν. ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ δὲ ὁ Πρίσκος τοὺς φρουράρχας ἀνεσκολόπισεν, ναὶ δὴ καί τινας τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ πικρῶς ἐμαστίγωσεν. 6.10.1 ῾Ο δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ Τατίμερα ἀντιπέμπει πρὸς τὸν πολέμαρχον βασιλείους δέλτους ἐπιφερόμενον· ἦν δὲ ἡ τῶν δέλτων ἀξίωσις τὴν χειμέριον ὥραν αὐτόθι τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους ποιήσασθαι. παραγεγονότος τοίνυν τοῦ Τατίμερ, καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν γνωρισθέντων λογίων, θρῦλος ὑφάπτεται τῷ στρα6.10.2 τεύματι. καταστασιάζει τοίνυν ἡ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων πληθὺς παρωσαμένη τοὺς λόγους τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, οἴκοι τε τὴν τοῦ ψύχους ὥραν ἐνεχείρει ποιήσασθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ βαρβάρου γῆς ἐναυλίζεσθαι· ἔφασκον γὰρ ψύχη ὑπεῖναι δυσυπομόνητα, τά τε 6.10.3 τῶν βαρβάρων πλήθη ἀκαταγώνιστα. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς πειθοῖ τινι τακτικῇ τῆς στρατιᾶς τὸ δυσήνιον ὑπεμάλαττεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ γίνονται αἱ δυνάμεις πειθήνιοι, ἐπὶ βαρβάρου γῆς ὁ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων πολέμαρχος διαλύει τὸν χάρακα. 6.10.4 ᾿Εν ταύταις τοιγαροῦν ταῖς ἡμέραις