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of the Avars. The Khagan, therefore, having been saved with difficulty, reaches the Tissus river. It was the thirtieth day, and the barbarian gathered a force. When he was making an attempt at a fourth war, and the general of the Romans had heard of these things, Priscus encamped by the Tissus 8.3. river. Therefore, a day was set for battle for each force. When the appointed time arrived, at first dawn Priscus drew up his forces in a changed order, and made the left phalanx the right, and the center the left. And the barbarian prepared for war with twelve divisions. 8.3.10 The Romans, therefore, more heroically held their ground in the battle. By their resistance, therefore, they defeated the barbarians, and a great multitude of the enemy was destroyed also in this battle. The Roman 8.3.11 infantry therefore won this more glorious victory. And Priscus, having drawn up four thousand men, ordered them to swim across the Tissus and to investigate the movements of the enemy. Those, therefore, sent out by the general cross the neighboring river. They accordingly came upon three villages of the Gepids. But the barbarians, aware of nothing from the day before, sitting down to a symposium 8.3.12 were celebrating a local festival. Therefore, having committed their cares to drunkenness, they passed the whole night feasting. But the Romans at what is called twilight, while remnants of the night still remained, fall upon the carousing barbarians and work a very great slaughter; for thirty thousand 8.3.13 barbarians are killed. And having taken very many captives, they swam back across the river and brought the booty safely to Priscus. It was the twentieth day, and again the barbarian gathers forces around this same river. For this reason Priscus returns to the Tissus river. Therefore, in this place a very great and most notable battle takes place. 8.3.14 The barbarians, therefore, having been utterly defeated, so to speak, on this very day are drowned in the streams of the river, and with them perishes also a very great portion of the Sclaveni. 8.3.15 And after the defeat the barbarians were taken captive, and there were captured three thousand Avars, and six thousand two hundred other barbarians, and eight thousand Sclaveni. Thus, therefore, having been taken alive they were handed over in bonds, and the general sent out the captured barbarians to the city of Tomis. 8.4.1 But the Khagan, before the emperor could become aware of what had happened, sent envoys to Maurice, attempting to recover 8.4.2 the captives. But Maurice, terrified by the barbarian's threats and deceived by his words, ordered Priscus through a letter to give back the captured Avars to the Khagan. Thus, therefore, the barbarians were given back to the Khagan from Tomis. 8.4.3 But Comentiolus, as if having sobered up with difficulty from some long dreams, seemed to be freed from his illness. He came, therefore, to Novae, and having summoned some of the locals, he requested to take a guide from them, so that he might travel along the so-called path of Trajan; for he was hastening 8.4.4 to spend the winter season in Byzantium. The locals, therefore, forbade this path to Comentiolus. Enraged at this, he beheaded two of those who forbade him. Those around Novae, therefore, said to Comentiolus that they did not have anyone who could show the way, but that there was, at a distance of twelve miles, a very ancient little old man, who was one hundred and twelve years of age; they strongly affirmed that this man knew the so-called path of Trajan 8.4.5 the emperor. Having arrived therefore at that place, the general Comentiolus asked the old man to lead the way on the journey. But the old man was at a loss and was distressed, and he declared to the general that the undertaking was very difficult, both the difficulty of the terrain and the winter and of the path

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βάρων. ὁ μὲν οὖν Χαγάνος ἐπικινδύνως διασωθεὶς κατὰ τὸν Τισσὸν γίνεται ποταμόν. τριακοστὴ δὲ ἡμέρα, καὶ ὁ βάρβαρος συνέλεξε δύναμιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τέταρτον πόλεμον τὴν ἐπιβολὴν ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ τούτων ὁ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων στρατηγὸς ἠκηκόει, στρατοπεδεύει ὁ Πρίσκος ἐπὶ τὸν Τισσὸν 8.3. ποταμόν. ὁρίζεται τοιγαροῦν ἑκατέρᾳ δυνάμει ἡμέρα πρὸς πόλεμον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ διωρισμένον πέρας ἐλάμβανεν, ὑπὸ πρώτην ἕω ὁ Πρίσκος ἐναλλὰξ τὰς δυνάμεις συνέταξεν, καὶ τὴν μὲν εὐώνυμον φάλαγγα δεξιὰν ἐποιήσατο, τὴν δὲ μέσην εὐώνυμον. ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος δυοκαίδεκα συστήμασιν ἐξοπλίζει 8.3.10 τὸν πόλεμον. οἱ μὲν οὖν ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἡρωϊκώτερον τῆς μάχης ἀντείχοντο. τῇ τοίνυν ἐνστάσει τοὺς βαρβάρους κατεπολέμησαν, καὶ διόλλυται καὶ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν μάχην πλῆθος πολεμίων πολύ. ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν νίκην ἐνδοξοτέραν τὸ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων 8.3.11 ὁπλιτικὸν ἀνεδήσατο. ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος τέσσαρας χιλιάδας συντάξας τὸν Τισσὸν διανήξασθαι ἐκέλευε ταύταις ἀνερευνᾶσθαί <τε> τὰ τῶν πολεμίων κινήματα. οἱ μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐκπεμφθέντες τὸν γείτονα ποταμὸν διαπεραιοῦνται. περιτυγχάνουσι τοιγαροῦν χωρίοις Γηπαίδων τρισίν. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι μηδὲν τῶν ἐν τῇ προτεραίᾳ διεγνωκότες συμπόσιόν τε καθίσαντες 8.3.12 πανήγυριν ἑώρταζον ἐπιχώριον. τὰς τοίνυν φροντίδας ἀναθέντες τῇ μέθῃ κατεπαννυχίζοντο εὐωχούμενοι. οἱ δὲ ῾Ρωμαῖοι ἐπὶ τὸ λεγόμενον λυκόφως, ἔτι λειψάνων ὑπούσης νυκτός, κραιπαλῶσι τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπίκεινται καὶ μέγιστον ἀπεργάζονται φόνον· ἀναιροῦνται γὰρ βαρβάρων χιλιάδες 8.3.13 τριάκοντα. πλείστης τε αἰχμαλωσίας κρατήσαντες τὸν ποταμὸν ἀντενήξαντο πρός τε τὸν Πρίσκον τὴν προνομὴν διεσώσαντο. ἡμέρα δὲ εἰκοστή, καὶ πάλιν ὁ βάρβαρος περὶ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν ποταμὸν συναγείρει δυνάμεις. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Πρίσκος παλιννοστεῖ περὶ τὸν Τισσὸν τὸν ποταμόν. γίνεται τοιγαροῦν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον μεγίστη καὶ ἀξιολογωτάτη παράταξις. 8.3.14 οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι καταπολεμηθέντες ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἐγκρατῶς κατὰ ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τὰ ῥεῖθρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀποπνίγονται, συναπόλλυνται δὲ τούτοις καὶ Σκλαυη8.3.15 νῶν πλείστη ἀπόμοιρα. ἐζωγρεῖτο δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν τὸ βάρβαρον, καὶ ἥλωσαν ῎Αβαροι μὲν τρισχίλιοι, ἄλλοι δὲ βάρβαροι πρὸς ταῖς τέτρασι χιλιάσι δισχίλιοί τε καὶ διακόσιοι, καὶ Σκλαυηνῶν χιλιάδες ὀκτώ. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ζωγρηθέντες δεσμοῖς παρεδίδοντο, ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς ἐν Τόμει τῇ πόλει τοὺς λαφυραγωγηθέντας βαρβάρους ἐξέπεμπεν. 8.4.1 ὁ δὲ Χαγάνος, πρίν τι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τῶν γεγενημένων ἐν εἰδήσει γενέσθαι, πρέσβεις ἐς Μαυρίκιον ἔπεμψεν, ἀναλαβεῖν 8.4.2 τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας πειρώμενος. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τοῦ βαρβάρου καταπλαγεὶς καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἀποβουκολούμενος δι' ἐπιστολέως τῷ Πρίσκῳ προσέταξεν ἀποδοῦναι τοὺς ζωγρηθέντας τῷ Χαγάνῳ ᾿Αβάρους. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς Τόμεως ἀνεδίδοντο τῷ Χαγάνῳ οἱ βάρβαροι. 8.4.3 ῾Ο δὲ Κομεντίολος ὥσπερ ἀπό τινων ἐνυπνίων μακρῶν μόλις διανήψας ἔδοξεν ἀπηλλάχθαι τῆς νόσου. παραγίνεται τοιγαροῦν εἰς τὰς Νόβας, καὶ συγκαλεσάμενος τῶν ἐγχωρίων τινὰς τὸν ποδηγοῦντα παρ' αὐτῶν ἠξίου ἀναλαβεῖν, ὅπως τὴν λεγομένην Τραϊανοῦ παροδεύσηται τρίβον· ἠπείγετο γὰρ 8.4.4 ἐς Βυζάντιον τὴν χειμέριον ὥραν ποιήσασθαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐγχώριοι ἀπηγόρευον τῷ Κομεντιόλῳ ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἀτραπόν. ἐπὶ τούτῳ μανεὶς δύο τῶν ἀπαγορευόντων ἀπέτεμεν. οἱ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὰς Νόβας ἔφασκον τῷ Κομεντιόλῳ μὴ ἔχειν τὸν ὑποδείξοντα, ὑπεῖναι δὲ ἀπὸ σημείων δέκα καὶ δύο παλαίτατον λίαν γερόντιον χρόνων πεφυκὸς ἑκατὸν πρὸς τοῖς δεκαδύο· τοῦτον ἐπίστασθαι τὴν λεγομένην τρίβον Τραϊανοῦ 8.4.5 τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κατισχυρίζοντο. γενόμενος τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν χῶρον ἐκεῖνον Κομεντίολος ὁ στρατηγὸς τὸν πρεσβύτην ἠξίου τῆς ὁδοιπορίας προηγήσασθαι. ὁ δὲ γέρων διηπορεῖτο καὶ ἤσχαλλεν, καὶ λίαν χαλεπὸν τὸ ἐγχείρημα τῷ στρατηγῷ προηγόρευε τήν τε δυσχωρίαν τόν τε χειμῶνα καὶ τὸ τῆς τρίβου