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to battle, as had been decided the day before. And Orkhan, seeing the emperor advancing, also drew up his own army in opposition. And he hid a certain part in ambushes, so that if the Romans, having gained the upper hand, should advance against them, those in the ambushes, attacking suddenly, might both strike them with terror because of the unexpected 1.344 and turn them to flight; and taking up all the rest of his force, he took his stand on high ground. And selecting three hundred of his most warlike horse-archers, who had horses that were especially good at running, he ordered them to engage the emperor's army not in a standing fight, but by making charges, and when advancing not to stand their ground, but to use their bows while fleeing, and to attack them again as they withdrew. Now it happened that the ground between both armies, on the Roman side, was both level and easy for cavalry charges, but on the Persian side it was not only uphill and difficult to approach, but also cut through everywhere with natural ditches; and trusting in this, the barbarians advanced against the Romans all the more. These three hundred, therefore, were ordered to engage the Romans in this manner. And he stationed another thousand behind them near the ditches and the difficult terrain, so that if the three hundred were pursued by the Romans, they, standing by the narrow passes, might defend them; and on either side of them a thousand on each flank for the same reason. And the emperor, when he saw the Persians descending from the hill, also selected three hundred from his own men and placed them around himself, and made some such exhortation to them: “Men, soldiers, you yourselves are not ignorant of the good fame of the Romans and the glory which they acquired from the beginning from being fearsome to their enemies; for these are they who subjected almost the whole inhabited world, and forced all races, both European 1.345 and those in Asia, to serve them. But because it has happened that for no long time we have been worsted in no small measure by the barbarians, we must not on this account despair for the future. For our defeat did not happen because of our own cowardice, but because God, in requital for the ways we have offended Him, is taking vengeance through the barbarians. It is not right, therefore, for those whose spirit has not been utterly defeated, and who have again some better hope, to be disheartened by the outcome of the disaster; but to consider that in their actions it is possible for men to fail, but in their spirits to always be rightly the same brave men, and not, because of a former defeat, when bravery is present, to be reasonably seen as cowards in any way. And you are not lacking in experience for battle compared to the barbarians, but you also far surpass them in courage. For you see them cowering and sinking into the hollows of the mountains, and unwilling to leave the difficult terrain at all, nor daring to fight with us on equal terms. Be, therefore, good men, and yourselves raise up the now fallen glory of your ancestors, and do not think you are fighting against the barbarians for some land that does not concern you, but rather for freedom and, each of you, for his own fatherland. For if here, fighting worthily of yourselves, we conquer them, in addition to what we were formerly deprived of by them, we shall also enjoy what we have without fear. In addition to this, if I myself were also fighting alongside you at this 1.346 moment, there would be an excuse for someone to be a coward, thinking he would go unnoticed; but since I myself stand apart from the others as an umpire, it is possible for each to consider that if he is seen to be a coward, he will be punished with the fitting penalty; but the good will be honored with the appropriate prizes for their valor. As to what sort of engagement you should make against the barbarians, you yourselves know, having been raised from childhood in the deeds of war; but I myself will also offer advice. For if they were fighting us drawn up in phalanxes on equal terms, it would be necessary for us also, keeping our formation, to advance against them; but since, as far as one can guess from what is happening, they do not intend to come to close quarters with you, but to shoot from a distance and

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ἐς μάχην, ᾗ ἐδέδοκτο τῇ προτεραίᾳ. Ὀρχάνης δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἰδὼν τὸν βασιλέα ἐπιόντα, ἀντιπαρέταττε καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν στρατιάν. καὶ μέρος μέν τι κατέκρυψεν ἐν λόχοις, ὡς ἂν, εἰ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ὑπερσχόντες ἐπίωσιν αὐτοῖς, οἱ ἐν ταῖς ἐνέδραις ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐπελθόντες, ἐκπλήξωσί τε διὰ τὸ ἀπροσδόκη 1.344 τον καὶ τρέψωνται αὐτούς· τὴν δ' ἄλλην ἅπασαν δύναμιν ἀναλαβὼν, ἔστη ἐπὶ μετεώρου. τριακοσίους δὲ ἀπολεξάμενος τοὺς παρ' αὐτῷ μαχιμωτάτους ἱπποτοξότας, ἵππους ἔχοντας τῶν μάλιστα θέειν ἀγαθῶν, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοῖς οὐ κατὰ συστάδην, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐφόδων συμπλέκεσθαι τῇ βασιλέως στρατιᾷ, καὶ ἐπιόντας μὲν μὴ ὑπομένειν, ἀλλὰ φεύγοντας τοξείαις χρῆσθαι, ἀναχωροῦσι δὲ αὖθις ἐπιτίθεσθαι. συμβέβηκε δὲ τὸ μεταξὺ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἀμφοτέρων ὅσον μὲν ἦν κατὰ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ὁμαλόν τε εἶναι καὶ ῥᾴδιον πρὸς τὰς ἱππηλασίας, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Πέρσας οὐ μόνον ἄναντες καὶ δυσπρόσοδον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τάφροις αὐτοφυέσι πανταχόσε διατετμημένον· ᾧ καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ βάρβαροι πεποιθότες ἐπῄεσαν Ῥωμαίοις. τούτοις μὲν οὖν τοῖς τριακοσίοις προσετέτακτο τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον συμπλέκεσθαι Ῥωμαίοις. ἑτέρους δὲ χιλίους ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν ἐπέστησε κατὰ τὰς τάφρους καὶ τὰς δυσχωρίας, ὡς ἂν, εἰ διώκοιντο οἱ τριακόσιοι πρὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων, αὐτοὶ πρὸς τὰ στενὰ ἑστῶτες ἀμύνωσιν αὐτοῖς· ἑκατέρωθέν τε αὐτῶν χιλίους ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ μέρει τῆς αὐτῆς ἕνεκα αἰτίας. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἑώρα τοὺς Πέρσας ἀπὸ τοῦ λόφου κατιόντας, τριακοσίους καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιλεξάμενος ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων καὶ περιστησάμενος ἑαυτῷ, τοιαύτην τινὰ παραίνεσιν ἐποιήσατο πρὸς αὐτούς· «ἄνδρες στρατιῶται, τὴν μὲν εὔκλειαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ τὴν δόξαν, ἣν ἀπὸ τοῦ φοβεροὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις εἶναι ἐκτήσαντο ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οὐδ' αὐτοὶ ἀγνοεῖτε· οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ μικροῦ δεῖν πᾶσαν παραστησάμενοι τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ πάντα γένη καὶ Εὐρω 1.345 παῖα καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας ἀναγκάσαντες αὐτοῖς δουλεύειν. ὅτι δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἐπὶ πολύν τινα χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγα τινὰ τῶν βαρβάρων συμβέβηκεν ἐλαττωθῆναι, οὐ χρὴ διὰ ταῦτα καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὑπόλοιπα ἀπαγορεύειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν κακίαν τὸ ἡσσῆσθαι προσεγένετο, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς ἔκτισιν ὧν προσκεκρούκαμεν αὐτῷ, διὰ τῶν βαρβάρων τιμωρουμένου. οὐ δὴ δίκαιον τοὺς τὴν γνώμην μὴ κατὰ κράτος νικηθέντας, ἔχοντας δέ τινα αὖθις κρείττονα ἐλπίδα τῆς συμφορᾶς τῇ ἀποβάσει ἀμβλύνεσθαι· νομίσαι δὲ ἐν μὲν ταῖς πράξεσιν ἐνδέχεσθαι σφάλλεσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ταῖς δὲ γνώμαις ἀεὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀνδρείους ὀρθῶς εἶναι, καὶ μὴ διὰ τὴν προτέραν ἧτταν, τοῦ ἀνδρείου παρόντος, εἰκότως ἂν ἔν τινι κακοὺς ὀφθῆναι. ὑμεῖς δὲ οὔτε ἐμπειρίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὰς μάχας λείπεσθε τῶν βαρβάρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τόλμῃ πολὺ προέχετε αὐτῶν. ὁρᾶτε γὰρ αὐτοὺς κατεπτηχότας καὶ καταδυομένους πρὸς τὰ κοῖλα τῶν ὀρῶν καὶ μηδαμοῦ τῆς δυσχωρίας ἀποστῆναι βουλομένους, μηδὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου διαγωνίσασθαι ἡμῖν τολμῶντας. γίνεσθε δὴ ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ τὴν καταπεσοῦσαν ἤδη δόξαν τῶν προγόνων ἀνορθώσατε αὐτοὶ, καὶ μὴ νομίσητε ὑπὲρ μηδὲν προσηκούσης γῆς ὑμῖν διαγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας μάλιστα καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἕκαστος πατρίδος. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἀξίως ἑαυτῶν ἀγωνιζόμενοι νικήσωμεν αὐτοὺς, πρὸς οἷς ἀφῃρήμεθα πρότερον ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν οὖσαν καρπωσόμεθα ἀδεῶς. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ εἰ μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς συνηγωνιζόμην ὑμῖν ἐν τῷ 1.346 παρόντι, πρόφασις ἂν ἦν τινι κακῷ γενέσθαι λήσειν οἰομένῳ· ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτὸς ἔξω ἕστηκα τῶν ἄλλων βραβευτὴς, ἔξεστι σκοπεῖν ἑκάστῳ ὡς, εἰ μὲν κακὸς ὀφθείη, κολασθήσεται τῇ πρεπούσῃ ζημίᾳ· οἱ δὲ ἀγαθοὶ τιμηθήσονται τοῖς προσήκουσιν ἄθλοις τῆς ἀρετῆς. τὴν δὲ συμπλοκὴν ὁποίαν τινὰ χρὴ ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους, καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἴστε ἐκ παιδὸς πολεμίοις ἔργοις ἐντεθραμμένοι· παραινέσω δὲ καὶ αὐτός. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τεταγμένοι κατὰ φάλαγγας ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐμάχοντο ἡμῖν, ἦν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ ἡμᾶς τὴν τάξιν φυλάττοντας αὐτοῖς ἐπιέναι· ἐπεὶ δὲ, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῶν γινομένων ἐστὶν εἰκάζειν, οὐκ εἰς χεῖρας ὑμῖν ἰέναι διανοοῦνται, ἀλλ' ἄπωθέν τε βάλλειν καὶ