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with the Hunnic forces to be the first to charge into the enemy. 3.18.14 For it was not lawful for a Massagete man to take any of the enemy having struck first in battle, before someone from this house, at any rate, had begun the fighting against the enemy. 3.18.15 This man, when the armies came to be not far from each other, riding forth his horse, stood alone as close as possible to the camp of the Vandals. 3.18.16 But the Vandals, either astounded at the man's courage or suspecting that the enemy were contriving something against them, decided neither to move nor to shoot 3.18.17 at the man. But I think that, since they had never had any experience of a battle with Massagetae, but hearing that the nation was exceedingly warlike, they thus dreaded 3.18.18 the danger. And the man, returning to his fellow tribesmen, said that God had sent them these strangers as ready food. 3.18.19 So indeed, as they charged, the Vandals did not withstand them, but breaking their formation and looking least of all to their fighting strength, they were all shamefully destroyed. 3.19.1 But we, having learned nothing at all of what had happened, were proceeding toward Decimum. And Belisarius, seeing a place naturally suited for a camp, thirty-five stades distant from Decimum, both threw a very well-made palisade around it and, stationing all the infantry there and calling together the whole 3.19.2 army, spoke as follows: "The moment of the contest, fellow soldiers, is already here; for I perceive that the enemy are approaching us; and the nature of the place has carried the ships as far as possible from us; and the hope of our salvation has come 3.19.3 to rest in our hands. For there is no friendly city, nor any other stronghold, by trusting in which we shall have confidence for 3.19.4 ourselves. But if we should prove to be brave men, it would be likely that we should also prevail in the war over our adversaries; but if we should show any cowardice, it will be left for us, having fallen under the Vandals, to be shamefully destroyed. 3.19.5 And yet we have many advantages for victory: both justice, with which we have come against our foes (for we are here to recover our own property), and the hatred of the Vandals for their own tyrant. 3.19.6 For the alliance of God is wont to be added to those who put forward just claims, and a soldier disloyal to his ruler does not know how to be brave. 3.19.7 And apart from these things, we have spent all our time in company with both Persians and Scythians, while the Vandals, since they gained control of Libya, have seen no enemy except for 3.19.8 naked Maurusians. And who does not know that practice in any work leads to experience, but idleness to ignorance? Now the palisade, from which we shall have to carry on the war, happens to have been made by us as well as possible. 3.19.9 And it is possible for us, having deposited here both the weapons and all other things that we are not able to carry, to go, and should we return 3.19.10 here, we would lack none of the necessary supplies. And I pray that each of you, remembering both his own valour and those at home, will thus advance against the enemy with contempt." 3.19.11 Having said so much and having offered a prayer, Belisarius, leaving both his wife and the palisade to the infantry, himself 3.19.12 rode out with all the horsemen. For it did not seem to him to be advantageous at the present time to risk the whole army, but rather, after first skirmishing with the horsemen and making trial of the enemy's strength, then to fight it out with the whole army. 3.19.13 Therefore, having sent the commanders of the foederati forward, with the rest of the army and his own spearmen 3.19.14 and shield-bearers he himself followed. And when the foederati with their leaders arrived at Decimum, they saw the bodies of the fallen, twelve of the comrades with John, and near them Ammatas and some of the Vandals. 3.19.15 And hearing the whole story from the inhabitants of that place, they were vexed, being at a loss as to where they should proceed. And while they were still at a loss and were scanning all the places in that region from the hills, a cloud of dust from the south

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Οὐννικοῖς στρατεύμασι πρῶτος εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους 3.18.14 εἰσβάλλειν. οὐ γὰρ ἦν θεμιτὸν ἀνδρὶ Μασσαγέτῃ προτύψαντι ἐν μάχῃ τῶν τινα πολεμίων λαβεῖν, πρίν γε δή τινα ἐκ ταύτης τῆς οἰκίας ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους 3.18.15 τῶν χειρῶν ἄρξαι. οὗτος ἀνὴρ, ἐπεὶ τὰ στρατεύματα οὐ πόρρω ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἐγένετο, ἐξελάσας τὸν ἵππον, τοῦ τῶν Βανδίλων στρατοπέδου μόνος ὡς ἐγγυ3.18.16 τάτω ἔστη. οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι, ἢ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐψυχίαν καταπλαγέντες ἢ καί τι τοὺς πολεμίους ὑποτοπήσαντες ἐς αὐτοὺς μηχανᾶσθαι, οὔτε κινεῖσθαι οὔτε 3.18.17 τὸν ἄνδρα βαλεῖν ἔγνωσαν. οἶμαι δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐπώποτε Μασσαγετῶν μάχην ἐν πείρᾳ ἔχοντας, ἀκούοντας δὲ κομιδῆ μάχιμον τὸ ἔθνος εἶναι, οὕτω δὴ κατορρωδῆσαι 3.18.18 τὸν κίνδυνον. ἀναστρέψας δὲ ἐς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔλεξεν, ὡς ὁ θεὸς σφίσιν ἕτοιμον βρῶσιν 3.18.19 τοὺς ξένους τούσδε πέμψειεν. οὕτω δὴ ὁρμωμένους αὐτοὺς οἱ Βανδίλοι οὐχ ὑπέμειναν, ἀλλὰ λύσαντες τὴν τάξιν καὶ ἥκιστα ἐς ἀλκὴν ἰδόντες ἅπαντες αἰσχρῶς διεφθάρησαν. 3.19.1 Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν γεγονότων οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν πεπυσμένοι ἐπὶ τὸ ∆έκιμον ᾔειμεν. Βελισάριος δὲ χῶρον ἰδὼν ἐς στρατόπεδον ἱκανῶς πεφυκότα, πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα σταδίοις τοῦ ∆εκίμου διέχοντα, χαράκωμά τε αὐτῷ περιέβαλεν εὖ μάλα πεποιημένον καὶ τοὺς πεζοὺς ἅπαντας ἐνταῦθα καταστησάμενος ἅπαν τε ξυγκαλέσας 3.19.2 τὸ στράτευμα ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀγωνίας καιρὸς, «ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, ἤδη πάρεστιν· αἰσθάνομαι γὰρ «προσιόντας ἡμῖν τοὺς πολεμίους· τὰς δὲ ναῦς ὡς πορρω»τάτω ἡμῶν ἡ τοῦ τόπου φύσις ἀπήνεγκε· περιέστηκε «δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν οὖσα. 3.19.3 «οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὐ πόλις φιλία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ὀχύρω»μα, ὅτῳ δὴ καὶ πιστεύσαντες τὸ θαρρεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν 3.19.4 «αὐτῶν ἕξομεν. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ γενοίμεθα, «εἰκὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ περιέσεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῷ πολέμῳ τῶν «ἐναντίων· ἢν δέ τι μαλακιζοίμεθα, λελείψεται ἡμῖν «ὑπὸ Βανδίλοις γεγενημένοις αἰσχρῶς διεφθάρθαι. 3.19.5 «καίτοι πολλὰ ἡμῖν ἐφόδια πρὸς τὴν νίκην ἐστί· τό «τε δίκαιον, μεθ' οὗ πρὸς τοὺς δυσμενεῖς ἥκομεν (τὰ «γὰρ ἡμέτερα αὐτῶν κομιούμενοι πάρεσμεν), καὶ τὸ «τῶν Βανδίλων ἐς τὸν σφῶν αὐτῶν τύραννον ἔχθος. 3.19.6 «ἥ τε γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ ξυμμαχία τοῖς τὰ δίκαια προτει»νομένοις προσγίνεσθαι πέφυκε καὶ στρατιώτης τῷ «κρατοῦντι δύσνους ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι οὐκ ἐπίσταται. 3.19.7 «χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἡμεῖς μὲν Πέρσαις τε καὶ Σκύθαις «τὸν ἅπαντα ὡμιλήσαμεν χρόνον, οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι, ἐξ «ὅτου Λιβύης ἐκράτησαν, οὐδένα πολέμιον ὅτι μὴ 3.19.8 «γυμνοὺς Μαυρουσίους τεθέανται. τίς δὲ οὐκ οἶδεν «ὡς ἔργου παντὸς μελέτη μὲν ἐς ἐμπειρίαν, ἀργία δὲ «εἰς ἀμαθίαν φέρει; τὸ μὲν οὖν χαράκωμα, ὅθεν ἡμᾶς «τὸν πόλεμον διαφέρειν δεήσει, ὡς ἄριστα ἡμῖν πεποιῆ3.19.9 «σθαι ξυμβαίνει. πάρεστι δὲ ἡμῖν τά τε ὅπλα καὶ «τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα φέρειν οὐχ οἷοί τε ἐσμὲν, ἐν»ταῦθα καταθεμένοις ἰέναι, καὶ ἀναστρέψαντας ἂν 3.19.10 «ἐνθάδε ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐπιλίποι. εὔχομαι «δὲ ὑμῶν ἕκαστον τῆς τε οἰκείας ἀρετῆς καὶ τῶν κατὰ «τὸν οἶκον ἀναμνησθέντα οὕτω δὴ καταφρονήματι ἐπὶ «τοὺς πολεμίους χωρεῖν.» 3.19.11 Τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν Βελισάριος καὶ ἐπευξάμενος τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τὸ χαράκωμα τοῖς πεζοῖς ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὸς 3.19.12 μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων ἁπάντων ἐξήλασεν. οὐ γάρ οἱ ἐφαίνετο ἐν τῷ παρόντι ξύμφορον εἶναι τῷ παντὶ διακινδυνεῦσαι στρατῷ, ἀλλὰ ξὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι πρῶτον ἀκροβολισαμένῳ καὶ ἀποπειρασαμένῳ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων δυνάμεως οὕτω δὴ τῷ ὅλῳ στρατεύματι διαμάχεσθαι. 3.19.13 στείλας οὖν ἔμπροσθεν τοὺς τῶν φοιδεράτων ἄρχοντας, σὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις δορυφόροις 3.19.14 τε καὶ ὑπασπισταῖς αὐτὸς εἵπετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ φοιδερᾶτοι ξὺν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ἐγένοντο ἐν τῷ ∆εκίμῳ, ὁρῶσι τοὺς τῶν πεπτωκότων νεκροὺς, δώδεκα μὲν ἑταίρους τῶν μετὰ Ἰωάννου, πλησίον δὲ αὐτῶν Ἀμμάταν καὶ Βαν3.19.15 δίλων τινάς. παρὰ δὲ τῶν ταύτῃ ᾠκημένων τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀκούσαντες ἤσχαλλον, ἀπορούμενοι ὅπη αὐτοῖς χωρητέα εἴη. ἔτι δὲ αὐτῶν ἀπορουμένων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν λόφων ἅπαντα περισκοπουμένων τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, κονιορτός τε ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας