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to join battle, nor "do they have trust in themselves, but into the 4.12.14 "difficulty of this place have they fled. So that "it is not even necessary for me to urge you on at the present moment. "For to those to whom the situation and the weakness of the enemy "gives courage, I think they have no need of the 4.12.15 "help that comes from words. But it will be necessary to remind you of this "much, that if with courage we also this engagement "carry through, it will be left for us, with the Vandals conque"red and the Maurusians driven to the same fortune, "to enjoy all the good things of Libya, with nothing whatsoever 4.12.16 "hostile left to consider. And so that the enemy may not strike you from "above, nor any harm come to us from the "terrain, I shall provide." 4.12.17 Having exhorted them with these words, Solomon ordered Theodore, who was commander of the excubitors (for thus the Romans call the guards), to take with him a thousand foot-soldiers around late afternoon, and having also some of the standards, to secretly ascend the part of Bourgaon which faces the rising sun, where the mountain was most difficult of access and almost impossible to traverse, instructing that, when they should come near the peak of the mountain, they should remain quiet there and pass the rest of the night, and at sunrise, appearing above the enemy and 4.12.18 displaying the standards, to attack. And he did accordingly. And when it was far into the night, having come near the peak by way of the precipitous route, they escaped the notice not only of the Mau4.12.19 rusians, but also of all the Romans; for they were being sent ostensibly on outpost duty, lest anyone from outside should come to do harm to the camp; but at deep dawn Solomon with the whole army against the extremities of Bourgaon 4.12.20 advanced against the enemy. And when it had become morning and the enemy were seen close by, the soldiers, seeing the summit of the mountain no longer bare, as before, but full of men displaying Roman standards (for already also 4.12.21 some daylight was appearing) were at a loss. But when those on the summit began the action, both the Romans perceived that the army was their own and the barbarians that they were in the midst of the enemy, and being assailed from both sides, and it not being possible for them to ward off the enemy, they no longer looked to resistance, but immediately all together rushed 4.12.22 into flight. And being able neither to run up to the summit of Bourgaon, since it was held by the enemy, nor to go anywhere into the plain by way of the foothills, since the enemy were pressing upon them from here, they went at a great run into the ravine and to the other of the peaks, 4.12.23 some with their horses, and others on foot. And since, as a great crowd fleeing in fear and great confusion, they were killing themselves and falling into the ravine, which was exceedingly deep, the ones in front were always killed, yet they gave no perception of the disaster to those coming behind. 4.12.24 But when the ravine became full of the dead horses and men, it made a passage from Bourgaon to the other mountain, and there the remaining men were saved, making their way over the bodies. 4.12.25 And in this struggle fifty thousand of the Maurusians died, as their survivors maintained, but of the Romans, absolutely no one, nay, not a man even received any wound either from the enemy or by any accident that befell him, but all enjoyed this victory unscathed. 4.12.26 And all the leaders of the barbarians also escaped, except, indeed, that Esdilasas, having received pledges, 4.12.27 surrendered himself to the Romans. However, the Romans took such a great number of women and children as booty that for the price of a sheep they sold a Maurusian child to those wishing to buy. 4.12.28 And then the oracle of their women occurred to the surviving Maurusians, that their race would be destroyed by a beardless man. 4.12.29 The Roman army, therefore, together with the booty and Esdilasas, marched to Carthage, but as for those of the barbarians who had not happened to perish, it seemed impossible for them to establish themselves in Byzacium, lest, being few, by the Libyans of

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ξυμβαλεῖν, οὐδὲ «πιστεύειν ἐπὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἔχοντας, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν 4.12.14 «τοῦ χωρίου τούτου δυσκολίαν καταφυγόντας. ὥστε «ὑμῖν οὐδέ τι ἐγκελεύεσθαι ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι ἐπάναγκες. «οἷς γὰρ τὰ πράγματα καὶ ἡ τῶν πολεμίων ἀσθένεια «τὸ θαρσεῖν δίδωσιν, οὐδὲν οἶμαι τῆς ἐκ τῶν λόγων 4.12.15 «ὠφελείας προσδεῖ. τοσοῦτον δὲ ὑπομνῆσαι ὑμᾶς «δεήσει ὡς, ἢν μετὰ εὐψυχίας καὶ τήνδε τὴν ξυμβολὴν «διενέγκωμεν, λελείψεται ἡμῖν, Βανδίλων τε νενικη»μένων καὶ Μαυρουσίων εἰς ταὐτὸ τύχης ἐληλακότων, «τῶν Λιβύης ἀγαθῶν ἀπόνασθαι πάντων, οὐδὲν ὅ τι 4.12.16 «καὶ πολέμιον ἐννοεῖν ἔχουσιν. ὅπως δὲ μὴ κατὰ «κορυφὴν ὑμᾶς οἱ πολέμιοι βάλλωσι, μηδέ τι ἐκ τοῦ «χωρίου ἡμῖν γίγνοιτο βλάβος, ἐγὼ προνοήσω.» 4.12.17 Τοσαῦτα παρακελευσάμενος Σολόμων, Θεόδωρον ἐκέλευεν, ὃς τῶν ἐξκουβιτώρων ἡγεῖτο (οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς φύλακας Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσι), πεζοὺς χιλίους ἐπαγαγόμενον ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν ἔχοντά τε καὶ τῶν σημείων τινὰ ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον τοῦ Βουργάωνος λάθρα ἀναβῆναι, οὗ μάλιστα δύσοδόν τε τὸ ὄρος καὶ σχεδόν τι ἀπόρευτον ἦν, ἐπιστείλας ὥστε, ἐπειδὰν ἄγχι ἐς τὸν τοῦ ὄρους κολωνὸν ἵκωνται, ἐνταῦθα ἡσυχάζοντας τὸ λοιπὸν διανυκτερεύειν, ἅμα τε ἡλίῳ ἀνίσχοντι καθύπερθεν φαινομένους τῶν πολεμίων καὶ 4.12.18 τὰ σημεῖα ἐνδεικνυμένους βάλλειν. ὁ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει. καὶ ἐπεὶ πόρρω ἦν τῶν νυκτῶν, διὰ τοῦ κρημνώδους ἐγγὺς τοῦ σκοπέλου ἀφικόμενοι μὴ ὅτι Μαυ4.12.19 ρουσίους, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἅπαντας ἔλαθον· ἐς προφυλακὴν γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ ἐστέλλοντο, μή τις ἔξωθεν ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον κακουργήσων ἴοι· ὄρθρου δὲ βαθέος Σολόμων παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ κατὰ τοῦ Βουργάωνος τὰ 4.12.20 ἔσχατα ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀνέβαινε. καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρωῒ ἐγεγόνει ἐγγύς τε οἱ πολέμιοι καθεωρῶντο, οὐκέτι γυμνὴν, ὥσπερ τὸ πρότερον, οἱ στρατιῶται τὴν τοῦ ὄρους ὑπερβολὴν ὁρῶντες, ἀλλὰ ἀνδρῶν τε ἀνάπλεων καὶ σημεῖα Ῥωμαϊκὰ ἐνδεικνυμένων (ἤδη γὰρ καὶ 4.12.21 ὑπέφαινέ τι ἡμέρας) διηποροῦντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν οἱ ἐν τῇ ἄκρᾳ ἦρχον, οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ στράτευμα οἰκεῖον εἶναι καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πολεμίων γεγονέναι ᾐσθάνοντο, βαλλόμενοι δὲ ἑκατέρωθεν, καὶ οὐ παρὸν σφίσι τοὺς πολεμίους ἀμύνεσθαι, ἐς ἀλκὴν μὲν οὐκέτι ἔβλεπον, ἐς φυγὴν δὲ αὐτίκα ξύμπαντες 4.12.22 ὥρμηντο. οὔτε δὲ ἐς τοῦ Βουργάωνος τὴν ὑπερβολὴν ἀναδραμεῖν ἔχοντες, πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων κατεχομένην, οὔτε ἐς τὸ ὁμαλὲς διὰ τοῦ πρόποδός πη ἰέναι, ἐνθένδε σφίσιν ἐπικειμένων τῶν ἐναντίων, ἔς τε τὴν νάπην καὶ ἐς τῶν σκοπέλων τὸν ἕτερον δρόμῳ πολλῷ ᾔεσαν, 4.12.23 οἱ μὲν αὐτοῖς ἵπποις, οἱ δὲ καὶ πεζῇ. ἅτε δὲ ὅμιλος πολὺς ἐν φόβῳ καὶ θορύβῳ μεγάλῳ φεύγοντες, σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ἔκτεινον καὶ ἐς τὴν νάπην βαθεῖαν κομιδῆ οὖσαν ἐσπίπτοντες ἀεὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔθνησκον, τοῖς μέντοι ὄπισθεν ἰοῦσιν οὐ παρείχοντο τοῦ κακοῦ αἴσθησιν. 4.12.24 ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν τεθνεώτων ἵππων τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἡ νάπη ἔμπλεως γενομένη διάβασιν ἐκ τοῦ Βουργάωνος ἐς ὄρος ἐποίει τὸ ἕτερον, ἐνταῦθα ἐσώζοντο οἱ ὑπολειπόμενοι, διὰ τῶν σωμάτων τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενοι. 4.12.25 ἀπέθανον δὲ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πόνῳ Μαυρουσίων μὲν μυριάδες πέντε, ὡς αὐτῶν ἰσχυρίζοντο οἱ περιόντες, Ῥωμαίων δὲ τὸ παράπαν οὐδεὶς, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πληγήν τινα ἔλαβεν ἢ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἢ τύχης αὐτῷ ξυμβάσης τινὸς, ἀλλ' ἀκραιφνεῖς πάντες τῆς νίκης ἀπώ4.12.26 ναντο ταύτης. διέφυγον δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν βαρβάρων ἡγούμενοι πάντες, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι Ἐσδιλάσας πίστεις 4.12.27 λαβὼν Ῥωμαίοις αὑτὸν ἐνεχείρισε. γυναικῶν μέντοι καὶ παίδων λείαν τοσαύτην τὸ πλῆθος Ῥωμαῖοι εἷλον ὥστε προβάτου τιμῆς παῖδα Μαυρούσιον τοῖς ὠνεῖσθαι 4.12.28 βουλομένοις ἀπέδοντο. καὶ τότε Μαυρουσίων τοὺς ὑπολειπομένους γυναικῶν τῶν σφετέρων τὸ λόγιον ἐσῄει, ὡς ἄρα τὸ γένος αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀγενείου 4.12.29 ὀλεῖται. τὸ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα ξύν τε τῇ λείᾳ καὶ τῷ Ἐσδιλάσᾳ ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἐσήλαυνον, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ὅσοις μὴ ἀπολωλέναι ξυμβέβηκεν, ἐν Βυζακίῳ μὲν ἱδρῦσθαι ἀδύνατα ἐδόκει εἶναι, ὅπως μὴ ὀλίγοι ὄντες πρὸς Λιβύων τῶν