204

a need for watering with a ram for the transport of the cargoes to the fortress, those appointed for the grain supply using it in safety. Having thought these things, preparing the cargo-ships and loading on sufficient supplies, trusting in the river, they sent them, and they stationed men along the river bank, sufficient for battle against any who might attack. This action did not escape the notice of the Italians and drove them mad, and they rushed out to stop it, as best they could. So on the one hand, having taken their stand on the other side of the river Asounes, 647 they were ready to defend against those approaching and to prevent the grain supply, hoping rather to subdue the fortress by famine; but Rous Solymas, together with those around him, who were very many and strong, decided, after crossing the river, to fight against those going along the bank on guard duty. And so, throwing themselves into the current with the greatest impetus, they both stemmed the flow of the water and very quickly got to the other side, thinking that by the snorting alone of their proud horses they would terrify all opposition. And so, as they rashly sprang forward with courage and charged against those who had been sent, the latter at first yielded moderately to the first charge, partly on their guard and partly using strategy, but finding a suitable place, they shot arrows down upon them as they advanced with the weight of their arms. And they thought it was impossible to reach them, but they tried shooting at the horses, to see if by a good shot they might make foot soldiers of those who were prancing on their horses. And so other horses were wounded, and that of Rous Solymas was also wounded, but not fatally, so as to fall down suddenly. Nevertheless—for the arrow pressed it—it lost its great boldness and carried its rider erratically, so that it struck against an open grain-bin on the ground, got its feet entangled, and threw its rider. And surrounding the arrogant man who was unable to move, they captured him with their hands. So his capture was immediately announced, on the one side to the emperor’s men, and on the other to those in the fortress. And the former held in their hands the man who until then had been so very arrogant, while the men of the fortress, even before the messengers arrived, joyfully announced the capture to those outside. So at dawn, the men from here locked their shields together, each one holding the divine papyrus from olive wood, and having crossed the river, they fell upon the disordered enemy and at once put them to flight. Some, then, being struck in the face, were destroyed—for they were turning to face them not to resist, but only to learn what was happening—while others, being struck in the back, were slipping from their horses and dying as they fell, and in some cases they were even captured alive. For the one side was eager to reach the river Boouses and be saved by crossing it, while the emperor's men were eager to cut off their charges towards the river. And in fear of being completely cut off, entangled with their own baggage and women, and with each man coming on trampling and crushing the one in front, they were for the most part brought down by themselves; and many of the horsemen were cut off before reaching the river, and the arrogant horseman became the work 649 of a lightly-armed foot-soldier, so that very many were captured, and once captured were led away to the fortress, and again others and after them others, and so in succession some were killed and the notable ones were captured, until, having reached the river Boouses, some willingly threw themselves into the current, preferring to be utterly destroyed than to fall with shame into the hands of the Romans, while others, forcing their way across the river, few out of many, escaped in flight to the fortress of Kanina, naked, unarmed and on foot, they who a short time before were swaggering and had hopes of capturing Romania as if it were a bird’s nest.

33. Triumph of the captured at Bellagrada. It is worthwhile not to pass over their triumph which took place in the city. For when the emperor's men won a crushing victory, or rather, effortlessly achieved wondrous deeds against the braggarts, they stripped the fallen, collecting a wealth of arms and

204

χρείαν ὑδρεύσεως ἐμβόλῳ πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον ἀναγωγὴν τῶν φορτίων ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ χρησομένων τῶν ἐπὶ τῷ σιταρ κεῖν τεταγμένων. Ταῦτα διανοηθέντες, τὰς φορτηγοὺς εὐτρεπίσαντες καὶ ἱκανὰ νηησάμενοι, τῷ ποταμῷ πιστεύοντες, ἔπεμπον, καὶ τοὺς παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τοῦ ποταμοῦ αὐτάρκεις πρὸς μάχην τῶν ἐπιθησομένων τάξαντες. Τοῦτο γινόμενον μὴ λαθὸν ἐκμαίνει τοὺς Ἰταλούς, καὶ ἐπισχεῖν, ὡς ἂν οἷοί τ' ἦσαν, ἐξέθορον. Οἱ μὲν οὖν, παρὰ θάτερα τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ἀσούνη σταθέντες, 647 ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν ἐπιόντας ἀμύνεσθαί τε καὶ κωλύειν τὴν σιταρκίαν, λιμῷ μᾶλλον τὸ φρούριον ἐλπίζοντες παραστήσασθαι· ὁ δέ γε Ῥὼς Σολυμᾶς, συνάμα τοῖς περὶ ἐκεῖνον, πλείστοις καὶ ἰσχυροῖς οὖσι, διέγνω, τὸν ποταμὸν διαπε ραιωσάμενος, τοὺς παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος ἐπὶ φυλακὴν ἰόντας καταγωνίζεσθαι. Καὶ δή, τῷ ῥεύματι μεθ' ὁρμῆς ἐμβαλόντες πλείστης, ἱστῶσί τε τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος ῥύμην καὶ κατὰ θάτερα τὴν ταχίστην γίνονται, φριμαγμοῖς καὶ μόνοις τῶν κατὰ σφᾶς ἀγερώχων ἵππων καταπλήξειν τὸ ἀνθιστάμενον ἅπαν οἰό μενοι. Ὡς γοῦν τῷ θάρρει προπηδῶντες εἰκαίως ἐπὶ τοὺς πεμφθέντας ἐξώρμων, οἱ μὲν πρὸς μὲν τὴν πρώτην ἐμβολήν, τοῦτο μὲν φυλαττόμενοι, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τεχνιτεύοντες, ἐπιεικῶς εἶξαν, ἐπιτήδειον δ' εὑρόντες τόπον, μετὰ βάρους ὅπλων ἰόντας κατωΐστευον. Κἀκείνων μὲν ἐφικνεῖσθαι τῶν ἀδυνάτων ᾤοντο, ἐπείρων δὲ βάλλοντες τοὺς ἵππους, εἴ πως κατευστοχή σαντες τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων γαννυμένους πεζοὺς ἀποδείξαιεν. Ἐτρώθησαν γοῦν καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν ἵππων, τιτρώσκεται δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ῥὼς Σολυμᾶ, πλὴν οὐ καιρίως, ὥστε καὶ ἐξαπιναίως καταπεσεῖν. Ὅμωςτὸ γὰρ βέλος ἤπειγεκαὶ τοῦ πολλοῦ θράσους καθυφεῖτο καὶ τὸν ἐπιβάτην εἰκαίως ἔφερεν, ὥστε καὶ σιτοδοχείῳ κατὰ γῆς προσπαῖσαι ἀνεῳγότι, συμποδισθῆναί τε καὶ τὸν ἐπιβάτην καταβαλεῖν. Οἱ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενον κινηθῆναι τὸν σοβαρὸν περιστάντες χερσὶν ἁλίσκουσι. Φημίζεται γοῦν παραυτά, ἔνθεν μὲν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὸ φρούριον, ἡ ἐκείνου ἅλωσις. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν χερσὶν εἶχον τὸν τέως μέγα σοβαρευόμενον, οἱ δὲ τοῦ φρουρίου, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τοὺς ἀγγελοῦντας παραγενέσθαι, ἐφηδόμενοι τοῖς ἐκτὸς τὴν ἅλωσιν ἤγγελλον. Ἅμα γοῦν ἕῳ οἱ ἐντεῦθεν συνησπικότες, κρατοῦντες ἕκαστος καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἐξ ἐλαίου πάπυρον, περαιωθέντες τὸν ποταμόν, τεταραγμένοις ἐμπί πτουσι καὶ ἅμα πρὸς φυγὴν τρέπονται. Οἱ μὲν οὖν, κατὰ στόμα παιόμενοι, διεφθείροντοοὐ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ἀντισχεῖν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μαθεῖν μόνον τί τὸ γινόμενον ἐτρέποντο κατὰ πρόσωπον, οἱ δέ, κατὰ νώτου πληττόμενοι, διωλίσθαινόν τε τῶν ἵππων καὶ πίπτοντες ἔθνῃσκον, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ ζῶντες συνελαμβάνοντο. Σπουδὴ γὰρ ἦν τοῖς μὲν τὸν ποταμὸν Βοώσην φθάσαι καὶ περαιωθεῖσι σωθήσεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν αὐτῶν ὁρμὰς διακλείειν προφθάνουσι. Καὶ δέει τοῦ μὴ κωλυθῆναι παντάπασιν, αὐταῖς σκευαῖς καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐνειλούμενοι καὶ ὁ ἐπιὼν τὸν προϊόντα κατα πατῶν τε καὶ κατασποδῶν, αὐτοὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν τὰ πλεῖστα ἐσφάλλοντο· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ὑπετέμνοντο οἱ ἱππεῖς πρὶν φθάσαι τὸν ποταμόν, καὶ ἔργον 649 εὐζώνου πεζοῦ ἱππεὺς ἐγένετο σοβαρός, ὡς ἁλίσκεσθαι μὲν πλείστους, ἅμα δ' ἑαλωκότας ἀπάγεσθαι πρὸς τὸ φρούριον, καὶ πάλιν ἄλλους καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνοις ἄλλους, καὶ οὕτως ἐφεξῆς τοὺς μὲν φονεύεσθαι, τοὺς ὀνομαστοὺς δὲ συλλαμ βάνεσθαι, μέχρις οὗ καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Βοώσην φθάσαντες, οἱ μὲν ἑκοντὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐρρίπτουν κατὰ τοῦ ῥεύματος, τὸ ἐξαπολωλέναι προτιμῶντες τοῦ μετ' αἰσχύνης πεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Ῥωμαίων, οἱ δέ, βίᾳ τὸν ποταμὸν διεκπαίοντες, ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγοι, πρὸς τὸ τῶν Κανίνων φρούριον διεσῴζοντο φεύγοντες, γυμνοί τε καὶ ἄοπλοι καὶ πεζοί, οἱ πρὸ μικροῦ σοβοῦντες καὶ ὡς νοσσιὰν τὴν Ῥωμαΐδα καταλαβεῖν κατ' ἐλπισμὸν ἔχοντες.

λγʹ. Θρίαμβος τῶν ἑαλωκότων κατὰ τὰ Βελλάγραδα. Ἄξιον δὲ μηδὲ τὸν ἐκείνων θρίαμβον τὸν ἐν τῇ πόλει γεγονότα παραδρα μεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατὰ κράτος ἐνίκων οἱ βασιλέως, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀκονιτὶ τὰ θαυμαστὰ κατὰ τῶν ἀλαζόνων κατώρθουν, τοὺς μὲν πεσόντας ἐσκύλευον, πλοῦτον συλλέγοντες ὅπλων τε καὶ