350

they will survive us in the war. 8.8.11 «But let not the experience of the Pers»ians proceed for me even so far as a word, nor let the name of the Lazi be wanting. Not diffi»cult, O men, is the struggle against the Medes for us, since we have many»times come to blows with them and surpassed them 8.8.12 «in battle. For to the accustomed the difficult is nowhere «present, the toil of the task having been expended beforehand «in practice and experience. So for this reason we must even despise «the enemy as men who have been defeated in engagements and not 8.8.13 «equally bold against us. For a spirit «once enslaved is least of all wont to turn back. There»fore, considering these things, with good hope advance «together against the enemy.» 8.8.14 Gubazes, having said so much, led out the army of the Lazi, and they were drawn up as follows. First the cavalry of the Lazi, drawn up in opposition, advanced, and behind them, not very close, but as far away as possible, the Roman cavalry followed. 8.8.15 Of these Romans, the leaders were Philegage, a Gepid by race, an energetic man, and John the Armenian, exceptionally good in matters of war, the son of Thomas, whom they called by the surname Gouzes, of whom indeed also in the previous 8.8.16 accounts I made mention. In the rear followed both Gubazes, the king of the Lazi, and Dagisthaeus, the general of the Romans, with the infantry of both, reasoning that if it should happen that the cavalry were routed, they would most easily be sa8.8.17 ved among them. The Romans and the Lazi, then, were drawn up in this manner, but Chorianes, having selected a thousand men from those who followed him, both armored and equipped with other weapons as well as possible, sent them forward to reconnoiter, and he himself followed behind with all the rest of the army, leaving a guard of a few men in the camp. 8.8.18 But the cavalry of the Lazi, having gone ahead, dishonored their promises by what they did, in their actions 8.8.19 belying their previous hopes. For having suddenly encountered the enemy's scouts, and not enduring the sight of them, they immediately turned their horses and returned back in no order, and hurrying they mingled with the Romans, not disdaining to take refuge among them, with whom they had previously hesitated to be arrayed. 8.8.20 And when both sides came very near to each other, at first neither began the fighting nor did they engage, but each side checked the enemy as they advanced, and pursued them as they retreated, and they spent a very long time in feints and counter-pursuits and close-quarter maneuvers. 8.8.21 There was a certain man named Artabanes in this Roman army, a Persarmenian by race, who happened to have deserted to the Armenians subject to the Romans long before, not simply, but by the murder of one hundred and twenty fighting men of the Persians, for the Romans his trust towards them 8.8.22 having been made a pledge. For at that time, coming into the presence of Valerian, who was general in Armenia, he asked him to give him fifty Roman men. And having obtained what he wanted, into a fort in Persarmenia 8.8.23 he went. Where indeed a guard of one hundred and twenty Persians below the fort received him with his followers, it not yet being clear that he was indeed changing 8.8.24 his allegiance and plotting a revolution. But he, having killed the one hundred and twenty and plundered all the goods in the fort, which were exceedingly great, came to Valerian and the Roman army, and appearing faithful to them from this act, thereafter campaigned with the Romans. 8.8.25 This Artabanes, in this battle, bringing with him two of the Roman soldiers, came into the space between the armies, where indeed some of the enemy also arrived. 8.8.26 Artabanes charged against them, and immediately killed one of the Persians, who was reasonably great in courage of soul and strength of body, with his spear, and having cast him from his horse 8.8.27 dashed him to the ground. But one of the barbarians, standing beside the fallen man, struck Artabanes on the temple with a sword, a not mortal blow. And one of those following Artabanes, a Goth by race, hitting this very man, who still had his hand on Artabanes' head, in the left flank, dispatched 8.8.28 him. And the thousand, being struck with terror by what had happened

350

περιέσονται ἡμῶν τῷ πολέμῳ. 8.8.11 «ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἄχρι τοῦ λόγου προϊέτω μοι τὰ τῆς Περ»σῶν πείρας, μηδὲ διαλιπέτω τὸ Λαζῶν ὄνομα. οὐ χα»λεπὸς δὲ, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἡμῖν ὁ πρὸς Μήδους ἀγὼν, πολ»λάκις αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθοῦσι καὶ ὑπερβαλλομένοις 8.8.12 «τῇ μάχῃ. τῷ γὰρ ξυνειθισμένῳ τὸ δύσκολον οὐδαμῆ «πάρεστι, προδαπανηθείσης τῆς τοῦ ἔργου ταλαιπωρίας «μελέτῃ καὶ πείρᾳ. ὥστε διὰ τοῦτο καὶ καταφρονεῖν «τῶν πολεμίων ἅτε νενικημένων ἐν ξυμβολαῖς καὶ οὐχ 8.8.13 «ὁμοίως θρασυνομένων ἡμᾶς δεήσει. φρόνημα γὰρ «δουλωθὲν ἅπαξ παλινδρομεῖν ἥκιστα εἴωθε. ταῦτα «τοίνυν ἐκλογιζόμενοι μετὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐλπίδος τοῖς «ἐναντίοις ὁμόσε χωρεῖτε.» 8.8.14 Τοσαῦτα Γουβάζης εἰπὼν ἐξῆγε τὸ Λαζῶν στράτευμα, καὶ ἐτάξαντο ὧδε. πρῶτοι μὲν οἱ Λαζῶν ἱππεῖς τεταγμένοι ἀπ' ἐναντίας ᾔεσαν, ὄπισθεν δὲ οὐκ ἄγχιστά πη, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀπωτάτω, ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἵππος αὐτοῖς εἵπετο. 8.8.15 τούτων δὲ δὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγοῦντο Φιλήγαγός τε, Γήπαις γένος, δραστήριος ἀνὴρ, καὶ Ἰωάννης Ἀρμένιος,διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸς τὰ πολέμια, Θωμᾶ υἱὸς, ὅνπερ ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν Γούζην, οὗ δὴ κἀν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν 8.8.16 λόγοις ἐμνήσθην. ἐν ὑστέρῳ δὲ Γουβάζης τε ὁ Λαζῶν βασιλεὺς καὶ ∆αγισθαῖος ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφοτέρων πεζοῖς εἵποντο, λογισάμενοι ὡς, εἰ τοῖς ἱππεῦσι τραπῆναι ξυμβαίη, ἐς αὐτοὺς ῥᾷστα σω8.8.17 θήσονται. Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν οὖν καὶ Λαζοὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ἐτάξαντο, Χοριάνης δὲ ἄνδρας μὲν χιλίους τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων ἀπολεξάμενος τεθωρακισμένους τε καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐξωπλισμένους ὡς ἄριστα, πρόσω ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ ἔπεμψεν, αὐτὸς δὲ παντὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ὄπισθεν ᾔει, φυλακτήριον ὀλίγων τινῶν ἐν τῷ στρατο8.8.18 πέδῳ ἀπολιπών. προτερήσασα δὲ ἡ Λαζῶν ἵππος ἀτιμάζει τὰς ἐπαγγελίας οἷς ἔδρασεν, ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων 8.8.19 διαβαλοῦσα τὰς πρόσθεν ἐλπίδας. τοῖς γὰρ τῶν πολεμίων προδρόμοις ἐντετυχηκότες ἐξαπιναίως οὐκ ἐνεγκόντες τε τὴν αὐτῶν ὄψιν, τρέψαντες αὐτίκα τοὺς ἵππους, κόσμῳ οὐδενὶ ὀπίσω ἀνέστρεφον, τοῖς τε Ῥωμαίοις ἐπειγόμενοι ἀνεμίγνυντο, ἐς αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀπαξιοῦντες καταφυγεῖν, οἷς δὴ ξυντάσσεσθαι τὰ πρότερα ὤκνουν. 8.8.20 ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀμφότεροι ἀλλήλων ἄγχιστα ἵκοντο, χειρῶν μὲν τὰ πρότερα οὐδέτεροι ἦρχον οὐδὲ ξυνέμισγον, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἑκάτεροι ἐπιόντων μὲν ἀνεπόδιζον, ὑποχωρούντων δὲ ἐπεβάτευον, ἔς τε ὑπαγωγὰς καὶ παλινδιώξεις καὶ ἀγχιστρόφους μεταβολὰς πολύν τινα κατέτριψαν χρόνον. 8.8.21 Ἦν δέ τις Ἀρταβάνης ὄνομα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ Ῥωμαίωνστρατῷ, Περσαρμένιος γένος, ὅσπερ ἐς Ἀρμενίους τοὺς Ῥωμαίων κατηκόους πολλῷ πρότερον ἀπηυτομοληκὼς ἔτυχεν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ φόνῳ Περσῶν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων, Ῥωμαίοις τὴν ἐς αὐτοὺς 8.8.22 πίστιν πεποιημένος ἐχέγγυον. Βαλεριανῷ γὰρ τότε στρατηγοῦντι ἐν Ἀρμενίοις ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθὼν ἄνδρας πεντήκοντα Ῥωμαίους οἱ αὐτῷ διδόναι ἐδεῖτο. τυχών τε ὧνπερ ἐβούλετο, ἐς φρούριον ἐν Περσαρμενίοις 8.8.23 κείμενον ᾔει. οὗ δὴ ἑκατόν τε καὶ εἴκοσι Περσῶν φυλακτήριον ὑπὸ τῷ φρουρίῳ αὐτὸν ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐδέξαντο, οὔπω ἔνδηλον ὄντα ὅτι δὴ μεταπο8.8.24 ρευθεὶς τὴν πολιτείαν νεωτερίζει. ὁ δὲ τούς τε εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν κτείνας καὶ ξύμπαντα ληϊσάμενος τὰ ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ χρήματα, μεγάλα ὑπερφυῶς ὄντα, παρὰ Βαλεριανὸν καὶ τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα ἦλθε, πιστός τε σφίσιν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ φανεὶς Ῥωμαίοις τὸ λοιπὸν ξυνεστρά8.8.25 τευεν. οὗτος Ἀρταβάνης ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ δύο ξὺν αὑτῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἐπαγόμενος ἐν μεταιχμίῳ ἐγένετο, οὗ δὴ ἀφίκοντο καὶ τῶν πολεμίων 8.8.26 τινές. ἐφ' οὓς Ἀρταβάνης ὁρμήσας, τῶν Περσῶν ἕνα, ψυχῆς τε ἀρετῇ καὶ σώματος ἀλκῇ ἐπιεικῶς μέγαν, τῷ δόρατι εὐθὺς ἔκτεινεν, ἔκ τε τοῦ ἵππου ῥίψας 8.8.27 προσουδίζει χαμαί. τῶν δέ τις βαρβάρων παρὰ τῷ πεπτωκότι ἑστὼς ξίφει κατὰ κόρρης τὸν Ἀρταβάνην ἐπάταξεν οὐ καιρίαν πληγήν. ἅτερός τε τῶν τῷ Ἀρταβάνῃ ἐπισπομένων, Γότθος γένος, τοῦτον δὴ τὸν ἄνδρα, τὴν χεῖρα ἔτι ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἀρταβάνου κεφαλῇ ἔχοντα, κατὰ λαγόνα ἐπιτυχὼν τὴν εὐώνυμον διεχρή8.8.28 σατο. καὶ οἱ χίλιοι τοῖς ξυμπεπτωκόσιν ἐκπεπληγμένοι