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Then again a fierce battle and much pushing, and while the fighting was still at close quarters it happened that the wall elsewhere, just where the Romans had previously happened to dig through, suddenly fell. There, therefore, many from both sides rushed together.8.11.55 And the Romans, far superior to the enemy in numbers, although divided in two, pressed upon their opponents even more fiercely, both striking and pushing most forcefully.8.11.56 But the Persians no longer held out equally, being hard-pressed on both sides, but their small number, being divided into two parts,8.11.57 was conspicuous. And while both armies were still labouring in this way, and neither were the Persians able to beat back the enemy pressing upon them, nor were the Romans at all able to force an entrance, a young man, an Armenian by race, John by name, son of Thomas, whom they called by the surname Gouzes, left the fallen part of the circuit-wall and the pushing there, and leading a few of the Armenians who followed him up through the precipitous part, where everyone suspected the city to be impregnable, he forced his way up against the guards there.8.11.58 And having got upon the battlements, he killed with his spear one of the Persians defending there, who seemed to be the most warlike. And it became accessible to the Romans in the following manner.8.11.59 The Persians, who were standing in the wooden tower, lit a great quantity of fire-bearing vessels, so that they might be able, with the abundance of things being thrown, to burn down the engines, men and all, since the defenders were not able to push them all away with their poles.8.11.60 But a south wind, both harsh and exceedingly strong, suddenly fell upon them from the opposite direction with a great roar, and somehow caught one of the tower's planks.8.11.61 And since the Persians there did not immediately comprehend it (for they were all gripped by toil and noise and fear and immense confusion, and necessity was robbing them of their perception), the flame, rising little by little with the oil named after Medea and the other things with which it had been prepared, set fire to the whole tower and the Persians there.8.11.62 And they all fell, turned to charcoal, some inside the circuit-wall, others outside it, just where the engines and the Romans around them were standing; and so also the other Romans, who were fighting at the fallen parts of the circuit-wall, as the enemy gave way to them and had fallen into carelessness, got inside the circuit-wall, and Petra was taken by storm.8.11.63 Of the Persians, therefore, about five hundred ran up to the acropolis and, seizing the fortress there, remained quiet, but the others, as many as the Romans did not kill in the engagement, they took alive, all of them, being about seven hundred and thirty.8.11.64 And of these they found eighteen unwounded, while all the rest happened to be wounded. And many and the best of the Romans also fell, including John, the son of Thomas, who was struck on the head with a stone by one of the barbarians at the entrance to the city, after displaying wondrous deeds against the enemy.8.12.1 On the following day, the Romans, while besieging the barbarians who had occupied the acropolis, put forward proposals, both offering them safety and agreeing to give pledges for this, expecting that in this way the Persians would hand themselves over to them.8.12.2 But they, not accepting their proposals, looked to resistance, although they did not expect to hold out for long in their suffering, but choosing to die for the sake of virtue.8.12.3 But Bessas, wishing to make them abandon this intention and to substitute a desire for safety, ordered one of the Roman soldiers to go as near as possible to them and make a certain exhortation to the men, having indicated what things he wished him to say to them.8.12.4 And he, coming very near, spoke as follows: "What possesses you, O best of "Persians, that you are prolonging this destruction for yourselves, practicing" deadly things with irrational haste and manifestly dishonoring "the practices of valor? For it is not "brave to resist the impossible, nor wise "not to wish to

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μὲν αὖθις καρτερά τις μάχη καὶ ὠθισμὸς πολὺς, ἔτι δὲ ἀγχωμάλου τῆς ξυμβολῆς οὔσης ξυνηνέχθη τὸ τεῖχος ἑτέρωθι, οὗπερ διορύξαντες Ῥωμαῖοι πρότερον ἔτυχον, ἐξαπιναίως καταπεσεῖν. ἐνταῦθα οὖν πολλοὶ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ξυνέρ8.11.55 ρεον. καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν πλήθει τοὺς πολεμίους παρὰ πολὺ ὑπεραίροντες, καίπερ δίχα διῃρημένοι, πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον βάλλοντές τε καὶ ὠθοῦντες καρτερώτατα 8.11.56 τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐνέκειντο. Πέρσαι δὲ οὐκέτι ὁμοίως ἀντεῖχον, ἑκατέρωθι βιαζόμενοι, ἀλλὰ διαιρεθεῖσα ἡ 8.11.57 ὀλιγανθρωπία ἐς ἄμφω τὰ μέρη διαφανὴς ἦν. οὕτω δὲ πονουμένων ἀμφοτέρων ἔτι τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ οὔτε Περσῶν ἀποκρούεσθαι δυναμένων ἐγκειμένους σφίσι τοὺς πολεμίους οὔτε Ῥωμαίων βιάζεσθαι παντάπασι τὴν εἴσοδον οἵων τε ὄντων, νεανίας ἀνὴρ, Ἀρμένιος γένος, Ἰωάννης ὄνομα, Θωμᾶ υἱὸς, ὅνπερ ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν Γούζην, τὰ μὲν καταπεπτωκότα τοῦ περιβόλου καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα ὠθισμοὺς εἴασεν, Ἀρμενίων δὲ τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων ἐπαγαγόμενος ὀλίγους τινὰς διὰ τοῦ κρημνώδους, ᾗπερ ἅπαντες τὴν πόλιν ἀνάλωτον εἶναι ὑπώπτευον, βιασάμενος ἀνέβη τοὺς ταύτῃ 8.11.58 φρουρούς. κατά τε τὰς ἐπάλξεις γενόμενος ἕνα Περσῶν τῶν τῇδε ἀμυνομένων, ὅσπερ μαχιμώτατος ἐδόκει εἶναι, δόρατι ἔκτεινεν. ἐσβατόν τε Ῥωμαίοις ξυνηνέχθη τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. 8.11.59 Πέρσαι, οἳ ἐν πύργῳ τῷ ξυλίνῳ ἑστήκεσαν, μέγα τι χρῆμα τῶν πυρφόρων ἀγγείων ὑφῆψαν, ὅπως τῶν βαλλομένων τῷ περιόντι καταφλέξαι αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσι τὰς μηχανὰς οἷοί τε ὦσιν, οὐ δυναμένων τῶν ἀμυνο8.11.60 μένων ἅπαντα τοῖς κοντοῖς διωθεῖσθαι. πνεῦμα δὲ νότου σκληρόν τε καὶ ὑπερφυὲς ἄγαν ἐξαπιναίως ἐξ ἐναντίας αὐτοῖς ξὺν πολλῷ πατάγῳ ἐπιπεσὸν, τῶν τοῦ 8.11.61 πύργου σανίδων ἀμηγέπη μιᾶς ἥψατο. οὐ ξυνιέντων δὲ αὐτίκα τῶν ἐνταῦθα Περσῶν (πόνῳ γὰρ καὶ θορύβῳ καὶ δέει καὶ ταραχῇ ἀμέτρῳ εἴχοντο ἅπαντες, ἥ τε ἀνάγκη αὐτοῖς παρῃρεῖτο τὴν αἴσθησιν) ἡ φλὸξ κατὰ βραχὺ αἰρομένη τῷ τε τῆς Μηδείας ἐπωνύμῳ ἐλαίῳ καὶ οἷσπερ ἄλλοις ἐξήρτυτο τὸν πύργον ὅλον καὶ Πέρ8.11.62 σας τοὺς ἐνταῦθα ἐνέπρησεν. ἐξηνθρακωμένοι τε ἅπαντες ἔπεσον, οἱ μὲν ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου, οἱ δὲ τούτου ἐκτὸς, ἵνα δὴ αἵ τε μηχαναὶ καὶ οἱ ἀμφ' αὐτὰς Ῥωμαῖοι ἑστήκεσαν· οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Ῥωμαῖοι, ὅσοι δὴ ἐς τοῦ περιβόλου τὰ καταπεπτωκότα ἐμάχοντο, ἐνδιδόντων σφίσι τῶν πολεμίων ἔς τε ὀλιγωρίαν ἐμπεπτωκότων, ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο, καὶ κατ' 8.11.63 ἄκρας ἡ Πέτρα ἑάλω. τῶν μὲν οὖν Περσῶν ἐς πεντακοσίους ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀναδραμόντες καὶ τὸ ἐκείνῃ καταλαβόντες ὀχύρωμα ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους Ῥωμαῖοι, ὅσους οὐκ ἔκτειναν ἐν τῇ ξυμβολῇ, ἐζώγρησαν ἅπαντας ἐς τριάκοντα καὶ ἑπτακοσίους 8.11.64 μάλιστα ὄντας. καὶ αὐτῶν ὀκτὼ μὲν καὶ δέκα ἀκραιφνεῖς εὗρον, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἅπαντες τραυματίαι ὄντες ἐτύγχανον. ἔπεσον δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαίων πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι, καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Θωμᾶ υἱὸς, λίθῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐν τῇ ἐς τὴν πόλιν εἰσόδῳ πρός του τῶν βαρβάρων βληθεὶς ἔργα τε θαυμαστὰ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπιδειξάμενος. 8.12.1 Τῇ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ Ῥωμαῖοι τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καταλαβόντας πολιορκοῦντες λόγους προὔφερον, τήν τε σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖς προτεινόμενοι καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δώσειν ὑπὲρ τούτων ὁμολογοῦντες, ταύτῃ Πέρσας καραδοκοῦντες σφᾶς αὐτοὺς 8.12.2 ἐγχειριεῖν σφίσιν. οἱ δὲ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐνδεχόμενοι τοὺς 8.12.2 λόγους ἐς ἀντίστασιν εἶδον, καίπερ οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀνθέξειν τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ οἰόμενοι, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀρετὴν θανα8.12.3 τῶντες. Βέσσας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆσαι τῆς γνώμης ἐθέλων ἀντικαταστῆσαί τε ἐς τὴν τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπιθυμίαν, τῶν τινα Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ὡς πλησιαίτατα αὐτοῖς ἰέναι κελεύει παραίνεσίν τέ τινα ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ποιήσασθαι, δηλώσας ὅσα δὴ ἐς αὐτοὺς 8.12.4 εἰπεῖν βούλοιτο. καὶ ὃς ἀγχοτάτω γενόμενος ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Τί πεπονθότες ἐφ' ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ὦ βέλτιστοι «Πέρσαι, τὸν ὄλεθρον διατείνεσθε τοῦτον, ἐπιτηδεύ»οντες τὰ θανάσιμα σπουδῇ ἀλογίστῳ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς «τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα διαφανῶς ἀτιμάζοντες; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν «ἀνδρεῖον τὸ τοῖς ἀμηχάνοις ἀντιστατεῖν, οὐδὲ ξυνετὸν «τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τοῖς