had all along protested that he would loyally continue to guard your
interests, though you had reinforced him with money, troops, and
everything of the sort, was driven to folly and madness by I know not what
evil spirit, and came to terms with the most execrable of mankind, the
common enemy of all who care for peace and cherish harmony above all
things, and more particularly your enemy for personal reasons. But you
were undismayed by the magnitude of his preparations, nor would you admit
that a conspiracy of traitors could overreach your own wise purpose.
One(140) of the pair you justly accused of treason, the other(141) of
infamous crimes besides, and deeds of lawless violence, and you summoned
the former to trial and judgment before the legions, the latter you
decided to leave to the arbitrament of war. Then he met you face to face,
that honourable and prudent old man, who used to change his opinions more
easily than any child, and, though he had begged for them, forgot all your
favours as soon as the need had passed. He arrived with his phalanxes of
hoplites and squadrons of cavalry, intending to compel, if he could not
persuade you, to take no action and return the way you came. When, then,
you saw this man, who had protested that he would continue to be your ally
and general, playing an enemy’s part and claiming an equal share of your
empire, you were not at all dismayed, though his troops outnumbered yours.
For you had not brought your whole force with you since you decided that
to fight it out with such odds against you might be courageous but was in
every way hazardous, even if you won the battle, because of that other
savage usurper(142) who was lying in wait for a favourable
opportunity(143) when you should be in difficulties. You therefore made a
wise resolve in preferring to achieve success single‐handed, and you
mounted the platform with him who for the moment was your colleague in
empire. He was escorted by a whole host of hoplites with glittering
weapons,(144) presenting drawn swords and spears, a sight to make a coward
shake with fear, though it inspired and supported one so brave and gallant
as yourself. Now when first you began to speak, silence fell on the whole
army and every man strained his ears to hear. Many shed tears and raised
their hands to heaven, though even this they did in silence, so as to be
unobserved. Some again showed their affection in their faces, but all
showed it by their intense eagerness to hear your words. When your speech
reached its climax, they were carried away by enthusiasm and burst into
applause, then eager to miss no word they became quiet again. Finally, won
by your arguments, they hailed you as their only Emperor, demanded that
you alone should rule the whole empire, and bade you lead them against
your adversary, promising to follow you and begging you to take back the
imperial insignia. You, however, thought it beneath you to stretch out
your hand for them or to take them by force. Then against his will and
with reluctance, but yielding at last to what is called Thessalian
persuasion,(145) he took off the purple robe and offered it to you. What a
heroic figure yours was then, when, in a single day, you became master of
all those races, those legions, all that wealth, when you stripped of his
power and took prisoner one who, if not in fact yet in intention, had
shown that he was your enemy!)
Ἆρ᾽ οὐ τούτῳ μὲν ἄμεινον καὶ δικαιότερον προσηνέχθης ἢ Κῦρος τῷ πάππῳ,
τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν δὲ τὰς τιμὰς διεφύλαξας οὐδὲν οὐδενὸς ἀφελόμενος, προσθεὶς
δὲ οἶμαι δωρεὰς πολλοῖς; [B] τίς δέ σ᾽(146) εἶδεν ἢ πρὸ τοῦ κρατῆσαι
σκυθρωπὸν λίαν ἢ μετὰ τοῦθ᾽ ὑπερηδόμενον; καίτοι πῶς(147) ἄξιον ἐπαινεῖν
ἐστί σε δημηγόρον ἅμα καὶ στρατηγὸν ἢ βασιλέα χρηστὸν καὶ γενναῖον ὁπλίτην
προσαγορεύοντας; ὃς πάλαι μὲν ἀπορραγὲν τὸ στρατηγεῖον(148) ἀπὸ τοῦ
βήματος ἐς ταὐτὸν πάλιν ἐπαναγαγεῖν ἠξίωσας σχῆμα, μιμούμενος οἶμαι
Ὀδυσσέα καὶ Νέστορα καὶ τοὺς ἐξελόντας Καρχηδόνα Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοὺς, [C]
οἳ φοβερωτέρους αὑτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἢ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπὶ
τῆς παρατάξεως ἀεὶ κατέστησαν. Δημοσθένους δὲ καὶ ὅστις τοῦτον ἐζήλωκε τὴν
ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἰσχὺν αἰδούμενος, τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς δημηγορίας οὔποτ᾽ ἂν
ἀξιώσαιμι τῷ(149) σῷ παραβαλεῖν τἀκείνων θέατρα. οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ὁπλίταις
ἐδημηγόρουν οὐδὲ ὑπέρ τοσούτων κινδυνεόοντες, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων ἢ τιμῆς ἢ
δόξης, ἢ φίλοις συνερεῖν ἐπαγγειλάμενοι, ἀπῄεσαν οἶμαι πολλάκις ἀπὸ τοῦ
βήματος, [D] τοῦ δήμου θορυβήσαντος, ὠχροὶ καὶ τρέμοντες, ὥσπερ οἱ δειλοὶ
τῶν πολεμίων ἐν ὄψει στρατηγοὶ παραταττόμενοι. καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχοι
τοσοῦτον ἔργον ἑτέρῳ πραχθὲν πώποτε καὶ τοσούτων ἐθνῶν κτῆσιν ἐκ
δικαστηρίου, ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα τῆς δίκης οὔσης οὐχ, ὡς οἱ πολλοί
φασιν, [33] εὐκαταφρόνητον, ἁλλὰ πολλαῖς μὲν στρατείαις γνώριμον,
πρεσβύτην δὲ ἤδη καὶ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου δοκοῦντα προσειληφέναι
καὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐκείνων ἄρχειν λαχόντα πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον. τίς οὖν ἡ
ῥώμη γέγονε τῶν λόγων; τίς δὲ ἡ πειθὼ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐπικαθημένη, ἡ(150)
παντοδαπῶν ἀνθρώπων συνειλεγμένων τὸ κέντρον ἐγκαταλιπεῖν(151) ἰσχύσασα
ταῖς ψυχαῖς, καὶ νίκην παρασχεῖν τῷ [B] μεγέθει μὲν ἐνάμιλλον ταῖς ἐκ τῶν
ὅπλων περιγινομέαις, εὐαγῆ δὲ καὶ καθαράν, ὥσπερ ἱερέως ἐς θεοῦ ποιτῶντος,
ἀλλ᾽ οὐ βασιλέως ἐς πόλεμον, ἔργον γενομένην; καίτοι γε μὴν ταὺτης εἰκόνα
τῆς πράξεως μακρῷ λειπομένην καὶ Πέρσαι θρυλοῦσι, τοὺς Δαρείου παῖδας τοῦ
πατρὸς τελευτήσαντος ὑπὲρ τῆς άρχῆς διαφερομένους δίκῃ τὰ καθ᾽ αὑτοὺς καὶ
οὐ τῇ τῶν ὅπλων ἐπιτρέψαι κρίσει. σοὶ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς οὔτε ἐν
τοῖς λόγοις οὄτε ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ἀγὼν γέγονεν οὐδὲ εἷς· [C] ἕχαιρες δὲ
οἶμαι τῷ κοινὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους εἶναί σοι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ μόνος
ἁπάντων γενέσθαι κύριος· πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀσεβὲς μὲν ἢ παράνομον οὐδὲν
εἰργασμένον, ἄπιστον δὲ τῇ γνώμῃ φανέντα ἐν(152) ἐλέγχοις, οἳ τὴν ἀπιστίαν
ἐκείνου δείξουσι.
(Did you not behave more nobly and more generously to him than Cyrus did
to his own grandfather? For you deprived your enemy’s followers of
nothing, but protected their privileges and, I understand, gave many of
them presents besides. Who saw you despondent before your triumph or
unduly elated after it? Orator, general, virtuous emperor, distinguished
soldier, though men give you all these titles, how can any praise of ours
be adequate? Long had the orator’s platform been wholly disconnected from
the general’s functions(153); and it was reserved for you to combine them
once more in your person, in this surely following the example of Odysseus
and Nestor and the Roman generals who sacked Carthage; for these men were
always even more formidable to wrong‐doers whom they attacked from the
platform than to the enemy in the field of battle. Indeed I pay all the
homage due to the forcible eloquence of Demosthenes and his imitators, but
when I consider the conditions of your harangue I can never admit that
there is any comparison between your theatre and theirs. For they never
had to address an audience of hoplites nor had they such great interests
at stake, but only money, or honour, or reputation, or friends whom they
had undertaken to assist, yet when the citizens clamoured in dissent, they
often, I believe, left the platform pale and trembling, like generals who
prove to be cowards when they have to face the enemy in battle‐line.
Indeed from all history it would be impossible to cite an achievement as
great as yours when you acquired control of all those races by judicial
pleading alone; and moreover you had to make out your case against a man
not by any means to be despised, as many people think, but one who had won
distinction in many campaigns, who was full of years, who had the
reputation of experience gained in a long career, and had for a
considerable period been in command of the legions there present. What
overwhelming eloquence that must have been! How truly did “persuasion sit
on your lips”(154) and had the power to “leave a sting” in the souls of
that motley crowd of men, and to win you a victory that in importance
rivals any that were ever achieved by force of arms, only that yours was
stainless and unalloyed, and was more like the act of a priest going to
the temple of his god than of an emperor going to war. It is true indeed
that the Persians have a similar instance to quote, but it falls far short
of what you did, I mean that on their father’s death the sons of Darius
quarrelled about the succession to the throne and appealed to justice
rather than to arms to arbitrate their case. But between you and your
brothers there never arose any dispute, either in word or deed, nay not
one, for it was in fact more agreeable to you to share the responsibility
with them than to be the sole ruler of the world. But your quarrel was
with one who, though his actions had not so far been impious or criminal,
was shown to have a treasonable purpose, and you brought proofs to make
that treason manifest.)
Ταύτην ἐκδέχεται στρατεία λαμπρὰ τὴν δημηγορίαν καὶ πόλεμος ἱερός, οὐχ
ὑπὲρ ἱεροῦ χωρίου, ὁποῖον τὸν Φωκικὸν ἀκούομεν συστῆναι(155) κατὰ τοὺς
ἔμπροσθεν, [D] ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ φόνου πολιτῶν
μυρίων, ὧν τοὺς μὲν ἀνῃρήκει, τοὺς δὲ ἐμέλλησε, τοὺς δὲ ἐπεχείρησε
συλλαβεῖν, ὥσπερ οἶμαι δεδιὼς μή τις αὐτὸν πολίτην μοχθηρόν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ
βάρβαρον ὑπολάβῃ φύσει. τὰ γὰρ εἰς τὴν σὴν οἰκίαν ἀδικήματα οὐδενὸς ὄντα
τῶν κοινῇ τολμηθέντων αὐτῷ φαυλότερα καὶ ἐλάττονος ἀξιοῦν ᾤου δεῖν
φροντίδος· οὕτω σοι τὰ κοινὰ πρὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἔδοξε καὶ δοκεῖ τίμια.
(After your harangue there followed a brilliant campaign and a war truly
sacred, though it was not on behalf of sacred territory, like the Phocian
war, which we are told was waged(156) in the days of our ancestors, but
was to avenge the laws and the constitution and the slaughter of countless
citizens, some of whom the usurper(157) had put to death, while others he
was just about to kill or was trying to arrest. It was really as though he
was afraid that otherwise he might be considered, for all his vices, a
Roman citizen instead of a genuine barbarian. As for his crimes against
your house, though they were quite as flagrant as his outrages against the
state, you thought it became you to devote less attention to them. So true
it is, that, then as now, you rated the common weal higher than your
private interests.)
[34] Πότερον οὖν χρὴ τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἁπάντων μεμνῆσθαι ὧν εἴς τε(158) τὸ
κοινὸν καὶ κατ᾽ ἰδίαν ἔδρασε, κτείνας μὲν τὸν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ δεσπίτην·
ἁνδράποδον γὰρ ἦν τῶν ἐκείνου προγόνων, τῆς ἁπὸ Γερμανῶν λείας λείψανον
δυστυχὲς περισωζόμενον· ἄρχειν δὲ ἡμῶν ἐπιχειρῶν, ᾧ μηδὲ ἐλευθέρῳ προσῆκον
ἦν νομισθῆναι μὴ τοῦτο παρ᾽ ὑμῶν λαβόντι· καὶ ὡς(159) τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ
στρατοπέδου ξυνδῶν καὶ ἀποκτιννὺς καὶ δουλεύων αἰσχρῶς τῷ πλήθει καὶ
κολακεύων τὴν εὐταξίαν διέφθειρε· καὶ ὡς τοὺς καλοὺς ἐκείνους ἐτίθει
νόμους, [B] τὴν ἡμίσειαν εἰσφέρειν, θάνατον ἀπειλῶν τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσι,
μηνυτὰς δὲ εἶναι τὸν βουλόμενον τῶν οἰκετῶν· καὶ ὅπως ἠνάγκαζε τοὺς οὐδὲν
δεομένους τὰ βασιλικὰ κτήματα πρίασθαι; ἐπιλείψει με τἀκείνου διηγούμενον
ὁ χρόνος ἀδικήματα καὶ τῆς τυραννίδος τῆς καταλαβούσης τὸ μέγεθος. ἀλλὰ
τῆς παρασκευῆς τῆς ἐς τὸν πόλεμον, ἣν κατέβαλε μὲν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους, [C]
ἐχρήσατο δὲ ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς, τὴν ἰσχὺν τίς ἂν(160) ἀξίως παραστήσειε; Κελτοὶ καὶ
Γαλάται, ἔθνη καὶ τοῖς πάλαι φανέντα δυσανταγώνιστα, πολλάκις μὲν
ἐπιρρεύσαντα καθάπερ χειμάρρους ἀνυπόστατος Ἰταλοῖς καὶ Ἰλλυριοῖς, ἤδη δὲ
καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας ἁψάμενα τῷ κρατεῖν τοῖς ἐνόπλοις ἀγῶσιν, ἄκοντες(161) ἡμῖν
ὑπήκουσαν, ἔς τε(162) τοὺς καταλόγους τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐγγράφονται καὶ
τέλη παρέχονται λαμπρὰ παρὰ τῶν σῶν προγόνων καὶ πατρὸς κατειλεγμένα·
εἰρήνης δὲ μακρᾶς καὶ τῶν ἐκ ταύτης ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύοντες, [D] ἐπιδούσης
αὐτοῖς τῆς χώρας πρὸς πλοῦτον καὶ εὐανδρίαν, καὶ ἀδελφοῖς τοῖς σοῖς
στρατιώτας καταλέξαι πολλοὺς παρέσχοντο, τέλος δὲ τῷ τυράννῳ βίᾳ καὶ οὐ
γνώμῃ πανδημεὶ συνεστρατεύοντο. ἠκολούθουν δὲ αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς
ξύμμαχοι προθυμότατοι Φράγγοι καὶ Σάξονες, τῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν Ῥῆνον καὶ
περὶ(163) τὴν ἑσπερίαν θάλατταν ἐθνῶν τὰ μαχιμώτατα. καὶ [35] πόλις πᾶσα
καὶ φρούριον πρόσοικον Ῥήνῳ τῶν ἐνοικούντων φυλάκων ἐξερημωθέντα προδέδοτο
μὲν ἀφύλακτα πάντα τοῖς βαρβάροις, ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς δὲ ἐξεπέμπετο παρεσκευασμένον
λαμπρῶς τὸ στράτευμα· πᾶσα δὲ ἐῴκει πόλις Γαλατικὴ στρατοπέδῳ
παρασκευαζομένῳ πρὸς πόλεμον· καὶ πάντα ἦν ὅπλων καὶ παρασκευῆς ἱππέων καὶ
πεζῶν καὶ τοξοτῶν καὶ ἀκοντιστῶν πλήρη. συρρέοντων [B] δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν
ἁπανταχόθεν τῶν ἐκείνου ξυμμάχων καὶ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα πάλαι κατειλεγμένοις
στρατιώταις ἐς ταὐτὸν ἐλθόντων, οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἐφάνη τολμηρός, ὃς οὐκ
ἔδεισεν οὐδὲ ἐξεπλάγη τὸν ἐπιόντα χειμῶνα. σκηπτὸς ἐδόκει πᾶσιν ὁ
φερόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν Ἄλπεων, σκηπτὸς ἀφόρητος ἔργῳ καὶ ἄρρητος λόγῳ. τοῦτον
ἔδεισαν Ἰλλυριοὶ καὶ Παίονες καὶ Θρᾷκες καὶ Σκύθαι, τοῦτον οἱ τὴν Ἀσίαν
οἰκοῦντες ἄνθρωποι ἐφ᾽ αὑτοὺς ὡρμῆσθαι πάντως ὑπέλαβον, τούτῳ [C]
πολεμέσειν ἤδη περὶ τῆς αὑτῶν καὶ Πέρσαι παρεσκευάζοντο. ὁ δὲ μικρὰ μὲν
ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι τὰ παρόντα καὶ πόνον οὐ πολὺν τῆς σῆς συνέσεως καὶ ῥώμης
κρατῆσαι, τοὺς Ἰνδῶν δὲ ἐσκόπει πλούτους καὶ Περσῶν τὴν πολυτέλειαν·
τοσοῦτον(164) αὐτῷ περιῆν ἀνοίας καὶ θράσους ἐκ μικροῦ παντελῶς περὶ τοὺς
κατασκόπους πλεονεκτέματος, οὓς ἀφυλάκτους ὅλῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ λοχήσας
ἔκτεινεν. οὕτω τὸ πράττειν εὖ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀρχὴ πολλάκις γέγονε τοῖς
ἀνοήτοις μειζόνων συμφορῶν. [D] ἀρθεὶς γὰρ ὁ δείλαιος ὑπὸ τῆς εὐτυχίας
ταύτης μετέωρος κατέλιπε μὲν τὰ προκείμενα τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐρυμνὰ χωρία, ἐς
Νωρικοὺς δὲ καὶ Παίονας ἀφυλάκτως ᾔει, δεῖν αὑτῷ τάχους, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὅπλων
οὐδὲ ἀνδρείας οἰόμενος.
(I need not mention all the usurper’s offences against the community and
against individuals. He assassinated his own master. For he had actually
been the slave of the murdered emperor’s ancestors, a miserable remnant
saved from the spoils of Germany. And then he aimed at ruling over us, he
who had not even the right to call himself free, had you not granted him
the privilege. Those in command of the legions he imprisoned and put to
death, while to the common soldiers he behaved with such abject servility
and deference that he ruined their discipline. Then he enacted those fine
laws of his, a property tax of fifty per cent., and threatened the
disobedient with death, while any slave who pleased might inform against
his master. Then he compelled those who did not want it to purchase the
imperial property. But time would fail me were I to tell of all his crimes
and of the vast proportions that his tyranny had assumed. As for the
armament which he had collected to use against the barbarians but actually
employed against us, who could give you an adequate report of its
strength? There were Celts and Galatians(165) who had seemed invincible
even to our ancestors, and who had so often like a winter torrent that
sweeps all before it,(166) poured down on the Italians and Illyrians, and,
following up their repeated victories on the field of battle, had even
invaded Asia, and then became our subjects because they had no choice.
They had been enrolled in the ranks of our armies and furnished levies
that won a brilliant reputation, being enlisted by your ancestors, and,
later, by your father. Then, since they enjoyed the blessings of long‐
continued peace, and their country increased in wealth and population,
they furnished your brothers with considerable levies, and finally, by
compulsion, not choice, they all in a body took part in the usurper’s
campaign. The most enthusiastic of his followers were, in virtue of their
ties of kinship, the Franks and Saxons, the most warlike of the tribes who
live beyond the Rhine and on the shores of the western sea. And since
every city and every fortified place on the banks of the Rhine was shorn
of its garrison, that whole region was left with no defence against the
barbarians, and all that splendidly organised army was despatched against
us. Every town in Galatia(167) was like a camp preparing for war. Nothing
was to be seen but weapons of war and forces of cavalry, infantry,
archers, and javelin men. When these allies of the usurper began to pour
into Italy from all quarters and there joined the troops who had been
enrolled long before, there was no one so bold as not to feel terror and
dismay at the tempest that threatened.(168) It seemed to all as though a
thunderbolt had fallen from the Alps, a bolt that no action could avert,
no words describe. It struck terror into the Illyrians, the Paeonians, the
Thracians, the Scythians; the dwellers in Asia believed it was directed
entirely against themselves, and even the Persians began to get ready to
oppose it in their country’s defence. But the usurper thought his task was
easy, and that he would have little difficulty in baffling your wisdom and
energy, and already fixed his covetous gaze on the wealth of India and the
magnificence of Persia. To such an excess of folly and rashness had he
come, and after a success wholly insignificant, I mean the affair of the
scouts whom, while they were unprotected by the main army, he ambushed and
cut in pieces. So true it is that when fools meet with undeserved
success(169) they often find it is but the prelude to greater misfortunes.
And so, elated by this stroke of luck, he left the fortified posts that
protected the Italian frontier, and marched towards the Norici and the
Paeonians, taking no precautions, because he thought that speed would
serve him better than force of arms or courage.)
Ὃ δὴ καταμαθὼν ἐπανῆγες ἀπὸ τῶν δυσχωριῶν τὸ στράτευμα, εἵπετο δὲ ἐκεῖνος,
διώκειν, οὐχὶ δὲ καταστρατηγεῖσθαι νομίσας, ἕως εἰς τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν ἄμφω
κατέστητε. τῶν πεδίων δὲ τῶν πρὸ τῆς Μύρσης ὀφθέντων, [36] ἐτάττοντο μὲν
ἐπὶ κέρως(170) ἱππεῖς ἑκατέρου πεζοί τε ἐν μέσῳ· ἔχων δὲ αὐτός, ὦ βασιλεῦ,
τὸν ποταμὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ, τῷ λαιῷ τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπερβαλλόμενος ἐτρέψω μὲν
εὐθέως καὶ διέλυσας τὴν φάλαγγα οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν συγκειμένην ὀρθῶς, ἅτε
ἀνδρὸς ἀπείρου πολέμων καὶ στρατηγίας αὐτὴν κοσμήσαντος. ὁ δὲ τέως διώκειν
ὑπολαμβάνων, οὐδὲ ἐς χεῖρας ἀφικόμενος, [B] ἔφευγε καρτερῶς ἐκπλαγεὶς τὸν
κτύπον τῶν ὅπλων, οὐδὲ τὸν ἐνυάλιον παιᾶνα τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐπαλαλαζόντων
ἀδεῶς ἀκούων. διαλυθείσης δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται τῆς τάξεως συνιστάμενοι κατὰ
λόχους πάλιν τὸν ἀγῶνα συνέβαλον, αἰσχυνόμενοι μὲν ὀφθῆναι φεύγοντες καὶ
τὸ τέως ἄπιστον ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις ἐφ᾽ αὑτῶν δεῖξαι συμβαῖνον, στρατιώτην
Κελτόν, στρατιώτην ἐκ Γαλατίας τὰ νῶτα τοῖς πολεμίοις δείξαντα. [C] οἱ
βάρβαροι δὲ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἀπεγνωκότες, εἰ πταίσειαν, ἢ κρατεῖν ἢ θνήσκειν
δράσαντές τι δεινὸν τοὺς πολεμίους ἠξίουν. τοῖς μὲν οὖν ξὺν τῷ τυράννῳ
τοσοῦτον περιῆν θράσους(171) πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ καὶ τοῦ χωρεῖν ὁμόσε πολλὴ
προθυμία.
(The moment that you learned this, you led your army out of the narrow and
dangerous passes, and he followed in pursuit, as he thought, unaware that
he was being outgeneralled, until you both reached open country. When the
plains before Myrsa(172) were in sight, the cavalry of both armies were
drawn up on the wings, while the infantry formed the centre. Then your
Majesty kept the river on your right, and, outflanking the enemy with your
left, you at once turned and broke his phalanx, which indeed had from the
first the wrong formation, since it had been drawn up by one who knew
nothing of war or strategy. Then he who so far had thought he was the
pursuer did not even join battle, but took to headlong flight, dismayed by
the clash of weapons; he could not even listen without trembling when the
legions shouted their battle‐song. His ranks had been thrown into
disorder, but the soldiers formed into companies and renewed the battle.
For they disdained to be seen in flight, and to give an example in their
own persons of what had hitherto been inconceivable to all men, I mean a
Celtic or Galatian(173) soldier turning his back to the enemy. The
barbarians too, who, if defeated, could not hope to make good their
retreat, were resolved either to conquer, or not to perish till they had
severely punished their opponents. Just see the extraordinary daring of
the usurper’s troops in the face of dangers and their great eagerness to
come to close quarters!)
Οἱ δὲ τῶν ὅλων κρατήσαντες, αἰδούμενοι μὲν ἀλλήλους καὶ τὸν βασιλέα,
παροξυνόμενοι δὲ ὐπὸ τῶν πάλαι κατορθωμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ λαμπρῶν καὶ
τέως ἀπίστων ἔργων, τέλος [D] ἄξιον τοῖς προϋπηργμένοις ἐπιθεῖναι
φιλοτιμούμενοι πάντα ὑπέμενον ἡδέως πόνον καὶ κίνδυνον. ὥσπερ οὖν ἄρτι τῆς
παρατάξεως ἀρχομένης, συνιόντες πάλιν ἔργα τόλμης ἀπεδείκνυντο καὶ θυμοῦ
γενναῖα, οἱ μὲν ὠθούμενοι περὶ τοῖς ξίφεσιν, ἄλλοι δὲ λαμβανόμενοι τῶν
ἀσπίδων, καὶ τῶν ἱππέων ὁπόσους ἵπποι τρωθέντες ἀπεσείοντο πρὸς τοὺς
ὁπλίτας μετεσκευάζοντο. ταῦτα ἔδρων οἱ ξὺν τῷ τυράννῳ τοῖς πεζοῖς
ἐπιβρέσαντες· καὶ ἦν ὁ πόλεμος ἐξ ἴσης, ἕως οἱ θωρακοφόροι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν
τῶν ἱππέων πλῆθος, [37] οἱ μὲν ἐκ τόξων βάλλοντες, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐπελαύνοντες
τοὺς ἵππους, πολλοὺς μὲν ἔκτεινον, ἐδίωκον δὲ ἅπαντας καρτερῶς, τινὰς μὲν
πρὸς τὸ πεδίον ὡρμηκότας φεύγειν, ὧν ἡ νὺξ ὀλίγους ἀπέσωσε μόλις, τὸ
λοιπὸν δὲ ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν κατηνέχθη, καθάπερ βοῶν ἢ βοσκημάτων ἀγέλη
συνελαυνόμενοι. τοσαῦτα ἐκεῖνο τὸ στράτευμα τῆς τοῦ τυράννου δειλίας,
οὐδὲν ἐκεῖνον ὀνῆσαν ἐκ τῆς [B] ἀνδρείας τῆς αὑτοῦ, μάτην ἀπέλαυσε.
(Our men, on the other hand, had so far carried all before them and were
anxious to retain the good opinion of their comrades and of the Emperor,
and were moreover stimulated by their successes in the past and by the
almost incredible brilliance of their exploits in this very engagement,
and, ambitious as they were to end the day as gloriously as they had begun
it, cheerfully encountered toil and danger. So they charged again as
though the battle had only just begun, and gave a wonderful display of
daring and heroism. For some hurled themselves full on the enemy’s swords,
or seized the enemy’s shields, others, when their horses were wounded and
the riders thrown, at once transformed themselves into hoplites. The
usurper’s army meanwhile did the same and pressed our infantry hard.
Neither side gained the advantage, till the cuirassiers by their archery,
aided by the remaining force of cavalry, who spurred on their horses to
the charge, had begun to inflict great loss on the enemy, and by main
force to drive the whole army before them. Some directed their flight to
the plain, and of these a few were saved just in time by the approach of
night. The rest were flung into the river, crowded together like a herd of
oxen or brute beasts. Thus did the usurper’s army reap the fruits of his
cowardice, while their valour availed him nothing.)
Τρόπαιον δὲ ἀνέστησας ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ τοῦ πατρῴου λαμπρότερον. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς
τέως ἀμάχους δοκοῦντας ἄγων ἐκράτει γέροντος δυστυχοῦς· σὺ δὲ ἡβῶσαν καὶ
ἀκμάζουσαν οὐ τοῖς κακοῖς μόνον οἷς ἔδρα, τῇ νεότητι δὲ πλέον, τὴν
τυραννίδα παρεστήσω, τοῖς ὑπὸ σοῦ παρασκευασθεῖσι στρατοπέδοις
παραταξάμενος. τίς γὰρ εἰπεῖν ἔχει τῶν πρόσθεν αὐτοκρατόρων ἱππικὴν
δύναμιν καὶ σκευὴν τῶν [C] ὅπλων τοιαύτην ἐπινοήσαντα καὶ μιμησάμενον; ᾗ
πρῶτος αὐτὸς ἐγγυμνασάμενος διδάσκαλος ἐγένου τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅπλων χρήσεως
ἀμάχου. ὑπὲρ ἧς εἰπεῖν τολμήσαντες πολλοὶ τῆς ἀξίας διήμαρτον, ὥσθ᾽ ὅσοι
τῶν λόγων ἀκούσαντες ὕστερον ἰδεῖν ηὐτύχησαν τὰς ἀκοὰς σαφῶς ἀπιστοτέρας
ἔγνωσαν εἶναι τῶν ὀμμάτων. ἄπειρον γὰρ ἦγες(174) ἱππέων πλῆθος, καθάπερ
ἀνδριάντας ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων ὀχουμένους, οἷς συνήρμοστο τὰ μέλη κατὰ μίμησιν
τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως· [D] ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἄκρων καρπῶν ἐς τοὺς ἀγκῶνας,
ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους, καὶ ὁ θώραξ ἐκ(175) τμημάτων κατὰ τὸ στέρνον
καὶ τὰ νῶτα συναρμοζόμενος, τὸ κράνος αὐτῷ προσώπῳ σιδηροῦν ἐπικείμενον
ἀνδριάντος λαμπροῦ καὶ στίλβοντος παρέχει τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ κνῆμαι καὶ
μηροὶ μηδὲ ἄκροι πόδες τῆς σκευῆς ταύτης ἔρημοι λείπονται. συναρμοζομένων
δὲ αὐτῶν τοῖς θώραξι διά τινων ἐκ κρίκου λεπτοῦ πεποιημένων οἱονεὶ
ὑφασμάτων οὐδὲν ἂν ὀφθείη τοῦ σώματος γυμνὸν μέρος, ἅτε καὶ τῶν χειρῶν
[38] τοῖς ὑφάσμασι τούτοις σκεπομένων πρὸς τὸ καὶ καμπτομένοις
ἐπακολουθεῖν τοῖς δακτύλοις. ταῦτα ὁ λόγος παραστῆσαι μὲν σαφῶς ἐπιθυμεῖ,
ἀπολειπόμενος δὲ θεατὰς τῶν ὅπλων τοὺς μαθεῖν τι πλέον ἐθέλοντας, οὐχὶ δὲ
ἀκροατὰς τῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν διηγήσεως ἀξιοῖ γενέσθαι.
(The trophy that you set up for that victory was far more brilliant than
your father’s. He led an army that had always proved itself invincible,
and with it conquered a miserable old man.(176) But the tyranny that you
suppressed was flourishing and had reached its height, partly through the
crimes that had been committed, but still more because so many of the
youth were on that side, and you took the field against it with legions
that had been trained by yourself. What emperor can one cite in the past
who first planned and then reproduced so admirable a type of cavalry, and
such accoutrements? First you trained yourself to wear them, and then you
taught others how to use such weapons so that none could withstand them.
This is a subject on which many have ventured to speak, but they have
failed to do it justice, so much so that those who heard their
description, and later had the good fortune to see for themselves, decided
that their eyes must accept what their ears had refused to credit. Your
cavalry was almost unlimited in numbers and they all sat their horses like
statues, while their limbs were fitted with armour that followed closely
the outline of the human form. It covers the arms from wrist to elbow and
thence to the shoulder, while a coat of mail protects the shoulders, back
and breast. The head and face are covered by a metal mask which makes its
wearer look like a glittering statue, for not even the thighs and legs and
the very ends of the feet lack this armour. It is attached to the cuirass
by fine chain‐armour like a web, so that no part of the body is visible
and uncovered, for this woven covering protects the hands as well, and is
so flexible that the wearers can bend even their fingers.(177) All this I
desire to represent in words as vividly as I can, but it is beyond my
powers, and I can only ask those who wish to know more about this armour
to see it with their own eyes, and not merely to listen to my
description.)