ὁ παιδοτρίβης τοῦ τυράννου. τὸ γὰρ μηδὲ ἐλπίσαι συγγνώμην εὔλογον οὕτω μὲν
ἄδικα διανοηθέντα, ἀσεβῆ δὲ ἐργασάμενον, φόνων τε ἀδίκων ἀνδρῶν καὶ
γυναικῶν, πολλῶν μὲν ἰδιωτῶν, [D] πάντων δὲ σχεδὸν ὁπόσοι τοῦ βασιλείου
γένους μετεῖχον ἁψάμενον, οὔτι ξὺν δείματι οὐδὲ ἄν τις ἐμφύλιον φόνον
διανοηθείν δρῶν, παλαμναίους τινὰς καὶ μιάστορας δεδιὼς καὶ ὑφορώμενος ἐκ
τοῦ μιάσματος, ἀλλα ὥσπερ τισὶ καθαρσίοις καινοῖς καὶ ἀτόποις τοὺς πρόσθεν
ἀπονιπτόμενος ἄνδρα ἐπ᾽ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναῖκας ἐπὶ τοῖς φιλτάτοις ἀποκτιννὺς
εἰκότως ἀπέγνω τὴν ἱκετηρίαν. ταῦτα εἰκὸς μὲν αὐτὸν διανοηθῆναι, [59]
εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἔχειν. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἴσμεν ὅ, τί ποτε παθὼν ἢ δράσας ᾤχετο
ἄιστος, ἄφαντος. ἀλλ᾽ εἴτε αὐτὸν δαίμων τιμωρὸς ξυναρπάσας, καθάπερ Ὅμηρός
φησι τὰς τοῦ Πανδάρεω(267) θυγατέρας, ἐπὶ γῆς ἄγει πέρατα ποινὰς ἀπαιτήσων
τῶν διανοημάτων, εἴτε αὐτὸν ὁ ποταμὸς ὑποδεξάμενος ἑστιᾶν κελεύει τοὺς
ἰχθῦς, οὔτι πω δῆλον. ἄχρι μὲν γὰρ τῆς μάχης αὐτῆς καὶ ὁπηνίκα οἱ λόχοι
συνετάττοντο πρὸς φάλαγγα θρασὺς [B] ἦν ἐν μέσοις ἀναστρεφόμενος; ἐπεὶ δὲ
ἐπράχθη(268) τὰ τῆς μάχης, ὥσπερ ἦν ἄξιον, ἀφανὴς ᾤχετο οὐκ οἶδα ὑπὸ τοῦ
θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων κρυφθείς, πλὴν ὅτι γε οὐκ ἐπ᾽ ἀμείνοσι ταῖς τύχαις
εὔδηλον. οὐ γὰρ δὴ αὖθις ἔμελλε φανεὶς ἐπ᾽ ἐξουσίας ὑβρίζων ἀδεῶς
εὐδαιμονήσειν, ὡς ᾤετο, ἀλλα ἐς τὸ παντελὲς ἀφανισθεὶς τιμωρίαν ὑφέξειν
αὐτῷ μὲν δυστυχῆ, πολλοῖς δὲ ὠφέλιμον καὶ πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν.
(But what I must now state is that the man who had trained and tutored the
usurper was neither among the fallen nor the fugitives. It was indeed
natural that he should not even hope for pardon, since his schemes had
been so wicked, his actions so infamous, and he had been responsible for
the slaughter of so many innocent men and women, of whom many were private
citizens, and of almost all who were connected with the imperial family.
And he had done this not with shrinking nor with the sentiments of one who
sheds the blood of his own people, and because of that stain of guilt
fears and is on the watch for the avenger and those who will exact a
bloody reckoning, but, with a kind of purification that was new and
unheard of, he would wash his hands of the blood of his first victims, and
then go on to murder man after man, and then, after those whom they held
dear, he slew the women as well. So he naturally abandoned the idea of
appealing for mercy. But likely as it is that he should think thus, yet it
may well be otherwise For the fact is that we do not know what he did or
suffered before he vanished out of sight, out of our ken. Whether some
avenging deity snatched him away, as Homer says of the daughters of
Pandareos,(269) and even now is carrying him to the very verge of the
world to punish him for his evil designs, or whether the river(270) has
received him and bids him feed the fishes, has not yet been revealed. For
till the battle actually began, and while the troops were forming the
phalanx, he was full of confidence and went to and fro in the centre of
their line. But when the battle was ended as was fitting, he vanished
completely, taken from our sight by I know not what god or supernatural
agency, only it is quite certain that the fate in store for him was far
from enviable. At any rate he was not destined to appear again, and, after
insulting us with impunity, live prosperous and secure as he thought he
should; but he was doomed to be completely blotted out and to suffer a
punishment that for him indeed was fatal but to many was beneficial and
gave them a chance of recovery.)
Τὰ μὲν δὴ περὶ τὸν μηχανοποιὸν τῆς ὅλης ὑποθέσεως πλείονος ἀξιωθέντα
λόγου, [C] μέσῃ τῇ πράξει(271) παρελόμενα τὸ ξυνεχὲς τῆς διηγήσεως,
ἐνταῦθά που πάλιν ἀφετέα. ἐπανιτέον δὲ ὅθενπερ ἐξὴλθον καὶ ἀποδοτέον τὸ
τέλος τῆς μάχης. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ξὺν τῇ τῶν στρατηγῶν δειλίᾳ καὶ τὰ τῶν
στρατιωτῶν πίπτει φρονήματα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῆς τάξεως αὐτοῖς διεφθάρη, οὐ
κακίᾳ σφῶν, ἀπειρίᾳ δὲ καὶ ἀμαθίᾳ τοῦ τάττοντος, κατὰ λόχους συνιστάμενοι
διηγωνίζοντο· καὶ ἦν τὸ ἔργον ἁπάσης ἐλπίδος μεῖζον, [D] τῶν μὲν οὐχ
ὑφιεμένων ἐς τὸ παντελὲς τοῖς κρατοῦσι, τῶν δὲ ἐπεξελθεῖν τελέως τῇ νίκῃ
φιλοτιμουμένων, ξυμμιγής τε ᾔρετο τάραχος καὶ βοὴ καὶ κτύπος τῶν ὅπλων,
ξιφῶν τε ἀγνυμένων ἀμφὶ τοῖς κράνεσι καὶ τῶν ἀσπίδων περὶ τοῖς δόρασιν.
ἀνὴρ δὲ ἀνδρὶ ξυνίστατο, καὶ ἀπορριπτοῦντες τὰς ἀσπίδας αὐτοῖς τοῖς
ξίφεσιν ὠθοῦντο(272) μικρὰ τοῦ παθεῖν φροντίζοντες, ἅπαντα δὲ εἰς τὸ
δρᾶσαί τι δεινὸν τοὺς πολεμίους τὸν θυμὸν τρέποντες, τοῦ μὴ καθαρὰν αὐτοῖς
μηδὲ ἄδακρυν παρασχεῖν τὴν νίκην καὶ τὸ ἀποθνήσκειν ἀνταλλαττόμενοι. [60]
καὶ ταῦτα ἔδρων οὐ πεζοὶ μόνον πρὸς τοὺς διώκοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοις τῶν
ἱππέων ὑπὸ τῶν θραυμάτων ἀχρεῖα παντελῶς ἐγεγόνει τὰ δόρατα.(273) ξυστοὶ
δέ εἰσιν εὐμήκεις, οὓς συγκαταγνύντες καὶ ἀποπηδῶντες εἰς τοὺς ὁπλίτας
μετεσκευάζοντο. καὶ χρόνον μὲν τινα χαλεπῶς καὶ μόλις ἀντεῖχον· ἐπεὶ δὲ οἵ
τε ἱππεῖς ἔβαλλον ἐκ τόξων πόρρωθεν ἐφιππαζόμενοι(274) καὶ οἱ θωρακοφόροι
πυκναῖς ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐχρῶντο ταῖς ἐπελάσεσιν ἅτε [B] ἐν πεδίῳ καθαρῷ καὶ
λείῳ νύξ τε ἐπέλαβεν, ἐνταῦθα οἱ μὲν ἀπέφευγον ἄσμενοι, οἱ δὲ ἐδίωκον
καρτερῶς ἄχρι τοῦ χάρακος, καὶ αὐτὸν αἱροῦσιν αὐταῖς ἀποσκευαῖς καὶ
ἀνδραπόδοις καὶ κτήνεσιν. ἀρξαμένης δὲ, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἄρτι τῆς τροπῆς τῶν
πολεμίων καὶ τῶν διωκόντων οὐκ ἀνιέντων, ἐπὶ τὸ λαιὸν ὠθοῦνται, ἵναπερ ὁ
ποταμὸς ἦν τοῖς κρατοῦσιν ἐν δεξιᾳ. ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ πολὺς ἐγένετο φόνος, [C]
καὶ ἐπλήσθη νεκρῶν ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ ἵππων ἀναμίξ. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁ Δρᾶος ἐῴκει
Σκαμάνδρῳ, οὐδὲ ἦν εὐμενὴς τοῖς φεύγουσιν, ὡς τοὺς μὲν νεκροὺς αὐτοῖς
ὅπλοις ἐξωθεῖν καὶ ἀπορριπτεῖν τῶν ῥευμάτων, τοὺς ζῶντας δὲ ξυγκαλύπτειν
καὶ ἀποκρύπτειν ἀσφαλῶς ταῖς δίναις. τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ ποταμὸς ὁ Τρὼς τυχὸν μὲν
ὑπὸ εὐνοίας ἔδρα, τυχὸν δὲ οὕτως ἔχων μεγέθους, ὡς ῥᾴδιον παρέχειν
βαδίζειν τε ἐθέλοντι καὶ νηχομένῳ τὸν πόρον· ἐπεὶ [D] καὶ γεφυροῦται μιᾶς
ἐμβληθείσης εἰς αὐτὸν πτελέας, ἅπας τε ἀναμορμύρων ἀφρῷ καὶ αἵματι πλάζ᾽
ὤμους Ἀχιλῆος, εἰ χρὴ καὶ τοῦτο πιστεῦσαι, βιαιότερον δὲ οὐδὲν εἰργάζετο·
καὶ ἐπιλαβόντος ὀλίγου καύματος ἀπαγορεύει τὸν πόλεμον καὶ ἐξόμνυται τὴν
ἐπικουρίαν. Ὁμήρου δὲ ἔοικεν εἶναι καὶ τοῦτο παίγνιον, καινὸν καὶ ἄτοπον
μονομαχίας τρόπον ἐπινοήσαντος. ἐπεὶ καὶ τἆλλα δῆλός ἐστιν Ἀχιλλεῖ
χαριζόμενος, καὶ ὥσπερ [61] θεατὰς ἄγων τὸ στράτευμα μόνον ἄμαχον καὶ
ἀνυπόστατον ἐπάγει τοῖς πολεμίοις, κτείνοντα μὲν τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας,
τρεπόμενον δὲ ἁπαξαπλῶς πάντας φωνῇ καὶ σχήματι καὶ τῶν ὀμμάτων ταῖς
προσβολαῖς, ἀρχομένης τε οἶμαι τῆς παρατάξεως καὶ(275) ἐπὶ τοῦ Σκαμάνδρου
ταῖς ᾐόσιν, ἕως εἰς τὸ τεῖχος ἄσμενοι ξυνελέγησαν οἱ διαφυγόντες. ταῦτα
ἐκεῖνος πολλοῖς ἔπεσι διηγούμενος καὶ θεῶν ἀναπλάττων μάχας καὶ ἐπικοσμῶν
μύθοις τὴν ποίησιν δεκάζει τοὺς κριτὰς καὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει δικαίαν φέρειν
καὶ ἀψευδῆ ψῆφον. [B] ὅστις δὲ ἐθέλει μηδὲν ὑπὸ τοὺ κάλλους ἐξαπατᾶσθαι
τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐπιφερομένων πλασμάτων, † ὥσπερ ἐν ἐρχῇ περὶ
ἀρωμάτων τινῶν καὶ χρωμάτων,†(276) ἀρεοπαγίτης ἔστω κριτής, καὶ οὐκ
εὐλαβησόμεθα τὴν κρίσιν. εἶναι μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸν στρατιώτην ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸν
Πηλέως, ἐκ τῆς ποιήσεως ἀναπειθόμενοι. κτείνει μὲν ἄνδρας εἴκοσι,
(Now though it would be well worth while to devote more of my speech to
this man who was the author of that whole enterprise, yet it breaks the
thread of my narrative, which had reached the thick of the action. So I
must leave that subject for the present, and going back to the point where
I digressed, describe how the battle ended. For though their generals
showed such cowardice, the courage of the soldiers was by no means abated.
When their line was broken, which was due not to their cowardice but to
the ignorance and inexperience of their leader, they formed into companies
and kept up the fight. And what happened then was beyond all expectation;
for the enemy refused altogether to yield to those who were defeating
them, while our men did their utmost to achieve a signal victory, and so
there arose the wildest confusion, loud shouts mingled with the din of
weapons, as swords were shattered against helmets and shields against
spears. It was a hand to hand fight, in which they discarded their shields
and attacked with swords only, while, indifferent to their own fate, and
devoting the utmost ardour to inflicting severe loss on the foe, they were
ready to meet even death if only they could make our victory seem doubtful
and dearly bought. It was not only the infantry who behaved thus to their
pursuers, but even the cavalry, whose spears were broken and were now
entirely useless. Their shafts are long and polished, and when they had
broken them they dismounted and transformed themselves into hoplites. So
for some time they held their own against the greatest odds. But since our
cavalry kept shooting their arrows from a distance as they rode after
them, while the cuirassiers made frequent charges, as was easy on that
unobstructed and level plain, and moreover night overtook them, the enemy
were glad at last to take to flight, while our men kept up a vigorous
pursuit as far as the camp and took it by assault, together with the
baggage and slaves and baggage animals. Directly the rout of the enemy had
begun, as I have described, and while we kept up a hot pursuit, they were
driven towards the left, where the river was on the right of the victors.
And there the greatest slaughter took place, and the river was choked with
the bodies of men and horses, indiscriminately. For the Drave was not like
the Scamander, nor so kind to the fugitives; it did not put ashore and
cast forth from its waters the dead in their armour, nor cover up and hide
securely in its eddies those who escaped alive. For that is what the
Trojan river did(277), perhaps out of kindness, perhaps it was only that
it was so small that it offered an easy crossing to one who tried to swim
or walk. In fact, when a single poplar was thrown into it, it formed a
bridge,(278) and the whole river roared with foam and blood and beat upon
the shoulders of Achilles,(279) if indeed we may believe even this, but it
never did anything more violent. When a slight fire scorched it, it gave
up fighting at once and swore not to play the part of ally. However this,
too, was probably a jest on Homer’s part, when he invented that strange
and unnatural sort of duel. For in the rest of the poem also he evidently
favours Achilles, and he sets the army there as mere spectators while he
brings Achilles on to the field as the only invincible and resistless
warrior, and makes him slay all whom he encounters and put every one of
the foe to flight, simply by his voice and bearing and the glance of his
eyes, both when the battle begins and on the banks of the Scamander, till
the fugitives were glad to gather within the wall of the city. Many verses
he devotes to relating this, and then he invents the battles of the gods,
and by embellishing his poem with such tales he corrupts his critics and
prevents us from giving a fair and honest vote. But if there be any one
who refuses to be beguiled by the beauty of the words and the fictions
that are imported into the poem ...(280), then, though he is as strict as
a member of the Areopagus, I shall not dread his decision. For we are
convinced by the poem that the son of Peleus is a brave soldier. He slays
twenty men; then)
Ζωοὺς δ᾽ ἐκ ποταμοῖο δυώδεκα λέξατο κούρους,
Τοὺς ἐξῆγε θύραζε τεθηπότας ἠύτε νεβρούς,
Ποινὴν Πατρόκλοιο Μενοιτιάδαο θανόντος.
(“He chose twelve youths alive out of the river and led them forth
amazed like fawns to atone for the death of Patroclus, son of
Menoitius.”)(281)
τοσαύτην μέντοι ἤνεγκεν εἰς τὰ πράγματα τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἡ νίκη τὴν ῥοπήν, [C]
ὥστε οὐδὲ μείζονα φόβον τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνέβαλεν οὐδὲ ἀπογνῶναι ἐς τὸ
παντελὲς ὑπὲρ σφῶν ἐποίει. καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἆρ᾽ ἑτέρου τινὸς μάρτυρος
δεησόμεθα τὸν Ὅμηρον παραλιπόντες; [D] καὶ οὐκ ἀπόχρη τῶν ἐπῶν μνησθῆναι,
ἃ πεποίηκεν ἐκεῖνος, ὁπηνίκα ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς ἦλθεν ὁ Πρίαμος φέρων ὑπὲρ τοῦ
παιδὸς τὰ λύτρα; ἐρομένου γὰρ μετὰ τὰς διαλύσεις, ὑπὲρ(282) ὧν ἀφῖκτο, τοῦ
τῆς Θέτιδος υἱέος
(But his victory, though it had some influence on the fortunes of the
Achaeans, was not enough to inspire any great fear in the enemy, nor did
it make them wholly despair of their cause. On this point shall we set
Homer aside and demand some other witness? Or is it not enough to recall
the verses in which he describes how Priam came to the ships bringing his
son’s ransom? For after he had made the truce for which he had come, and
the son of Thetis asked:)
Ποσσῆμαρ μέμονας κτερεïζέμεν Ἕκτορα δῖον,
(“For how many days dost thou desire to make a funeral for noble
Hector?”)
τά τε ἄλλα διέξεισι καὶ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου φησί·
(He told him not only that, but concerning the war he said:)
Τῇ δὲ δυωδεκάτῃ πολεμίξομεν,(283) εἴπερ ἀνάγκη.
(“And on the twelfth day we will fight again, if fight we
must.”(284))
[62] οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐπαγγέλλειν ὀκνεῖ μετὰ τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν τὸν πόλεμον. ὁ δὲ
ἀγεννὴς καὶ δειλὸς τύραννος ὄρη τε ὑψηλὰ προυτείνετο τῆς αὑτοῦ φυγῆς καὶ
ἐξοικοδομήσας ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς φρούρια οὐδὲ τῇ τῶν τόπων ὀχυρότητι πιστεύει,
ἀλλὰ ἱκετεύει συγγνώμης τυγχάνειν. καὶ ἔτυχεν ἄν,(285) εἴπερ ἦν ἄξιος καὶ
μὴ ἐφωράθη πολλάκις ἄπιστος καὶ θρασύς, ἄλλα ἐπ᾽ ἄλλοις προστιθεὶς
ἀδικήματα.
(You see he does not hesitate to announce that war will be resumed after
the armistice. But the unmanly and cowardly usurper sheltered his flight
behind lofty mountains and built forts on them; nor did he trust even to
the strength of the position, but begged for forgiveness. And he would
have obtained it had he deserved it, and not proved himself on many
occasions both treacherous and insolent, by heaping one crime on another.)
Τὰ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τὴν μάχην, εἰ μὴ δόξῃ τις τῶν διηγουμένων προσέχειν ἐθέλοι
μηδὲ [B] ἔπεσιν εὖ πεποιημένοις, ἐς αὐτὰ δὲ ὁρᾶν τὰ ἔργα, κρινέτω. ἑξῆς
δ᾽, εἰ βούλεσθε τὴν Αἴαντος ὑπὲρ τῶν νεῶν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους τῶν
Ἀχαιῶν ἀντιθεῖναι μάχην τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἔργοις· ᾗ δὴ Μυγδόνιος
ποταμῶν κάλλιστος τὴν αὑτοῦ προστίθησι φήμην, οὔσῃ δὲ καὶ Ἀντιόχου
βασιλέως ἐπωνύμῳ· γέγονε δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ ἕτερον ὄνομα βάρβαρον, σύνηθες τοῖς
πολλοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς τῇδε βαρβάρους ἐπιμιξίας· ταύτην δὴ τὴν πὸλιν
στρατὸς ἀμήχανος πλήθει Παρθυαίων [C] ξὺν Ἰνδοῖς περιέσχεν, ὁπηνίκα ἐπὶ
τὸν τύραννον βαδίζειν προύκειτο· καὶ ὅπερ Ἡρακλεῖ φασιν ἐπὶ τὸ Λερναῖον
ἰόντι θηρίον συνενεχθῆναι, τὸν θαλάττιον καρκίνον, τοῦτο ἦν ὁ Παρθυαίων
βασιλεὺς ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου Τίγρητα διαβὰς καὶ περιτειχίζων(286) τὴν πόλιν
χώμασιν· εἶτα εἰς ταῦτα δεχόμενος τὸν Μυγδόνιον λίμνην ἀπέφηνε τὸ περὶ τῷ
ἄστει χωρίον καὶ ὥσπερ νῆσον ἐν αὐτῇ συνεῖχε τὴν πόλιν, [D] μικρὸν
ὑπερεχουσῶν καὶ ὑπερφαινομένων τῶν ἐπάλξεων. ἐπολιόρκει δὲ ναῦς τε ἐπάγων
καὶ ἐπὶ νεῶν μηχανάς· καὶ ἦν οὐχ ἡμέρας ἔργον, μηνῶν δὲ οἶμαι σχεδόν τι
τεττάρων. οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ τείχει συνεχῶς ἀπεκρούοντο τοὺς βαρβάρους
καταπιμπράντες τὰς μηχανὰς τοῖς πυρφόροις· ναῦς δὲ ἀνεῖλκον πολλὰς μὲν ἐκ
τοῦ τείχους, ἄλλαι δὲ κατεάγνυντο ὑπὸ ῥώμης τῶν ἀφιεμένων ὀργάνων καὶ
βάρους τῶν βελῶν. [63] ἐφέροντο γὰρ εἰς αὐτὰς λίθοι ταλάντων ὁλκῆς Ἀττικῶν
ἑπτά. καὶ ἐπειδὴ συχναῖς ἡμέραις ταῦτ᾽ ἐδρᾶτο, ῥήγνυται μέρος τοῦ χώματος
καὶ ἡ τῶν ὑδάτων εἰσρεῖ(287) πλήμμυρα, καὶ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ τοῦ τείχους μέρος οὐκ
ἔλασσον πήχεων ἑκατὸν συγκατηνέχθη.
(And now with regard to the battle, if there be anyone who declines to
heed either the opinion expressed in my narrative or those admirably
written verses, but prefers to consider the actual facts, let him judge
from those. Accordingly we will next, if you please, compare the fighting
of Ajax in defence of the ships and of the Achaeans at the wall with the
Emperor’s achievements at that famous city. I mean the city to which the
Mygdonius, fairest of rivers, gives its name, though it has also been
named after King Antiochus. Then, too, it has another, a barbarian
name(288) which is familiar to many of you from your intercourse with the
barbarians of those parts. This city was besieged by an overwhelming
number of Parthians with their Indian allies, at the very time when the
Emperor was prepared to march against the usurper. And like the sea crab
which they say engaged Heracles in battle when he sallied forth to attack
the Lernaean monster,(289) the King of the Parthians, crossing the Tigris
from the mainland, encircled the city with dykes. Then he let the
Mygdonius flow into these, and transformed all the space about the city
into a lake, and completely hemmed it in as though it were an island, so
that only the ramparts stood out and showed a little above the water. Then
he besieged it by bringing up ships with siege‐engines on board. This was
not the work of a day, but I believe of almost four months. But the
defenders within the wall continually repulsed the barbarians by burning
the siege‐engines with their fire‐darts. And from the wall they hauled up
many of the ships, while others were shattered by the force of the engines
when discharged and the weight of the missiles. For some of the stones
that were hurled on to them weighed as much as seven Attic talents.(290)
When this had been going on for many days in succession, part of the dyke
gave way and the water flowed in in full tide, carrying with it a portion
of the wall as much as a hundred cubits long.(291))
Ἐνταῦθα κοσμεῖ τὴν στρατιὰν τὸν Περσικὸν τρόπον. διασώζουσι γὰρ καὶ
ἀπομιμοῦνται τὰ Περσικὰ οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, Παρθυαῖοι νομίζεσθαι,
[B] Πέρσαι δὲ εἶναι προσποιούμενοι. ταῦτά τοι καὶ στολῇ Μηδικῇ χαίρουσι.
καὶ ἐς μάχας ἔρχονται ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις ὅπλοις τε ἀγαλλόμενοι τοιούτοις καὶ
ἐσθήμασιν ἐπιχρύσοις καὶ ἁλουργέσι. σοφίζονται δὲ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν
ἀφεστάναι Μακεδόνων, ἀναλαβεῖν δὲ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχαίου βασιλείαν προσήκουσαν.
οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ξέρξην μιμούμενος ἐπί τινος χειροποιήτου καθῆστο
γηλόφου, προῆγε(292) δὲ ἡ στρατιὰ ξὺν τοῖς θηρίοις. ταῦτα δὲ ἐξ Ἰνδῶν
εἵπετο, καὶ ἔφερεν ἐκ σιδήρου πύργους τοξοτῶν πλήρεις. ἡγοῦντο δὲ αὐτῶν
ἱππεῖς οἱ θωρακοφόροι καὶ οἱ τοξόται, [C] ἕτερον ἱππέων πλῆθος ἀμήχανον.
τὸ πεζὸν γάρ σφιν ἀχρεῖον ἐς τὰ πολεμικὰ καθέστηκεν οὔτε ἐντίμου μετέχον
τάξεως οὔτε ὄν σφιν ἐν χρείᾳ, πεδιάδος οὔσης καὶ ψιλῆς τῆν χώρας ὁπόσην
νέμονται ἔιοκε γὰρ δὴ τὰ τοιαῦτα πρὸς τὰς τοῦ πολέμου χρείας τιμῆς καὶ
ἀτιμίας ἀξιοῦσθαι. ὡς οὖν ἀχρεῖον τῇ φύσει οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν νόμων πολυωρίας
ἀξιοῦται. συνέβη δὲ οὕτω καὶ περὶ τὴν Κρήτην καὶ Καρίαν καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις [D]
δὲ μυρίοις ἔθνεσι τὰ περὶ τὸν πόλεμον κατασκευασθῆναι. οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ
Θετταλῶν οὖσα πεδιὰς ἱππεῦσιν ἐναγωνίζεσθαι καὶ ἐμμελετᾶν ἐπιτήδειος
ἐφάνη. τὰ γὰρ δὴ τῆς ἡμετέρας πόλεως, ἅτε ἐς ἀντιπάλους παντοδαποὺς
καταστάντα, εὐβουλίᾳ καὶ τύχῃ περιγενόμενα, εἰκότως ἐς ἅπαν εἶδος ὅπλων τε
καὶ παρασκευῆς ἄλλης(293) ἡρμόσθη.
(Thereupon he arrayed the besieging army in the Persian fashion. For they
keep up and imitate Persian customs, I suppose, because they do not wish
to be considered Parthians, and so pretend to be Persians. That is surely
the reason why they prefer the Persian manner of dress. And when they
march to battle they look like them, and take pride in wearing the same
armour, and raiment adorned with gold and purple. By this means they try
to evade the truth and to make it appear that they have not revolted from
Macedon, but are merely resuming the empire that was theirs of old. Their
king, therefore, imitating Xerxes, sat on a sort of hill that had been
artificially made, and his army advanced accompanied by their beasts.(294)
These came from India and carried iron towers full of archers. First came
the cavalry who wore cuirasses, and the archers, and then the rest of the
cavalry in huge numbers. For infantry they find useless for their sort of
fighting and it is not highly regarded by them. Nor, in fact, is it
necessary to them, since the whole of the country that they inhabit is
flat and bare. For a military force is naturally valued or slighted in
proportion to its actual usefulness in war. Accordingly, since infantry
is, from the nature of the country, of little use to them, it is granted
no great consideration in their laws. This happened in the case of Crete
and Caria as well, and countless nations have a military equipment like
theirs. For instance the plains of Thessaly have proved suitable for
cavalry engagements and drill. Our state, on the other hand, since it has
had to encounter adversaries of all sorts, and has won its pre‐eminence by
good judgment combined with good luck, has naturally adapted itself to
every kind of armour, and to a varying equipment.)
Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἴσως οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν λόγον, ὡς ἂν εἴποιεν οἱ ταῖς τῶν
ἐπαίνων τέχναις καθάπερ νόμοις ἐπιτεταγμένοι· ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ μὲν τί σοι
προσήκει καὶ τούτων, ἐν καιρῷ σκέψομαι, [64] τά γε μὴν ὀνείδη τῶν ἀνθρώπων
οὐ χαλεπῶς ἀπολύομαι. φημὶ γὰρ ὡς οὔτε ἐγὼ τῶν τεχνῶν μεταποιοῦμαι οὔτε
ὅστις μή τισιν ὡμολόγησεν ἐμμενεῖν ἀδικεῖ μὴ φυλάττων ταῦτα· τυχὸν δὲ καὶ
ἄλλων οὐκ ἀπορήσομεν εὐπρεπῶν παραιτήσεων. ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γὰρ ἄξιον μακρότερον
εἰς οὐδὲν δέον ἀπαρτᾶν τὸν λόγον καὶ ἀποπλανᾶσθαι τῆς ὑποθέσεως.
ἐπαναβῶμεν οὖν αὖθις εἰς ἴχνος καὶ ὅθεν ἐξέβην.
(But perhaps those who watch over the rules for writing panegyric as
though they were laws, may say that all this is irrelevant to my speech.
Now whether what I have been saying partly concerns you I shall consider
at the proper time. But at any rate I can easily clear myself from the
accusation of such persons. For I declare that I make no claim to be an
expert in their art, and one who has not agreed to abide by certain rules
has the right to neglect them. And it may be that I shall prove to have
other convincing excuses besides. But it is not worth while to interrupt
my speech and digress from my theme any longer when there is no need. Let
me, then, retrace my steps to the point at which I digressed.)
[B] Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ Παρθυαῖοι κοσμηθέντες ὅπλοις αὐτοί τε καὶ ἵπποι ξὺν τοῖς
Ἰνδικοῖς θηρίοις προσῆγον τῷ τείχει, λαμπροὶ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ὡς αὐτίκα μάλα
ἀναρπασόμενοι,(295) καὶ ἐδέδοτό σφιν τοῦ πρόσω χωρεῖν τὸ σημεῖον, ὠθοῦντο
ξύμπαντες, αὐτός τις ἐθέλων πρῶτος ἐσαλέσθαι τὸ τεῖχος καὶ οἴχεσθαι φέρων
τὸ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ κλέος· εἶναί τε οὐδὲν ἐτόπαζον δέος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑπομενεῖν σφῶν
τὴν ὁρμὴν τοὺς ἔνδον. [C] Παρθυαίοις μὲν τοσοῦτον περιῆν ἐλπίδος. οἱ δὲ
πυκνήν τε εἶχον τὴν φάλαγγα κατὰ τὸ διερρηγμένον τοῦ τείχους, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ
συνεστῶτος ὁπόσον ἦν ἀχρεῖον πλῆθος ἐν τῇ πόλει κατέστησαν ἀναμίξαντες τῶν
στρατιωτῶν οὐκ ἐλάττω μοῖραν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι προσήλαυνον καὶ οὐδὲν
ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ τείχους ἀφίετο βέλος, βεβαιοτέραν εἶχον τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ
κατ᾽ ἄκρας αἱρήσειν τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἔπαιον μάστιξι καὶ ᾕμασσον
τὰς πλευρὰς τοῦς κέντροις, [D] ἕως ἐποιήσαντο σφῶν κατὰ νώτου τὰ χώματα·
ἐπεποίητο δὲ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐκεῖνα πρότερον πρὸς τὸ ἐπέχειν τοῦ Μυγδονίου τὰς
ἐκροάς, ἰλύς τε ἦν περὶ τὸ χωρίον εὖ μάλα βαθεᾶα † οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ παντελῶς
ὄντος ὑπὸ τῆς ὕλης(296)† καὶ διὰ τὸ πίειραν εἶναι τὴν γῆν καὶ στέγειν
δύνασθαι φύσει τὰς λιβάδας. ἦν δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ παλαιὸν ἔρυμα τῇ πόλει
τάφρος εὐρεῖα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ βαθύτερον συνειστήκει τέλμα. [65] ἁπτομένων δὲ
ἤδη τῶν πολεμίων καὶ ταύτης καὶ διαβαίνειν πειρωμένων, ἐπεξῇσαν(297)
πολλοὶ μὲν ἔνδοθεν, πολλοὶ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἔβαλλον τοῖς λίθοις· καὶ
αὐτῶν μὲν πολὺς ἐγένετο φόνος, φυγῇ δὲ ἔτρεπον τοὺς ἵππους ξύμπαντες, τῷ
μόνον ἐθέλειν καὶ δηλοῦν τὴν γνώμην διὰ τοῦ σχήματος. ἐπιστρεφόντων γὰρ
ἔπιπτον εὐθέως καὶ κατέφερον τοὺς ἱππέας· βαρεῖς δὲ ὄντες τοῖς ὅπλοις
μᾶλλον ἐνείχοντο τῷ τέλματι. [B] καὶ αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθα γίνεται φόνος, ὅσος
οὔπω πρόσθεν ἐν πολιορκίᾳ τοιαύτῃ(298) γέγονεν.