Ammianus: RES GESTAE A FINE CORNELI TACITI

1 Haec per Illyricum perque orientem rerum series fuit. Consulatu vero Constantii deciens terque Iuliani in Brittanniis cum Scottrum Pictorumque gentium ferarum excursus rupta quiete condicta loca limitibus vicina vastarent et inplicaret formido provincias praeteritarum cladium congerie fessas, hiemem agens apud Parisios Caesar distractusque in sollicitudines varias, verebatur ire subsidio transmarinis, ut rettulimus ante fecisse Constantem, ne rectore vacuas relinqueret Gallias Alamannis ad saevitiam etiam tum incitatis et bella.

1 This was the sequence of events through Illyricum and through the East. In the consulship, in fact, of Constantius for the tenth time and of Julian for the third, in the Britains, when the incursions of the savage nations of the Scots and Picts, with the peace broken, were ravaging the agreed-upon places near the frontiers and dread was entangling the provinces, weary from the pile of past disasters, the Caesar, spending the winter at Paris and torn into various anxieties, feared to go to the transmarine lands with aid, as we earlier reported Constans to have done, lest he leave the Gauls without a ruler to the savagery of the Alamanni—already then stirred up—and to wars.

2 Ire igitur ad haec ratione vel vi conponenda Lupicinum placuit ea tempestate magistrum armorum bellicosum sane et castrensis rei peritum, sed supercilia erigentem ut cornua et de tragico, quod aiunt, cothurno strepentem, super quo diu ambigebatur, avarus esset potius an crudelis.

2 Therefore it was decided that Lupicinus should go to have these matters settled by reason or by force, he being at that time master of arms, warlike indeed and skilled in the affairs of the camp, but raising his eyebrows like horns and, as they say, clattering in the tragic cothurnus—about whom it was long debated whether he was rather avaricious or cruel.

3 Moto igitur velitari auxilio, Aerulis scilicet et Batavis numerisque Moesiacorum duobus, adulta hieme dux ante dictus Bononiam venit quaesitisque navigiis et omni inposito milite, observato flatu secundo ventorum ad Rutupias sitas ex adverso defertur petitque Lundinium ut exinde suscepto pro rei qualitate consilio festinaret ocius ad procinctum.

3 Therefore, the light-armed auxiliary having been set in motion, namely the Heruli and the Batavians and two units of Moesians, with winter advanced, the aforesaid leader came to Bononia; and ships having been procured and all the soldiery put on board, with a favorable breath of the winds observed he is borne across to Rutupiae, situated opposite, and makes for Lundinium, so that from there, having adopted a plan according to the character of the affair, he might hasten more swiftly to battle-readiness.

Ursicinus, magister peditum praesentalis, calumniis appetitus discingitur.

Ursicinus, the master of the infantry of the imperial presence, assailed by calumnies, is stripped of his command.

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1 Quae cum ita geruntur, post Amidae oppugnationem Ursicinum ad conmilitium principis ut peditum magistrum reversum - successisse enim eum Barbationi praediximus - obtrectatores excipiunt primo disseminantes mordaces susurros, dein propalam ficta crimina subnectentes.

1 While these things are thus in progress, after the assault on Amida, Ursicinus, having returned to the emperor’s fellow-soldiery as Master of the Infantry — for we have foretold that he succeeded Barbatio — is taken up by detractors, first spreading mordant whispers, then openly subjoining feigned crimes.

2 Quibus imperator adsensus, ex opinione pleraque aestimans et insidiantibus patens, Arbitionem et Florentium officiorum magistrum quaesitores dederat spectaturos, quas ob res oppidum sit excisum.

2 To whom the emperor assented, estimating most things by opinion and lying open to plotters, he had appointed Arbitio and Florentius, the Master of the Offices, as inquisitors to look into for what reasons the town had been razed.

3 Quibus apertas probabilesque refutantibus causas veritisque, ne offenderetur Eusebius cubiculi tunc praepositus, si documenta suscepissent perspicue demonstrantia Sabiniani pertinaci ignavia haec accidisse quae contigerunt, a veritate detorti inania quaedam longeque a negotio distantia scrutabantur.

3 While they were refuting the open and probable causes, and fearing lest Eusebius, then the praepositus of the bedchamber, be offended if they had accepted documents plainly demonstrating that these things which befell had happened through Sabinianus’s pertinacious cowardice, turned aside from the truth they were prying into certain inanities far removed from the business.

4 Qua iniquitate percitus qui audiebatur "etsi me" inquit "despicit imperator, negotii tamen est magnitudo, ut non nisi iudicio principis nosci possit et vindicari; sciat tamen velut quodam praesagio quod, dum maeret super his, quae apud Amidam gesta emendata didicit fide, dumque ad spadonum arbitrium trahitur, defrustandae Mesopotamiae proximo vere ne ipse quidem cum exercitus robore omni opitulari poterit praesens".

4 Stirred by this iniquity, the one who was being heard said: "Even if the emperor despises me, yet the magnitude of the business is such that it can be known and vindicated only by the judgment of the princeps; nevertheless let him know, as by a certain presage, that, while he mourns over these things which he has learned on corrected faith were done at Amida, and while he is dragged at the arbitrium of eunuchs, with Mesopotamia to be shorn away in pieces, next spring not even he himself, though present, will be able to succor with all the strength of the army."

5 Relatis adiectisque cum interpretatione maligna conpluribus iratus ultra modum Constantius nec discusso negotio nec patefieri, quae scientiam eius latebant, permissis adpetitum calumniis deposita militia digredi iussit ad otium, Agilone ad eius locum inmodico saltu promoto ex Gentilium et Scutariorum tribuno.

5 With many things reported and added with a malicious interpretation, Constantius, angry beyond measure, neither having the matter examined nor permitting to be laid open the things that lay hidden from his knowledge, ordered him—assailed by calumnies—to lay down his military service and withdraw into leisure, Agilo, by an excessive leap, being promoted to his place from tribune of the Gentiles and of the Scutarii.

Defectus Solis: et de duobus Solibus; ac de causis defectuum Solis et Lunae; deque variis Lunae mutationibus et figuris.

Eclipse of the Sun: and concerning two Suns; and concerning the causes of the eclipses of the Sun and Moon; and concerning the various changes and figures of the Moon.

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1 Eodem tempore per Eoos tractus caelum subtextum caligine cernebatur obscura, et a primo aurorae exortu ad usque meridiem intermicabant iugiter stellae hisque terroribus accedebat, quod, cum lux caelestis operiretur, e mundi conspectu penitus lance abrepta defecisse diutius solem pavidae mentes hominum aestimabant: primo adtenuatum in lunae corniculantis effigiem, deinde in speciem auctum semenstrem posteaque in integrum restitutum.

1 At the same time, throughout the Eoan tracts the sky was seen underlaid with dark gloom, and from the first rising of dawn up to midday the stars kept continually flickering; and to these terrors there was added this: that, as the heavenly light was being veiled, the fearful minds of men judged that the sun had for a long time failed, utterly withdrawn from the world’s sight with its disk snatched away—first attenuated into the likeness of a horned moon, then increased into a half form, and afterwards restored to its whole.

2 Quod alias non evenit ita perspicue, nisi cum post inaequales cursus iter menstruum lunae ad idem revocatur initium certis temporum intervallis, id est cum in domicilio eiusdem signi tota reperitur luna sub sole, liniamentis obiecta rectissimis, atque in his paulisper consistit minutis, quae geometrica ratio partium partes appellat.

2 Which otherwise does not occur so clearly, unless when, after unequal courses, the Moon’s monthly journey is brought back to the same beginning at fixed intervals of time, that is, when, in the domicile of the same sign, the whole Moon is found under the Sun, with the straightest lineaments set in between, and for a little while it stands still in these minutes, which the geometrical reckoning calls parts of parts.

3 Ac licet utriusque sideris conversiones et motus, ut scrutatores causarum intellegibilium adverterant, in unum eundemque finem lunari cursu impleto perenni distinctione conveniunt, tamen sol non semper his diebus obducitur, sed cum luna e regione velut libramento quodam igneo orbi et aspectui nostro opponitur media.

3 And although the revolutions and motions of each of the two stars, as scrutators of intelligible causes had observed, converge, once the lunar course is completed, by a perennial distinction to one and the same end, nevertheless the sun is not always veiled on these days, but only when the moon, opposite, is set in the middle, as if by a certain balance, against the fiery orb and against our sight.

4 Ad summam tum sol occultatur splendore suppresso, cum ipse et lunaris globus astrorum omnium infimus parili comitatu obtinentes circulos proprios salvaque ratione altitudinis interiectae iunctim locati, ut scienter et decore Ptolemaeus exponit, ad dimensiones venerint, quos ἀναβιβάζοντας et καταβιβάζοντας ἐκλειπτικοὺς συνδέσμους coagmenta videlicet defectiva Graeco dictitant sermone. Et si contigua isdem iuncturis praestrinxerint spatia, dilutior erit defectus.

4 To sum up, the sun is then concealed, its splendor suppressed, when he and the lunar globe—the lowest of all the stars—maintaining their own proper circles with equal accompaniment and, the proportion of the intervening altitude preserved, placed together in conjunction, as Ptolemy explains knowingly and with elegance, have come to the dimensions which, in Greek speech, they call the ἀναβιβάζοντας and καταβιβάζοντας ἐκλειπτικοὺς συνδέσμους, namely the defective joints. And if they graze the spaces contiguous to these same joints, the defect (eclipse) will be fainter.

5 Si vero articulis ipsis inhaeserint, qui coactius ascensus vinciunt et descensus, offunditur densioribus tenebris caelum, ut crassato aere ne proxima quidem et adposita cernere queamus.

5 But if indeed they cling to the articulations themselves, which more tightly constrain the ascents and descents, the sky is overcast with denser darkness, so that, with the air thickened, we are not able to discern even things proximate and set close at hand.

6 Sol autem geminus ita videri existimatur, si evecta solito celsius nubes, aeternorumque ignium propinquitate conlucens, orbis alterius claritudinem tamquam e speculo puriore formaverit.

6 But a double sun is thought to appear in this way, if a cloud, carried higher than usual and shining with the proximity of the eternal fires, has fashioned the brightness of another orb, as though from a purer mirror.

7 Nunc veniamus ad lunam. Apertum et evidentem ita demum sustinet luna defectum, cum pleno lumine rotundata solique contraria ab eius orbe centum octoginta partibus, id est signo septimo disparatur. Et quamquam hoc per omne plenilunium semper eveniat, non semper deficit tamen.

7 Now let us come to the moon. The moon sustains an open and evident eclipse only then, when, rounded with full light and contrary to the sun, it is separated from his orb by 180 parts, that is, by the seventh sign. And although this happens at every full moon, nevertheless it does not always be eclipsed.

8 Sed quoniam circa terrenam mobilitatem locata est ac caeli totius pulchritudinis extima, non numquam ferienti se subserit lanci obiectum metae noctis in conum desinentis angustum: tum latet parumper umbrata, tumque nigrantibus involvitur globis, si sol sphaerae inferioris curvamine circumfusus, mole obsistente terrena, radiis eam suis inlustrare non possit, quam numquam habere proprium lumen opiniones variae collegerunt.

8 But since it is situated around terrestrial mobility and at the extremity of the whole heaven’s beauty, sometimes, as it strikes upon it, it slips beneath the scale-pan’s obstacle—the turning‑post of night ending in a narrow cone: then it lies hidden for a little, being shadowed, and then it is wrapped in blackening globes, if the sun, encompassed by the curvature of the lower sphere, with the earthly mass opposing, cannot illumine it with his rays; whence various opinions have gathered that it never has a proper light of its own.

9 Et cum ad idem signum aequis partibus soli concurrerit, obscuratur, ut dictum est, penitus hebetato candore, Graece σύνοδος dicitur.

9 And when it has converged upon the same sign with the sun in equal parts, it is obscured, as has been said, its candor thoroughly dulled; in Greek it is called σύνοδος.

10 Nasci autem putatur, cum parva declinatione velut e perpendiculo superiectum gerit solem. Exortus vero eius adhuc gracilescens primitus mortalitati videtur, cum ad secundum relicto sole migraverit signum. Progressa itaque porrectius iamque abunde nitens cornutae habitu μηνοειδής est appellata.

10 It is thought to be born when, with a small declination, as if from a perpendicular, it carries the sun superposed above it. But its rising, still slender, is at first seen to mortality when, the sun left behind, it has migrated to the second sign. Having advanced, therefore, more outstretched and now shining abundantly, it has been called moon-shaped in a horned guise.

Cum autem sole longo coeperit interstitio summoveri et ad quartum pervenerit signum, radiis eius ad se conversis maius concipit lumen et fit Graeco sermone διχόμηνις, quae forma semiorben ostendit.

But when, with a long interstice from the sun, it has begun to be removed and has come to the fourth sign, with its rays turned toward itself it conceives greater light and becomes, in Greek speech, διχόμηνις, which form shows a half-orb.

11 Procedens deinde iam disiunctissime, quintoque signo arrepto, figuram monstrat amphicyrti utrimque prominentibus gibbis. E regione vero cum normaliter steterit contra, lumine pleno fulgebit, domicilium septimi retinens signi, et in eodem tum etiam agens paululumque progressa minuitur, quem habitum vocamus ἀπόκρουσιν, atque easdem formas repetit senescendo, traditurque doctrina multiplici congruente, non nisi tempore intermenstrui deficere visam usquam lunam.

11 Then proceeding, now most widely disjoined, and, the fifth sign having been taken up, it displays the figure of an amphicyrtos, with humps projecting on both sides. Over against it, however, when it has stood in right line opposite, it will shine with full light, retaining the domicile of the seventh sign; and then, even while occupying the same, and having advanced a little, it is diminished—this aspect we call ἀπόκρουσιν—and by aging it repeats the same forms; and it is handed down, with manifold doctrine congruent, that the moon has been seen to be eclipsed only at the time of the interlunar interval.

12 Quod autem solem nunc in aethere, nunc in mundo inferiore cursare praediximus, sciendum est siderea corpora quantum ad universitatem pertinet, nec occidere nec oriri, sed ita videri nostris obtutibus constitutis in terra, spiritus cuiusdam interni motu suspensa: rerumque magnitudini instar exigui subditum puncti, nunc caelo infixas suspicere stellas, quarum ordo est sempiternus, aliquotiens humana visione languente discedere suis sedibus arbitrari. Verum ad instituta iam revertamur.

12 But as to our having earlier said that the sun now courses in the ether, now in the lower world, it must be known that the sidereal bodies, so far as pertains to the universe, neither set nor rise, but are thus seen by our gazes, fixed on the earth, suspended by the motion of a certain internal spirit: and that, in relation to the magnitude of things, we, like a small point set beneath, now look up at the stars fixed in the sky, whose order is sempiternal, and at times, as human vision grows faint, suppose them to depart from their seats. But let us now return to our institutes.

Iulianus Caesar a militibus Gallicanis, quos Constantius ipsi detrahi et in Orientem adversas Persas transferri iusserat, Lutetiae Parisiorum, ubi hiemabat, per vim Augustus appellatur.

Julian Caesar, by the Gallican soldiers—whom Constantius had ordered to be taken away from him and transferred to the East against the Persians—at Lutetia of the Parisii, where he was wintering, is by force proclaimed Augustus.

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1 Properantem Constantium orienti ferre suppetias turbando prope diem excursibus Persicis, ut perfugae concinentes exploratoribus indicabant, urebant Iuliani virtutes, quas per ora gentium diversarum fama celebrior effundebat, magnorum eius laborum factorumque vehens adoreas celsas post Alamanniae quaedam regna prostrata receptaque oppida Gallicana, ante direpta a barbaris et excisa, quos tributarios ipse fecit et vectigales.

1 Julian’s virtues were scorching Constantius, who was hastening to carry succor to the East, the very day almost being thrown into turmoil by Persian incursions, as deserters, speaking in concord with the scouts, indicated; which virtues a more celebrated fame was pouring forth through the mouths of diverse nations, bearing the lofty triumphs of his great labors and deeds, after certain kingdoms of the Alamanni had been laid low and Gallic towns recovered, previously plundered and razed by the barbarians, whom he himself made tributary and tax‑paying.

2 Ob haec et similia percitus metuensque me augerentur in maius, stimulante, ut ferebatur, praefecto Florentio, Decentium tribunum et notarium misit auxiliares milites exinde protinus abstracturum Aerulos et Batavos cumque Petulantibus Celtas et lectos ex numeris aliis trecentenos, hac specie iussos adcelerare, ut adesse possint armis primo vere movendis in Parthos.

2 Because of these things and the like, stirred and fearing lest they be enlarged into something greater, with the prefect Florentius, as was reported, spurring him on, he sent Decentius, a tribune and notary, to withdraw forthwith from there the Aeruli and the Batavi, and together with the Petulantes the Celtae, and three hundred picked men apiece from other regiments, ordered under this pretext to accelerate, so that they might be present when arms were to be set in motion at the beginning of spring against the Parthians.

3 Et super auxiliariis quidem et trecentenis cogendis ocius proficisci Lupicinus conventus est solus, transisse ad Brittannias nondum conpertus, de Scutariis autem et Gentilibus excerpere quemque promptissimum et ipse perducere Sintula iubetur Caesaris stabuli tunc tribunus.

3 And with respect to the auxiliaries indeed and to the three-hundreds to be levied, Lupicinus was summoned to set out more swiftly alone, it not yet having been ascertained that he had crossed over to the Britains; but as to the Scutarii and the Gentiles, Sintula, then tribune of the Caesar’s Stable, is ordered to select the readiest man from each and himself conduct them.

4 Conticuit hisque adquieverat Iulianus, potioris arbitrio cuncta concedens. Illud tamen nec dissimulare potuit nec silere: ut illi nullas paterentur molestias, qui relictis laribus transrhenanis sub hoc venerant pacto, ne ducerentur ad partes umquam transalpinas, verendum esse adfirmans ne voluntarii barbari militares, saepe sub eius modi legibus adsueti transire ad nostra, hoc cognito deinceps arcerentur. Sed loquebatur in cassum.

4 He fell silent, and Julian acquiesced to these things, conceding all to the judgment of the more powerful. Yet this he could neither dissimulate nor keep silent: that those should suffer no troubles who, having left their trans-Rhenane hearths, had come under this pact, that they should never be led to the transalpine parts; affirming it was to be feared lest barbarian military volunteers, often accustomed under terms of that sort to cross over to our side, once this was known would thereafter be deterred. But he spoke in vain.

5 Tribunus enim parvi querelas Caesaris ducens Augusti iussis obtemperabat et lecta expeditiore manu vigore corporumque levitate praestanti cum isdem profectus est spe potiorum erectus.

5 For the tribune, esteeming the Caesar’s complaints of small account, obeyed the Augustus’s orders, and, a picked, more expeditious force selected, preeminent in vigor and lightness of body, set out with them, uplifted by the hope of better things.

6 Et quia sollicitus Caesar quid de residuis mitti praeceptis agi deberet, perque varias curas animum versans, adtente negotium tractari oportere censebat, cum hinc barbara feritas inde iussorum urgeret auctoritas, maximeque absentia magistri equitum augente dubietatem, redire ad se praefectum hortatus est, olim Viennam specie annonae parandae digressum, ut se militari eximeret turba.

6 And because the Caesar, solicitous about what ought to be done concerning the remaining orders to be sent, and turning his mind through various cares, judged that the matter must be handled attentively, since on one side barbarian ferocity pressed and on the other the authority of the orders, and especially with the absence of the Master of Horse increasing uncertainty, he urged the prefect to return to him, who had formerly gone off to Vienne under the pretext of procuring the grain-supply, so that he might remove himself from the military throng.

7 Perpendebat enim ad relationem suam, quam olim putabatur misisse, abstrahendos e Galliarum defensione pugnaces numeros barbarisque iam formidatos.

7 For he was weighing, on the basis of his own report, which he was thought to have sent some time ago, that the warlike units, already formidable to the barbarians, should be withdrawn from the defense of the Gauls.

8 Qui cum suscepisset Caesaris litteras monentis petentisque, ut venire adceleraret rem publicam consiliis iuvaturus, obstinatissime detrectabat ea ratione pavore mente confusa, quod aperte scripta significabant ab imperatore nusquam diiungi debere praefectum in ardore terribilium rerum. Adiectumque est quod, si procursare dissimulasset, ipse propria sponte proiceret insignia principatus, gloriosum esse existimans iussa morte oppetere, quam ei provinciarum interitum adsignari. Sed vicit praefecti propositum pertinax his, quae rationabiliter poscebantur, parere contentione maxima reluctantis.

8 When he had received the Caesar’s letters admonishing and requesting that he accelerate to come to aid the republic with counsels, he most obstinately refused for this reason, his mind confounded by fear, because the writings openly indicated that the prefect ought nowhere to be separated from the emperor in the heat of terrible affairs. And it was added that, if he should dissemble to advance, he himself of his own accord would cast away the insignia of the principate, judging it glorious to meet death by command rather than that the destruction of the provinces be imputed to him. But the prefect’s pertinacious purpose was overcome, despite his utmost resistance, to obey the things which were reasonably demanded.

9 Inter has tamen moras absentis Lupicini motusque militares timentis praefecti, Iulianus consiliatorum adminiculo destitutus ancipitique sententia fluctuans id optimum factu existimavit: via sollemni cunctos e stationibus egressos, in quibus hiemabant, maturare disposuit.

9 Amid these delays, however, with Lupicinus absent and the prefect fearing military movements, Julian, deprived of the aid of counselors and wavering in an ambivalent judgment, considered this the best thing to do: by the customary route he arranged that all, having gone out from the stations in which they were wintering, should make haste.

10 Hocque conperto apud Petulantium signa famosum quidam libellum humi proiecit occulte, inter alia multa etiam id continentem "nos quidem ad orbis terrarum extrema ut noxii pellimur et damnati, caritates vero nostrae Alamannis denuo servient, quas captivitate prima post internecivas liberavimus pugnas".

10 And when this was learned, at the standards of the Petulantes a certain man secretly cast to the ground a libelous pamphlet, which among many other things contained also this: "we indeed are being expelled, as guilty and condemned, to the ends of the world; but our loved ones will serve the Alamanni anew, whom from their first captivity, after internecine battles, we freed."

11 Quo textu ad comitatum perlato lectoque Iulianus contemplans rationabiles querelas, cum familiis eos ad orientem proficisci praecepit, clabularis cursus facultate permissa, et cum ambigeretur diutius qua pergerent via, placuit notario suggerente Decentio per Parisios omnes transire, ubi morabatur adhuc Caesar nusquam motus.

11 With this text conveyed to the court and read, Julian, contemplating the reasonable complaints, ordered them to set out to the East with their households, with the facility of the clabular post permitted; and as it was long in dispute by which road they should proceed, it was decided, with Decentius the notary suggesting it, that all should pass through Paris, where the Caesar was still lingering, moved nowhere.

12 Et ita est factum. Isdemque adventantibus in suburbanis princeps occurrit, ex more laudans quos agnoscebat, factorumque fortium singulos monens animabat lenibus verbis, ut ad Augustum alacri gradu pergerent, ubi potestas est ample patens et larga, praemia laborum adepturi dignissima.

12 And so it was done. And as the same men were arriving, the leader met them in the suburbs, according to custom praising those whom he recognized, and, reminding them of their brave deeds, he animated each with gentle words, so that they might proceed to the Augustus at a brisk pace, where power is amply open and bountiful, about to obtain the most worthy rewards of their labors.

13 Utque honoratius procul abituros tractaret, ad convivium proceribus conrogatis, petere iure, siquid in promptu esset, edixit. Qui liberaliter ita suscepti, dolore duplici suspensi discesserunt et maesti, quod eos fortuna quaedam inclemens et moderato rectore et terris genitalibus dispararet. hocque angore inpliciti in stativa solita cesserunt.

13 And in order to treat more honorably those who were about to depart far away, with the nobles summoned to a banquet, he proclaimed that they should, as of right, request whatever was at hand. They, thus generously received, departed in suspense and sad with a double grief, because a certain inclement fortune was separating them both from a moderate ruler and from their natal lands. And entangled by this anguish they withdrew to their usual quarters.

14 Nocte vero coeptante in apertum erupere discidium incitatisque animis ut quemque insperata res adflictabat, ad tela convertuntur et manus fremituque ingenti omnes petiverant palatium et spatiis eius ambitis, ne ad evadendi copiam quisquam perveniret, Augustum Iulianum horrendis clamoribus concrepabant, eum ad se prodire destinatius adigentes exspectareque coacti dum lux promicaret, tandem progredi conpulerunt. Quo viso iterata magnitudine sonus Augustum appellavere consensione firmissima.

14 But with night beginning, an open dissension burst forth, and with spirits incited, as the unexpected situation was afflicting each, they turn to weapons and to violence, and with a huge roar all made for the palace; and, its spaces surrounded so that no one might attain a chance of escape, they assailed Julian as Augustus with horrendous shouts, driving him more resolutely to come forth to them; and, forced to wait until light should glimmer, at last they compelled him to advance. When he was seen, with redoubled magnitude of sound they hailed him Augustus with the firmest unanimity.

15 Et ille mente fundata universis resistebat et singulis, nunc indignari semet ostendens, nunc manus tendens oransque et obsecrans, ne post multas felicissimasque victorias agatur aliquid indecorum, neve intempestiva temeritas et prolapsio discordiarum materias excitaret. haecque adiciebat tandem sedatos leniter adlocutus:

15 And he, with a settled mind, was resisting all in common and each in particular, now showing himself indignant, now stretching out his hands, praying and beseeching that, after many most felicitous victories, nothing indecorous be done, and that unseasonable temerity and a prolapse not arouse the materials of discords. And he added these things as well, having at last gently addressed them when they were calmed:

16 "Cesset ira quaeso paulisper: absque dissensione vel rerum adpetitu novarum impetrabitur facile quod postulatis. Quoniam dulcedo vos patriae retinet, et insueta peregrinaque metuitis loca, redite iam nunc ad sedes nihil visuri, quia displicet, transalpinum. hocque apud Augustum capacem rationis et prudentissimum ego conpetenti satisfactione purgabo".

16 "Let anger cease, I beg, for a little while: without dissension or an appetite for novelties, what you demand will be easily obtained. Since the sweetness of the fatherland holds you back, and you fear unfamiliar and foreign places, return now to your quarters—you will see nothing transalpine, since it is displeasing; and this I will clear with appropriate satisfaction before the Augustus, receptive to reason and most prudent."

17 Conclamabatur post haec ex omni parte nihilo minus, uno parique ardore nitentibus universis maximoque contentionis fragore probro et conviciis mixto, Caesar adsentire coactus est. Inpositusque scuto pedestri et sublatius eminens nullo silente Augustus renuntiatus iubebatur diadema proferre, negansque umquam habuisse, uxoris colli vel capitis poscebatur.

17 After this, shouting was raised from every side nonetheless, as all strove with one and the same ardor, and with a very great crash of contention mixed with reproach and insults, the Caesar was compelled to assent. And being set upon an infantry shield and raised up rather high, with no one silent, he was proclaimed Augustus and was ordered to bring forth the diadem; and denying that he had ever had one, it was demanded from his wife’s neck or head.

18 Eoque adfirmante primis auspiciis non congruere aptari muliebri mundo, equi phalerae quaerebantur, uti coronatus speciem saltem obscuram superioris praetenderet potestatis sed cum id quoque turpe esse adseveraret, Maurus nomine quidam, postea comes, qui rem male gessit apud Succorum angustias, Petulantium tunc hastatus, abstractum sibi torquem, quo ut draconarius utebatur, capiti Iuliani inposuit confidenter, qui trusus ad necessitatem extremam iamque periculum praesens vitare non posse advertens, si reniti perseverasset, quinos omnibus aureos argentique singula pondo, promisit.

18 And as he affirmed that it did not accord with the first auspices to be fitted with a woman’s finery, the horse’s phalerae were sought, so that, being crowned, he might at least present a dim semblance of higher power; but when he also asserted that this too was disgraceful, a certain man named Maurus, later a Count, who later conducted the affair badly at the Narrows of the Succi, then a spearman of the Petulantes, having taken off for himself a torque which, as a draconarius, he used, confidently placed it upon Julian’s head, who, driven to the last necessity and now perceiving that he could not avoid the present danger if he persisted in resisting, promised to all five aurei apiece and a single pound of silver each.

19 Hisque gestis haut minore quam antea cura constrictus, futuraque celeri providens corde, nec diadema gestavit, nec procedere ausus est usquam, nec agere seria quae nimis urgebant.

19 And with these things done, constrained by a care no less than before, and foreseeing the future with a quick mind, he neither wore the diadem, nor dared to proceed anywhere, nor to conduct the serious affairs that were pressing too urgently.

20 Sed cum ad latebras secessisset occultas accidentium varietate perterritus Iulianus, aliqui palatii decurio, qui ordo est dignitatis, pleniore gradu signa Petulantium ingressus atque Celtarum, facinus indignum turbulente exclamat, pridie Augustum eorum arbitrio declaratum clam interemptum.

20 But when Julian, terrified by the variety of accidents, had withdrawn to hidden recesses, a certain decurion of the palace, which is a rank of dignity, having with a fuller stride entered under the standards of the Petulantes and the Celts, tumultuously cries out a disgraceful deed: that the day before the Augustus, declared by their judgment, had been secretly slain.

21 Hocque conperto milites, quos ignota pari sollicitudine movebant et nota, pars crispantes missilia, alii minitantes nudatis gladiis, diverso vagoque, ut in repentino solet, excursu occupavere volucriter regiam, strepituque inmani excubitores perculsi et tribuni et domesticorum comes Excubitor nomine veritique versabilis perfidiam militis, evanuere metu mortis subitae dispalati. 22. viso tamen otio summo, quieti stetere paulisper armati et interrogati, quae causa esset inconsulti motus et repentini, diu tacendo haesitantes super salute principis, non antea discesserunt quam adsciti in consistorium fulgentem eum augusto habitu conspexissent.

21 And when this was learned, the soldiers, whom unknown and known things were stirring with equal solicitude, some brandishing their missiles, others menacing with bared swords, with a diverse and wandering rush, as is wont in a sudden alarm, swiftly seized the royal palace; and by the enormous clamor the sentries were struck with terror, and the tribunes, and the count of the domestics by name Excubitor; and, fearing the fickle perfidy of the soldiery, they vanished, scattered in dread of sudden death. 22. Yet, when the utmost quiet was seen, armed they stood for a little while at rest; and, when asked what the cause was of the ill-advised and sudden movement, long hesitating by their silence about the safety of the prince, they did not depart before, being admitted into the consistory, they had beheld him resplendent in august attire.

Iulianus Aug. contionem habet ad milites.

Julian Augustus holds an address to the soldiers.

[5]

1 His tamen auditis etiam illi, quos antegressos rettulimus ducente Sintula, cum eo iam securi Parisios revertuntur: edictoque ut futura luce cuncti convenirent in campo, progressus princeps ambitiosius solito tribunal ascendit signis aquilisque circumdatus et vexillis saeptusque tutius armatarum cohortium globis.

1 Nevertheless, when these things had been heard, even those whom we reported to have gone ahead under the leadership of Sintula, now untroubled, return to Paris with him; and, an edict having been issued that at the coming light all should convene in the field, the princeps, having advanced, more ostentatiously than usual ascended the tribunal, surrounded by standards and eagles and vexilla, and more securely hedged in by the masses of armed cohorts.

2 Cumque interquievisset paululum, dum alte contemplatur praesentium vultus, alacres omnes visos et laetos, quasi lituis, verbis, ut intellegi possit, simplicibus incendebat:

2 And when he had rested a little, while he gazed deeply upon the faces of those present, seeing all brisk and cheerful, he kindled them, as if with clarions, with words, simple, so that it might be understood:

3 "Res ardua poscit et flagitat, propugnatores mei reique publicae fortes et fidi, qui mecum pro statu provinciarum vitam saepius obiecistis, quoniam Caesarem vestrum firmo iudicio ad potestatum omnium columen sustulistis, perstringere pauca summatim, ut remedia permutatae rei iusta conligantur et cauta.

3 "A hard matter demands and importunes, you my brave and faithful champions of me and of the commonwealth, who with me, for the condition of the provinces, have more than once exposed your life, since by a firm judgment you have raised your Caesar to be the column of all powers, that I should touch briefly upon a few things in summary, so that remedies for the altered situation may be gathered that are just and cautious.

4 vix dum adulescens specie tenus purpuratus, ut nostis, vestrae tutelae nutu caelesti commissus, numquam a proposito recte vivendi deiectus sum, vobiscum in omni labore perspicuus, cum dispersa gentium confidentia post civitatum excidia peremptaque innumera hominum milia, pauca, quae semiintegra sunt relicta, cladis inmensitas persultaret. Et retexere superfluvm puto, quotiens hieme cruda rigentique caelo, quo tempore terrae ac maria opere Martio vacant, indomitos antea cum iactura virium suarum reppulimus Alamannos.

4 scarcely yet a youth, purpurate in appearance only, as you know, entrusted to your tutela by a heavenly nod, I have never been cast down from the purpose of living rightly,
conspicuous with you in every labor, when the confidence of the nations, scattered
after the ruins of cities and after innumerable thousands of men had been slain, while the few things
which were left half-intact were overleapt by the immensity of the calamity. And I deem it superfluous
to rehearse how often, in raw winter and with the sky rigid with cold, at the time when
lands and seas are vacant of the work of Mars, we repulsed the Alamanni, previously indomitable,
with a loss to their strength.

5 Id sane nec praetermitti est aequum; nec taceri quod, cum prope Argentoratum inluxisset ille beatissimus dies vehens quodam modo Galliis perpetuam libertatem, inter confertissima tela me discurrente, vos vigore ususque diuturnitate fundati velut incitatos torrentes hostes abruptius inundantes superastis ferro prostratos, vel fluminis profundo submersos, paucis relictis nostrorum, quorum exsequias honestavimus celebri potius laude quam luctu.

5 That indeed is not equitable to pretermit, nor to keep silent: that, when near Argentoratum there had dawned that most blessed day conveying, in a certain manner, perpetual liberty to the Gauls, while I was running about amid the densest missiles, you, founded in vigor and in long-continued practice, like incited torrents, overcame the enemies flooding in more precipitously, either laid low by steel or submerged in the river’s depth, with few of our men left, whose obsequies we honored with celebrated praise rather than with grief.

6 Post quae opinor tanta et talia nec posteritatem tacituram de vestris in rem publicam meritis in gentibus cunctis, si plene, quem altiore fastigio maiestatis ornastis, virtute gravitateque, siquid adversum ingruerit, defendatis.

6 After which, I suppose, such great deeds and such as these will not leave posterity silent about your merits to the commonwealth among all peoples, if you fully defend, with virtue and gravity, him whom you have adorned with a loftier eminence of majesty, should anything adverse press in.

7 Ut autem rerum integer ordo servetur, praemiaque virorum fortium maneant incorrupta, nec honores ambitio praeripiat clandestina, id sub reverenda consilii vestri facie statuo, ut neque civilis quisquam iudex nec militiae rector, alio quodam praeter merita suffragante, ad potiorem veniat gradum, non sine detrimento pudoris eo, qui pro quolibet petere temptaverit discessuro".

7 And so that the integral order of affairs be preserved, and the rewards of brave men remain incorrupt, and clandestine ambition not snatch away honors, I decree this under the venerable countenance of your council: that neither any civil judge nor a ruler of the soldiery, with some other suffrage besides merits supporting him, should come to a higher grade, and with him who shall have attempted to petition on behalf of anyone about to depart, not without a detriment to modesty".

8 Hac fiducia spei maioris animatus inferior miles, dignitatum iam diu expers et praemiorum, hastis feriendo clipeos sonitu adsurgens ingenti, uno prope modum ore dictis favebat et coeptis.

8 Animated by this confidence of greater hope, the lower soldiery, for a long time now devoid of dignities and rewards, rising with immense sound by striking the shields with spears, favored the words and the undertakings almost with one voice.

9 Statimque ne turbandae dispositioni consultae tempus saltem breve concederetur, pro actuariis obsecravere Petulantes et Celtae, recturi, quas placuisset provincias, mitterentur, quo non inpetrato abiere nec offensi nec tristes.

9 And immediately, lest even a brief time be granted for disturbing the consulted arrangement, the Petulantes and the Celts besought on behalf of the actuaries that they be sent to govern whatever provinces should have pleased; this not having been obtained, they went away neither offended nor sad.

10 Nocte tamen, quae declarationis Augustae praecesserat diem, iunctioribus proximis rettulerat imperator per quietem aliquem visum, ut formari genius publicus solet, haec obiurgando dixisse "olim Iuliane vestibulum aedium tuarum observo latenter, augere tuam gestiens dignitatem et aliquotiens tamquam repudiatus abscessi: si ne nunc quidem recipior, sententia concordante multorum, ibo demissus et maestus. Id tamen retineto imo corde quod tecum non diutius habitabo".

10 Nevertheless, in the night which had preceded the day of the declaration as Augustus, the emperor related to his closest intimates that in sleep a certain vision—such as the public genius is wont to be formed—had, chiding, said these things: "For a long time, Julian, I have covertly kept watch at the vestibule of your house, eager to augment your dignity, and several times I have withdrawn as if repudiated: if not even now I am received, the judgment of many agreeing, I will go away downcast and sorrowful. Yet hold fast this in your inmost heart: that I will not dwell with you for much longer."

Singara a Sapore oppugnata, et capta: oppidani cum equitibus auxiliaribus et duobus legionibus praesidiariis in Persidem abducti; oppidum excisum.

Singara besieged by Sapor, and taken: the townspeople, with the auxiliary cavalry and two garrison legions, led away into Persia; the town razed.

[6]

1 Haec dum per Gallias agerentur intente, truculentus rex ille Persarum, incentivo Antonini adventu Craugasii duplicato, ardore obtinendae Mesopotamiae flagrans, dum ageret cum exercitu procul Constantius, armis multiplicatis et viribus, transmisso sollemniter Tigride, oppugnandam adoritur Singaram, milite usuique congruis omnibus, ut existimavere, qui regionibus praeerant, abunde munitam.

1 While these things were being carried on intently throughout Gaul, that truculent king of the Persians, with the stimulus doubled by the arrival of Antoninus and Craugasius, blazing with ardor to seize Mesopotamia, while Constantius was far away with the army, with arms and forces multiplied, after the Tigris had been crossed with due solemnity, advances to assail Singara, which, with soldiers and with all things suited for use, as those who were in charge of the regions judged, was amply fortified.

2 Cuius propugnatores viso hoste longissime, clausis ocius portis, ingentibus animis per turres discurrebant et minas, saxa tormentaque bellica congerentes, cunctisque praestructis stabant omnes armati, multitudinem parati propellere, si moenia subire temptasset.

2 Whose defenders, the enemy having been seen from a very great distance, with the gates more swiftly closed, with mighty spirits were running about through the towers and battlements, heaping up rocks and war engines; and with everything prearranged they all stood armed, ready to repel the multitude, if it should attempt to approach the walls.

3 Adventans itaque rex cum per optimates suos propius admissos pacatiore conloquio flectere defensores ad suum non potuisset arbitrium, quieti diem integrum dedit et matutinae lucis exordio, signo per flammeum erecto vexillum circumvaditur civitas a quibusdam vehentibus scalas, aliis conponentibus machinas, plerisque obiectu vinearum pluteorumque tectis, iter ad fundamenta parietum quaerentibus subvertenda.

3 Therefore, as the king was approaching, when through his nobles, admitted nearer, he had not been able by a more peaceable colloquy to bend the defenders to his will, he granted a whole day to quiet; and at the beginning of the morning light, the signal having been given by the raising of the flame-colored standard, the city is surrounded—by some carrying ladders, by others setting up machines, and by most, covered by the interposition of vineae and mantelets, seeking a route to the foundations of the walls to be overthrown.

4 Contra haec oppidani superstantes propugnaculis celsis lapidibus eminus telorumque genere omni ad interiora ferocius se proripientes arcebant.

4 In response to this, the townsmen, standing above on the lofty battlements, with stones from afar and with every kind of missile, were warding off those who were rushing more fiercely toward the interior.

5 Et pugnabatur eventu ancipiti diebus aliquot, hinc inde multis amissis et vulneratis: postremo fervente certaminum mole et propinquante iam vespera inter machinas plures admotus aries robustissimus orbiculatam turrim feriebat ictibus densis, unde reseratam urbem obsidio superiore docuimus,

5 And it was being fought with the outcome doubtful for several days, with many on both sides lost and wounded; at last, as the mass of struggles burned hot and with evening now approaching, a most robust battering-ram, brought up among several engines, was striking the round turret with dense blows, whence the city was unbarred, as we have shown in the earlier siege,

6 Ad quam conversa plebe dimicabatur artissime facesque cum taedis ardentibus et malleolis ad exurendum inminens malum undique convolabant nec sagittarum crebritate nec glandis hinc inde cessante. Vicit tamen omne prohibendi commentum acumen arietis coagmenta fodiens lapidum recens structorum madoreque etiam tum infirmium.

6 Toward which, with the populace turned, the fighting was at the closest, and torches together with blazing brands and fire-darts were rushing from all sides to burn the impending evil, nor did the frequency of arrows nor of sling-bullets cease on either side. Yet the point of the ram overcame every device of prevention, digging into the joints of the stones, recently laid and even then weakened by moisture.

7 Dumque adhuc ferro certatur et ignibus, turri conlapsa cum patuisset iter in urbem, nudato propugnatoribus loco, quos periculi disiecerat magnitudo, Persarum agmina undique ululabili clamore sublato, nullo cohibente cuncta oppidi membra conplebant, caesisque promiscue paucissimis residui omnes mandatu Saporis vivi conprehensi ad regiones Persidis ultimas sunt asportati.

7 And while the struggle was still with steel and with fires, when, the tower having collapsed, a passage into the city had lain open, the place stripped of its defenders, whom the magnitude of the peril had scattered, the ranks of the Persians from every side, a howling clamor raised, with no one restraining them, were filling all the members of the town; and, with only very few slain indiscriminately, all the rest, seized alive by Sapor’s command, were carried off to the farthest regions of Persia.

8 Tuebantur autem hanc civitatem legiones duae, prima Flavia primaque Parthica, et indigenae plures cum auxilio equitum ilico ob repentinum malum inclusorum, qui omnes, ut dixi, vinctis manibus ducebantur nullo iuvante nostrorum.

8 Yet two legions were protecting this city, the First Flavian and the First Parthian, and many indigenous people with the aid of horsemen, who, on the spot because of the sudden calamity, were shut in; and all of these, as I said, with hands bound, were being led away, with none of ours aiding.

9 Nisibin enim sub pellibus agens pars maior exercitus custodiebat intervallo perquam longo discretam, alioqui numquam labenti Singarae vel temporibus priscis quisquam ferre auxilium potuit aquarum penuria cunctis circum arentibus locis. Et licet ad praesciscendos adversos subitosque motus id munimentum oportune locavit antiquitas, dispendio tamen fuit rei Romanae cum defensorum iactura aliquotiens interceptum.

9 For at Nisibis the greater part of the army, living under skins (tents), was keeping guard, isolated by a very long interval; otherwise to the tottering Singara no one, even in former times, could bring aid because of a scarcity of waters, all the places around being arid. And although antiquity opportunely located that fortification for foreknowing hostile and sudden movements, nevertheless it was to the detriment of the Roman commonwealth, having been seized several times with the loss of its defenders.

Bezabden oppidum, a tribus legionibus defensum, Sapor expugnat; ac reparatum praesidio commeatuque instruit: idem Virtam munimentum frustra adoritur.

Shapur storms the town of Bezabde, defended by three legions; and, after repairing it, he equips it with a garrison and with supplies: the same man assails the fortification Virta in vain.

[7]

1 Exciso itaque oppido rex Nisibin prudenti consilio vitans, memor nimirum quae saepius ibi pertulerat, dextrum latus itineribus petit obliquis, Bezabden, quam Phaenicham quoque institutores veteres appellarunt, vi vel promissorum dulcedine inlectis defensoribus retenturus, munimentum inpendio validum in colle mediocriter edito positum vergensque in margines Tigridis atque, ubi loca suspecta sunt et humilia, duplici muro vallatum, ad cuius tutelam tres legiones sunt deputatae, secunda Flavia secundaque Armeniaca et Parthica itidem secunda cum sagittariis pluribus Zabdicenis, in quorum solo tunc nobis obtemperantium hoc est municipium positum.

1 With the town thus razed, the king, prudently avoiding Nisibis, mindful, to be sure, of what he had more than once endured there, sought the right flank by oblique routes, intending to retain Bezabde, which the ancient founders also called Phoenicha, either by force or by luring the defenders with the sweetness of promises—a fortification exceedingly strong, set on a moderately raised hill and sloping toward the margins of the Tigris, and, where the places are suspect and low-lying, ringed with a double wall; to its protection three legions are assigned, the Second Flavia and the Second Armeniaca and likewise the Second Parthica, together with numerous archers of the Zabdiceni, on whose soil, then obeying us, this municipium is situated.

2 Primo igitur impetu cum agmine cataphractorum fulgentium rex ipse sublimior ceteris castrorum ambitum circumcursans prope labra ipsa fossarum venit audentius, petitusque ballistarum ictibus certis et sagittarum densitate, opertus armorum in modum testudinis contextorum abscessit innoxius.

2 Therefore at the first onset, with a column of gleaming cataphracts, the king himself, higher than the rest, running around the perimeter of the camp, came more boldly up to the very lips of the ditches; and, targeted by the sure blows of the ballistae and by the density of arrows, covered by armor interwoven in the manner of a tortoise, he withdrew unharmed.

3 Ira tamen tum sequestrata caduceatoribus missis ex more clausos blandius hortabatur, ut vitae speique consulturi obsidium deditione solverent oportuna, reseratisque portis egressi supplices victori gentium semet offerrent.

3 Anger
however then set aside, with truce-bearers sent according to custom he more coaxingly
urged those shut within, that, taking thought for life and hope, they should dissolve the siege by an opportune surrender,
and, the gates unbarred, going out as suppliants they should offer themselves to the conqueror of nations.

4 Quibus adire propius ausis defensores moenium ideo pepercerunt, quod cohaerenter sibi iunctos duxerant isdem notos ingenuos Singarae captos: eorum enim miseratione telum nemo contorsit nec super pace respondit.

4 To those who had dared to come nearer, the defenders of the walls therefore spared them, because they had supposed as closely joined to themselves those same freeborn men of Singara, known to them, who had been captured: for out of pity for them no one hurled a missile nor replied concerning peace.

5 Deinde datis indutiis diei totius et noctis, ante alterius lucis initium Persarum populus omnis adortus avide vallum, acriter minans ac fremens, ubi ad ipsa moenia confidenter accessit, instabat vi magna resistentibus oppidanis.

5 Then, with an armistice granted for the whole day and night, before the beginning of the next light the whole people of the Persians avidly assailed the rampart, fiercely threatening and roaring, and when they confidently approached right up to the very walls, they pressed on with great force against the resisting townspeople.

6 Atque ea re sauciabantur plerique Parthorum, quod pars scalas vehentes, alii opponentes vimineas crates velut caeci pergebant introrsus nec nostris innocui. Sagittarum enim nimbi crebrius volitantes stantes confertius perforabant, partibusque post solis occasum aequa iactura digressis, adpetente postridie luce, ardentius multo quam antea pugnabatur, hinc inde concinentibus tubis, nec minores strages utrubique visae sunt ambobus obstinatissime conluctatis.

6 And by that circumstance very many of the Parthians were being wounded, because some carrying ladders, others putting forward wicker hurdles, were proceeding inward like the blind and were not harmless to our men. Harmless they were not. For clouds of arrows, flying more frequently, were piercing those standing more tightly packed and, with the parties having withdrawn after sunset with equal loss, with the next day’s light approaching, the fighting was much more ardent than before, on this side and on that, the trumpets sounding in concert; nor were lesser slaughters seen on both sides as both wrestled most obstinately.

7 Verum secuto die otio conmuni adsensu post aerumnas multiplices adtributo, cum magnus terror circumsisteret muros Persaeque paria formidarent, Christianae legis antistes exire se velle gestibus ostendebat et nutu, acceptaque fide quod redire permitteretur incolumis, usque ad tentoria regis accessit.

7 However, on the following day, a respite having been granted by common assent after manifold hardships, when great terror was surrounding the walls and the Persians were dreading like perils, the prelate of the Christian law was indicating by gestures and a nod that he wished to go out; and, having received a pledge that he would be allowed to return unharmed, he advanced up to the king’s tents.

8 Ubi data copia dicendi quae vellet, suadebat placido sermone discedere Persas ad sua, post communes partis utriusque luctus formidari etiam maiores adfirmans forsitan adventuros. Sed perstabat in cassum haec multaque similia disserendo, efferata vesania regis obstante, non ante castrorum excidium digredi pertinaciter adiurantis.

8 When leave was given to say what he wished, he was advising in placid discourse that the Persians depart to their own, affirming that, after the shared griefs of both parties, even greater ones were to be feared, perhaps about to arrive. But he persisted to no effect by discoursing these and many similar things, the brutal frenzy of the king standing in the way, who obstinately swore not to withdraw before the destruction of the camp.

9 Perstrinxit tamen suspicio vana quaedam episcopum, ut opinor, licet adseveratione vulgata multorum, quod clandestino conloquio Saporem docuerat, quae moenium adpeteret membra ut fragilia intrinsecus et invalida. hocque exinde veri simile visum est, quod postea intuta loca carieque nutantia cum exsultatione magna, velut regentibus penetralium callidis contemplabiliter machinae feriebant hostiles.

9 Nevertheless a certain vain suspicion brushed the bishop, as I suppose, though with the widely bruited asseveration of many, that in a clandestine colloquy he had instructed Sapor which members of the walls he should aim at as fragile within and infirm. And this thereafter seemed plausible from the fact that later the unsafe places and those tottering with decay the hostile machines were smiting with great exultation, as if, with clever guides of the inner recesses directing them, by deliberate observation.

10 Et quamquam angusti calles difficiliorem aditum dabant ad muros, aptatique arietes aegre promovebantur, manualium saxorum sagittarumque metu arcente, nec ballistae tamen cessavere nec scorpiones, illae tela torquentes, hi lapides crebros, qualique simul ardentes pice et bitumine inliti, quorum adsiduitate per proclive labentium machinae haerebant velut altis radicibus fixae, easque malleoli et faces iactae destinatius exurebant.

10 And although the narrow passes were giving a more difficult approach to the walls, and the fitted battering-rams were being advanced with difficulty, the fear of hand-cast stones and arrows keeping them at bay, yet neither did the ballistae cease nor the scorpions—those hurling missiles, these frequent stones—and certain ones as well, burning, smeared with pitch and bitumen, by whose continual flow as they slid down the slope the machines stuck fast as if fixed by deep roots; and these the fire-darts and torches thrown were burning more purposefully.

11 Sed cum haec ita essent caderentque altrinsecus multi, ardebant magis oppugnatores naturali situ et ingenti opere munitum oppidum ante brumale sidus excindere, rabiem regis non ante sedari posse credentes. Quocirca nec multa cruoris effusio, nec confixi mortiferis vulneribus plurimi ceteros ab audacia parili revocabant.

11 But although these things were so and many were falling on both sides, the assailants burned all the more to raze the town, fortified by natural situation and by enormous works, before the brumal star, believing that the king’s rage could not be assuaged earlier. Wherefore neither the great effusion of blood, nor the very many transfixed with death-bringing wounds, called back the others from equal audacity.

12 Sed diu cum exitio decernentes postremo periculis obiectavere semet abruptis, et agitantes arietes denso saxorum molarium pondere fomentisque ignium variis ire protinus vetabantur. 13. Verum unus aries residuis celsior umectis taurinis opertus exuviis, ideoque minus casus flammeos pertimescens aut tela, antegressus omnes repsit nisibus magnis ad murum vastoque acumine coagmenta lapidum fodiens turrim laxatam evertit. Qua sonitu lapsa ingenti superstantes quoque repentina ruina deiecti diffractique vel obruti mortibus interiere diversis et insperatis, inventoque tutiore ascensu armata inruit multitudo.

12 But after long contending with destruction, at last they exposed themselves to precipitous perils, and those wielding the rams were prevented from going straight on by the dense weight of mill-stones and by various appliances of fires. 13. But one ram, taller than the rest, covered with moistened bovine (bull) hides, and therefore less dreading fiery falls or missiles, going before all crept with great efforts to the wall, and, digging at the joints of the stones with a massive point, overturned a tower that had been loosened. Which, having fallen with an immense crash, those standing upon it too, cast down by the sudden ruin, shattered or overwhelmed and buried, perished by diverse and unlooked-for deaths; and, a safer ascent having been found, the armed multitude rushed in.

14 Trepidis deinde superatorum auribus ululantium undique Persarum intonante fragore artius proelium intra muros exarsit, hostium nostrorumque catervis certantibus comminus, cum confertis inter se corporibus hinc indeque stricto mucrone nulli occurrentium parceretur.

14 Then, with the ears of the vanquished trembling, as the thundering din of Persians howling on all sides resounded, the battle blazed more tightly within the walls, the cohorts of the enemy and of our men contesting at close quarters, with bodies packed together among themselves, and on this side and that, with the blade drawn, none of those encountering was spared.

15 Magna denique mole, ancipiti diu exitio renitentes obsessi postremo plebis inmensae ponderibus effuse disiecti sunt. Et post haec iratorum hostium gladii quicquid inveniri poterat concidebant, abreptique sinibus matrum parvuli, ipsae quoque matres trucidabantur, nullo quid ageret respectante. Inter tam funesta gens rapiendi cupidior, onusta spoliorum genere omni, captivorumque examen maximum ducens, tentoria repetivit exultans.

15 At last, by a great mass, the besieged, long resisting a double peril, were finally utterly scattered by the pressure of the immense multitude. And after this the swords of the enraged enemies were cutting down whatever could be found, and little children, snatched from the mothers’ bosoms, and the mothers themselves too, were butchered, with no one taking heed of what he was doing. Amid such deadly horrors, the people, more desirous of rapine, laden with spoil of every kind and leading a very great swarm of captives, returned to their tents exulting.

16 Rex tamen gaudio insolenti elatus diuque desiderio capiendae Phaenichae flagrans, munimenti perquam tempestivi, non ante discessit quam labefactata murorum parte reparata firmissime alimentisque adfatim conditis armatos ibi locaret insignis origine bellique artibus claros. Verebatur enim, quod accidit, ne amissionem castrorum ingentium ferentes aegre Romani ad eadem obsidenda viribus magnis accingerentur.

16 The king, however, borne aloft by insolent joy and long burning with desire to seize Phaenicha, a most timely muniment, did not depart before the part of the walls that had been shaken was most firmly repaired, and, aliments amply stored, he stationed there armed men distinguished by lineage and illustrious in the arts of war. For he feared—what in fact occurred—lest the Romans, hardly bearing the loss of their vast camps, should gird themselves with great forces to besiege the same.

17 Latius se proinde iactans additaque spe quicquid adgredi posset adipiscendi, interceptis castellis aliis vilioribus Virtam adoriri disposuit, munimentum valde vetustum, ut aedificatum a Macedone credatur Alexandro, in extremo quidem Mesopotamiae situm, sed muris velut sinuosis circumdatum et cornutis instructioneque varia inaccessum.

17 Accordingly spreading himself more widely, and with the added hope of acquiring whatever he might attack, after certain other lesser forts had been intercepted he resolved to assault Virta, a very ancient fortification, believed to have been built by Alexander the Macedonian, situated indeed at the extremity of Mesopotamia, but surrounded with, as it were, sinuous and horned walls, and made inaccessible by varied construction.

18 Quod cum omni arte temptaret, nunc promissis defensores alliciens, nunc poenas cruciabiles minitans, aliquotiens struere aggeres parans obsidionalesque admovens machinas, multis acceptis vulneribus quam inlatis, omisso vano incepto tandem abscessit.

18 When he was attempting this with every art, now enticing the defenders with promises, now threatening cruciable punishments, several times preparing to build ramparts and bringing up siege machines, having received many more wounds than he inflicted, the vain undertaking abandoned, at last he withdrew.

Iulianus Aug. per litteras Constantium A. de re Lutetiae gesta certiorem facit.

Julian Augustus, by letters, makes Constantius Augustus aware concerning the affair carried out at Lutetia.

[8]

1 Haec eo anno inter Tigrim gesta sunt et Euphratem. Quae cum frequentibus nuntiis didicisset Constantius, metuens expeditiones Parthicas, hiemem apud Constantinopolim agens inpensiore cura limitem instruebat eoum omni apparatu bellorum. Arma quoque et tirocinia cogens legionesque augens iuventutis validae supplementis, quarum statariae pugnae per orientales saepius eminuere procinctus, auxilia super his Scytharum poscebat mercede vel gratia, ut adulto vere profectus e Thraciis loca suspecta protinus occuparet.

1 These things in that year were done between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Which, when Constantius had learned by frequent messengers, fearing Parthian expeditions, spending the winter at Constantinople, with more earnest care he was furnishing the eastern frontier with all the apparatus of wars. Also collecting arms and recruitments and augmenting the legions with reinforcements of sturdy youth, whose set-piece battles have more often stood out through the eastern battle-array, he was demanding auxiliaries of the Scythians in addition to these, for pay or favor, so that, with spring grown, having set out from Thrace, he might immediately occupy the suspected places.

2 Inter quae Iulianus apud Parisios hibernis locatis, summa coeptorum quorsum evaderet pertimescens, erat anxius, nusquam adsensurum Constantium factis multa volvendo considerans, apud quem sordebat ut infimus et contemptus.

2 Meanwhile Julian, with the winter quarters placed at Paris, greatly fearing to what the sum of his undertakings would turn out, was anxious, pondering many things and considering that Constantius would nowhere give assent to his deeds, in whose eyes he was soiled as the lowest and despised.

3 Circumspectis itaque trepidis rerum novarum exordiis legatos ad eum mittere statuit gesta docturos eisque concinentes litteras dedit, quid actum sit quidve fieri oporteat deinceps monens apertius et demonstrans.

3 Accordingly, the anxious beginnings of the new measures having been considered, he decided to send legates to him to make known the deeds, and he gave them letters consonant therewith, more openly admonishing and demonstrating what had been done and what ought to be done thereafter.

4 Quamquam eum haec dudum conperisse opinabatur relatu Decentii olim reversi et cubiculariorum recens de Galliis regressorum, qui ad Caesaream aliqua portavere sollemnia. Et quamquam non repugnanter, tamen nec adrogantibus verbis quicquam scripsit ne videretur subito redundasse. Erat autem litterarum sensus huius modi:

4 Although he supposed that he had long since learned these matters by the report of Decentius, who had formerly returned, and of the chamberlains recently returned from Gaul, who had conveyed certain customary solemnities to Caesarea. And although not in a spirit of resistance, nevertheless he wrote nothing in arrogant words, lest he seem to have suddenly overflowed. But the sense of the letter was of this kind:

5 "Ego quidem propositi mei fidem non minus moribus quam foederum pacto, quoad fuit, umum semper atque idem sentiens conservavi, ut effectu multiplici claruit evidenter.

5 "I indeed have preserved the fidelity of my purpose no less by my morals than by the pact of treaties, so long as it stood, always thinking one and the same; as by manifold effect it has clearly become evident.

6 Iamque inde uti me creatum Caesarem pugnarum horrendis fragoribus obiecisti, potestate delata contentus currentium ex voto prosperitatum nuntiis crebris ut apparitor fidus tuas aures implevi, nihil usquam periculis meis adsignans, cum documentis adsiduis constet, diffusis permixtisque passim Germanis in laboribus me semper visum omnium primum, in laborum refectione postremum.

6 And from that time, in that you, once I was created Caesar, thrust me into the horrendous crashes of battles, content with the power delegated, with frequent messages of prosperities proceeding according to vow I, as a faithful apparitor, filled your ears, attributing nothing anywhere to my own dangers, since it is evident by assiduous proofs that, with the Germans spread abroad and everywhere intermingled, in hardships I was always seen first of all, in the refreshment from labors last.

7 Sed bona tua venia dixerim, siquid novatum est nunc, ut existimas: in multis bellis et asperis aetatem sine fructu conterens miles olim deliberatum implevit, fremens secundique inpatiens loci rectorem, cum nullas sibi vices a Caesare diuturni sudoris et victoriarum frequentium rependi posse contemplaretur.

7 But with your good leave I would say, if anything has been innovated now, as you suppose: in many and harsh wars wearing away his lifetime without fruit, a soldier once fulfilled what had been deliberated, roaring and impatient of a second place toward the ruler, when he perceived that no returns for his long-continued sweat and frequent victories could be repaid to him by the Caesar.

8 Cuius iracundiae nec dignitatum augmenta nec annuum merentis stipendium id quoque inopinum accessit, quod ad partis orbis eoi postremas venire iussi homines adsueti glacialibus terris, separandique liberis et coniugibus egentes trahebantur et nudi. Unde solito saevius efferati nocte in unum collecti palatium obsidere, Augustum Iulianum vocibus magnis appellantes et crebris.

8 To whose anger neither augmentations of dignities nor the annual stipend of one deserving availed; to it there was added also the unexpected fact that, having been ordered to come to the farthest parts of the eastern world, men accustomed to glacial lands were being dragged to be separated from their children and wives, destitute and naked. Whence, made more savage than usual, gathered together by night into one body, they set to besiege the palace, calling upon the Augustus Julian with loud and frequent cries.

9 Cohorrui, fateor, et secessi amendatusque dum potui salutem mussatione quaeritabam et latebris. Cumque nullae darentur indutiae, libero pectoris muro, ut ita dixerim, saeptus, progressus ante conspectum omnium steti, molliri posse tumultum auctoritate ratus vel sermonibus blandis.

9 I shuddered, I confess, and withdrew; and, having composed myself, while I could I kept seeking safety by secrecy and hiding-places. And since no truces were being granted, fenced, so to speak, by the free wall of my breast, I advanced and stood before the gaze of all, thinking that the tumult could be softened by authority or by bland speeches.

10 Exarsere mirum in modum, eo usque provecti, ut, quoniam precibus vincere pertinaciam conabar, instanter mortem contiguis adsultibus intentarent. Victus denique mecumque ipse contestans, quod alter confosso me forsitan libens declarabitur princeps, adsensus sum, vim lenire sperans armatam.

10 They blazed up in a wondrous manner, carried so far that, since I was trying to overcome their pertinacity by entreaties, they urgently threatened death by assaults at close quarters. At last, overcome, and calling myself to witness that, with me run through, another would perhaps gladly be proclaimed emperor, I assented, hoping to soften the armed violence.

11 Gestorum hic textus est, quem mente quaeso accipito placida. Nec actum quicquam secus existimes, vel susurrantes perniciosa malignos admittas, ad conpendia sua excitare secessiones principum adsuetos ; sed adulatione vitiorum altrice depulsa, excellentissimam virtutum omnium adverte iustitiam, et condicionum aequitatem, quam propono, bona fide suscipito, cum animo disputans haec statui Romano prodesse, nobisque, qui caritate sanguinis et fortunae superioris culmine sociamur.

11 Here is the text of the deeds, which I beg you to receive with a placid mind. Nor think that anything has been done otherwise, or admit malign whisperers of pernicious things, accustomed to stir up the secessions of princes for their own profits ; but, flattery—the nurse of vices—driven away, turn your attention to Justice, the most excellent of all virtues, and to the equity of conditions, which I propose; take it up in good faith, debating within your mind that these things profit the Roman State, and us, who are united by the charity of blood and by the summit of superior fortune.

12 Ignosce enim: quae cum ratione poscuntur, non tam fieri cupio, quam a te utilia probari et recta, avide tua praecepta deinde quoque suscepturus.

12 Forgive, indeed: those things which are requested with reason I do not so much desire to be done as to be approved by you as useful and right, eagerly thereafter also about to receive your precepts.

13 Quae necesse sit fieri in conpendium redigam breve. Equos praebebo currules Hispanos et miscendos Gentilibus atque Scutariis adulescentes Laetos quosdam, cis Rhenum editam barbarorum progeniem, vel certe ex dediticiis qui ad nostra desciscunt. Et haec ad usque exitum vitae me spondeo non modo grato animo, verum cupido quoque facturum.

13 What must be done I will reduce into a brief compendium. I will provide Spanish chariot-horses, and certain Laeti adolescent youths to be mingled with the Gentiles and the Scutarii, a progeny of barbarians bred on this side of the Rhine, or at least from the dediticii who defect to our side. And I pledge that, right up to the end of life, I will do these things not only with a grateful spirit but with eagerness as well.

14 Praefectos praetorio aequitate et meritis notos tua nobis dabit clementia, residuos ordinarios iudices militiaeque moderatores promovendos arbitrio meo concedi est consentaneum itidemque stipatores. Stultum est enim, cum ante caveri possit ne fiat, eos ad latus imperatoris adscisci, quorum mores ignorantur et voluntates.

14 Your clemency will give to us praetorian prefects known for equity and merits; it is consistent that the remaining ordinary judges and the moderators of the soldiery to be promoted be conceded to my discretion, and likewise the bodyguards. For it is foolish, since it can be guarded against beforehand lest it happen, to enroll at the emperor’s side those whose character and volitions are unknown.

15 Hoc sane sine ulla dubitatione firmaverim: tirones ad peregrina et longinqua Galli mittere, diuturna perturbatione casibusque vexati gravissimis, nec sponte sua poterunt nec coacti, ne consumpta penitus iuventute, ut adfliguntur praeterita recordantes, ita desperatione pereant inpendentium.

15 I will indeed affirm this without any doubt: the Gauls, long distressed by perturbation and vexed by the gravest misfortunes, will be able neither of their own accord nor when compelled to send recruits to foreign and far-remote regions, lest, with their youth utterly consumed, as they are afflicted when recalling things past, so they should perish by despair of things impending.

16 Nec Parthicis gentibus opponenda auxilia hinc acciri conveniet, cum adhuc nec barbarici sint impetus interclusi et, si dici quod verum est pateris, hae provinciae malis iactatae continuis externis indigeant adiumentis et fortibus.

16 Nor will it be appropriate to summon from here auxiliaries to be set against the Parthian peoples, since as yet the barbarian assaults have not been shut off, and, if you allow what is true to be said, these provinces, tossed by continual ills, are in need of external and stout assistance.

17 Haec hortando, ut aestimo, salutariter scripsi poscens et rogans. Scio enim, scio, nequid sublatius dicam cum imperio congruens, quas rerum acerbitates iam conclamatas et perditas concordia vicissim sibi cedentium principum meliorem revocavit in statum, cum appareat maiorum exemplo nostrorum moderatores haec et similia cogitantes, fortunate beateque vivendi reperire quodam modo viam, et ultimo tempori posteritatique iucundam sui memoriam commendare".

17 These things, by exhorting, as I judge, I have written salutarily, demanding and requesting. For I know, I know—lest I say anything too sublime, congruent with authority—what severities of affairs, already loudly given up and lost, the concord of princes yielding to one another in turn has recalled to a better state, since it appears by the example of our ancestors that governors, thinking on these and similar things, find in some way the road to live fortunately and blessedly, and commend to the latest time and to posterity a pleasant memory of themselves".

18 His litteris iunctas secretiores alias Constantio offerendas clanculo misit obiurgatorias et mordaces, quarum seriem nec scrutari licuit nec, si licuisset, proferre decebat in publicum.

18 Along with these letters he secretly sent other, more secret ones to be offered to Constantius, objurgatory and mordacious, the series of which it was not permitted to scrutinize, nor, if it had been permitted, would it have been seemly to bring forth into the public.

19 Ad id munus inplendum electi viri sunt gravis Pentadius officiorum magister, et Eutherius cubiculi tunc praepositus, post oblatas litteras relaturi nullo suppresso quae viderunt et super ordine futurorum fidenter acturi.

19 For the fulfilling of that office men were chosen: the grave Pentadius, master of the offices, and Eutherius, then praepositus of the bedchamber, who, after the letters had been presented, were to report, with nothing suppressed, what they had seen, and were to act confidently concerning the order of things to come.

20 Auxerat inter haec coeptorum invidiam Florenti fuga praefecti, qui velut praesagiens concitandos motus ob militem, ut sermone tenus iactabatur, accitum, consulto discesserat Viennam, alimentariae rei gratia divelli causatus a Caesare, quem saepe tractatum asperius formidabat.

20 Meanwhile the ill-will of the undertakings had been increased by the flight of Florentius the prefect, who, as though foreknowing that commotions would be stirred up on account of the soldiery called up, as was bruited in mere talk, had by design withdrawn to Vienne, alleging that for the sake of the alimentary matter he was being detached from the Caesar, whom he dreaded, having often been handled rather harshly.

21 Dein cum conperisset eum ad augustum culmen evectum, exigua ac prope nulla vivendi spe versus in metum, ut longe disiunctus, malis se, quae suspicabatur, exemit et necessitudine omni relicta digressus venit ad Constantium itineribus lentis, utque se nulli obnoxium culpae monstraret, Iulianum ut perduellem multis criminibus adpetebat.

21 Then, when he had learned that he had been carried up to the august summit, with slight and almost no hope of living, turned to fear, as one far distant he removed himself from the evils which he suspected, and, every tie of obligation left behind, having departed he came to Constantius by slow journeys; and, to show himself liable to no blame, he assailed Julian as a public enemy with many charges.

22 Cuius post abitum bene Iulianus cogitans et prudenter, scirique volens quod praesenti quoque pepercisset, caritates eius cum re familiari intacta, publici cursus usu permisso, ad orientem redire tutius inperavit.

22 After his departure, Julian, thinking well and prudently, and wishing it to be known that he would have spared him even if he had been present, ordered that his dear ones, with his household property untouched, with permission to use the public post, should return more safely to the Orient.

Constantius A. Iulianum Caesaris nomine contentus esse iubet, legionibus Gallicanis uno animo constanter repugnantibus.

Constantius Augustus orders Julian to be content with the name of Caesar, the Gallic legions resisting steadfastly with one mind.

[9]

1 Nec minore studio secuti legati haec secum ferentes, quae praediximus, intentique ad viandum cum venirent ad iudices celsiores, oblique tenebantur, morasque per Italiam et Illyricum perpessi diuturnas et graves, tandem transfretati per Bosporum itineribusque lentis progressi, apud Caesaream Cappadociae etiam tum degentem invenere Constantium, Mazacam antehac nominatam, oportunam urbem et celebrem sub Argaei montis pedibus sitam.

1 Not with lesser zeal
the legates followed, bearing with them the things which we have aforesaid, and intent upon
travelling; when they came to the more exalted judges, they were detained by devious means, and, having suffered delays
long and grievous through Italy and Illyricum, at last,
having crossed the Bosporus and advanced with slow marches, at Caesarea
of Cappadocia they found Constantius still then residing—Mazaca formerly
named—a convenient and celebrated city set at the feet of Mount Argaeus.

2 Qui intromissi data potestate offerunt scripta hisque recitatis ultra modum solitae indignationis excanduit imperator, limibusque oculis eos ad usque metum contuens mortis, egredi iussit, nihil post haec percontatus vel audire perpessus.

2 They, admitted and with permission given, offered the writings; and when these had been recited, the emperor blazed out beyond the measure of his accustomed indignation, and, fixing them with his eyes even to the fear of death, ordered them to go out, having after this asked nothing nor suffered anything to be heard.

3 Perculsus tamen ardenter cunctatione stringebatur ambigua, utrum in Persas an contra Iulianum moveri iuberet acies quibus fidebat, haesitansque diu perpensis consiliis flexus est quorundam sententia utilium suasorum, et iter orientem versus edixit.

3 Yet, smitten and intensely pressed by ambiguous hesitation, whether he should order the battle-lines in which he trusted to be moved against the Persians or against Julian, and long hesitating with counsels weighed, he was swayed by the opinion of certain useful advisers, and he proclaimed a march toward the Orient.

4 Statim tamen et legatos absolvit et Leonam quaestorem suum in Gallias cum litteris datis ad Iulianum pergere celeri statuit gradu, nihil novatorum se adserens suscepisse, et eum, si saluti suae proximorumque consulit, tumenti flatu deposito intra Caesaris se potestatem continere praecipiens.

4 Immediately, however, he also released the envoys and resolved that Leonas, his quaestor, should proceed into the Gauls at a swift pace with letters delivered to Julian, asserting that he had undertaken nothing in the way of innovations, and enjoining him, if he consults for his own safety and that of his nearest, with the swelling puff laid aside, to keep himself within the authority of the Caesar.

5 Utque id facile formido intentatorum efficeret, velut magnis viribus fretus in locum Florentii praefectum praetorio Nebridium tum quaestorem eiusdem Caesaris promoverat, et Felicem notarium officiorum magistrum et quosdam alios. Gumoarium enim successorem Lupicini antequam sciretur huius modi quicquam magistrum provexit armorum.

5 And so that fear might easily deter would‑be attemptors, as if relying on great forces, he had promoted Nebridius, then quaestor of that same Caesar, to the place of Florentius as praetorian prefect, and Felix, a notary, to master of the offices, and certain others. For he advanced Gumoarius, the successor of Lupicinus, before anything of this sort was known, to master of arms.

6 Ingressus itaque Parisios Leonas susceptus ut honoratus et prudens, postridie principi progresso in campum cum multitudine armata pariter et plebeia, quam de industria convocarat, e tribunali, ut emineret altius, superstanti, scripta iubetur offerre. Replicatoque volumine edicti, quod missum est, et legi ab exordio coepto, cum ventum fuisset ad locum id continentem, quod gesta omnia Constantius inprobans Caesaris potestatem sufficere Iuliano censebat, exclamabatur undique vocum terribilium sonu. 7. "Auguste Iuliane, ut provincialis et miles et rei publicae decrevit auctoritas recreatae quidem, sed adhuc metuentis redivivos barbarorum excursus".

6 Thus, having entered Paris, Leonas, received as honored and prudent, on the next day, when the prince had gone forth into the field with a multitude both armed and plebeian, which he had intentionally convoked, as he stood upon the tribunal, so that he might stand higher, is ordered to present the writings. And the volume of the edict, which had been sent, having been unfolded, and the reading having been begun from the exordium, when it had come to the passage containing this—that Constantius, disapproving all the acts, judged that the power of a Caesar sufficed for Julian—there was shouting from every side with the sound of terrible voices. 7. "August Julian, as the provincial and the soldier and the authority of the commonwealth—revived indeed, yet still fearing the renewed incursions of the barbarians—has decreed."

8 Quibus auditis Leonas cum Iuliani litteris haec eadem indicantibus revertit incolumis, solusque admissus est ad praefecturam Nebridius. Id enim Caesar quoque scribens ex sententia sua fore aperte praedixit. Magistrum enim officiorum iam pridem ipse Anatolium ordinavit, libellis antea respondentem, et quosdam alios ut sibi utile videbatur et tutum.

8 When these things were heard, Leonas returned unharmed with Julian’s letters indicating these same matters, and Nebridius alone was admitted to the prefecture. For the Caesar too, in writing, had openly foretold that this would be in accordance with his own judgment. For he himself long since appointed Anatolius as Master of the Offices, who had previously been replying to petitions (libelli), and certain others, as seemed to him useful and safe.

9 Et quoniam cum haec ita procederent, timebatur Lupicinus licet absens agensque etiam tum apud Brittannos, homo superbae mentis et turgidae, eratque suspicio quod, si haec trans mare didicisset, novarum rerum materias excitaret, notarius Bononiam mittitur observaturus sollicite, ne quisquam fretum oceani transire permitteretur. Quo vetito reversus Lupicinus, antequam horum quicquam sciret, nullas ciere potuit turbas.

9 And since, while these things were proceeding thus, Lupicinus was feared—though absent and even then acting among the Britons—a man of a proud and turgid mind, and there was a suspicion that, if he learned these things across the sea, he would stir up materials for revolution, a notary is sent to Bononia to keep careful watch, lest anyone be permitted to cross the strait of the Ocean. With this interdicted, Lupicinus, having returned, before he knew anything of these matters, could stir up no tumults.

Iulianus Aug. Francos cognomine Attuarios trans Rhenum inopinantes aggressus, post plurimos partim captos, partim occisos, ceteris pacem petentibus dedit.

Julian Augustus, having attacked the Franks called the Attuarii across the Rhine unexpecting, after very many were partly captured and partly killed, granted peace to the rest who were seeking it.

[10]

1 Iulianus tamen iam celsiore fortuna militisque fiducia laetior, ne intepesceret neve ut remissus argueretur et deses, legatis ad Constantium missis in limitem Germaniae secundae egressus est, omnique apparatu, quem flagitabat instans negotium, communitus Tricensimae oppido propinquabat.

1 Julian, however, now with loftier fortune and happier in the confidence of the soldiery, lest he grow lukewarm and be accused as remiss and idle, after envoys had been sent to Constantius went out to the frontier of Second Germany, and, furnished with all the apparatus which the pressing business demanded, was approaching the town of Tricensima.

2 Rheno exinde transmisso regionem subito pervasit Francorum, quos Atthuarios vocant, inquietorum hominum licentius etiam tum percursantium extima Galliarum. Quos adortus subito nihil metuentes hostile nimiumque securos, quod scruposa viarum difficultate arcente nullum ad suos pagos introisse meminerant principem, superavit negotio levi: captisque plurimis et occisis, orantibus aliis qui superfuere, pacem ex arbitrio dedit, hoc prodesse possessoribus finitimis arbitratus.

2 With the Rhine then crossed, he suddenly pervaded the region of the Franks, whom they call the Atthuarii, men of unrest who even then with greater license were scouring the farthest parts of the Gauls. These, assailing them suddenly, fearing nothing hostile and overly secure—because, the stony difficulty of the roads barring it, they remembered no commander had entered their own cantons—he overcame with slight effort: and, very many having been captured and slain, while the others who survived were begging, he granted peace at his discretion, judging this to profit the neighboring possessors.

3 Unde reversus pari celeritate per flumen, praesidiaque limitis explorans diligenter et corrigens, ad usque Rauracos venit, locisque recuperatis, quae olim barbari intercepta retinebant ut propria, isdemque pleniore cura firmatis per Besantionem Viennam hiematurus abscessit.

3 Whence, having returned with equal celerity by the river, and diligently reconnoitering and correcting the garrisons of the frontier, he came as far as the Rauraci, and the places recovered, which once the barbarians, having intercepted them, were holding as their own, and these same being strengthened with fuller care, he departed through Besançon to Vienne, intending to winter.

Constantius A. Bezabden omnibus copiis oppugnat, ac re infecta discedit; et de arcu caelesti.

Constantius Augustus attacks Bezabde with all his forces, and withdraws with the matter unaccomplished; and on the rainbow.

[11]

1 Hic per Gallias erat ordo gestorum. Quae dum ita prospere succedunt et caute, Constantius adcitum Arsacen Armeniae regem summaque liberalitate susceptum praemonebat et hortabatur, ut nobis amicus esse perseveraret et fidus.

1 Such was the order of events in Gaul. And while these things were thus succeeding prosperously and cautiously, Constantius, having summoned Arsaces, king of Armenia, and received him with the highest liberality, admonished and exhorted him to persevere in being a friend to us and faithful.

2 Audiebat enim saepius eum temptatum a rege Persarum fallaciis et minis et dolis, ut Romanorum societate posthabita suis rationibus stringeretur.

2 For he quite often heard that he had been tempted by the king of the Persians with deceits, menaces, and wiles, so that, the society of the Romans being put after, he might be constrained by his (the king’s) interests.

3 Qui crebro adiurans animam prius posse amittere quam sententiam, muneratus cum comitibus, quos duxerat, redit ad regnum nihil ausus temerare postea promissorum, obligatus gratiarum multiplici nexu Constantio, inter quas illud potius excellebat quod Olympiada, Ablabi filiam praefecti quondam praetorio, ei copulaverat coniugem, sponsam fratris sui Constantis.

3 who, repeatedly swearing that he could sooner lose his life than his resolve, having been rewarded together with the companions whom he had led, returned to his kingdom, thereafter daring to violate nothing of his promises, bound to Constantius by a manifold bond of favors, among which that one especially excelled, that he had joined to him as wife Olympias, daughter of Ablabius, formerly prefect of the praetorium, the betrothed of his brother Constans.

4 Quo dimisso a Cappadocia ipse per Melitenam, minoris Armeniae oppidum, et Lacotena et Samosata transito Euphrate Edessam venit, ibique dum agmina undique convenientium militum et dei cibariae abundantes copias operitur, diu moratus post aequinoctium egreditur autumnale Amidam petens.

4 With him dismissed from Cappadocia, he himself, through Melitene, a town of Lesser Armenia, and Lacotena and Samosata, the Euphrates having been crossed, came to Edessa; and there, while he waits for the ranks of soldiers assembling from all sides and abundant supplies of provisions, having tarried long, after the autumnal equinox he sets out, making for Amida.

5 Cuius cum prope venisset moenia, favillis oppleta collustrans flebat cum gemitu, reputans qualis miseranda civitas pertulerat clades. Ibi tunc forte Ursulus praesens, qui aerarium tuebatur, dolore percitus exclamavit "en quibus animis urbes a milite defenduntur, cui ut abundare stipendium possit imperii opes iam fatiscunt!". Quod dictum ita amarum militaris multitudo postea apud Chalcedona recordata ad eius exitium consurrexit.

5 When he had come near its walls, surveying it, choked with embers,
he wept with a groan, reckoning what calamities the pitiable city
had endured. There then by chance Ursulus was present, who was guarding the treasury;
smitten with grief he cried out: "See with what spirits cities are defended by the soldiery,
for whom, so that the stipend may abound, the resources of the empire are already
giving way!" That utterance, so bitter, the military multitude later, recalling it at Chalcedon,
rose up to his destruction.

6 Exinde cuneis confertis incedens cum Bezabden adventaret, fixis tentoriis, vallo fossarumque altitudine circumsaeptis, obequitans castrorum ambitum longius, docebatur relatione multorum instaurata esse firmius loca, quae antehac incuria corruperat vetustatis.

6 From there, advancing in close-packed wedges, as he was approaching Bezabde, the tents having been pitched and, with a rampart and the depth of ditches set around, riding farther about the perimeter of the camp, he was informed by the report of many that the positions had been more firmly restored, which previously the neglect of age had corrupted.

7 Et nequid omitteret, quod ante fervorem certaminum erat necessario praestruendum, viris prudentibus missis condicione posita dupla urgebat moenium defensores redire ad suos, alienis sine cruore concessis, aut in dicionem venire Romanam dignitatibus augendos et praemiis. Atque cum illi destinatione nativa reniterentur ut clarentes periculisque et laboribus iam cuncta obsidioni congrua parabantur.

7 And, so as to omit nothing that had to be necessarily prearranged before the heat of the combats, with prudent men sent and a double condition set forth, he pressed the defenders of the walls either to return to their own people, conceding to others, without bloodshed, what was not theirs, or to come into Roman dominion, to be increased with dignities and rewards. And when they resisted with inborn determination, as they were becoming distinguished through dangers and labors, now all things suitable for a siege were being prepared.

8 Densis itaque ordinibus cum tubarum incitamentis latera oppidi cuncta adortus alacris miles, legionibus in testudines varias conglobatis, paulatim tuto progrediens subruere moenia conabatur, et quia telorum omne genus in subeuntes effundebatur, nexu clypeorum soluto discessum est, in receptum canentibus signis.

8 Therefore, with dense ranks and at the incitements of the trumpets, the eager soldiery, having assailed all the flanks of the town, with the legions massed into various testudo-formations, as they advanced gradually and safely, tried to undermine the walls; and because every kind of missile was being poured out upon those coming up, when the interlacing of the shields was loosened, there was a withdrawal into cover, the signals sounding for recall.

9 Laxatis deinde ad diem unum indutiis, tertia luce curiosius tecti, elatis passim clamoribus ascensus undique temptabant. Et licet defensoribus obtentis ciliciis ne conspicerentur ab hostibus latebant intrinsecus, tamen, quotiens flagitabat necessitas, lacertos fortiter exsertantes lapidibus subiectos incessebant et telis.

9 Then, after a truce had been granted for one day, at the third dawn, more carefully covered, with clamors raised everywhere, they were attempting ascents from every side. And although the defenders, with cilicia (haircloth screens) held before them so that they might not be seen by the enemies, were hiding within, nevertheless, whenever necessity demanded, stoutly thrusting out their upper arms, they assailed those beneath with stones and missiles.

10 Et vimineae crates cum procederent confidenter essentque parietibus contiguae, dolia desuper cadebant, molae et columnarum fragmenta, quorum ponderibus nimiis obruebantur oppugnatores, hiatuque violento disiectis operimentis cum periculis ultimis evadebant.

10 And when the wicker hurdles were advancing confidently and were contiguous to the walls, casks were falling from above, millstones and fragments of columns, by the excessive weights of which the assailants were overwhelmed, and, the coverings torn apart by a violent yawning, they escaped with ultimate dangers.

11 Decimo itaque postquam pugnari coeptum est die, cum spes nostrorum interiora cuncta maerore conpleret, transferri placuerat molem arietis magnam, quam Persae quondam Antiochia pulsibus eius excisa relatam reliquerant apud Carras, quae subito visa aptataque faberrime, clausorum hebetaverat mentes ad usque deditionis remedia paene prolapsas, ni resumptis viribus opponenda minaci machinae praeparassent.

11 Therefore on the tenth day after fighting had begun, as the prospects of our men filled all within with mourning, it had been resolved to transfer the mass of a great battering-ram, which the Persians, when Antioch had once been cut down by its blows, had carried back and left at Carrhae; and this, suddenly seen and most skillfully fitted, had dulled the minds of the shut-in, almost slipping to the expedients of surrender, if they had not, with strength resumed, prepared things to be set in opposition to the menacing machine.

12 Nec temeritas post haec cessaverat nec consilium. Namque dum instrueretur aries vetustus et dissolutus, ut facile veheretur omni arte. Omnique virium nisu, et oppugnatorum vineae firmitudine summa defensabatur, tormenta nihilo minus et lapidum crebritas atque fundarum ex utraque parte plurimos consumebant, et aggerum moles incrementis celeribus consurgebant, acriorque in dies adulescebat obsidio, multis nostrorum idcirco cadentibus, quod decernentes sub imperatoris conspectu, spe praemiorum, ut possint facile qui essent agnosci, nudantes galeis capita, sagittariorum hostilium peritia fundebantur.

12 Nor had temerity after these things ceased, nor counsel. For while the battering-ram, old and loosened, was being fitted out, so that it might be easily conveyed by every art, and with every effort of strength, and by the utmost firmness of the attackers’ vineae it was being defended, nonetheless the engines and the frequency of stones and of slings from both sides were consuming very many, and the masses of the ramparts were rising with swift increments, and the siege grew keener by the day, many of our men therefore falling, because, fighting under the emperor’s gaze, in hope of rewards, in order that it might be easy to recognize who they were, baring their heads of helmets, they were being shot down by the skill of the enemy archers.

13 Proin dies et noctes intentae vigiliis cautiores stantes utrubique faciebant. Et Persae aggerum altitudine iam in sublime porrecta, machinaeque ingentis horrore perculsi, quam minores quoque sequebantur, omnes exurere vi maxima nitebantur, et assidue malleolos atque incendiaria tela torquentes, laborabant in cassum, ea re quod umectis coriis et centonibus erant opertae materiae plures, aliae unctae alumine diligenter, ut ignis in eas laberetur innoxius.

13 Therefore days and nights, intent on watches, made those standing on both sides more cautious. And the Persians, overwhelmed by the altitude of the embankments now stretched aloft, and by the horror of the huge machine, which lesser ones also followed, strove with the greatest force to burn them all up, and, continually hurling fire-darts and incendiary missiles, they toiled in vain, for the reason that many of the structures were covered with wetted hides and patchwork fire-blankets, others carefully anointed with alum, so that the fire would slide off them harmless.

14 Verum has admoventes fortitudine magna, Romani licet difficile defensabant, tamen cupiditate potiundi oppidi ne prompta quidem pericula non contemnebant.

14 But as they were bringing these up, although the Romans, with great fortitude, were defending—albeit with difficulty—yet, in their cupidity of obtaining possession of the town, they did not disdain even ready dangers.

15 Et contra propugnatores cum iam discussurus turrim oppositam aries maximus adventaret, prominentem eius ferream frontem, quae re vera formam effingit arietis, arte subtili illaqueatam altrinsecus, laciniis retinuere longissimis, ne retrogradiens resumeret vires, neve ferire muros assultibus densis contemplabiliter posset, fundentes quoque ferventissimam picem. Et diu promotae machinae stabant, muralia saxa perferentes et tela.

15 And, on the contrary, the defenders, when the greatest battering-ram was now coming up to shatter the opposing tower, ensnared on both sides, by subtle art, its projecting iron front—which in truth fashions the form of a ram—with very long strips, and held it fast, lest, retreating backward, it should recover its force, and lest it could strike the walls with dense assaults to conspicuous effect, while also pouring out the hottest pitch. And for a long time the machines, brought forward, stood, enduring wall-stones and missiles.

16 Iamque aggeribus cumulatius excitatis, defensores, ni vigilassent, exitium affore iam sperantes, in audaciam ruere praecipitem, et repentino decursu, portis effusi, primosque adorti nostrorum, faces sitellasque ferreas onustas ignibus in arietes magnis viribus iaciebant.

16 And now, with the ramparts raised more cumulatively, the defenders—if they had not kept watch, already hoping that destruction was at hand—rush headlong into audacity, and in a sudden sortie, poured out through the gates, and attacking the foremost of our men, they were hurling torches and little iron buckets loaded with fire upon the battering-rams with great force.

17 Verum post ambiguam proelii varietatem, plurimi nullo impetrato intra moenia repelluntur: moxque ex aggeribus quos erexerunt Romani, idem Persae propugnaculis insistentes, sagittis incessebantur, et fundis telisque igniferis, quae per tegumenta turrium volitantia, paratis qui restinguerent, plerumque irrita labebantur.

17 But after the uncertain vicissitudes of the battle, very many, having obtained nothing, were driven back within the walls; and soon, from the ramparts which the Romans had erected, these same Persians, standing upon their battlements, were harried with arrows, and with slings and fire‑bearing missiles, which, flitting past the coverings of the towers, with men prepared to extinguish them, for the most part slipped away ineffectual.

18 Cumque pauciores utrubique fierent bellatores, et Persae truderentur ad ultima ni potior ratio succurrisset, impensiore opera procursus temptabatur ex castris, et eruptione subita multitudinis facta, inter armatos qui portabant ignes amplioribus ordinatis, iaciebantur corbes in materias ferreae, plenae flammarum, et sarmenta aliaque ad ignes concipiendos aptissima.

18 And as the warriors on both sides were becoming fewer, and the Persians were being shoved to the last extremities, had not a superior plan come to the rescue, with more intensive effort a forward rush was attempted from the camp; and, a sudden sally of the multitude having been made, with broader ranks drawn up among the armed men who were carrying fires, iron baskets, full of flames, were hurled onto the timbers, and brushwood and other things most apt for kindling fires.

19 Et quia conspectum abstulerant fumi nigerrimae nubes, classico excitante in pugnam, legiones procinctae celeri gradu venerunt, et subcrescente paulatim ardore bellandi, cum ventum fuisset ad manus, repente machinae omnes effusis ignibus urebantur praeter maiorem, quam diruptis restibus quibus e muro iactis implicabatur, virorum fortium acrior nisus aegre semustam extraxit.

19 And because the very black clouds of smoke had taken away sight, with the clarion summoning to battle, the legions, in full battle-array, came at a swift pace; and as the ardor of fighting was gradually swelling, when it had come to hand-to-hand combat, suddenly all the machines were being burned by fires poured out, except the larger one, which—the ropes by which it was being entangled, hurled from the wall, having been torn apart—the keener effort of brave men with difficulty drew out half-burned.

20 At ubi nocturnae tenebrae finem proeliis attulerunt, non in longum militi quies data. Cibo enim exiguo refectus et somno, rectorum monitu excitus, munitiones a muro longe demovit, dimicare succinctius parans per sublimes aggestus, qui iam consummati muris altius imminebant. Utque facile defensuri moenia pellerentur, in ipsis aggerum summitatibus binae sunt locatae ballistae, quarum metu ne prospicere quidem posse hostium quisquam crederetur.

20 But when the darkness of night brought an end to the battles, rest was not given to the soldiery for long. For, refreshed by scant food and sleep, and roused at the admonition of their commanders, they moved the entrenchments far from the wall, preparing to fight more nimbly by means of lofty embankments, which, now completed, loomed higher than the walls. And, so that the defenders of the walls might be easily driven back, on the very crests of the mounds pairs of ballistae were positioned, at the fear of which it was believed that not even any of the enemy could so much as look out.

21 His satis provisis, prope ipsum crepusculum triplex acies nostrorum instructa, conisque galearum minacius nutans, scalas vehentibus multis, impetum conabatur in muros. Iamque resultantibus armis et tubis, uno parique ardore hinc indeque pugnabatur audaci conflictu, latiusque sese pandente manu Romana, cum Persas occultari viderent, pavore impositorum aggeribus tormentorum, pulsabant turrim ariete, et cum ligonibus et dolabris et vectibus scalae quoque propinquabant utrimque convolante missilium crebritate.

21 With these things sufficiently provided for, near the very twilight a triple battle line of our men, drawn up and with the crests of their helmets nodding more menacingly, many carrying ladders, attempted an assault upon the walls. And now, with arms and trumpets resounding, on both sides alike there was fighting with one and the same ardor in an audacious conflict; and as the Roman force spread itself more widely, when they saw the Persians hiding themselves, from fear of the engines set upon the embankments, they battered the tower with a ram, and with mattocks, pickaxes, and crowbars they were also bringing up the ladders, while on both sides the thick flight of missiles was whirling.

22 Afflictabant tamen multo vehementius Persas ictus varii ballistarum, tamquam per transennam a clivis structilibus decurrentes. Unde fortunas suas sitas in extremo iam cogitantes, destinatam ruebant in mortem, et partiti munera dimicandi inter necessitatis articulos, relictis qui moenia tuerentur, reserata latenter postica, strictis gladiis valida manus erupit, pone sequentibus aliis, qui flammas occulte portabant.

22 Nevertheless the Persians were being afflicted far more vehemently by the various blows of the ballistae, as if, from the constructed slopes, they were coursing down through a lattice. Whence, now thinking their fortunes placed at the utmost extremity, they were rushing headlong into the death destined; and, having apportioned the duties of fighting amid the critical straits of necessity, leaving behind those who would guard the walls, with the postern secretly unbarred, a strong band burst out with swords drawn, others following behind who were covertly carrying flames.

23 Dumque Romani nunc instant cedentibus, nunc ultro incessentes excipiunt, qui vehebant foculos repentes incurvi, prunas unius aggesti inseruere iuncturis ramis arborum diversarum, et iunco et manipulis constructi cannarum: qui conceptis incendiorum aridis nutrimentis, iam cremabantur, militibus cum intactis tormentis exinde periculose digressis.

23 And while the Romans now press upon those giving way, now meet those advancing of their own accord, those who, bent and crawling, were carrying little braziers inserted coals from a single heap into the joints of a structure made with branches of various trees, and constructed of rush and bundles of canes: which, once the dry nutriments of fires had been conceived, were already burning, the soldiers having from there withdrawn perilously, with the engines left untouched.

24 Ut vero certaminibus finem vespera dedit incedens, partesque discesserunt ad otium breve, imperator in varia sese consilia diducens et versans, cum excidio Phaenichae diutius imminere, necessariae rationes urgerent, quod munimentum velut insolubile claustrum, hostium excursibus erat obiectum, et serum repelleret tempus: certaturus leviter ibi statuit immorari, alimentis destituendos forsitan cedere existimans Persas. Quod secus atque rebatur evenit.

24 But when evening, advancing, gave an end to the contests, and the parties withdrew to brief repose, the emperor, dividing and turning himself in various counsels, since necessary reasons urged that he should press longer upon the destruction of Phaenicha—for the muniment, like an indissoluble bolt, was set against the enemy’s excursions and was deferring matters to too late a time—decided to tarry there only a little, thinking that the Persians, left destitute of provisions, would perhaps yield. Which turned out otherwise than he supposed.

25 Cum enim remissius pugnaretur, umente caelo undantes nubes cum tenebris advenere minacibus, assiduisque imbribus ita immaduerat solum, ut luti glutinosa mollities, per eas regiones pinguissimi caespitis, omnia perturbaret. Et super his iugi fragore, tonitrua fulguraque mentes hominum pavidas perterrebant.

25 For as the fighting was being carried on more slackly, with the sky moist, undulating clouds came with menacing darkness, and with continual rains the ground had become so soaked that the glutinous softness of mud, in those regions of very rich turf, perturbed everything. And, over and above these, with continual crashing, thunders and lightnings thoroughly terrified the fearful minds of men.

26 Accedebant arcus caelestis conspectus assidui. Quae species unde ita figurari est solita, expositio brevis ostendet. Halitus terrae calidiores et umoris spiramina conglobata in nubes, exindeque disiecta in aspergines parvas, ac radiorum fusione splendida facta, supinantur volubiliter contra ipsum igneum orbem, irimque conformant, ideo spatioso curvamine sinuosam, quod in nostro panditur mundo, quem sphaerae dimidiae parti rationes physicae superponunt.

26 Continuous sightings of the celestial bow were added. A brief exposition will show whence this appearance is wont thus to be figured. The warmer breaths of the earth and the breathings of moisture, conglobated into clouds and then scattered from there into small sprinklings, and made splendid by the fusion of rays, are bent back with a rolling motion toward the fiery orb itself, and they conform the iris (rainbow), therefore sinuous with a spacious curvature, because it is spread out in our world, which physical rationales superpose upon the half of a sphere.

27 Cuius species quantum mortalis oculus contuetur, prima lutea visitur, secunda flavescens vel fulva, punicea tertia, quarta purpurea, postrema caerulo concreta et viridi.

27 Whose appearance, so far as the mortal eye surveys, the first is seen luteous, the second flavescent or fulvous, the third puniceous, the fourth purple, the last composed of cerulean and green.

28 Hac autem mixta pulchritudine temperatur, ideo ut terrenae existimant mentes, quod prima eius pars dilutior cernitur, aeri concolor circumfuso, sequens fulva, id est paulo excitatior quam lutea, punicea tertia, quod solis obnoxia claritudini, pro reciprocatione spiritus fulgores eius purissime e regione deflorat, quarta ideo purpurat, quod intermicante asperginum densitate, per quas oritur, radiorum splendor concipiens ostendit aspectum flammeo propiorem, qui color quanto magis diffunditur, concedit in caerulum et virentem.

28 But this mixed beauty is tempered, for this reason—as earthly minds suppose—because its first part is seen more dilute, concolor with the circumfused air; the next fulvous, that is, a little more excited than luteous; the third puniceous (pomegranate-red), because, being subject to the sun’s brightness, by the reciprocation of the breath it most purely culls its gleams from the opposite quarter; the fourth therefore purples, because, with the density of the sprinklings twinkling, through which it arises, receiving the splendor of the rays it shows an aspect nearer to flame; which color, the more it is diffused, yields into cerulean and green.

29 Arbitrantur alii tune iridis formam rebus apparere mundanis, cum altius delatae nubi crassae radii solis infusi, lucem iniecerint liquidam, quae non reperiens exitum, in se conglobata nimio splendescit attritu, et proximos quidem albo colores a sole sublimiore decerpit, subvirides vero a nubis similitudine superiectae, ut in mari solet usu venire, ubi candidae sunt undae quae litoribus illiduntur, interiores sine ulla concretione caerulae.

29 Others think that then the form of the iris appears among worldly things, when, into a thick cloud borne higher, the infused rays of the sun have cast a liquid light, which, not finding an exit, conglobated in itself, gleams excessively by friction; and it plucks off the nearest white colors from the more sublime sun, but the somewhat green ones from the likeness of the cloud overlaid, as is wont to come to pass in the sea, where the waves are white which are dashed against the shores, while the inner ones, without any concretion, are cerulean.

30 Et quoniam indicium est permutationis aurae (ut diximus), a sudo aere nubium concitans globos, aut contra ex concreto mutans in serenam laetitiam caelum, ideo apud poetas legimus saepe, Irim de caelo tunc mitti, cum praesentium rerum verti necesse sit status. Suppetunt aliae multae opiniones et variae, quas dinumerare nunc est supervacuum, narratione redire unde digressa est festinante.

30 And since it is an indication of a permutation of the air (as we have said), from clear air it rouses globes of clouds, or, contrariwise, from a condensed state it changes the sky into serene gladness; therefore among the poets we often read that Iris is then sent from heaven, when it is necessary that the status of present things be turned. Many other and various opinions are at hand, which to enumerate now is superfluous, as the narration hastens to return whence it has digressed.

31 His ac talibus imperator inter spem metumque iactabatur, ingravescente hiemis magnitudine, suspectisque per avios tractus insidiis, inter quae etiam tumultum exasperati militis verebatur. Super his urebat eius anxiam mentem, quod velut patefacta ianua divitis domus, irritus propositi reverteretur.

31 By these and such considerations the emperor was tossed between hope and fear, as the magnitude of winter grew heavier and with ambushes suspected along remote tracts, amid which he also dreaded the tumult of an exasperated soldiery. Beyond these, what scorched his anxious mind was the thought that, as though the door of a rich house had been thrown open, he would return with his purpose frustrated.

32 Quas ob res omisso vano incepto, hiematurus Antiochiae redit in Syriam, aerumnosa perpessus et gravia; nec enim levia erant damna quae Persae intulerant, sed atrociora diuque deflenda. Evenerat enim hoc, quasi fatali constellatione ita regente diversos eventus, ut ipsum Constantium dimicantem cum Persis, fortuna semper sequeretur afflictior, unde vincere saltim per duces optabat, quod aliquotiens meminimus contigisse.

32 For which reasons, abandoning the vain undertaking, he returns into Syria to winter at Antioch, having endured toilsome and grievous hardships; for the losses which the Persians had inflicted were not light, but more atrocious and to be bewailed for a long time. For this had come to pass, as if a fatal constellation thus governed the diverse events, that Fortune, more adverse, always followed Constantius himself when fighting with the Persians, whence he desired to conquer at least through his generals, which we have several times remembered to have occurred.