er
requiring from the towns and princes contingents of men, he would
remit his requisitions for a sum of money; by all which he lost his
reputation, and fell into contempt. The first sign that happened to
him proceeded from this goddess herself, whom some consider to be
Aphrodite (Venus); and others Hera (Juno); others again believe her to
be the cause that has supplied from moisture the seeds for all things,
and nature, and the power that has pointed out the source of all good
things for men; for, as they were going out of the temple, young
Crassus first stumbled at the gate, and then his father fell upon him.

XVIII. While Crassus was getting together his forces out of the winter
quarter, there came ambassadors from Arsakes[60] with a short message.
They said, if the army was sent by the Romans, there was nothing but
war without truce, and without any terms; but if Crassus, contrary to
the wish of his country, as they heard, had brought arms against the
Parthians and occupied territory for his private profit, Arsakes would
act with moderation, and would take pity on the old age of Crassus,
and give up to the Romans the men whom he had in his power, and who
were rather under guard themselves than keeping guard over others.
Crassus haughtily replied, that he would give an answer in Seleukeia;
on which Vagises, the oldest of the ambassadors, smiled, and, showing
the palm of his hand, said, "From here, Crassus, hair will grow before
you see Seleukeia." The ambassadors now returned to Hyrodes, to inform
him that he must be ready for war. From the cities of Mesopotamia, in
which there were Roman garrisons, some soldiers, who made their escape
at great hazard, brought reports that caused much anxiety, having been
eye-witnesses of the numbers of the enemy, and of their mode of
attacking the cities; and, as is usual, they magnified everything
which they reported. "When the enemy pursued," they said, "no man
could escape from them, and when they fled, they could not be
overtaken; that strange missiles preceded the appearance of the enemy,
and before one could see who sent them, they pierced through
everything that they struck; and as to the arms of the mailed[61]
soldiers, some were made to push through every obstacle, and others to
give way to nothing." When the soldiers heard this their courage sank;
for they had been led to believe that the Parthians did not differ at
all from the Armenians and Cappadocians, whom Lucullus pl