justice in deed." Such was the reply which the mirranes
wrote back. And again Belisarius and his generals wrote as follows: "O
excellent mirranes, it is not fitting in all things to depend upon
boasting, nor to lay upon one's neighbours reproaches which are
justified on no grounds whatever. For we said with truth that Rufinus
had come to act as an envoy and was not far away, and you yourself will
know this at no remote time. But since you are eager for deeds of war,
we shall array ourselves against you with the help of God, who will, we
know, support us in the danger, being moved by the peaceful inclination
of the Romans, but rebuking the boastfulness of the Persians and your
decision to resist us when we invite you to peace. And we shall array
ourselves against you, having prepared for the conflict by fastening the
letters written by each of us on the top of our banners." Such was the
message of this letter. And the mirranes again answered as follows:
"Neither are we entering upon the war without our gods, and with their
help we shall come before you, and I expect that on the morrow they will
bring the Persians into Daras. But let the bath and lunch be in
readiness for me within the fortifications." When Belisarius and his
generals read this, they prepared themselves for the conflict.

On the succeeding day the mirranes called together all the Persians at
about sunrise and spoke as follows: "I am not ignorant that it is not
because of words of their leaders, but because of their individual
bravery and their shame before each other that the Persians are
accustomed to be courageous in the presence of dangers. But seeing you
considering why in the world it is that, although the Romans have not
been accustomed heretofore to go into battle without confusion and
disorder, they recently awaited the advancing Persians with a kind of
order which is by no means characteristic of them, for this reason I
have decided to speak some words of exhortation to you, so that it may
not come about that you be deceived by reason of holding an opinion
which is not true. For I would not have you think that the Romans have
suddenly become better warriors, or that they have acquired any more
valour or experience, but that they have become more cowardly than they
were previously; at any rate they fear the Persians so much that they
have not even dared to form their phalanx without a trench. And not even
with this did they begin any fighting, but