insures the greatest possible degree of safety; for
it is great folly for those who have the opportunity of remaining quiet
and being rid of trouble to enter into any unnecessary danger; but if,
immediately after departing from here, this barbarian is going to fall
upon some other territory of the Emperor Justinian, and that an
exceptionally good one, but without any guard of soldiers, be assured
that to perish valorously is better in every way than to be saved
without a fight. For this would justly be called not salvation but
treason. But come as quickly as possible to Europum, where, after
collecting the whole army, I hope to deal with the enemy as God
permits." And when the officers saw this message, they took courage, and
leaving there Justus with some few men in order to guard Hierapolis, all
the others with the rest of the army came to Europum.

XXI

But Chosroes, upon learning that Belisarius with the whole Roman army
had encamped at Europum, decided not to continue his advance, but sent
one of the royal secretaries, Abandanes by name, a man who enjoyed a
great reputation for discretion, to Belisarius, in order to find out by
inspection what sort of a general he might be, but ostensibly to make a
protest because the Emperor Justinian had not sent the ambassadors to
the Persians at all in order that they might settle the arrangements for
the peace as had been agreed. When Belisarius learned this, he did as
follows. He himself picked out six thousand men of goodly stature and
especially fine physique, and set out to hunt at a considerable distance
from the camp. Then he commanded Diogenes, the guardsman, and Adolius,
the son of Acacius, to cross the river with a thousand horsemen and to
move about the bank there, always making it appear to the enemy that if
they wished to cross the Euphrates and proceed to their own land, they
would never permit them to do so. This Adolius was an Armenian by birth,
and he always served the emperor while in the palace as privy counsellor
(those who enjoy this honour are called by the Romans "silentiarii"),
but at that time he was commander of some Armenians. And these men did
as directed.

Now when Belisarius had ascertained that the envoy was close at hand, he
set up a tent of some heavy cloth, of the sort which is commonly called
a "pavilion," and seated himself there as one might in a desolate place,
seeking thus to indicate that he had come without any equipment. And he
arr