ed, he would bring great
disgrace upon his kingdom and upon the race of the Persians; and again
the Romans, if conquered, could easily save themselves in strongholds
and in their own land, while if the Persians should meet with any
reverse, not even a messenger would escape to the land of the Persians.
Chosroes was convinced by this admonition and wished to turn back to his
own country, but he found himself in a very perplexing situation. For he
supposed that the crossing of the river was being guarded by the enemy,
and he was unable to march back by the same road, which was entirely
destitute of human habitation, since the supplies which they had at the
first when they invaded the land of the Romans had already entirely
failed them. At last after long consideration it seemed to him most
advantageous to risk a battle and get to the opposite side, and to make
the journey through a land abounding in all good things. Now Belisarius
knew well that not even a hundred thousand men would ever be sufficient
to check the crossing of Chosroes. For the river at many places along
there can be crossed in boats very easily, and even apart from this the
Persian army was too strong to be excluded from the crossing by an enemy
numerically insignificant. But he had at first commanded the troops of
Diogenes and Adolius, together with the thousand horsemen, to move about
the bank at that point in order to confuse the barbarian by a feeling of
helplessness. But after frightening this same barbarian, as I have said,
Belisarius feared lest there should be some obstacle in the way of his
departing from the land of the Romans. For it seemed to him a most
significant achievement to have driven away from there the army of
Chosroes, without risking any battle against so many myriads of
barbarians with soldiers who were very few in number and who were in
abject terror of the Median army. For this reason he commanded Diogenes
and Adolius to remain quiet.

Chosroes, accordingly, constructed a bridge with great celerity and
crossed the River Euphrates suddenly with his whole army. For the
Persians are able to cross all rivers without the slightest difficulty
because when they are on the march they have in readiness hook-shaped
irons with which they fasten together long timbers, and with the help of
these they improvise a bridge on the spur of the moment wherever they
may desire. And as soon as he had reached the land on the opposite side,
he sent to B