n haste and confusion
to the ground. For they had not the courage to array themselves against
the Persians if they overtook them, but they placed all hope of safety
in their horses' feet, and, in short, the flight became such that
scarcely any one of their horses survived, but when they stopped
running, they straightway fell down and expired. And this proved a
disaster for the Romans so great as to exceed anything that had ever
befallen them previously. For great numbers of them perished and still
more fell into the hands of the enemy. And their weapons and draught
animals which were taken by the enemy amounted to such an imposing
number that Persia seemed as a result of this affair to have become
richer. And Adolius, while passing through a fortified place during this
retreat--it was situated in Persarmenia--was struck on the head by a
stone thrown by one of the inhabitants of the town, and died there. As
for the forces of Justus and Peranius, they invaded the country about
Taraunon, and after gathering some little plunder, immediately returned.

XXVI

[544 A.D.] And in the following year, Chosroes, the son of Cabades, for
the fourth time invaded the land of the Romans, leading his army towards
Mesopotamia. Now this invasion was made by this Chosroes not against
Justinian, the Emperor of the Romans, nor indeed against any other man,
but only against the God whom the Christians reverence. For when in the
first invasion he retired, after failing to capture Edessa[21], both he
and the Magi, since they had been worsted by the God of the Christians,
fell into a great dejection. Wherefore Chosroes, seeking to allay it,
uttered a threat in the palace that he would make slaves of all the
inhabitants of Edessa and bring them to the land of Persia, and would
turn the city into a pasture for sheep. Accordingly when he had
approached the city of Edessa with his whole army, he sent some of the
Huns who were following him against that portion of the fortifications
of the city which is above the hippodrome, with the purpose of doing no
further injury than seizing the flocks which the shepherds had stationed
there along the wall in great numbers: for they were confident in the
strength of the place, since it was exceedingly steep, and supposed that
the enemy would never dare to come so very close to the wall. So the
barbarians were already laying hold of the sheep, and the shepherds were
trying most valiantly to prevent them. And w