im make ready the bath: for he wished to bathe there
on the following day. Accordingly the Romans made the most vigorous
preparations for the encounter, with the expectation that they would
fight on the succeeding day.

At sunrise, seeing the enemy advancing against them, they arrayed
themselves as follows[18]. The extremity of the left straight trench
which joined the cross trench, as far as the hill which rises here, was
held by Bouzes with a large force of horsemen and by Pharas the Erulian
with three hundred of his nation. On the right of these, outside the
trench, at the angle formed by the cross trench and the straight section
which extended from that point, were Sunicas and Aigan, Massagetae by
birth, with six hundred horsemen, in order that, if those under Bouzes
and Pharas should be driven back, they might, by moving quickly on the
flank, and getting in the rear of the enemy, be able easily to support
the Romans at that point. On the other wing also they were arrayed in
the same manner; for the extremity of the straight trench was held by a
large force of horsemen, who were commanded by John, son of Nicetas, and
by Cyril and Marcellus; with them also were Germanus and Dorotheus;
while at the angle on the right six hundred horsemen took their stand,
commanded by Simmas and Ascan, Massagetae, in order that, as has been
said, in case the forces of John should by any chance be driven back,
they might move out from there and attack the rear of the Persians. Thus
all along the trench stood the detachments of cavalry and the infantry.
And behind these in the middle stood the forces of Belisarius and
Hermogenes. Thus the Romans arrayed themselves, amounting to
five-and-twenty thousand; but the Persian army consisted of forty
thousand horse and foot, and they all stood close together facing the
front, so as to make the front of the phalanx as deep as possible. Then
for a long time neither side began battle with the other, but the
Persians seemed to be wondering at the good order of the Romans, and
appeared at a loss what to do under the circumstances.

In the late afternoon a certain detachment of the horsemen who held the
right wing, separating themselves from the rest of the army, came
against the forces of Bouzes and Pharas. And the Romans retired a short
distance to the rear. The Persians, however, did not pursue them, but
remained there, fearing, I suppose, some move to surround them on the
part of the enemy. Then