immediately got in the rear of the Roman cavalry. Thus the Romans, who
were already exhausted both by the march and the labour of the
battle,--and besides this they were all fasting so far on in the
day,--now that they were assailed by the enemy on both sides, held out
no longer, but the most of them in full flight made their way to the
islands in the river which were close by, while some also remained there
and performed deeds both amazing and remarkable against the enemy. Among
these was Ascan who, after killing many of the notables among the
Persians, was gradually hacked to pieces and finally fell, leaving to
the enemy abundant reason to remember him. And with him eight hundred
others perished after shewing themselves brave men in this struggle, and
almost all the Isaurians fell with their leaders, without even daring to
lift their weapons against the enemy. For they were thoroughly
inexperienced in this business, since they had recently left off farming
and entered into the perils of warfare, which before that time were
unknown to them. And yet just before these very men had been most
furious of all for battle because of their ignorance of warfare, and
were then reproaching Belisarius with cowardice. They were not in fact
all Isaurians but the majority of them were Lycaones.

Belisarius with some few men remained there, and as long as he saw Ascan
and his men holding out, he also in company with those who were with him
held back the enemy; but when some of Ascan's troops had fallen, and the
others had turned to flee wherever they could, then at length he too
fled with his men and came to the phalanx of infantry, who with Peter
were still fighting, although not many in number now, since the most of
them too had fled. There he himself gave up his horse and commanded all
his men to do the same thing and on foot with the others to fight off
the oncoming enemy. And those of the Persians who were following the
fugitives, after pursuing for only a short distance, straightway