ittle later he routed them, for his slingers
were numerous, and as the latter could shoot farther than would the bows
they inflicted severe injury upon the men in armor. However, he did not
kill any remarkable number of them, because the barbarians could ride
fast. So he proceeded again against Praaspa and besieged it, though he
did no great damage to the enemy; for the men inside the walls repulsed
him vigorously, and those outside could not easily be entrapped into a
combat. Thus he lost many of his own men in searching for and bringing
provisions, and many by his own discipline. At first, as long as they
could get their food from somewhere in the neighborhood, they had no
difficulty about either undertaking: they could attend to the siege and
safely secure supplies both at once. When, however, all material at hand
had been used up, and the soldiers were obliged to go to some distance,
it happened to them that if few were sent anywhere, not only did they not
bring anything, but they perished as well; if a number were sent, they
left the wall destitute of besiegers and meantime lost many men and many
engines at the hands of the barbarians, who would make a sortie against
them. [-27-] For this reason Antony gave them all barley instead of wheat
and destroyed every tenth man in some instances: indeed, the entire force
which was supposed to be besieging endured the hardships of persons
besieged. The men within the walls watched carefully for opportunities
to make sallies; and those outside harassed fearfully the Romans that
remained in position as often as they became separated, accomplishing
this by making a sudden charge and wheeling about again in a narrow
space: this force outside did not trouble the food trains while the
latter were en route to the villages, but would fall upon them
unexpectedly when scattered in the homeward march. But since Antony even
under these conditions maintained his place before the city, Phraates,
fearing that in the long run he might do it some harm either by himself
or through securing some allied force, secretly sent some men to open
negotiations with him and persuaded him by pretending that it would be
very easy to secure peace. After this, when men were sent to him by
Antony, he held a conference with them seated upon a golden chair and
twanging his bowstring; he first inveighed against them at length, but
finally promised that he would grant peace, if they would straightway
remove their