of his son, and the cavalry with
him, to advance immediately, and engage with the enemy, gave orders
for the men who required it to eat and drink in their ranks. And
before this could be well accomplished all through the ranks, he led
on his men, not slowly, nor halting at intervals, as is usual when men
are marching to battle, but he kept them up to a quick, unbroken pace,
until the enemy were in sight, who, contrary to expectation, did not
appear to the Romans to be either numerous or formidable; for Surena
disguised his numbers by placing the mass of his force behind the
front ranks, and he prevented their bright armour from being seen by
ordering his men to cover themselves with cloaks and skins. But when
they were near the Romans, and the standard was raised by the general,
first of all they filled the plain with a deep sound and a terrific
noise; for the Parthians do not excite themselves to battle with horns
or trumpets, but they have hollow instruments,[71] made of skin, and
furnished with brass bells, on which they strike at the same time in
various parts; and these instruments produce a kind of deep and dismal
sound, compounded of the roaring of wild beasts and the harsh crash
of thunder; for the Parthians rightly judge that of all the senses
the hearing is that which causes the greatest alarm in the mind, and
that, when this sense is affected, there is the speediest and greatest
disturbance in the judgment.

XXIV. The Romans were startled at the noise, when all of a sudden
throwing off the covering of their armour the Parthians appeared, with
their helmets and breastplates flashing like flame, the Margian
steel[72] glittering sharp and bright, and the horses equipped in mail
of brass and iron; but Surena was most conspicuous of all, being the
tallest and handsomest man among them, though his personal appearance,
owing to his feminine beauty, did not correspond to his reputation for
courage, for he was dressed more in the Median fashion, with his face
painted[73] and his hair parted, while the rest of the Parthians,
still keeping to the Scythian fashion, wore their hair long and bushy
to make themselves more formidable. At first the Parthians intended to
fall upon them with their long spears, and to drive the front ranks
from their ground; but when they saw the depth of their close-locked
ranks, and the firmness and stability of the men, they drew back; and
while they seemed to be at the same time dispersing t