e bring this about, and show Mithridates, who does not know
it, with whose aid he ought to carry on the war against us? and why
should we drive him against his wish, and ingloriously, into the arms
of Tigranes, instead of giving him time to collect a force out of his
own resources and to recover his courage, and so fight with the
Kolchi, and Tibareni, and Cappadocians, whom we have often defeated,
rather than fight with the Medes and Armenians?"

XV. Upon such considerations as these, Lucullus protracted the time
before Amisus without pushing the siege; and, when the winter was
over, leaving Murena to blockade the city, he advanced against
Mithridates, who was posted at Kabeira, and intending to oppose the
Romans, as he had got together a force of forty thousand infantry and
four thousand horse on whom he relied most. Crossing the river Lykus
into the plain, Mithridates offered the Romans battle. A contest
between the cavalry ensued, in which the Romans fled, and Pomponius, a
man of some note, being wounded, was taken prisoner, and brought to
Mithridates while he was suffering from his wounds. The king asked him
if he would become his friend if his life were spared, to which
Pomponius replied, "Yes, if you come to terms with the Romans; if not,
I shall be your enemy." Mithridates admired the answer, and did him no
harm. Now, Lucullus was afraid to keep the plain country, as the enemy
were masters of it with their cavalry, and he was unwilling to advance
into the hilly region, which was of great extent and wooded and
difficult of access; but it happened that some Greeks were taken
prisoners, who had fled into a cave, and the eldest of them,
Artemidorus, promised Lucullus to be his guide, and to put him in a
position which would be secure for his army, and also contained a fort
that commanded Kabeira. Lucullus, trusting the man, set out at
nightfall after lighting numerous fires, and getting through the
defiles in safety; he gained possession of the position; and, when the
day dawned, he was seen above the enemy, posting his soldiers in a
place which gave him the opportunity of making an attack if he chose
to fight, and secured him against any assault if he chose to remain
quiet. At present neither general had any intention of hazarding a
battle; but it is said, that while some of the king's men were
pursuing a deer, the Romans met them and attempted to cut off their
retreat, and this led to a skirmish, in which fresh men