endering him thus an
easy victim.

23. When these dispositions had been thus made, the barbarians also
protected their right flank with secret ambuscades and snares. Now the
whole of these warlike and savage tribes were on this day under the
command of Chnodomarius and Serapio, monarchs of more power than any of
their former kings.

24. Chnodomarius was indeed the wicked instigator of the whole war, and
bearing on his head a helmet blazing like fire, he led on the left wing
with great boldness, confiding much on his vast personal strength. And
now with great eagerness for the impending battle he mounted a spirited
horse, that by the increased height he might be more conspicuous,
leaning upon a spear of most formidable size, and remarkable for the
splendour of his arms. Being indeed a prince who had on former occasions
shown himself brave as a warrior and a general, eminent for skill above
his fellows.

25. The right wing was led by Serapio, a youth whose beard had hardly
grown, but who was beyond his years in courage and strength. He was the
son of Mederichus the brother of Chnodomarius, a man throughout his
whole life of the greatest perfidy; and he had received the name of
Serapio because his father, having been given as a hostage, had been
detained in Gaul for a long time, and had there learnt some of the
mysteries of the Greeks, in consequence of which he had changed the name
of his son, who at his birth was named Agenarichus, into that of
Serapio.

26. These two leaders were followed by five other kings who were but
little inferior in power to themselves, by ten petty princes, a vast
number of nobles, and thirty-five thousand armed men, collected from
various nations partly by pay, and partly by a promise of requiting
their service by similar assistance on a future day.

27. The trumpets now gave forth a terrible sound; Severus, the Roman
general in command of the left wing, when he came near the ditches
filled with armed men, from which the enemy had arranged that those who
were there concealed should suddenly rise up, and throw the Roman line
into confusion, halted boldly, and suspecting some yet hidden ambuscade,
neither attempted to retreat nor advance.

28. Seeing this, Julian, always full of courage at the moment of the
greatest difficulty, galloped with an escort of two hundred cavalry
through the ranks of the infantry at full speed, addressing them with
words of encouragement, as the critical circum