if it be shot with
too much speed the fire is extinguished), so as to stick anywhere, it
burns obstinately, and if sprinkled with water it creates a still
fiercer fire, nor will anything but throwing dust upon it quench it.
This is enough to say of mural engines; let us now return to our
original subject.

V.

Sec. 1. Having received the reinforcements of the Saracens which they so
cheerfully offered, the emperor advanced with speed, and at the
beginning of April entered Circesium, a very secure fortress, and
skilfully built, it is surrounded by the two rivers Aboras (or Chaboras)
and Euphrates, which make it as it were an island.

2. It had formerly been small and insecure, till Diocletian surrounded
it with lofty towers and walls when he was strengthening his inner
frontier within the very territories of the barbarians, in order to
prevent the Persians from overrunning Syria, as had happened a few years
before to the great injury of the province.

3. For it happened one day at Antioch, when the city was in perfect
tranquillity, a comic actor being on the stage with his wife, acting
some common play, while the people were delighted with his acting, the
wife suddenly exclaimed, "Unless I am dreaming, here are the Persians;"
and immediately the populace turning round, were put to flight, and
driven about in every direction while seeking to escape the darts which
were showered upon them; and so the city being burnt and numbers of the
citizens slain, who, as is usual in time of peace, were strolling about
carelessly, and all the places in the neighbourhood being burnt and laid
waste, the enemy loaded with booty returned in safety to their own
country after having burnt Mareades alive, who had wickedly guided them
to the destruction of his fellow-citizens. This event took place in the
time of Gallienus.

4. But Julian, while remaining at Circesium to give time for his army
and all its followers to cross the bridge of boats over the Aboras,
received letters with bad news from Sallust, the prefect of Gaul,
entreating him to suspend his expedition against the Parthians, and
imploring him not in such an unseasonable manner to rush on irrevocable
destruction before propitiating the gods.

5. But Julian disregarded his prudent adviser, and advanced boldly;
since no human power or virtue can ever avail to prevent events
prescribed by the order of the Fates. And immediately, having crossed
the river, he ordered the bridg