that they feel
delight in their mutual love: and that this is clearly shown by the fact
that they lean towards one another, and cannot be bent back even by
strong winds--and if by any unusual accident a female tree is not
impregnated by the male seed, it produces nothing but imperfect fruit,
and if they cannot find out with what male tree any female tree is in
love, they smear the trunk of some tree with the oil which proceeds from
her, and then some other tree naturally conceives a fondness for the
odour; and these proofs create some belief in the story of their
copulation.

14. The army then, having sated itself with these fruits, passed by
several islands, and instead of the scarcity which they apprehended, the
fear arose that they would become too fat. At last, after having been
attacked by an ambuscade of the enemy's archers, but having avenged
themselves well, they came to a spot where the larger portion of the
Euphrates is divided into a number of small streams.

IV.

Sec. 1. In this district a city, which on account of the lowness of its
walls, had been deserted by its Jewish inhabitants, was burnt by our
angry soldiers. And afterwards the emperor proceeded further on, being
elated at the manifest protection, as he deemed it, of the Deity.

2. And when he had reached Maogamalcha, a city of great size and
surrounded with strong walls, he pitched his tent, and took anxious care
that his camp should not be surprised by any sudden attack of the
Persian cavalry; whose courage in the open plains is marvellously
dreaded by the surrounding nations.

3. And when he had made his arrangements, he himself, with an escort of
a few light troops, went forth on foot to reconnoitre the position of a
city by a close personal examination; but he fell into a dangerous snare
from which he with difficulty escaped with his life.

4. For ten armed Persians stole out by a gate of the town of which he
was not aware, and crawled on their hands and knees along the bottom of
the hill, till they got within reach so as to fall silently upon our
men, and two of them distinguishing the emperor by his superior
appearance, made at him with drawn swords; but he encountered them with
his shield raised, and protecting himself with that, and fighting with
great and noble courage, he ran one of them through the body, while his
guards killed the other with repeated blows. The rest, of whom some were
wounded, were put to flight, and the two wh