Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
doing any harm. The Parthians, seeing the Romans down upon
their knees, could not imagine but that it must proceed from
weariness; so that they laid down their bows, and, taking their
spears, made a fierce onset, when the Romans, with a great cry,
leapt upon their feet, striking hand to hand with their
javelins, slew the foremost, and put the rest to flight. After
this rate it was every day, and the trouble they gave made the
marches short; in addition to which famine began to be felt in
the camp, for they could get but little corn, and that which
they got they were forced to fight for; and, besides this, they
were in want of implements to grind it and make bread. For they
had left almost all behind, the baggage horses being dead or
otherwise employed in carrying the sick and wounded. Provision
was so scarce in the army that an Attic quart of wheat sold for
fifty drachmas, and barley loaves for their weight in silver.
And when they tried vegetables and roots, they found such as
are commonly eaten very scarce, so that they were constrained to
venture upon any they could get, and, among others, they chanced
upon an herb that was mortal, first taking away all sense and
understanding. He that had eaten of it remembered nothing in
the world, and employed himself only in moving great stones from
one place to another, which he did with as much earnestness and
industry as if it had been a business of the greatest
consequence. Through all the camp there was nothing to be seen
but men grubbing upon the ground at stones, which they carried
from place to place. But in the end they threw up bile and
died, as wine, moreover, which was the one antidote, failed.
When Antony saw them die so fast, and the Parthian still in
pursuit, he was heard to exclaim several times over, "O, the Ten
Thousand!" as if in admiration of the retreat of the Greeks with
Xenophon, who, when they had a longer journey to make from
Babylonia, and a more powerful enemy to deal with, nevertheless
came home safe.
The Parthians, finding that they could not divide the Roman
army, nor break the order of their battle, and that withal they
had been so often worsted, once more began to treat the foragers
with professions of humanity; they came up to them with their
bows unbended, telling them that they were going home to their
houses; that this was the end of their retaliation, and that
only some Median troops would follow for two or three days, not
with any design to annoy them, but for the defense of some of
the villages further on. And, saying this, they saluted them
and embraced them with a great show of friendship. This made
the Romans full of confidence again, and Antony, on hearing of
it, was more disposed to take the road through the level
country, being told that no water was to be hoped for on that
through the mountains. But while he was preparing thus to do,
Mithridates came into the camp, a cousin to Monaeses, of whom we
related that he sought refuge with the Romans, and received in
gift from Antony the three cities. Upon his arrival, he desired
somebody might be brought to him that could speak Syriac or
Parthian. One Alexander, of Antioch, a friend of Antony's, was
brought to him, to whom the stranger, giving his name, and
mentioning Monaeses as the person who desired to do the
kindness, put the question, did he see that high range of hills,
pointing at some distance. He told him, yes. "It is there,"
said he, "the whole Parthian army lie in wait for your passage;
for the great plains come immediately up to them, and they
expect that, confiding in their promises, you will leave the
way of the mountains, and take the level route. It is true that
in passing over the mountains you will suffer the want of water,
and the fatigue to which you have become familiar, but if you
pass through the plains, Antony must expect the fortune of
Crassus."
This said, he departed. Antony, in alarm, calling his friends
in council, sent for the Mardian guide, who was of the same
opinion. He told them that, with or without enemies, the want
of any certain track in the plain, and the likelihood of their
losing their way, were quite objection enough; the other route
was rough and without water, but then it was but for a day.
Antony, therefore, changing his mind, marched away upon this
road that night, commanding that everyone should carry water
sufficient for his own use; but most of them being unprovided
with vessels, they made shift with their helmets, and some with
skins. As soon as they started, the news of it was carried to
the Parthians, who followed them, contrary to their custom,
through the night, and at sunrise attacked the rear, which was
tired with marching and want of sleep, and not in condition to
make any considerable defense. For they had got through two
hundred and forty furlongs that night, and at the end of such a
march to find the enemy at their heels, put them out of heart.
Besides, having to fight for every step of the way increased
their distress from thirst. Those that were in the van came up
to a river, the water of which was extremely cool and clear, but
brackish and medicinal, and, on being drunk, produced immediate
pains in the bowels and a renewed thirst. Of this the Mardian
had forewarned them, but they could not forbear, and, beating
back those that opposed them, they drank of it. Antony ran from
one place to another, begging they would have a little patience,
that not far off there was a river of wholesome water, and that
the rest of the way was so difficult for the horse, that the
enemy could pursue them no further; and, saying this, he ordered
to sound a retreat to call those back that were engaged, and
commanded the tents should be set up, that the soldiers might at
any rate refresh themselves in the shade.
But the tents were scarce well put up, and the Parthians
beginning, according to their custom, to withdraw, when
Mithridates came again to them, and informed Alexander, with
whom he had before spoken, that he would do well to advise
Antony to stay where he was no longer than needs he must, that,
after having refreshed his troops, he should endeavor with all
diligence to gain the next river, that the Parthians would not
cross it, but so far they were resolved to follow them.
Alexander made his report to Antony, who ordered a quantity of
gold plate to be carried to Mithridates, who, taking as much as
be could well hide under his clothes, went his way. And, upon
this advice, Antony, while it was yet day, broke up his camp,
and the whole army marched forward without receiving any
molestation from the Parthians, though that night by their own
doing was in effect the most wretched and terrible that they
passed. For some of the men began to kill and plunder those
whom they suspected to have any money, ransacked the baggage,
and seized the money there. In the end, they laid hands on
Antony's own equipage, and broke all his rich tables and cups,
dividing the fragments amongst them. Antony, hearing such a
noise and such a stirring to and fro all through the army, the
belief prevailing that the enemy had routed and cut off a
portion of the troops, called for one of his freedmen, then
serving as one of his guards, Rhamnus by name, and made him take
an oath that, whenever he should give him orders, he would run
his sword through his body and cut off his head, that he might
not fall alive into the hands of the Parthians, nor, when dead,
be recognized as the general. While he was in this
consternation, and all his friends about him in tears, the
Mardian came up, and gave them all new life. He convinced
them, by the coolness and humidity of the air, which they could
feel in breathing it, that the river which he had spoken of was
now not far off, and the calculation of the time that had been
required to reach it came, he said, to the same result, for the
night was almost spent. And, at the same time, others came with
information that all the confusion in the camp proceeded only
from their own violence and robbery among themselves. To
compose this tumult, and bring them again into some order after
their distraction, he commanded the signal to be given for a
halt.
Day began to break, and quiet and regularity were just
reappearing, when the Parthian arrows began to fly among the
rear, and the light armed troops were ordered out to battle.
And, being seconded by the heavy infantry, who covered one
another as before described with their shields, they bravely
received the enemy, who did not think convenient to advance any
further, while the van of the army, marching forward leisurely
in this manner came in sight of the river, and Antony, drawing
up the cavalry on the banks to confront the enemy, first passed
over the sick and wounded. And, by this time, even those who
were engaged with the enemy had opportunity to drink at their
ease; for the Parthians, on seeing the river, unbent their bows,
and told the Romans they might pass over freely, and made them
great compliments in praise of their valor. Having crossed
without molestation, they rested themselves awhile, and
presently went forward, not giving perfect credit to the fair
words of their enemies. Six days after this last battle, they
arrived at the river Araxes, which divides Media and Armenia,
and seemed, both by its deepness and the violence of the
current, to be very dangerous to pass. A report, also, had
crept in amongst them, that the enemy was in ambush, ready to
set upon them as soon as they should be occupied with their
passage. But when they were got over on the other side, and
found themselves in Armenia, just as if land was now sighted
after a storm at sea, they kissed the ground for joy, shedding
tears and embracing each other in their delight. But taking
their journey through a land that abounded in all sorts of
plenty, they ate, after their long want, with that excess of
everything they met with, that they suffered from dropsies and
dysenteries.
Here Antony, making a review of his army, found that he had lost
twenty thousand foot and four thousand horse, of which the
better half perished, not by the enemy, but by diseases. Their
march was of twenty-seven days from Phraata, during which they
had beaten the Parthians in eighteen battles, though with little
effect or lasting result, because of their being so unable to
pursue. By which it is manifest that it was Artavasdes who lost
Antony the benefit of the expedition. For had the sixteen
thousand horsemen whom he led away out of Media, armed in the
same style as the Parthians and accustomed to their manner of
fight, been there to follow the pursuit when the Romans put them
to flight, it is impossible they could have rallied so often
after their defeats, and reappeared again as they did to renew
their attacks. For this reason, the whole army was very earnest
with Antony to march into Armenia to take revenge. But he, with
more reflection, forbore to notice the desertion, and continued
all his former courtesies, feeling that the army was wearied
out, and in want of all manner of necessaries. Afterwards,
however, entering Armenia, with invitations and fair promises he
prevailed upon Artavasdes to meet him, when he seized him, bound
him, and carried him to Alexandria, and there led him in a
triumph; one of the things which most offended the Romans, who
felt as if all the honors and solemn observances of their
country were, for Cleopatra's sake, handed over to the
Egyptians.
This, however, was at an after time. For the present, marching
his army in great haste in the depth of winter through continual
storms of snow, he lost eight thousand of his men, and came with
much diminished numbers to a place called the White Village,