Book 31
12.3
During the next three days, when the barbarians, advancing at a slow pace and through unfrequented places, since they feared a sally, were fifteen miles distant from the city,Constantinople. and were making for the station of Nice,See 11, 2, above, and note. through some mistake or other the emperor was assured by his skirmishers that all that part of the enemy’s horde which they had seen consisted of only ten thousand men, and carried away by a kind of rash ardour, he determined to attack them at once.
12.4
Accordingly, advancing in square formation,See xxix. 5, 39, note on agmine quadrato. he came to the vicinity of a suburb of Hadrianopolis,Or perhaps to the vicinity of Hadrianopolis—with Ammianus’ usual tautology. Clark has Hadrianupolis, with V. where he made a strong rampart of stakes, surrounded by a moat, and impatiently waited for Gratian; there he received Richomeres, general of the household troops, sent in advance by Gratian with a letter, in which he said that he himself also would soon be there.
12.5
Since the contents besought him to wait a while for the partner in his dangers, and not rashly to expose himself alone to serious perils, Valens called a council of various of his higher officers and considered what ought to be done.
