While these things were being done in this way, the Romans reached a place one day’s journey distant from Anglon, and capturing one of the enemy who was going out as a spy they enquired where in the world Nabedes was then.  And he asserted that the man had retired from Anglon with the whole Median army.  And when Narses heard this, he was indignant, and he heaped reproaches and abuse upon his fellow-commanders for their hesitation.  And others, too, began to do the very same thing, casting insults upon one another; and from then on, giving up all thought of battle and danger, they were eager to plunder the country thereabout.  The troops broke camp, accordingly, and without the guidance of generals and without observing any definite formation, they moved forward in complete confusion; for neither had they any countersign among themselves, as is customary in such perilous situations, nor were they arranged in their proper divisions.  For the soldiers marched forward, mixed in with the baggage train, as if going to the ready plunder of great wealth.  But when they came near to Anglon, they sent out spies who returned to them announcing the array of the enemy.  And the generals were thunder-struck by the unexpectedness of it, but they considered it altogether disgraceful and unmanly to turn back with an army of such great size, and so they disposed the army in its three divisions, as well as the circumstances permitted, and advanced straight toward the enemy.  Now Peter held the right wing and Valerianus the left, while Martinus and his men arrayed themselves in the centre.  And when they came close to their opponents, they halted, preserving their formation, but not without disorder.  The cause for this was to be found in the difficulty of the ground, which was very badly broken up, and in the fact that they were entering battle in a formation arranged on the spur of the moment.  And up to this time the barbarians, who had gathered themselves into a small space, were remaining quiet, considering the strength of their antagonists, since the order had been given them by Nabedes not under any circumstances to begin the fighting, but if the enemy should assail them, to defend themselves with all their might.

And first Narses with the Eruli and those of the Romans who were under him, engaged with the enemy, and after a hard hand-to-hand struggle, he routed the Persians who were before him.  And the barbarians in flight ascended on the run to the fortress, and in so doing they inflicted terrible injury upon one another in the narrow way.  And then Narses urged his men forward and pressed still harder upon the enemy, and the rest of the Romans joined in the action.  But all of a sudden the men who were in ambush, as has been said[20], came out from the cabins along the narrow alleys, and killed some of the Eruli, falling unexpectedly upon them, and they struck Narses himself a blow on the temple.  And his brother Isaac carried him out from among the fighting men, mortally wounded.