XV.  These  preliminaries  being  settled,  Partus  ordered  a
bridge  to  be  built  over  the  Arsanias,  a  river  that  flowed
by  the  side  of  his  camp.  For  this  work  his  pretext  was,
that  it  would  be  convenient  to  his  army  when  the  march
began  :   but  the  fact  was,  the  Parthians,  knowing  the  utility


The  Annals  467

of  a  bridge,  had  made  it  an  article  of  the  treaty,  intending,
at  the  same  time,  that  it  should  remain  a  monument  of  their
victory.  The  Roman  troops,  instead  of  using  the  bridge,
filed  off  another  way.  A  report  was  spread  abroad,  that  the
legions  had  passed  under  the  yoke,  and,  in  addition  to  that
disgrace,  suffered  all  the  humiliating  circumstances,  which  usu-
ally attend  the  overthrow  of  an  army.  The  Armenians  gave
some  colour  to  the  report.  Before  the  Romans  marched
out,  they  entered  the  intrenchments,  and  formed  a  line
on  each  side,  in  order  to  fix  on  the  slaves  and  beasts  of
burden  that  formerly  belonged  to  themselves.  Not  content
with  seizing  what  they  called  their  own  property,  they  laid
violent  hands  on  the  apparel  of  the  soldiers,  who  yielded
with  fear  and  trembling,  to  avoid  a  new  cause  of  quarrel.
Vologeses,  as  a  monument  of  his  victory,  raised  a  pile
of  dead  bodies,  and  arms  taken  from  the  enemy :  but
declined  to  be  a  spectator  of  the  legions  in  their  flight.
