That, then, is what Lonchates did, and so fulfilled his promise to Arsacomas by giving him the
head of Leucanor. As for Macentes, while on his
way he had heard what had happened in Bosporus,
and. when he reached the Machlyans was the first
to report to them the tidings of the king’s death, It should not be inferred that it has taken Lonchates all this time to reach the city and its king. As the king has heard of the Scythian mustering before Lonchates sees him, it is evident that there was some delay, whether accidental or deliberate, week or more (p. 183 and note) has elapsed before Macentes reaches the Machlyans, yet he returns in less than forty-eight hours, riding night and day, to be sure, but with the horse earrying double and therefore obliged to rest frequently. 
adding: “And the city, Adyrmachus, calls you to
the throne, as his son-in-law; so you yourself must
ride on ahead and take over the government, appear-



 

ing suddenly in the midst of things while they are
unsettled; but the girl must follow you in your wagontrain, for in that way it will be easier for you to win
over the common people in Bosporus, after they have
seen the daughter of Leucanor. For myself, I am
an Alan, and also related to the girl through her
mother, since Masteira, whom Leucanor married,
was of our people; and I come to you now on the
part of Masteira’s brothers in the country of the
Alans, who urge you to ride with all speed to Bosporus
and not to let the government go over to Eubiotus,
who being the illegitimate brother of Leucanor, is
always friendly to the Scythians and detests the
Alans.” Abridgement seems to enter here; for the fact that Eubiotus is the illegitimate brother of Leucanor does not in itself adequately account for his attitude toward the Scythians and the Alans. Was his mother a Scythian, or perhaps a Sarmatian? At this time he is living among the Sarmatians (§ 54). 
Macentes was able to say this because he wore the
same dress and spoke the same tongue as the Alans.
These characteristics are common to Alans and
Scythians, except that the Alans do not wear their
hair very long, as the Scythians do. Macentes, however, had made himself resemble them in this also,
and had docked his hair by as much as an Alan’s
would probably be shorter than a Scythian’s.
Therefore he was believed, and was thought to be a
relative of Masteira and Mazaea.
 
“Now then, Adyrmachus,” said he, “I am ready
to ride with you to Bosporus, if you wish, or to remain,
if necessary, and conduct the girl.” “That,” said
Adyrmachus, “is what I should like better—that
as you are of her blood, you should conduct Mazaea.
For if you go with us to Bosporus, we should gain



 

but a single horseman; but if you should conduct
my wife, you would be as good as many.”
 
That was put into effect, and he rode off, leaving
it to Macentes to conduct Mazaea, who was still a
maid. And he did indeed escort her upon her
wagon during the day; but when night overtook
them, he set her upon his horse—he had seen to it
that only one other horseman should attend them Macentes comes alone; this single horseman is therefore presumably a Machlyan, and hostile. What, then, becomes of him? Only implications enlighten us. For some reason Macentes does not do the obvious thing—kill him at night and take his horse. Either he eludes them, or they elude him; and instead of following them, he posts ahead to overtake Adyrmachus with the news (§ 54). —
himself leaped to his seat, and instead of continuing
to ride along the shore of Lake Maecotis, turned off
into the interior, taking on his right the mountains
of the Mitraeans. Stopping only at intervals to
allow the girl to rest, on the third day he succeeded
in reaching Scythia from Machlyene; his horse,
on ceasing to run, stood still for a moment and fell
dead,
 
while Macentes, delivering Mazaea to Arsacomas, said: “Accept from me also the fulfilment
of my promise!” 
Arsacomas was amazed at the unexpectedness
of that sight, and tried to express his gratitude,
but Macentes said: “Stop making me a different
person from yourself! To express gratitude to me
for what I have done in this is just as if my left hand
should be grateful to my right for ministering to it
when it had been wounded and taking care of it
fondly while it was weak. So with us—it would be
ridiculous if, after having fused ourselves together
long ago and united, as far as we could, into a
single person, we should continue to think it a
great thing if this or that part of us has done something useful in behalf of the whole body; for it



 

was working in its own behalf as a part of the whole
organism to which the good was being done.” 
This, then, was the reply of Macentes to Arsacomas
when he expressed his gratitude.
 
But when Adyrmachus heard of the stratagem, instead of going on to
Bosporus, inasmuch as Eubiotus had been summoned from the Sauromatae, with whom he was
living, and was already on the throne, he returned
to his own country, and after assembling a great
army, advanced through the hill-country into
Scythia. Eubiotus, too, presently made an incursion
with his Greeks in full force and allied levies of
Alans and Sauromatae numbering twenty thousand
from each. After Eubiotus and Adyrmachus had
combined their armies, they amounted in all to
ninety thousand, a third of them mounted archers. 
For our part (and I say our, because I myself took
part in their expedition, having offered on the hide
at that time a hundred self-supporting horsemen)
we had raised not much less than thirty thousand,
including the horsemen, and were awaiting their
onset; our commander was Arsacomas. When we
saw them coming on, we marched forward to meet
them, sending our horsemen out in advance. After
a long and hard-fought battle, our side in time began
to give ground, the phalanx began to break, and at
last the entire Scythian force was cut in two. One
part began to withdraw, but it was not at all certain
that they were beaten; indeed, their flight was
considered a retreat, for even the Alans did not
venture to pursue them any distance. The other,
smaller part was surrounded by the Alans and
Machlyans, who were hammering it from all sides,
loosing arrows and javelins without stint; so that

 

those of us who had been surrounded were suffering
severely, and the rank and file were already throwing
away their arms.
 
Lonchates and Macentes happened to be in this
part, and had already received wounds from fighting
in the front ranks, Lonchates in the thigh with the
spike of a spear-butt, Macentes on the head with an
axe and on the shoulder with a javelin. When
Arsacomas, who was with us others, perceived that,
thinking it would be dreadful if he should go away
and abandon his friends, he put spurs to his horse,
gave a great shout, and charged among the enemy
with uplifted battle-axe, so that the Machlyans
could not even face the fury of his wrath but separated and allowed him to go through. 
He encouraged his friends and rallied all the others,
then rushed at Adyrmachus, struck him at the base
of the neck with his axe, and clove him to the belt.
Upon his fall they gave way—the whole Machlyan
force first, the Alans not long afterwards, and the
Greeks next. So we had the upper hand once
more, and might have pursued them for a long
distance, killing them, if night had not ended the
business. 
On the next day men came to us as suppliants
from the enemy and asked us to make friends; the
Bosporans promised to pay us twice as much tribute,
the Machlyans said that they would give hostages,
and the Alans to make up for that attack undertook
to help us by subduing the Sindians, who had revolted some time previously. On those terms we
assented, but only after the approval of Arsacomas


 

and Lonchates had been given; Macentes would seem to have died of his wounds, though Lucian does not say so. It may be noted, too, that although the Sauromatians contributed 20,000 men to the invading force, we hear nothing of their part either in the battle or in the settlement. and when the treaty
of peace was made, they negotiated the details.
Such are the deeds, Mnesippus, that Scythians
dare to do for their friends.