partly to defend Sitas king of the Dentheleti, who was blind, but chiefly because of fear for Macedonia, came out to meet them.  By his mere approach, he threw them into a panic and drove them from the land without a conflict.  Next he pursued them, as they were retiring homeward, gained possession of the district called Segetica, and invading Moesia damaged that territory.  He made an assault upon a strong fortification, also, and though his advance line met with a rebuff,—­the Moesians making a sally against it, because they thought these were all of the enemy,—­still, when he came to the rescue with his whole remaining army he both cut his opponents down in open fight and annihilated them by an ambuscade.

[-24-] While he was thus engaged, the Bastarnae ceased their flight and remained near the Cedrus[78] river to watch what would take place.  When, after conquering the Moesians, the Roman general started against them, they sent envoys forbidding him to pursue them, since they had done the Romans no harm.  Crassus detained them, saying he would give them their answer the following day, and besides treating them kindly he made them drunk, so that he learned all their plans.  The whole Scythian race is insatiable in the use of wine and quickly succumbs to its influence.  Crassus meanwhile, during the night, advanced to a wood, and after stationing scouts in front of the forest made his army stop there.  Thereupon the Bastarnae, thinking the former were alone, made a charge upon them, following them up also when the men retreated into the dense forest, and many of the pursuers perished there as well as many others in the flight which followed were obstructed by their wagons, which were behind them, and owed their defeat further to their desire to save their wives and children.  Their king Deldo was slam by Crassus himself.  The armor stripped from the prince he would have dedicated as spolia opima to Jupiter Feretrius, had he been a general acting on his own authority.  Such was the course of that engagement:  of the remainder some took refuge in a grove, which was set on fire all around, and others leaped into a fort, where they were annihilated.  Still others perished, either by being driven into the Ister or after being scattered through the country.  Some survived even yet and occupied a strong post where Crassus besieged them in vain for several days.  Then with the aid of Roles, king of some of the Getae, he destroyed them.  Roles when he visited Caesar was treated as a friend and ally for this assistance:  the captives were distributed to the soldiers.

[-25-] After accomplishing this Crassus turned his attention to the Moesians; and partly by persuading some of them, partly by scaring them, and partly by the application of force he subjugated all except a very few, though with labor and danger.  Temporarily, owing to the winter, he retired into friendly territory after suffering greatly from the cold, and still more at the hands of the Thracians, through whose country,