Portis obequitabat, comitante cohorte regali, qui dum se prope confidentius inserit, ut etiam vultus eius possit aperte cognosci, sagittis missilibusque ceteris, ob decora petitus insignia, corruisset, ni pulvere iaculantium adimente conspectum parte indumenti tragulae ictu discissa, editurus postea strages innumeras evasisset.
Translation :
So he rode up to the gates attended by his royal escort, and while with too great assurance he came so near that even his features could clearly be recognised, because of his conspicuous adornment he became the target of arrows and other missiles, and would have fallen, had not the dust hidden him from the sight of his assailants, so that after a part of his garment was torn by the stroke of a lance he escaped, to cause the death of thousands at a later time.
Edition :
Ammianus Marcellinus. With An English Translation. John C. Rolfe, Ph.D., Litt.D. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1935-1940.
