III
But at the beginning of
the spring equinox famine and pestilence together fell upon the
inhabitants of the city. There was still, it is true, some grain
for the soldiers, though no other kind of provisions, but the
grain-supply of the rest of the Romans had been exhausted, and
actual famine as well as pestilence was pressing hard upon them.
And the Goths, perceiving
this, no longer cared to risk a decisive battle with their enemy,
but they kept guard that nothing in future should be brought in
to them. Now there are two aqueducts between the Latin and the
Appian Ways, exceedingly high and carried on arches for a great
distance. These two aqueducts meet at a place fifty stades
distant from Rome[143] and cross each other, so that for a little
space they reverse their relative position. For the one which
previously lay to the right from then on continues on the left
side. And again coming together, they resume their former places,
and thereafter remain apart. Consequently the space between them,
enclosed, as it is, by the aqueducts, comes to be a fortress.
And the barbarians walled up
the lower arches of the aqueducts here with stones and mud and in
this way gave it the form of a fort, and encamping there to the
number of no fewer than seven thousand men, they kept guard that
no provisions should thereafter be brought into the city by the
enemy. [311]
Then indeed every hope of
better things abandoned the Romans, and every form of evil
encompassed them round about. As long as there was ripe grain,
however, the most daring of the soldiers, led on by lust of
money, went by night to the grain-fields not far from the city
mounted on horses and leading other horses after them. Then they
cut off the heads of grain, and putting them on the horses which
they led, would carry them into the city without being seen by
the enemy and sell them at a great price to such of the Romans as
were wealthy. But the
other inhabitants lived on various herbs such as grow in
abundance not only in the outskirts but also inside the
fortifications. For the land of the Romans is never lacking in
herbs either in winter or at any other season, but they always
flourish and grow luxuriantly at all times. Wherefore the besieged also pastured their
horses in those places. And some too made sausages of the mules
that died in Rome and secretly sold them. But when the corn-lands
had no more grain and all the Romans had come into an exceedingly
evil plight, they surrounded Belisarius and tried to compel him
to stake everything on a single battle with the enemy, promising
that not one of the Romans would be absent from the engagement.
And when he was at a loss
what to do in that situation and greatly distressed, some of the
populace spoke to him as follows:
"General, we were not prepared for the fortune which has
overtaken us at the present time; on the contrary, what has
happened has been altogether the opposite of our expectations.
For after achieving what [313]we had formerly set our hearts
upon, we have now come into the present misfortune, and we
realize at length that our previous opinion that we did well to
crave the emperor's watchful care was but folly and the beginning
of the greatest evils. Indeed, this course has brought us to such
straits that at the present time we have taken courage to use
force once more and to arm ourselves against the barbarians. And
while we may claim forgiveness if we boldly come into the
presence of Belisarius—for the belly knows not shame when
it lacks its necessities—our plight must be the apology for
our rashness; for it will be readily agreed that there is no
plight more intolerable for men than a life prolonged amid the
adversities of fortune. And as to the fortune which has fallen
upon us, you cannot fail to see our distress. These fields and
the whole country have fallen under the hand of the enemy; and
this city has been shut off from all good things for we know not
how long a time. And as for the Romans, some already lie in
death, and it has not been their portion to be hidden in the
earth, and we who survive, to put all our terrible misfortunes in
a word, only pray to be placed beside those who lie thus. For
starvation shews to those upon whom it comes that all other evils
can be endured, and wherever it appears it is attended by
oblivion of all other sufferings, and causes all other forms of
death, except that which proceeds from itself, to seem pleasant
to men. Now, therefore, before the evil has yet mastered us,
grant us leave on our own behalf to take up the struggle, which
will result either in our overcoming the enemy or in deliverance
[315]from our troubles. For when delay
brings men hope of safety, it would be great folly for them
prematurely to enter into a danger which involves their all, but
when tarrying makes the struggle more difficult, to put off
action even for a little time is more reprehensible than
immediate and precipitate haste."
So spoke the Romans. And Belisarius replied as follows: "Well, as for
me, I have been quite prepared for your conduct in every respect,
and nothing that has happened has been contrary to my
expectation. For long have I known that a populace is a most
unreasoning thing, and that by its very nature it cannot endure
the present or provide for the future, but only knows how rashly
in every case to attempt the impossible and recklessly to destroy
itself. But as for me, I shall never, willingly at least, be led
by your carelessness either to destroy you or to involve the
emperor's cause in ruin with you. For war is wont to be brought
to a successful issue, not by unreasoning haste, but by the use
of good counsel and forethought in estimating the turn of the
scale at decisive moments. You, however, act as though you were
playing at dice, and want to risk all on a single cast; but it is
not my custom to choose the short course in preference to the
advantageous one. In the second place, you promise that you will
help us do battle against the enemy; but when have you ever taken
training in war? Or who that has learned such things by the use
of arms does not know that battle affords no room for experiment?
Nor does the enemy, on his part, give opportunity, while the
struggle is on, to practise on him. This [317]time,
indeed, I admire your zeal and forgive you for making this
disturbance; but that you have taken this action at an
unseasonable time and that the policy of waiting which we are
following is prudent, I shall now make clear. The emperor has
gathered for us from the whole earth and despatched an army too
great to number, and a fleet such as was never brought together
by the Romans now covers the shore of Campania and the greater
part of the Ionian Gulf. And within a few days these
reinforcements will come to us and bring with them all kinds of
provisions, to put an end to our destitution and to bury the
camps of the barbarians under a multitude of missiles. I have
therefore reasoned that it was better to put off the time of
conflict until they are present, and thus gain the victory in the
war with safety, than to make a show of daring in unreasoning
haste and thus throw away the salvation of our whole cause. To
secure their immediate arrival and to prevent their loitering
longer shall be my concern."
IV
With these words Belisarius
encouraged the Roman populace and then dismissed them; and
Procopius, who wrote this history, he immediately commanded to go
to Naples. For a rumour was going about that the emperor had sent
an army there. And he
commissioned him to load as many ships as possible with grain, to
gather all the soldiers who at the moment had arrived from
Byzantium, or had been left about Naples in charge of horses or
for any other purpose whatever—for he had heard that many
such were coming to the various places in[319]
Campania—and to withdraw some of the men from the garrisons
there, and then to come back with them, convoying the grain to
Ostia, where the harbour of the Romans was. And Procopius, accompanied by Mundilas the
guardsman and a few horsemen, passed out by night through the
gate which bears the name of the Apostle Paul,[144] eluding the
enemy's camp which had been established very close to the Appian
Way to keep guard over it. And
when Mundilas and his men, returning to Rome, announced that
Procopius had already arrived in Campania without meeting any of
the barbarians,—for at night, they said, the enemy never
went outside their camp,—everybody became hopeful, and
Belisarius, now emboldened, devised the following plan. He sent
out many of his horsemen to the neighbouring strongholds,
directing them, in case any of the enemy should come that way in
order to bring provisions into their camps, that they should
constantly make sallies upon them from their positions and lay
ambushes everywhere about this region, and thus keep them from
succeeding; on the contrary, they should with all their might
hedge them in, so that the city might be in less distress than
formerly through lack of provisions, and also that the barbarians
might seem to be besieged rather than to be themselves besieging
the Romans. So he commanded
Martinus and Trajan with a thousand men to go to Taracina. And
with them he sent also his wife Antonina, commanding that she be
sent with a few men to Naples, there to await in safety the
fortune which would befall the Romans. And he sent Magnus and Sinthues the guardsman, who
took with them [321]about five hundred men, to the
fortress of Tibur, one hundred and forty stades distant from
Rome. But to the town of
Albani,[145] which was situated on the Appian Way at the
same distance from the city, he had already, as it happened, sent
Gontharis with a number of Eruli, and these the Goths had driven
out from there by force not long afterward.
Now there is a certain
church of the Apostle Paul,[146] fourteen stades distant from the
fortifications of Rome, and the Tiber River flows beside it. In
that place there is no fortification, but a colonnade extends all
the way from the city to the church, and many other buildings
which are round about it render the place not easy of access.
But the Goths shew a certain
degree of actual respect for sanctuaries such as this. And indeed
during the whole time of the war no harm came to either church of
the two Apostles[147] at their hands, but all the rites were
performed in them by the priests in the usual manner. At this spot, then, Belisarius
commanded Valerian to take all the Huns and make a stockade by
the bank of the Tiber, in order that their horses might be kept
in greater security and that the Goths might be still further
checked from going at their pleasure to great distances from
their camps. And Valerian
acted accordingly. Then, after the Huns had made their camp in
the place where the general directed, he rode back to the
city.
So Belisarius, having accomplished this, remained quiet, not
offering battle, but eager to carry on the defence from the wall,
if anyone should advance [323]against it from outside with evil
intent. And he also furnished grain to some of the Roman
populace. But Martinus and
Trajan passed by night between the camps of the enemy, and after
reaching Taracina sent Antonina with a few men into Campania; and
they themselves took possession of the fortified places in that
district, and using them as their bases of operations and making
thence their sudden attacks, they checked such of the Goths as
were moving about in that region. As for Magnus and Sinthues, in a short time they
rebuilt such parts of the fortress[148] as had fallen into ruin, and as soon as they
had put themselves in safety, they began immediately to make more
trouble for the enemy, whose fortress was not far away, not only
by making frequent raids upon them, but also by keeping such of
the barbarians as were escorting provision-trains in a constant
state of terror by the unexpectedness of their movements; but
finally Sinthues was wounded in his right hand by a spear in a
certain battle, and since the sinews were severed, he became
thereafter unfit for fighting. And the Huns likewise, after they had made their
camp near by, as I have said, were on their part causing the
Goths no less trouble, so that these as well as the Romans were
now feeling the pressure of famine, since they no longer had
freedom to bring in their food-supplies as formerly. And pestilence too fell upon them
and was destroying many, and especially in the camp which they
had last made, close by the Appian Way, as I have previously
stated.[149] And the few of their number who had not
perished withdrew from that camp to the other camps. The Huns also [325]suffered in the same way, and so
returned to Rome. Such was the course of events here. But as for Procopius, when he
reached Campania, he collected not fewer than five hundred
soldiers there, loaded a great number of ships with grain, and
held them in readiness. And
he was joined not long afterwards by Antonina, who immediately
assisted him in making arrangements for the fleet.
At that time the mountain
of Vesuvius rumbled, and though it did not break forth in
eruption, still because of the rumbling it led people to expect
with great certainty that there would be an eruption. And for
this reason it came to pass that the inhabitants fell into great
terror. Now this mountain is
seventy stades distant from Naples and lies to the north[150] of it—an
exceedingly steep mountain, whose lower parts spread out wide on
all sides, while its upper portion is precipitous and exceedingly
difficult of ascent. But on the summit of Vesuvius and at about
the centre of it appears a cavern of such depth that one would
judge that it extends all the way to the bottom of the mountain.
And it is possible to see fire there, if one should dare to peer
over the edge, and although the flames as a rule merely twist and
turn upon one another, occasioning no trouble to the inhabitants
of that region, yet, when the mountain gives forth a rumbling
sound which resembles bellowing, it generally sends up not long
afterward a great quantity of ashes. And if anyone travelling on the road is caught by
this terrible shower, he cannot possibly survive, and if it falls
upon houses, they too fall under the weight of the great quantity
of ashes. But whenever it so [327]happens that a strong
wind comes on, the ashes rise to a great height, so that they are
no longer visible to the eye, and are borne wherever the wind
which drives them goes, falling on lands exceedingly far away.
And once, they say, they
fell in Byzantium[151] and so terrified the people there, that from
that time up to the present the whole city has seen fit to
propitiate God with prayers every year; and at another time they
fell on Tripolis in Libya. Formerly this rumbling took place, they say, once
in a hundred years or even more,[152] but in later times it has happened much more
frequently. This, however,
they declare emphatically, that whenever Vesuvius belches forth
these ashes, the country round about is bound to flourish with an
abundance of all crops. Furthermore, the air on this mountain is very
light and by its nature the most favourable to health in the
world. And indeed those who are attacked by consumption have been
sent to this place by physicians from remote times. So much,
then, may be said regarding Vesuvius.
[145] See Book
V. vi. 7, note.
[146] The
Basilica of St. Paul stood south of the city, outside the Porta
Ostiensis which is still called Porta S. Paolo.
[147] St.
Peter and St. Paul.
[148]
Tibur.
[149] Chap.
iii. 7.
[150] This is
an error on the part of Procopius. In point of fact it lies to
the south-east of Naples.
[151] During
the eruption of 472 a.d.
[152] Since
the great eruption of 79 a.d.—the first in historical
times—eruptions have succeeded one another at intervals
varying from one to more than one hundred years.
V
At this time another army
also arrived by sea from Byzantium, three thousand Isaurians who
put in at the harbour of Naples, led by Paulus and Conon, and
eight hundred Thracian horsemen who landed at Dryus, led by
John, the nephew of the Vitalian who had formerly been tyrant,
and with them a [329]thousand other soldiers of the regular
cavalry, under various commanders, among whom were Alexander and
Marcentius. And it happened that
Zeno with three hundred horsemen had already reached Rome by way
of Samnium and the Latin Way. And when John with all the others
came to Campania, provided with many waggons by the inhabitants
of Calabria, his troops were joined by five hundred men who, as I
have said, had been collected in Campania. These set out by the coast road with the waggons,
having in mind, if any hostile force should confront them, to
make a circle of the waggons in the form of a stockade and thus
to ward off the enemy; and they commanded the men under Paulus
and Conon to sail with all speed and join them at Ostia, the
harbour of Rome[153]; and they put sufficient grain in the
waggons and loaded all the ships, not only with grain, but also
with wine and all kinds of provisions. And they, indeed, expected to find the forces of
Martinus and Trajan in the neighbourhood of Taracina and to have
their company from that point on, but when they approached
Taracina, they learned that these forces had recently been
recalled and had retired to Rome.
But Belisarius, learning that
the forces of John were approaching and fearing that the enemy
might confront them in greatly superior numbers and destroy them,
took the following measures. It
so happened that the enemy had encamped very close to the
Flaminian Gate; this gate Belisarius himself had blocked up at
the beginning of this war by a [331]structure of stone, as
has been told by me in the previous narrative,[154] his purpose of
course being to make it difficult for the enemy either to force
their way in or to make any attempt upon the city at that point.
Consequently no engagement had taken place at this gate, and the
barbarians had no suspicion that there would be any attack upon
them from there. Now Belisarius
tore down by night the masonry which blocked this gate, without
giving notice to anyone at all, and made ready the greatest part
of the army there. And at
daybreak he sent Trajan and Diogenes with a thousand horsemen
through the Pincian Gate, commanding them to shoot missiles into
the camps, and as soon as their opponents came against them, to
flee without the least shame and to ride up to the fortifications
at full speed. And he also stationed some men inside this gate.
So the men under Trajan began
to harass the barbarians, as Belisarius had directed them to do,
and the Goths, gathering from all the camps, began to defend
themselves. And both armies began to move as fast as they could
toward the fortifications of the city, the one giving the
appearance of fleeing, and the other supposing that they were
pursuing the enemy.
But as soon as Belisarius
saw the enemy take up the pursuit, he opened the Flaminian Gate
and sent his army out against the barbarians, who were thus taken
unawares. Now it so happened that one of the Gothic camps was on
the road near this gate, and in front of it there was a narrow
passage between steep banks which was exceedingly difficult of
access. And one of the barbarians, a man of splendid physique and
clad in a corselet, when he saw the enemy [333]advancing, reached this place before
them and took his stand there, at the same time calling his
comrades and urging them to help in guarding the narrow passage.
But before any move could be
made Mundilas slew him and thereafter allowed none of the
barbarians to go into this passage. The Romans therefore passed
through it without encountering opposition, and some of them,
arriving at the Gothic camp near by, for a short time tried to
take it, but were unable to do so because of the strength of the
stockade, although not many barbarians had been left behind in
it. For the trench had been dug to an extraordinary depth, and
since the earth taken from it had invariably been placed along
its inner side, this reached a great height and so served as a
wall[155]; and it was
abundantly supplied with stakes, which were very sharp and close
together, thus making a palisade. These defences so emboldened
the barbarians that they began to repel the enemy vigorously.
But one of the guards of
Belisarius, Aquilinus by name, an exceedingly active man, seized
a horse by the bridle and, bestriding it, leaped from the trench
into the middle of the camp, where he slew some of the enemy.
And when his opponents
gathered about him and hurled great numbers of missiles, the
horse was wounded and fell, but he himself unexpectedly made his
escape through the midst of the enemy. So he went on foot with
his companions toward the Pincian Gate. And overtaking the
barbarians, who were still engaged in pursuing Roman
horsemen,[156] they began to shoot at them from behind and
killed some of them.
[335]Now
when Trajan and his men perceived this, since they had meanwhile
been reinforced by the horsemen who had been standing near by in
readiness, they charged at full speed against their pursuers.
Then at length the Goths, being now outgeneraled and unexpectedly
caught between the forces of their enemy, began to be killed
indiscriminately. And there was great slaughter of them, and very
few escaped to their camps, and that with difficulty; meanwhile
the others, fearing for the safety of all their strongholds, shut
themselves in and remained in them thereafter, thinking that the
Romans would come against them without the least delay. In this action one of the barbarians
shot Trajan in the face, above the right eye and not far from the
nose. And the whole of the iron point, penetrated the head and
disappeared entirely, although the barb on it was large and
exceedingly long, but the remainder of the arrow immediately fell
to the ground without the application of force by anyone, in my
opinion because the iron point had never been securely fastened
to the shaft. Trajan, however, paid no heed to this at all, but
continued none the less killing and pursuing the enemy. But in
the fifth year afterward the tip of the iron of its own accord
began to project visibly from his face. And this is now the third
year since it has been slowly but steadily coming out. It is to
be expected, therefore, that the whole barb will eventually come
out, though not for a long time. But it has not been an
impediment to the man in any way. So much then for these
matters.[337]
[154] Book
V. xix. 6.
[155] Cf. Book
V. xix. 11.
[156] These
were the forces of Trajan and Diogenes.
VI
Now the barbarians
straightway began to despair of winning the war and were
considering how they might withdraw from Rome, inasmuch as they
had suffered the ravages both of the pestilence and of the enemy,
and were now reduced from many tens of thousands to a few men;
and, not least of all, they were in a state of distress by reason
of the famine, and while in name they were carrying on a siege,
they were in fact being besieged by their opponents and were shut
off from all necessities. And
when they learned that still another army had come to their enemy
from Byzantium both by land and by sea—not being informed
as to its actual size, but supposing it to be as large as the
free play of rumour was able to make it,—they became
terrified at the danger and began to plan for their departure.
They accordingly sent three
envoys to Rome, one of whom was a Roman of note among the Goths,
and he, coming before Belisarius, spoke as follows:
"That the war has not turned out to the advantage of either
side each of us knows well, since we both have had actual
experience of its hardships. For why should anyone in either army
deny facts of which neither now remains in ignorance. And no one,
I think, could deny, at least no one who does not lack
understanding, that it is only senseless men who choose to go on
suffering indefinitely merely to satisfy the contentious spirit
which moves them for the moment, and refuse to find a solution of
the troubles which harass them. And whenever this situation
arises, it [339]is the duty of the commanders on both
sides not to sacrifice the lives of their subjects to their own
glory, but to choose the course which is just and expedient, not
for themselves alone, but also for their opponents, and thus to
put an end to present hardships. For moderation in one's demands
affords a way out of all difficulties, but it is the very nature
of contentiousness that it cannot accomplish any of the objects
which are essential. Now we, on our part, have deliberated
concerning the conclusion of this war and have come before you
with proposals which are of advantage to both sides, wherein we
waive, as we think, some portion even of our rights. And see to
it that you likewise in your deliberations do not yield to a
spirit of contentiousness respecting us and thus destroy
yourselves as well as us, in preference to choosing the course
which will be of advantage to yourselves. And it is fitting that
both sides should state their case, not in continuous speech, but
each interrupting the other on the spur of the moment, if
anything that is said shall seem inappropriate. For in this way
each side will be able to say briefly whatever it is minded to
say, and at the same time the essential things will be
accomplished." Belisarius replied: "There will be nothing to
prevent the debate from proceeding in the manner you suggest,
only let the words spoken by you be words of peace and of
justice."
So the ambassadors of the Goths in their turn said: "You have
done us an injustice, O Romans, in taking up arms wrongfully
against us, your friends and allies. And what we shall say is, we
think, well known to each one of you as well as to
ourselves.[341] For the Goths did not obtain the land of Italy by
wresting it from the Romans by force, but Odoacer in former times
dethroned the emperor, changed the government of Italy to a
tyranny, and so held it.[157] And
Zeno, who then held the power of the East, though he wished to
avenge his partner in the imperial office and to free this land
from the usurper, was unable to destroy the authority of Odoacer.
Accordingly he persuaded Theoderic, our ruler, although he was on
the point of besieging him and Byzantium, not only to put an end
to his hostility towards himself, in recollection of the honour
which Theoderic had already received at his hands in having been
made a patrician and consul of the Romans,[158] but also to punish
Odoacer for his unjust treatment of Augustulus, and thereafter,
in company with the Goths, to hold sway over the land as its
legitimate and rightful rulers. It was in this way, therefore, that we took over
the dominion of Italy, and we have preserved both the laws and
the form of government as strictly as any who have ever been
Roman emperors, and there is absolutely no law, either written or
unwritten, introduced by Theoderic or by any of his successors on
the throne of the Goths. And
we have so scrupulously guarded for the Romans their practices
pertaining to the worship of God and faith in Him, that not one
of the Italians has changed his belief, either willingly or
unwillingly, up to the present day, and when Goths have
changed,[159] we have taken no notice of the matter.
And indeed the sanctuaries
of the Romans have received from us the highest honour; for no
one who has taken refuge [343]in any of them has ever been
treated with violence by any man; nay, more, the Romans
themselves have continued to hold all the offices of the state,
and not a single Goth has had a share in them. Let someone come
forward and refute us, if he thinks that this statement of ours
is not true. And one might
add that the Goths have conceded that the dignity of the
consulship should be conferred upon Romans each year by the
emperor of the East. Such
has been the course followed by us; but you, on your side, did
not take the part of Italy while it was suffering at the hands of
the barbarians and Odoacer, although it was not for a short time,
but for ten years, that he treated the land outrageously; but now
you do violence to us who have acquired it legitimately, though
you have no business here. Do you therefore depart hence out of
our way, keeping both that which is your own and whatever you
have gained by plunder."
And Belisarius said: "Although your promise gave us to
understand that your words would be brief and temperate, yet your
discourse has been both long and not far from fraudulent in its
pretensions. For Theoderic
was sent by the Emperor Zeno in order to make war on Odoacer, not
in order to hold the dominion of Italy for himself. For why
should the emperor have been concerned to exchange one tyrant for
another? But he sent him in order that Italy might be free and
obedient to the emperor. And though Theoderic disposed of the
tyrant in a satisfactory manner, in everything else he shewed an
extraordinary lack of proper feeling; for he never thought of
restoring the land to its rightful owner. But I, for my part,
think that he who robs [345]another by violence and he who of
his own will does not restore his neighbour's goods are equal.
Now, as for me, I shall never surrender the emperor's country to
any other. But if there is anything you wish to receive in place
of it, I give you leave to speak."
And the barbarians said: "That everything which we have said
is true no one of you can be unaware. But in order that we may not seem to be
contentious, we give up to you Sicily, great as it is and of such
wealth, seeing that without it you cannot possess Libya in
security."
And Belisarius replied:
"And we on our side permit the Goths to have the whole of
Britain, which is much larger than Sicily and was subject to the
Romans in early times. For it is only fair to make an equal
return to those who first do a good deed or perform a
kindness."
The barbarians: "Well,
then, if we should make you a proposal concerning Campania also,
or about Naples itself, will you listen to it?"
Belisarius: "No, for we are not empowered to administer the
emperor's affairs in a way which is not in accord with his
wish."
The barbarians: "Not even if we impose upon ourselves the
payment of a fixed sum of money every year?"
Belisarius: "No, indeed. For we are not empowered to do
anything else than guard the land for its owner."
The barbarians: "Come now, we must send [347]envoys
to the emperor and make with him our treaty concerning the whole
matter. And a definite time must also be appointed during which
the armies will be bound to observe an armistice."
Belisarius: "Very well; let this be done. For never shall I
stand in your way when you are making plans for peace."
After saying these things they each left the conference, and
the envoys of the Goths withdrew to their own camp. And during the ensuing days they
visited each other frequently and made the arrangements for the
armistice, and they agreed that each side should put into the
hands of the other some of its notable men as hostages to ensure
the keeping of the armistice.
[158] Cf. Book
V. i. 10, 11.
[159] The
Goths were Christians, but followed the Arian heresy.
VII
But while these
negotiations were in progress at Rome, meanwhile the fleet of the
Isaurians put in at the harbour[160] of the Romans and John with his men came to
Ostia, and not one of the enemy hindered them either while
bringing their ships to land or while making their camp. But in order that they might be able
to pass the night safe from a sudden attack by the enemy, the
Isaurians dug a deep trench close to the harbour and kept a
constant guard by shifts of men, while John's soldiers made a
barricade of their waggons about the camp and remained quiet.
And when night came on
Belisarius went to Ostia with a hundred horsemen, and after
telling what had taken place in the engagement [349]and
the agreement which had been made between the Romans and the
Goths and otherwise encouraging them, he bade them bring their
cargoes and come with all zeal to Rome. "For," he said, "I shall
take care that the journey is free from danger." So he himself at early dawn rode
back to the city, and Antonina together with the commanders began
at daybreak to consider means of transporting the cargoes. But it
seemed to them that the task was a hard one and beset with the
greatest difficulties. For the oxen could hold out no longer, but
all lay half-dead, and, furthermore, it was dangerous to travel
over a rather narrow road with the waggons, and impossible to tow
the barges on the river, as had formerly been the custom.
For the road which is on the
left[161] of the
river was held by the enemy, as stated by me in the previous
narrative,[162] and not available for the use of the Romans
at that time, while the road on the other side of it is
altogether unused, at least that part of it which follows the
river-bank. They therefore selected the small boats belonging to
the larger ships, put a fence of high planks around them on all
sides, in order that the men on board might not be exposed to the
enemy's shots, and embarked archers and sailors on them in
numbers suitable for each boat. And after they had loaded the boats with all the
freight they could carry, they waited for a favouring wind and
set sail toward Rome by the Tiber, and a portion of the army
followed them along the right[161] bank of the river to support them. But they left a [351]large
number of Isaurians to guard the ships. Now where the course of
the river was straight, they found no trouble in sailing, simply
raising the sails of the boats; but where the stream wound about
and took a course athwart the wind, and the sails received no
impulse from it, the sailors had no slight toil in rowing and
forcing the boats against the current. As for the barbarians, they sat in their camps
and had no wish to hinder their enemy, either because they were
terrified at the danger, or because they thought that the Romans
would never by such means succeed in bringing in any provisions,
and considered it contrary to their own interest, when a matter
of no consequence was involved, to frustrate their hope of the
armistice which Belisarius had already promised. Moreover, the Goths who were in
Portus, though they could see their enemy constantly sailing by
almost near enough to touch, made no move against them, but sat
there wondering in amazement at the plan they had hit upon.
And when the Romans had
made the voyage up the river many times in the same way, and had
thus conveyed all the cargoes into the city without interference,
the sailors took the ships and withdrew with all speed, for it
was already about the time of the winter solstice; and the rest
of the army entered Rome, except, indeed, that Paulus remained in
Ostia with some of the Isaurians.
And afterwards they
gave hostages to one another to secure the keeping of the
armistice, the Romans giving Zeno, and the Goths Ulias, a man of
no mean station, with the understanding that during three months
they should make no attack upon one [353]another, until the envoys should
return from Byzantium and report the will of the emperor. And
even if the one side or the other should initiate offences
against their opponents, the envoys were nevertheless to be
returned to their own nation. So the envoys of the barbarians went to Byzantium
escorted by Romans, and Ildiger, the son-in-law of Antonina, came
to Rome from Libya with not a few horsemen. And the Goths who were holding the stronghold
at Portus abandoned the place by the order of Vittigis because
their supplies were exhausted, and came to the camp in obedience
to his summons. Whereupon Paulus with his Isaurians came from
Ostia and took possession of it and held it. Now the chief reason
why these barbarians were without provisions was that the Romans
commanded the sea and did not allow any of the necessary supplies
to be brought in to them. And it was for this reason that they also
abandoned at about the same time a sea-coast city of great
importance, Centumcellae[163] by name, that is, because they were short of
provisions. This city is
large and populous, lying to the west of Rome, in Tuscany,
distant from it about two hundred and eighty stades. And after taking possession of it
the Romans went on and extended their power still more, for they
took also the town of Albani, which lies to the east of Rome, the
enemy having evacuated it at that time for the same reason, and
they had already surrounded the barbarians on all sides and now
held them between their forces. The Goths, therefore, were in a
mood to break the agreement and do some harm to the Romans.
So they sent envoys to
Belisarius [355]and asserted that they had been
unjustly treated during a truce; for when Vittigis had summoned the Goths who were
in Portus to perform some service for him, Paulus and the
Isaurians had seized and taken possession of the fort there for
no good reason. And they
made this same false charge regarding Albani and Centumcellae,
and threatened that, unless he should give these places back to
them, they would resent it. But Belisarius laughed and sent them
away, saying that this charge was but a pretext, and that no one
was ignorant of the reason why the Goths had abandoned these
places. And thereafter the two sides were somewhat suspicious of
one another.
But later, when
Belisarius saw that Rome was abundantly supplied with soldiers,
he sent many horsemen to places far distant from Rome, and
commanded John, the nephew of Vitalian, and the horsemen under
his command, eight hundred in number, to pass the winter near the
city of Alba, which lies in Picenum; and with him he sent four hundred of the men of
Valerian, whom Damianus, the nephew of Valerian, commanded, and
eight hundred men of his own guards who were especially able
warriors. And in command
of these he put two spearmen, Suntas and Adegis, and ordered them
to follow John wherever he should lead; and he gave John instructions that as long as he
saw the enemy was keeping the agreement made between them, he
should remain quiet; but whenever he found that the armistice had
been violated by them, he should do as follows: With his whole
force he was to make a sudden raid and overrun the land of
Picenum, visiting all the districts of that region and reaching
[357]each one before the report of his
coming. For in this whole land there was virtually not a single
man left, since all, as it appeared, had marched against Rome,
but everywhere there were women and children of the enemy and
money. He was instructed, therefore, to enslave or plunder
whatever he found, taking care never to injure any of the Romans
living there. And if he should happen upon any place which had
men and defences, as he probably would, he was to make an attempt
upon it with his whole force. And if he was able to capture it,
he was to go forward, but if it should so happen that his attempt
was unsuccessful, he was to march back or remain there. For if he
should go forward and leave such a fortress in his rear, he would
be involved in the greatest danger, since his men would never be
able to defend themselves easily, if they should be harassed by
their opponents. He was also to keep the whole booty intact, in
order that it might be divided fairly and properly among the
army. Then with a laugh he added this also: "For it is not fair
that the drones should be destroyed with great labour by one
force, while others, without having endured any hardship at all,
enjoy the honey." So after giving these instructions, Belisarius
sent John with his army.
And at about the same
time Datius, the priest of Milan, and some notable men among the
citizens came to Rome and begged Belisarius to send them a few
guards. For they declared that they were themselves able without
any trouble to detach from [359]the Goths not only
Milan, but the whole of Liguria also, and to recover them for the
emperor. Now this city is
situated in Liguria, and lies about half way between the city of
Ravenna and the Alps on
the borders of Gaul; for from either one it is a journey of eight
days to Milan for an unencumbered traveller; and it is the first
of the cities of the West, after Rome at least, both in size and
in population and in general prosperity. And Belisarius promised
to fulfil their request, but detained them there during the
winter season.
[161]
i.e. facing upstream.
[162] Book IV.
xxvi. 14.
[163] Modern
Civita Vecchia.
VIII
Such was the course of
these events. But the envy of fortune was already swelling
against the Romans, when she saw their affairs progressing
successfully and well, and wishing to mingle some evil with this
good, she inspired a quarrel, on a trifling pretext, between
Belisarius and Constantinus; and how this grew and to what end it
came I shall now go on to relate. There was a certain Presidius, a Roman living at
Ravenna, and a man of no mean station. This Presidius had given
offence to the Goths at the time when Vittigis was about to march
against Rome, and so he set out with some few of his domestics
ostensibly on a hunting expedition, and went into exile; he had
communicated his plan to no one and took none of his property
with him, except indeed that he himself carried two daggers, the
scabbards of which happened to be adorned with much gold and
[361]precious stones. And when he came to
Spolitium, he lodged in a certain temple outside the
fortifications. And when
Constantinus, who happened to be still tarrying there,[164] heard of this, he
sent one of his guards, Maxentiolus, and took away from him both
the daggers for no good reason. The man was deeply offended by what had taken
place, and set out for Rome with all speed and came to
Belisarius, and Constantinus also arrived there not long
afterward; for the Gothic army was already reported to be not far
away. Now as long as the affairs of the Romans were critical and
in confusion, Presidius remained silent; but when he saw that the
Romans were gaining the upper hand and that the envoys of the
Goths had been sent to the emperor, as has been told by me above,
he frequently approached Belisarius reporting the injustice and
demanding that he assist him in obtaining his rights. And
Belisarius reproached Constantinus many times himself, and many
times through others, urging him to clear himself of the guilt of
an unjust deed and of a dishonouring report. But
Constantinus—for it must needs be that evil befall
him—always lightly evaded the charge and taunted the
wronged man. But on one occasion Presidius met Belisarius riding
on horseback in the forum, and he laid hold of the horse's
bridle, and crying out with a loud voice asked whether the laws
of the emperor said that, whenever anyone fleeing from the
barbarians comes to them as a suppliant, they should rob him by
violence of whatever he may chance to have in his hands. And
though many men gathered about and commanded him with threats to
[363]let go his hold of the bridle, he did
not let go until at last Belisarius promised to give him the
daggers. On the
following day, therefore, Belisarius called Constantinus and many
of the commanders to an apartment in the palace, and after going
over what had happened on the previous day urged him even at that
late time to restore the daggers. But Constantinus refused to do
so; nay, he would more gladly throw them into the waters of the
Tiber than give them to Presidius. And Belisarius, being by now
mastered by anger, enquired whether Constantinus did not think
that he was subject to his orders. And he agreed to obey him in
all other things, for this was the emperor's will; this command,
however, which at the present time he was laying upon him, he
would never obey. Belisarius then commanded his guards to enter,
whereupon Constantinus said: "In order, plainly, to have them
kill me." "By no means," said Belisarius, "but to have them
compel your bodyguard Maxentiolus, who forcibly carried away the
daggers for you, to restore to the man what he took from him by
violence." But Constantinus, thinking that he was to die that
very instant, wished to do some great deed before he should
suffer anything himself. He accordingly drew the dagger which
hung by his thigh and suddenly thrust it at the belly of
Belisarius. And he in
consternation stepped back, and by throwing his arms around
Bessas, who was standing near, succeeded in escaping the blow.
Then Constantinus, still
boiling with anger, made after him; but Ildiger and Valerian,
seeing what was [365]being done, laid hold of his hands,
one of the right and the other of the left, and dragged him back.
And at this point the guards entered whom Belisarius had summoned
a moment before, snatched the dagger of Constantinus from his
hand with great violence, and seized him amid a great uproar.
At the moment they did
him no harm, out of respect, I suppose, to the officers present,
but led him away to another room at the command of Belisarius,
and at a somewhat later time put him to death. This was the only unholy deed
done by Belisarius, and it was in no way worthy of the character
of the man; for he always shewed great gentleness in his
treatment of all others. But it had to be, as I have said, that
evil should befall Constantinus.
IX
And the Goths not long
after this wished to strike a blow at the fortifications of Rome.
And first they sent some men
by night into one of the aqueducts, from which they themselves
had taken out the water at the beginning of this war.[165] And with lamps and
torches in their hands they explored the entrance into the city
by this way. Now it happened that not far from the small Pincian
Gate an arch of this aqueduct[166] had a sort of crevice in it, and one of the
guards saw the light through this and told his companions; but
they said that he had seen a wolf passing by his post. For at
that point it so happened that the structure of the aqueduct did
not rise high above the ground, and they thought that the guard
had imagined the wolf's eyes to be fire. So [367]those barbarians who explored the
aqueduct, upon reaching the middle of the city, where there was
an upward passage built in olden times leading to the palace
itself, came upon some masonry there which allowed them neither
to advance beyond that point nor to use the ascent at all.
This masonry had been put in
by Belisarius as an act of precaution at the beginning of this
siege, as has been set forth by me in the preceding
narrative.[167] So they decided first to remove one small
stone from the wall and then to go back immediately, and when
they returned to Vittigis, they displayed the stone and reported
the whole situation. And while he was considering his scheme with
the best of the Goths, the Romans who were on guard at the
Pincian Gate recalled among themselves on the following day the
suspicion of the wolf. But
when the story was passed around and came to Belisarius, the
general did not treat the matter carelessly, but immediately sent
some of the notable men in the army, together with the guardsman
Diogenes, down into the aqueduct and bade them investigate
everything with all speed. And they found all along the aqueduct
the lamps of the enemy and the ashes which had dropped from their
torches, and after observing the masonry where the stone had been
taken out by the Goths, they reported to Belisarius. For this
reason he personally kept the aqueduct under close guard; and the
Goths, perceiving it, desisted from this attempt.
But later on the barbarians went so far as to plan an open
attack against the fortifications. So they waited for the time of lunch, and bringing
up ladders [369]and fire, when their enemy were least
expecting them, made an assault upon the small Pincian Gate,
emboldened by the hope of capturing the city by a sudden attack,
since not many soldiers had been left there. But it happened that Ildiger and his men were
keeping guard at that time; for all were assigned by turns to
guard-duty. So when he saw
the enemy advancing in disorder, he went out against them before
they were yet drawn up in line of battle and while they were
advancing in great disarray, and routing those who were opposite
him without any trouble he slew many. And a great outcry and
commotion arose throughout the city, as was to be expected, and
the Romans gathered as quickly as possible to all parts of the
fortifications; whereupon the barbarians after a short time
retired to their camp baffled.
But Vittigis resorted again to a plot against the wall.
Now there was a certain part
of it that was especially vulnerable, where the bank of the Tiber
is, because at this place the Romans of old, confident in the
protection afforded by the stream, had built the wall carelessly,
making it low and altogether without towers; Vittigis therefore
hoped to capture the city rather easily from that quarter.
For indeed there was not
even any garrison there of any consequence, as it happened. He
therefore bribed with money two Romans who lived near the church
of Peter the Apostle to pass along by the guards there at about
nightfall carrying a skin full of wine, and in some way or other,
by making a show of friendship, to give it to them, and then to
sit drinking with them well on into the night; and they were to
throw [371]into the cup of each guard a
sleep-producing drug which Vittigis had given them. And he
stealthily got ready some skiffs, which he kept at the other
bank; as soon as the guards should be overcome by sleep, some of
the barbarians, acting in concert, were to cross the river in
these, taking ladders with them, and make the assault on the
wall. And he made ready the entire army with the intention of
capturing the whole city by storm. After these arrangements were all complete, one of
the two men who had been prepared by Vittigis for this service
(for it was not fated that Rome should be captured by this army
of the Goths) came of his own accord to Belisarius and revealed
everything, and told who the other man was. So this man under
torture brought to light all that he was about to do and
displayed the drug which Vittigis had given him. And Belisarius first mutilated his
nose and ears and then sent him riding on an ass into the enemy's
camp. And when the barbarians saw him, they realised that God
would not allow their purposes to have free course, and that
therefore the city could never be captured by them.
[166] The
Aqua Virgo.
[167] Book
V. xix. 18.
X
But while these things were
happening, Belisarius wrote to John and commanded him to begin
operations. And he with his two
thousand horsemen began to go about the land of Picenum and to
[373]plunder everything before him,
treating the women and children of the enemy as slaves. And when Ulitheus, the uncle of
Vittigis, confronted him with an army of Goths, he defeated them
in battle and killed Ulitheus himself and almost the whole army
of the enemy. For this reason no one dared any longer to engage
with him. But when he came to the city of Auximus,[168] though he learned
that it contained a Gothic garrison of inconsiderable size, yet
in other respects he observed that the place was strong and
impossible to capture. And for this reason he was quite unwilling
to lay siege to it, but departing from there as quickly as he
could, he moved forward. And he
did this same thing at the city of Urbinus,[169] but at
Ariminum,[170] which is one day's journey distant from
Ravenna, he marched into the city at the invitation of the
Romans. Now all the barbarians
who were keeping guard there were very suspicious of the Roman
inhabitants, and as soon as they learned that this army was
approaching, they withdrew and ran until they reached Ravenna.
And thus John secured Ariminum;
but he had meanwhile left in his rear a garrison of the enemy
both at Auximus and at Urbinus, not because he had forgotten the
commands of Belisarius, nor because he was carried away by
unreasoning boldness, since he had wisdom as well as energy, but
because he reasoned—correctly, as it turned out—that
if the Goths learned that the Roman army was close to Ravenna,
they would instantly break up the siege of Rome because of their
fears regarding this place. And in fact his reasoning proved to
be true. For as [375]soon
as Vittigis and the army of the Goths heard that Ariminum was
held by him, they were plunged into great fear regarding Ravenna,
and abandoning all other considerations, they straightway made
their withdrawal, as will be told by me directly. And John won great fame from this deed,
though he was renowned even before. For he was a daring and efficient man in the
highest degree, unflinching before danger, and in his daily life
shewing at all times a certain austerity and ability to endure
hardship unsurpassed by any barbarian or common soldier. Such a
man was John. And Matasuntha,
the wife of Vittigis, who was exceedingly hostile to her husband
because he had taken her to wife by violence in the
beginning,[171] upon learning that John had come to Ariminum
was absolutely overcome by joy, and sending a messenger to him
opened secret negotiations with him concerning marriage and the
betrayal of the city.
So these two kept sending
messengers to each other without the knowledge of the rest and
arranging these matters. But
when the Goths learned what had happened at Ariminum, and when at
the same time all their provisions had failed them, and the three
months' time had already expired, they began to make their
withdrawal, although they had not as yet received any information
as far as the envoys were concerned. Now it was about the spring
equinox, and one year had been spent in the siege and nine days
in addition, when the Goths, having burned all their camps, set
out at daybreak. And the Romans, seeing their opponents in
flight, were at a loss how to deal with the situation. For it [377]so happened that the
majority of the horsemen were not present at that time, since
they had been sent to various places, as has been stated by me
above,[172] and they did not think that by themselves
they were a match for so great a multitude of the enemy. However, Belisarius armed all the
infantry and cavalry. And when he saw that more than half of the
enemy had crossed the bridge, he led the army out through the
small Pincian Gate, and the hand-to-hand battle which ensued
proved to be equal to any that had preceded it. At the beginning
the barbarians withstood their enemy vigorously, and many on both
sides fell in the first encounter; but afterwards the Goths
turned to flight and brought upon themselves a great and
overwhelming calamity; for each man for himself was rushing to
cross the bridge first. As a result of this they became very much
crowded and suffered most cruelly, for they were being killed
both by each other and by the enemy. Many, too, fell off the
bridge on either side into the Tiber, sank with all their arms,
and perished. Finally, after losing in this way the most of their
number, the remainder joined those who had crossed before.
And Longinus the Isaurian and
Mundilas, the guards of Belisarius, made themselves conspicuous
for their valour in this battle. But while Mundilas, after engaging with four
barbarians in turn and killing them all, was himself saved,
Longinus, having proved himself the chief cause of the rout of
the enemy, fell where he fought, leaving the Roman army great
regret for his loss. [379]
[169] Modern
Urbino.
[170] Modern
Rimini.
[171] Cf. Book
V. xi. 27.
[172] Chap.
vii. 25.
XI
Now Vittigis with the
remainder of his army marched toward Ravenna; and he strengthened
the fortified places with a great number of guards, leaving in
Clusium,[173] the city of Tuscany, one thousand men and
Gibimer as commander, and in Urviventus[174] an equal number, over whom he set Albilas, a
Goth, as commander. And he
left Uligisalus in Tudera[175] with four hundred men. And in the land of
Picenum he left in the fortress of Petra four hundred men who had
lived there previously, and in Auximus, which is the largest of
all the cities of that country, he left four thousand Goths
selected for their valour and a very energetic commander,
Visandus by name, and two thousand men with Moras in the city of
Urbinus. There are also two
other fortresses, Caesena and Monteferetra,[176] in each of which
he established a garrison of not less than five hundred men. Then
he himself with the rest of the army moved straight for Ariminum
with the purpose of laying siege to it.
But it happened that
Belisarius, as soon as the Goths had broken up the siege of Rome,
had sent Ildiger and Martinus with a thousand horsemen, in order
that by travelling more quickly by another road they might arrive
at Ariminum first, and he directed them promptly to remove John
from the city and all those with him, and to put in their place
fully enough men to guard the city, taking them [381]from
the fortress which is on the Ionian Gulf, Ancon by name, two
days' journey distant from Ariminum. For he had already taken possession of it not long
before, having sent Conon with no small force of Isaurians and
Thracians. It was his hope that if unsupported infantry under
commanders of no great note should hold Ariminum, the Gothic
forces would never undertake its siege, but would regard it with
contempt and so go at once to Ravenna, and that if they should
decide to besiege Ariminum, the provisions there would suffice
for the infantry for a somewhat longer time; and he thought also
that two thousand horsemen,[177] attacking from outside with the rest of the
army, would in all probability do the enemy great harm and drive
them more easily to abandon the siege. It was with this purpose that Belisarius gave such
orders to Martinus and Ildiger and their men. And they, by
travelling over the Flaminian Way, arrived long before the
barbarians. For since the
Goths were moving in a great throng, they proceeded in a more
leisurely manner, and they were compelled to make certain long
detours, both because of the lack of provisions, and because they
preferred not to pass close to the fortresses on the Flaminian
Way, Narnia and Spolitium and Perusia, since these were in the
hands of the enemy, as has been stated above.[178]
When the Roman army
arrived at Petra, they made an attack upon the fortress there,
regarding it as an incident of their expedition. Now this
fortress was not devised by man, but it was made by the nature of
[383]the place; for the road passes through
an extremely mountainous country at that place. On the right of
this road a river descends which no man can ford because of the
swiftness of the current, and on the left not far away rises a
sheer rock which reaches to such a height that men who might
chance to be standing on its summit, as seen by those below,
resemble in size the smallest birds. And in olden times there was
no passage through as one went forward. For the end of the rock
reaches to the very stream of the river, affording no room for
those who travel that way to pass by. So the men of ancient times
constructed a tunnel at that point, and made there a gate for the
place.[179] And they also closed up the greatest part of
the other[180] entrance, leaving only enough space for a
small gate there also, and thus rendered the place a natural
fortress, which they call by the fitting name of Petra. So the
men of Martinus and Ildiger first made an attack upon one of the
two gates,[181] and shot many missiles, but they
accomplished nothing, although the barbarians there made no
defence at all; but afterwards they forced their way up the cliff
behind the fortress and hurled stones from there upon the heads
of the Goths. And they, hurriedly and in great confusion, entered
their houses and remained quiet. And then the Romans, unable to
hit any of the enemy with the stones they threw, devised the
following plan. They broke off large pieces from the cliff and,
many of them pushing together, hurled them down, aiming at the
houses. And wherever these in their fall did no more than just
graze the building, [385]they yet gave the whole fortress a
considerable shock and reduced the barbarians to great fear.
Consequently the Goths stretched out their hands to those who
were still about the gate and surrendered themselves and the
fort, with the condition that they themselves should remain free
from harm, being slaves of the emperor and subject to Belisarius.
And Ildiger and Martinus removed the most of them and led them
away, putting them on a basis of complete equality with
themselves, but some few they left there, together with their
wives and children. And they also left something of a garrison of
Romans. Thence they
proceeded to Ancon, and taking with them many of the infantry in
that place on the third day reached Ariminum, and announced the
will of Belisarius. But John
was not only unwilling himself to follow them, but also proposed
to retain Damianus with the four hundred.[182] So they left there
the infantry and retired thence with all speed, taking the
spearmen and guards of Belisarius.
[174] Urbs
Vetus, modern Orvieto.
[175] Tuder or
Tudertum, modern Todi.
[176] Modern
Montefeltro.
[177]
i.e. the force which John had when he had set out on his
raid of Picenum (cf. Chap. x. 1) and with
which he was now holding Ariminum.
[178] Book
V. xxix. 3.
[179] The
tunnel was made by the Emperor Vespasian, 76 a.d. This gate was at the southern end.
[180]
i.e. northern.
[181] The
upper, or southern, gate.
[182] Cf.
Chap. vii. 26.
XII
And not long afterward
Vittigis and his whole army arrived at Ariminum, where they
established their camp and began the siege. And they immediately
constructed a wooden tower higher than the circuit-wall of the
city and resting on four wheels, and drew it toward that part of
the wall which seemed to them most vulnerable. But in order that
they might not have the same experience here which they had
before the fortifications of Rome, they did not use oxen to draw
the tower, but hid themselves within it and thus [387]hauled
it forward. And there was a stairway of great breadth inside the
tower on which the barbarians in great numbers were to make the
ascent easily, for they hoped that as soon as they should place
the tower against the fortifications, they would have no trouble
in stepping thence to the parapet of the wall; for they had made
the tower high with this in view. So when they had come close to
the fortifications with this engine of war, they remained quiet
for the time, since it was already growing dark, and stationing
guards about the tower they all went off to pass the night,
supposing that they would meet with no obstacle whatever. And
indeed there was nothing in their way, not even a trench between
them and the wall, except an exceedingly small one.
As for the Romans, they passed the night in great fear,
supposing that on the morrow they would perish. But John, neither
yielding to despair in face of the danger nor being greatly
agitated by fear, devised the following plan. Leaving the others on guard at their posts, he
himself took the Isaurians, who carried pickaxes and various
other tools of this kind, and went outside the fortifications; it
was late in the night and no word had been given beforehand to
anyone in the city; and once outside the wall, he commanded his
men in silence to dig the trench deeper. So they did as directed,
and as they dug they kept putting the earth which they took out
of the trench upon the side of it nearer the city-wall, and there
it served them as an earthwork. And since they were unobserved
for a long time by the enemy, who were sleeping, [389]they
soon made the trench both deep and sufficiently wide, at the
place where the fortifications were especially vulnerable and
where the barbarians were going to make the assault with their
engine of war. But far on in
the night the enemy, perceiving what was being done, charged at
full speed against those who were digging, and John went inside
the fortifications with the Isaurians, since the trench was now
in a most satisfactory condition.
But at daybreak Vittigis noted what had been accomplished and
in his exceeding vexation at the occurrence executed some of the
guards; however, he was as eager as before to bring his engine to
bear, and so commanded the Goths to throw a great number of
faggots as quickly as possible into the trench, and then by
drawing the tower over them to bring it into position. This they
proceeded to do as Vittigis commanded, with all zeal, although
their opponents kept fighting them back from the wall with the
utmost vigour. But when the weight of the tower came upon the
faggots they naturally yielded and sank down. For this reason the
barbarians were quite unable to go forward with the engine,
because the ground became still more steep before them, where the
Romans had heaped up the earth as I have stated. Fearing,
therefore, that when night came on the enemy would sally forth
and set fire to the engine, they began to draw it back again.
This was precisely what
John was eager to prevent with all his power, and so he armed his
soldiers, called them all together, and exhorted them as
follows:[391]
"My men, who share this danger common to us all, if it would
please any man among you to live and see those whom he has left
at home, let him realize that the only hope he has of obtaining
these things lies in nothing but his own hands. For when
Belisarius sent us forth in the beginning, hope and desire for
many things made us eager for the task. For we never suspected
that we should be besieged in the country along the coast, since
the Romans command the sea so completely, nor would one have
supposed that the emperor's army would so far neglect us. But
apart from these considerations, at that time we were prompted to
boldness by an opportunity to display our loyalty to the state
and by the glory which we should acquire in the sight of all men
as the result of our struggles. But as things now stand, we
cannot possibly survive save by courage, and we are obliged to
undergo this danger with no other end in view than the saving of
our own lives. Therefore, if any of you perchance lay claim to
valour, all such have the opportunity to prove themselves brave
men, if any men in the world have, and thereby to cover
themselves with glory. For they achieve a fair name, not who
overpower those weaker than themselves, but who, though inferior
in equipment, still win the victory by the greatness of their
souls. And as for those in whom the love of life has been more
deeply implanted, it will be of advantage to these especially to
be bold, for it is true of all men, as a general thing, that when
their fortunes stand on the razor's edge, as is now the case with
us, they may be saved only by scorning the danger."
With these words John
led his army out against the enemy, leaving some few men to guard
the [393]battlement. But the enemy withstood
them bravely, and the battle became exceedingly fierce. And with
great difficulty and late in the day the barbarians succeeded in
bringing the tower back to their own camp. However, they lost so
great a number of their fighting men that they decided
thenceforth to make no further attacks upon the wall, but in
despair of succeeding that way, they remained quiet, expecting
that their enemy would yield to them under stress of famine. For
all their provisions had already failed them completely, since
they had not found any place from which they could bring in a
sufficient supply.
Such was the course of events here. But as for Belisarius, he sent to the
representatives of Milan[183] a thousand men, Isaurians and Thracians.
The Isaurians were
commanded by Ennes, the Thracians by Paulus, while Mundilas was
set over them all and commanded in person, having as his guard
some few of the guardsmen of Belisarius. And with them was also Fidelius, who had been
made praetorian prefect. For since he was a native of Milan, he
was regarded as a suitable person to go with this army, having as
he did some influence in Liguria. They set sail, accordingly, from the harbour of
Rome and put in at Genoa, which is the last city in Tuscany and
well situated as a port of call for the voyage to Gaul and to
Spain. There they left
their ships and travelling by land moved forward, placing the
boats of the ships on their waggons, in order that nothing might
prevent their crossing the river Po. It was by this means, in any
event, that they made the crossing of the river. And when they reached the city of
Ticinum,[184] after crossing the Po, the Goths came out
against them and [395]engaged them in battle. And they were not only numerous
but also excellent troops, since all the barbarians who lived in
that region had deposited the most valuable of their possessions
in Ticinum, as being a place which had strong defences, and had
left there a considerable garrison. So a fierce battle took place, but the Romans
were victorious, and routing their opponents, they slew a great
number and came within a little of capturing the city in the
pursuit. For it was only with difficulty that the barbarians
succeeded in shutting the gates, so closely did their enemy press
upon their heels. And as
the Romans were marching away, Fidelius went into a temple there
to pray, and was the last to leave. But by some chance his horse
stumbled and he fell. And
since he had fallen very near the fortifications, the Goths
seeing him came out and killed him without being observed by the
enemy. Wherefore, when this was afterwards discovered by Mundilas
and the Romans, they were greatly distressed.
Then, leaving Ticinum,
they arrived at the city of Milan and secured this city with the
rest of Liguria without a battle. When Vittigis learned about this, he sent a large
army with all speed and Uraïas, his own nephew, as
commander. And Theudibert,
the leader of the Franks, sent him at his request ten thousand
men as allies, not of the Franks themselves, but Burgundians, in
order not to appear to be doing injury to the emperor's cause.
For it was given out that the Burgundians made the expedition
willingly and of their own choice, not as obeying the command of
Theudibert. And the Goths,
joined by these troops, came to Milan, made camp and began a
siege [397]when the Romans were least expecting
them. At any rate the Romans, through this action, found it
impossible to bring in any kind of provisions, but they were
immediately in distress for want of necessities. Indeed, even the guarding of the
walls was not being maintained by the regular soldiers, for it so
happened that Mundilas had occupied all the cities near Milan
which had defences, namely Bergomum, Comum, and Novaria,[185] as well as some
other strongholds, and in every place had established a
considerable garrison, while he himself with about three hundred
men remained in Milan, and with him Ennes and Paulus.
Consequently and of necessity the inhabitants of the city were
regularly keeping guard in turn. Such was the progress of events in Liguria, and
the winter drew to its close, and the third year came to an end
in this war, the history of which Procopius has written.
[184] Modern
Pavia.
[185] Modern
Bergamo, Como, and Novara.
XIII
And Belisarius at about
the time of the summer solstice marched against Vittigis and the
Gothic army, leaving a few men to act as a garrison in Rome, but
taking all the others with him. And he sent some men to Tudera and Clusium, with
orders to make fortified camps there, and he was intending to
follow them and assist in besieging the barbarians at those
places. But when the
barbarians learned that the army was approaching, they did not
wait to face the danger, but sent envoys to Belisarius, promising
to surrender both themselves and the two cities, with the
condition that they should remain free from harm. And when he came there, they
fulfilled their [399]promise. And Belisarius removed all
the Goths from these towns and sent them to Sicily and Naples,
and after establishing a garrison in Clusium and in Tudera, he
led his army forward.
But meanwhile Vittigis
had sent another army, under command of Vacimus, to Auximus,
commanding it to join forces with the Goths there, and with them
to go against the enemy in Ancon and make an attempt upon that
fortress. Now this Ancon
is a sort of pointed rock, and indeed it is from this
circumstance that it has taken its name; for it is exceedingly
like an "elbow." And it is
about eighty stades distant from the city of Auximus, whose port
it is. And the defences of the fortress lie upon the pointed rock
in a position of security, but all the buildings outside, though
they are many, have been from ancient times unprotected by a
wall. Now as soon as
Conon, who was in command of the garrison of the place, heard
that the forces of Vacimus were coming against him and were
already not far away, he made an exhibition of thoughtless folly.
For thinking it too small a thing to preserve free from harm
merely the fortress and its inhabitants together with the
soldiers, he left the fortifications entirely destitute of
soldiers, and leading them all out to a distance of about five
stades, arrayed them in line of battle, without, however, making
the phalanx a deep one at all, but thin enough to surround the
entire base of the mountain, as if for a hunt. But when these
troops saw that the enemy were greatly superior to them in
number, they turned their backs and straightway fled to the
fortress. And the barbarians, following close upon them, slew on
the spot [401]most of their number—those who
did not succeed in getting inside the circuit-wall in
time—and then placed ladders against the wall and attempted
the ascent. Some also began burning the houses outside the
fortress. And the Romans who resided habitually in the fortress,
being terror-stricken at what was taking place, at first opened
the small gate and received the soldiers as they fled in complete
disorder. But when they saw the barbarians close at hand and
pressing upon the fugitives, fearing that they would charge in
with them, they closed the gates as quickly as they could, and
letting down ropes from the battlement, saved a number by drawing
them up, and among them Conon himself. But the barbarians scaled the wall by means of
their ladders and came within a little of capturing the fortress
by storm, and would have succeeded if two men had not made a
display of remarkable deeds by valorously pushing off the
battlements those who had already got upon the wall; one of these
two was a bodyguard of Belisarius, a Thracian named Ulimuth, and
the other a bodyguard of Valerian, named Gouboulgoudou, a
Massagete by birth. These two men had happened by some chance to
come by ship to Ancon a little before; and in this struggle, by
warding off with their swords those who were scaling the wall,
they saved the fortress contrary to expectation, but they
themselves were carried from the battlement half dead, their
whole bodies hacked with many wounds.
At that time it was
reported to Belisarius that Narses had come with a great army
from Byzantium and was in Picenum. Now this Narses[186] was a eunuch
[403]and guardian of the royal treasures,
but for the rest keen and more energetic than would be expected
of a eunuch. And five
thousand soldiers followed him, of whom the several detachments
were commanded by different men, among whom were Justinus, the
general of Illyricum, and another Narses, who had previously come
to the land of the Romans as a deserter from the Armenians who
are subject to the Persians; with him had come his brother
Aratius,[187] who, as it happened, had joined Belisarius a
little before this with another army. And about two thousand of the Erulian nation
also followed him, commanded by Visandus and Aluith and
Phanitheus.
[187] Book I.
xv. 31.
XIV
Now as to who in the
world the Eruli are, and how they entered into alliance with the
Romans, I shall forthwith explain.[188] They used to dwell beyond the Ister[189] River from of old,
worshipping a great host of gods, whom it seemed to them holy to
appease even by human sacrifices. And they observed many customs
which were not in accord with those of other men. For they were
not permitted to live either when they grew old or when they fell
sick, but as soon as one of them was overtaken by old age or by
sickness, it became necessary for him to ask his relatives to
remove him from the world as quickly as possible. And these
relatives would pile up a quantity of wood to a great height and
lay the man on top of the wood, and then they would send one of
the Eruli, but not a relative of the man, to his side
[405]with a dagger; for it was not lawful
for a kinsman to be his slayer. And when the slayer of their
relative had returned, they would straightway burn the whole pile
of wood, beginning at the edges. And after the lire had ceased,
they would immediately collect the bones and bury them in the
earth. And when a man of the Eruli died, it was necessary for his
wife, if she laid claim to virtue and wished to leave a fair name
behind her, to die not long afterward beside the tomb of her
husband by hanging herself with a rope. And if she did not do
this, the result was that she was in ill repute thereafter and an
offence to the relatives of her husband. Such were the customs
observed by the Eruli in ancient times.
But as time went on they became superior to all the barbarians
who dwelt about them both in power and in numbers, and, as was
natural, they attacked and vanquished them severally and kept
plundering their possessions by force. And finally they made the Lombards, who were
Christians, together with several other nations, subject and
tributary to themselves, though the barbarians of that region
were not accustomed to that sort of thing; but the Eruli were led
to take this course by love of money and a lawless spirit.
491 a.d.When, however, Anastasius took over the Roman
empire, the Eruli, having no longer anyone in the world whom they
could assail, laid down their arms and remained quiet, and they
observed peace in this way for a space of three years. But the people themselves, being
exceedingly vexed, began to abuse their leader Rodolphus without
restraint, and going to him constantly they called him cowardly
and effeminate, and railed at him in a [407]most
unruly manner, taunting him with certain other names besides.
And Rodolphus, being quite
unable to bear the insult, marched against the Lombards, who were
doing no wrong, without charging against them any fault or
alleging any violation of their agreement, but bringing upon them
a war which had no real cause. And when the Lombards got word of
this, they sent to Rodolphus and made enquiry and demanded that
he should state the charge on account of which the Eruli were
coming against them in arms, agreeing that if they had deprived
the Eruli of any of the tribute, then they would instantly pay it
with large interest; and if their grievance was that only a
moderate tribute had been imposed upon them, then the Lombards
would never be reluctant to make it greater. Such were the offers
which the envoys made, but Rodolphus with a threat sent them away
and marched forward. And they again sent other envoys to him on
the same mission and supplicated him with many entreaties. And
when the second envoys had fared in the same way, a third embassy
came to him and forbade the Eruli on any account to bring upon
them a war without excuse. For if they should come against them
with such a purpose, they too, not willingly, but under the
direst necessity, would array themselves against their
assailants, calling upon God as their witness, the slightest
breath of whose favour, turning the scales, would be a match for
all the strength of men; and He, in all likelihood, would be
moved by the causes of the war and would determine the issue of
the fight for both sides accordingly. So they spoke, thinking in
this way to terrify their assailants, [409]but
the Eruli, shrinking from nothing whatever, decided to meet the
Lombards in battle. And when the two armies came close to one
another, it so happened that the sky above the Lombards was
obscured by a sort of cloud, black and very thick, but above the
Eruli it was exceedingly clear. And judging by this one would
have supposed that the Eruli were entering the conflict to their
own harm; for there ran be no more forbidding portent than this
for barbarians as they go into battle. However, the Eruli gave no
heed even to this, but in absolute disregard of it they advanced
against their enemy with utter contempt, estimating the outcome
of war by mere superiority of numbers. But when the battle came to close quarters, many
of the Eruli perished and Rodolphus himself also perished, and
the rest fled at full speed, forgetting all their courage.
And since their enemy
followed them up, the most of them fell on the field of battle
and only a few succeeded in saving themselves.
For this reason the Eruli were no longer able to tarry in
their ancestral homes, but departing from there as quickly as
possible they kept moving forward, traversing the whole country
which is beyond the Ister River, together with their wives and
children. But when they
reached a land where the Rogi dwelt of old, a people who had
joined the Gothic host and gone to Italy, they settled in that
place. But since they were
pressed by famine, because they were in a barren land, they
removed from there not long afterward, and came to a place close
to the country of the[411] Gepaedes.[190] And at first the Gepaedes permitted them to
dwell there and be neighbours to them, since they came as
suppliants. But afterwards for no good reason the Gepaedes began
to practise unholy deeds upon them. For they violated their women
and seized their cattle and other property, and abstained from no
wickedness whatever, and finally began an unjust attack upon
them. And the Eruli,
unable to bear all this any longer, crossed the Ister River and
decided to live as neighbours to the Romans in that region; this
was during the reign of the Emperor Anastasius, who received them
with great friendliness and allowed them to settle where they
were. But a short time afterwards these barbarians gave him
offence by their lawless treatment of the Romans there, and for
this reason he sent an army against them. And the Romans, after
defeating them in battle, slew most of their number, and had
ample opportunity to destroy them all. But the remainder of them
threw themselves upon the mercy of the generals and begged them
to spare their lives and to have them as allies and servants of
the emperor thereafter. And when Anastasius learned this, he was pleased,
and consequently a number of the Eruli were left; however, they
neither became allies of the Romans, nor did they do them any
good.
527 a.d.
But when Justinian took
over the empire, he bestowed upon them good lands and other
possessions, and thus completely succeeded in winning their
friendship and persuaded them all to become[413]
Christians. As a result of
this they adopted a gentler manner of life and decided to submit
themselves wholly to the laws of the Christians, and in keeping
with the terms of their alliance they are generally arrayed with
the Romans against their enemies. They are still, however, faithless toward them,
and since they are given to avarice, they are eager to do
violence to their neighbours, feeling no shame at such conduct.
And they mate in an unholy
manner, especially men with asses, and they are the basest of all
men and utterly abandoned rascals.
Afterwards, although
some few of them remained at peace with the Romans, as will be
told by me in the following narrative,[191] all the rest revolted for the following
reason. The Eruli,
displaying their beastly and fanatical character against their
own "rex," one Ochus by name, suddenly killed the man for no good
reason at all, laying against him no other charge than that they
wished to be without a king thereafter. And yet even before this, while their king did
have the title, he had practically no advantage over any private
citizen whomsoever. But
all claimed the right to sit with him and eat with him, and
whoever wished insulted him without restraint; for no men in the
world are less bound by convention or more unstable than the
Eruli. Now when the evil
deed had been accomplished, they were immediately repentant.
For they said that they
were not able to live without a ruler and without a general; so
after much deliberation it seemed to them best in every way to
summon one of their royal family from the island of Thule. And
the reason for this I shall now explain. [415]
[189] Modern
Danube.
[190] Cf. Book
III. ii. 2-6, VII. xxiv. 10.
[191] Book
VII. xxxiv. 42.
XV
When the Eruli, being
defeated by the Lombards in the above-mentioned battle, migrated
from their ancestral homes, some of them, as has been told by me
above,[192] made their home in the country of Illyricum,
but the rest were averse to crossing the Ister River, but settled
at the very extremity of the world; at any rate, these men, led by many of the royal
blood, traversed all the nations of the Sclaveni one after the
other, and after next crossing a large tract of barren country,
they came to the Varni,[193] as they are called. After these they passed by the nations of the
Dani,[194] without suffering violence at the hands of
the barbarians there. Coming thence to the ocean, they took to
the sea, and putting in at Thule,[195] remained there on the island.
Now Thule is exceedingly
large; for it is more than ten times greater than Britain. And it
lies far distant from it toward the north. On this island the
land is for the most part barren, but in the inhabited country
thirteen very numerous nations are settled; and there are kings
over each nation. In that place a very wonderful thing takes
[417]place each year. For the sun at the
time of the summer solstice never sets for forty days, but
appears constantly during this whole time above the earth. But
not less than six months later, at about the time of the winter
solstice, the sun is never seen on this island for forty days,
but never-ending night envelops it; and as a result of this
dejection holds the people there during this whole time, because
they are unable by any means to mingle with one another during
this interval. And although I was eager to go to this island and
become an eye-witness of the things I have told, no opportunity
ever presented itself. However, I made enquiry from those who
come to us from the island as to how in the world they are able
to reckon the length of the days, since the sun never rises nor
sets there at the appointed times. And they gave me an account
which is true and trustworthy. For they said that the sun during
those forty days does not indeed set just as has been stated, but
is visible to the people there at one time toward the east, and
again toward the west. Whenever, therefore, on its return, it
reaches the same place on the horizon where they had previously
been accustomed to see it rise, they reckon in this way that one
day and night have passed. When, however, the time of the nights
arrives, they always take note of the courses of the moon and
stars and thus reckon the measure of the days. And when a time
amounting to thirty-five [419]days has passed in this long night,
certain men are sent to the summits of the mountains—for
this is the custom among them—and when they are able from
that point barely to see the sun, they bring back word to the
people below that within five days the sun will shine upon them.
And the whole population celebrates a festival at the good news,
and that too in the darkness. And this is the greatest festival
which the natives of Thule have; for, I imagine, these islanders
always become terrified, although they see the same thing happen
every year, fearing that the sun may at some time fail them
entirely.
But among the barbarians
who are settled in Thule, one nation only, who are called the
Scrithiphini, live a kind of life akin to that of the beasts. For
they neither wear garments of cloth nor do they walk with shoes
on their feet, nor do they drink wine nor derive anything edible
from the earth. For they neither till the land themselves, nor do
their women work it for them, but the women regularly join the
men in hunting, which is their only pursuit. For the forests,
which are exceedingly large, produce for them a great abundance
of wild beasts and other animals, as do also the mountains which
rise there. And they feed exclusively upon the flesh of the wild
beasts slain by them, and clothe themselves in their skins, and
since they have neither flax nor any implement with which to sew,
they fasten these skins together by the sinews of the animals,
and in this way manage to cover the whole body. And indeed not
even their infants are nursed in the same way as among the rest
of mankind. For the children of the Scrithiphini do not feed upon
the milk of women nor do they touch their mother's breast, but
they are nourished upon [421]the marrow of the animals killed in
the hunt, and upon this alone. Now as soon as a woman gives birth
to a child, she throws it into a skin and straightway hangs it to
a tree, and after putting marrow into its mouth she immediately
sets out with her husband for the customary hunt. For they do
everything in common and likewise engage in this pursuit
together. So much for the daily life of these barbarians.
But all the other inhabitants of Thule, practically speaking,
do not differ very much from the rest of men, but they reverence
in great numbers gods and demons both of the heavens and of the
air, of the earth and of the sea, and sundry other demons which
are said to be in the waters of springs and rivers. And they incessantly offer up all
kinds of sacrifices, and make oblations to the dead, but the
noblest of sacrifices, in their eyes, is the first human being
whom they have taken captive in war; for they sacrifice him to
Ares, whom they regard as the greatest god. And the manner in
which they offer up the captive is not by sacrificing him on an
altar only, but also by hanging him to a tree, or throwing him
among thorns, or killing him by some of the other most cruel
forms of death. Thus, then, do the inhabitants of Thule live.
And one of their most
numerous nations is the Gauti, and it was next to them that the
incoming Eruli settled at the time in question.
On the present
occasion,[196] therefore, the Eruli who dwelt among the
Romans, after the murder of their king had been perpetrated by
them, sent some of [423]their notables to the island of Thule
to search out and bring back whomsoever they were able to find
there of the royal blood. And when these men reached the island,
they found many there of the royal blood, but they selected the
one man who pleased them most and set out with him on the return
journey. But this man fell sick and died when he had come to the
country of the Dani. These men therefore went a second time to
the island and secured another man, Datius by name. And he was followed by his brother
Aordus and two hundred youths of the Eruli in Thule. But since
much time passed while they were absent on this journey, it
occurred to the Eruli in the neighbourhood of Singidunum that
they were not consulting their own interests in importing a
leader from Thule against the wishes of the Emperor Justinian.
They therefore sent envoys
to Byzantium, begging the emperor to send them a ruler of his own
choice. And he straightway
sent them one of the Eruli who had long been sojourning in
Byzantium, Suartuas by name. At first the Eruli welcomed him and did obeisance
to him and rendered the customary obedience to his commands; but
not many days later a messenger arrived with the tidings that the
men from the island of Thule were near at hand. And Suartuas
commanded them to go out to meet those men, his intention being
to destroy them, and the Eruli, approving his purpose,
immediately went with him. But when the two forces were one day's journey
distant from each other, the king's men all abandoned him at
night and went over of their own accord to the newcomers,
while he himself took to
flight and set out unattended for Byzantium. There[425]upon the emperor earnestly
undertook with all his power to restore him to his office, and
the Eruli, fearing the power of the Romans, decided to submit
themselves to the Gepaedes. This, then, was the cause of the
revolt of the Eruli.[197]
[193] Or
Varini, a tribe living on the coast near the mouth of the
Rhine.
[194] A group
of tribes inhabiting the Danish Peninsula.
[195] Probably
Iceland or the northern portion of the Scandinavian peninsula,
which was then regarded as an island and called "Scanza." The
name of Thule was familiar from earlier times. It was described
by the navigator Pytheas in the age of Alexander the Great, and
he claimed to have visited the island. It was variously placed,
but always considered the northernmost land in the
world—"ultima Thule."
[196] Cf.
Chap. xiv. 42.
[197] Chap.
xiv. 37 introduces this topic.
Index | Book 1 | Book 2 |
Book 3 | Book 4 |
Book 5 | Book
6