by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER II.
And King Totila kept his word.
Once again he raised the Goths, whose sole hold on Italy was embodiedin a few thousand men and three cities, to a great power, greater eventhan in the days of Theodoric.
He drove the Byzantines out of all the towns of Italy, with one fatalexception.
He won back the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicilia.
And still more: he victoriously crossed the old limits of the kingdom,and, as the Emperor obstinately refused recognition of the Gothic ruleand possession, sent his royal fleet to carry terror and devastationinto the provinces of the Eastern Empire.
And Italy, in spite of the continuance of the war--which was neverquite extinguished--bloomed under his government as in the time ofTheodoric.
It is remarkable that the legends both of the Goths and Italianscelebrate this fortunate King, now as the grandchild of Numa Pompilius,Titus, or Theodoric, now as the spirit of the latter, returned to earthin youthful form, to restore and bless his well-beloved kingdom.
As the morning sun, issuing from the clouds of night, irresistiblyspreads light and blessing abroad, so Totila's arms brought happinessto Italy.
The dark shadows retreated step by step at his approach. Victory flewbefore him, and the gates of the cities and the hearts of men opened tohim almost without a struggle.
The manly qualities--the genius of a general and a ruler--which hadslumbered in this fair youth, which were only guessed at by Theodoricand Teja, and known to their full extent to no one, were now gloriouslydisplayed.
The youthful freshness of his nature, far from being destroyed by thehard trials of the last years, by the sufferings which he had enduredin Neapolis and before Rome, by the long absence from his belovedValeria, from whom he was parted farther and farther by every freshvictory of the Byzantines, had only deepened into more earnestmanliness. The bright sympathy of his manner remained, and cast thecharm of amiability and heartfelt kindness over all his actions.
Sustained by his own ideality, he tamed trustingly to the ideal in hisfellow-men; and almost all, except those governed by some diabolicalpower, found his confident appeal to what was noble and goodirresistible.
As light illumines whatever it shines upon, so the noble-heartedness ofthis glorious King seemed to communicate itself to his courts to hisassociates, and even to his adversaries.
"He is irresistible as Apollo!" said the Italians.
More closely regarded, we find that the secret of his great and rapidsuccess lay in the genial art with which--following the inmost impulseof his nature--he contrived to transmute the bitterness of the Italiansagainst Byzantine oppression into sympathy with the benevolence of theGoths.
We have seen how this feeling of bitterness had taken root amongst thepeasants, the farmers, the rich merchants, the artisans, and the middleand lower ranks of the citizens; in fact, among the greater part of thepopulation.
And later, when the Goths marched to the field of battle with thejubilating cry of "Totila!" the personality of the young Kingcompletely estranged the Italians from their Byzantine oppressors, whoseemed to be totally forsaken by the fortune of war.
It is true that a minority remained uninfluenced: the Orthodox Church,which knew of no peace with heretics; hard-headed Republicans; and thekernel of the Catacomb conspiracy--the proud Roman aristocrats and thefriends of the Prefect. But this small minority compared to the mass ofthe population, was of little moment.
The King's first act was to publish a manifesto to the Goths andItalians.
It was proved to the first that the fall of King Witichis and Ravennahad been the work of superior falsehood, and not of superior strength;and the duty of revenge, begun already by three victories, wasimpressed upon them.
And the Italians, having now experienced what kind of exchange they hadmade in revolting to Byzantium, were invited to return to their oldfriends.
In order to favour this return, the King promised not only a generalamnesty, but equal rights with the Goths; the abolition of all formerGothic privileges; the right of forming a native army; and--what wasespecially effective by contrast--the abolition of all taxes uponItalian soil or property until the end of the war.
Further, as the aristocracy favoured the Byzantines--the farmers, onthe contrary, the Goths--it was a measure of the highest prudence whichprovided that every Roman noble who did not, within three months,subject himself to the Goths, should lose his landed property in favourof his former tenants.
And, lastly, the King placed a high premium, to be paid out of theroyal purse, on all intermarriages between Goths and Italians,promising the settlement of the pair upon the confiscated property ofRoman senators.
"Italia," concluded the manifesto, "bleeding from the wounds inflictedby the tyranny of Byzantium, shall recover and bloom again under myprotection. Help us, sons of Italia, to drive from this sacred groundour common enemies, the Huns and Scythians of Justinianus. Then, inthe new-born kingdom of the Italians and Goths, a new people shallarise--begotten of Italian beauty and cultivation, of Gothic strengthand truth--whose nobility and splendour shall be such as the world has.never yet beheld!"
When Cethegus the Prefect, awaking at morn on the field-bed to whichhis wound had confined him, heard the news of Totila's accession, hesprang from his couch with a curse.
"Sir," said the Grecian physician, "you must take care of yourselfand----"
"Did you not hear? Totila wears the Gothic crown! It is no time now tobe prudent.--My helm, Syphax."
And he snatched the manifesto from the hand of Lucius Licinius, who hadbrought the news, and read eagerly.
"Is it not ridiculous--madness?" asked Lucius.
"Madness it is if the Romans be yet Romans! But are they so? If theyare not--then we--and not the barbarian prince--work madness. The thingmust never be put to a trial, but be at once nipped in the bud. Theblow directed against the aristocracy is a masterpiece. It must nothave time to take effect. Where is Demetrius?"
"He marched against Totila last evening. You were asleep. The physicianforbade us to awaken you, and Demetrius also."
"Totila king, and you let me sleep! Do you not know that thisflaxen-head is the very genius of the Goths? Demetrius wishes to winhis laurels alone. How strong is he?"
"More than twice as strong as the Goths; twelve thousand to fivethousand."
"Demetrius is lost. Up--to horse! Arm all who can carry a lance.Leave only the wounded to guard the walls. This firebrand Totila mustbe trampled out, or an ocean of blood cannot extinguish him. Myweapons--to horse!"
"I have never seen the Prefect look so," said Lucius Licinius to thephysician. "It must be fever? He grew pale."
"He is without fever."
"Then I do not comprehend it, for it cannot be _fear_. Syphax, let usfollow him."
Cethegus urged on his troop indefatigably. So indefatigably, that onlya small suite of horsemen could keep up with his impatience and theswift hoofs of his war-horse.
At long intervals followed Marcus Licinius, Massurius with Cethegus'smercenaries, and Balbus with the hurriedly-armed citizens of Ravenna.For Cethegus had indeed left in the fortress only old men, women andchildren, and the wounded soldiers.
At last the Prefect succeeded in communicating with the rear-guard ofthe Byzantines.
Totila was marching from Tarvisium southwards against Ravenna.
He was joined by numerous bands of armed Italians from the provinces ofLiguria, Venetia, and AEmilia, who had been roused by his manifesto intonew hope and new resolve.
They desired to fight with him his first battle against the Byzantines.
"No," Totila had answered their general; "you shall decide upon whatyou will do _after_ the battle. We Goths will fight alone. If we win,then you may join us. If we lose, then the revenge of the Byzantineswill not affect you. Await the result."
The report of such magnanimous sentiments attracted many more to theGothic flag.
Besides
this, Totila's army was reinforced from hour to hour, duringthe march, by the arrival of Gothic warriors, who, singly, or in smallbands, had come out of prison or left their hiding-places when theyheard of the treachery practised on King Witichis, the accession of anew King, and the renewal of the war.
The haste with which Totila pressed forward, in order to avail himselfof the enthusiasm of his troops before it had time to cool, and thezeal with which Demetrius flew to meet him, soon brought the two armiesin sight of each other.
It was at the bridge across the Padus, named Pons Padi.
The Byzantines stood in the plain; they had the river, which they hadcrossed with half their foot, at their backs.
The Goths appeared upon the gently-sloping hills towards thenorth-west.
The rays of the setting sun dazzled the eyes of the Byzantines.
Totila, from the hill, observed the position of the enemy.
"The victory is mine!" he cried to his troops, and, drawing his sword,he swooped upon his enemies like a falcon on his prey.
Cethegus and his followers had reached the last deserted camp of theByzantines shortly after sunset.
They were met by the first fugitives.
"Turn, Prefect," cried the foremost horseman, who recognised him, "turnand save yourself! Totila is upon us! He cleaved the helm and head ofArtabazes, the best captain of the Armenians, with his own hand!" Andthe man continued his flight.
"A god led the barbarians!" cried a second. "All is lost--thecommander-in-chief is taken!"
"This King Totila is irresistible!" cried a third, trying to pass thePrefect, who blocked his way.
"Tell that in hell!" cried Cethegus, and struck him to the earth."Forward!"
But he had scarcely given the command when he recalled it.
For already whole battalions of vanquished Byzantines came flyingthrough the wood towards him. He saw that it would be impossible tostem the flight of these masses with his small troop.
For some time he watched the movement irresolutely.
The Gothic pursuers were already visible in the distance, whenVitalius, one of Demetrius's captains, came wounded up to Cethegus.
"Oh, friend," he cried, "there is no stopping them! They will now go ontill they reach Ravenna."
"I verily believe it," said Cethegus. "They will more likely carry mymen away with them than stand and fight."
"And yet only the half of the victors, under Teja and Hildebrand,follow us. The King turned back already on the field of battle. I sawhim withdraw his troops. He wheeled to the south-west."
"_Whither?_" cried Cethegus, becoming attentive. "Tell me again. In_what_ direction?"
"He marched towards the south-west."
"He is going to Rome!" exclaimed the Prefect, and pulled his horseround so suddenly that it reared. "Follow me!--to the coast!"
"And the routed army? without leaders!" cried Lucius Licinius. "See howthey fly!"
"Let them fly! Ravenna is strong. It will hold out. Do you not hear?The Goth is going to _Rome_! We must get there before him. Follow me tothe coast--the way by sea is open. To Rome!"