At the same time Gibamundus and his two thousand came to Pedion Halon, which is forty stades distant from Decimum on the left as one goes to Carthage, and is destitute of human habitation or trees or anything else, since the salt in the water permits nothing except salt to be produced there; in that place they encountered the Huns and were all destroyed. Now there was a certain man among the Massagetae, well gifted with courage and strength of body, the leader of a few men; this man had the privilege handed down from his fathers and ancestors to be the first in all the Hunnic armies to attack the enemy. For it was not lawful for a man of the Massagetae to strike first in battle and capture one of the enemy until, indeed, someone from this house began the struggle with the enemy. So when the two armies had come not far from each other, this man rode out and stopped alone close to the army of the Vandals. And the Vandals, either because they were dumbfounded at the courageous spirit of the man or perhaps because they suspected that the enemy were contriving something against them, decided neither to move nor to shoot at the man. And I think that, since they had never had experience of battle with the Massagetae, but heard that the nation was very warlike, they were for this reason terrified at the danger. And the man, returning to his compatriots, said that God had sent them these strangers as a ready feast. Then at length they made their onset and the Vandals did not withstand them, but breaking their ranks and never thinking of resistance, they were all disgracefully destroyed.
Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν γεγονότων οὐδ̓ ὁτιοῦν πεπυσμένοι ἐπὶ τὸ Δέκιμον ᾔειμεν. Βελισάριος δὲ χῶρον ἰδὼν ἐς στρατόπεδον ἱκανῶς πεφυκότα, πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα σταδίοις τοῦ Δεκίμου διέχοντα, χαράκωμά τε αὐτῷ περιέβαλεν εὖ μάλα πεποιημένον καὶ τοὺς πεζοὺς ἅπαντας ἐνταῦθα καταστησάμενος ἅπαν τε ξυγκαλέσας τὸ στράτευμα ἔλεξε τοιάδε: [2] ‘Ὁ μὲν τῆς ἀγωνίας καιρός, ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, ἤδη πάρεστιν: αἰσθάνομαι γὰρ προσιόντας ἡμῖν τοὺς πολεμίους: τὰς δὲ ναῦς ὡς πορρωτάτω ἡμῶν ἡ τοῦ τόπου φύσις ἀπήνεγκε: περιέστηκε δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν οὖσα. [3] οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὐ πόλις φιλία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ὀχύρωμα, ὅτῳ δὴ καὶ πιστεύσαντες τὸ θαρρεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἕξομεν. [4] ἀλλ̓ εἰ μὲν ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ γενοίμεθα, εἰκὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ περιέσεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῷ πολέμῳ τῶν ἐναντίων: ἢν δέ τι μαλακιζοίμεθα, λελείψεται ἡμῖν ὑπὸ Βανδίλοις γεγενημένοις αἰσχρῶς διεφθάρθαι. [5] καίτοι πολλὰ ἡμῖν ἐφόδια πρὸς τὴν νίκην ἐστί: τό τε δίκαιον, μεθ̓ οὗ πρὸς τοὺς δυσμενεῖς ἥκομεν ῾τὰ γὰρ ἡμέτερα αὐτῶν κομιούμενοι πάρεσμεν̓, καὶ τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων ἐς τὸν σφῶν αὐτῶν τύραννον ἔχθος. [6] ἥ τε γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ ξυμμαχία τοῖς τὰ δίκαια προτεινομένοις προσγίνεσθαι πέφυκε, καὶ στρατιώτης τῷ κρατοῦντι δύσνους ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι οὐκ ἐπίσταται. [7] χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἡμεῖς μὲν Πέρσαις τε καὶ Σκύθαις τὸν ἅπαντα ὡμιλήσαμεν χρόνον, οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι, ἐξ ὅτου Λιβύης ἐκράτησαν, οὐδένα πολέμιον ὅτι μὴ γυμνοὺς Μαυρουσίους τεθέανται. [8] τίς δὲ οὐκ οἶδεν ὠς ἔργου παντὸς μελέτη μὲν ἐς ἐμπειρίαν, ἀργία δὲ εἰς ἀμαθίαν φέρει; τὸ μὲν οὖν χαράκωμα, ὅθεν ἡμᾶς τὸν πόλεμον διαφέρειν δεήσει, ὡς ἄριστα ἡμῖν πεποιῆσθαι ξυμβαίνει. [9] πάρεστι δὲ ἡμῖν τά τε ὅπλα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ὅσα φέρειν οὐχ οἷοί τε ἐσμὲν ἐνταῦθα καταθεμένοις ἰέναι, καὶ ἀναστρέψαντας ἂν ἐνθάδε ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐπιλίποι. [10] εὔχομαι δὲ ὑμῶν ἕκαστον τῆς τε οἰκείας ἀρετῆς καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν οἶκον ἀναμνησθέντα οὕτω δὴ καταφρονήματι ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους χωρεῖν.’ [11] Τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν Βελισάριος καὶ ἐπευξάμενος τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τὸ χαράκωμα τοῖς πεζοῖς ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων ἁπάντων ἐξήλασεν. [12] οὐ γάρ οἱ ἐφαίνετο ἐν τῷ παρόντι ξύμφορον εἶναι τῷ παντὶ διακινδυνεῦσαι στρατῷ, ἀλλὰ ξὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι πρῶτον ἀκροβολισαμένῳ καὶ ἀποπειρασαμένῳ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων δυνάμεως οὕτω δὴ τῷ ὅλῳ στρατεύματι διαμάχεσθαι. [13] στείλας οὖν ἔμπροσθεν τοὺς τῶν φοιδεράτων ἄρχοντας, σὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις δορυφόροις τε καὶ ὑπασπισταῖς αὐτὸς εἵπετο. [14] ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ φοιδερᾶτοι ξὺν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ἐγένοντο ἐν τῷ Δεκίμῳ, ὁρῶσι τοὺς τῶν πεπτωκότων νεκρούς, δώδεκα μὲν ἑταίρους τῶν μετὰ Ἰωάννου, πλησίον δὲ αὐτῶν Ἀμμάταν καὶ Βανδίλων τινάς. [15] παρὰ δὲ τῶν ταύτῃ ᾠκημένων τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀκούσαντες ἤσχαλλον, ἀπορούμενοι ὅπη αὐτοῖς χωρητέα εἴη. ἔτι δὲ αὐτῶν ἀπορουμένων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν λόφων ἅπαντα περισκοπουμένων τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, κονιορτός τε ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας ἐφαίνετο καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον Βανδίλων ἱππέων πάμπολυ Χρῆμα. [16] καὶ πέμπουσι μὲν πρὸς πρὸς Βελισάριον, ὡς τάχιστα ἥκειν αἰτοῦντες, ἅτε δὴ σφίσιν ἐγκειμένων τῶν πολεμίων. τῶν δὲ ἀρχόντων ἁ̣̣̓ γνῶμαι δίχα ἐφέροντο. [17] οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἠξίουν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν ὁμόσε ἰέναι, οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων σφίσιν ἐς τοῦτο ἔφασκον εἶναι τὴν δύναμιν. [18] ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐς ἀλλήλους διαφιλονεικοῦσιν οἱ βάρβαρὁ̣̣̓ ἀγχοῦ ἐγένοντο ἡγουμένου αὐτοῖς Γελίμερος κἁ̣̣̓ ὁδῷ χρησαμένου μεταξὺ ἧς τε Βελισάριος εἶχ̣̣̔̓ καὶ ἧς οἱ Μασσαγέται ἧκον οἱ Γιβαμούνδῳ ξυμμίξαντες. [19] λοφώδεις δὲ χῶροι ἐφ̓ ἑκάτερα ὄντες οὔτε τὸ Γιβαμούνδου πάθος ἰδεῖν οὔτε τὸ Βελισαρίου χαράκωμα ξυνεχώρησαν, οὐ μὴν οὐδ̣̣̔̓ τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν οἱ ἀμφὶ Βελισάριον ἐπορεύοντο. [20] ἐπἑ̣̣̓ δὲ ἀγχοῦ ἀλλήλων γεγόνασιν, ἔρις τῇ στρατἱ̣̣̓ ἑκατέρᾳ ἐνέπεσεν, ὁπότεροι τοῦ πάντων ὑψηλὁ̣̣̓ τάτου τῶν ἐκείνῃ λόφων κρατήσουσιν. [21] ἐδόκἑ̣̣̓ γὰρ ἐνστρατοπεδεύσασθαι ἐπιτήδειος εἶναι, κἁ̣̣̓ αὐτοὶ ἑκάτεροι ἐνθένδε ᾑροῦντο τοῖς πολεμίοἱ̣̣̓ εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι. [22] προτερήσαντες δὲ οἱ Βανδίλὁ̣̣̓ τόν τε λόφον κ�
�ταλαμβάνουσιν ὠθισμῷ χρησάμενοι καὶ τρέπονται τοὺς πολεμίους, ἤδη φοβεροὶ αὐτοῖς γεγονότες. [23] φεύγοντες δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐς χωρίον ἀφικνοῦνται σταδίους ἑπτὰ τοῦ Δεκίμου ἀπέχον, ἔνθα δὴ Οὐλίαριν τὸν Βελισαρίου δορυφόρον ξὺν ὑπασπισταῖς ὀκτακοσίοις τετύχηκεν εἶναι. [24] πάντες τε ᾤοντο ὡς σφᾶς οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Οὐλίαριν δεξάμενοι στήσονταί τε καὶ ξὺν αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε ἐπὶ τοὺς Βανδίλους χωρήσουσιν: ἀλλ̓ ἐπεὶ ἅμα ἐγένοντο, παρὰ δόξαν ἤδη ξύμπαντες ἀνὰ κράτος τε ἔφευγον καὶ δρόμῳ τὴν ἐπὶ Βελισάριον ᾔεσαν. [25] Ἐνθενδε οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν ὅ τί ποτε παθὼν Γελίμερ, ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἔχων τὸ τοῦ πολέμου κράτος, ἐθελούσιος αὐτὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις μεθῆκε, πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἐς τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀβουλίας ἀναφέρειν δεήσει, ὅς, ἡνίκα τι ἀνθρώπῳ συμβῆναι βουλεύηται φλαῦρον, τῶν λογισμῶν ἁψάμενος πρῶτον οὐκ ἐᾷ τὰ ξυνοίσοντα ἐς βουλὴν ἔρχεσθαι. [26] εἴτε γὰρ τὴν δίωξιν εὐθυωρὸν ἐποιήσατο, οὐδ̓ ἂν αὐτὸν ὑποστῆναι Βελισάριον οἶμαι, ἀλλ̓ ἄρδην ἅπαντα ἡμῖν διαφθαρῆναι τὰ πράγματα: [27] τοσοῦτον δὴ τό τε τῶν Βανδίλων πλῆθος τό τε αὐτῶν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων δέος ἐφαινετο: εἴτε καὶ Καρχηδόνος εὐθὺ ἤλασε, τούς τε σὺν Ἰωάννῃ εὐπετῶς ἂν ἅπαντας ἔκτεινεν, οἵ γε κατὰ ἕνα καὶ δύο ἀφροντιστήσαντές τε καὶ περιπάτους ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ποιούμενοι τοὺς κειμένους ἐσύλων. [28] καὶ τὴν πόλιν ξὺν τοῖς χρήμασι διασωσάμενος τῶν τε ἡμετέρων νεῶν οὐ πόρρω ἀφικομένων ἐκράτει καὶ ὅλην ἡμῖν ἀνέστελλε τοῦ τε ἀπόπλου καὶ τῆς νίκης ἐλπίδα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἔπραξε τούτων οὐδέτερα. [29] βάδην δὲ κατιὼν ἐκ τοῦ λόφου, ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ ὁμαλεῖ ἐγένετο καὶ τἀδελφοῦ τὸν νεκρὸν εἶδεν, ἔς τε ὀλοφύρσεις ἐτράπετο καὶ τῆς ταφῆς ἐπιμελούμενος οὕτω δὴ τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἀκμὴν ἤμβλυνεν, ἧς γε οὐκέτι ἀντιλαβέσθαι ἐδύνατο. [30] τοῖς δὲ φεύγουσι Βελισάριος ἀπαντήσας στῆναι κελεύει, κοσμίως τε ἅπαντας διατάξας καὶ πολλὰ ὀνειδίσας, ἐπειδὴ τήν τε Ἀμμάτα τελευτὴν καὶ τὴν Ἰωάννου δίωξιν ἤκουσε καὶ περὶ τοῦ χωρίου καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπύθετο ὅσα ἐβούλετο, δρόμῳ ἐπὶ Γελίμερά τε καὶ Βανδίλους ἐχώρει. [31] οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἄτακτοί τε καὶ ἀπαράσκευοι ἤδη γεγονότες ἐπιόντας αὐτοὺς οὐχ ὑπέμειναν, ἀλλὰ φεύγουσιν ἀνὰ κράτος, πολλοὺς ἐνταῦθα ἀποβαλόντες, [32] καὶ ἡ μάχη ἐτελεύτα ἐς νύκτα. ἔφευγον δὲ οἱ Βανδίλοι οὐκ ἐς Καρχηδόνα οὐδὲ ἐς Βυζάκιον, ὅθενπερ ἧκον, ἀλλ̓ ἐπὶ τὸ Βούλλης πεδίον καὶ τὴν εἰς Νουμίδας ὁδὸν φέρουσαν. [33] οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ οἱ Μασσαγέται περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀναστρέψαντες καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ ξυμβεβηκότα μαθόντες τε καὶ ἀναγγείλαντες σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν Δεκίμῳ διενυκτέρευσαν.
XIX
But we, having learned nothing at all of what had happened, were going on to Decimum. And Belisarius, seeing a place well adapted for a camp, thirty-five stades distant from Decimum, surrounded it with a stockade which was very well made, and placing all the infantry there and calling together the whole army, he spoke as follows: “Fellow-soldiers, the decisive moment of the struggle is already at hand; for I perceive that the enemy are advancing upon us; and the ships have been taken far away from us by the nature of the place; and it has come round to this that our hope of safety lies in the strength of our hands. For there is not a friendly city, no, nor any other stronghold, in which we may put our trust and have confidence concerning ourselves. But if we should show ourselves brave men, it is probable that we shall still overcome the enemy in the war; but if we should weaken at all, it will remain for us to fall under the hand of the Vandals and to be destroyed disgracefully. And yet there are many advantages on our side to help us on toward victory; for we have with us both justice, with which we have come against our enemy (for we are here in order to recover what is our own), and the hatred of the Vandals toward their own tyrant. For the alliance of God follows naturally those who put justice forward, and a soldier who is ill-disposed toward his ruler knows not how to play the part of a brave man. And apart from this, we have been engaged with Persians and Scythians all the time, but the Vandals, since the time they conquered Libya, have seen not a single enemy except naked Moors. And who does not know that in every work practice leads to skill, while idleness leads to inefficiency? Now the stockade, from which we shall have to carry on the war, has been made by us in the best possible manner. And we are able to deposit here our weapons and everything else which we are not able to carry when we go forth; and when we return here again, no kind of provisions can fail us. And I pray that each one of you, calling to mind his own valour and those whom he has left at home, may so march with contempt against the enemy.”
After speaking these words and uttering a prayer after them, Belisarius left his wife and the barricaded camp to the infantry, and himself set forth with all the horsemen. For it did not seem to him advantageous for the present to risk an engagement with the whole army, but it seemed wise to skirmish first with the horsemen and make trial of the enemy’s strength, and finally to fight a decisive battle with the whole army. Sending forward, therefore, the commanders of the foederati, he himself followed with the rest of the force and his own spearmen and guards. And when the foederati and their leaders reached Decimum, they saw the corpses of the fallen — twelve comrades from the forces of John and near them Ammatas and some of the Vandals. And hearing from the inhabitants of the place the whole story of the fight, they were vexed, being at a loss as to where they ought to go. But while they were still at a loss and from the hills were looking around over the whole country thereabouts, a dust appeared from the south and a little later a very large force of Vandal horsemen. And they sent to Belisarius urging him to come as quickly as possible, since the enemy were bearing down upon them. And the opinions of the commanders were divided. For some thought that they ought to close with their assailants, but the others said that their force was not sufficient for this. And while they were debating thus among themselves, the barbarians drew near under the leadership of Gelimer, who was following a road between the one which Belisarius was travelling and the one by which the Massagetae who had encountered Gibamundus had come. But since the land was hilly on both sides, it did not allow him to see either the disaster of Gibamundus or Belisarius’ stockade, nor even the road along which Belisarius’ men were advancing. But when they came near each other, a contest arose between the two armies as to which should capture the highest of all the hills there. For it seemed a suitable one to encamp upon, and both sides preferred to engage with the enemy from there. And the Vandals, coming first, took possession
of the hill by crowding off their assailants and routed the enemy, having already become an object of terror to them. And the Romans in flight came to a place seven stades distant from Decimum, where, as it happened, Uliaris, the personal guard of Belisarius, was, with eight hundred guardsmen. And all supposed that Uliaris would receive them and hold his position, and together with them would go against the Vandals; but when they came together, these troops all unexpectedly fled at top speed and went on the run to Belisarius.
From then on I am unable to say what happened to Gelimer that, having the victory in his hands, he willingly gave it up to the enemy, unless one ought to refer foolish actions also to God, who, whenever He purposes that some adversity shall befall a man, touches first his reason and does not permit that which will be to his advantage to come to his consideration. For if, on the one hand, he had made the pursuit immediately, I do not think that even Belisarius would have withstood him, but our cause would have been utterly and completely lost, so numerous appeared the force of the Vandals and so great the fear they inspired in the Romans; or if, on the other hand, he had even ridden straight for Carthage, he would easily have killed all John’s men, who, heedless of everything else, were wandering about the plain one by one or by twos and stripping the dead. And he would have preserved the city with its treasures, and captured our ships, which had come rather near, and he would have withdrawn from us all hope both of sailing away and of victory. But in fact he did neither of these things. Instead he descended from the hill at a walk, and when he reached the level ground and saw the corpse of his brother, he turned to lamentations, and, in caring for his burial, he blunted the edge of his opportunity — an opportunity which he was not able to grasp again. Meantime Belisarius, meeting the fugitives, bade them stop, and arrayed them all in order and rebuked them at length; then, after hearing of the death of Ammatas and the pursuit of John, and learning what he wished concerning the place and the enemy, he proceeded at full speed against Gelimer and the Vandals. But the barbarians, having already fallen into disorder and being now unprepared, did not withstand the onset of the Romans, but fled with all their might, losing many there, and the battle ended at night. Now the Vandals were in flight, not to Carthage nor to Byzacium, whence they had come, but to the plain of Boulla and the road leading into Numidia. So the men with John and the Massagetae returned to us about dusk, and after learning all that had happened and reporting what they had done, they passed the night with us in Decimum.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 381