Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  Now as for those Vandals who remained in their native land, neither remembrance nor any name of them has been preserved to my time. For since, I suppose, they were a small number, they were either overpowered by the neighbouring barbarians or they were mingled with them not at all unwillingly and their name gave way to that of their conquerors. Indeed, when the Vandals were conquered at that time by Belisarius, no thought occurred to them to go from there to their ancestral homes. For they were not able to convey themselves suddenly from Libya to Europe, especially as they had no ships at hand, but paid the penalty there for all the wrongs they had done the Romans and especially the Zacynthians. For at one time Gizeric, falling suddenly upon the towns in the Peloponnesus, undertook to assault Taenarum. And being repulsed from there and losing many of his followers he retired in complete disorder. And while he was still filled with anger on account of this, he touched at Zacynthus, and having killed many of those he met and enslaved five hundred of the notables, he sailed away soon afterwards. And when he reached the middle of the Adriatic Sea, as it is called, he cut into small pieces the bodies of the five hundred and threw them all about the sea without the least concern. But this happened in earlier times.

  Γελίμερ δὲ τότε χρήματά τε πολλὰ Λιβύων τοῖς γεωργοῖς προϊέμενος καὶ φιλοφροσύνῃ ἐς αὐτοὺς χρώμενος ἐπαγαγέσθαι πολλοὺς ἴσχυσεν. [2] οὓς δὴ ἐκέλευσε Ῥωμαίων τοὺς ἐς τὰ χωρία περιιόντας κτείνειν, χρυσίον τακτὸν ἐπὶ φόνῳ ἑκάστῳ τῷ ἀπολοῦντι ἐπικηρύξας. [3] οἱ δὲ πολλοὺς τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἔκτεινον, οὐ στρατιώτας μέντοι, ἀλλὰ δούλους τε καὶ ὑπηρέτας, οἳ δὴ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐς τὰς κώμας ἀναβαίνοντες λάθρα ἡλίσκοντο. [4] καὶ αὐτῶν τὰς κεφαλὰς οἱ γεωργοὶ παρὰ Γελίμερα φέροντες αὐτοὶ μὲν ἔμμισθοι γενόμενοι ἀπηλλάσσοντο, ὁ δὲ στρατιώτας ἀνῃρηκέναι πολεμίους ὑπώπτευεν. [5] Ἐνταῦθα τοῦ χρόνου Διογένης, ὁ Βελισαρίου δορυφόρος, ἔργα ἐπεδείξατο ἀρετῆς ἄξια. σταλεὶς γὰρ ἅμα τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἐγένετο ἐν χωρίῳ δυοῖν ἡμέραιν ὁδὸν Καρχηδόνος διέχοντι. [6] τούτους δὲ τοὺς ἄνδρας ῾οὐ γὰρ οἷοί τε ἦσαν οἱ τοῦ χωρίου γεωργοὶ κτείνειν̓ ἀγγέλλουσι τῷ Γελίμερι ἐνταῦθα εἶναι. [7] καὶ ὃς τριακοσίους ἀπολεξάμενος Βανδίλων ἱππέας ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἔστελλε, ζῶντας ἅπαντας ἐπισκήψας παῤ αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν. [8] λόγου γὰρ πολλοῦ ἄξιόν οἱ ἔδοξεν εἶναι Βελισαρίου δορυφόρον ξὺν ὑπασπισταῖς δύο καὶ εἴκοσι δορυαλώτους ποιήσασθαι. [9] οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Διογένην ἐς οἰκίαν ἐσεληλυθότες τινὰ ἐκάθευδον ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ, πολέμιον οὐδὲν ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες, οἵ γε μακρὰν ἀπεῖναι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐπύθοντο. [10] οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι ὄρθρου βαθέος ἐνταῦθα ἐλθόντες διαφθεῖραι μὲν τὰς ἐκείνῃ θύρας ἢ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσελθεῖν νύκτωρ ἀξύμφορον σφίσιν ᾤοντο εἶναι, δείσαντες μὴ ἐς νυκτομαχίαν ἐμπεπτωκότες αὐτοὶ μὲν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διαφθείρωσιν, ἔξοδον δὲ πλείστοις τῶν πολεμίων ἐν σκότῳ, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, παρέξωσιν. [11] ἔπρασσον δὲ ταῦτα τῆς δειλίας αὐτοῖς ἐκπλησσούσης τὸν νοῦν, παρὸν σφίσιν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ φέρουσί τε πυρὰ καὶ τούτων χωρὶς οὐχ ὅσον ἀνόπλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυμνοὺς παντάπασι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπὶ τῶν στρωμάτων λαβεῖν. [12] νῦν δὲ ἀμφὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἅπασαν κύκλῳ καὶ διαφερόντως τὰς θύρας φάλαγγα ποιησάμενοι ἔστησαν ἅπαντες. [13] ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἑνὶ ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστῆναι ξυνέβη, ὅσπερ τοῦ θορύβου αἰσθόμενος ὃν δὴ οἱ Βανδίλοι φθεγγόμενοί τε ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς λάθρα ἐποίουν καὶ ξὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις κινούμενοι, ξυμβαλεῖν τὸ ποιούμενον ἴσχυσε, καὶ τῶν ἑταίρων ἀνεγείρας σιωπῇ ἕκαστον τὰ πρασσόμενα φράζει. [14] οἱ δὲ Διογένους γνώμῃ τά τε ἱμάτια ἐνδιδύσκονται ἡσυχῆ ἅπαντες καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἀνελόμενοι κάτω ἐχώρουν. [15] οὗ δὴ τοῖς ἵπποις τοὺς χαλινοὺς ἐπιθέμενοι ἀναθρώσκουσιν ἐπ̓ αὐτούς, οὐδενὶ αἴσθησιν παρεχόμενοι. παρά τε τὴν αὔλειον χρόνον τινὰ στάντες ἀνακλίνουσι μὲν ἐξαπιναίως τὰς ταύτῃ θύρας, ἐξίασι δὲ εὐθὺς ἅπαντες. [16] οἱ μὲν οὖν Βανδίλοι ἔργου ἤδη ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς εἴχοντο, ἤνυτον δὲ οὐδέν. οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι ταῖς τε ἀσπίσι φραξάμενοι καὶ τοῖς δορατίοις ἀμυνόμενοι τοὺς ἐπιόντας σπουδῇ ἤλαυνον. [17] οὕτω τε Διογένης τοὺς πολεμίους διέφυγε, δύο μὲν τῶν ἑπομένων ἀποβαλών, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς σώσας. [18] πληγὰς μέντοι ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔλαβεν ἐς μὲν τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τρεῖς, ἀφ̓ ὧν δὴ παῤ ὀλίγον ἀποθανεῖν ἦλθε, κατὰ δὲ χειρὸς τῆς λαιᾶς μίαν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκέτι τῶν δακτύλων τὸν σμικρότατον ἐνεργεῖν ἴσχυσε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὧδε γενέσθαι ξυνέβη. [19] Βελισάριος δὲ τοῖς τε περὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν τεχνίταις καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ ὁμίλῳ χρήματα μεγάλα προτεινόμενος τάφρον τε λόγου πολλοῦ ἀξίαν ἀμφὶ τὸν περίβολον ὤρυξε κύκλῳ, καὶ σκόλοπας αὐτῇ ἐνθέμενος συχνοὺς εὖ μάλα περιεσταύρωσε. [20] καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ πεπονθότα τοῦ τείχους ἐν βραχἑ̣̣̓ ἀνῳκοδομήσατο χρόνῳ, θαύματος ἄξιον οὐ Καρχηδονίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ Γελίμερι γεγονὸς ὕστερον. [21] ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δορυάλωτος ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἧκεν, ἠγάσθη τε ἰδὼν τὸ τεῖχος καὶ τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν τὴν αὑτοῦ πάντων οἱ ἔφη γεγονέναι τῶν παρόντων αἰτίαν. ταῦτα μὲν Βελισαρίῳ ἐν Καρχηδόν̣̣̔̓ ὄντι κατείργαστο ὧδε.

  XXIII

  But at that time Gelimer, by distributing much money to the farmers among the Libyans and shewing great friendliness toward them, succeeded in winning many to his side. These he commanded to kill the Romans who went out into the country, proclaiming a fixed sum of gold for each man killed, to be paid to him who did the deed. And they killed many from the Roman army, not soldiers, however, but slaves and servants, who because of a desire for money went up into the villages stealthily and were caught. And the farmers brought their heads before Gelimer and departed receivin
g their pay, while he supposed that they had slain soldiers of the enemy.

  At that time Diogenes, the aide of Belisarius, made a display of valorous deeds. For having been sent, together with twenty-two of the body-guards, to spy upon their opponents, he came to a place two days’ journey distant from Carthage. And the farmers of the place, being unable to kill these men, reported to Gelimer that they were there. And he chose out and sent against them three hundred horsemen of the Vandals, enjoining upon them to bring all the men alive before him. For it seemed to him a most remarkable achievement to make captive a personal aide of Belisarius with twenty-two body-guards. Now Diogenes and his party had entered a certain house and were sleeping in the upper storey, having no thought of the enemy in mind, since, indeed, they had learned that their opponents were far away. But the Vandals, coming there at early dawn, thought it would not be to their advantage to destroy the doors of the house or to enter it in the dark, fearing lest, being involved in a night encounter, they might themselves destroy one another, and at the same time, if that should happen, provide a way of escape for a large number of the enemy in the darkness. But they did this because cowardice had paralyzed their minds, though it would have been possible for them with no trouble, by carrying torches or even without these, to catch their enemies in their beds not only without weapons, but absolutely naked besides. But as it was, they made a phalanx in a circle about the whole house and especially at the doors, and all took their stand there. But in the meantime it so happened that one of the Roman soldiers was roused from sleep, and he, noticing the noise which the Vandals made as they talked stealthily among themselves and moved with their weapons, was able to comprehend what was being done, and rousing each one of his comrades silently, he told them what was going on. And they, following the opinion of Diogenes, all put on their clothes quietly and taking up their weapons went below. There they put the bridles on their horses and leaped upon them unperceived by anyone. And after standing for a time by the court-yard entrance, they suddenly opened the door there, and straightway all came out. And then the Vandals immediately closed with them, but they accomplished nothing. For the Romans rode hard, covering themselves with their shields and warding off their assailants with their spears. And in this way Diogenes escaped the enemy, losing two of his followers, but saving the rest. He himself, however, received three blows in this encounter on the neck and the face, from which indeed he came within a little of dying, and one blow also on the left hand, as a result of which he was thereafter unable to move his little finger. This, then, took place in this way.

  And Belisarius offered great sums of money to the artisans engaged in the building trade and to the general throng of workmen, and by this means he dug a trench deserving of great admiration about the circuit-wall, and setting stakes close together along it he made an excellent stockade about the fortifications. And not only this, but he built up in a short time the portions of the wall which had suffered, a thing which seemed worthy of wonder not only to the Carthaginians, but also to Gelimer himself at a later time. For when he came as a captive to Carthage, he marvelled when he saw the wall and said that his own negligence had proved the cause of all his present troubles. This, then, was accomplished by Belisarius while in Carthage.

  Τζάζων δέ, ὁ τοῦ Γελίμερος ἀδελφός, τῷ στόλ̣̣̔̓ ᾧ ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται ἐς Σαρδὼ ἀφικόμενος ἐς τὸν Καρανάλεως λιμένα ἀπέβη, καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτοβοεὶ εἷλε τόν τε τύραννον Γώδαν ἔκτεινε καὶ εἴ τ̣̣̔̓ ἀμφ̓ αὐτὸν μάχιμον ἦν. [2] καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐς γῆν τὴν Λιβύης τὸν βασιλέως στόλον ἤκουσεν εἶναι, οὔπω τι πεπυσμένος ὦν ταύτῃ ἐπέπρακτο, γράφει πρὸς Γελίμερα τάδε: [3] ‘Γώδαν ἀπολωλέναι τὸν τύραννον ὑπὸ ταῖς ἡμετέραις γεγονότα χερσί, καὶ τὴν νῆσον αὖθις ὑπὸ τῇ σῇ βασιλείᾳ εἶναι, ὦ Βανδίλων τ̣̣̔̓ καὶ Ἀλανῶν βασιλεῦ, ἴσθι καὶ τὴν ἐπινίκιον ἑορτὴν ἄγε. [4] τῶν δὲ πολεμίων οἳ ἐτόλμησαν ἐ̣̣̔̓ τὴν ἡμετέραν στρατεύεσθαι, ἔλπιζε τὴν πεῖραν ἐ̣̣̔̓ τοῦτο ἀφίξεσθαι τύχης, ἐς ὃ καὶ πρότερον τοἷ̣̣̓ ἐπὶ τοὺς προγόνους τοὺς ἡμετέρους στρατευσἁ̣̣̓ [5] μένοις ἐχώρησε.’ ταῦτα οἱ λαβόντες τὰ γράμ̣̣̔̓ ματα, οὐδὲν πολέμιον ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες, κατέπλευσἁ̣̣̓ ἐς τὸν τῶν Καρχηδονίων λιμένα. [6] καὶ πρὸς τὧ̣̣̓ φυλάκων παρὰ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀπαχθέντες τά τ̣̣̔̓ γράμματα ἐνεχείρισαν καὶ περὶ ὧν τὰς πύστἑ̣̣̓ ἐποιεῖτο ἐσήγγελλον, οἷς τε ἐθεῶντο καταπεπληγ̣̣̔̓ μένοι καὶ τεθηπότες τῆς μεταβολῆς τὸ αἰφνίδιον ἔπαθον μέντοι πρὸς Βελισαρίου οὐδὲν ἄχαρι. [7] Ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ ἕτερον ξυνηνέχθ̣̣̔̓ τοιόνδε. Γελίμερ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον ἢ ἐς Λιβύην ῾̣̣̓ βασιλέως στόλος ἀφίκετο ἔπεμψε πρέσβεις ἐ̣̣̔̓ Ἱσπανίαν ἄλλους τε καὶ Γοτθαῖον καὶ Φουσκίαν ἐφ̓ ᾧ δὴ Θεῦδιν, τὸν τῶν Οὐισιγότθων ἄρχοντα πείσουσιν ὁμαιχμίαν πρὸς Βανδίλους θέσθαι. [8] ὁ̣̣̓ ἐπεὶ ἀπέβησαν εἰς τὴν ἤπειρον, τὸν ἐν Γαδείροι πορθμὸν διαβάντες, εὑρίσκουσι Θεῦδιν ἐν χωρἵ̣̣̓ μακρὰν ἀπὸ θαλάσσης κειμένῳ. [9] ἀναβάντας δ̣̣̔̓ παῤ αὐτὸν τοὺς πρέσβεις ὁ Θεῦδις φιλοφροσύνη τε ἠξίωσε καὶ προθύμως εἱστία, ἔν τε τῇ θοίν̣̣̔̓ ἐπυνθάνετο δῆθεν ὅπη ποτὲ Γελίμερί τε καὶ Βανδίλοις τὰ πράγματα ἔχοι. [10] τούτων δὲ τῶν πρέσβεων σχολαίτερον ἐς αὐτὸν ἰόντων ἔτυχεν ἀκηκοὼς ἅπαντα ὅσα Βανδίλοις ξυνέπεσεν. [11] ὁλκὰς γὰρ μία ἐπ̓ ἐμπορίᾳ πλέουσα ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ τὸ στράτευμα εἰς Καρχηδόνα εἰσήλασεν, ἐνθένδε ἀναγομένη καὶ πνεύματος ἐπιφόρου ἐπιτυχοῦσα, [12] ἐς Ἱσπανίαν ἦλθεν. ὅθεν δὴ ὁ Θεῦδις μαθὼν ὅσα ἐν Λιβύῃ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι ἀπεῖπε τοῖς ἐμπόροις μηδενὶ φράζειν, ὡς μὴ ταῦτα ἔκπυστα ἐς τὸ πᾶν γένηται. [13] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπεκρίναντο οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Γοτθαῖον ἅπαντα σφίσιν ὡς ἄριστα ἔχειν, ἠρώτα ὅτου ποτὲ ἕνεκα ἥκοιεν. [14] τῶν δὲ τὴν ὁμαιχμίαν προτεινομένων ἐκέλευεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεῦδις εἰς τὴν παραλίαν ἰέναι: ‘Ἐνθένδε γάρ,’ ἔφη, [15] ‘τὰ οἴκοι πράγματα ἀσφαλῶς εἴσεσθε.’ οἱ δὲ πρέσβεις οὐχ ὑγιᾶ τὸν λόγον εἶναι, ἅτε οἰνωμένου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὑποτοπήσαντες, ἐν σιωπῇ ἔσχον. [16] ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτῷ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ξυγγενόμενοι τὴν συμμαχίαν ἐν λόγῳ ἐποιοῦντο, καὶ ῥήματι αὖθις τῷ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεῦδις ἐχρῆτο, οὕτω δὴ ξυνέντες νεώτερα σφίσιν ἐν Λιβύῃ ξυμπεσεῖν πράγματα, οὐδὲν μέντοι ἀμφὶ Καρχηδόνι ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες, ἐς αὐτὴν ἔπλεον. [17] ἀγχοῦ τε αὐτῆς καταπλεύσαντες καὶ Ῥωμαίο
ις στρατιώταις περιτυχόντες ἐνεχείρισαν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὅ τι βούλοιντο χρῆσθαι. [18] ὅθεν ἐς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀπαχθέντες καὶ τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀγγείλαντες ἔπαθον οὐδὲν πρὸς ἐκείνου κακόν. [19] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὕτω γενέσθαι τετύχηκε. Κύριλλος δέ, Σαρδοῦς τε ἀγχοῦ γενόμενος καὶ τὰ τῷ Γώδᾳ ξυμπεσόντα ἀκούσας, ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἔπλει, ἔνθα τό τε Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα καὶ Βελισάριον εὑρὼν νενικηκότας ἡσύχαζε: καὶ Σολόμων παρὰ βασιλέα, ὅπως ἀγγείλῃ τὰ πεπραγμένα, ἐστέλλετο.