Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  But on the side of the circuit-wall which faces the sea, where the forces on guard were not barbarians, but Jews, the soldiers were unable either to use the ladders or to scale the wall. For the Jews had already given offence to their enemy by having opposed their efforts to capture the city without a fight, and for this reason they had no hope if they should fall into their hands; so they kept fighting stubbornly, although they could see that the city had already been captured, and held out beyond all expectation against the assaults of their opponents. But when day came and some of those who had mounted the wall marched against them, then at last they also, now that they were being shot at from behind, took to flight, and Naples was captured by storm. By this time the gates were thrown open and the whole Roman army came in. [L] But those who were stationed about the gates which fronted the east, since, as it happened, they had no ladders at hand, set fire to these gates, which were altogether unguarded; for that part of the wall had been deserted, the guards having taken to flight. And then a great slaughter took place; for all of them were possessed with fury, especially those who had chanced to have a brother or other relative slain in the fighting at the wall. And they kept killing all whom they encountered, sparing neither old nor young, and dashing into the houses they made slaves of the women and children and secured the valuables as plunder; and in this the Massagetae outdid all the rest, for they did not even withhold their hand from the sanctuaries, but slew many of those who had taken refuge in them, until Belisarius, visiting every part of the city, put a stop to this, and calling all together, spoke as follows:

  DATE:

  [L] 536 A.D.

  “Inasmuch as God has given us the victory and has permitted us to attain the greatest height of glory, by putting under our hand a city which has never been captured before, it behooves us on our part to shew ourselves not unworthy of His grace, but by our humane treatment of the vanquished, to make it plain that we have conquered these men justly. Do not, therefore, hate the Neapolitans with a boundless hatred, and do not allow your hostility toward them to continue beyond the limits of the war. For when men have been vanquished, their victors never hate them any longer. And by killing them you will not be ridding yourselves of enemies for the future, but you will be suffering a loss through the death of your subjects. Therefore, do these men no further harm, nor continue to give way wholly to anger. For it is a disgrace to prevail over the enemy and then to shew yourselves vanquished by passion. So let all the possessions of these men suffice for you as the rewards of your valour, but let their wives, together with the children, be given back to the men. And let the conquered learn by experience what kind of friends they have forfeited by reason of foolish counsel.”

  After speaking thus, Belisarius released to the Neapolitans their women and children and the slaves, one and all, no insult having been experienced by them, and he reconciled the soldiers to the citizens. And thus it came to pass for the Neapolitans that on that day they both became captives and regained their liberty, and that they recovered the most precious of their possessions. For those of them who happened to have gold or anything else of value had previously concealed it by burying it in the earth, and in this way they succeeded in hiding from the enemy the fact that in getting back their houses they were recovering their money also. And the siege, which had lasted about twenty days, ended thus. As for the Goths who were captured in the city, not less than eight hundred in number, Belisarius put them under guard and kept them from all harm, holding them in no less honour than his own soldiers.

  And Pastor, who had been leading the people upon a course of folly, as has been previously set forth by me, upon seeing the city captured, fell into a fit of apoplexy and died suddenly, though he had neither been ill before nor suffered any harm from anyone. But Asclepiodotus, who was engaged in this intrigue with him, came before Belisarius with those of the notables who survived. And Stephanus mocked and reviled him with these words: “See, O basest of all men, what evils you have brought to your fatherland, by selling the safety of the citizens for loyalty to the Goths. And furthermore, if things had gone well for the barbarians, you would have claimed the right to be yourself a hireling in their service and to bring to court on the charge of trying to betray the city to the Romans each one of us who have given the better counsel. But now that the emperor has captured the city, and we have been saved by the uprightness of this man, and you even so have had the hardihood recklessly to come into the presence of the general as if you had done no harm to the Neapolitans or to the emperor’s army, you will meet with the punishment you deserve.” Such were the words which Stephanus, who was deeply grieved by the misfortune of the city, hurled against Asclepiodotus. And Asclepiodotus replied to him as follows: “Quite unwittingly, noble Sir, you have been heaping praise upon us, when you reproach us for our loyalty to the Goths. For no one could ever be loyal to his masters when they are in danger, except it be by firm conviction. As for me, then, the victors will have in me as true a guardian of the state as they lately found in me an enemy, since he whom nature has endowed with the quality of fidelity does not change his conviction when he changes his fortune. But you, should their fortunes not continue to prosper as before, would readily listen to the overtures of their assailants. For he who has the disease of inconstancy of mind no sooner takes fright than he denies his pledge to those most dear.” Such were the words of Asclepiodotus. But the populace of the Neapolitans, when they saw him returning from Belisarius, gathered in a body and began to charge him with responsibility for all that had befallen them. And they did not leave him until they had killed him and torn his body into small pieces. After that they came to the house of Pastor, seeking for the man. And when the servants insisted that Pastor was dead, they were quite unwilling to believe them until they were shown the man’s body. And the Neapolitans impaled him in the outskirts of the town. Then they begged Belisarius to pardon them for what they had done while moved with just anger, and receiving his forgiveness, they dispersed. Such was the fate of the Neapolitans.

  Γότθοι δὲ ὅσοις ἀμφί τε Ῥώμην καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία ξυνέπεσεν εἶναι, καὶ πρότερον τὴν Θευδάτου ἡσυχίαν ἐν θαύματι μεγάλῳ ποιούμενοι, ὅτι δὴ ἐν γειτόνων οὖσι τοῖς πολεμίοις οὐ βούλοιτο διὰ μάχης ἰέναι, ἐν σφίσι τε αὐτοῖς ὑποψίᾳ πολλῇ ἐς αὐτὸν χρώμενοι, ὡς δὴ τὰ Γότθων πράγματα προδιδοῖ Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἐθελουσίως, ἄλλο τέ οἱ οὐδὲν ἐπιμελὲς εἴη, πλήν γε δὴ ὅπως αὐτὸς ἡσυχῆ βιοτεύοι, ὡς πλεῖστα περιβαλλόμενος χρήματα, ἐπειδὴ ἁλῶναι Νεάπολιν ἤκουσαν, ἅπαντά οἱ ταῦτα ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἤδη ἐπικαλοῦντες ἐς χωρίον ξυνελέγησαν Ῥώμης ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ διακοσίους σταδίους διέχον, ὅπερ Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσι Ῥεγάτα: ἐνταῦθα ἐνστρατοπεδεύσασθαι σφίσιν ἔδοξεν ἄριστον εἶναι: πεδία γὰρ πολλὰ ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν ἱππόβοτα. [2] ῥεῖ δὲ καὶ ποταμός, ὃν Δεκεννόβιον τῇ Λατίνων φωνῇ καλοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, ὅτι δὴ ἐννεακαίδεκα περιιὼν σημεῖα, ὅπερ ξύνεισιν ἐς τρισκαίδεκα καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίους, οὕτω δὴ ἐκβάλλει ἐς θάλασσαν ἀμφὶ πόλιν Ταρακίνην, ἧς ἄγχιστα ὄρος τὸ Κίρκαιόν ἐστιν, οὗ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα τῇ Κίρκῃ ξυγγενέσθαι φασίν, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐ πιστὰ λέγοντες, ἐπεὶ ἐν νήσῳ Ὅμηρος τὰ τῆς Κίρκης οἰκία ἰσχυρίζεται εἶναι. [3] ἐκεῖνο μέντοι ἔχω εἰπεῖν, ὡς τὸ Κίρκαιον τοῦ�
�ο, ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς θαλάσσης διῆκον, νήσῳ ἐμφερές ἐστι, καὶ τοῖς τε πλέουσιν ἄγχιστα τοῖς τε ἐς τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἠϊόνα βαδίζουσι νῆσος δοκεῖ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον εἶναι. καὶ ἐπειδάν τις ἐν αὐτῷ γένηται, τότε δὴ μεταμανθάνει ψευσθῆναι τῆς δόξης τὰ πρότερα. [4] καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Ὅμηρος ἴσως νῆσον τὸ χωρίον ὠνόμασεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον λόγον ἄνειμι. [5] Γότθοι, ἐπειδὴ ἐς Ῥεγάτα ξυνελέγησαν, βασιλέα σφίσι τε καὶ Ἰταλιώταις Οὐίττιγιν εἵλοντο, ἄνδρα οἰκίας μὲν οὐκ ἐπιφανοῦς ὄντα, ἐν μάχαις δὲ ταῖς ἀμφὶ Σίρμιον λίαν εὐδοκιμηκότα τὸ πρότερον, ἡνίκα τὸν πρὸς Γήπαιδας πόλεμον Θευδέριχος διέφερε. [6] Θευδάτος μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐς φυγήν τε ὥρμητο καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν ἤλαυνεν. Οὐίττιγις δὲ κατὰ τάχος Ὄπταριν ἔπεμψεν, ἄνδρα Γότθον, ἐπιστείλας αὐτῷ ἢ ζῶντα ἢ νεκρὸν ἀγαγεῖν Θευδάτον. [7] ἐτύγχανε δὲ τῷ Θευδάτῳ οὗτος ὁ Ὄπταρις χαλεπῶς ἔχων ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. κόρην τινὰ Ὄπταρις ἐπίκληρόν τε καὶ τὴν ὄψιν εὐπρεπῆ οὖσαν ἐμνηστεύετο. [8] ταύτην Θευδάτος ἀφελόμενος τὸν μνηστῆρα τοῦτον, χρήμασιν ἀναπεισθείς, ἑτέρῳ ἠγγύησε. διὸ δὴ τῷ τε θυμῷ καὶ Οὐιττίγιδι χαριζόμενος, πολλῇ Θευδάτον σπουδῇ τε καὶ προθυμίᾳ, οὔτε νύκτα ἀνεὶς οὔτε ἡμέραν, ἐδίωκε. [9] καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν ὁδῷ ἔτι πορευόμενον καταλαμβάνει, ἐς ἔδαφός τε ὕπτιον ἀνακλίνας ὥσπερ ἱερεῖόν τι ἔθυσεν. αὕτη τε Θευδάτῳ καταστροφὴ τοῦ τε βίου καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, τρίτον ἐχούσης ἔτος, ἐγένετο. [10] Οὐίττιγις δὲ ἅμα Γότθοις τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐς Ῥώμην ἐσήλαυνε. γνούς τε τὰ Θευδάτῳ ξυνενεχθέντα, ἥσθη τε καὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν παῖδα Θευδέγισκλον ἐν φυλακῇ ἐποιήσατο. [11] καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ Γότθων πράγματα ἥκιστά οἱ ἐν παρασκευῇ ἔδοξεν εἶναι, βέλτιον ἐνόμισεν ἐς Ῥάβενναν πρῶτον ἰέναι, ἐνταῦθά τε πάντα ἐξαρτυσαμένῳ ὡς ἄριστα οὕτω δὴ καθίστασθαι ἐς τὸν πόλεμον. ξυγκαλέσας οὖν ἅπαντας ἔλεξε τοιάδε: [12] ‘Αἱ μέγισται τῶν πράξεων, ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, οὐ καιρῶν ὀξύτητι, ἀλλ̓ εὐβουλίᾳ φιλοῦσιν ὀρθοῦσθαι. [13] πολλάκις γὰρ μέλλησίς τε εἰς τὸν καιρὸν ἐλθοῦσα μᾶλλον ὤνησε καὶ σπουδὴ οὐκ ἐν δέοντι ἐπιδειχθεῖσα πολλοῖς ἀνεχαίτισε τὴν τοῦ κατορθώσειν ἐλπίδα. [14] ῥᾷον γὰρ οἱ πλεῖστοι ἀπαράσκευοι μέν, ἐξ ἀντιπάλου δὲ τῆς δυνάμεως μαχόμενοι, ἡσσῶνται ἢ ὅσοι τὴν ἐλάσσω ἰσχὺν ὡς ἄριστα παρασκευασάμενοι ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα κατέστησαν. [15] μὴ τοίνυν τῷ παραυτίκα φιλοτίμῳ ἐπαιρόμενοι τὰ ἀνήκεστα ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐργασώμεθα: κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἐν χρόνῳ βραχεῖ αἰσχυνομένους τὴν εὔκλειαν ἀπέραντον διασώσασθαι ἢ τὴν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα φυγόντας ὕβριν ἐς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι. [16] καίτοι καὶ ὑμεῖς δή που ἐπίστασθε ὡς τό τε Γότθων πλῆθος καὶ ξύμπασαν σχεδόν τι τὴν τῶν ὅπλων σκευὴν ἔν τε Γαλλίαις καὶ Βενετίαις καὶ χώραις ταῖς ἑκαστάτω ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. [17] καὶ μὴν καὶ πρὸς τὰ Φράγγων ἔθνη οὐχ ἥσσω τοῦδε πόλεμον διαφέρομεν, ὃν δὴ οὐκ εὖ διαθεμένους ἐφ̓ ἕτερον χωρεῖν πολλὴ ἄνοια. τοὺς γὰρ ἐς ἀμφίβολόν τι καθισταμένους καὶ οὐ πρὸς ἕνα πολέμιον ὁρῶντας τῶν ἐναντίων ἡσσᾶσθαι εἰκός. [18] ἐγὼ δέ φημι χρῆναι νῦν μὲν εὐθὺ Ῥαβέννης ἐνθένδε ἰέναι, τὸν δὲ πρὸς Φράγγους πόλεμον διαλύσαντας τἄλλα τε διῳκημένους ὡς ἄριστα οὕτω δὴ Βελισαρίῳ παντὶ τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ διαμάχεσθαι. [19] καί μοι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν τήνδε ὑμῶν ὑποστελλέσθω μηδείς, μηδὲ φυγὴν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζειν ὀκνείτω. [20] δειλίας μὲν γὰρ προσηγορία ἐπιτηδείως προσπεσοῦσα πολλοὺς ὤρθωσεν, ἀνδρείας δὲ ὄνομα οὐκ ἐν τῷ καθήκοντι χρόνῳ τισὶν ἐγγενόμενον, εἶτα ἐς ἧτταν ἐχώρησεν. [21] οὐ γὰρ τοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων ὀνόμασιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ξυμφόρῳ τῶν ἔργων ἕπεσθαι ἄξιον. ἀνδρός τε γὰρ ἀρετὴν οὐκ ἀρχόμεναι δηλοῦσιν αἱ πράξεις, ἀλλὰ τελευτῶσαι μηνύουσι. [22] φεύγουσι δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους οὐχ οἳ ἂν μετὰ μείζονος τῆς παρασκευῆς αὐτίκα μάλα ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἥκοιεν, ἀλλ̓ ὅσοι τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν σώματα ἐς ἀεὶ διασώζειν βουλόμενοι ἐκποδὼν ἵστανται. πόλεώς τε τῆσδε ἁλώσεως πέρι μηδενὶ ὑμῶν γινέσθω τι δέος. [23] ἤν τε γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι ἡμῖν εὐνοϊκῶς ἔχωσι, τὴν πόλιν ἐν βεβαίῳ Γότθοις φυλάξουσιν, ἀνάγκης τε πεῖραν οὐδεμιᾶς ἕξουσιν, [24] ἐπεὶ ἐν βραχεῖ αὐτοῖς ἐπανήξομεν χρόνῳ. καὶ ἤν τι ὕποπτον αὐτοῖς ἐς ἡμᾶς ἐστιν, ἐλάσσω βλάψουσι τῇ πόλει τοὺς πολεμίους δεξάμενοι: ἄμεινον γὰρ πρὸς δυσμενεῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς διαμάχεσθαι. [25] ὅπως μέντοι μηδέν τι ξυμβήσεται τοιοῦτον, ἐγὼ προνοήσω. ἄνδρας τε γὰρ πολλοὺς καὶ ἄρχοντα ξυνετώτατον ἀπολείψομεν, οἳ Ῥώμην φυλάξαι ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται, ὥστε καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐν καλῷ κείσεται καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκ τῆσδε ἡμῶν τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως γένοιτο βλάβος.’ [26] Οὐίττιγις μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπεν. ἐπαινέσαντες δὲ Γότθοι ἅπαντες παρεσκευάζοντο ἐς τὴν πορείαν. μετὰ δὲ Σιλβερίῳ τε τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἱερεῖ καὶ Ῥωμαίων τοῖς τε ἐκ βουλῆς καὶ τῷ δήμῳ πολλὰ παραινέσας Οὐίττιγις, καὶ τῆς Θευδερίχου ἀρχῆς ὑπομνήσας, ἐνεκελεύετο ἅπασιν ἐς Γότθων τὸ ἔθνος εὐνοϊκῶς ἔχειν, ὅρκοις αὐτοὺς δεινοτάτοις ὑπὲρ τούτων καταλαβών, ἄνδρας τε ἀπολέξας οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ τετρακισχιλίους, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἄρχοντα ἐπιστήσας Λεύδεριν, ἡλικίας τε πόρρω ἥκοντα κα�
� δόξαν ἐπὶ ξυνέσει πολλὴν ἔχοντα, ἐφ̓ ᾧ Ῥώμην φυλάξουσι σφίσιν: οὕτω δὴ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐς Ῥάβενναν ᾔει, τῶν ἐκ βουλῆς πλείστους ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων. [27] καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀφίκετο, Ματασοῦνθαν τὴν Ἀμαλασούνθης θυγατέρα, παρθένον τε καὶ ὡραίαν ἤδη οὖσαν, γυναῖκα γαμετὴν οὔτι ἐθελούσιον ἐποιήσατο, ὅπως δὴ βεβαιοτέραν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἕξει τῇ ἐς γένος τὸ Θευδερίχου ἐπιμιξίᾳ. [28] ἔπειτα δὲ ἅπαντας Γότθους πανταχόθεν ἀγείρας διεῖπέ τε καὶ διεκόσμει, ὅπλα τε καὶ ἵππους διανέμων κατὰ λόγον ἑκάστῳ, μόνους δὲ Γότθους οἳ ἐν Γαλλίαις φυλακὴν εἶχον, δέει τῶν Φράγγων οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν μεταπέμπεσθαι. [29] οἱ δὲ Φράγγοι οὗτοι Γερμανοὶ μὲν τὸ παλαιὸν ὠνομάζοντο. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ὅπη ᾠκημένοι Γαλλίας τε ἐπεβάτευσαν καὶ διάφοροι Γότθοις γεγένηνται, ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι.