Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  And when Peranius, not many days later, led some of the Romans through the Salarian Gate against the enemy, the Goths, indeed, fled as hard as they could, but about sunset a counter-pursuit was made suddenly, and a Roman foot-soldier, becoming greatly confused, fell into a deep hole, many of which were made there by the men of old, for the storage of grain, I suppose. And he did not dare to cry out, supposing that the enemy were encamped near by, and was not able in any way whatever to get out of the pit, for it afforded no means of climbing up; he was therefore compelled to pass the night there. Now on the next day, when the barbarians had again been put to flight, one of the Goths fell into the same hole. And there the two men were reconciled to mutual friendship and good-will, brought together as they were by their necessity, and they exchanged solemn pledges, each that he would work earnestly for the salvation of the other; and then both of them began shouting with loud and frantic cries. Now the Goths, following the sound, came and peered over the edge of the hole, and enquired who it was who shouted. At this, the Roman, in accordance with the plan decided upon by the two men, kept silence, and the Goth in his native tongue said that he had just recently fallen in there during the rout which had taken place, and asked them to let down a rope that he might come up. And they as quickly as possible threw down the ends of ropes, and, as they thought, were pulling up the Goth, but the Roman laid hold of the ropes and was pulled up, saying only that if he should go up first the Goths would never abandon their comrade, but if they should learn that merely one of the enemy was there they would take no account of him. So saying, he went up. And when the Goths saw him, they wondered and were in great perplexity, but upon hearing the whole story from him they drew up his comrade next, and he told them of the agreement they had made and of the pledges both had given. So he went off with his companions, and the Roman was released unharmed and permitted to return to the city. After this horsemen in no great numbers armed themselves many times for battle, but the struggles always ended in single combats, and the Romans were victorious in all of them. Such, then, was the course of these events.

  A little after this an engagement took place in the Plain of Nero, wherein various small groups of horsemen were engaged in pursuing their opponents in various directions; in one group was Chorsamantis, a man of note among the guards of Belisarius, by birth a Massagete, who with some others was pursuing seventy of the enemy. And when he had got well out in the plain the other Romans rode back, but Chorsamantis went on with the pursuit alone. As soon as the Goths perceived this, they turned their horses about and came against him. And he advanced into their midst, killed one of the best of them with his spear, and then went after the others, but they again turned and rushed off in flight. But they were ashamed before their comrades in the camp, who, they suspected, could already see them, and wished to attack him again. They had, however, precisely the same experience as before and lost one of their best men, and so turned to flight in spite of their shame, and after Chorsamantis had pursued them as far as their stockade he returned alone. And a little later, in another battle, this man was wounded in the left shin, and it was his opinion that the weapon had merely grazed the bone. However, he was rendered unfit for fighting for a certain number of days by reason of this wound, and since he was a barbarian he did not endure this patiently, but threatened that he would right speedily have vengeance upon the Goths for this insult to his leg. So when not long afterwards he had recovered and was drunk at lunch time, as was his custom, he purposed to go alone against the enemy and avenge the insult to his leg; and when he had come to the small Pincian Gate he stated that he was sent by Belisarius to the enemy’s camp. And the guards at the gate, who could not doubt the word of a man who was the best of the guards of Belisarius, opened the gates and allowed him to go wherever he would. And when the enemy spied him, they thought at first that some deserter was coming over to them, but when he came near and put his hand to his bow, twenty men, not knowing who he might be, went out against him. These he easily drove off, and then began to ride back at a walk, and when more Goths came against him he did not flee. But when a great throng gathered about him and he still insisted upon fighting them, the Romans, watching the sight from the towers, suspected that the man was crazy, but they did not yet know that it was Chorsamantis. At length, after making a display of great and very noteworthy deeds, he found himself surrounded by the army of the enemy, and paid the penalty for his unreasonable daring. And when Belisarius and the Roman army learned this, they mourned greatly, lamenting that the hope which all placed in the man had come to naught.

  Εὐθάλιος δέ τις ἀμφὶ θερινὰς τροπὰς ἐς Ταρακίναν ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἧκε, χρήματα ἔχων ἅπερ τοῖς στρατιώταις βασιλεὺς ὦφλε. [2] δείσας τε μὴ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐντυχόντες πολέμιοι τὰ χρήματά τε ἀφέλωνται καὶ αὐτὸν κτείνωσι, γράφει πρὸς Βελισάριον ἀσφαλῆ οἱ ἐς Ῥώμην τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι. [3] ὁ δὲ ἄνδρας μὲν ἑκατὸν τῶν αὑτοῦ ὑπασπιστῶν δοκίμους ἀπολεξάμενος ξὺν δορυφόροις δύο πέμπει ἐς Ταρακίναν οἵπερ αὐτῷ τὰ χρήματα ξυγκομίσαιεν. [4] δόκησιν δὲ ἀεὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις παρείχετο ὡς παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ μαχεσόμενος, ὅπως μὴ ἐνθένδε τῶν πολεμίων τινὲς ἢ τροφῶν ξυγκομιδῆς ἕνεκα ἢ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν ἴωσιν. [5] ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ τοὺς ἀμφὶ Εὐθάλιον ἔγνω παρέσεσθαι, διεῖπέ τε καὶ διεκόσμει ὡς ἐς μάχην τὸ στράτευμα, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐν παρασκευῇ ἦσαν. [6] ὅλην μὲν οὖν δείλην πρωίαν κατεῖχεν ἀμφὶ τὰς πύλας τοὺς στρατιώτας: ᾔδει γὰρ Εὐθάλιόν τε καὶ τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐς νύκτα ἀφίξεσθαι. [7] ἐς δὲ ἡμέραν μέσην ἄριστον ἐκέλευε τὸ στράτευμα αἱρεῖσθαι, καὶ οἱ Γότθοι ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν αὐτὸν οἰόμενοι τὴν ξυμβολὴν ἀποτίθεσθαι. [8] ὀλίγῳ δὲ ὕστερον Μαρτῖνον μὲν καὶ Βαλεριανὸν ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐς Νέρωνος πεδίον Βελισάριος ἔπεμψε, ξυνταράσσειν ὅτι μάλιστα ἐπιστείλας τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον. [9] ἐκ δὲ πυλίδος Πιγκιανῆς ἱππέας ἑξακοσίους ἐπὶ τῶν βαρβάρων τὰ χαρακώματα ἔστελλεν: [10] οἷς δὴ τρεῖς τῶν αὑτοῦ δορυφόρων ἐπέστησεν, Ἀρτασίρην τε ἄνδρα Πέρσην καὶ Βώχαν Μασσαγέτην γένος καὶ Κουτίλαν Θρᾷκα. καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐναντίων ἀπήντησαν. [11] χρόνον δὲ πολὺν ἡ μάχη ἐν χερσὶν οὐκ ἐγίνετο, ἀλλ̓ ἐπιοῦσί τε ὑπεχώρουν ἀλλήλοις καὶ τὰς διώξεις ἑκάτεροι ἀγχιστρόφους ποιούμενοι ἐῴκεισαν βουλομένοις ἐς τοῦτο σφίσι δαπανᾶσθαι τὸν τῆς ἡμέρας χρόνον. [12] προϊόντες μέντοι ὀργῇ ἐς ἀλλήλους εἴχοντο ἤδη: καρτερᾶς τε γεγενημένης τῆς ξυμβολῆς, ἑκατέρων μὲν πολλοὶ καὶ ἄριστοι ἔπεσον, ἀμφοτέροις δὲ ἀπό τε τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἐπίκουροι ἦλθον. [13] ὧν δὴ ἀναμιγνυμένων τοῖς μαχομένοις ἔτι μᾶλλον ὁ πόνος ἐπὶ μέγα ᾔρετο. καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα περιλαβοῦσα τοὺς μαχο
μένους ἐξέπλησσε. [14] τέλος δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀρετῇ ὠσάμενοι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐτρέψαντο. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ Κουτίλας μέσην τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀκοντίῳ πληγεὶς καὶ ταύτῃ τὸ δοράτιον ἐμπεπηγὸς ἔχων ἐδίωκε. [15] τῆς τε τροπῆς γενομένης ἅμα τοῖς περιοῦσιν ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἀμφὶ ἡλίου δύσιν ἐσήλασε, κραδαινομένου οἱ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ ἀκοντίου, θέαμα λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξιον. [16] ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ Ἄρζην, τῶν Βελισαρίου ὑπασπιστῶν ἕνα, τῶν τις Γότθων τοξότης μεταξὺ τῆς τε ῥινὸς καὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ δεξιοῦ βάλλει. [17] καὶ τοῦ μὲν τοξεύματος ἡ ἀκὶς ἄχρι ἐς τὸν αὐχένα ὀπίσω διῆλθεν, οὐ μέντοι διεφάνη, τοῦ δὲ ἀτράκτου τὸ λειπόμενον ἐπῆν τε τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ ἱππευομένου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσείετο. [18] ὃν δὴ ξὺν τῷ Κουτίλᾳ θεώμενοι ἐν θαύματι μεγάλῳ ἐποιοῦντο Ῥωμαῖοι ὅτι δὴ ἱππεύοντο, οὐδεμίαν ἐπιστροφὴν τοῦ κακοῦ ἔχοντες. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐφέρετο τῇδε. [19] Ἐν δὲ Νέρωνος πεδίῳ τὰ βαρβάρων πράγματα καθυπέρτερα ἦν. οἵ τε ἀμφὶ Βαλεριανὸν καὶ Μαρτῖνον, πλήθει πολλῷ πολεμίων μαχόμενοι, καρτερῶς μὲν ὑφίσταντο, ἔπασχον δὲ τὰ δεινότατα, καὶ κινδύνου ἐς μέγα τι ἀφίκοντο χρῆμα. [20] καὶ τότε δὴ Βελισάριος Βώχαν ἐκέλευεν ἐπαγόμενον τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἀκραιφνέσι σώμασί τε καὶ ἵπποις ἐκ τῆς ξυμβολῆς ἐπανήκοντας ἐς Νέρωνος πεδίον ἰέναι. [21] ἤδη δὲ ἦν τῆς ἡμέρας ὀψέ. καὶ Ῥωμαίοις τῶν ἀμφὶ Βώχαν ἐπιβεβοηθηκότων ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου τροπὴ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐγίνετο, ἐς ἣν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον Βώχας ἐμπεσὼν ἐς κύκλωσιν δυοκαίδεκα πολεμίων δόρατα φερόντων ἀφίκετο. [22] καὶ αὐτὸν ἔπαισαν μὲν ὁμοῦ τοῖς δόρασιν ἅπαντες. τοῦ δὲ θώρακος ὑφισταμένου αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι πληγαὶ οὐ σφόδρα ἐλύπουν, εἷς δὲ τῶν Γότθων ἐξόπισθεν ὑπὲρ μασχάλην τὴν δεξιὰν γυμνοῦ τοῦ σώματος ἄγχιστα τοῦ ὤμου ἐπιτυχὼν ἔπληξε τὸν νεανίαν, οὐ καιρίαν μέντοι, οὐδὲ ἐς θανάτου κίνδυνον ἄγουσαν. [23] ἔμπροσθεν δὲ ἄλλος μηρὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν εὐώνυμον νύξας τὸν ταύτῃ μυῶνα οὐκ εὐθείᾳ τινί, ἀλλ̓ ἐγκαρσίᾳ πληγῇ ἔτεμε. [24] Βαλεριανὸς δὲ καὶ Μαρτῖνος τὰ ποιούμενα κατεῖδόν τε καί οἱ ἐπιβεβοηθηκότες ὡς τάχιστα ἔτρεψάν τε τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ τοῦ χαλινοῦ τοῦ Βώχα ἵππου ἄμφω λαβομένω ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἀφίκοντο. νύξ τε ἐπεγένετο καὶ ξὺν τοῖς χρήμασιν Εὐθάλιος ἦλθεν. [25] Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐγένοντο, τῶν τραυμάτων ἐπεμελοῦντο. Ἄρζου μὲν οὖν τὸ βέλος ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου ἀφέλκεσθαι βουλόμενοι οἱ ἰατροὶ χρόνον τινὰ ἤσχαλλον, οὐχ ὅτι τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἕνεκεν, ὃν δὴ οὐκ ἄν ποτε σωθήσεσθαι ὑπετόπαζον, ἀλλ̓ ὅπως μὴ ὑμένων τε καὶ νεύρων τρήσεσιν, οἷα πολλὰ ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν, ἄνδρα τῆς Βελισαρίου οἰκίας ἄριστον διαφθείρωσιν. [26] ἔπειτα δὲ τῶν τις ἰατρῶν, Θεόκτιστος ὄνομα, ὄπισθεν ἐς τὸν αὐχένα ἐρείσας ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ λίαν ἀλγοίη. [27] τοῦ δὲ ἀλγεῖν φήσαντος, ‘Οὐκοῦν αὐτός τε σωθήσῃ,’ εἶπε, ‘καὶ τὴν ὄψιν οὐκ ἂν βλαβήσῃ.’ ταῦτα δὲ ἰσχυρίσατο τεκμηράμενος ὅτι τοῦ βέλους ἡ ἀκὶς τοῦ δέρματος οὐ πόρρω διήκει. [28] τοῦ μὲν οὖν ἀτράκτου ὅσον ἔξω ἐφαίνετο ἐκτεμὼν ἔρριψε, διελὼν δὲ τῶν ἰνίων τὸ δέρμα οὗ μάλιστα ὁ ἀνὴρ πολυώδυνος ἦν, ἐντεῦθεν πόνῳ οὐδενὶ τὴν ἀκίδα ἐφείλκυσε, τρισί τε προὔχουσαν ὀπίσω ὀξείαις καὶ μοῖραν τοῦ βέλους τὴν λειπομένην ξὺν αὐτῇ φέρουσαν. [29] οὕτω τε Ἄρζης κακῶν τε παντάπασιν ἀπαθὴς ἔμεινε καὶ οὐδὲ ἴχνος αὐτοῦ τῆς πληγῆς ἐς τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπελείπετο. [30] Κουτίλας δὲ βιαιότερον τοῦ δορατίου ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀφαιρεθέντος ῾ἐπεπήγει γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον̓ ἐς λειποθυμίαν ἐξέπεσεν. [31] ἐπεὶ δέ οἱ φλεγμαίνειν αἱ τῇδε μήνιγγες ἤρξαντο, φρενίτιδι νόσῳ ἁλοὺς οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐτελεύτησε. [32] Βώχαν μέντοι αὐτίκα αἵματός τε ῥύσις ἄφατος ἐκ τοῦ μηροῦ ἔσχε καὶ τεθνηξομένῳ οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἐῴκει. αἴτιον δὲ τούτου εἶναι ἰατροὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ̓ εὐθείας, ἀλλ̓ ἐγκαρσίᾳ ἐντομῇ τὸν μυῶνα ἡ πληγὴ ἔκοψεν. [33] ἡμέραις γοῦν ἀπέθανε τρισὶν ὕστερον. διὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν νύκτα ὅλην ἐκείνην ἐν πένθει μεγάλῳ ἐγένοντο: Γότθων δὲ θρῆνοί τε πολλοὶ καὶ κωκυτοὶ μεγάλοι ἐκ τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἠκούοντο. [34] καὶ ἐθαύμαζόν γε Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ἐδόκει πάθος ξυμβῆναι τοῖς πολεμίοις λόγου ἄξιον τῇ προτεραίᾳ, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι οὐκ ὀλίγοι αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς ξυμβολαῖς διεφθάρησαν. [35] ὅπερ καὶ πρότερον αὐτοῖς οὐδέν τι ἧσσον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, ξυνενεχθὲν οὐ λίαν γε αὐτοὺς διὰ τὴν πολυανθρωπίαν ἐτάραξεν. [36] ἐγνώσθη μέντοι τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ὡς ἄνδρας δοκίμους ἐς τὰ μάλιστα τοῦ ἐν Νέρωνος πεδίῳ στρατοπέδου Γότθοι ἐθρήνουν, οὓς δὴ ὁ Βώχας ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ὁρμῇ ἔκτεινεν. [37] Ἐγένοντο δὲ καὶ ἄλλαι οὐκ ἀξιόλογοι ξυμβολαί, ἅσπερ μοι ξυγγράψαι οὔτι ἀναγκαῖον ἔδοξεν εἶναι. πάσας μέντοι ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἐν τῇδε τῇ πολιορκίᾳ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι, καὶ δύο δὴ ἄλλας ὑστάτας, αἵ μοι ἐν τοῖς ὄπισθεν λόγοις εἰρήσονται. [38] τότε δὲ ὅ τε χειμὼν ἔληγε καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψεν.

  II

  Now a certain Euthalius, at about the spring equinox, came to Taracina from Byzantium with the money which the emperor owed the soldiers. And fearing lest the enemy should come upon him on the road and both rob him of the money and kill him, he wrote to Belisarius requesting him to make the journey to Rome safe f
or him. Belisarius accordingly selected one hundred men of note from among his own bodyguards and sent them with two spearmen to Taracina to assist him in bringing the money. And at the same time he kept trying to make the barbarians believe that he was about to fight with his whole army, his purpose being to prevent any of the enemy from leaving the vicinity, either to bring in provisions or for any other purpose. But when he found out that Euthalius and his men would arrive on the morrow, he arrayed his army and set it in order for battle, and the barbarians were in readiness. Now throughout the whole forenoon he merely held his soldiers near the gates; for he knew that Euthalius and those who accompanied him would arrive at night. Then, at midday, he commanded the army to take their lunch, and the Goths did the same thing, supposing that he was putting off the engagement to the following day. A little later, however, Belisarius sent Martinus and Valerian to the Plain of Nero with the troops under their command, directing them to throw the enemy’s camp into the greatest possible confusion. And from the small Pincian Gate he sent out six hundred horsemen against the camps of the barbarians, placing them under command of three of his own spearmen, Artasires, a Persian, and Bochas, of the race of the Massagetae, and Cutilas, a Thracian. And many of the enemy came out to meet them. For a long time, however, the battle did not come to close quarters, but each side kept retreating when the other advanced and making pursuits in which they quickly turned back, until it looked as if they intended to spend the rest of the day at this sort of thing. But as they continued, they began at last to be filled with rage against each other. The battle then settled down to a fierce struggle in which many of the best men on both sides fell, and support came up for each of the two armies, both from the city and from the camps. And when these fresh troops were mingled with the fighters the struggle became still greater. And the shouting which filled the city and the camps terrified the combatants. But finally the Romans by their valour forced back the enemy and routed them.