Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  XIV

  THERE was a certain Chilbudius of the household of the Emperor Justinian, who was exceedingly efficient in war, and, at the same time, so far superior to the lure of money that instead of a great property in his own right he had no possessions at all. This Chilbudius was appointed by the emperor, in the fourth year of his reign, to be General of Thrace, [531 A.D.] and was assigned to guard the river Ister, being ordered to keep watch so that the barbarians of that region could no longer cross the river, since the Huns and Antae and Sclaveni had already made the crossing many times and done irreparable harm to the Romans. And Chilbudius became such an object of terror to the barbarians that for the space of three years, during which time he remained there holding this office, not only did no one succeed in crossing the Ister against the Romans, but the Romans actually crossed over to the opposite side many times with Chilbudius and killed and enslaved the barbarians there. But three years later, when Chilbudius crossed the river, as was his custom, with a small force, the Sclaveni came against him with their entire strength; and a fierce battle taking place, many of the Romans fell and among them the general Chilbudius. Thereafter the river became free for the barbarians to cross at all times just as they wished, and the possessions of the Romans were rendered easily accessible; and the entire Roman empire found itself utterly incapable of matching the valour of one single man in the performance of this task.

  But later on the Antae and Sclaveni became hostile to one another and engaged in a battle, in which it so fell out that the Antae were defeated by their opponents. Now in this battle one of the Sclaveni took captive a certain young man of the enemy named Chilbudius, who was just wearing his first beard, and took him off to his home. This Chilbudius, as time went on, became devoted to his master to an extraordinary degree and proved himself a vigorous warrior in dealing with the enemy. Indeed he exposed himself to danger many times to save his master, distinguishing himself by his deeds of valour, through which he succeeded in winning great renown. At about this time the Antae descended upon the land of Thrace and plundered and enslaved many of the Roman inhabitants; and they led these captives with them as they returned to their native abode.

  Now chance brought one of these captives into the hands of a kind and gentle master. This man was a great rascal and one capable of circumventing and deceiving those who fell in his way. And since he was unable by any device to effect his return to the land of the Romans, much as he wished it, he conceived the following plan. Coming before his master, he praised him for his kindness and declared that God on account of this would bestow upon him blessings in abundance, and that he for his part would shew himself by no means ungrateful to a most kindly master; but, if only he was willing to give ear to the excellent suggestion which he had to offer, he would shortly put him in possession of a great sum of money. For there was, he said, among the nation of the Sclaveni one Chilbudius the former general of the Romans, in the condition of a slave, while all the barbarians were ignorant as to who in the world he was. If, therefore, he was willing to pay out the price set upon Chilbudius and convey the man to the land of the Romans, it was not unlikely that he would acquire for himself from the emperor not only a fair reputation but also an enormous amount of money. By these words the Roman speedily persuaded his master, and he went with him into the midst of the Sclaveni; for these barbarians were already on peaceful terms and were mingling with one another without fear. Consequently they were able, by paying out a large sum of money to the master of Chilbudius, to purchase the man, and they departed with him immediately. And when they had come into their own country, the purchaser enquired of the man whether he was Chilbudius himself, the general of the Romans. And he did not hesitate to state truly all the facts in order, saying that he too was by birth of the Antae, and that while fighting with his compatriots against the Sclaveni, who were then at war with them, he had been captured by one of the enemy, but now, upon arriving in his native country, he too according to the law would be free from that time forth.

  Thereupon the man who had paid out gold for him became speechless with vexation, seeing that he had failed of a hope of no moderate sort. But the Roman, wishing to reassure the man and to controvert the truth, so that no difficulty might arise to prevent his return to his home, still insisted that this man actually was that Chilbudius, but that he was afraid, clearly because he was in the midst of the barbarians, and so was quite unwilling to reveal the whole truth; if, however, he should get into the land of the Romans, he would not only not conceal the truth, but in all probability would actually take pride in that very name. Now at first these things were done without the knowledge of the other barbarians.

  But when the report was carried about and reached the entire nation, practically all the Antae assembled to discuss the situation, and they demanded that the matter be made a public one, thinking that great benefit would come to them from the fact that they had now become masters of the Roman general Chilbudius. For these nations, the Sclaveni and the Antae, are not ruled by one man, but they have lived from of old under a democracy, and consequently everything which involves their welfare, whether for good or for ill, is referred to the people.

  It is also true that in all other matters, practically speaking, these two barbarian peoples have had from ancient times the same institutions and customs. For they believe that one god, the maker of the lightning, is alone lord of all things, and they sacrifice to him cattle and all other victims; but as for fate, they neither know it nor do they in any wise admit that it has any power among men, but whenever death stands close before them, either stricken with sickness or beginning a war, they make a promise that, if they escape, they will straightway make a sacrifice to the god in return for their life; and if they escape, they sacrifice just what they have promised, and consider that their safety has been bought with this same sacrifice. They reverence, however, both rivers and nymphs and some other spirits, and they sacrifice to all these also, and they make their divinations in connection with these sacrifices. They live in pitiful hovels which they set up far apart from one another, but, as a general thing, every man is constantly changing his place of abode. When they enter battle, the majority of them go against their enemy on foot carrying little shields and javelins in their hands, but they never wear corselets. Indeed some of them do not wear even a shirt or a cloak, but gathering their trews up as far as to their private parts they enter into battle with their opponents. And both the two peoples have also the same language, an utterly barbarous tongue. Nay further, they do not differ at all from one another in appearance. For they are all exceptionally tall and stalwart men, while their bodies and hair are neither very fair or blonde, nor indeed do they incline entirely to the dark type, but they are all slightly ruddy in colour. And they live a hard life, giving no heed to bodily comforts, just as the Massagetae do, and, like them, they are continually and at all times covered with filth; however, they are in no respect base or evildoers, but they preserve the Hunnic character in all its simplicity. In fact, the Sclaveni and Antae actually had a single name in the remote past; for they were both called Spori in olden times, because, I suppose, living apart one man from another, they inhabit their country in a sporadic fashion. And in consequence of this very fact they hold a great amount of land; for they alone inhabit the greatest part of the northern bank of the Ister. So much then may be said regarding these peoples.

  So on the present occasion the Antae gathered together, as has been said, and tried to compel this man to agree with them in the assertion that he was Chilbudius, the Roman general himself. And they threatened, if he denied it, to punish him. But while this affair was progressing in the manner described, meantime the Emperor Justinian had sent some envoys to these very barbarians, through whom he expressed the desire that they should all settle in an ancient city, Turris by name, situated to the north of the river Ister. This city had been built by the Roman emperor Trajan in earlier times, but for a long time now it had remained unoccupied, after it h
ad been plundered by the barbarians of that region. It was this city and the lands about it that the Emperor Justinian agreed to give them, asserting that it had belonged to the Romans originally; and he further agreed to give them all the assistance within his power while they were establishing themselves, and to pay them great sums of money, on condition that they should remain at peace with him thereafter and constantly block the way against the Huns, when these wished to overrun the Roman domain.

  When the barbarians heard this, they expressed approval and promised to carry out all the conditions, provided that he restore Chilbudius to the office of General of the Romans and assign him to assist them in the establishment of their city, stoutly maintaining, what they wished was so, that the man there among them was Chilbudius. Thereupon the man himself, being lifted up by these hopes, began now to claim and to assert, as well as the others, that he was Chilbudius the Roman general. Indeed he was setting out for Byzantium on this mission when Narses, in the course of his journey, came upon him. And when he met the man and found him to be playing the part of an imposter, although he spoke in the Latin tongue and had already learned many of the personal peculiarities of Chilbudius and had been very successful in assuming them, he confined him in prison and compelled him to confess the whole truth, and thereafter brought him in his own train to Byzantium. But I shall return to the point from which I have strayed.

  Βασιλεὺς μὲν ταῦτα ἅπερ μοι δεδήλωται ἔπρασσεν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Βελισάριος Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕνα, Φωκᾶν ὄνομα, διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸν τὰ πολέμια, ξὺν στρατεύματι ἐς τὸν Ῥωμαίων λιμένα ἔπεμψεν, ἐφ̓ ᾧ τό τε ἐν Πόρτῳ φρούριον ξυμφυλάξουσι τοῖς ἐνταῦθα φρουροῖς, ὧνπερ Ἰννοκέντιος ἦρχε, καὶ ὅπη ἂν σφίσι δυνατὰ ᾖ ἐπεκδρομὰς ποιούμενοι ξυνταράξουσι τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον. [2] οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ Φωκᾶν πέμψαντες λάθρα ἐς Ῥώμην σημαίνουσι Βέσσᾳ ὡς αὐτίκα δὴ ἐπιέναι τῶν ἐναντίων τῷ χαρακώματι ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου μέλλουσι: δεήσει οὖν καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ στρατιωτῶν τοὺς μαχιμωτάτους ἀπολεξάμενον, ἡνίκα αἴσθηται τῆς ἐπιδρομῆς, βοηθεῖν δρόμῳ, ὅπως τι καὶ δρᾶν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἑκάτεροι δυνήσονται μέγα. [3] Βέσσᾳ δὲ ταῦτα οὐδαμῆ ἤρεσκε, καίπερ ἐς τρισχιλίους στρατιώτας ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχοντι. διὸ δὴ καὶ Βαλεντῖνός τε καὶ Φωκᾶς ξὺν πεντακοσίοις ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἐπισκήψαντες τῷ τῶν πολεμίων στρατοπέδῳ ὀλίγους μέν τινας ἔκτειναν, αἴσθησίς τε τοῦ ἐνθένδε θορύβου τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ταχὺ γέγονεν. [4] ὡς δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπεξῄει, κατὰ τάχος ἐς τὸν λιμένα κακῶν παντάπασιν ἀπαθεῖς ἀνεχώρησαν. [5] Πέμψαντές τε παρὰ Βέσσαν αὖθις ᾐτιῶντο μὲν ὄκνησίν τινα οὐ δέον αὐτῷ ἐμπεπτωκέναι, ἰσχυριζόμενοι δὲ ὡς ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἑτέραν ἐπεκδρομὴν ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ποιήσονται παρεκάλουν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐς καιρὸν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπιθέσθαι δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ. [6] ὁ δὲ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον τὸ μὴ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπεξιόντα διακινδυνεύειν ἀπεῖπεν. οἱ μέντοι ἀμφὶ Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ Φωκᾶν ξὺν στρατῷ πλείονι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐμπεσεῖσθαι διενοοῦντο καὶ ἐν παρασκευῇ ἤδη ἐγένοντο. [7] στρατιώτης δέ τις ὑπὸ Ἰννοκεντίῳ ταττόμενος αὐτόμολος παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἥκων ἀγγέλλει ὡς ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπιγενησομένῃ ἔφοδος ἐκ τοῦ Πόρτου ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἔσται. [8] καὶ ὃς τῶν χωρίων ὅσα ἐπιτηδείως ἐς τοῦτο εἶχεν ἐνέδραις ἔγνω προλοχίζειν ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων. οὗ δὴ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ Βαλεντῖνός τε καὶ Φωκᾶς ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐμπεπτωκότες τούς τε πλείστους ἀποβάλλουσι καὶ αὐτοὶ θνήσκουσιν. ὀλίγοι δέ τινες μόλις διαφυγόντες ἐς τὸν Πόρτον κομίζονται. [9] Τότε καὶ Βιγίλιος, ὁ τῆς Ῥώμης ἀρχιερεύς, ἐν Σικελίᾳ διατριβὴν ἔχων ναῦς ὅτι πλείστας σίτου ἐμπλησάμενος ἔπεμψεν, οἰόμενος ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ τοῖς τὰ φορτία παραπέμπουσιν ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐσιτητὰ εἶναι. [10] αἱ μὲν οὖν νῆες αὗται ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων λιμένα, αἰσθόμενοι δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι χρόνῳ τε βραχεῖ προτερήσαντες ἐν τῷ λιμένι ἐγένοντο καὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἐντὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔκρυψαν, ὅπως, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα αἱ νῆες ἐνταῦθα κατάρωσι, κρατήσωσιν αὐτῶν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ. [11] ὅπερ κατιδόντες ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἐν Πόρτῳ εἶχον, ἔς τε τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἀνέβαινον ἅπαντες καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια σείοντες τοῖς ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶ σημαίνειν ἐβούλοντο μὴ πρόσω ἰέναι, ἀλλ̓ ἑτερωσε, ὅπη παρατύχῃ, [12] ἐκτρέπεσθαι. οἱ δὲ τῶν ποιουμένων οὐ ξυνιέντες, ἀλλὰ χαίρειν τε τοὺς ἐν τῷ Πόρτῳ Ῥωμαίους οἰόμενοι καὶ σφᾶς ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα παρακαλεῖν, τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῖς ἐπιφόρου ὄντος, ἐντὸς τοῦ λιμένος κατὰ τάχος ἐγένοντο. [13] ἔπλεον δὲ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἄλλοι τε Ῥωμαίων πολλοὶ καί τις ἐπίσκοπος Βαλεντῖνος ὄνομα. ἔκ τε τῶν ἐνεδρῶν ἀναστάντες οἱ βάρβαροι τῶν πλοίων ἁπάντων οὐδενὸς ἀμυνομένου ἐκράτησαν. [14] καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐπίσκοπον ζωγρήσαντες παρὰ τὸν Τουτίλαν ἤγαγον, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἅπαντας ἔκτειναν, καὶ τὰς ναῦς σὺν τοῖς φορτίοις ἐφέλκοντες ᾤχοντο. [15] τούτου ὁ Τουτίλας ἀνεπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἱερέως ὅσα ἐβούλετο, ἐπενεγκών τε αὐτῷ, ὅτι δὴ ὡς ἥκιστα ἀληθίζεται, ἄμφω τὼ χεῖρε ἀπέκοψε. [16] ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτω γενέσθαι τετύχηκε. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ τὸ ἑνδέκατον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψε.