Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  “And you will achieve the mastery of Perusia without any trouble. For Cyprian, who was commander of the Romans there, has been put out of the way by fortune, coupled with our planning, and an ungoverned multitude, particularly when scantily supplied with the necessities of life, is quite incapable of offering a brave resistance. Nor indeed will anyone harm us from the rear; for not only have I seen fit to destroy the bridges over the river, with this purpose, that we might suffer no loss from unexpected assaults, but it is also true that Belisarius and John are regarding each other with suspicion, a fact which can be seen from previous events. For the conflict of men’s judgments, one with the other, is clearly detected by their actions. This indeed is the reason why they have not even been able to join forces with each other up to this time. For their mutual suspicion disconcerts each of them; and those who admit this feeling are bound to harbour envy and hostility besides. And when these passions assault men, no needful thing can be done.” After this speech Totila led forth his army against Perusia, and, upon their arrival at that city, they made camp hard by the circuit-wall and established themselves for a siege.

  Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐγίνετο τῇδε, ἐν τούτῳ Ἰωάννῃ Ἀχεροντίδα τὸ φρούριον πολιορκοῦντι, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν προὐχώρει, ἔννοιά τις καὶ τόλμα γέγονεν, ἣ Ῥωμαίων μὲν τὴν βουλὴν διασώσασθαι, αὐτῷ δὲ κλέος περιβαλέσθαι μέγα τε καὶ ὑπερφυὲς ἐς ἀνθρώπους ἅπαντας ἴσχυσε. [2] Τουτίλαν γὰρ καὶ τὸν Γότθων στρατὸν τειχομαχεῖν ἀκούσας ἀμφὶ τὸν Ῥώμης περίβολον, τῶν ἱππέων τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους ἀπολεξάμενος, τῶν πάντων οὐδενὶ προρρηθέν, ἐς Καμπανούς, οὔτε νύκτα ἀνιεὶς οὔτε ἡμέραν, ᾔει ῾ἐνταῦθα γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀπολιπὼν Τουτίλας ἔτυχεν̓, ὅπως ἐπιπεσὼν ἀπροσδόκητος ἀναρπάσαι τε καὶ διασώσασθαι τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς οἷός τε εἴη ἅτε τῶν ἐνταῦθα χωρίων ἀτειχίστων παντάπασιν ὄντων. [3] Ξυνηνέχθη δὲ ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον Τουτίλαν δείσαντα, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, μή τις τῶν πολεμίων ἐς τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους κακουργήσων ἴοι, στράτευμα ἐπὶ Καμπανίας ἱππέων στεῖλαι. [4] οἳ δὴ ἐπεὶ ἐν Μεντούρνῃ πόλει ἐγένοντο, ἄμεινον σφίσιν ἔδοξεν εἶναι τοὺς μὲν πλείστους ἐνταῦθα ἡσυχῆ μένειν τῶν τε ἵππων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι ῾κόπῳ γὰρ πολλῷ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πορείᾳ σφίσιν ὁμιλῆσαι ξυνέβἠ, στεῖλαι δέ τινας τὰ ἐν Καπύῃ τε κατασκεψομένους καὶ τοῖς ταύτῃ χωρίοις. χώραν δὲ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι τὴν μεταξὺ οὐ πλέον ἢ σταδίους τριακοσίους. [5] τετρακοσίους οὖν, οὕσπερ δὴ ἵπποις τε καὶ σώμασιν ἀκραιφνέσι χρῆσθαι ξυνέτυχε, ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ ἔπεμψαν. [6] τύχῃ τέ τινι ξυνηνέχθη ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τόν τε ξὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ στρατὸν καὶ τούτους δὴ τοὺς τετρακοσίους βαρβάρους ἐν Καπύῃ γενέσθαι, οὐδετέρους τι πρότερον τῶν ἐναντίων πέρι ἀκούσαντας. [7] καὶ μάχη μὲν ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἰσχυρὰ γίνεται: ἅμα γὰρ τῇ ὄψει ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθον: νικῶσι δὲ κατὰ κράτος Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τοὺς πλείστους τῶν πολεμίων εὐθὺς ἔκτειναν. [8] ὀλίγοι τε τῶν βαρβάρων τινὲς φυγεῖν ἴσχυσαν, καὶ δρόμῳ ἐχόμενοι ἐς Μεντοῦρναν ἀφίκοντο. οὕσπερ ἐπεὶ οἱ ἄλλοι εἶδον τοὺς μὲν αἵματι περιρρεομένους, τοὺς δὲ καὶ τὰ βέλη ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἔτι φέροντας, ἄλλους δὲ οὔτε τι φθεγγομένους οὔτε τι ἀπαγγέλλοντας τῶν ξυμπεσόντων, ἀλλ̓ ἔτι τῆς ὑπαγωγῆς ἐχομένους καὶ τὸ ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς δέος ἐνδεικνύντας, αὐτίκα ἐς τοὺς ἵππους ἀναθορόντες ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔφευγον. [9] καὶ παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἐλθόντες πλῆθος ἀμύθητον εἶναι τῶν πολεμίων ἐσήγγελλον, ταύτῃ δηλονότι τὴν ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς αἰσχύνην ἰώμενοι. [10] Ἐτύγχανον δὲ στρατιῶται Ῥωμαῖοι οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ἑβδομήκοντα τῶν εἰς Γότθους ηὐτομοληκότων τὸ πρότερον ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Καμπανίας χωρία ἰόντες, [11] οἵπερ Ἰωάννῃ προσχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν. Ἰωάννης δὲ ἄνδρας μὲν τῶν ἐκ βουλῆς ὀλίγους τινὰς ἐνταῦθα εὗρε, γυναῖκας δὲ σχεδόν τι ἁπάσας. [12] Ῥώμης γὰρ ἁλισκομένης πολλοὶ μὲν ἄνδρες φεύγουσι τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπισπόμενοι ἐς τὸν Πόρτον ἀφίκοντο, ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ πάσαις ἁλῶναι ξυνέβη. [13] Κλημεντῖνος μέντοι, πατρίκιος ἀνήρ, καταφυγὼν ἔς τινα τῶν ἐκείνῃ νεῶν, τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἕπεσθαι οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, ἐπεὶ φρούριον ὃ Νεαπόλεως ἄγχιστά ἐστι Τουτίλᾳ τε καὶ Γότθοις ἐνδοὺς πρότερον, τὴν βασιλέως, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, ὀργὴν ἐδεδίει: Ὀρέστης τε, ὁ Ῥωμαίων γεγονὼς ὕπατος, ἄγχιστα μέν πη ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, ἵππων δὲ ἀπορίᾳ ὡς ἥκιστα ἐθέλων αὐτοῦ ἔμενε. [14] τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ξὺν τοῖς προσκεχωρηκόσιν ἑβδομήκοντα στρατιώταις ἐς Σικελίαν εὐθὺς ἔστειλεν ὁ Ἰωάννης. [15] Τουτίλας δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐν πένθει ἐποιεῖτο μεγάλῳ καὶ τίσασθαι Ἰωάννην τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ἠπείγετο. διὸ δὴ ξὺν τῷ πλείονι τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐπ̓ αὐτὸν ἤλαυνε, τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων μοῖράν τινα φρουρᾶς ἕνεκα ἐνταῦθα ἀπολιπών. [16] ἐτύγχανε δὲ Ἰωάννης ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ̓ αὐτόν, χιλίοις οὖσιν, ἐν Λευκανοῖς στρατόπεδον ποιησάμενος κατασκόπους τε πρότερον πέμψας, οἳ δὴ ἁπάσας διερευνώμενοι τὰς ὁδοὺς ἐφύλασσον μὴ πολεμίων στρατὸς κακουργήσων ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἴῃ. [17] ἐν νῷ τε τὸ τοιοῦτον Τουτίλας ἔχων, ὅτι δὴ οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστι κατασκόπων χωρὶς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ καθῆσθαι, τὰς συνειθισμένας ὁδοὺς ἐκλιπὼν διὰ τῶν ὀρῶν, ἅπερ ἐνταῦθα πολλὰ κρημνώδη τε καὶ ὑψηλὰ λίαν ἀνέχει, ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἤλαυνεν, ὅπερ οὐκ ἄν τις ὑποτοπάζειν ἔσχεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄβατα τὰ ὄρη ταῦτα νομίζεται εἶναι. [18] οἱ μέντοι ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὴ τῇ κατασκοπῇ πρὸς τοῦ Ἰωάννου σταλέντες αἰσθόμενοι μὲν πολεμίων στρατὸν ἀμφὶ τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία γενέσθαι, οὐδὲν δὲ τούτο
υ δὴ ἕνεκα σαφὲς πεπυσμένοι, ἀλλ̓ὅπερ ἐγένετο δείσαντες ἤλαυνον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον. [19] καὶ ξυνηνέχθη ὁμοῦ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐνταῦθα γενέσθαι νύκτωρ. ὀργῇ δὲ πολλῇ καὶ οὐ προμηθεῖ γνώμῃ ὁ Τουτίλας ἤδη ἐχόμενος τῆς ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ ἀβελτερίας ἀπώνατο. [20] στράτευμα γὰρ δεκαπλάσιον ἢ τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων ἦν ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων εὔδηλόν τε ὂν ὅτι δὴ στρατῷ κρείσσονι ξύμφορόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς διαμάχεσθαι, δέον τε μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ὄρθρου τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι, ὡς μὴ ἐν σκότῳ διαλαθεῖν δυνατοὶ εἶεν, τοῦτο μὲν ὡς ἥκιστα ἐφυλάξατο: ἦ γὰρ ἅπαντας σαγηνεύσας εὐθὺς ἂν τοὺς ἐναντίους εἷλεν: ἀλλὰ τῷ θυμῷ χαριζόμενος ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν ἐπέστη τῷ τῶν πολεμίων στρατῷ. [21] καὶ αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς μὲν τὸ παράπαν ἐς ἀλκὴν εἶδεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ πλεῖστοι ἔτι ἐκαθευδον, οὐ μέντοι ἀνελεῖν πολλοὺς δεδύνηνται Γότθοι, ἀλλὰ ἀναστάντες οἱ πλεῖστοι ἅτε ἐν σκότῳ διαλαθεῖν ἴσχυσαν. [22] ἔξω δὲ τοῦ στρατοπέδου γενόμενοι ἐς τὰ ὄρη, ἅπερ ἄγχιστά πη πολλὰ ἀνέχει, ἀναδραμόντες ἐσώθησαν. [23] ἐν οἷς Ἰωάννης τε αὐτὸς ἦν καὶ Ἄρουφος ὁ τῶν Ἐρούλων ἡγούμενος. ἀπέθανον δὲ Ρωμαῖοι ἐς ἑκατὸν μάλιστα. [24] Ἦν δέ τις ξὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ Γιλάκιος ὄνομα, Ἀρμένιος γένος, ὀλίγων τινῶν Ἀρμενίων ἄρχων. οὗτος ὁ Γιλάκιος οὔτε ἑλληνίζειν ἠπίστατο οὔτε Λατίνην ἢ Γοτθικὴν ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ ἢ Ἀρμενίαν μόνην ἀφεῖναι φωνήν. [25] τούτῳ δὴ Γότθοι ἐντυχόντες τινὲς ἐπυνθάνοντο ὅστις ποτὲ εἴη. κτεῖναι γὰρ τὸν παραπίπτοντα οὐδαμῆ ἤθελον, ὡς μὴ ἀλλήλους διαφθείρειν ἐν νυκτομαχίᾳ, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, [26] ἀναγκάζοιντο. ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι ἴσχυσε πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι Γιλάκιος στρατηγὸς εἴη. τὸ γὰρ ἀξίωμα, ὃ δὴ πρὸς βασιλέως λαβὼν ἔτυχε, πολλάκις ἀκούσας ἐκμαθεῖν ἴσχυσε. [27] ταύτῃ τοίνυν οἱ βάρβαροι αἰσθόμενοι ὅτι δὴ πολέμιος εἴη, ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι ἐζώγρησαν, οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον τὸν ἄνθρωπον διεχρήσαντο. [28] Ἰωάννης μὲν οὖν καὶ Ἄρουφος ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἔφευγόν τε πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ ἐς τὸν Δρυοῦντα δρόμῳ ἀφίκοντο, Γότθοι δὲ τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον ληϊσάμενοι ἀπεχώρησαν.

  XXVI

  WHILE these events were taking place in the manner described, John was meanwhile besieging the fortress of Acherontis; and since he was not making any progress, he conceived a daring plan, which not only effected the rescue of the Roman senate, but also caused him to win for himself an extraordinarily great renown among all men. For upon hearing that Totila and the Gothic army were engaged in assaulting the fortifications of Rome, he chose out the most illustrious of his horsemen, and, without announcing his plan to anyone at all, he rode with them into Campania (for Totila had, as it happened, left the members of the senate there), resting neither day nor night, in order that by making an unexpected attack he might be able to seize and rescue the senators, seeing that the towns there were entirely without defences.

  Now it so happened that Totila at that very time began to be alarmed lest some of the enemy should, as in fact they did, come with the intention of striking a blow to rescue the prisoners, and he had accordingly sent an army of cavalry to Campania. Now when this force reached the city of Minturnae, it was decided that the better course for them was for the main body to remain quietly there and care for their horses (for they had become greatly fatigued on this journey), while they sent a few scouts to investigate the situation at Capua and the adjoining towns. Now the distance between the two places is not more than three hundred stades. They accordingly sent forward as scouts four hundred men whose horses were unwearied and whose strength was still unimpaired. And it so fell out by some chance that on that very day at the same time both John and his army and these same four hundred barbarians reached Capua, neither having heard anything previously of their opponents. Thereupon a fierce battle ensued on the spur of the moment; for no sooner did they see each other than they began fighting; but the Romans won a decisive victory and killed most of the enemy immediately. Only a few of the barbarians were able to escape, and these reached Minturnae in rapid flight. But when the others saw these men, some dripping with blood, some still actually carrying the missiles in their bodies, and others refusing to speak a word or give any account of what had happened, but still persisting in their retreat and openly displaying the terror which was in them, they leaped upon their horses immediately and joined in the flight. And when they came before Totila, they reported that there was an innumerable host of the enemy, seeking in this way to remove the shame of their flight.

  Now it so happened that not less than seventy Roman soldiers of those who had previously deserted to the Goths were on their way into the towns of Campania, and these men decided to go over to John. And John found there only a few of the members of the senate, but practically all their wives. For during the capture of Rome many of the men followed the soldiers in flight and reached Portus, but the women were all captured. Clementinus, however, a patrician, took refuge in one of the sanctuaries there and refused absolutely to follow the Roman army, for he had previously handed over to Totila and the Goths a stronghold which is close to Naples, and in all probability dreaded the wrath of the emperor for this reason. On the other hand, Orestes, who had been consul of the Romans, though he chanced to be near at hand, was obliged to remain, altogether against his will, owing to a scarcity of horses. John then immediately sent to Sicily the members of the senate together with the seventy soldiers who had come over to him.

  Totila, upon hearing this, was sorely grieved, and eagerly sought an opportunity to inflict vengeance upon John for the deed. With this in view, he marched against him with the main body of his army, leaving a small part of his troops behind in order to keep guard. Now it so happened that John and his men, a thousand in number, had made camp in Lucania, having previously sent out scouts who were watching all the roads closely and keeping guard that no hostile army should approach to do them harm. But Totila had in mind that such would be the case, believing it impossible that John’s force should settle in their camp without sending out scouts, and so he abandoned the customary roads and marched against them through the mountains, many of which in that region are precipitous and rise to a very great height — a feat which no one would have been able to suspect, for these mountains are considered in fact impassable. Meanwhile, the men thus sent out as scouts by John did indeed observe that a hostile army had got into that region, but they secured no definite information about it; however they feared what actually did take place, and so they too marched toward the Roman camp. And it so turned out that they arrived there at night together with the barbarians. But Totila, being now overmastered by violent passion and not weighing the consequences with careful judgment, reaped the fruits of his fatuous fury. For though he had under him an army ten times as large as that of his opponents, and
though it was plain to be seen that for a stronger army it was of course advantageous to fight the decisive battle in broad daylight, and he should rather have engaged with his enemy at dawn in order that they might not be able to escape in the darkness, still he did not observe this precaution at all; for, in fact, he could have stretched a cordon about his opponents and immediately captured every man of them as in a net; but instead he gave way to his anger and fell upon the hostile army at an advanced hour of the night. And although not one of them thought of offering the least resistance, since the most were in fact still sleeping, none the less the Goths did not find themselves able to slay many, but they got up, and the majority, thanks to the darkness, succeeded in slipping away. And once outside the camp they ran up into the mountains, many of which rise close by, and thus were saved. Among these was John himself and Arufus, the leader of the Eruli. Of the Romans about a hundred perished.

  Now there had been with John a certain Gilacius of the Armenian race, commander of a small force of Armenians. This Gilacius did not know how to speak either Greek or Latin or Gothic or any other language except Armenian alone. When some of the Goths happened upon this man, they enquired who he might be. For they were quite averse to killing every man who came in their way, lest they be compelled to destroy each other in fighting at night, as might easily happen. But he was able to make them no answer except indeed that he was Gilacius, a general; for his title which he had received from the emperor he had heard many times and so had been able to learn it by heart. The barbarians, accordingly, perceiving by this that he was an enemy, made him a prisoner for the moment, but not long afterwards put the man to death. So John and Arufus fled with their followers as fast as they could go and made for Dryus, which they reached on the run, and the Goths plundered the Roman camp and then retired.