Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  XXXVII

  Not long before this Totila had sent to the ruler of the Franks and requested him to give his daughter in marriage. But the Frankish king spurned the request, declaring that Totila neither was nor ever would be king of Italy, seeing that after capturing Rome he had been utterly unable to hold it, but after tearing down a portion of it had let it fall again into the hands of his enemy. Consequently he made haste on the present occasion to convey supplies into the city, and gave orders to rebuild as quickly as possible everything which he himself had pulled down and destroyed by fire when he captured Rome at the previous time; then he summoned the members of the Roman senate and all the others whom he had under guard in Campania. And after witnessing the horse-races there, he made ready his whole army, intending to make an expedition against Sicily. At the same time too he put his four hundred war-ships in readiness for sea-fighting, as well as a very considerable fleet of large ships which had been sent thither from the East by the emperor, and which he, during all this time, had had the fortune to capture with both crews and cargoes. He also sent a Roman named Stephanus as an envoy to the emperor, requesting him to put an end to this war and make a treaty with the Goths, with the understanding that they should fight as his allies when he should go against his other enemies. But the Emperor Justinian would not permit the envoy even to come into his presence, nor did he pay the least attention to anything he said.

  When Totila heard this, he again set about making preparations for the war. And it seemed to him advisable first to make trial of Centumcellae and then to proceed against Sicily. Now the garrison there was at that time commanded by Diogenes, the guardsman of Belisarius, and he had a sufficient force under him. So the Gothic army, upon reaching Centumcellae, made camp close to the circuit-wall and commenced a siege. And Totila sent envoys to Diogenes and challenged him and his soldiers, if it was their wish to reach a decision by battle with the Goths, to fall to with all speed. He also advised them to entertain no hope whatever that further reinforcements from the emperor would reach them; for Justinian, he said, was unable longer to carry on this war against the Goths, if anyone could base a reasonable judgment upon those things which had taken place at Rome for such a long period. He accordingly offered them the privilege of choosing whichever of two alternatives they wished, either to mingle with the Gothic army on terms of complete equality, or to depart from the city without suffering harm and betake themselves to Byzantium. But the Romans and Diogenes declared that it was not their wish either to fight a decisive battle or, on the other hand, to mingle with the Gothic army, because they would find it impossible to live apart from their children and their wives. And as for the city over which they were keeping guard, they were quite unable for the present to surrender it with any plausible excuse, since they had, in fact, not even a pretext for doing so at that time, particularly if they wished to present themselves before the emperor; they did, however, beg him to defer the matter for a time, in order that they might during that interval report the situation to the emperor, and in case no relief should come to them from him in the meantime, that then finally they might quit the city; thus they would surrender the city to the Goths, while they, for their part, would not be without justification in leaving it. This was approved by Totila, and a definite day was agreed upon; then thirty men were given as hostages by each side to make this agreement binding, and the Goths broke up the siege and proceeded on the way to Sicily.

  But when they came to Rhegium, they did not cross the strait there until they had made trial of the fortress of that city. Now the garrison there was commanded by Thurimuth and Himerius, whom Belisarius had appointed to that post. And since they had under them a large force of excellent men, they not only repulsed the enemy when he attacked the wall, but also made a sally and gained the advantage in combat. Later, however, since they were far outnumbered by their opponents, they were shut up inside the circuit-wall and remained quiet. So Totila left a portion of the Gothic army there to guard the place, expecting that at a later time they would capture the Roman garrison through failure of the food supply; meanwhile he sent an army against Tarentum and took over the fortress there with no difficulty; likewise the Goths whom he had left in the land of Picenum also took the city of Ariminum at that time; for it was betrayed to them.

  When the Emperor Justinian heard this, he formed the purpose of appointing his nephew Germanus commander-in-chief to carry on the war against the Goths and Totila, and he directed him to make ready. Now when the report of this reached Italy, the Goths became very deeply concerned; for the reputation of Germanus happened to be a favourable one among all men. The Romans, on the other hand, straightway became confident one and all, and the soldiers of the emperor’s army began to meet danger and hardship much more courageously. But the emperor for some unknown reason changed his mind and decided to appoint to the post Liberius, a Roman whom I have mentioned in the preceding narrative, in place of Germanus. And Liberius did in fact make preparations with all possible speed, and it was expected that he would sail away immediately with an army. But again the emperor changed his mind, and consequently he too remained quiet. It was at this time that Verus with a band of excellent warriors whom he had gathered about him came to an engagement not far from the city of Ravenna with the Goths who were in Picenum, and he not only lost many of his followers but was also killed himself after shewing himself a brave man in the encounter.

  Ὑπὸ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον στράτευμα Σκλαβηνῶν οὐ πλέον ἢ ἐς τρισχιλίους ἀγηγερμένοι, ποταμόν τε Ἴστρον, οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, διέβησαν, καὶ πόνῳ οὐδενὶ ποταμὸν Εὗρον εὐθὺς διαβάντες δίχα ἐγένοντο. [2] εἶχε δὲ αὐτῶν ἁτέρα μὲν συμμορία ὀκτακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους, ἡ δὲ δὴ ἑτέρα τοὺς καταλοίπους. [3] ἑκατέροις μὲν οὖν καίπερ ἀλλήλων ἀπολελειμμένοις ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντες οἱ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες ἔν τε Ἰλλυριοῖς καὶ Θρᾳξίν, ἡσσήθησάν τε ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτοῦ διεφθάρησαν, οἱ δὲ κόσμῳ οὐδενὶ διαφυγόντες ἐσώθησαν. [4] ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ στρατηγοὶ πάντες οὕτω παῤ ἑκατέρων τῶν βαρβαρικῶν στρατοπέδων, καίπερ ἐλασσόνων παρὰ πολὺ ὄντων, ἀπήλλαξαν, Ἀσβάδῳ ἡ ἑτέρα τῶν πολεμίων ξυμμορία ξυνέμιξεν. [5] ἦν δὲ οὗτος ἀνὴρ βασιλέως μὲν Ἰουστινιανοῦ δορυφόρος, ἐπεὶ ἐς τοὺς Κανδιδάτους καλουμένους τελῶν ἔτυχε, τῶν δὲ ἱππικῶν καταλόγων ἦρχεν οἳ ἐν Τζουρουλῷ τῷ ἐν Θρᾴκῃ φρουρίῳ ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἵδρυνται, [6] πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι ὄντες. καὶ αὐτοὺς οἱ Σκλαβηνοὶ τρεψάμενοι οὐδενὶ πόνῳ πλείστους μὲν αἰσχρότατα φεύγοντας ἔκτειναν, Ἄσβαδον δὲ καταλαβόντες ἐν μὲν τῷ παραυτίκα ἐζώγρησαν, ὕστερον δὲ αὐτὸν ἐς πυρὸς ἐμβεβλημένον φλόγα ἔκαυσαν, ἱμάντας πρότερον ἐκ τοῦ νώτου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκδείραντες. [7] ταῦτα διαπεπραγμένοι τὰ χωρία ξύμπαντα, τά τε Θρᾳκῶν καὶ Ἰλλυριῶν, ἀδεέστερον ἐληΐζοντο, καὶ φρούρια πολλὰ πολιορκίᾳ ἑκάτεροι εἷλον, οὔτε τειχομαχήσαντες πρότερον, οὔτε ἐς τὸ πεδίον καταβῆναι τολμήσαντες, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων καταθεῖν ἐγκεχειρήκασι αἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι πώποτε. [8] οὐ μὴ
ν οὐδὲ στρατῷ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον φαίνονται διαβεβηκότες ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου, πλήν γε δὴ ἐξ ὅτου μοι ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται. [9] Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ τὸν Ἄσβαδον νενικηκότες μέχρι ἐς θάλασσαν ληϊσάμενοι ἐφεξῆς ἅπαντα καὶ πόλιν ἐπιθαλασσίαν τειχομαχήσαντες εἷλον, καίπερ στρατιωτῶν φρουρὰν ἔχουσαν, Τόπηρον ὄνομα: ἣ πρώτη μὲν Θρᾳκῶν τῶν παραλίων ἐστί, τοῦ δὲ Βυζαντίου διέχει ὁδῷ ἡμερῶν δυοκαίδεκα. [10] εἷλον δὲ αὐτὴν τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι ἐν δυσχωρίαις πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔκρυψαν, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες ἀμφὶ τὰς πύλας γενόμενοι αἳ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντά εἰσιν ἥλιον, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἐπάλξεσι Ῥωμαίους ἠνώχλουν. [11] ὑποτοπήσαντες δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται ὅσοι τὸ ἐνταῦθα φυλακτήριον εἶχον οὐ πλείους αὐτοὺς ἢ ὅσοι καθεωρῶντο εἶναι, ἀνελόμενοι αὐτίκα τὰ ὅπλα ἐξίασιν ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἅπαντες. [12] οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ὀπίσω ἀνέστρεφον, δόκησιν παρεχόμενοι τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν ὅτι δὴ αὐτοὺς κατωρρωδηκότες ἐς ὑπαγωγὴν χωροῦσι: καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐς τὴν δίωξιν ἐκπεπτωκότες πόρρω που τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο. [13] ἀναστάντες οὖν οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἐνεδρῶν κατόπισθέν τε τῶν διωκόντων γενόμενοι ἐσιτητὰ σφίσιν ἐς τὴν πόλιν οὐκέτι ἐποίουν. [14] ἀναστρέψαντες δὲ καὶ οἱ φεύγειν δοκοῦντες ἀμφιβόλους ἤδη τοὺς Ῥωμαίους πεποίηνται. οὓς δὴ ἅπαντας οἱ βάρβαροι διαφθείραντες τῷ περιβόλῳ προσέβαλον. [15] οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως οἰκήτορες τῶν στρατιωτῶν τῆς δυνάμεως ἐστερημένοι, γίνονται μὲν ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ πολλῇ, καὶ ὣς δὲ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ἠμύνοντο. [16] καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἔλαιόν τε καὶ πίσσαν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον θερμήναντες τῶν τειχομαχούντων κατέχεον, καὶ λίθων βολαῖς πανδημεὶ ἐς αὐτοὺς χρώμενοι τοῦ ἀπεῶσθαι τὸν κίνδυνον οὐ μακράν που ἐγένοντο. [17] ἔπειτα δὲ αὐτοὺς πλήθει βελῶν οἱ βάρβαροι βιασάμενοι ἐκλιπεῖν τε τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἠνάγκασαν καὶ κλίμακας τῷ περιβόλῳ ἐρείσαντες κατὰ κράτος τὴν πόλιν εἷλον. [18] ἄνδρας μὲν οὖν ἐς πεντακισχιλίους τε καὶ μυρίους εὐθὺς ἅπαντας ἔκτειναν καὶ πάντα τὰ χρήματα ἐληΐσαντο, παῖδας δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν ἀνδραπόδων πεποίηνται λόγῳ. [19] καίτοι τὰ πρότερα οὐδεμιᾶς ἡλικίας ἐφείσαντο, ἀλλ̓ αὐτοί τε καὶ ἡ συμμορία ἡ ἑτέρα, ἐξ ὅτου δὴ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἐπέσκηψαν χώρᾳ, τοὺς παραπίπτοντας ἡβηδὸν ἅπαντας ἔκτεινον. ὥστε γῆν ἅπασαν, ἥπερ Ἰλλυριῶν τε καὶ Θρᾳκῶν ἐστί, νεκρῶν ἔμπλεων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀτάφων γενέσθαι. [20] Ἔκτεινον δὲ τοὺς παραπίπτοντας οὔτε ζίφει οὔτε δόρατι οὔτε τῳ ἄλλῳ εἰωθότι τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ σκόλοπας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πηξάμενοι ἰσχυρότατα, ὀξεῖς τε αὐτοὺς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ποιησάμενοι, ἐπὶ τούτων ξὺν βίᾳ πολλῇ τοὺς δειλαίους ἐκάθιζον, τήν τε σκολόπων ἀκμὴν γλουτῶν κατὰ μέσον ἐνείροντες ὠθοῦντές τε ἄχρι ἐς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἔγκατα, οὕτω δὴ αὐτοὺς διαχρήσασθαι ἠξίουν. [21] καὶ ξύλα δὲ παχέα τέτταρα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐς γῆν κατορύξαντες οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι, ἐπ̓ αὐτῶν τε χεῖράς τε καὶ πόδας τῶν ἡλωκότων δεσμεύοντες, εἶτα ῥοπάλοις αὐτοὺς κατὰ κόρρης ἐνδελεχέστατα παίοντες, ὡς δὴ κύνας ἢ ὄφεις ἢ ἄλλο τι θηρίον διέφθειρον. [22] ἄλλους δὲ ξύν τε βουσὶ καὶ προβάτοις, ὅσα δὴ ἐπάγεσθαι ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ὡς ἥκιστα εἶχον, ἐν τοῖς δωματίοις καθείρξαντες, οὐδεμιᾷ φειδοῖ ἐνεπίμπρασαν. οὕτω μὲν Σκλαβηνοὶ τοὺς ἐντυχόντας ἀεὶ ἀνῄρουν. [23] ἀλλὰ νῦν αὐτοί τε καὶ οἱ τῆς ἑτέρας συμμορίας, ὥσπερ τῷ τῶν αἱμάτων μεθύοντες πλήθει, ζωγρεῖν τὸ ἐνθένδε ἠξίουν τῶν παραπεπτωκότων τινάς, καὶ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ μυριάδας αἰχμαλώτων ἐπαγόμενοι ἀριθμοῦ κρείσσους ἐπ̓ οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν ἅπαντες.