Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  XIX

  While these barbarians were fighting it out with each other in the manner described, and when the struggle was now at the most violent point, it so fell out that great good fortune came to the Romans. For all those Romans who chanced to be among the Cutrigurs in the status of slaves, amounting, as they say, to many tens of thousands, during this struggle departed hastily from there without being detected, and, since no one followed them up, they reached their native land, thus profiting by another nation’s victory at the time of their sorest need. The Emperor Justinian now sent to Chinialon and the other Huns the general Aratius, bidding him announce to them what had befallen in their own land and, by offering them money, persuade them to depart with all possible speed from the territory of the Romans. So these Huns, upon learning the inroad of the Utigurs and receiving at the same time a large sum of money from Aratius, made an agreement that they would commit no further bloodshed nor enslave any one of the Romans nor do any other harm, but would make their withdrawal, treating the people on the way as friends. And this also was agreed upon, that if, on the one hand, these barbarians should be able to return and settle in their own country, they would both remain there and hold fast for the future their allegiance to the Romans; but if, on the other hand, it should be impossible for them to remain in that land, they were to return once more to Roman territory, and the emperor would confer upon them some district in Thrace, to the end that they should establish their homes there and be for ever at peace with the Romans while they assisted in guarding the land carefully against all barbarians.

  By this time two thousand of the Huns who had been defeated in the battle and escaped the Utigurs had entered the Roman empire, bringing their wives and children; and among their several leaders was Sinnion, who long before had marched with Belisarius against Gelimer and the Vandals, and they now made themselves suppliants of the Emperor Justinian. He received them with all kindness and bade them settle on Thracian soil. But when Sandil, the king of the Utigurs, learned this, he was exasperated and filled with anger, seeing that, while he himself, by way of punishing the Cutrigurs who were his kinsmen for the wrong they had done the Romans, had driven them from their ancestral abode, they for their part had been received by the emperor, had settled in the land of the Romans, and were going to live much more comfortably; he accordingly sent envoys to the emperor to remonstrate at what had been done, not putting any letter into their hands (for the Huns are absolutely unacquainted with writing and unskilled in it up to the present time, and they neither have any writing-master nor do the children among them toil over their letters at all as they grow up), but instructing them rather to deliver by word of mouth in the barbarian fashion everything which he enjoined upon them.

  So when these envoys came into the presence of the Emperor Justinian, they stated that their king Sandil spoke through them as by a letter as follows: “I know a certain proverb which I have heard from my boyhood, and if I have not forgotten it, the proverb runs somewhat as follows. That wild beast, the wolf, might, they say, possibly not be unable actually to change in some degree the colour of his fur, but his character he doth not transform, nature not permitting him to change this. This proverb,” says Sandil, “have I heard from my elders, who thus hinted at the ways of men by means of a dark saying. And I know something also which I have learned from experience, one of those things which it would be natural that a rough barbarian should learn: the shepherds take dogs when they are still suckling and rear them with no lack of care in the house, and the dog is an animal grateful to those who feed it and most mindful of kindness. Now this is obviously done by the shepherds with this purpose, that when the wolves attack the flock at any time, the dogs may check their attacks, standing over the sheep as guardians and saviours. And I think this takes place throughout the whole world. For no man in the world has at any time seen dogs attacking a flock nor wolves defending it, but nature as a law-maker has established this as a kind of ordinance, as it were, for dogs and sheep and wolves. And I think that even in your empire, where practically everything is found in abundance, including doubtless even impossible things, there is not the slightest variation from this rule. Otherwise make a demonstration to my envoys in order that on the threshold of old age we may actually learn something new to our experience. But if these things are by nature everywhere fixed, it is not, I think, a fair thing for you to receive hospitably the nation of the Cutrigurs, inviting in a foul set of neighbours, and making people at home with you now whom you have not endured beyond your boundaries. For they will, after no long delay, shew their own true character toward the Romans, and apart from this, neither will an enemy be lacking who will prey upon the Roman domain in the hope that, if defeated, he will be better off at your hands, nor will a friend be left the Romans who some day will stand in the way of those who would overrun your land, through fear lest, when he gains the mastery by the gift of fortune, he may see the vanquished faring more splendidly than himself at your hands, seeing that while we eke out our existence in a deserted and thoroughly unproductive land, the Cutrigurs are at liberty to traffic in corn and to revel in their wine-cellars and live on the fat of the land. And doubtless they have access to baths too and are wearing gold — the vagabonds — and have no lack of fine clothes embroidered and overlaid with gold. Yet another point: the Cutrigurs had previously enslaved countless thousands of Romans and carried them off to their own land. And these cursed rascals have been at no slight pains to impose all the indignities of slavery upon these victims, for they were doubtless ever ready even to apply the lash to those who had done no wrong or to put them to death, and they practised such other cruelties as natural inclination and opportunity suggest to a barbarian master. We, on the other hand, by our struggles and perils which involved our lives in danger, delivered them from the fate which then enchained them and restored them to their parents, so that they came to represent for us the object, it proves, of all our labours in the war. And for these things we and they have each of us received from you for these different actions rewards of an opposite nature, if it is true that we, on the one hand, still partake of our ancestral woes, but they are allotted an equal share in the land of those who by our valour escaped from being their slaves.” Thus spoke the envoys of the Utigurs. But the emperor, after wheedling them with many words and comforting them with a quantity of gifts, sent them away not long afterward. Such was the course of these events.

  Κατὰ δὲ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον τῷ τε Οὐάρνων ἔθνει καὶ στρατιώταις νησιώταις οἳ δὴ ἐν νήσῳ τῇ Βριττίᾳ καλουμένῃ ᾤκηνται, πόλεμος καὶ μάχη ἐγένετο ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. [2] Οὔαρνοι μὲν ὑπὲρ Ἴστρον ποταμὸν ἵδρυνται, διήκουσι δὲ ἄχρι ἐς Ὠκεανὸν τὸν ἀρκτῷον καὶ ποταμὸν Ῥῆνον, ὅσπερ αὐτούς τε διορίζει καὶ Φράγγους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἔθνη ἃ ταύτῃ ἵδρυνται. [3] οὗτοι ἅπαντες, ὅσοι τὸ παλαιὸν ἀμφὶ Ῥῆνον ἑκατέρωθεν ποταμὸν ᾤκηντο, ἰδίου μέν τινος ὀνόματος ἕκαστοι μετελάγχανον, ἐπὶ κοινῆς δὲ Γερμανοὶ ἐκαλοῦντο ἅπαντες. [4] Βριττία δὲ ἡ νῆσος ἐπὶ τούτου μὲν Ὠκεανοῦ κεῖται, τῆς ἠϊόνος οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν, ἀλλ̓ ὅσον ἀπὸ σταδίων διακοσίων καταντικρὺ τῶν τοῦ Ῥήνου ἐκβολῶν μάλιστα, Βρεττανίας δὲ καὶ Θούλης τῆς νήσου μεταξύ ἐστιν. [5] ἐπεὶ Βρεττανία μὲν πρὸς δύοντά που κεῖται ἥλιον κατὰ τῆς Ἱσπανῶν τὰ ἔσχατα χώρας, ἀμφὶ σταδίους οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ἐς τετρακισχιλίους τῆς ἠπείρου διέχουσα, Βριττία δὲ ἐς τῆς Γαλλίας τὰ ὄπισθεν, ἃ
δὴ πρὸς Ὠκεανὸν τετραμμένα, Ἱσπανίας δηλονότι καὶ Βρεττανίας πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον. [6] Θούλη δέ, ὅσα γε ἀνθρώπους εἰδέναι, ἐς Ὠκεανοῦ τοῦ πρὸς τῇ ἄρκτῳ τὰ ἔσχατα κεῖται. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἀμφὶ Βρεττανίᾳ καὶ Θούλῃ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθέν μοι λόγοις ἐρρήθη: Βριττίαν δὲ τὴν νῆσον ἔθνη τρία πολυανθρωπότατα ἔχουσι, βασιλεύς τε εἷς αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ ἐφέστηκε. [7] καὶ ὀνόματα κεῖται τοῖς ἔθνεσι τούτοις Ἀγγίλοι τε καὶ Φρίσσονες καὶ οἱ τῇ νήσῳ ὁμώνυμοι Βρίττωνες. [8] τοσαύτη δὲ ἡ τῶνδε τῶν ἐθνῶν πολυανθρωπία φαίνεται οὖσα, ὥστε ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος κατὰ πολλοὺς ἐνθένδε μετανιστάμενοι ξὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶν ἐς Φράγγους χωροῦσιν. [9] οἱ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνοικίζουσιν ἐς γῆς τῆς σφετέρας τὴν ἐρημοτέραν δοκοῦσαν εἶναι, καὶ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ τὴν νῆσον προσποιεῖσθαί φασιν. [10] ὥστε ἀμέλει οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον ὁ Φράγγων βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς παρὰ βασιλέα Ἰουστινιανὸν ἐς Βυζάντιον στείλας ἄνδρας αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν Ἀγγίλων ξυνέπεμψε, φιλοτιμούμενος ὡς καὶ ἡ νῆσος ἥδε πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἄρχεται. τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Βριττίαν καλουμένην νῆσον τοιαῦτά ἐστι. [11] Τῶν δὲ Οὐάρνων ἀνήρ τις οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον, Ἑρμεγίσκλος ὄνομα, ἦρχεν. ὅσπερ τὴν βασιλείαν κρατύνασθαι διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχων, τὴν Θευδιβέρτου ἀδελφὴν τοῦ Φράγγων ἄρχοντος γυναῖκα γαμετὴν ἐποιήσατο. [12] τετελευτήκει γὰρ αὐτῷ ἔναγχος ἡ πρότερον ξυνοικοῦσα γυνή, παιδὸς ἑνὸς γενομένη μήτηρ ὃν καὶ ἀπέλιπε τῷ πατρὶ Ῥάδιγιν ὄνομα, ᾦ δὴ ὁ πατὴρ παρθένου κόρης, γένους Βριττίας, ἐμνήστευσε γάμον, ἧσπερ ἀδελφὸς βασιλεὺς ἦν τότε Ἀγγίλων τοῦ ἔθνους, χρήματα μεγάλα τῷ τῆς μνηστείας αὐτῇ δεδωκὼς λόγῳ. [13] οὗτος ἀνὴρ ξὺν Οὐάρνων τοῖς λογιμωτάτοις ἐν χωρίῳ τῳ ἱππευόμενος ὄρνιν τινὰ ἐπὶ δένδρου τε καθήμενον εἶδε καὶ πολλὰ κρώζοντα. [14] εἴτε δὲ τοῦ ὄρνιθος τῆς φωνῆς ξυνεὶς εἴτε ἄλλο μέν τι ἐξεπιστάμενος, ξυνεῖναι δὲ τοῦ ὄρνιθος μαντευομένου τερατευσάμενος, τοῖς παροῦσιν εὐθὺς ἔφασκεν ὡς τεθνήξεται τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραις ὕστερον. [15] τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν τοῦ ὄρνιθος δηλοῦν πρόρρησιν. ‘Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν προορώμενος’ ἔφη ‘ὅπως δὴ ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα ξὺν τῇ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ βιώσεσθε, τοῖς τε Φράγγοις ἐς κῆδος συνῆλθον, γυναῖκα ἐνθένδε τὴν ἐμοὶ ξυνοικοῦσαν ἐπαγαγόμενος, καὶ τῷ παιδὶ τῷ ᾿μῷ περιβέβλημαι τὴν Βριττίαν μνηστήν. [16] ἀλλὰ νῦν, ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ μὲν τεθνήξεσθαι ὑποτοπάζω αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, εἰμὶ δὲ ἄπαις ἄρσενός τε καὶ θήλεος γόνου, ὅσα γε τὰ γυναικὸς τῆσδε, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ παῖς ἀνυμέναιός τε καὶ ἄνυμφος ἔτι νῦν ἐστί, φέρε ὑμῖν ἐπικοινώσομαι τὴν ἐμὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ εἴ τι ὑμῖν οὐκ ἀσύμφορον δόξειεν εἶναι, ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτήν, ἐπειδὰν ἀφίκωμαι τάχιστα ἐς τὸ μέτρον τοῦ βίου, τύχῃ ἀγαθῇ κατακυροῦντες διαπεραίνετε. [17] οἶμαι τοίνυν Οὐάρνοις ξυνοίσειν τὴν κηδείαν ἐς Φράγγους μᾶλλον ἢ ἐς τοὺς νησιώτας ποιεῖσθαι. [18] Βρίττιοι μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ ὅσον ἐπιμίγνυσθαι ὑμῖν οἷοί τέ εἰσιν, ὅτι μὴ ὀψέ τε καὶ μόλις: Οὔαρνοι δὲ καὶ Φράγγοι τουτὶ μόνον τοῦ Ῥήνου τὸ ὕδωρ μεταξὺ ἔχουσιν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἐν γειτόνων μὲν ὡς πλησιαίτατα ὄντας ὑμῖν, ἐς δυνάμεως δὲ κεχωρηκότας μέγα τι χρῆμα, ἐν προχείρῳ ἔχειν εὖ ποιεῖν τε ὑμᾶς καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι, ἡνίκα ἂν αὐτοῖς βουλομένοις εἴη: [19] λυμανοῦνται δὲ πάντως. ἢν μὴ τὸ κῆδος αὐτοῖς ἐμπόδιον ἔσται. βαρεῖα γὰρ φύσει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπερβάλλουσα αὐτοὺς τῶν πλησιοχώρων δύναμις γίνεται καὶ πρὸς ἀδικίαν ἑτοιμοτάτη, ἐπεὶ γείτονι δυνατῷ ῥᾴδιον ἐπὶ τοὺς πέλας οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντας ἐκπορίζεσθαι πολέμου αἰτίας. [20] ὅτε τοίνυν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, παρείσθω μὲν ὑμῖν τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦδε νησιῶτις μνηστή, χρήματα πάντα ὅσα παῤ ἡμῶν κεκομισμένη τούτου δὴ ἕνεκα ἔτυχε τῆς ὕβρεως ἀπενεγκαμένη μισθόν, ᾗ νόμος ἀνθρώπων ὁ κοινὸς βούλεται: Ῥάδιγις δὲ ὁ παῖς ξυνοικιζέσθω τῇ μητρυιᾷ τὸ λοιπὸν τῇ αὑτοῦ, καθάπερ ὁ πάτριος ἡμῖν ἐφίησι νόμος.’ [21] Ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἰπὼν τῇ τεσσαρακοστῇ ἀπὸ τῆς προρρήσεως ἡμέρᾳ νοσήσας τὴν πεπρωμένην ἀνέπλησεν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἑρμεγίσκλου υἱός, Οὐάρνων τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβών, γνώμῃ τῶν ἐν βαρβάροις τοῖσδε λογίμων ἀνδρῶν ἐπιτελῆ ἐποίει τὴν τοῦ τετελευτηκότος βουλὴν καὶ τὸν γάμον αὐτίκα τῇ μνηστῇ ἀπειπὼν τῇ μητρυιᾷ ξυνοικίζεται. [22] ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα ἡ τοῦ Ῥαδίγιδος μνηστὴ ἔμαθεν, οὐκ ἐνεγκοῦσα τὴν τοῦ πράγματος συμφοράν, τίσασθαι αὐτὸν τῆς εἰς αὐτὴν ὕβρεως ὥρμητο. [23] τίμιον γὰρ οὕτω τοῖς ἐκείνῃ βαρβάροις σωφροσύνη νομίζεται εἶναι, ὥστε δὴ μόνου παῤ αὐτοῖς ξυντετυχηκότος ὀνόματος γάμου, μὴ ἐπιγενομένου τοῦ ἔργου, δοκεῖ πεπορνεῦσθαι γυνή. [24] τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα πέμψασα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ πρεσβεία τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς ἀνεπυνθάνετο ὅτου δὴ ὑβρίσειεν ἐς αὐτὴν ἕνεκα, οὔτε πεπορνευμένην οὔτε τι ἄλλο εἰργασμένην εἰς αὐτὸν ἄχαρι. [25] ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνύτειν οὐδὲν ταύτῃ ἐδύνατο, τὸ ἀρρενωπὸν ἀνελομένη ἐπὶ πολέμια ἔργα ἐχώρει. [26] Ναῦς οὖν αὐτίκα τετρακοσίας ἀγείρασα στράτευμά τε αὐταῖς ἐνθεμένη οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ μυριάδων δέκα μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν, αὐτὴ ἐξηγεῖτο ἐπὶ τοὺς Οὐάρνους τῇ στρατιᾷ ταύτῃ. [27] ἐπήγετο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἑαυτ�
��ς ἕνα, ξυνδιοικησόμενον αὐτῇ τὰ παρόντα, οὐχ ὡς μέντοι τὴν βασιλείαν ἔχειν, ἀλλ̓ ἔτι ἐν ἰδιώτου τελοῦντα μοίρᾳ. [28] ἄλκιμοι δέ εἰσι πάντων μάλιστα βαρβάρων ὧν ἡμεῖς ἴσμεν οἱ νησιῶται οὗτοι, ἔς τε τὰς ξυμβολὰς πεζοὶ ἴασιν. [29] οὐ γὰρ ὅσον εἰσὶ τοῦ ἱππεύεσθαι ἀμελέτητοι, ἀλλ̓ οὐδὲ ἵππον ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν ἐπίστασθαι σφίσι ξυμβαίνει, ἐπεὶ ἵππον ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νήσῳ οὐδὲ ὅσα κατ̓ εἰκόνα θεῶνται: οὐ γάρ ποτε τὸ ζῷον τοῦτο ἔν γε Βριττίᾳ γεγονὸς φαίνεται. [30] εἰ δέ ποτε αὐτῶν τισὶν ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ ἢ ἄλλου του ἕνεκα Ῥωμαίοις ἢ Φράγγοις ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ ἵππους ἔχοντι ἐπιχωριάσασθαι ξυμβαίη, ἐνταῦθά τε ἵπποις ὀχεῖσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐπάναγκες εἴη, ἀναθρώσκειν μὲν ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ ἔχουσιν, ἕτεροι δὲ αὐτοὺς μετεωρίζοντες ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναβιβάζουσιν, ἀπαλλάσσεσθαί τε βουλομένους ἐνθένδε αὖθις αἴροντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατατίθενται. [31] οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Οὔαρνοι ἱππόται εἰσίν, ἀλλὰ πεζοὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἅπαντες. οὗτοι μὲν οὖν οἱ βάρβαροι τοιοίδε εἰσί. περίνεως δὲ οὐκ ἦν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ στόλῳ, ἀλλ̓ αὐτερέται πάντες. οὐδὲ ἱστία τούτοις δὴ τοῖς νησιώταις τυγχάνει ὄντα, ἀλλ̓ ἐρέσσοντες ἀεὶ ναυτίλλονται μόνον. [32] Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν ἤπειρον, παρθένος μὲν ἥπερ αὐτῶν ἦρχε, χαράκωμα ἐχυρὸν πηξαμένη παῤ αὐτὴν μάλιστα τὴν ἐκβολὴν ποταμοῦ Ῥήνου, ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν αὐτοῦ ἔμενε, παντὶ δὲ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξηγεῖσθαι κελεύει. [33] ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο δὲ Οὔαρνοι τότε τῆς τε Ὠκεανοῦ ἠϊόνος καὶ Ῥήνου ἐκβολῆς οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν. οὗ δὴ ἀφικομένων κατὰ τάχος Ἀγγίλων ξυνέμιξαν μὲν ἀμφότεροι ἐς χεῖρας ἀλλήλοις, ἡσσῶνται δὲ κατὰ κράτος Οὔαρνοι. [34] καὶ αὐτῶν πίπτουσι μὲν πολλοὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πόνῳ, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ ξὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐς ὑπαγωγὴν τρέπονται ἅπαντες, οἵ τε Ἀγγίλοι τὴν δίωξιν ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς δἰ ὀλίγου πεποιημένοι, ᾗ θέμις πεζοῖς, ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀπεχώρησαν. [35] οὕσπερ ἐκάκιζεν ἐπανήκοντας ἐς αὐτὴν ἡ παρθένος, τῷ τε ἀδελφῷ ἐλοιδορεῖτο πικρότατα, οὐδὲν τῇ στρατιᾷ λόγου ἄξιον ἰσχυριζομένη πεπρᾶχθαι, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀγάγοιεν αὐτῇ ζῶντα Ῥάδιγιν. [36] Καὶ αὐτῶν ἀπολεξαμένη τοὺς μάλιστα μαχιμωτάτους εὐθὺς ἔστειλεν, ἀπαγγείλασα δορυάλωτον ἀγαγεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα μηχανῇ πάσῃ. [37] οἱ δὲ τὴν αὐτῆς ἐπιτελοῦντες ἐπίταξιν περιήρχοντο διερευνώμενοι ξύμπαντα ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, ἕως ἐν ὕλῃ ἀμφιλαφεῖ κρυπτόμενον Ῥάδιγιν εὗρον: δήσαντές τε αὐτὸν τῇ παιδὶ ἀπεκόμισαν. [38] καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτῆς ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς εἱστήκει, τρέμων τε καὶ τεθνήξεσθαι αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ὑποτοπάζων θανάτῳ οἰκτίστῳ: ἡ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξου οὔτε ἀπέκτεινεν οὔτε τι ἄλλο ἄχαρι ἔδρασεν, ἀλλὰ ὀνειδίσασα τὴν ἐς αὐτὴν ὕβριν ἀνεπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὅτου δὴ ἕνεκα ἠλογηκὼς τὰ ξυγκείμενα ἑτέρᾳ γυναικὶ ἐς εὐνὴν ξυνέλθοι, καὶ ταῦτα οὐ πεπορνευμένης αὐτῷ τῆς μνηστῆς. [39] καὶ ὃς τὴν αἰτίαν ἀπολογούμενος τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀρχομένων σπουδὴν προὔφερεν, ἱκεσίους τε προὐτείνετο λόγους καὶ λιταῖς ἀνέμισγε τὴν ἀπολογίαν πολλαῖς, ἐς τὴν ἀνάγκην ἀναφέρων τὸ ἔγκλημα. [40] βουλομένῃ τε αὐτῇ ξυνοικισθήσεσθαι ὡμολόγει καὶ τὰ οὐκ ἐν δίκῃ τὸ πρότερόν οἱ αὐτῷ πεπραγμένα τοῖς ἐπιγενησομένοις ἰάσεσθαι. [41] ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν παῖδα ταῦτα ἤρεσκε, τῶν τε δεσμῶν ἀφεῖτο Ῥάδιγις τῆς τε ἄλλης φιλοφροσύνης ἠξίωτο, ἀποπέμπεται μὲν τὴν Θευδιβέρτου εὐθὺς ἀδελφήν, τὴν δὲ Βριττίαν ἐγήματο. ταῦτα μὲν τῇδε κεχώρηκεν. [42] Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ Βριττίᾳ νήσῳ τεῖχος ἐδείμαντο μακρὸν οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι, δίχα τέμνον αὐτῆς πολλήν τινα μοῖραν: τοῦ δὲ τείχους ὅ τε ἀὴρ καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐφ̓ ἑκάτερά ἐστι. [43] τὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ τείχους πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον εὐεξία τε ἀέρων ἐστὶ συμμεταβαλλομένη ταῖς ὥραις, θέρους μὲν μετρίως ἀλεεινή, ψυχεινὴ δὲ χειμῶνος: [44] καὶ ἄνθρωποι μὲν πολλοὶ ᾤκηνται κατὰ ταὐτὰ βιοτεύοντες τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις, τά τε δένδρα καρποῖς ῾ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ γινομένοις ὡραίοις᾿ ἀνθεῖ, τά τε λήϊα τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲν καταδεέστερον τέθηλεν: [45] ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕδασιν ἡ χώρα ἐναβρυνομένη διαρκῶς φαίνεται. πρὸς δύοντα δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον, ὥστε ἀμέλει ἀνθρώπῳ μὲν οὐδὲ ἡμιώριον δυνατόν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα βιῶναι, ἔχις δὲ καὶ ὄφεις ἀνάριθμοι καὶ ἄλλων θηρίων παντοδαπὰ γένη διακεκλήρωται τὸν χῶρον ἐκεῖνον. [46] καί, τὸ δὴ παραλογώτατον, οἱ ἐπιχώριοι λέγουσιν ὡς, εἴ τις ἄνθρωπος τὸ τεῖχος ἀμείψας ἐπὶ θάτερα ἴοι, εὐθυωρὸν θνήσκει, τὸ λοιμῶδες τῶν ἐκείνῃ ἀέρων ὡς ἥκιστα φέρων, τοῖς τε θηρίοις ἐνθαδε ἰοῦσιν ὁ θάνατος εὐθὺς ὑπαντιάζων ἐκδέχεται. [47] Ἐνταῦθα δέ μοι γενομένῳ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐπάναγκές ἐστι λόγου μυθολογία ἐμφερεστάτου ἐπιμνησθῆναι, ὃς δή μοι οὔτε πιστὸς τὸ παράπαν ἔδοξεν εἶναι, καίπερ ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀνδρῶν ἐκφερόμενος ἀναρίθμων οἳ δὴ τῶν μὲν πρασσομένων αὐτουργοί, τῶν δὲ λόγων αὐτήκοοι ἰσχυρίζοντο γεγονέναι, οὔτε παριτέος παντάπασιν, ὡς μὴ τά γε ἀμφὶ Βριττίᾳ τῇ νήσῳ ἀναγραφόμενος ἀγνοίας τινὸς τῶν τῇδε ξυμβαινόντων διηνεκῶς ἀπενέγκωμαι δόξαν. [48] Λέγουσιν οὖν τὰς �
�ῶν ἀποβιούντων ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς ἐς τοῦτο ἀεὶ διακομίζεσθαι τὸ χωρίον. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον, αὐτίκα δηλώσω, σπουδαιότατα μὲν ἀπαγγελλόντων ἀκηκοὼς πολλάκις τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων, ἐς ὀνείρων δέ τινα δύναμιν ἀποκεκρίσθαι νενομικὼς τὰ θρυλλούμενα. [49] παρὰ τὴν ἀκτὴν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Βριττίαν Ὠκεανοῦ νῆσον κώμας παμπληθεῖς ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. οἰκοῦσι δὲ αὐτὰς ἄνθρωποι σαγηνεύοντές τε καὶ γῆν γεωργοῦντες καὶ ἐπ̓ ἐμπορίαν ναυτιλλόμενοι ἐς τήνδε τὴν νῆσον, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα Φράγγων κατήκοοι ὄντες, φόρου μέντοι ἀπαγωγὴν οὐπώποτε παρασχόμενοι, ὑφειμένου αὐτοῖς ἐκ παλαιοῦ τοῦδε τοῦ ἄχθους, ὑπουργίας τινός, ὥς φασιν, ἕνεκα, ἥ μοι ἐν τῷ παρόντι λελέξεται. [50] Λέγουσιν οἱ ταύτῃ ἄνθρωποι ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἐπικεῖσθαι τὰς τῶν ψυχῶν παραπομπὰς σφίσιν. ὅσοις οὖν τῇ ἐπιγενησομένῃ νυκτὶ ἐς τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα τοῦτο τῇ τῆς ὑπουργίας διαδοχῇ ἰτέον ἐστίν, οὗτοι δή, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα ξυσκοτάζῃ, ἐς τὰς οἰκίας τὰς αὑτῶν ἀναχωροῦντες καθεύδουσι, προσδεχόμενοι τὸν συναγωγέα τοῦ πράγματος. [51] ἀωρὶ δὲ τῶν νυκτῶν τῶν μὲν θυρῶν σφίσιν ἀρασσομένων αἰσθάνονται, φωνῆς δέ τινος ἀφανοῦς ἐπαΐουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοὺς ξυγκαλούσης. [52] αὐτοί τε ὀκνήσει οὐδεμιᾷ ἐκ τῶν στρωμάτων ἐξανιστάμενοι ἐπὶ τὴν ἠϊόνα βαδίζουσιν, οὐ ξυνιέντες μὲν ὁποία ποτὲ ἀνάγκη αὐτοὺς ἐς τοῦτο ἐνάγει, ἀλλ̓ ὅμως ἀναγκαζόμενοι. [53] ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀκάτους παρεσκευασμένας ὁρῶσιν ἐρήμους τὸ παράπαν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ τὰς σφετέρας μέντοι, ἀλλ̓ ἑτέρας τινάς, ἐς ἃς δὴ ἐσβάντες τῶν κωπῶν ἅπτονται. [54] καὶ τῶν βάρεων αἰσθάνονται ἀχθομένων μὲν ἐπιβατῶν πλήθει, ἄχρι δὲ ἐς σανίδας τε ἄκρας καὶ τῶν κωπῶν τὴν χώραν τῷ ῥοθίῳ βεβαπτισμένων, ἀποδεουσῶν τε τοῦ ὕδατος ὅσον οὐδὲ δάκτυλον ἕνα, αὐτοὶ μέντοι οὐδένα θεῶνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μίαν ἐρέσσοντες ὥραν ἐς τὴν Βριττίαν καταίρουσι. [55] καίτοι ταῖς ἀκάτοις ἡνίκα ταῖς αὑτῶν ἰδίαις ναυτίλλονται, οὐχ ἱστίοις χρώμενοι, ἀλλ̓ ἐρέσσοντες, ἐς νύκτα τε καὶ ἡμέραν μόλις ἐνταῦθα διαπορθμεύονται. ἐς τὴν νῆσον δὲ καταπλεύσαντες ἀποφορτιζόμενοι ἀπαλλάσσονται αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, τῶν βάρεων σφίσι κούφων γινομένων ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου κἀκ τοῦ ῥοθίου ἐπαιρομένων ἔν τε τῷ ὕδατι καταδυομένων οὐδέν τι ἄλλο, πλήν γε ὅσα ἐς τὴν τρόπιν αὐτήν. [56] Καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἀνθρώπων οὐδένα ὁρῶσιν οὔτε ξυμπλέοντα οὔτε ἀπαλλασσόμενον τῆς νηός, φωνῆς δὲ ἀκούειν τινὸς ἐνθένδε φασὶ τοῖς ὑποδεχομένοις ἀπαγγέλλειν δοκούσης πρὸς ὄνομα τῶν συμπεπλευκότων αὐτοῖς ἕκαστον, τά τε ἀξιώματα ἐπιλεγούσης οἷς πρώην ἐχρῶντο καὶ πατρόθεν αὐτοὺς ἀνακαλούσης. [57] ἢν δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες ξυνδιαπορθμευσάμεναι αὐτοῖς τύχωσι, τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀποστοματίζουσι τὰ ὀνόματα οἷσπερ ξυνοικοῦσαι ἐβίων. [58] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἱ τῇδε ἄνθρωποι ξυμβαίνειν φασίν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον λόγον ἐπάνειμι.