Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  [19] ξυνηνέχθη γὰρ, ᾗπέρ μοι τὰ πρότερα δεδιήγηται, καὶ ἕτερα ἄττα ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ γενέσθαι, ἅπερ αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ὥρμα. τοῦτο μέντοι πολλῷ ἔτι θᾶσσον ἐνταῦθα ἀνῆγεν.

  [19] For it so happened that certain other things too, as related by me previously, had occurred in the army which influenced him to this retreat.

  [20] ἀλλ̓ ὅπερ τοῦδε τοῦ λόγου ἀρχόμενος εἶπον, οὔ μοι ἀκίνδυνον τηνικάδε τοῦ χρόνου ἔδοξεν εἶναι τὰς αἰτίας τῶν πεπραγμένων ἁπάσας εἰπεῖν.

  [20] This information, however, led him much more quickly to the decision. But, as I said at the beginning of this book, it seemed to me at that time to be dangerous to state all the causes of what had taken place.

  [21] ἔγκλημά τε ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο Βελισαρίῳ πρὸς πάντων Ῥωμαίων, ὅτι δὴ τῆς πολιτείας τὰ καιριώτατα αὐτὸς περὶ ἐλάσσονος πραγμάτων τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν πεποίηται.

  [21] As a result of this action Belisarius was accused by all Romans as having subordinated the most vital interests of the State to those of his own family.

  [22] ἀρχὴν μὲν γὰρ τῷ τῆς γυναικὸς πάθει ἐχόμενος, ὡς ἀπωτάτω γενέσθαι τῆς γῆς Ῥωμαίων οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, ὅπως ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα πύθηται τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἥκειν, ἀναστρέψας αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα καταλαβεῖν τε καὶ τίσασθαι οἷός τε εἴη.

  [22] For from the first he was so constrained by the misconduct of his wife that he had been quite unwilling to get to a region as distant as possible from Roman territory, in order that he might be able, as soon as he learned that the woman had come from Byzantium, to turn back and to catch and to punish her immediately.

  [23] διὸ δὴ τοὺς μὲν ἀμφὶ Ἀρέθαν Τίγριν ποταμὸν διαβαίνειν ἐκέλευσεν, οἵ γε οὐδὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον διαπεπραγμένοι ἐπ̓ οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδὲ ἡμέρας ὁδῷ ἀπολελεῖφθαι

  [23] So for this reason he ordered Arethas and his men to cross the Tigris River, and they, after having accomplished nothing worthy of mention, departed for home, while as for himself he saw to it that he did not get even one day’s march from the Roman boundary.

  [24] ὅρων τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχε. φρούριον γὰρ τὸ Σισαυράνων διὰ μὲν πόλεως Νισίβιδος ἰόντι πλέον ἢ ὁδῷ ἡμέρας εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ὁρίων διέχει, ἑτέρωθι δὲ τούτου δὴ τοῦ μέτρου ξυμβαίνει τὸ μεταξὺ εἶναι.

  [24] For while the fortress of Sisauranon, if one goes by way of the city of Nisibis, is indeed for an unencumbered traveller more than one day’s journey from the Roman boundary, yet by another road it is only half that distance.

  [25] καίτοι εἰ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ Τίγριν ποταμὸν διαβῆναι κατ̓ ἀρχὰς ἤθελεν, οἶμαι ἂν αὐτὸν ξύμπαντα ληΐσασθαι τὰ ἐπὶ Ἀσσυρίας χωρία, καὶ μέχρι ἐς Κτησιφῶντα πόλιν οὐδενὸς τὸ παράπαν ἀντιστατοῦντος σφίσιν ἀφῖχθαι, καὶ τούς τε Ἀντιοχέων αἰχμαλώτους, ὅσοι τε Ῥωμαίων ἄλλοι ἐνταῦθα ὄντες ἐτύγχανον, διασωσάμενον ἐπανήκειν ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ Χοσρόῃ αἰτιώτατος γέγονεν ἀδεέστερον ἐπ̓ οἴκου ἀποκομίζεσθαι ἐκ τῆς Κολχίδος. ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον τετύχηκε τοῦτο αὐτίκα δηλώσω.

  [25] And yet if he had been willing in the first place to cross the Tigris River with his whole army, I believe that he would have plundered the whole land of Assyria and would have reached the city of Ctesiphon without encountering any opposition whatever, and would have rescued the prisoners from Antioch and all the other Romans who chanced to be there before he finally returned to his native land. Furthermore, he was chiefly responsible for the fact that Chosroes returned home from Colchis in comparative security. And the manner in which this happened I shall straightway make clear.

  [26] Ἡνίκα Χοσρόης ὁ Καβάδου εἰς γῆν ἐμβαλὼν τὴν Κολχίδα τά τε ἄλλα διεπράξατο, ἅπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν δεδιήγηται, καὶ Πέτραν εἷλε, πολλοὺς τοῦ Μήδων στρατοῦ διεφθάρθαι ξυνέβη τῷ τε πολέμῳ καὶ ταῖς δυσχωρίαις. δύσοδός τε γὰρ, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, ἡ Λαζική ἐστι καὶ ὅλως κρημνώδης.

  [26] When Chosroes, son of Cabades, made his invasion into the land of Colchis and achieved all those things which have been set forth by me above, including the capture of Petra, it chanced that many of the army of the Medes were destroyed both by the fighting and by the difficult nature of the country. For Lazica, as I have stated, is a country of bad roads and everywhere abounds in precipices.

  [27] καὶ μὴν καὶ λοιμοῦ ἐπιπεσόντος σφίσι τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀπολωλέναι ξυνέπεσε, πολλοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ διεφθάρθαι ξυνέβη.

  [27] In addition to these difficulties it chanced that a pestilence fell upon the army and many of the soldiers also met their death as a result of their lack of provisions.

  [28] ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καί τινες ἐκ γῆς τῆς Περσίδος ἐνταῦθα ἐπιχωριάζοντες ἤγγελλον ὡς Ναβέδην μὲν Βελισάριος ἀμφὶ πόλιν Νίσιβιν μάχῃ νικήσας πρόσω χωροίη, πολιορκίᾳ δὲ τὸ Σισαυράνων ἑλὼν φρούριον Βλησχάμην τε καὶ Περσῶν ἱππεῖς ὀκτακοσίους δορυαλώτους πεποίηται, στράτευμα δὲ ἄλλο Ῥωμαίων ξύν γε Ἀρέθᾳ τῷ Σαρακηνῶν ἄρχοντι πέμψειεν, ὅπερ διαβὰν ποταμὸν Τίγριν ξύμπαντα λεηλατήσειε τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, πρότερον ἀδῄωτα ὄντα.

  [28] At this point also certain persons from the land of Persia, who were passing that way, announced that Belisarius had defeated Nabedes in a battle near the city of Nisibis and was moving forward, had taken the fortress of Sisauranon by siege and captured Bleschames and eight hundred horsemen of the Persians, and had sent out another Roman army under Arethas, leader of the Saracens, and that this army had crossed the Tigris River and laid waste that whole country, which had never been plundered before.

  [29] ἐτύγχανε δὲ καὶ στράτευμα Οὔννων ἐπὶ Ἀρμενίους τοὺς Ῥωμαίων κατηκόους ὁ Χοσρόης στείλας, ὅπως τῇ ἐς αὐτοὺς ἀσχολίᾳ μηδεμία τοῖς ταύτῃ Ῥωμαίοις τῶν ἐν Λαζικῇ πρασσομένων αἴσθησις γένηται.

  [29] It happened also that Chosroes had sent an army of Huns against the Armenians who are subjects of the Romans, in order that by reason of their preoccupation with this force the Romans there might take no notice of what was going on in Lazica.

  [30] τούτους τε τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπήγγελλον ἕτεροι Βαλεριανῷ καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ὑπαντιάσασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντας παρὰ πολὺ αὐτῶν ἡσσηθέντας
τῇ μάχῃ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀπολωλέναι.

  [30] Still other messengers brought word that these barbarians had encountered Valerian and the Romans and, upon engaging with them, and having been heavily defeated in battle, had for the most part been destroyed.

  [31] ἅπερ οἱ Πέρσαι ἀκούσαντες καὶ κακοπαθείᾳ μὲν τῇ ἐν Λαζοῖς κεκακωμένοι, δεδιότες δὲ μή τινι ἐν τῇ ἀποπορείᾳ ἐντυχόντες πολεμίων στρατῷ ἐν κρημνοῖς καὶ χωρίοις λοχμώδεσιν ἅπαντες οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ διαφθαρεῖεν, περιδεεῖς ἀμφί τε παισὶ καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ τῇ πατρίδι γεγενημένοι, εἴ τι καθαρὸν ἦν ἐν τῷ Μήδων στρατῷ, Χοσρόῃ ἐλοιδοροῦντο ἐπικαλοῦντες ὡς ἔς τε τοὺς ὅρκους ἠσεβηκὼς καὶ τὰ κοινὰ νόμιμα πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσβάλοι μὲν ἐν σπονδαῖς ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν οὐδὲν προσῆκον, ἀδικοίη δὲ πολιτείαν ἀρχαίαν τε καὶ ἀξιωτάτην πασῶν μάλιστα, ἧς τῷ πολέμῳ περιεῖναι οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο: ἔμελλον δὲ νεωτέροις ἐγχειρεῖν πράγμασιν.

  [31] When the Persians heard these things and, partly because of the miseries which they had suffered in Lazica, and partly because they feared lest they might during the withdrawal chance upon some hostile force among the cliffs and the regions overgrown with thickets and all, in the utter confusion of their forces, be destroyed, had become exceedingly anxious for the safety of their wives and children and native land, then all the loyal element in the Medic army began to heap abuses upon Chosroes, charging him with having, in violation of his oaths and the obligations commonly held to by all mankind, made during a truce an invasion of Roman territory to which he had no claim, and was wronging a State which was ancient and worthy, above all states, of the highest honour, one which he could not possibly overcome in war; and they were on the point of a revolution. Now

  [32] οἷς δὴ ὁ Χοσρόης ξυνταραχθεὶς εὕρετο τοῦ κακοῦ ἴασιν τήνδε. γράμματα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀνελέξατο, ἅπερ ἔναγχος ἡ βασιλὶς τῷ Ζαβεργάνῃ ἐτύγχανε γράψασα.

  [32] Chosroes was thoroughly disturbed by this situation, but he found the following remedy for the trouble. For he read to them a letter which the Empress had recently chanced to send to Zaberganes. Now this letter set forth the following:

  [33] ἐδήλου δὲ ἡ γραφὴ τάδε ‘Ὅπως σε, ὦ Ζαβεργάνη, διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχω, εὔνουν σε οἰομένη τοῖς ἡμετέροις πράγμασιν εἶναι, οἶσθα ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον ἐς ἡμᾶς ἀφιγμένος.

  [33] “How devoted I am to you, O Zaberganes, believing you to be loyal to our interests, you know already, since you quite recently came to us on an embassy.

  [34] οὐκοῦν πράττοις ἂν εἰκότα τῇ δόξῃ, ἣν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔχω, εἴ γε βασιλέα Χοσρόην εἰρηναῖα πείθοις ἐς πολιτείαν τὴν ἡμετέραν βουλεύεσθαι.

  [34] You would then be acting in accord with the high opinion I hold of you, if you should persuade King Chosroes to adopt a peaceful attitude toward our State.

  [35] οὕτω γάρ σοι ἀγαθὰ μεγάλα πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἀναδέχομαι τοὐμοῦ ἔσεσθαι, ὅς γε οὐδὲν

  [35] For in case you do this, I promise that great benefits will accrue to you from my husband, who can be counted upon to carry out no measure whatever without consulting my judgment.”

  [36] ἂν ὅ τι καὶ ἄνευ γνώμης τῆς ἐμῆς πράξειεν.’ ταῦτα ὁ Χοσρόης ἀναλεξάμενος, ὀνειδίσας τε Περσῶν τοῖς λογίμοις εἰ πολιτείαν οἴονται εἶναι, ἣν γυνὴ διοικεῖται,

  [36] When Chosroes had read this to the Persian notables, he reproached any of them who thought that any real State existed when a woman was the administrator, and thus succeeded in checking the vehemence of the men.

  [37] τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὁρμὴν ἀναστέλλειν ἔσχεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ξὺν δέει πολλῷ ἐνθένδε ἀπῄει, τοὺς ἀμφὶ Βελισάριον οἰόμενος σφίσιν ἐμποδὼν στήσεσθαι. οὐδενὸς δέ οἱ τῶν πολεμίων ὑπαντιάσαντος ἄσμενος ἐς γῆν τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπεκομίσθη.

  [37] Yet even so he departed from there in the fear, thinking that the forces of Belisarius would block their way. No hostile force, however, encountered him, and he gladly repaired to his own land.

  III

  Γενόμενος δὲ ὁ Βελισάριος ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων εὑρίσκει τὴν γυναῖκα ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἀφικομένην. καὶ αὐτὴν μὲν ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐφύλασσε, πολλάκις τε διαχειρίσασθαι αὐτὴν ἐγχειρήσας ἐμαλθακίσθη, ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ,

  When Belisarius had reached Roman territory, he found that his wife had arrived from Byzantium. And he kept her under guard in disgrace, and though he many times set about destroying her, his heart was softened, being vanquished, as it seems to me, by a sort of flaming-hot love.

  [2] ἔρωτος ἡσσηθεὶς διαπύρου τινός. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ μαγγανείαις πρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς καταλαμβανόμενον ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἐκλύεσθαι. Φώτιος δὲ κατὰ τάχος ἐς τὴν Ἔφεσον στέλλεται, τῶν τινα εὐνούχων, Καλλίγονον ὄνομα, προαγωγὸν τῆς κεκτημένης ὄντα δεσμεύσας τε καὶ ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων, ὅσπερ αὐτῷ αἰκιζόμενος ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ταύτῃ ἅπαντα ἐξήνεγκε τὰ ἀπόρρητα.

  [2] But they say that it was also through her magic arts that he was brought under the control of the woman and immediately undone. Now Photius set off in haste for Ephesus, taking with him as a prisoner one of the eunuchs, Calligonus by name, who acted as a go-between for his mistress, and he on this journey revealed to him under torture all the woman’s secrets.

  [3] καὶ Θεοδόσιος μὲν προμαθὼν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν Ἰωάννου καταφεύγει τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὅπερ ἐνταῦθα ἁγιώτατόν ἐστι καὶ ἐπιεικῶς ἔντιμον.

  [3] But Theodosius, having advance information, fled for safety to the sanctuary of the Apostle John, which is the most holy one there and held in very high honour.

  [4] Ἀνδρέας δὲ ὁ τῆς Ἐφέσου ἀρχιερεὺς χρήμασίν οἱ ἀναπεισθεὶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐνεχείρισεν. ἐν τούτῳ ἡ Θεοδώρα ἀμφὶ τῇ Ἀντωνίνῃ δειμαίνουσα, ἠκηκόει γὰρ ὅσα δὴ αὐτῇ ξυνεπεπτώκει, Βελισάριον ξὺν αὐτῇ ἐς Βυζάντιον μεταπέμπεται.

  [4] Andreas, however, the Chief Priest of Ephesus, accepted a bribe and delivered the man over to Photius. At this point Theodora, being solicitous for Antonina (for she had heard all that had happened to her), summoned Belisarius and her to Byzantium.

  [5] Φώτιος δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας Θεοδόσιον μὲν ἐς Κίλικας πέμπει, οὗ δὴ οἱ δορυφόροι τε καὶ ὑπασπισταὶ διαχειμάζοντες ἔτυχον, τοῖς παραπομποῖς ἐπιστείλας λαθραιότατα μὲν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον διακομίζειν, ἐς Κίλικας δὲ
ἀφικομένοις κεκρυμμένως ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἐν φυλακῇ ἔχειν, μηδενὶ αἴσθησιν παρεχομένοις ὅποι γῆς εἴη. αὐτὸς δὲ ξύν τε Καλλιγόνῳ καὶ τοῖς Θεοδοσίου χρήμασιν ἁδροῖς τισιν οὖσιν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἦλθεν.

  [5] And Photius, upon hearing this, sent Theodosius into Cilicia where the spearmenº and guards chanced to be passing the winter, instructing the escort to convey this man with the utmost secrecy, and when they reached Cilicia, to keep him in very strictly hidden confinement, giving information to no man where in the world he was. He himself, meanwhile, with Calligonus and the money of Theodosius, which amounted to a rather imposing sum, came to Byzantium.

  [6] ἐνταῦθα ἡ βασιλὶς ἐπίδειξιν πεποίηται ἐς πάντας ἀνθρώπους, ὅτι δὴ χάριτας φονίους εἰδείη μείζοσί τε καὶ μιαρωτέροις ἀμείβεσθαι δώροις.

  [6] There the Empress made an exhibition before all mankind, shewing that she knew how to requite bloody favours with greater and more unholy gifts.

  [7] Ἀντωνίνα μὲν γὰρ ἕνα οἱ ἔναγχος τὸν Καππαδόκην ἐχθρὸν ἐνεδρεύσασα προὔδωκεν, αὐτὴ δὲ πλῆθος ἐκείνῃ ἐγχειρίσασα ἀνδρῶν ἀνεγκλήτως ἀνῄρηκε.

  [7] For whereas Antonina had recently laid snares for one enemy for her, the Cappadocian, and had betrayed him, she herself delivered over to Antonina a host of men and brought about their destruction without even a charge having been brought against them.

  [8] τῶν γὰρ Βελισαρίῳ καὶ Φωτίῳ ἐπιτηδείων τινῶν μὲν τὰ σώματα αἰκισαμένη, καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἐπικαλέσασα, ὅτι ἐς τὼ ἄνδρε τούτω εὐνοϊκῶς ἔχοιεν, οὕτω διέθετο ὥστε αὐτοῖς ἐς ὅ τί ποτε ἡ τύχη ἐτελεύτα οὔπω νῦν ἴσμεν: ἄλλους δὲ φυγῇ ἐζημίωσε, ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐπενεγκοῦσα.