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approaching the city, he himself was in extreme fear, and the Carthaginians were thrown into confusion, and thinking to conquer by the size of their crowd, not by the discipline of an army, they all went forth with the whole population. 5. Gordian the elder, therefore, upon entering Carthage, fell into despair, considering the power of Maximinus, and seeing nothing in Libya fit for battle, hanged himself with a noose. But while his death was concealed, they chose his son to lead the multitude. But when the engagement took place, all the Carthaginians were destroyed; for not withstanding the attack of the barbarians, but throwing away all the weapons they carried, they fled; and being pushed by one another, the majority perished. There the son of Gordian was also slain, and all those around him, so that because of the multitude of corpses, the dead could not be buried, nor could the body of the younger Gordian be found. And there was great wailing throughout the city of women and children. Such, then, was the end Gordian met, having lived his early life prosperously, and dying in the image of royalty. 6. But Capellianus, having entered Carthage, killed all the leading men, and if any survived from the battle, he spared no one, neither from the plundering of temples, nor the seizure of money; but he also went around the other cities doing such things. When the death of the elder was announced in Rome, they were in great speechlessness. It seemed right to them, therefore, to assemble and consider what was to be done, and having been appointed leaders, to select an emperor. They therefore assembled at the Capitol, and they vote for Maximus and Balbinus as emperors, and immediately name them Augusti. 7. Maximinus was pleased at the immediate flight of the Italians, hoping all would do this; but the army was distressed, experiencing the beginning of a famine. Having spent the night, therefore, some in the city, others in the plain, they were led to the Alps, high mountains. And when they had crossed these without hindrance, descending into the plain, they now took courage and raised a paean. There was the city of Aquileia; to which Maximinus, having been brought down, found the gates closed, and the army already giving up and wanting to withdraw from the siege, being pelted with stones and spears. But Maximinus, being indignant with the generals for fighting too carelessly, took charge of the battle himself. 8. And the people of Aquileia, with their whole population, fought back from the walls night and day. Two men of consular rank were their generals and had everything under their care, having been chosen by the senate; of whom one was called Crispinus, and the other Menophilus; and with much foresight they had brought in provisions. There was also an abundance of water. And it seemed good to Maximinus to send men in the guise of an embassy to negotiate from below, if they might persuade them to open the gates. But Crispinus ran about, begging them not to be persuaded by the promises of a perjured tyrant, but to maintain their goodwill towards the Roman senate; and since many favorable oracles and divinations had come to them, he persuaded them to drive away the ambassadors. 9. But Maximinus, having learned these things, employed greater anger, and having bridged the river that flowed by, he approached the wall, and began to assault it with all his might. And though many assaults were made nearly every day, and the whole army was, as it were, enclosing the city in a net, the Aquileians held out with great force and eager fighting, the whole population together with their women and children, nor was there anyone who did not share in the toils for their country; nor did Maximinus think that the road to Rome would otherwise be honorable for him, unless he first took the city of Italy that resisted him. Therefore, with promises and gifts, both he and his son, whom he had made Caesar, running about, tried to persuade the army. 10. And the Aquileians pelted the army with stones and by mixing pitch and oil with sulfur and asphalt; for having set these on fire, they poured them down like rain, so that they were stripped of their armor, being burned, and their faces were disfigured and their hands maimed;

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προσιὼν τῇ πόλει, αὐτός τε ἐν ἐσχάτῳ δέει ἦν, οἵ τε Καρχηδόνιοι ταραχθέντες, οἰόμενοί τε ἐν πλήθει ὄχλου, οὐκ ἐν εὐταξίᾳ στρατοῦ, νικᾶν, πανδημεὶ πάντες ἐξίασιν. 5. Ὁ Γορδιανὸς μὲν οὖν ὁ πρεσβύτης ἅμα τῷ τῆς Καρχηδόνος ἐπιβῆναι ἐν ἀπογνώσει γενόμενος, ἐννοῶν τὴν δύναμιν Μαξιμίνου, οὐδὲν δὲ ὁρῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ ἀξιόμαχον, ἀνήρτησεν ἑαυτὸν βρόχῳ. Κρυπτομένης δὲ αὐτοῦ τῆς τελευτῆς, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ στρατηγήσοντα τοῦ πλήθους εἵλοντο. Γενομένης δὲ συμβολῆς, ἅπαντες οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι διεφθάρησαν· οὐχ ὑπομείναντες γὰρ τὴν ἔφοδον τῶν βαρβάρων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἁ ἐπεφέροντο ὅπλα ῥίψαντες ἔφυγον· ὠθούμενοι δὲ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων οἱ πλείους ἀπώλοντο. Ἔνθα καὶ ὁ τοῦ Γορδιανοῦ υἱὸς ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν πάντες, ὡς διὰ πλῆθος πτωμάτων μηδὲ τοὺς νεκροὺς ταφῆναι μηδὲ τοῦ Γορδιανοῦ τοῦ νέου εὑρεθῆναι σῶμα. Πολλὴ δὲ οἰμωγὴ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν γυναικῶν τε καὶ παίδων ἐγένετο. Τοιούτῳ μὲν δὴ τέλει ὁ Γορδιανὸς ἐχρήσατο, βιώσας τὰ πρῶτα εὐδαιμόνως, ἐν εἰκόνι τε βασιλείας τελευτήσας. 6. Ὁ δὲ Καπελλιανὸς εἰς Καρχηδόνα εἰσελθὼν, πάντας τε τοὺς πρωτεύοντας ἀπέκτεινεν, καὶ εἴ τινες διεσώθησαν ἐκ τῆς μάχης, ἐφείδετο οὐδενὸς, οὔτε ἱερῶν συλήσεως, οὔτε χρημάτων ἁρπαγῆς· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς περιῄει πόλεις τοιαῦτα δρῶν. Ὡς δὲ ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐδηλώθη ἡ τοῦ πρεσβύτου τελευτὴ, ἐν πολλῇ ἀφασίᾳ ἐγένοντο. Ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς συνελθεῖν καὶ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων σκέψασθαι, καὶ προστησαμένους ἐπιλέξασθαι βασιλέα. Συνῆλθον οὖν εἰς τὸ Καπιτώλιον, καὶ ψηφίζονται βασιλεῖς Μάξιμόν τε καὶ Βαλβῖνον, εὐθέως τε αὐτοκράτορας ὀνομάζουσιν. 7. Ὁ δὲ Μαξιμῖνος ἥσθη μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν εὐθὺς φυγῇ, ἐλπίζων πάντας τοῦτο ποιήσειν· ὁ δὲ στρατὸς ἤχθετο, ἐν ἀρχῇ λιμοῦ πειρώμενος. ∆ιανυκτερεύ σαντες οὖν οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει, οἱ δ' ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἐπὶ τὰς Ἄλπεις ἤγοντο, ὄρη ὑψηλά. Ὡς δὲ ταύτας διέβησαν ἀκωλύτως, καταβαίνοντες εἰς τὸ πεδίον, ἤδη ἀνεθάρρησάν τε καὶ ἐπαιάνισαν. Ἔνθα ἦν πόλις Ἀκυληία· πρὸς ἣν καταχθεὶς ὁ Μαξιμῖνος εὗρε μὲν τὰς πύλας κεκλεισμένας, τὸν δὲ στρατὸν ἤδη ἀπαγορεύειν καὶ ἀναχωρεῖν βουλόμενον τῆς πολιορκίας, βαλλόμενον λίθοις τε καὶ δόρασιν. Ὁ δὲ Μαξιμῖνος ἀγανακτήσας πρὸς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς, ὡς ἀμελέστερον μαχομένους, αὐτὸς τῆς μάχης εἴχετο. 8. Οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀκυληίας πανδημεὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἀπεμάχοντο. Ἐστρατήγουν δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα διὰ φροντίδος εἶχον ἄνδρες βʹ ἀπὸ ὑπατείας, ἐπιλεχθέντες δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου· ὧν ὁ μὲν Κρισπῖνος, ὁ δὲ Μηνόφιλος ἐκαλεῖτο· καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς προνοίας τὰ ἐπιτήδεια εἰσεκομίσαντο. Ἦν δὲ καὶ ὕδατος ἀφθονία. Τῷ δὲ Μαξιμίνῳ ἔδοξε πέμπειν ἐν σχήματι πρεσβείας τοὺς κάτωθεν διαλεξομένους, εἰ ἄρα πείσειαν αὐτοὺς ἀνοῖξαι τὰ πύλας. Ὁ δὲ Κρισπῖνος περιέθεε, δεόμενος μὴ πείθεσθαι ὑποσχέσεσι τυράννου ἐπιόρκου, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαίων σύγκλητον εὔνοιαν φυλάττειν· πολλῶν δὲ καὶ χρησμῶν αὐτοῖς καὶ μαντείων αἰσίων γενομένων, ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς ἀποδιῶξαι τοὺς πρέσβεις. 9. Ὁ δὲ Μαξιμῖνος ταῦτα μαθὼν πλείονι τῷ θυμῷ ἐχρήσατο, καὶ γεφυρώσας τὸν παραρρέοντα ποταμὸν, προσήγγισε τῷ τείχει, καὶ τειχομαχεῖν ἤρξατο παντὶ σθένει. Πολλῶν δὲ σχεδὸν ἑκάστης ἡμέρας γενομένων προσβολῶν, καὶ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ ὥσπερ σαγηνεύοντος τὴν πόλιν, μετὰ πολλῆς βίας καὶ προθύμου μάχης ἀντεῖχον οἱ Ἀκυλήσιοι πανδημεὶ ἅμα γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶν, οὐδέ τις ἦν, ὃς μὴ μετεῖχε τῶν ὑπὲρ πατρίδος πόνων· οὐδὲ ᾤετο Μαξιμῖνος ἄλλως αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπὶ Ῥώμην ὁδὸν ἔσεσθαι εὐπρεπῆ, εἰ μὴ πρότερον τὴν ἀντιστᾶσαν τῆς Ἰταλίας πόλιν καθέλῃ. Ὑποσχέσεσί τε οὖν καὶ δωρεαῖς αὐτός τε καὶ ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ, ὃν πεποιήκει Καίσαρα, περιθέοντες τὸν στρατὸν ἀνέπειθον. 10. Οἱ δὲ Ἀκυλήσιοι λίθοις τε καὶ κιρνῶντες θείῳ καὶ ἀσφάλτῳ πίσσαν καὶ ἔλαιον ἔβαλλον τὸν στρατόν· πυρώσαντες γὰρ ταῦτα, ὄμβρου δίκην κατεχώννυον, ὥστε γυμνοῦσθαι αὐτοὺς τῶν ὅπλων καιομένους, καὶ διαφθείρεσθαι τά τε πρόσωπα καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἀκρωτηριαζομένους·