84

When their generals learned these things, each fled to the nearby fortresses; and Illus himself, having passed the night with Leontius, went up to the fortress of Cherris, as the Isaurians were gradually abandoning them, and choosing the side of the emperor Zeno, Leontius having spent only 60 and * days in the image of rule. When no fewer than two thousand men were following them, they selected those who were most loyal, and the rest they left behind * in the caves, which the nature of the places had formed in many spots. 6. When the flight of Illus and Leontius was announced, Zeno made Cotomenes general of both forces, and Longinus of Cardama magister. And he recalled the multitude of Theuderic, but ordered the men of the Rugi to remain in the country. In the siege of the fortress, battles were often fought. And Verina, having been laid low, died after the ninth day of her flight into the fortress, and was embalmed in a leaden coffin. But indeed Marsus also, having died after 30 days, was given the same burial. And Illus, having entrusted the guard of the fortress to Indacus Cottunes, spent the rest of his time in reading books. And Leontius passed his time in fasting and lamentations. Because of this, the affairs of Illus were at a disadvantage; and the counter-fort was betrayed to the Romans by those within, so that Illus and his men were in despair. 7. When Longinus had been designated consul for the following year (A.D. 486), at which time Theuderic again turned to rebellion, and was ravaging the regions around Thrace, (and) Zeno roused the race of the Rugi against Odoacer, as he learned that the latter was preparing an alliance with Illus. When Odoacer and his men had won a brilliant victory, and had also sent gifts from the spoils to Zeno, he, feigning disapproval, was pleased with what had been done. Those who were presiding over the siege of Illus and Leontius, after capturing the counter-fort, used many engines. And as the armies were encamped opposite each other, both Illus and John the Scythian entered into friendly talks, and they sent a letter to Zeno, reminding him ***. 215 Exc. De virt.: That the emperor Anastasius, having turned for the worse, changed the entire aristocracy of the state together, selling all the offices and forgiving wrongdoers, and having turned to an insatiable desire for money; so that as a result the provinces became empty of recruits, and the men were dismayed at what was unusual and strange. For he did not defend against the attacking barbarians with arms, but continually purchased peace with money. And in addition to these things, he also meddled with the estates of the deceased, bestowing common poverty on all. For to those from whom he took their estates, he would after a little while distribute them in the manner of piety; and for the cities whose inhabitants he stripped bare, he renewed their buildings; so that he even diligently adorned his native city, and encircled it with three crowns. 216 Ibid.: That in the time of the emperor Anastasius, terrible afflictions assailed the cities of Libya from those called Mazices. For they had been given to the grandson of Marinus for governance, a young man who possessed much frivolity; and after him, again to Bassianus his son. And he, by what he did, in every way surpassing the wantonness of the one who ruled before him, made the Libyans prefer the former state of affairs, and this, although it left for some the memory of poverty, and for others that of death. Thus, if one must say it, both his blood relatives and simply those who enjoyed the favor of Marinus, gorged themselves exceptionally on the properties of the Libyans and Egyptians. 217 Cod. Vatican.̣: Justinian, having calculated the expense of so many thousands, judged it necessary rather to set the rulers of the nations against each other with a few gifts, so that he would neither spend so much on the army nor be troubled sending it against them, and that they might become a cause of destruction to each other, which indeed for a time upon the

84

ταῦτα οἱ στρατηγοῦντες αὐτῶν ἔμαθον, ἕκαστος τοῖς πλησιάζουσι φρουρίοις κατέφευγεν· αὐτὸς δὲ Ἰλλοῦς ἅμα Λεοντίῳ διανυκτερεύσας, ἀνῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Χέρρεως φρούριον, τῶν Ἰσαύρων αὐτοὺς κατὰ μικρὸν ἀπολιμπανόντων, καὶ τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ζήνωνος αἱρουμένων, ξʹ καὶ * μόνας ἡμέρας τοῦ Λεοντίου ἐν εἰκόνι βασιλείας διαγενομένου. Ἑπομένων δὲ αὐτοῖς οὐ μεῖον ἢ δισχιλίων ἀνδρῶν, τοὺς μάλιστα αὐτῶν εὔνους ἐπιλεξάμενοι, τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐν τοῖς ἄντροις ἀπεχώρησαν *, ἃ πολλαχοῦ τῇ φύσει τῶν τόπων εἴργαστο. 6. Ἀγγελθείσης δὲ τῆς Ἰλλοῦ καὶ Λεοντίου φυγῆς, ὁ Ζήνων Κοττομένην στρατηγὸν ἑκατέρων ποιεῖται δυνάμεων, Λογγῖνον δὲ τὸν ἐκ Καρδάμων μάγιστρον. Καὶ τὸ μὲν Θευδερίχου πλῆθος ἀνεκαλέσατο, τοὺς δὲ τῶν Ῥόγων μένειν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ προσέταξεν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ τοῦ φρουρίου προσεδρίᾳ πολλάκις συμβολαὶ διηγωνίσθησαν. Βηρίνα δὲ μετ' ἐνάτην ἡμέραν τῆς ἐν φρουρίῳ καταφυγῆς παρεθεῖσα ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἐν μολιβδίνῃ ἐταριχεύθη λάρνακι. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Μάρσος μετὰ λʹ ἡμέρας ἀποθανὼν, τῇ ἴσῃ παρεδόθη ταφῇ. Ὁ δὲ Ἰλλοῦς, τὴν τοῦ φρουρίου φυλακὴν ἐπιτρέψας Ἰνδακῷ Κοττούνῃ, τὸ λοιπὸν ἐσχόλαζεν ἐν ἀναγνώσει βιβλίων. Καὶ ὁ Λεόντιος ἐν νηστείᾳ τε καὶ θρήνοις διετέλει. Ἐμειονεκτεῖτο δὲ ἐκ τούτου τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἰλλοῦν· καὶ ὁ ἀντικάστελλος δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἔνδον Ῥωμαίοις προεδόθη, ὡς ἐν ἀπογνώσει τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἰλλοῦν γενέσθαι. 7. Ὑπάτου δὲ τοῦ Λογγίνου κατὰ τὸν ἑξῆς ἀποδεδειγμένου χρόνον (an. 486), ὅτε Θευδέριχος πάλιν εἰς ἀπόστασιν εἶδε, καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐλυμαίνετο χωρία, (καὶ) ὁ Ζήνων πρὸς τὸ Ὀδόακρον τὸν τῶν Ῥόγων ἐπανέστησε γένος, ὡς ἔγνω τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν Ἰλλοῦ συμμαχίαν παρασκευαζόμενον. Λαμπρὰν δὲ ἀναδησαμένων νίκην τῶν περὶ τὸν Ὀδόακρον, πρὸς δὲ καὶ πεμψάντων δῶρα τῷ Ζήνωνι τῶν λαφύρων, ἀποπροσποιησάμενος συνήδετο τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν. Οἱ δὲ τῇ Ἰλλοῦ καὶ Λεοντίου προεδρεύοντες πολιορκίᾳ, μετὰ τὸ ἐπιτυχεῖν τοῦ ἀντιφρουρίου πολλοῖς μηχανήμασιν ἐχρῶντο. Ἀντικαθεζομένων δὲ τῶν στρατευμάτων, καὶ ἐς λόγους φιλίους ἀνῆλθον Ἰλλοῦς τε καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Σκύθης, καὶ γραμμάτιον πρὸς τὸν Ζήνωνα διεπέμψαντο, ὑπομιμνῆσκον αὐτὸν ***. 215 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀναστάσιος ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον τραπεὶς πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τὴν τῆς πολιτείας ἀριστοκρατείαν μετέστησε, τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ἁπάσας ἀπεμπολῶν καὶ τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι συγχωρῶν, καὶ πρός γε χρημάτων ἀκόρεστον ἐπιθυμίαν τραπείς· ὡς κενὰς ἐντεῦθεν γενέσθαι καταλόγων τὰς ἐπαρχίας, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἄηθες καὶ ξένον καταπεπλῆχθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅπλοις τοὺς ἐπιόντας βαρβάρους ἠμύνετο, ἀλλὰ χρήμασι τὴν εἰρήνην ἐξωνούμενος διετέλει. Πρὸς δέ γε τούτοις καὶ τὰς τῶν τελευτώντων οὐσίας ἐπολυπραγμόνει, κοινὴν ἅπασι δωρούμενος τὴν πενίαν. Ὧν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐλάμβανε τὰς οὐσίας, τούτοις μετ' ὀλίγον διεδίδου τῷ τῆς εὐσεβείας τρόπῳ· καὶ ὧν ἐγύμνου πόλεων τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, τὰς οἰκοδομὰς ἀνενέου· ὡς καὶ τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην ἐπιμελῶς κοσμῆσαι, καὶ τρισὶ περιβαλεῖν στεφάνοις. 216 Ibid.: Ὅτι ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀναστασίου τοῦ βασιλέως δειναὶ ταῖς κατὰ Λιβύην πόλεσιν ἐπέσκηψαν θλίψεις ὑπὸ τῶν καλουμένων Μαζικῶν. Ἐδέδοντο γὰρ θυγατριδῷ Μαρίνου ἐς ἡγεμονίαν, ἀνδρὶ νέῳ καὶ πολὺ τὸ κοῦφον κεκτημένῳ· καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον αὖθις Βασσιανῷ τῷ παιδί. Ὁ δὲ οἷς ἔπραξε παντοίως τὰς τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἄρξαντος ὑπερβαλλόμενος ἀσελγείας, ἔδωκε Λίβυσιν αἱρεῖσθαι τὰ πρότερα, καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς μὲν πενίας, τοῖς δὲ θανάτου μνήμην καταλείψαντα. Οὕτως, εἰ δέοι εἰπεῖν, οἵ τε ἀφ' αἵματος καὶ ἁπλῶς οἱ τὴν Μαρίνου παρευτυχήσαντες εὔνοιαν, τοῖς Λιβύων διαφερόντως καὶ Αἰγυπτίων ἐνεφορήθησαν κτήμασιν. 217 ̣Cod. Vatican.̣: Λογισάμενος Ἰουστινιανὸς τὴν δαπάνην τῶν τοσούτων χιλιάδων δεῖν ἔκρινε μᾶλλον δι' ὀλίγων δώρων συμβάλλειν ἀλλήλοις τοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντας, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν μήτε τοσαῦτα δαπανᾷ εἰς τὸν στρατὸν μήτ' ὀχλεῖται πέμπων κατ' αὐτῶν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀλλήλοις αἰτία φθορᾶς γίνοιντο, ὃ δῆτα τέως ἐπὶ τοῖς