,

by some divine providence, the man who committed the murder at Anchialus, when the pursuit of the stag by many around the emperor had taken place; (and it is not out of place to go through the cause of this effective providence, which courses through the inhabited world daily, overseeing things here with an unwearying eye and always dispensing requitals for what has been lived among men.) the father of the murder was caught in the 6.10.5 net of justice. For after some time, having come to the royal city, he offered the emblems of the golden belt to a certain goldsmith artisan to be melted down. The artisan, therefore, observing the parts of the belt to be very famous, the form of its unfastening violent, and the quality of the face barbarian, suspected that some theft had been committed by the man. 6.10.6 Having therefore sent for seven men from the so-called praetor of the demes, he handed the barbarian over to the court. So they brought the barbarian, holding his head high and being very rebellious, into the house of accusations, and having appointed an interpreter, they inquired from where he had the remains of a conspicuous 6.10.7 and very magnificent belt. The murderer, therefore (for he happened to be a Gepaid), very sophistically offered his defense; and what he said is this. Albuis possessed the leadership 6.10.8 of the Lagobard nation. This man fell in love with a certain maiden; and the maiden happened to be the daughter of Cunimundus, who was leader of the Gepaids. And since he was not able to persuade her with words, he resorted to force for the deed. Therefore, having set up an ambush and attacking unexpectedly, the lover snatched away the maiden. From this, the war received its 6.10. seeds. The Lagobards, therefore, had the upper hand in the war. For this reason, Cunimundus sent ambassadors to the younger Justin the emperor, beseeching him to be his ally. And so that the matters of the embassy might be respectful to the emperor, the wronged man had sent magnificent 6.10.10 gifts to the Caesar. But the emperor, admiring the ambition of the supplicant, was inclined to mercy, and having composed a letter, he ordered the general Baduarius to gather the forces around Scythia and Moesia and to help 6.10.11 Cunimundus. These things were therefore announced to Albuis, and fearing the forces of the Romans, he sought to be reconciled, so to speak, to the wronged man with treaties and splendid gifts, and he demanded also to make the marriage alliance according to marriage laws. 6.10.12 But Cunimundus, not bearing the sharpness of the insult, demanded that wars be the outcomes of the insults. Therefore, when the battle took place, the Romans were victorious, and the victors became masters of the spoils. "From this," he said, "is the acquisition of this splendid 6.10.13 belt." Then he is questioned by the patrolling order of the court, "And who was this, who wore this distinguished belt?" So he adds fiction to fiction and says, "He happened to be a son by a concubine of the so-called king of the Longobards, who wore the distinguished belt. Having killed this man and plundered the dead, I took the belt as a reward 6.10.14 for my dangers." Thus, then, the barbarian argues very cleverly and becomes plausible with his narrative, and for a while, he conceals the murder. Therefore, he was acquitted of the charge. But when he was released, a certain man of those standing by the praetor wisely examines the words and undertakes to ascertain the 6.10.15 time of the events narrated by the Gepaid. For this reason, the men of the court overtake the barbarian at a run and force him to come back again to the court. When the barbarian had entered, at any rate, the magistrate asked the time of the events 6.10.16 narrated by him. Since, therefore, it was an account of older events, and the story was determined to precede by thirty years, and that this man was younger than the things narrated, the president of the court subjected the barbarian to tortures 6.10.17

θείᾳ φροντίδι τινὶ ὁ τὸν φόνον ἐπὶ τὴν ᾿Αγχίαλον ποιησάμενος, ὅτε τῆς ἐλάφου πολλῶν περὶ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα δίωξις ἐγεγόνει· (οὐκ ἀπὸ δὲ τρόπου καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διεξελθεῖν τῆς δραστικῆς προνοίας, τῆς περὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην διατρεχούσης ὁσημέραι ἀκαμάτῳ τε ὀφθαλμῷ ἐπισκοπούσης τὰ τῇδε τάς τε ἀντιδόσεις τῶν βεβιωμένων πρὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πρυτανευούσης ἀεί.) ἥλω τῷ 6.10.5 δικτύῳ τῆς δίκης ὁ τοῦ φόνου πατήρ. μετὰ χρόνον γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ βασίλειον ἄστυ γενόμενος τὰ τῆς χρυσῆς ζώνης ἐπίσημα χρυσουργῷ τεχνίτῃ τινὶ διαχωνεῦσαι παρείχετο. ὁ μὲν οὖν τεχνίτης τὰ μέλη τῆς ζώνης κατανοήσας λίαν ἐπίδοξα τό τε σχῆμα τῆς ἀφηλώσεως βίαιον τήν τε τοῦ προσώπου ποιότητα βάρβαρον κλοπὴν δρασθῆναί τινα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὑπειλήφει. 6.10.6 παραπεμψάμενος τοίνυν ἐκ τοῦ λεγομένου πραίτωρος τῶν δήμων ἄνδρας ἑπτὰ παρεδίδου τῷ δικαστηρίῳ τὸν βάρβαρον. οἱ μὲν οὖν ὑψαυχενιζόμενον καὶ λίαν καταστασιάζοντα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὸν βάρβαρον διεκόμιζον ἑρμηνέα τε προστησάμενοι κατεπυνθάνοντο πόθεν αὐτῷ ζώνης περι6.10.7 βλέπτου καὶ λίαν μεγαλοπρεποῦς ὕπεστι λείψανα. ὁ μὲν οὖν φονευτὴς (Γήπαις δὲ οὗτος ἄρα ἐτύγχανεν ὤν) λίαν σοφιστικῶς τὴν ἀπολογίαν παρείχετο· ἃ δὲ εἶπεν, ταῦτα ἐκεῖνά ἐστιν. τοῦ Λαγοβάρδου ἔθνους ᾿Αλβοῦϊς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν 6.10.8 ἐκέκτητο. οὗτος εἰς ἔρωτα καταπίπτει νεάνιδός τινος· ἡ δὲ νεᾶνις θυγάτριον ἐτύγχανεν ὂν Κονιμούνδου, τοῦ τῶν Γηπαίδων ἡγεμονεύοντος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις πείθειν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν, βίᾳ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐχώρησεν. ἐνέδραν τοιγαροῦν συστησάμενος ἀδοκήτως τε ἐπιθέμενος ἀφαρπάζει τὴν παρθένον ὁ ἐραστής. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ πόλεμος λαμβάνει τὰ 6.10. σπέρματα. οἱ μὲν οὖν Λαγόβαρδοι κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπροτέρησαν. διά τοι τοῦτο ὁ Κονιμοῦνδος πρέσβεις ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸν νεώτερον ᾿Ιουστῖνον τὸν αὐτοκράτορα συμμαχεῖν αὐτῷ ποτνιώμενος. ὅπως δὲ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι αἰδέσιμα τὰ περὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν προσγένοιτο, δῶρα ὁ ἠδικημένος μεγαλο6.10.10 πρεπῶς ἐπεπόμφει παρὰ τὸν Καίσαρα. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τὸ φιλότιμον θαυμάσας τοῦ ἱκετεύσαντος πρὸς ἔλεον ἐπικλίνεται, ἐπιστολήν τε συντάξας προστάττει Βαδουαρίῳ στρατηγῷ τὰς περὶ τὴν Σκυθίαν καὶ Μυσίαν δυνάμεις ἀθροίσαντι βοηθεῖν 6.10.11 Κονιμούνδῳ. ἠγγέλθη τοίνυν ταῦτα τῷ ᾿Αλβοῦϊ, καὶ τὰς ῾Ρωμαίων ὀρρωδήσας δυνάμεις συνθήκαις ἠξίου καὶ δώροις λαμπροῖς πρὸς τὸν ἠδικημένον ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν διαλύσασθαι, ἐξῄτει τε καὶ τὴν ἐπιγαμβρίαν γαμηλίοις νόμοις ποιήσασθαι. 6.10.12 ὁ δὲ Κονιμοῦνδος τὸ δριμὺ μὴ φέρων τῆς ὕβρεως πολέμοις ἠξίου τὰς ὕβρεις τῶν ἐκβάσεων γίνεσθαι. γεγονυίας τοίνυν τῆς παρατάξεως, νικῶσι ῾Ρωμαῖοι, καὶ κύριοι τῶν σκύλων οἱ νενικηκότες καθίστανται. "ἐντεῦθεν" φησὶν "ἡ τῆς λαμπρᾶς 6.10.13 ταύτης ζώνης ἐπίκτησις." εἶτα ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ τῆς περιπόλου τάξεως τοῦ δικαστηρίου, "καὶ τίς οὗτος, ὃς τὴν ἐπιφανῆ ταύτην περιέκειτο ζώνην;" ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐπισυνάπτει πλάσμα τῷ πλάσματι καί φησιν "υἱὸς ἐκ παλλακῆς τοῦ λεγομένου τῶν Λογγιβάρδων ῥηγὸς ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, ὃς τὴν ἐπιφανῆ ζώνην περιεβάλλετο. τοῦτον ἀνελὼν καὶ λαφυραγωγήσας τὸν τεθνεῶτα μισθὸν τῶν κινδύνων ἀνειλόμην τὴν 6.10.14 ζώνην." οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ βάρβαρος λίαν σοφιστικεύει δεινῶς καὶ γίνεται πιθανὸς τῷ διηγήματι, καὶ τέως μικρὸν ἀποκρύπτει τὸν φόνον. ἀνέθη τοιγαροῦν τοῦ ἐγκλήματος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφέθη, εἷς τις ἀνὴρ τῶν παρεστηκότων τῷ πραίτωρι συνετῶς ἀνακρίνει τοὺς λόγους καὶ πυθέσθαι διεγχειρεῖ τὸν 6.10.15 χρόνον τῶν ἱστορηθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ Γήπαιδος. διά τοι τοῦτο οἱ τοῦ δικαστηρίου ἐπιφθάνουσι δρόμῳ τὸν βάρβαρον καὶ ἐπανήκειν αὖθις εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον ἀναγκάζουσιν. εἰσεληλυθότος γοῦν τοῦ βαρβάρου, ἠρώτα ὁ ἡγεμὼν τὸν χρόνον τῶν 6.10.16 ἀφηγηθέντων αὐτῷ. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν πρεσβυτέρων πραγμάτων ἔκθεσις ἦν, τριάκοντά τε ἔτεσι προτερεύειν τὴν ἱστορίαν διέγνωστο τοῦτον δὲ τῶν διηγηθέντων πεφυκέναι νεώτερον, πρὸς στρεβλώσεις ὁ προεστὼς τοῦ δικαστηρίου τὸν βάρβαρον 6.10.17