175

while he was listening and Gainas was present, he poured forth a long speech, reproaching him for his country and his exile, and how, having then been saved by the emperor's father, he had sworn indeed to be loyal to the Romans, to him and to his children and laws, which he was attempting to make void. 8.4. And saying these things, he showed the law which Theodosius had established, forbidding heretics to hold church within the walls. Then, turning his speech to the emperor, he persuaded him to keep in force the established law against the other heresies, advising that it was better to relinquish the empire than to become a be8.4.10 trayer of the house of God and act impiously. And he, having thus spoken boldly, permitted no innovation concerning the churches under him. But Gainas was already intending to break his oath and to sack the city, when indeed a very great comet foretold this plot, appearing over the city, extending almost to the very earth, and such as is said not to have occurred before. 8.4.11 He first attempted to attack the silversmiths' shops, hoping to collect a great amount of money from there; but when a rumor arose that this had been planned, and the silversmiths had hidden their ready wealth and were no longer displaying the silver on their tables publicly as was their custom, sending a multitude 8.4.12 of barbarians at night he commanded them to set fire to the palace. But they returned unsuccessful and terrified. For when they drew near, they thought they saw a multitude of hoplites of great stature, and suspecting that it was a newly arrived ar8.4.13 my, they reported it to Gainas. But he—for he knew that no more than the usual soldiers were residing in the city—did not think it right to believe what was said. But when others sent on the following night reported the same as the former 8.4.14, he went himself and became an eyewitness of the strange sight. 8.4.14 Thinking that the soldiers from the other cities had assembled on his account and were guarding the city and the palace by night but were hiding by day, he pretended to be possessed by a demon; and as if to pray, he went to the church which the emperor's father had built in honor of John the Baptist near the 8.4.15 Hebdomon. Some of the barbarians remained inside, while others went out with Gainas. They secretly brought out weapons in women's carriages and chests of arrows; but when they were discovered, they killed the guards of the gates who tried to prevent the removal of the weapons. From this, full of confusion and tumult 8.4.16 the city became, as if it were about to be captured immediately. But a good plan prevailed against the present dangers. For the emperor, without any delay, declared Gainas a public enemy, and or8.4.17 dered the barbarians who had been left behind in the city to be killed. And the soldiers, attacking them, killed most of them, and set fire to the so-called church of the Goths; for they happened to be gathered there as in a customary house of prayer, for whom it was no longer possible to escape 8.4.18 with the gates having been closed. When Gainas learned these things, he marched through Thrace and came to the Chersonese and was eager to cross the Hellespont. For he intended that, if he could gain control of Asia opposite, he would easily bring all the subject nations toward the east under his own power. But these things also 8.4.1 turned out for him contrary to his expectations, by a divine turn of fortune, the Romans also prevailing there. For an army was present both by land and by sea, sent by the emperor, which Fravitta commanded, a man barbarian by race, but good in character and skilled in strategy. The barbarians, not having ships, attempted to sail across the Hellespont on rafts to the opposite continent. But suddenly a strong west wind blew and violently broke up the rafts and drove the Ro8.4. man ships against them. Most of the barbarians were submerged along with their horses, while others were killed by the soldiers. But Gainas, having then been saved along with a few others, not long after, while wandering and fleeing through Thrace, fell in with another army and along with the barbarians around him 8.4.21 perished. this of the bold deeds of Gainas

175

ἐπακούοντος αὐτοῦ τε Γαϊνᾶ παρόντος πολὺν κατέχεε λόγον, πατρίδα τε καὶ φυγὴν ὀνειδίζων, καὶ ὡς τῷ βασιλέως πατρὶ τότε σωθεὶς ὤμοσεν ἦ μὴν ῾Ρωμαίοις εὐνοεῖν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ παισὶ καὶ νόμοις, οὓς ἀκύρους ἐπιχειρεῖ ποιεῖν. 8.4. καὶ τάδε λέγων ἐδείκνυ τὸν νόμον, ὃν Θεοδόσιος ἔθετο τοὺς ἑτεροδόξους εἴργων ἔνδον τειχῶν ἐκκλησιάζειν. ἐκ τούτου δὲ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τρέψας τὸν λόγον ἔπεισε τὸν τεθέντα νόμον κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων αἱρέσεων κύριον φυλάττειν, ἄμεινον εἶναι συμβουλεύων τῆς βασιλείας παραχωρεῖν ἢ προ8.4.10 δότην οἴκου θεοῦ γενόμενον ἀσεβεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνδρείως ὧδε παρρησιασάμενος οὐδὲν συνεχώρησε νεωτερισθῆναι περὶ τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίας. ὁ δὲ Γαϊνᾶς ἐπιορκεῖν ἤδη διενοεῖτο καὶ τὴν πόλιν πορθεῖν, ἡνίκα δὴ ταύτην τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν προεμήνυσε κομήτης ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως φανεὶς μέγιστος, εἰς αὐτὴν σχεδὸν τὴν γῆν διήκων καὶ οἷος πρότερον μὴ γεγενῆσθαι λέγεται. 8.4.11 ἐπειρᾶτο δὲ πρῶτον τοῖς ἀργυροπωλείοις ἐπιθέσθαι, πλῆθος χρημάτων ἐντεῦθεν συλλέγειν ἐλπίσας· φήμης δὲ γενομένης, ὅτι τάδε βεβούλευται, καὶ τῶν ἀργυροπωλῶν τὸν πρόχειρον πλοῦτον ἀποκρυψαμένων καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζῶν ἄργυρον οὐκέτι συνήθως δημοσίᾳ προτιθέντων, ἐν νυκτὶ πλῆθος 8.4.12 ἐπιπέμψας βαρβάρων ἐνετείλατο τὰ βασίλεια ἐμπιπρᾶν. οἱ δὲ ἄπρακτοι καὶ κατεπτηχότες ἀνέστρεφον. ὡς γὰρ πλησίον ἐγένοντο, πλῆθος ὁπλιτῶν ἐν μεγάλοις σώμασιν ἔδοξαν ὁρᾶν, ὑπονοήσαντες δὲ νέηλυν εἶναι στρα8.4.13 τιὰν ἤγγειλαν τῷ Γαϊνᾷ. ὁ δέ-ἠπίστατο γὰρ τῶν εἰωθότων μὴ πλείους τῇ πόλει ἐνδημεῖν στρατιώτας-οὐκ ἠξίου τοῖς λεγομένοις πιστεύειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐχομένης νυκτὸς ἀποσταλέντες ἕτεροι ταὐτὰ τοῖς πρότερον 8.4.14 ἤγγειλαν, αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν αὐτόπτης ἐγένετο τοῦ παραδόξου θεάματος. νομίσας τε αὐτοῦ χάριν συνεληλυθέναι τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων στρατιώτας καὶ νύκτωρ μὲν φρουρεῖν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ βασίλεια, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δὲ λανθάνειν, σκήπτεται δαιμονᾶν· ὡς εὐξόμενός τε καταλαμβάνει τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἣν ἐπὶ τιμῇ ᾿Ιωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως πατὴρ ᾠκοδόμησε πρὸς τῷ 8.4.15 ῾Εβδόμῳ. τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων οἱ μὲν ἔνδον ἔμενον, οἱ δὲ Γαϊνᾷ συνεξῄεσαν. λάθρα δὲ συνεξῆγον ὅπλα ἐν γυναικείοις ὀχήμασι καὶ κεράμους βελῶν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐφωράθησαν, τοὺς φύλακας τῶν πυλῶν ἀναιροῦσι πειραθέντας κωλῦσαι τὴν τῶν ὅπλων ἐκκομιδήν. ἐκ τούτου δὲ ταραχῆς καὶ θορύβων ἀνάπλεως 8.4.16 ἡ πόλις ἐγένετο ὡς αὐτίκα ἁλωσομένη. ἀγαθὴ δὲ γνώμη ἐκράτει πρὸς τὰ παρόντα δεινά. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς μηδὲν μελλήσας τὸν μὲν Γαϊνᾶν πολέμιον ἀνεκήρυξε, τοὺς δὲ περιλειφθέντας ἐν τῇ πόλει βαρβάρους ἀναιρεθῆναι προσ8.4.17 έταξεν. ἐπιθέμενοι δὲ τούτοις οἱ στρατιῶται ἀναιροῦσι τοὺς πλείους, τὴν δὲ καλουμένην τῶν Γότθων ἐκκλησίαν ἐμπιπρῶσιν· ὡς εἰς συνήθη γὰρ εὐκτήριον οἶκον ἐνθάδε ἠθροισμένοι ἐτύγχανον, οἷς οὐκέτι φυγεῖν ἐξεγένετο 8.4.18 τῶν πυλῶν κεκλεισμένων. ταῦτα δὲ μαθὼν ὁ Γαϊνᾶς διὰ Θρᾴκης ἐλάσας ἧκεν εἰς Χερρόνησον καὶ τὸν ῾Ελλήσποντον περαιοῦσθαι ἐσπούδαζε. διενοεῖτο γὰρ ὡς, εἰ τῆς ἀντιπέρας ᾿Ασίας κρατήσειεν, ῥᾳδίως πάντα τὰ πρὸς ἕω τῆς ἀρχομένης ἔθνη ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιήσει. παρ' ἐλπίδας δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ 8.4.1 τάδε ἀπήντα θείᾳ ῥοπῇ κἀνταῦθα τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων χρησαμένων. παρῆν μὲν γὰρ στρατιὰ κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν παρὰ βασιλέως ἀπεσταλμένη, ἧς ἡγεῖτο Φραβίτας, ἀνὴρ βάρβαρος τὸ γένος, ἀγαθὸς δὲ τὸν τρόπον καὶ στρατηγικός. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ναῦς μὴ ἔχοντες ἐπὶ σχεδιῶν ἐπειρῶντο διεκπλεῖν τὸν ῾Ελλήσποντον πρὸς τὴν ἀντικρὺ ἤπειρον. ἐξαπίνης δὲ πολὺς ἐπιπνεύσας ζέφυρος τὰς σχεδίας διέλυσε σὺν βίᾳ καὶ κατὰ τούτων τὰς ῾Ρω8.4. μαίων ναῦς ἤλαυνεν. τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων οἱ πλείους μὲν αὐτοῖς ἵπποις ὑποβρύχιοι ἐγένοντο, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀνῃρέθησαν. ὁ δὲ Γαϊνᾶς ἅμα ὀλίγοις περισωθεὶς τότε, οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἀνὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἀλώμενός τε καὶ φεύγων ἑτέρᾳ στρατιᾷ περιέπεσε καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν βαρβάροις 8.4.21 ἀπώλετο. τοῦτο τῶν Γαϊνᾶ τολμημάτων