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and ordering many poultices to be placed on him, he kept quiet. But after all this, having recounted what had happened to Elpidius the physician, he was lamenting the sin 5.1.39 against Symmachus and Boetius. And after weeping and grieving deeply over the misfortune, he died not long afterward, having committed this first and last act of injustice against his own subjects, because, indeed, he did not investigate, as he was accustomed, before passing judgement on the two men. 5.2.1 And when he died, the kingdom was taken over by Atalaric, the grandson of Theoderic, who was eight years old and being raised by his mother Amalasuntha. 5.2.2 For his father had already passed from the world of men. And not long afterward Justinian in Byzantium 5.2.3 took over the kingdom. And Amalasuntha, being the guardian of her son, administered the government, having attained the greatest degree of intelligence and justice, but 5.2.4 displaying an exceedingly masculine nature. And for as long as she presided over the state, she punished none of all the Romans in his person or fined him in money. 5.2.5 Nor indeed did she permit the Goths to rush into injustice against them, but she also restored their property to the children of Symmachus and 5.2.6 Boetius. Amalasuntha, therefore, wished to have her son conform in his way of life to the Roman rulers and was already compelling him to attend 5.2.7 a schoolmaster's. And selecting three of the elders among the Goths, whom she knew to be more intelligent and reasonable than all the others, she ordered them to live with 5.2.8 Atalaric. But this was in no way pleasing to the Goths. For in their desire for injustice against their subjects, 5.2.9 they wished to be ruled by him in a more barbaric fashion. And once, when the mother caught her son doing something wrong in his chamber, she slapped him; and he, in tears, went from there to the 5.2.10 men's quarters. And the Goths, meeting with him, were indignant and, reviling Amalasuntha, claimed that she wished to do away with her son as quickly as possible, so that she herself, having gone to bed with another man, might rule with him over both Goths and 5.2.11 Italians. And gathering together, as many of them as were of note, and coming before Amalasuntha, they charged that the king was not being educated correctly for them, nor in a way that was advantageous. 5.2.12 For letters, they said, were far removed from manliness, and the teachings of old men for the most part resulted in cowardice and humility. 5.2.13 It was necessary, therefore, for one who was to be daring in any deed and great in renown, being freed from the fear of teachers, to practice his exercises in arms. 5.2.14 And they said that not even Theoderic had ever allowed any of the Goths 5.2.15 to send their children to a schoolmaster. For he used to say to all that if the fear that comes from the whip ever befell them, they would never deign to think highly of sword or 5.2.16 spear. And they bade her consider that her father Theoderic had died having become master of so great a land and having assumed a kingship that in no way belonged to him, even though he did not have so much as a hearsay knowledge of letters. 5.2.17 "Therefore, O mistress," they said, "bid these tutors farewell for now, and you give Atalaric some companions of his own age, who, growing up with him in age, will spur him on to virtue according to the barbarian law." 5.2.18 When Amalasuntha heard these things, she did not approve, but fearing the plot of the men, she gave the impression that their words were to her pleasure, and she conceded everything the barbarians asked of her. 5.2.19 And when the old men had left Atalaric, some boys were with him who were to be companions in his way of life, not yet youths, but not much older, who, as soon as he came to puberty, urging him into both drunkenness and intercourse with women, made him exceptionally malicious and, through his folly, rather disobedient to his 5.2.20 mother. So that he did not deign to pay any attention to her at all, even though the barbarians were already openly conspiring against her, who were even bidding the woman to withdraw from the palace 5.2.21 without restraint. But Amalasuntha neither

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βώνιά τε πολλά οἱ ἐπιθεῖναι κελεύσας ἡσύχαζε. μετὰ δὲ ἅπαντα εἰς Ἐλπίδιον τὸν ἰατρὸν τὰ ξυμπεσόντα ἐξενεγκὼν τὴν ἐς Σύμμαχόν τε καὶ Βοέτιον ἁμαρτάδα 5.1.39 ἔκλαιεν. ἀποκλαύσας δὲ καὶ περιαλγήσας τῇ ξυμφορᾷ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀδίκημα τοῦτο πρῶτόν τε καὶ τελευταῖον ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους τοὺς αὑτοῦ δράσας, ὅτι δὴ οὐ διερευνησάμενος, ὥσπερ εἰώθει, τὴν περὶ τοῖν ἀνδροῖν γνῶσιν ἤνεγκε. 5.2.1 Τελευτήσαντός τε αὐτοῦ παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀταλάριχος, ὁ Θευδερίχου θυγατριδοῦς, ὀκτὼ γεγονὼς ἔτη καὶ ὑπὸ τῇ μητρὶ Ἀμαλασούνθῃ τρεφό5.2.2 μενος. ὁ γάρ οἱ πατὴρ ἤδη ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο. χρόνῳ τε οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐν Βυζαντίῳ 5.2.3 τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβεν. Ἀμαλασοῦνθα δὲ ἅτε τοῦ παιδὸς ἐπίτροπος οὖσα, τὴν ἀρχὴν διῳκεῖτο, ξυνέσεως μὲν καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐλθοῦσα, τῆς δὲ 5.2.4 φύσεως ἐς ἄγαν τὸ ἀρρενωπὸν ἐνδεικνυμένη. ὅσον τε χρόνον τῆς πολιτείας προὔστη, οὐδένα τῶν πάντων Ῥωμαίων ἐς τὸ σῶμα ἐκόλασεν ἢ χρήμασιν ἐζημίωσεν. 5.2.5 οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Γότθοις ξυνεχώρησεν ἐς τὴν ἐς ἐκείνους ἀδικίαν ὀργῶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς Συμμάχου τε καὶ Βοε5.2.6 τίου παισὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀπέδωκεν. ἡ μὲν οὖν Ἀμαλασοῦνθα τὸν παῖδα ἐβούλετο τοῖς Ῥωμαίων ἄρχουσι τὰ ἐς τὴν δίαιταν ὁμότροπον καταστήσασθαι καὶ φοιτᾶν 5.2.7 ἐς γραμματιστοῦ ἤδη ἠνάγκαζε. τρεῖς τε ἀπολεξαμένη τῶν ἐν Γότθοις γερόντων, οὕσπερ ἠπίστατο μᾶλλον ἁπάντων ξυνετούς τε καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς εἶναι, ξυνδιαιτᾶ5.2.8 σθαι Ἀταλαρίχῳ ἐκέλευε. Γότθοις δὲ ταῦτα οὐδαμῆ ἤρεσκε. τῆς γὰρ ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἀδικίας ἐπιθυμίᾳ 5.2.9 βαρβαρικώτερον πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἄρχεσθαι ἤθελον. καί ποτε ἡ μὲν μήτηρ ἁμαρτάνοντά τι ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι τὸν παῖδα λαβοῦσα ἐρράπισε· καὶ ὃς δεδακρυμένος ἐς τὴν 5.2.10 ἀνδρωνῖτιν ἐνθένδε ἀπῆλθε. Γότθοι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐντυχόντες δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο καὶ τῇ Ἀμαλασούνθῃ λοιδορούμενοι ἰσχυρίζοντο βούλεσθαι αὐτὴν τὸν παῖδα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανιεῖν ὅτι τάχιστα, ὅπως αὐτὴ ἑτέρῳ ἀνδρὶ ἐς κοίτην ἐλθοῦσα Γότθων τε καὶ Ἰταλιωτῶν 5.2.11 ξὺν αὐτῷ ἄρχοι. ξυλλεγέντες τε, ὅσοι δὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς λόγιμοι ἦσαν καὶ παρὰ τὴν Ἀμαλασοῦνθαν ἐλθόντες ᾐτιῶντο οὐκ ὀρθῶς σφίσιν οὐδὲ ᾗ ξυμφέρει τὸν βασιλέα 5.2.12 παιδεύεσθαι. γράμματά τε γὰρ παρὰ πολὺ κεχωρίσθαι ἀνδρίας, καὶ διδασκαλίας γερόντων ἀνθρώπων ἔς τε τὸ δειλὸν καὶ ταπεινὸν ἀποκρίνεσθαι ἐκ 5.2.13 τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. δεῖν τοίνυν τὸν ἔν τινι ἔργῳ τολμητήν τε καὶ δόξῃ μέγαν ἐσόμενον, φόβου τοῦ ἐκ διδασκάλων ἀπαλλαγέντα, τὰς ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις μελέτας 5.2.14 ποιεῖσθαι. ἔλεγον δὲ ὡς οὐδὲ Θευδέριχός ποτε Γότθων 5.2.15 τινὰς τοὺς παῖδας ἐς γραμματιστοῦ πέμπειν ἐῴη. λέγειν γὰρ ἅπασιν ὡς, ἤνπερ αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ σκύτους ἐπιγένηται δέος, οὐ μήποτε ξίφους ἢ δορατίου ὑπερ5.2.16 φρονεῖν ἀξιώσουσιν. ἐννοεῖν τε αὐτὴν ἐδικαίουν ὡς ἄρα οἱ ὁ πατὴρ Θευδέριχος χώρας τε τοσαύτης κύριος γεγονὼς καὶ βασιλείαν οὐδαμόθεν αὐτῷ προσήκουσαν περιβαλλόμενος τελευτήσειε, καίπερ γραμμάτων οὐδὲ 5.2.17 ὅσον ἀκοὴν ἔχων. «οὐκοῦν, ὦ δέσποινα,» ἔφασαν, «παι»δαγωγοὺς μὲν τούτους χαίρειν τανῦν ἔα, σὺ δὲ Ἀτα»λαρίχῳ ὁμοδιαίτους ἥλικάς τινας δίδου, οἵπερ αὐτὸν «τὰ ἐς τὴν ἡλικίαν ξυνακμάζοντες ἐς τὴν ἀρετὴν κατά «γε τὸν βάρβαρον νόμον ὁρμήσουσι.» 5.2.18 Ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ἤκουσεν Ἀμαλασοῦνθα, οὐκ ἐπῄνεσε μὲν, δείσασα δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλὴν, δόκησίν τε παρείχετο ὡς πρὸς ἡδονῆς αὐτῇ οἱ λόγοι ἐγίνοντο, καὶ ξυνεχώρει ἅπαντα ὅσων οἱ βάρβαροι αὐτῆς 5.2.19 ἔχρῃζον. τῶν τε γερόντων Ἀταλάριχον ἐκλελοιπότων παῖδες αὐτῷ τινες ξυνῆσαν κοινωνοὶ τῆς διαίτης ἐσόμενοι, οὔπω μὲν ἡβηκότες, χρόνῳ δὲ οὐ πολλῷ προτερεύοντες, οἵπερ αὐτὸν, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ἐς ἥβην ἦλθεν, ἔς τε μέθην καὶ γυναικῶν μίξεις παρακαλοῦντες, κακοήθη τε διαφερόντως εἶναι καὶ τῇ μητρὶ ὑπὸ ἀβελ5.2.20 τερίας ἀπειθέστερον κατεστήσαντο. ὥστε οὐδὲ μεταποιεῖσθαι αὐτῆς τὸ παράπαν ἠξίου, καίπερ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἤδη ξυνισταμένων, οἵ γε καὶ τῶν βασιλείων ἀναχωρεῖν τὴν ἄνθρωπον 5.2.21 ἀνέδην ἐκέλευον. Ἀμαλασοῦνθα δὲ οὔτε