229

about to come upon 5.29.47 them. The reason was that the spears of the majority had happened to be broken both in the engagement and in the flight, and they were not able to use their bows effectively because of the narrow space in which 5.29.48 they were crowded against each other. So long, then, as not many were seen on the battlements, the Goths pressed the attack, hoping both to destroy all those who were shut off 5.29.49 and to force those inside the circuit-wall. But when they saw a great number of both soldiers and of the Roman populace defending themselves on the battlements, they at once despaired and rode back from there, heaping many insults upon their adver5.29.50 saries. And the battle, having begun in the barbarians' palisades, ended both in the moat and at the city wall. 6.t.1 PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA, HISTORY OF THE WARS, BOOK SIX. 6.1.1 After this the Romans no longer dared to risk an engagement with their whole army. But by making cavalry attacks in raids in their former manner they for the most part defeated the bar6.1.2 barians. And foot-soldiers also went out from both sides, not drawn up in a phalanx, but following the horse6.1.3 men. And on one occasion Bessas, in the first rush, charged against the enemy with his spear, killed three of their best horsemen, and turned the others to flight. 6.1.4 And again Constantine, leading the Huns in the Plain of Nero late in the afternoon, when he saw that the enemy were overpowering his men by their numbers, did as follows. 6.1.5 There is a great stadium there from ancient times, where the gladiators of the city formerly used to contend, and the men of old built many other things around this stadium, and from it, as is 6.1.6 natural, there happen to be narrow passages in all parts of the area. At that time, therefore, Constantine, since he was neither able to overcome the throng of the Goths nor to flee without great danger, dismounted all the Huns from their horses and stood on foot with them in one of the 6.1.7 narrow passages there. From which place, shooting from a position of safety, they killed many of the enemy. And for some 6.1.8 time the Goths held out while being shot at. For they hoped that, as soon as the arrows failed the quivers of the Huns, they could encircle them with no trouble and, after binding them, lead them to their own 6.1.9 camp. But since the Massagetae, being good bowmen and shooting into a great throng, hit an enemy man with practically every shot, they perceived that more than half of their number were lost, and since the sun was already going toward its setting and they did not know what to do, they set out to flee. 6.1.10 There, indeed, many of them fell. For the Massagetae, following them, since they know how to shoot most expertly and while riding at full speed, were killing them no less by shooting them in the back. And so Constantine with the Huns came to Rome at night. 6.1.11 But not many days later, when Peranius was leading some Romans through the Salarian Gate against the enemy, the Goths were fleeing at full speed, but a pursuit in the opposite direction suddenly took place around sunset, and one of the Roman foot-soldiers, getting into a great panic, fell into a certain deep trench, of which sort many were made here, I think, by the men of old for the storage 6.1.12 of grain. And neither daring to utter a cry, since the enemy were encamped somewhere nearby, nor being able to get out of the pit in any way, since he had no means of ascent, 6.1.13 he was forced to spend the night there. But on the following day, when a rout of the barbarians had again occurred, one of the 6.1.14 Goths fell into the same trench. There indeed both came together in friendliness and goodwill toward one another, necessity bringing them together, and they gave pledges that the safety of the one would be earnestly sought by the other, and then indeed both shouted loudly and 6.1.15 amazingly. The Goths, therefore, both following the sound and peering down over the trench, 6.1.16 began to ask who in the world the shouting man was. And since it had been so decided by the two men, the Roman kept silent, while the other said in his native tongue that he had just fallen in during the rout which had occurred, and that they should lower a rope, 6.1.17

229

ἐπ' 5.29.47 αὐτοὺς μέλλοντας. αἴτιον δὲ ἦν ὅτι τοῖς μὲν πολλοῖς τὰ δόρατα ἔν τε τῇ ξυμβολῇ καὶ τῇ φυγῇ κατεαγότα ἐτύγχανε, τὰ δὲ τόξα ἐνεργεῖν στενοχωρίᾳ τῇ πρὸς 5.29.48 ἀλλήλους οὐχ οἷοί τε ἦσαν. ἕως μὲν οὖν οὐ πολλοὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐπάλξεσι καθεωρῶντο, οἱ Γότθοι ἐνέκειντο, ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες τούς τε ἀποκεκλεισμένους ἅπαντας 5.29.49 διαφθεῖραι καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ περιβόλῳ βιάσασθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ στρατιωτῶν τε καὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων δήμου ἀμυνομένων πολύ τι χρῆμα ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις εἶδον, αὐτίκα δὴ ἀπογνόντες ἐνθένδε ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνον, πολλὰ τοὺς ἐναν5.29.50 τίους κακίσαντες. ἥ τε μάχη ἐν τοῖς τῶν βαρβάρων χαρακώμασιν ἀρξαμένη ἔν τε τῇ τάφρῳ καὶ τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἐτελεύτησε τείχει. 6.τ.1 ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΟΥ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΩΣ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΕΜΩΝ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΚΤΟΣ. 6.1.1 Μετὰ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ διακινδυνεύειν οὐκέτι ἐτόλμων. ἱππομαχίας δὲ ποιούμενοι ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς τρόπῳ τῷ προτέρῳ τὰ πολλὰ τοὺς βαρ6.1.2 βάρους ἐνίκων. ᾔεσαν δὲ καὶ πεζοὶ ἑκατέρωθεν, οὐκ ἐς φάλαγγα ξυντεταγμένοι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν ἑπό6.1.3 μενοι. καί ποτε Βέσσας ἐν πρώτῃ ὁρμῇ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ξὺν τῷ δόρατι ἐσπηδήσας τρεῖς τε τῶν ἀρίστων ἱππέων ἔκτεινε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐς φυγὴν ἔτρεψεν. 6.1.4 αὖθις δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος τοὺς Οὔννους ἐπαγόμενος ἐν Νέρωνος πεδίῳ ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, ἐπειδὴ τῷ πλήθει ὑπερβιαζομένους τοὺς ἐναντίους εἶδεν, ἐποίει τοιάδε. 6.1.5 στάδιον μέγα ἐνταῦθα ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐστιν, οὗ δὴ οἱ τῆς πόλεως μονομάχοι τὰ πρότερα ἠγωνίζοντο, πολλά τε ἄλλα οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι ἀμφὶ τὸ στάδιον τοῦτο ἐδείμαντο, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ στενωποὺς, ὡς τὸ 6.1.6 εἰκὸς, πανταχόθι τοῦ χωρίου ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. τότε οὖν Κωνσταντῖνος, ἐπεὶ οὔτε περιέσεσθαι τοῦ τῶν Γότθων ὁμίλου εἶχεν οὔτε κινδύνου μεγάλου ἐκτὸς φεύγειν οἷός τε ἦν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἵππων ἅπαντας τοὺς Οὔννους ἀποβιβάσας πεζὸς ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔς τινα τῶν 6.1.7 ἐκείνῃ στενωπῶν ἔστη. ὅθεν δὴ βάλλοντες ἐκ τοῦ ἀσφαλοῦς τοὺς πολεμίους συχνοὺς ἔκτεινον. καὶ χρό6.1.8 νον μέν τινα οἱ Γότθοι βαλλόμενοι ἀντεῖχον. ἤλπιζον γὰρ, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα τῶν Οὔννων τὰς φαρέτρας ἐπιλείπῃ τὰ βέλη, κύκλωσίν τε αὐτῶν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ποιήσασθαι καὶ δήσαντες ἐς στρατόπεδον αὐτοὺς τὸ σφέ6.1.9 τερον ἄξειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Μασσαγέται, τοξόται μὲν ἀγαθοὶ ὄντες, ἐς πολὺν δὲ ὅμιλον βάλλοντες, τοξεύματι σχεδόν τι ἑκάστῳ πολεμίου ἀνδρὸς ἐπετύγχανον, ᾔσθοντο μὲν ὑπὲρ ἥμισυ ἀπολωλότες, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἐς δυσμὰς ἰόντος ἡλίου οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅ τι γένωνται ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο. 6.1.10 ἔνθα δὴ αὐτῶν πολλοὶ ἔπεσον. ἐπισπόμενοι γὰρ οἱ Μασσαγέται, ἐπεὶ τοξεύειν ὡς ἄριστα καὶ πολλῷ χρώμενοι δρόμῳ ἐπίστανται, οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἐς νῶτα βάλλοντες ἔκτεινον. οὕτω τε ἐς Ῥώμην Κωνσταντῖνος ξὺν τοῖς Οὔννοις ἐς νύκτα ἧκε. 6.1.11 Περανίου δὲ ἡμέραις οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον Ῥωμαίων τισὶ διὰ πύλης Σαλαρίας ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἡγησαμένου ἔφευγον μὲν κατὰ κράτος οἱ Γότθοι, παλινδιώξεως δὲ περὶ ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου γεγενημένης, τῶν τις Ῥωμαίων πεζὸς ἐς μέγαν καταστὰς θόρυβον ἐς βαθεῖάν τινα κατώρυχα ἐμπίπτει, οἷαι πολλαὶ τοῖς πάλαι ἀνθρώποις πρὸς σίτου παρακατα6.1.12 θήκην ἐνταῦθα, οἶμαι, πεποίηνται. οὔτε δὲ κραυγῇ χρῆσθαι τολμήσας, ἅτε που ἐγγὺς στρατοπεδευομένων τῶν πολεμίων, οὔτε τοῦ βόθρου τρόπῳ ὁτῳοῦν ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι οἷός τε ὢν, ἐπεὶ ἀνάβασιν οὐδαμῆ εἶχεν, 6.1.13 αὐτοῦ διανυκτερεύειν ἠνάγκαστο. τῇ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ, τροπῆς αὖθις τῶν βαρβάρων γεγενημένης, τῶν 6.1.14 τις Γότθων ἐς τὴν αὐτὴν κατώρυχα ἐμπίπτει. ἔνθα δὴ ἄμφω ἔς τε φιλοφροσύνην καὶ εὔνοιαν ξυνηλ θέτην ἀλλήλοιν, ξυναγούσης αὐτοὺς τῆς ἀνάγκης, τά τε πιστὰ ἔδοσαν, ἦ μὴν κατεσπουδασμένην ἑκατέρῳ τὴν θατέρου σωτηρίαν εἶναι, καὶ τότε δὴ μέγα καὶ 6.1.15 ἐξαίσιον ἄμφω ἐβόων. Γότθοι μὲν οὖν τῇ τε φωνῇ ἐπισπόμενοι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς κατώρυχος διακύψαντες 6.1.16 ἐπυνθάνοντο ὅστις ποτὲ ὁ βοῶν εἴη. οὕτω δὲ τοῖν ἀνδροῖν δεδογμένον, σιωπὴν μὲν ὁ Ῥωμαῖος εἶχεν, ἅτερος δὲ τῇ πατρίῳ γλώσσῃ ἔναγχος ἔφασκεν ἐν τῇ γενομένῃ τροπῇ ἐμπεπτωκέναι, βρόχον τε αὐτοὺς, 6.1.17