237

he leaped, 6.5.19 and killed some of his opponents. But as his opponents surrounded him and hurled many javelins, his horse was struck and fell, but he himself, contrary to expectation, escaped through the midst 6.5.20 of the enemy. And on foot with his comrades he went to the Pincian gate. And they overtook the barbarians who were still pursuing and, striking them from the rear, killed them. 6.5.21 When Trajan and his men saw this, and since the cavalry 6.5.22 who were standing in readiness there had also come to their aid, they charged at a run against the pursuers. Then indeed the Goths, having been out-generalled and unexpectedly caught in the middle of the enemy, were killed in no 6.5.23 order. And a great slaughter of them occurred, and very few escaped with difficulty to their camps, and the rest, in fear for all their entrenchments, fortified themselves there and remained for the rest of the time, thinking that the Romans would attack them 6.5.24 very soon. In this action one of the barbarians struck Trajan in the face, above the right eye, and a little way 6.5.25 from the nose. And all the iron was fixed inside and became completely invisible, although it had a large and very long point, but the remainder of the missile fell to the ground at once without anyone forcing it. For it seems to me that the iron was not securely fixed 6.5.26 to it. Trajan, however, had no sensation of this, but continued no less killing and pursuing the enemy. But in the fifth year afterwards the tip of the iron 6.5.27 appeared, projecting of its own accord in his face. And this is the third year since it has been coming out little by little. It is therefore expected that a long time later the entire point will come out. And it has in no way been a hindrance to the man. These things, then, happened thus. 6.6.1 But the barbarians at once gave up on the war and were deliberating how they might withdraw from there, being destroyed both by the plague and by the enemy, and now reduced to a few from many myriads, and not least were they also pressed by famine, in word besieging, but in deed being besieged by their opponents and cut off from all necessaries. 6.6.2 And when they learned that another army had come to the enemy by land and by sea from Byzantium, not as large as it happened to be, but as large as the power of rumour was able to make it, they, dreading the danger, 6.6.3 deliberated on the withdrawal. They therefore sent ambassadors to Rome, with a Roman, a man of repute among the Goths, as the third, who came before Belisarius and spoke 6.6.4 as follows: «That the affairs of the war have turned out to the advantage of neither of us, each one of us well knows, having come to 6.6.5 the actual experience of the difficulties here. For what «could one of either army deny, of things which 6.6.6 it has happened that neither is ignorant? But that «it is characteristic of unintelligent men to wish to toil endlessly «for the sake of immediate rivalry, and to find no solution «for the things that trouble them, no one, I think, 6.6.7 at least of those who are not senseless, would gainsay. And when these things «are so, it is fitting that the leaders of both sides should not «sacrifice the safety of their subjects for their own reputation, «but should choose what is both just and advantageous not «only for themselves, but also for their opponents, «and so make a resolution of the present 6.6.8 difficulties. For to aim at moderate terms «provides a way out of all difficulties, but with rivalry it is natural that nothing 6.6.9 of what is necessary is accomplished. We, «therefore, having deliberated concerning the conclusion of this «war, proposing what is advantageous for both sides, in which «we think we are even conceding something of our just claims, have come to you 6.6.10. And may you also not, using some rivalry against «us, decide to be destroyed along with us rather than to choose what is advantageous 6.6.11 for yourselves. It is fitting «that we should both make our speeches not in a continuous discourse, «but by interrupting at once, if anything seems 6.6.12 to have been said inappropriately. For in this way it will come about that both sides will have said »briefly whatever is on their mind and will have accomplished 6.6.13 what is necessary.» he replied

237

ἥλατο, 6.5.19 καί τινας τῶν ἐναντίων αὐτοῦ ἔκτεινε. περιστάντων δὲ αὐτὸν συχνά τε ἀκοντιζόντων τῶν ἐναντίων ὁ μὲν ἵππος πληγεὶς ἔπεσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ παρὰ δόξαν διὰ μέσων 6.5.20 τῶν πολεμίων διέφυγε. πεζὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς ἑταίροις ἐπὶ πύλας Πιγκιανὰς ᾔει. ἔτι τε διώκοντας τοὺς βαρβάρους καταλαβόντες καὶ κατὰ νώτου βάλλοντες ἔκτειναν. 6.5.21 ὅπερ δὴ οἱ ἀμφὶ Τραϊανὸν κατιδόντες, ἐπιβεβοηθηκότων σφίσι καὶ τῶν ταύτῃ ἐν παρασκευῇ καθεστώτων 6.5.22 ἱππέων, ἐπὶ τοὺς διώκοντας δρόμῳ ἐχώρουν. τότε δὴ οἱ Γότθοι καταστρατηγηθέντες τε καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐν μέσῳ ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἀπειλημμένοι, οὐδενὶ 6.5.23 κόσμῳ ἐκτείνοντο. πολύς τε αὐτῶν γέγονε φόνος καὶ ὀλίγοι κομιδῆ ἐς τὰ στρατόπεδα διέφυγον μόλις, οἵ τε λοιποὶ περὶ πᾶσι τοῖς χαρακώμασι δείσαντες αὐτοῦ φραξάμενοι τὸ λοιπὸν ἔμενον, αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ἐπιέναι 6.5.24 σφίσι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους οἰόμενοι. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ τῶν τις βαρβάρων Τραϊανὸν βάλλει ἐς τὸ πρόσωπον, ὀφθαλμοῦ μὲν τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἄνωθεν, ὀλίγῳ δὲ τῆς ῥινὸς 6.5.25 ἄποθεν. καὶ σίδηρος μὲν ἅπας ἐντός τε ἐπάγη καὶ παντάπασιν ἀφανὴς γέγονε, καίπερ μεγάλην τε τὴν ἀκίδα ἔχων καὶ μακρὰν κομιδῆ, τοῦ δὲ βέλους τὸ λειπόμενον ἐς τὴν γῆν οὐδενὸς βιασαμένου εὐθὺς ἔπεσε. δοκεῖ γάρ μοι οὐδὲ ἀσφαλῶς ἐς αὐτὸν ὁ σίδηρός πη 6.5.26 ἐρηρεῖσθαι. Τραϊανῷ μέντοι αἴσθησις τούτου οὐδεμία ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' οὐδέν τι ἧσσον κτείνων τε καὶ διώκων τοὺς πολεμίους διέμεινε. πέμπτῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐνιαυτῷ αὐτόματον ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ προὖχον τὸ τοῦ σιδήρου 6.5.27 ἄκρον ἐφάνη. τρίτον τε τοῦτο ἔτος ἐξ οὗ κατὰ βραχὺ πρόεισιν ἔξω ἀεί. ἐπίδοξος οὖν ἐστι πολλῷ ὕστερον χρόνῳ ἔξω γενήσεσθαι ἡ ἀκὶς ξύμπασα. ἐμπόδιος δὲ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐδαμῆ γέγονε. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτως ἔσχεν. 6.6.1 Οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι εὐθὺς μὲν ἀπεγίνωσκόν τε τὸν πόλεμον καὶ ὅπως ἐνθένδε ἀναχωρήσωσιν ἐν βουλῇ εἶχον, πρός τε τοῦ λοιμοῦ καὶ τῶν πολεμίων διεφθαρμένοι, ἐς ὀλίγους τε ἤδη ἐκ μυριάδων περιεστηκότες πολλῶν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ τῷ λιμῷ ἐπιέζοντο τῷ μὲν λόγῳ πολιορκοῦντες, ἔργῳ δὲ πολιορκούμενοι πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ πάντων ἀποκεκλεισμένοι τῶν ἀναγ6.6.2 καίων. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ στράτευμα ἕτερον ἐλθεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἐπύθοντο, οὐχ ὅσον ἐτύγχανεν ὂν, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἡ τῆς φήμης ἐξουσία ποιεῖν ἴσχυε, κατωρρωδηκότες τὸν κίνδυνον 6.6.3 τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιοῦντο. ἔπεμψαν οὖν πρέσβεις ἐς Ῥώμην, Ῥωμαῖον ἄνδρα ἐν Γότθοις δόκιμον τρίτον αὐτὸν, ὃς παρὰ Βελισάριον ἐλθὼν ἔλεξε 6.6.4 τοιάδε «Ὡς μὲν οὐδετέροις ἡμῶν ἐς τὸ ξυμφέρον τὰ «τοῦ πολέμου κεχώρηκεν ἐξεπίσταται ἡμῶν ἕκαστος ἐς 6.6.5 «αὐτὴν ἥκων τῶν ἐνθένδε δυσκόλων τὴν πεῖραν. τί «γὰρ ἄν τις ἑκατέρων ἀρνηθείη τῶν στρατοπέδων, ὧν 6.6.6 «γε οὐδετέροις ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ κεῖσθαι συμπέπτωκεν; ὡς «δὲ ἀξυνέτων ἐστὶν ἀνδρῶν ἀπέραντά τε ταλαιπωρεῖν «βούλεσθαι, φιλονεικίας ἕνεκα τῆς αὐτίκα, καὶ λύσιν «τῶν ἐνοχλούντων μηδεμίαν εὑρεῖν, οὐδεὶς ἂν, οἶμαι, 6.6.7 «τῶν γε οὐκ ὄντων ἀνοήτων ἀντείποι. ὅταν δὲ ταῦτα «οὕτως ἔχῃ, τοὺς ἑκατέρων ἡγουμένους προσήκει μὴ «δόξης τῆς οἰκείας τὴν τῶν ἀρχομένων σωτηρίαν «προΐεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τά τε δίκαια καὶ τὰ ξύμφορα οὐ «σφίσιν αὐτοῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς σφῶν ἐναντίοις «ἑλέσθαι, οὕτω τε τὴν διάλυσιν τῶν παρόντων ποιεῖ6.6.8 «σθαι δυσκόλων. τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν μετρίων ἐφίεσθαι «πᾶσι χαλεποῖς δίδωσι πόρον, τῷ δὲ φιλονείκῳ τὸ 6.6.9 «μηδὲν περαίνεσθαι τῶν δεόντων συμπέφυκεν. ἡμεῖς «μὲν οὖν καταστροφῆς πέρι τοῦδε βουλευσάμενοι τοῦ «πολέμου τὰ ξύμφορα ἑκατέροις προτεινόμενοι, ἐν οἷς «τι καὶ τῶν δικαίων ἐλασσοῦσθαι οἰόμεθα, παρ' ὑμᾶς 6.6.10 «ἥκομεν. ὅπως δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ φιλονεικίᾳ τινὶ πρὸς «ἡμᾶς χρώμενοι ξυνδιαφθείρεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ ξυνοί6.6.11 «σοντα ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἑλέσθαι βουλεύσησθε. προσήκει «δὲ μὴ ξυνεχεῖ ῥήσει τοὺς λόγους ἀμφοτέρους ποιεῖσθαι, «ἀλλ' ὑπολαμβάνοντας ἐκ τοῦ παραυτίκα, ἤν τι μὴ 6.6.12 «ἐπιτηδείως εἰρῆσθαι δοκῇ. οὕτω γὰρ ἑκατέροις εἰρη»κέναι τε διὰ βραχέος ὅσα σφίσι κατὰ νοῦν ἐστι καὶ 6.6.13 «τὰ δέοντα πεπραχέναι ξυμβήσεται.» ἀπεκρίνατο