278

the country-folk, because he indeed used such great thrift and forethought that it happened that they were never subjected to any violence while Belisarius was general, and it happened that all became rich beyond expectation among whom a multitude of his army might be quartered. 7.1.9 For they sold them all their provisions at their own price. And whenever the crops were ripe, he took the most scrupulous care that the cavalry, in passing, should not damage 7.1.10 them. And when the fruit was on the trees, absolutely no one was permitted to touch 7.1.11 it. And indeed, he laid claim to self-control in a remarkable degree. For in fact he never touched any other woman except his own wedded 7.1.12 wife. And so, having taken captives from both the Vandals and the Goths, so many in number and of such beauty of face, as no man, I suppose, has ever seen, he allowed none of them to come into his 7.1.13 sight, nor anyone to meet with them otherwise. And in addition to all his other qualities, he was exceptionally shrewd and 7.1.14 in hopeless situations most capable of devising the best course. However, in the dangers of war he was courageous with security and most daring with calculation, both swift and hesitant in his attacks upon the enemy, 7.1.15 being each as the need required. Apart from these things, in times of danger he shewed a mind both full of hope and superior to confusion, and in prosperity he was neither exalted nor given to luxury; at any rate no one ever saw Belisarius drunk. 7.1.16 For all the time, then, that he commanded the Roman army in both Libya and Italy, he was continually victorious and always acquiring what was before 7.1.17 him. But when he was recalled and came to Byzantium, his excellence became known to a very great extent even more than 7.1.18 before. For since he himself was pre-eminent in every excellence, and by his command of great wealth and by the power of his shield-bearers and guards surpassed the generals of all time, he became, as was natural, an object of fear to all, both officers 7.1.19 and soldiers. For no one, I think, dared to oppose him when he gave a command, and they nowhere refused to carry out whatever he commanded, both out of respect for his excellence 7.1.20 and in fear of his power. For he furnished seven thousand cavalry from his own household; of whom, indeed, not one was worthless, and each one of them claimed the right to stand first in the line of battle and to challenge the best of the 7.1.21 enemy. And the elders of the Romans, when they were being besieged by the Goths and saw what was being done in the engagements of the war, would exclaim in great wonder that one household was destroying the power of 7.1.22 Theoderic. Belisarius, then, having become powerful, as has been said, both in prestige and in judgment, both planned what would be advantageous to the emperor's affairs and always carried out his decisions with independent judgment. 7.1.23 But the other commanders, being rather on an equality with one another and having it in mind to achieve nothing except their own profit, now began to plunder the Romans and to give up their subjects to the soldiers, and they neither considered what was necessary any longer themselves nor did they have soldiers who obeyed their 7.1.24 commands. For this reason, indeed, many mistakes were made by them and all the affairs of the Romans were ruined in a short time. These things I shall now proceed to relate in whatever way I can. 7.1.25 When Ildibadus learned that Belisarius had departed from Ravenna and was on his way, he gathered about him all the barbarians and as many of the Roman soldiers as were pleased by 7.1.26 revolution. And he took the greatest care of his command, and made it his earnest endeavor to recover for the Gothic 7.1.27 race the sovereignty of Italy. At first, then, not more than a thousand followed him and they held one city, Ticinum, but gradually all who were in Liguria and Venetia came over to 7.1.28 him. There was a certain Alexander in Byzantium in charge of the public accounts; this office the Romans, using the Greek term, call 7.1.29 Logothete. This man was always charging the soldiers with losses to the public treasury. And by involving them in such injustices, he himself quickly became famous from being obscure, and from being a poor man, downright wealthy, and he also collected great sums of money for the emperor, if any man ever did, but the soldiers to be few and poor and to go reluctantly against the

278

ἀγροίκους ὅτι δὴ τοσαύτῃ φειδοῖ τε καὶ προνοίᾳ ἐχρῆτο ὥστε βιασθῆναι μὲν αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν πώποτε στρατηγοῦντος Βελισαρίου τετύχηκε, πλουτεῖν δὲ παρὰ δόξαν ξυνέβαινε πᾶσιν οἷς ἂν αὐτοῦ ἐπιδημοίη στρατιᾶς 7.1.9 πλῆθος. ἀπεδίδοντο γὰρ αὐτοῖς κατὰ γνώμην τὰ ὤνια πάντα. καὶ ἡνίκα μὲν ἀκμάζοι τὰ λήϊα, ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς διεφύλασσε μή τινι παριοῦσα ἡ ἵππος λυμή7.1.10 νηται. τῶν δὲ ὡραίων ἐν τοῖς δένδροις ὄντων ἅψα7.1.11 σθαι αὐτῶν οὐδενὶ τὸ παράπαν ἐξουσία ἐγίνετο. καὶ μὴν καὶ σωφροσύνης ὑπερφυῶς μετεποιεῖτο. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὖν οὐδὲ ἄλλης ὅτι μὴ τῆς γεγαμημένης γυναικὸς 7.1.12 ἥπτετο. αἰχμαλώτους οὖν ἔκ τε Βανδίλων καὶ Γότθων ἑλὼν τοσαύτας τε τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τοιαύτας τὰ πρόσωπα, οἵας οὐδείς που ἀνθρώπων εἶδεν, οὔτε οἱ ἐς ὄψιν 7.1.13 αὐτῶν τινα ἥκειν οὔτε ἄλλως ἐντυχεῖν εἴασεν. ἦν δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀγχίνους τε διαφερόντως κἀν 7.1.14 τοῖς ἀπόροις ἐπινοῆσαι τὰ βέλτιστα ἱκανώτατος. ἐν μέντοι κινδύνοις πολέμου εὔψυχός τε ἦν ξὺν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ καὶ ξὺν λογισμῷ εὐτολμότατος, ὀξύς τε καὶ μελλητὴς ἐν τῇ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀεὶ ἐγχειρήσει, 7.1.15 κατὰ τὴν χρείαν ἑκάτερον. ἄνευ δὲ τούτων ἐν μὲν τοῖς δεινοῖς εὔελπίν τε τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ταραχῆς παρείχετο κρείσσω, εὐημερῶν δὲ οὔτε ἐπῆρτο οὔτε ἐτρύφα· μεθύοντα γοῦν Βελισάριον οὐδείς ποτε εἶδεν. 7.1.16 ὅσον μὲν οὖν χρόνον τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἔν τε Λιβύῃ καὶ Ἰταλίᾳ προὔστη, νικῶν τε διετέλει καὶ τὰ 7.1.17 ἐν ποσὶν ἀεὶ κτώμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς Βυζάντιον μετάπεμπτος ἦλθεν, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀρετὴ 7.1.18 ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐγνώσθη. αὐτός τε γὰρ πάσῃ ἀρετῇ προὔχων καὶ πλούτου μὲν πολλοῦ ἐξουσίᾳ, δυνάμει δὲ ὑπασπιστῶν τε καὶ δορυφόρων τοὺς πώποτε στρατηγοὺς ὑπεραίρων, φοβερὸς, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἄρχουσί τε 7.1.19 πᾶσι καὶ στρατιώταις ἐγένετο. ἀντιτείνειν τε γὰρ ἐπιτάττοντι, οἶμαι, οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα, ἐπιτελῆ τε πράσσειν ὅσα ἐπιτάττοι οὐδαμοῦ ἀπηξίουν, τήν τε ἀρετὴν αἰσχυ7.1.20 νόμενοι καὶ δεδιότες τὴν δύναμιν. ἑπτακισχιλίους γὰρ ἱππέας ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας παρείχετο· ὧν δὴ ἀπόβλητος μὲν οὐδεὶς ἐγεγόνει, αὐτῶν δὲ ἕκαστος πρῶτός τε ἐν τῇ παρατάξει ἑστάναι καὶ προκαλεῖσθαι τοὺς τῶν πολε7.1.21 μίων ἀρίστους ἠξίουν. Ῥωμαίων δὲ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, ἡνίκα πρὸς Γότθων πολιορκούμενοι τὰ ποιούμενα ἐν ταῖς τοῦ πολέμου ξυμβολαῖς ἔβλεπον, ἐν θαύματι μεγάλῳ ποιούμενοι ἀνεφθέγγοντο ὡς οἰκία μία τὴν Θευ7.1.22 δερίχου δύναμιν καταλύοι. Βελισάριος μὲν οὖν τῷ τε ἀξιώματι καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, δυνατὸς γεγονὼς τά τε ξυνοίσοντα τοῖς βασιλέως πράγμασιν ἐβουλεύετο καὶ τὰ δεδογμένα ἔπρασσεν ἀεὶ αὐτονόμῳ γνώμῃ. 7.1.23 Οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἄρχοντες, ἴσοι μᾶλλον αὐτοὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὄντες καὶ οὐδὲν ὅτι μὴ κέρδη οἰκεῖα ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες διαπράσσεσθαι, τούς τε Ῥωμαίους ληΐζεσθαι καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐνδιδόναι τοὺς κατηκόους ἤδη ἤρξαντο, καὶ οὔτε αὐτοὶ ἐφρόνουν τὰ δέοντα ἔτι οὔτε τοὺς στρατιώτας τῶν παραγγελλομένων ἐπακούον7.1.24 τας εἶχον. διὸ δὴ πολλά τε αὐτοῖς ἡμαρτήθη καὶ τὰ πράγματα διεφθάρη Ῥωμαίοις ξύμπαντα ἐν χρόνῳ ὀλίγῳ. ἅπερ ἐγὼ ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. 7.1.25 Ἐπειδὴ Βελισάριον ἐκ Ῥαβέννης ἀναστάντα ὁδῷ ἰέναι Ἰλδίβαδος ἐπύθετο, τούς τε βαρβάρους ξυνῆγεν ἀμφ' αὑτὸν ἅπαντας καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν 7.1.26 ὅσους νεώτερα πράγματα ἤρεσκε. καὶ τῆς μὲν ἀρχῆς ὡς μάλιστα ἐπεμελεῖτο, ἀνασώσασθαι δὲ Γότθων τῷ 7.1.27 γένει τὸ Ἰταλιωτῶν κράτος ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιεῖτο. κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν οὐ πλέον ἢ χίλιοι αὐτῷ εἵποντο καὶ πόλιν μίαν Τικινὸν εἶχον, κατὰ βραχὺ δὲ προσεχώρησαν αὐτῷ ἅπαντες ὅσοι ἐν τῇ Λιγουρίᾳ καὶ Βενετίαις 7.1.28 ἦσαν. ἦν δὲ Ἀλέξανδρός τις ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τοῖς δημοσίοις ἐφεστὼς λογισμοῖς· λογοθέτην τὴν τιμὴν ταύ7.1.29 την ἑλληνίζοντες καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι. οὗτος ἀεὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις τὴν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἐπεκάλει ζημίαν. τοιούτων δὲ ἀδικημάτων αὐτοὺς ὑπάγων, αὐτὸς μὲν ἔνδοξος ἐξ ἀδόξων ταχὺ γέγονεν, ἐκ πενήτων ἀτεχνῶς πλούσιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλεῖ χρήματα μεγάλα, εἴπερ τις ἄλλος, ἐπράξατο, τοὺς δὲ στρατιώτας ὀλίγους τε καὶ πτωχοὺς εἶναι καὶ ὀκνηρῶς εἰς τοὺς