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having put his hand on the food, lay prone on the couch, but Velas suddenly strikes his neck with his sword. 7.1.48 so that, while the food was still held in the man's fingers, the head, crashing down onto the table, both astonished and brought all those present into a great state of amazement. 7.1.49 This vengeance came upon Ildibad for the murder of Uraias. And the winter was ending, and the sixth year was coming to a close for this war, which Procopius has chronicled. 7.2.1 Now there was a certain Erarichus in the army of the Goths, a Rugian by race, and invested with great power among these barbarians. These Rugians are a Gothic nation, 7.2.2 and in ancient times they lived under their own laws. But since Theoderic had in the beginning allied them with himself along with certain other nations, they had been incorporated into the Gothic race and did everything with them against the enemy. 7.2.3 However, by mixing as little as possible with foreign women, through unmixed successions of children, they preserved the name of their nation among themselves. 7.2.4 This Erarichus, since affairs had fallen into confusion after the murder of Ildibad, the Rugians suddenly proclaimed king. 7.2.5 which was by no means pleasing to the Goths, but most of them fell into great despondency, since their hopes had been destroyed, which they had previously placed in Ildibad, who was indeed capable of recovering for the Goths both their rule and the dominion of Italy. 7.2.6 Erarichus, however, did nothing at all worthy of mention; for after surviving for five months 7.2.7 he died in the following manner. There was a certain Totila, a nephew of Ildibad, who had attained the highest degree of intelligence and possessed the greatest energy and was of great account among the Goths. This Totila happened at that time to be commander of the Goths in Tarbesium. 7.2.8 But when he learned that Ildibad had disappeared from among men in the manner that has been told, he sent to Constantianus at Ravenna, begging that pledges be given him for his safety, on condition that he would surrender to the Romans both himself and the Goths whom he commanded, together with Tarbesium. 7.2.9 When Constantianus heard this, he gladly swore to everything just as Totila had asked, and an appointed day was agreed upon by both for the deed, on which Totila and the Goths who were garrisoning Tarbesium were to receive into the city some of Constantianus' men and to hand themselves over together with it. 7.2.10 By now the Goths were vexed by the rule of Erarichus, seeing that the man was not competent to carry on the war against the Romans, and most of them were openly reviling him as having become an obstacle to great deeds for them, because he had done away with Ildibad. 7.2.11 Finally, having come to an agreement, they send to Totila at Tarbesium, summoning him to the throne. For already having a great longing among themselves for the rule of Ildibad, they turned their hope of victory to Totila, his kinsman, becoming hopeful in the man for wanting 7.2.12 the same things. But he, openly revealing his agreement with the Romans to those who had come to him, said that if the Goths killed Erarichus before the appointed day, he would both follow them and would accomplish everything as they wished. 7.2.13 When the barbarians heard this, they set about a plot for the destruction of Erarichus. These things were happening 7.2.14 in the camp of the Goths. Meanwhile the Roman army, in safety, enjoying the enemy's lack of leisure, neither gathered together nor intended to do anything 7.2.15 against the barbarians. But Erarichus, calling all the Goths together, persuaded them to send envoys to the Emperor Justinian, to ask him to make peace with them on the same terms he had previously been willing to grant to Vittigis; so that the Goths, holding the lands beyond the Padus River, should withdraw from the rest of Italy. 7.2.16 And when the Goths approved of this, he chose some of his most trusted men and sent them as envoys, among them 7.2.17 one named Cavallarius. These men were ostensibly to negotiate with the emperor on the matters which I have mentioned before, but secretly he instructed them to do nothing else with the emperor except that he himself should receive much money and be enrolled among the patricians

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χεῖρα ἐπιβαλὼν ἐς τὰ βρώματα ἐπὶ τῆς στιβάδος πρηνὴς ἔκειτο, Οὐέλας δὲ αὐτοῦ ἄφνω τῷ ξίφει τὸν τράχηλον 7.1.48 παίει. ὥστε, τῶν βρωμάτων ἔτι ἐχομένων ἐν τοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου δακτύλοις, ἡ κεφαλὴ εἰς τὴν τράπεζαν καταρραγεῖσα ἐξέπληξέ τε καὶ ἐς θάμβος τι μέγα τοὺς 7.1.49 παρόντας ἤνεγκεν ἅπαντας. αὕτη μὲν τίσις Ἰλδίβαδον περιῆλθε τοῦ Οὐραΐα φόνου. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ τὸ ἕκτον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψεν. 7.2.1 Ἐράριχος δὲ ἦν τις ἐν τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ Ῥογὸς μὲν γένος, δύναμιν δὲ περιβεβλημένος ἐν τούτοις δὴ τοῖς βαρβάροις μεγάλην. οἱ δὲ Ῥογοὶ οὗτοι ἔθνος 7.2.2 μέν εἰσι Γοτθικὸν, αὐτόνομοί τε τὸ παλαιὸν ἐβίουν. Θευδερίχου δὲ αὐτοὺς τὸ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἑταιρισαμένου σὺν ἄλλοις τισὶν ἔθνεσιν, ἔς τε τὸ Γότθων ἀποκέκριντο γένος καὶ ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ἅπαντα ἔπρασσον. 7.2.3 γυναιξὶ μέντοι ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιμιγνύμενοι ἀλλοτρίαις, ἀκραιφνέσι παίδων διαδοχαῖς τὸ τοῦ ἔθνους ὄνομα ἐν 7.2.4 σφίσιν αὐτοῖς διεσώσαντο. τοῦτον Ἐράριχον, ἐπεὶ ἐς ταραχὴν ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰλδιβάδου φόνῳ καθεστήκει τὰ πράγματα, βασιλέα ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου οἱ Ῥογοὶ ἀνεῖπον. 7.2.5 ὅπερ τοῖς Γότθοις οὐδαμῶς ἤρεσκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πολλὴν οἱ πλεῖστοι ἀθυμίαν κατέστησαν ἅτε τῶν ἐλπίδων σφίσι διεφθαρμένων, ἅσπερ ἐπὶ Ἰλδιβάδῳ τὰ πρότερα ἔσχον, ὃς δὴ τήν τε ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ Ἰταλίας 7.2.6 κράτος Γότθοις ἀνασώσασθαι ἱκανὸς ἦν. Ἐράριχος μέντοι οὐδὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον ἔδρασε· μῆνας γὰρ 7.2.7 πέντε ἐπιβιοὺς ἐτελεύτησε τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. Τουτίλας ἦν τις, Ἰλδιβάδου ἀνεψιὸς, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ξυνέσεως ἥκων καὶ τὸ δραστήριον ὡς μάλιστα ἔχων καὶ λόγου ἐν Γότθοις πολλοῦ ἄξιος. οὗτος ὁ Τουτίλας Γότθων μὲν τηνικαῦτα τῶν ἐν Ταρβησίῳ ἄρχων ἐτύγχανεν. 7.2.8 ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι Ἰλδίβαδον οὕτως, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐπύθετο, πέμψας πρὸς Κωνσταντιανὸν ἐς Ῥάβενναν, τὰ πιστά οἱ δοθῆναι ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐδεῖτο, ἐφ' ᾧ αὑτόν τε καὶ Γότθους, ὧν ἦρχε, ξὺν 7.2.9 Ταρβησίῳ παραδώσει Ῥωμαίοις. ἅπερ Κωνσταντιανὸς ἀσμένως ἀκούσας ὤμοσεν ἅπαντα καθάπερ ὁ Τουτίλας ᾔτησε, τακτή τε ἡμέρα ἐς τὸ ἔργον ἀμφοτέροις ξυνέκειτο, ἐν ᾗ ἔμελλε Τουτίλας τε καὶ Γότθοι οἱ ἐν Ταρβησίῳ φρουρὰν ἔχοντες δέξασθαι τῇ πόλει τινὰς τῶν Κωνσταντιανῷ ἐπιτηδείων καὶ σφᾶς γε αὐτοὺς ξὺν αὐτῇ ἐγχειρίσαι. 7.2.10 Ἤδη δὲ Γότθοι τῇ Ἐραρίχου ἀρχῇ ἤχθοντο, οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων τὸν ἄνδρα ὁρῶντες τὸν πόλεμον πρὸς Ῥωμαίους διενεγκεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς οἱ πλεῖστοι ἐκάκιζον ἅτε μεγάλων ἔργων ἐμπόδιον γεγονότα σφίσιν, ὅτι δὴ ἐκποδὼν Ἰλδίβαδον πεποίηται. 7.2.11 τέλος δὲ ξυμφρονήσαντες πέμπουσι παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἐς Ταρβήσιον, ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρακαλοῦντες. πολὺν γὰρ ἤδη πόθον τῆς Ἰλδιβάδου ἀρχῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔχοντες τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς νίκης ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τὸν ἐκείνου ξυγγενῆ ἔτρεπον, εὐέλπιδες ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ γενόμενοι τῷ βού7.2.12 λεσθαι ταὐτά. ὁ δὲ τοῖς παρ' αὐτὸν ἥκουσιν ἄντικρυς τὴν ἐς Ῥωμαίους ὁμολογίαν ἀποκαλύψας ἔφασκεν ὡς, ἢν Γότθοι Ἐράριχον τῆς κυρίας ἐντὸς κτείνουσιν, ἕψεταί τε αὐτοῖς καὶ πάντα ἐπιτελῆ ποιήσει ᾗ αὐτοὶ 7.2.13 βούλοιντο. ταῦτα ἐπεὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἤκουσαν, ἐπιβουλῇ ἐς τὴν Ἐραρίχου καταστροφὴν εἴχοντο. ταῦτα μὲν 7.2.14 ἐν τῷ Γότθων στρατοπέδῳ ἐγίνοντο. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἀπολαύοντες ἀσχολίας οὔτε ξυνίσταντο οὔτε τι δρᾶν 7.2.15 ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους διενοοῦντο. Ἐράριχος δὲ Γότθους ἅπαντας συγκαλέσας πρέσβεις ἀνέπεισε πρὸς Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα πέμψαι, δεησομένους ἐφ' ᾧ εἰρήνην πρὸς αὐτοὺς θήσεται, ἐφ' οἷσπερ Οὐιττίγιδι τὰ πρότερα σπένδεσθαι ἤθελεν· ὥστε τὰ ἐκτὸς Πάδου ποταμοῦ Γότθους ἔχοντας ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι Ἰταλίας τῆς ἄλλης. 7.2.16 καὶ ἐπεὶ Γότθοι ταῦτα ἐπῄνεσαν, ἀπολέξας τινὰς τῶν οἱ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἐπιτηδείων, πρέσβεις ἔπεμψεν ἄλλους 7.2.17 τε καὶ Καβαλλάριον ὄνομα. οἱ δὲ πρὸς βασιλέα ταῦτα δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ πράξειν ἔμελλον ἅπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, λάθρα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἄλλο μηδὲν πρὸς βασιλέα πράσσειν ἐπέστελλε, πλήν γε δὴ ὅπως χρήματά τε αὐτὸς πολλὰ λήψεται καὶ ἐς πατρικίους