301

Therefore, I do not know what I should say about these 7.16.31 things which you yourself have said. For why should one trouble a man who before the defence has renounced the agreement? But this I would not keep silent, that it is evident how much philanthropy you are about to display towards the Romans who have taken up arms against you, you who have decided to wage unheralded enmity against the Sicilians who have in no way opposed you. 7.16.32 But I, for my part, letting go of my entreaty to you, will transfer my embassy to God, who is accustomed to be wroth with those who scorn supplications.” 7.17.1 Having said these things, Pelagius departed. And when the Romans saw him return unsuccessful, they fell into great helplessness. And the famine, still growing worse each day, was working irreparable harm upon them. The soldiers, however, were not yet lacking necessities, 7.17.2 but were still holding out. For this reason the Romans gathered in a crowd and, approaching the commanders of the emperor's army, Bessas and Conon, weeping and with much wailing, they spoke as follows: “Such, O generals, we see are our present fortunes, that even if we were strong enough to do some unholy deed to you, this charge would not 7.17.3 bring any blame upon us. For the excess of necessity contains its own defense. But now, being unable to defend ourselves by deed, we have come to you to declare in word and to bewail our misfortune; but that you may hear us gently, not being disturbed by the boldness of our words, 7.17.4 but weighing this by the extremity of our suffering. For he who is forced to despair of his salvation is no longer able 7.17.5 to preserve propriety in deeds or words. Consider us, O generals, to be neither Romans nor your kinsmen, nor to have become like-minded in the customs of the state, nor to have willingly received the emperor's army into the city at the beginning, but rather to have been enemies from the start who took up arms against you, and then, having been defeated in battle, to have become your own spear-won slaves according to the law of war. 7.17.6 And supply to your captives food not sufficient for our need, but enough to barely live, so that we, surviving, may in return serve you as it is fitting for servants to serve their masters. 7.17.7 But if this is not easy or willed by you, then deign to release us from your hand, gaining this, not to be troubled with the burials of slaves; and if not even this is left to us, deign to kill us, and do not deprive us of a temperate end, nor begrudge us the sweetest death of all, but by a single act 7.17.8 deliver the Romans from countless hardships.” When Bessas and his men heard these things, they said that it was impossible to provide them with provisions, but that to kill them was unholy, and yet to release them was not without danger. And they insisted that Belisarius and the army from Byzantium would arrive very soon, and having encouraged them with this, they sent them away. 7.17.9 But the famine, growing still worse and prolonged, reached a great pitch of evil, suggesting foods that were unusual 7.17.10 and beyond nature. At first, then, Bessas and Conon, who were in command of the garrison in Rome (for they happened to have stored a very large measure of grain for themselves within the circuit-wall of Rome), and the soldiers, cutting from their own needs, sold it to the well-to-do among the Romans for large sums of money; for the price of a medimnus had become seven gold pieces. 7.17.11 But for those whose household affairs were not in such a state as to be able to afford food so much more valuable, they, paying a quarter of the price, filled a medimnus with bran and ate it, necessity making this food for them most sweet and most delicate. 7.17.12 And an ox, which the bodyguards of Bessas might capture on a foray, they would sell for fifty gold pieces. And whoever possessed a dead horse or anything else of that sort, this Roman was counted among the exceedingly fortunate, because he was able to revel in the flesh of a dead animal. 7.17.13 But all the rest of the multitude only the nettles

301

μὲν οὖν οὐκ οἶδα ὅ τι δεῖ περὶ τού7.16.31 «των ὧν αὐτὸς εἴρηκας. τί γὰρ ἄν τις ἐνοχλοίη «τόν γε πρὸ τῆς ἀπολογίας ἀπειπόντα τὴν ξύμβασιν; «ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐκ ἂν σιωπῴην, ὡς ἔνδηλος εἶ ὁπόσην ἐς «Ῥωμαίους τοὺς σοὶ ὅπλα ἀντάραντας φιλανθρωπίαν «ἐνδείκνυσθαι μέλλεις, ὃς ἐς Σικελιώτας τοὺς οὐδαμῆ «σοι ἀπηντηκότας ἀκήρυκτον τὸ ἔχθος ἐξενεγκεῖν ἔγνως. 7.16.32 «ἀλλ' ἔγωγε μεθεὶς τὴν πρὸς σὲ δέησιν τὴν πρεσβείαν «ἐς τὸν θεὸν μεταθήσομαι, ὃς δὴ τοῖς τὰς ἱκεσίας «ὑπερφρονοῦσι νεμεσᾶν εἴωθε.» 7.17.1 Τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ Πελάγιος ἀπηλλάσσετο. καὶ αὐτὸν Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπεὶ ἄπρακτον ἐπανήκοντα εἶδον, ἐν πολλῇ ἀμηχανίᾳ ἐγένοντο. ἔτι τε μᾶλλον ἀκμάζων ὁ λιμὸς ἡμέρᾳ ἑκάστῃ ἀνήκεστα αὐτοὺς ἔργα εἰργάζετο. τοὺς μέντοι στρατιώτας οὔπω τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐπελελοίπει, 7.17.2 ἀλλ' ἔτι ἀντεῖχον. διὸ δὴ ἀθρόοι Ῥωμαῖοι γενόμενοι καὶ τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως στρατοῦ ἄρχουσι, Βέσσᾳ τε καὶ Κόνωνι, προσελθόντες, δεδακρυμένοι ξὺν οἰμωγῇ πολλῇ ἔλεξαν τοιάδε «Τοιαύτας μὲν οὔσας, ὦ στρατη»γοὶ, τύχας ἡμῖν τὰς παρούσας ὁρῶμεν, ὥστε εἰ καί «τι δρᾶν ὑμᾶς ἀνόσιον ἔργον ἰσχύομεν, οὐκ ἄν τινα 7.17.3 «ἡμῖν τὸ ἔγκλημα τοῦτο μέμψιν ἐπήνεγκεν. ἡ γὰρ «τῆς ἀνάγκης ὑπερβολὴ τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς «ἔχει. νῦν δὲ ἀμύνειν ἔργῳ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς οὐχ οἷοί τε «ὄντες, δηλώσοντές τε λόγῳ καὶ ἀποκλαύσοντες τὴν «ξυμφορὰν παρ' ὑμᾶς ἥκομεν· ὅπως δὲ ἀκούσησθε «πρᾴως, οὐ ξυνταρασσόμενοι τῷ τῶν λόγων θράσει, 7.17.4 «ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ πάθους ἀκμῇ τοῦτο σταθμώμενοι. ὁ γὰρ «ἀπογνῶναι τὴν σωτηρίαν ἠναγκασμένος οὐκ ἔργοις, «οὐ ῥήμασι τὴν εὐκοσμίαν διασώσασθαι τὸ λοιπὸν 7.17.5 «δύναται. ἡμᾶς, ὦ στρατηγοὶ, μήτε Ῥωμαίους μήτε «ξυγγενεῖς ὑμῖν νομίζετε εἶναι, μήτε ὁμοτρόπους τοῖς «τῆς πολιτείας ἤθεσι γεγονέναι, μήτε ἀρχὴν ἑκόντας «τῇ πόλει τὸν βασιλέως δέχεσθαι στρατὸν, ἀλλὰ πολε»μίους τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὄντας καὶ ὅπλα ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἀραμένους, «εἶτα ἡσσηθέντας τῇ μάχῃ, ἀνδράποδα δορυάλωτα ὑμῶν «αὐτῶν κατά γε τὸν τοῦ πολέμου γενέσθαι νόμον. 7.17.6 «καὶ χορηγεῖτε τοῖς ὑμετέροις αἰχμαλώτοις τροφὴν οὐ «κατὰ τὴν χρείαν ἡμῖν ἀποχρῶσαν, ἀλλ' ὥστε ἀποζῆν «διαρκῶς ἔχουσαν, ὅπως δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς περιόντες ἀνθ»υπουργήσωμεν ὑμῖν ὅσα τοὺς οἰκέτας τοῖς κεκτη7.17.7 «μένοις ὑπηρετεῖν ἄξιον. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἢ «βουλομένοις ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' ἀφεῖναι ἡμᾶς τῆς ὑμετέρας «δικαιοῦτε χειρὸς, ἐκεῖνο κερδανοῦντες, τὸ μὴ περὶ «τὰς τῶν δούλων πονεῖσθαι ταφάς· ἢν δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο «ἡμῖν ἀπολέλειπται, ἀποκτιννύναι ἡμᾶς ἀξιοῦτε καὶ «μὴ ἀποστερήσητε τελευτῆς σώφρονος μηδὲ θανάτου «φθονήσητε τοῦ πάντων ἡδίστου, ἀλλὰ πράξει μιᾷ 7.17.8 «μυρίων ἀπαλλάξατε Ῥωμαίους δυσκόλων.» ταῦτα οἱ ἀμφὶ Βέσσαν ἀκούσαντες τὸ μὲν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια χορηγεῖν σφίσιν ἀδύνατον, τὸ δὲ ἀποκτιννύναι ἀνόσιον ἔφασαν εἶναι, οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ τὸ ἀφεῖναι ἀκίνδυνον. Βελισάριον δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατὸν αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα παρέσεσθαι ἰσχυρίσαντο, ταύτῃ τε αὐτοὺς παρηγορήσαντες ἀπεπέμψαντο. 7.17.9 Ὁ δὲ λιμὸς ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀκμάζων τε καὶ μηκυνόμενος ἐπὶ μέγα κακοῦ ᾔρετο, βρώσεις ὑποβάλλων ἐκτό7.17.10 πους τε καὶ τῆς φύσεως ὑπερορίους. τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα Βέσσας τε καὶ Κόνων, οἵπερ τοῦ ἐν Ῥώμῃ φυλακτηρίου ἦρχον (σίτου γὰρ πολύ τι μέτρον ἐντὸς τοῦ Ῥώμης περιβόλου ἐναποθέμενοι σφίσιν ἔτυχον) καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται χρείας τῆς οἰκείας ἀποτεμνόμενοι ἀπεδίδοντο Ῥωμαίων τοῖς εὖ πράσσουσι χρημάτων μεγάλων· μεδίμνου μὲν γὰρ τιμὴ ἑπτὰ ἐγεγόνει χρυσοῖ. 7.17.11 οἷς μέντοι οὐχ οὕτω τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐφέρετο, ὥστε βρώσεως ἐς τόσον ἀξιωτέρας μεταλαγχάνειν ἱκανοῖς εἶναι, οἱ δὲ τῆς τιμῆς τὸ τεταρτημόριον κατατιθέντες πιτύρων τε τὸ μέδιμνον ἐμπλησάμενοι ἤσθιον, τῆς ἀνάγκης αὐτοῖς ἡδίστην τε καὶ τρυφερωτάτην 7.17.12 ποιούσης τὴν βρῶσιν. καὶ βοῦν δὲ, ὃν ἂν ἐπεξιόντες οἱ Βέσσα ὑπασπισταὶ λάβοιεν, ἀπεδίδοντο κατὰ πεντήκοντα χρυσῶν. ὅτῳ δὲ ἵππος τεθνεὼς ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ὑπῆρχεν, ἐν τοῖς ἄγαν εὐδαίμοσιν ὁ Ῥωμαῖος οὗτος ἐτάσσετο, ὅτι δὴ κρέασι ζῴου τεθνηκότος ἐντρυ7.17.13 φᾶν εἶχεν. ὁ δὲ δὴ ἄλλος ἅπας ὅμιλος τὰς ἀκαλήφας μόνας