380

«Therefore, if we are successful in the engagement today and «secure Ancona for the emperor, as is likely, perhaps «we shall also have good hopes for the rest of the war against the Goths 8.23.20 «for the future. But if we are defeated in «this battle, we would say nothing else bitter, «but may God grant that the Romans' control of Italy «be perpetual. And it is also worthy for us to consider this, that «if things go badly for us in the action, it will not even be possible 8.23.21 «to escape. For you will have neither the land, which has been seized by the «enemy, nor the sea to sail on, since the enemy so «rules the sea, but the hope of our salvation «rests in our hands and «changes with the deeds of the contest. 8.23.22 «Therefore, play the man with all your might, considering «this very thing, that if you are defeated now you will suffer «the final defeat, but if you are victorious you will be ranked with «the most fortunate, along with glory.» 8.23.23 John and Valerian said these things. And the Gothic leaders made the following exhortation: «Since, having been driven out of all Italy and «for a very long time we know not in what recesses «of land or sea these accursed men have lain hidden, «they have now dared to come to blows with us, and since «they come against us to fight again, it is necessary «to check the rashness born of their folly «with all eagerness, so that if we do not yield, their 8.23.24 «desperation may not advance to great lengths. For ignorance not «checked at the beginning mounts to limitless «audacity, and ends in incurable misfortunes «for those who encounter them. 8.23.25 Show them, therefore, as quickly as possible that «they are Greeks and unmanly by nature and grow bold «when defeated, and do not permit their attempt 8.23.26 «to proceed further. For cowardice, when it is despised, is led to «greater boldness, since by advancing its confidence 8.23.27 «becomes unhesitating. Do not in any way think «that they will hold out for long against you when you play the man. «For a spirit not commensurate with the power of those who possess it, «though it appears to be at its height when puffed up before the action, «is accustomed to collapse when the engagement begins. 8.23.28 «Since, therefore, these things are so, remember in what «manner the enemy, having often tested «your valor, has departed, and consider that «they have not rushed upon us having become better because of their surprise attack, «but having dared things similar to what they did before, «they will now also meet a similar fate.» 8.23.29 Having urged these things, the leaders of the Goths also, meeting the enemy, came to blows with no delay. And the sea-battle was exceedingly 8.23.30 fierce, being similar to a land-battle. For both sides, having drawn up their ships in a line prow to prow against those of the enemy, shot their arrows at one another, and as many of them as laid claim to any valor, coming somewhere very close to one another and engaging at close quarters from the decks, joined battle, fighting with swords and spears, as if on 8.23.31 a plain. And the preliminaries of this contest were of such a kind. But later the barbarians, through inexperience in naval warfare, carried on this engagement with great disorder; for some of them stood so far apart from one another as to allow the enemy to ram them one by one, while others, crowding together in the same place, were constantly hampered by one another because of the lack of space between their vessels. 8.23.32 One might have likened the decks of their ships to be piled together like wicker-mats. And they were not even able to shoot at those of the enemy who were at a distance, except late and with difficulty, nor to use swords or spears, whenever they saw them bearing down on them, but were continually engaged in shouting and shoving among themselves, always colliding with one another and pushing each other off again with their poles in no order, and in some places mixing up their line through lack of space, and in others withdrawing very far off, 8.23.33 in either case to the detriment of their own side. And each of them made their exhortations to those nearest with much loud crying,

380

«οὐκοῦν εὐημερήσαντες ἐν τῇ ξυμβολῇ τήμερον καὶ «βασιλεῖ τὸν Ἀγκῶνα, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, κρατυνάμενοι τάχα «ἂν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τοῦ πρὸς Γότθους πολέμου ἐν ἐλπί8.23.20 «σιν ἀγαθαῖς τὸ λοιπὸν ἕξομεν. σφαλέντες δὲ ἐν «ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ, ἄλλο μέντοι πικρὸν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμεν, «ἀλλὰ δοίη τὴν Ἰταλίας ἐπικράτησιν ὁ θεὸς Ῥωμαίοις «διηνεκῆ εἶναι. κἀκεῖνο δὲ λογίζεσθαι ἡμῖν ἄξιον, ὡς «κακοῖς ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ γινομένοις ἡμῖν οὐδὲ ἀποφεύγειν 8.23.21 «ἐξόν. οὔτε γὰρ τὴν γῆν ἕξετε πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων «κατειλημμένην οὔτε τὴν θάλασσαν πλώιμον, οὕτω «θαλασσοκρατούντων τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ περιέστηκεν «ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν οὖσα καὶ «ξυμμεταβαλλομένη τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀγώνισιν ἔργοις. 8.23.22 «ἀνδραγαθίζεσθε τοίνυν ὅση δύναμις, τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο «ἐκλογιζόμενοι, ὡς ἡσσηθέντες μὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι τὴν «ὑστάτην ἧτταν κληρώσεσθε, νενικηκότες δὲ μετὰ τῶν «ἄγαν εὐδαιμόνων ξὺν τῇ εὐκλείᾳ τετάξεσθε.» 8.23.23 Ἰωάννης μὲν καὶ Βαλεριανὸς τοσαῦτα εἶπον. καὶ οἱ Γότθων δὲ ἄρχοντες τοιάνδε τὴν παράκλησιν ἐποιήσαντο «Ἐπειδὴ πάσης ἀπεληλαμένοι τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ «πολύν τινα χρόνον οὐκ ἴσμεν ἐν ὁποίοις ποτὲ μυχοῖς «οἵδε οἱ κατάρατοι τῆς γῆς ἢ τῆς θαλάσσης διαλαθόν»τες τανῦν ἡμῖν τετολμήκασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι, καὶ ὡς «ἀναμαχούμενοι ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἥκουσιν, ἐπάναγκες αὐτοῖς «τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀβουλίας ἐγγενόμενον θράσος ἀναχαιτίζειν «προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, ὡς μὴ ἐνδιδόντων ἡμῶν τὰ τῆς 8.23.24 «ἀπονοίας αὐτοῖς ἐς μέγα χωροίη. ἀμαθία γὰρ οὐ «κατ' ἀρχὰς ἀναστελλομένη ἀναβαίνει μὲν ἐπ' ἄπειρον «τόλμαν, ἐς ἀνηκέστους δὲ τῶν παραπιπτόντων τελευτᾷ 8.23.25 «συμφοράς. δείξατε τοίνυν αὐτοῖς ὅτι τάχιστα ὡς «Γραικοί τε εἰσι καὶ ἄνανδροι φύσει καὶ ἡσσημένοι «θρασύνονται, μηδὲ συγχωρήσητε τὴν διάπειραν αὐτοῖς 8.23.26 «πρόσω ἰέναι. ἀνανδρία γὰρ καταφρονηθεῖσα ἐπὶ «παρρησίαν ἐξάγεται μείζω, ἐπεὶ τῷ προϊέναι τὸ θάρ8.23.27 «σος ἄοκνον γίνεται. ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ ἀνθέξειν αὐτοὺς «ἀνδραγαθιζομένοις ὑμῖν μηδαμῶς οἴεσθε. φρόνημα «γὰρ τῇ δυνάμει τῶν αὐτῷ χρωμένων μὴ συμμετρού»μενον πρὸ μὲν τοῦ ἔργου ἐπαιρόμενον ἐν ἀκμῇ φαί»νεται, ἀρξαμένης δὲ τῆς ξυμβολῆς καταρρεῖν εἴωθεν. 8.23.28 «ὅτε τοίνυν ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ἀναμνήσθητε μὲν ὅν»τινα τρόπον οἱ πολέμιοι πολλάκις ἀποπειρασάμενοι «τῆς ἀρετῆς τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀπήλλαξαν, ἐκλογίζεσθε δὲ «ὡς οὐκ ἀμείνους ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου γεγενημένοι ἐφ' «ἡμᾶς ὥρμηνται, ἀλλὰ τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς προλαβοῦσι «τετολμηκότες, τὴν ὁμοίαν καὶ νῦν κληρώσονται τύχην.» 8.23.29 Τοσαῦτα καὶ οἱ τῶν Γότθων ἄρχοντες παρακελευσάμενοι καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ὑπαντιάσαντες μελλήσει οὐδεμιᾷ ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθον. ἦν τε ἡ ναυμαχία ἐσάγαν 8.23.30 ἰσχυρὰ, πεζομαχίᾳ ἐμφερὴς οὖσα. τάς τε γὰρ ναῦς μετωπηδὸν ἀντιπρώρους ταῖς τῶν ἐναντίων ἑκάτεροι στήσαντες τὰ τοξεύματα ἐς ἀλλήλους ἀφίεσαν, καὶ αὐτῶν ὅσοι ἀρετῆς τι μετεποιοῦντο, ἄγχιστά πη ἀλλήλων γινόμενοι ἐν χρῷ τε ξυνιόντες ἀπὸ τῶν καταστρωμάτων ξυνέμισγον, ξίφεσί τε καὶ δόρασιν, ὥσπερ ἐν 8.23.31 πεδίῳ, μαχόμενοι. καὶ τὰ μὲν προοίμια τοῦ ἀγῶνος τοῦδε τοιαῦτα ἐγεγόνει. ὕστερον δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀπειρίᾳ τοῦ ναυμαχεῖν ξὺν πολλῇ ἀταξίᾳ τὴν ξυμβολὴν τήνδε διέφερον· οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν οὕτως ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διίσταντο ὥστε διδόναι τοῖς πολεμίοις αὐτοὺς κατὰ μόνας ἐμβάλλειν, οἱ δὲ συχνοὶ ἐς ταὐτὸ ξυνιόντες πρὸς ἀλλήλων ἀεὶ τῇ τῶν πλοίων στενοχωρίᾳ 8.23.32 ξυνεποδίζοντο. εἴκασεν ἄν τις φορμηδὸν αὐτοῖς τὰ τῶν πλοίων ἰκρία ξυγκεῖσθαι. καὶ οὐδὲ τοξεύειν ἐς τῶν ἐναντίων τοὺς διεστῶτας ἠδύναντο, ὅτι μὴ ὀψέ τε καὶ μόλις, οὐδὲ ξίφεσιν ἢ δόρασι χρῆσθαι, ἡνίκα ἂν σφίσιν ἐγκειμένους αὐτοὺς ἴδοιεν, ἀλλὰ κραυγῇ τε καὶ ὠθισμῷ ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς διηνεκῶς εἴχοντο, ξυγκρούοντές τε ἀεὶ ἐς ἀλλήλους καὶ τοῖς κοντοῖς αὖθις διωθούμενοι οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ, καὶ πὴ μὲν συμφύροντες τῇ στενοχωρίᾳ τὸ μέτωπον, πὴ δὲ ἀποφοιτῶντες πολλῷ ἄπο8.23.33 θεν ἐπὶ πονηρῷ τῶν σφετέρων ἑκάτεροι. τάς τε παρακελεύσεις αὐτῶν ἕκαστος ἐς τοὺς ἄγχιστα ὄντας ξὺν ὀλολυγῇ πολλῇ ἐποιοῦντο,