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they would be obedient to him. But the emperor, paying no heed to what was said, dismissed all the envoys, being hostile to the very name of the Goths, and intending to drive it root and branch from the Roman domain. So it came about that these things happened in this way. 8.24.6 Theudibert, the leader of the Franks, had not long before disappeared from among men by disease, after he had made certain places in Liguria and the Cottian Alps and the greater part of Venetia tributary to himself for the payment of tribute with no justi8.24.7 fication. For the Franks, having made the preoccupation of the combatants their own opportunity, were themselves enriched without risk from the things for which the others were 8.24.8 fighting. And a few small towns in Venetia remained to the Goths, and the coastal places to the Romans; but the Franks had made all the rest subject 8.24.9 to themselves. And while the Romans and Goths were waging this war against each other, as I have said, and were unable to acquire new enemies, the Goths and the Franks came to an agreement with each other, and it was agreed, that as long as the Goths were waging war against the Romans, both should remain quiet, holding what they had become masters of, and that there should be no 8.24.10 hostility between them. But if it should ever happen that Totila should prevail over the emperor Justinian in the war, then the Goths and the Franks should settle these matters, in whatever way might seem advantageous to both. 8.24.11 But these things were agreed upon in this way. And his son Theudibald succeeded to the rule of Theudibert. And the emperor Justinian sent Leontius, the son-in-law of Athanasius, a man of the senate, as an envoy to him, both urging him to an alliance against Totila and the Goths and asking him to withdraw from the places in Italy, which Theudibert had improperly made haste to seize. 8.24.12 And Leontius, when he came before Theudibald, spoke as follows: "Perhaps it has happened to some others also to have met with something contrary to their expectations, but such a thing as has now befallen the Romans at your hands, has never, I think, happened 8.24.13 to any of all mankind. For the emperor Justinian did not previously enter into this war, nor did he make it plain that he would make war on the Goths, until the Franks, having received large sums of money from him in the name of friendship and alliance, agreed to assist him in the struggle. 8.24.14 But they not only have deigned to do none of the things agreed upon, but have also wronged the Romans in such a way as no one could easily have suspected. 8.24.15 For your father Theudibert undertook to seize a country, to which he had no claim, of which the emperor with much toil and dangers of war, and that too with all the Franks 8.24.16 standing out of the way, became master. Wherefore I have now come to you, not to find fault or to accuse, but to ask and to advise what will be to your own advantage. 8.24.17 I mean that you should most securely preserve your existing prosperity, and allow 8.24.18 the Romans to have what is their own; for an unholy possession of a few small things has often been strong enough to take away from those who have girt themselves with great power the good things they have long possessed, since good fortune is by no means wont to go together with injustice, and furthermore that you should join us in carrying on the war against Totila, 8.24.19 fulfilling your father's agreement. For this would be most of all fitting for legitimate children, to correct, if their parents happen to have made any mistake, and to cherish and strengthen whatever they have done best. 8.24.20 For among men these things would be especially desirable to the most prudent, that their children should emulate the best of their practices, and if anything has been done by them not rightly, that such a thing should be made better by no one else than by their 8.24.21 children. And yet you ought unbidden to have joined the Romans in this war. For our struggle is with the Goths, who from the beginning have been enemies and altogether faithless to the Franks, waging a war against them without treaty and without truce

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κατήκοοι αὐτῷ ἔσεσθαι. ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς μάθησιν οὐδεμίαν τῶν λεγομένων ποιούμενος τοὺς πρέσβεις ἅπαντας ἀπεπέμπετο, πρὸς τὸ Γότθων ὄνομα χαλεπῶς ἔχων, ἄρδην τε αὐτὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ἐξελάσαι διανοούμενος. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. 8.24.6 Θευδίβερτος δὲ, ὁ Φράγγων ἀρχηγὸς, οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο νόσῳ, Λιγουρίας τε χωρία ἄττα καὶ Ἄλπεις Κουτίας καὶ Βενετιῶν τὰ πολλὰ οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ἐς ἀπαγωγὴν φόρου ὑποτελῆ ποιη8.24.7 σάμενος. τὴν γὰρ ἀσχολίαν τῶν μαχομένων οἰκείαν οἱ Φράγγοι εὐκαιρίαν πεποιημένοι τοῖς ἐκείνων περι8.24.8 μαχήτοις αὐτοὶ ἀκινδύνως ἐπλούτουν. καὶ Γότθοις μὲν πολίσματα ὀλίγα ἐν Βενετίοις διέμεινε, τά τε ἐπιθαλασσίδια χωρία Ῥωμαίοις· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ὑποχείρια 8.24.9 σφίσιν ἅπαντα πεποίηνται Φράγγοι. Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Γότθων πόλεμον τόνδε ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφερόντων καὶ πολεμίους οὐ δυναμένων ἐπικτᾶσθαι καινοὺς, Γότθοι τε καὶ Φράγγοι ἐς λόγους ἀλλήλοις ξυνίασι, καὶ ξυνέκειτο, μέχρι μὲν ἂν Γότθοι πρὸς Ῥωμαίους τὸν πόλεμον διαφέροιεν, ἔχοντας ἑκατέρους ὧνπερ ἐγένοντο ἐγκρατεῖς ἡσυχῆ μένειν, μηδέν τε 8.24.10 σφίσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολέμιον εἶναι. ἢν δέ γε βασιλέως ποτὲ Ἰουστινιανοῦ περιέσεσθαι Τουτίλαν τῷ πολέμῳ συμβαίη, τηνικάδε Γότθους τε καὶ Φράγγους διοικήσασθαι ταῦτα, ὅπη ἂν συνοίσειν ἑκατέροις δοκῇ. 8.24.11 ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τῇδε ξυνέκειτο. τὴν δὲ Θευδιβέρτου ἀρχὴν διεδέξατο Θευδίβαλδος ὁ παῖς. βασιλεύς τε Ἰουστινιανὸς Λεόντιον, τὸν Ἀθανασίου γαμβρὸν, ἄνδρα ἐκ βουλῆς, πρεσβευτὴν παρ' αὐτὸν ἔπεμψεν ἔς τε ὁμαιχμίαν παρακαλῶν ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τε καὶ Γότθους καὶ χωρίων ἐκστῆναι τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας αἰτούμενος, ὧνπερ Θευδίβερτος οὐ δέον ἐπιβατεῦσαι διὰ σπουδῆς ἔσχε. 8.24.12 Λεόντιος δὲ, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ Θευδίβαλδον ἀφίκετο, ἔλεξεν ὧδε «Ἴσως μέν τι καὶ ἄλλοις παρὰ τὰς ἐλπίδας «τισὶ τετυχηκέναι ξυνέπεσεν, ὁποῖον δὲ Ῥωμαίοις τανῦν «πρὸς ὑμῶν γεγονέναι ξυνέβη, οὐδενὶ, οἶμαι, ξυνηνέχθη 8.24.13 «πώποτε τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων. βασιλεὺς μὲν γὰρ «Ἰουστινιανὸς οὐ πρότερον κατέστη ἐς πόλεμον τόνδε, «οὐδὲ Γότθοις πολεμησείων ἔνδηλος γέγονεν, ἕως αὐτῷ «Φράγγοι φιλίας τε καὶ ξυμμαχίας ὀνόματι χρήματα «μεγάλα κεκομισμένοι τὴν ἀγωνίαν ξυλλήψεσθαι ὡμο8.24.14 «λόγησαν. οἱ δὲ οὐχ ὅπως τι δρᾶν τῶν ὡμολογημέ»νων ἠξίωσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσηδικήκασι Ῥωμαίους «τοιαῦτα οἷα οὐδ' ἄν τις ὑποπτεῦσαι ῥᾳδίως ἔσχεν. 8.24.15 «ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ ὁ σὸς Θευδίβερτος χώρας ἐπιβατεῦσαι «ὑπέστη, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσῆκον, ἧσπερ βασιλεὺς πόνῳ «τε πολλῷ καὶ κινδύνοις πολέμου, καὶ ταῦτα Φράγγων 8.24.16 «ἁπάντων ἐκποδὼν ἱσταμένων, κύριος γέγονε. διόπερ «τανῦν ἐς ὑμᾶς ἥκω, οὐχ ὅπως μέμψομαι ἢ αἰτιάσομαι, «ἀλλ' αἰτησόμενός τε καὶ παραινέσων ὅσα ξυνοίσειν 8.24.17 «ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς μέλλει. λέγω δὲ, ὅπως βεβαιότατα μὲν «διασώζητε τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν ὑμῖν εὐπραξίαν, συγχωρή8.24.18 «σητε δὲ Ῥωμαίους ἔχειν τὰ αὐτῶν ἴδια· τοὺς γὰρ «δύναμιν περιβεβλημένους μεγάλην καὶ βραχέων τινῶν «οὐχ ὁσία κτῆσις ἀφαιρεῖσθαι πολλάκις τὰ παρόντα «αὐτοῖς ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἀγαθὰ ἴσχυσεν, ἐπεὶ τὸ εὔδαιμον «τῷ ἀδίκῳ ἐς ταὐτὸ ξυνιέναι οὐδαμῆ εἴωθε, καὶ μὴν «καὶ ὅπως ἡμῖν τὸν πρὸς Τουτίλαν ξυνδιενέγκητε πό8.24.19 «λεμον, τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ὑποτελοῦντες ὁμολογίαν. τοῦτο «γὰρ ἂν πρέπον γνησίοις παισὶ πάντων μάλιστα, «ἐπανορθοῦν μὲν, εἴ τι τοῖς γειναμένοις ἡμαρτῆσθαι «ξυμβαίνει, περιστέλλειν δὲ καὶ κρατύνεσθαι ὅσα δὴ 8.24.20 «αὐτοῖς ἄριστα εἴργασται. ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων «ταῦτα διαφερόντως εὐκτὰ τοῖς συνετωτάτοις ἂν εἴη, «ὅπως δὴ αὐτῶν τὰ μὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἄριστα «οἱ παῖδες ζηλοῖεν, εἰ δέ τι αὐτοῖς οὐκ ὀρθῶς «πέπρακται, μὴ ὑπ' ἄλλου του τὸ τοιοῦτον ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν 8.24.21 «παίδων ἄμεινον ἔσεσθαι. καίτοι ἐχρῆν ὑμᾶς ἀκλή»τους Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμον τόνδε ξυνάρασθαι. πρὸς «Γότθους γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν, οἳ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς «ἐχθροί τε καὶ ὅλως ἄπιστοι γεγόνασι Φράγγοις, «ἄσπονδά τε αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀκήρυκτα πολεμοῦντες