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a little larger than sheep. So these things are of such a nature. 8.25.1 But a great crowd of Sclaveni, having descended upon the Illyrians, wrought sufferings there that are not easy to describe. And Emperor Justinian sent an army against them, which was led by others, including the sons of Germanus. 8.25.2 Being by far inferior in number to the enemy, they were in no way able to engage them in a pitched battle, but by always remaining behind the barbarians, they harmed those who were left 8.25.3 behind. And they killed many of them, and capturing some alive, they sent them to the emperor. Nevertheless, these barbarians wrought terrible deeds no less. 8.25.4 And in this plundering, having spent a great length of time, they filled all the roads with corpses, and having enslaved countless multitudes and plundered everything, with no one resisting them, they returned home 8.25.5 with all the booty. For not even when they were crossing the Ister river were the Romans able to ambush them or to overpower them in any other way, since the Gepids, for a wage, received them and ferried them across, having been hired for a great fee. For the payment was one gold stater per head. 8.25.6 For this reason the emperor was vexed, no longer having any way to stop them from either crossing the Ister river to plunder the Roman domain, or from making their departure from there with their spoils, and for this reason he wished to enter into some treaty with the Gepid nation. 8.25.7 Meanwhile, the Gepids and the Lombards, intending to make war again, were advancing against each other. And the Gepids, fearing the power of the Romans (for they were by no means unaware that the Emperor Justinian had made a sworn alliance with the Lombards), were eager to become friends and allies of the Romans. 8.25.8 Therefore, they immediately sent ambassadors to Byzantium, inviting the emperor themselves into the alliance. And he, without any delay, 8.25.9 gave them pledges for the alliance. And at the request of these ambassadors, twelve men from the senatorial council, having given oaths, confirmed these treaties for them. 8.25.10 Not long afterward, when the Lombards requested it in accordance with their alliance, Emperor Justinian sent an army in alliance against the Gepids, bringing as a charge against the Gepids that after the treaties they had ferried some Sclaveni across the Ister river 8.25.11 to the detriment of the Romans. This army was led by Justin and Justinian, the sons of Germanus, and Aratius and Suartuas, who had previously been appointed ruler of the Heruli by Justinian, but when those who came from the island of Thule revolted against him, as was related by me in the previous books, he came as a fugitive to the emperor and immediately became a general for the Romans of the forces enrolled in Byzantium, and Amalafridas, a Goth, grandson of Amalafrida, the sister of Theoderic, king of the Goths, and son of Hermenefridus who had been leader of the Thuringians. 8.25.12 whom Belisarius had brought to Byzantium with Vittigis, and the emperor of the Romans had appointed him a commander, and had betrothed his sister to Auduin, 8.25.13 the ruler of the Lombards. But of this army, no one reached the Lombards except this Amalafridas with his followers. For the others were delayed in Illyricum around the city of Ulpiana, at the emperor's command, because a sedition had arisen there among the inhabitants, for reasons over which the Christians fight among themselves, as will be written by me in the books concerning these matters. 8.25.14 So the Lombards with their whole people, together with Amalafridas, arrived in the lands of the Gepids, and when the Gepids came out to meet them and a fierce battle took place, the Gepids were defeated, and they say that a great multitude of them died in this struggle. 8.25.15 And Auduin, the king of the Lombards, sending some of his followers to Byzantium, announced the good news to the Emperor Justinian that the enemy had been vanquished, but he complained that the emperor's army had not come to his aid according to the alliance, although such a great number of Lombards had recently been dispatched for Narses

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προβατίων ὀλίγῳ μειζόνων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτά ἐστι. 8.25.1 Σκλαβηνῶν δὲ πολὺς ὅμιλος Ἰλλυριοῖς ἐπισκήψαντες πάθη ἐνταῦθα οὐκ εὐδιήγητα εἰργάσαντο. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς στράτευμα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν, οὗ δὴ ἄλλοι τε καὶ οἱ Γερμανοῦ παῖδες ἡγοῦντο. 8.25.2 οἵπερ τῷ πλήθει τῶν πολεμίων παρὰ πολὺ ἐλασσούμενοι χωρῆσαι μὲν αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε οὐδαμῆ ἴσχυσαν, ὄπισθεν δὲ ἀεὶ μένοντες τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς ἀπολει8.25.3 πομένους ἐσίνοντο. καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἔκτεινον, τινὰς δὲ καὶ ζωγρήσαντες βασιλεῖ ἔπεμψαν. οὐδὲν μέντοι ἧσσον οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι τὰ δεινὰ ἔδρασαν. 8.25.4 ἐν ταύτῃ τε τῇ λεηλασίᾳ χρόνου τι μέγα κατατρίψαντες μῆκος τὰς μὲν ὁδοὺς νεκρῶν ἀνέπλησαν ἁπάσας, ἐξανδραποδίσαντες δὲ ἀνάριθμα πλήθη καὶ ληϊσάμενοι ξύμπαντα, οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, ἐπ' οἴκου 8.25.5 ἀπεκομίσθησαν σὺν πάσῃ τῇ λείᾳ. οὐδὲ γὰρ διαπορθμευομένους ποταμὸν Ἴστρον ἴσχυσαν σφᾶς ἐνεδρεῦσαι Ῥωμαῖοι ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ βιάσασθαι τρόπῳ, ἐπεὶ Γήπαιδες αὐτοὺς μισθαρνήσαντες ὑπεδέξαντο καὶ διεπόρθμευσαν μακρόμισθοι γεγενημένοι. ἐπὶ κεφαλῇ γὰρ ἑκάστῃ κατὰ στατῆρα χρυσοῦν ἡ μίσθωσις ἦν. 8.25.6 διόπερ βασιλεὺς ἐδυσφορεῖτο, οὐκ ἔχων τὸ λοιπὸν ὅπη ποτὲ αὐτοὺς ἀναστέλλοι διαβαίνοντας ποταμὸν Ἴστρον, ἐφ' ᾧ ληΐσονται τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν, ἢ ξὺν ταῖς ὠφελίαις τὴν ἀποπορείαν ποιουμένους ἐνθένδε, ἤθελέ τε τούτων δὴ ἕνεκα Γηπαίδων τῷ ἔθνει ἐς συνθήκας καταστῆναί τινας. 8.25.7 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Γήπαιδές τε καὶ Λαγγοβάρδαι αὖθις πολεμησείοντες ἐπ' ἀλλήλους ᾔεσαν. Γήπαιδές τε τὴν Ῥωμαίων δειμαίνοντες δύναμιν (ἀνήκοοι γὰρ οὐδαμῆ ἦσαν ὡς Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὁμαιχμίαν διωμότως πρὸς Λαγγοβάρδας πεποίηται) φίλοι καὶ ξύμμαχοι Ῥω8.25.8 μαίοις γενέσθαι ἐν σπουδῇ ἔσχον. πρέσβεις οὖν ἐς Βυζάντιον εὐθὺς πέμπουσι, βασιλέα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐς τὴν ὁμαιχμίαν παρακαλοῦντες. καὶ ὃς αὐτοῖς μελλήσει 8.25.9 οὐδεμιᾷ ἐπὶ τῇ ξυμμαχίᾳ τὰ πιστὰ ἔδωκε. δεηθέντων δὲ τῶν πρέσβεων τῶνδε καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἄνδρες δυοκαίδεκα ὅρκια δόντες, ταύτας αὐτοῖς 8.25.10 τὰς συνθήκας ἐπέρρωσαν. οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον Λαγγοβάρδαις κατὰ τὸ ξυμμαχικὸν δεομένοις στρατιὰν ἐς ξυμμαχίαν ἐπὶ Γήπαιδας Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἔπεμψεν, ἐπενεγκὼν Γήπαισι Σκλαβηνῶν τινας ἐπὶ πονηρῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων μετὰ τὰς ξυνθήκας διαβιβάσαι ποταμὸν 8.25.11 Ἴστρον. ἡγοῦντο δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς ταύτης Ἰουστῖνός τε καὶ Ἰουστινιανὸς οἱ Γερμανοῦ παῖδες Ἀράτιός τε καὶ Σουαρτούας, ὃς πρὸς Ἰουστινιανοῦ μὲν ἄρχων Ἐρούλοις κατέστη πρότερον, ἐπαναστάντων δέ οἱ τῶν ἀπὸ Θούλης τῆς νήσου ἡκόντων, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, ἐς βασιλέα τε ἀφίκετο φεύγων καὶ Ῥωμαίοις στρατηγὸς τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καταλόγων εὐθὺς γέγονε, καὶ Ἀμαλαφρίδας, Γότθος ἀνὴρ, Ἀμαλαφρίδης μὲν θυγατριδοῦς, τῆς Θευδερίχου τοῦ Γότθων βασιλέως ἀδελφῆς, Ἑρμενεφρίδου δὲ υἱὸς τοῦ 8.25.12 Θορίγγων ἡγησαμένου. ὅνπερ Βελισάριος μὲν σὺν Οὐιττίγιδι ἐς Βυζάντιον ἤγαγε, βασιλεὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίων ἄρχοντα κατεστήσατο, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὴν Αὐδουὶν 8.25.13 τῷ Λαγγοβαρδῶν ἄρχοντι κατηγγύησε. τοῦ δὲ στρατοῦ τούτου οὐδεὶς παρὰ Λαγγοβάρδας ἀφίκετο, ὅτι μὴ οὗτος Ἀμαλαφρίδας σὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις. οἱ γὰρ ἄλλοι ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς ἀμφὶ πόλιν Οὐλπίαναν βασιλέως ἐπαγγείλαντος διατριβὴν ἔσχον, στάσεως ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τῶν οἰκητόρων γεγενημένης, ὧνπερ ἕνεκα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς οἱ Χριστιανοὶ διαμάχονται, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐν λόγοις τοῖς ὑπὲρ 8.25.14 τούτων γεγράψεται. οἱ μὲν οὖν Λαγγοβάρδαι πανδημεὶ σὺν τῷ Ἀμαλαφρίδᾳ ἐς τὰ Γηπαίδων ἤθη ἀφίκοντο, ὑπαντιασάντων δὲ τῶν Γηπαίδων σφίσι καὶ μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης ἡσσῶνται Γήπαιδες, καὶ αὐτῶν παμπληθεῖς φασιν ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποθανεῖν. 8.25.15 Αὐδουίν τε, ὁ τῶν Λαγγοβαρδῶν βασιλεὺς, τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων τινὰς ἐς Βυζάντιον πέμψας εὐαγγέλια μὲν Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἐδήλου, νενικημένων τῶν πολεμίων, ἐμέμφετο δὲ οὐ παραγενέσθαι οἱ κατὰ τὸ ξυμμαχικὸν τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως στρατὸν, καίπερ Λαγγοβαρδῶν τοσούτων τὸ πλῆθος ἔναγχος ἐσταλμένων ἐφ' ᾧ Ναρσῇ