Procopius - History of the Wars, Books III and IV (of 8)
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Procopius >> History of the Wars, Books III and IV (of 8)
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18 PROCOPIUS
With an English Translation by H. B. Dewing
In Seven Volumes
II
HISTORY OF THE WARS, BOOKS III AND IV
London
William Heinemann Ltd
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard University Press
MCMLXXI
First Printed 1916
CONTENTS
HISTORY OF THE WARS--
PAGE
BOOK III.--THE VANDALIC WAR 1
BOOK IV.--THE VANDALIC WAR _(CONTINUED)_ 209
INDEX 461
PROCOPIUS OF CAESAREA
HISTORY OF THE WARS.
BOOK III
THE VANDALIC WAR
I
Such, then, was the final outcome of the Persian War for the Emperor
Justinian; and I shall now proceed to set forth all that he did against
the Vandals and the Moors. But first shall be told whence came the host
of the Vandals when they descended upon the land of the Romans. After
Theodosius, the Roman Emperor, had departed from the world, having
proved himself one of the most just of men and an able warrior, his
kingdom was taken over by his two sons, Arcadius, the elder, receiving
the Eastern portion, and Honorius, the younger, the Western. [Jan. 17,
395 A.D.] But the Roman power had been thus divided as far back as the
time of Constantine and his sons; for he transferred his government to
Byzantium, and making the city larger and much more renowned, allowed it
to be named after him.
Now the earth is surrounded by a circle of ocean, either entirely or for
the most part (for our knowledge is not as yet at all clear in this
matter); and it is split into two continents by a sort of outflow from
the ocean, a flow which enters at the western part and forms this Sea
which we know, beginning at Gadira[1] and extending all the way to the
Maeotic Lake.[2] Of these two continents the one to the right, as one
sails into the Sea, as far as the Lake, has received the name of Asia,
beginning at Gadira and at the southern[3] of the two Pillars of
Heracles. Septem[4] is the name given by the natives to the fort at that
point, since seven hills appear there; for "septem" has the force of
"seven" in the Latin tongue. And the whole continent opposite this was
named Europe. And the strait at that point separates the two
continents[5] by about eighty-four stades, but from there on they are
kept apart by wide expanses of sea as far as the Hellespont. For at this
point they again approach each other at Sestus and Abydus, and once more
at Byzantium and Chalcedon as far as the rocks called in ancient times
the "Dark Blue Rocks," where even now is the place called Hieron. For at
these places the continents are separated from one another by a distance
of only ten stades and even less than that.
Now the distance from one of the Pillars of Heracles to the other, if
one goes along the shore and does not pass around the Ionian Gulf and
the sea called the Euxine but crosses from Chalcedon[6] to Byzantium and
from Dryous[7] to the opposite mainland,[8] is a journey of two hundred
and eighty-five days for an unencumbered traveller. For as to the land
about the Euxine Sea, which extends from Byzantium to the Lake, it would
be impossible to tell everything with precision, since the barbarians
beyond the Ister River, which they also call the Danube, make the shore
of that sea quite impossible for the Romans to traverse--except, indeed,
that from Byzantium to the mouth of the Ister is a journey of twenty-two
days, which should be added to the measure of Europe by one making the
computation. And on the Asiatic side, that is from Chalcedon to the
Phasis River, which, flowing from the country of the Colchians, descends
into the Pontus, the journey is accomplished in forty days. So that the
whole Roman domain, according to the distance along the sea at least,
attains the measure of a three hundred and forty-seven days' journey,
if, as has been said, one ferries over the Ionian Gulf, which extends
about eight hundred stades from Dryous. For the passage across the
gulf[9] amounts to a journey of not less than four days. Such, then, was
the size of the Roman empire in the ancient times.
And there fell to him who held the power in the West the most of Libya,
extending ninety days' journey--for such is the distance from Gadira to
the boundaries of Tripolis in Libya; and in Europe he received as his
portion territory extending seventy-five days' journey--for such is the
distance from the northern[10] of the Pillars of Heracles to the Ionian
Gulf.[11] And one might add also the distance around the gulf. And the
emperor of the East received territory extending one hundred and twenty
days' journey, from the boundaries of Cyrene in Libya as far as
Epidamnus, which lies on the Ionian Gulf and is called at the present
time Dyrrachium, as well as that portion of the country about the Euxine
Sea which, as previously stated, is subject to the Romans. Now one day's
journey extends two hundred and ten stades,[12] or as far as from Athens
to Megara. Thus, then, the Roman emperors divided either continent
between them. And among the islands Britain, which is outside the
Pillars of Heracles and by far the largest of all islands, was counted,
as is natural, with the West; and inside the Pillars, Ebusa,[13] which
lies in the Mediterranean in what we may call the Propontis, just inside
the opening where the ocean enters, about seven days' journey from the
opening, and two others near it, Majorica and Minorica, as they are
called by the natives, were also assigned to the Western empire. And
each of the islands in the Sea itself fell to the share of that one of
the two emperors within whose boundaries it happened to lie.
II
Now while Honorius was holding the imperial power in the West,
barbarians took possession of his land; and I shall tell who they were
and in what manner they did so. [395-423 A.D.] There were many Gothic
nations in earlier times, just as also at the present, but the greatest
and most important of all are the Goths, Vandals, Visigoths, and
Gepaedes. In ancient times, however, they were named Sauromatae and
Melanchlaeni;[14] and there were some too who called these nations
Getic. All these, while they are distinguished from one another by their
names, as has been said, do not differ in anything else at all. For they
all have white bodies and fair hair, and are tall and handsome to look
upon, and they use the same laws and practise a common religion. For
they are all of the Arian faith, and have one language called Gothic;
and, as it seems to me, they all came originally from one tribe, and
were distinguished later by the names of those who led each group. This
people used to dwell above the Ister River from of old. Later on the
Gepaedes got possession of the country about Singidunum[15] and
Sirmium,[16] on both sides of the Ister River, where they have remained
settled even down to my time.
But the Visigoths, separating from the others, removed from there and at
first entered into an alliance with the Emperor Arcadius, but at a later
time (for faith with the Romans cannot dwell in barbarians), under the
leadership of Alaric, they became hostile to both emperors, and,
beginning with Thrace, treated all Europe as an enemy's land. Now the
Emperor Honorius had before this time been sitting in Rome, with never a
thought of war in his mind, but glad, I think, if men allowed him to
remain quiet in his palace. But when word was brought that the
barbarians with a great army were not far off, but somewhere among the
Taulantii,[17] he abandoned the palace and fled in disorderly fashion to
Ravenna, a strong city lying just about at the end of the Ionian Gulf,
while some say that he brought in the barbarians himself, because an
uprising had been started against him among his subjects; but this does
not seem to me trustworthy, as far, at least, as one can judge of the
character of the man. And the barbarians, finding that they had no
hostile force to encounter them, became the most cruel of all men. For
they destroyed all the cities which they captured, especially those
south of the Ionian Gulf, so completely that nothing has been left to my
time to know them by, unless, indeed, it might be one tower or one gate
or some such thing which chanced to remain. And they killed all the
people, as many as came in their way, both old and young alike, sparing
neither women nor children. Wherefore even up to the present time Italy
is sparsely populated. They also gathered as plunder all the money out
of all Europe, and, most important of all, they left in Rome nothing
whatever of public or private wealth when they moved on to Gaul. But I
shall now tell how Alaric captured Rome.
After much time had been spent by him in the siege, and he had not been
able either by force or by any other device to capture the place, he
formed the following plan. Among the youths in the army whose beards had
not yet grown, but who had just come of age, he chose out three hundred
whom he knew to be of good birth and possessed of valour beyond their
years, and told them secretly that he was about to make a present of
them to certain of the patricians in Rome, pretending that they were
slaves. And he instructed them that, as soon as they got inside the
houses of those men, they should display much gentleness and moderation
and serve them eagerly in whatever tasks should be laid upon them by
their owners; and he further directed them that not long afterwards, on
an appointed day at about midday, when all those who were to be their
masters would most likely be already asleep after their meal, they
should all come to the gate called Salarian and with a sudden rush kill
the guards, who would have no previous knowledge of the plot, and open
the gates as quickly as possible. After giving these orders to the
youths, Alaric straightway sent ambassadors to the members of the
senate, stating that he admired them for their loyalty toward their
emperor, and that he would trouble them no longer, because of their
valour and faithfulness, with which it was plain that they were endowed
to a remarkable degree, and in order that tokens of himself might be
preserved among men both noble and brave, he wished to present each one
of them with some domestics. After making this declaration and sending
the youths not long afterwards, he commanded the barbarians to make
preparations for the departure, and he let this be known to the Romans.
And they heard his words gladly, and receiving the gifts began to be
exceedingly happy, since they were completely ignorant of the plot of
the barbarian. For the youths, by being unusually obedient to their
owners, averted suspicion, and in the camp some were already seen moving
from their positions and raising the siege, while it seemed that the
others were just on the point of doing the very same thing. But when the
appointed day had come, Alaric armed his whole force for the attack and
was holding them in readiness close by the Salarian Gate; for it
happened that he had encamped there at the beginning of the siege. And
all the youths at the time of the day agreed upon came to this gate,
and, assailing the guards suddenly, put them to death; then they opened
the gates and received Alaric and the army into the city at their
leisure. [Aug. 24, 410 A.D.] And they set fire to the houses which were
next to the gate, among which was also the house of Sallust, who in
ancient times wrote the history of the Romans, and the greater part of
this house has stood half-burned up to my time; and after plundering the
whole city and destroying the most of the Romans, they moved on. At that
time they say that the Emperor Honorius in Ravenna received the message
from one of the eunuchs, evidently a keeper of the poultry, that Rome
had perished. And he cried out and said, "And yet it has just eaten from
my hands!" For he had a very large cock, Rome by name; and the eunuch
comprehending his words said that it was the city of Rome which had
perished at the hands of Alaric, and the emperor with a sigh of relief
answered quickly: "But I, my good fellow, thought that my fowl Rome had
perished." So great, they say, was the folly with which this emperor was
possessed.
But some say that Rome was not captured in this way by Alaric, but that
Proba, a woman of very unusual eminence in wealth and in fame among the
Roman senatorial class, felt pity for the Romans who were being
destroyed by hunger and the other suffering they endured; for they were
already even tasting each other's flesh; and seeing that every good hope
had left them, since both the river and the harbour were held by the
enemy, she commanded her domestics, they say, to open the gates by
night.
Now when Alaric was about to depart from Rome, he declared Attalus, one
of their nobles, emperor of the Romans, investing him with the diadem
and the purple and whatever else pertains to the imperial dignity. And
he did this with the intention of removing Honorius from his throne and
of giving over the whole power in the West to Attalus. With such a
purpose, then, both Attalus and Alaric were going with a great army
against Ravenna. But this Attalus was neither able to think wisely
himself, nor to be persuaded by one who had wisdom to offer. So while
Alaric did not by any means approve the plan, Attalus sent commanders to
Libya without an army. Thus, then, were these things going on.
And the island of Britain revolted from the Romans, and the soldiers
there chose as their king Constantinus, a man of no mean station. [407
A.D.] And he straightway gathered a fleet of ships and a formidable army
and invaded both Spain and Gaul with a great force, thinking to enslave
these countries. But Honorius was holding ships in readiness and waiting
to see what would happen in Libya, in order that, if those sent by
Attalus were repulsed, he might himself sail for Libya and keep some
portion of his own kingdom, while if matters there should go against
him, he might reach Theodosius and remain with him. For Arcadius had
already died long before, and his son Theodosius, still a very young
child,[18] held the power of the East. [408-450 A.D.] But while Honorius
was thus anxiously awaiting the outcome of these events and tossed amid
the billows of uncertain fortune, it so chanced that some wonderful
pieces of good fortune befell him. For God is accustomed to succour
those who are neither clever nor able to devise anything of themselves,
and to lend them assistance, if they be not wicked, when they are in the
last extremity of despair; such a thing, indeed, befell this emperor.
For it was suddenly reported from Libya that the commanders of Attalus
had been destroyed, and that a host of ships was at hand from Byzantium
with a very great number of soldiers who had come to assist him, though
he had not expected them, and that Alaric, having quarrelled with
Attalus, had stripped him of the emperor's garb and was now keeping him
under guard in the position of a private citizen. [411 A.D.] And
afterwards Alaric died of disease, and the army of the Visigoths under
the leadership of Adaulphus proceeded into Gaul, and Constantinus,
defeated in battle, died with his sons. However the Romans never
succeeded in recovering Britain, but it remained from that time on under
tyrants. And the Goths, after making the crossing of the Ister, at first
occupied Pannonia, but afterwards, since the emperor gave them the
right, they inhabited the country of Thrace. And after spending no great
time there they conquered the West. But this will be told in the
narrative concerning the Goths.
III
Now the Vandals dwelling about the Maeotic Lake, since they were pressed
by hunger, moved to the country of the Germans, who are now called
Franks, and the river Rhine, associating with themselves the Alani, a
Gothic people. Then from there, under the leadership of Godigisclus,
they moved and settled in Spain, which is the first land of the Roman
empire on the side of the ocean. At that time Honorius made an agreement
with Godigisclus that they should settle there on condition that it
should not be to the detriment of the country. But there was a law among
the Romans, that if any persons should fail to keep their property in
their own possession, and if, meanwhile, a time amounting to thirty
years should pass, that these persons should thenceforth not be entitled
to proceed against those who had forced them out, but they were excluded
by demurrer[19] from access to the court; and in view of this he
established a law that whatever time should be spent by the Vandals in
the Roman domain should not by any means be counted toward this
thirty-year demurrer. And Honorius himself, when the West had been
driven by him to this pass, died of disease. [Aug. 27, 423 A.D.] Now
before this, as it happened, the royal power had been shared by Honorius
with Constantius, the husband of Placidia, the sister of Arcadius and
Honorius; but he lived to exercise the power only a few days, and then,
becoming seriously ill, he died while Honorius was still living, [421
A.D.] having never succeeded in saying or in doing anything worth
recounting; for the time was not sufficient during which he lived in
possession of the royal power. Now a son of this Constantius,
Valentinian, a child just weaned, was being reared in the palace of
Theodosius, but the members of the imperial court in Rome chose one of
the soldiers there, John by name, as emperor. This man was both gentle
and well-endowed with sagacity and thoroughly capable of valorous deeds.
At any rate he held the tyranny five years[20] and directed it with
moderation, and he neither gave ear to slanderers nor did he do any
unjust murder, willingly at least, nor did he set his hand to robbing
men of money; but he did not prove able to do anything at all against
the barbarians, since his relations with Byzantium were hostile. Against
this John, Theodosius, the son of Arcadius, sent a great army and Aspar
and Ardaburius, the son of Aspar, as generals, and wrested from him the
tyranny and gave over the royal power to Valentinian, who was still a
child. And Valentinian took John alive, and he brought him out in the
hippodrome of Aquileia with one of his hands cut off and caused him to
ride in state on an ass, and then after he had suffered much ill
treatment from the stage-performers there, both in word and in deed, he
put him to death. [426 A.D.] Thus Valentinian took over the power of the
West. But Placidia, his mother, had reared this emperor and educated him
in an altogether effeminate manner, and in consequence he was filled
with wickedness from childhood. For he associated mostly with sorcerers
and those who busy themselves with the stars, and, being an
extraordinarily zealous pursuer of love affairs with other men's wives,
he conducted himself in a most indecent manner, although he was married
to a woman of exceptional beauty. [455 A.D.] And not only was this true,
but he also failed to recover for the empire anything of what had been
wrested from it before, and he both lost Libya in addition to the
territory previously lost and was himself destroyed. And when he
perished, it fell to the lot of his wife and his children to become
captives. Now the disaster in Libya came about as follows.
There were two Roman generals, Aetius and Boniface, especially valiant
men and in experience of many wars inferior to none of that time at
least. These two came to be at variance in regard to matters of state,
but they attained to such a degree of highmindedness and excellence in
every respect that if one should call either of them "the last of the
Romans" he would not err, so true was it that all the excellent
qualities of the Romans were summed up in these two men. One of these,
Boniface, was appointed by Placidia general of all Libya. Now this was
not in accord with the wishes of Aetius, but he by no means disclosed
the fact that it did not please him. For their hostility had not as yet
come to light, but was concealed behind the countenance of each. But
when Boniface had got out of the way, Aetius slandered him to Placidia,
saying that he was setting up a tyranny and had robbed her and the
emperor of all Libya, and he said that it was very easy for her to find
out the truth; for if she should summon Boniface to Rome, he would never
come. And when the woman heard this, Aetius seemed to her to speak well
and she acted accordingly. But Aetius, anticipating her, wrote to
Boniface secretly that the mother of the emperor was plotting against
him and wished to put him out of the way. And he predicted to him that
there would be convincing proof of the plot; for he would be summoned
very shortly for no reason at all. Such was the announcement of the
letter. And Boniface did not disregard the message, for as soon as those
arrived who were summoning him to the emperor, he refused to give heed
to the emperor and his mother, disclosing to no one the warning of
Aetius. So when Placidia heard this, she thought that Aetius was
exceedingly well-disposed towards the emperor's cause and took under
consideration the question of Boniface. But Boniface, since it did not
seem to him that he was able to array himself against the emperor, and
since if he returned to Rome there was clearly no safety for him, began
to lay plans so that, if possible, he might have a defensive alliance
with the Vandals, who, as previously stated, had established themselves
in Spain not far from Libya. There Godigisclus had died and the royal
power had fallen to his sons, Gontharis, who was born to him from his
wedded wife, and Gizeric,[21] of illegitimate birth. But the former was
still a child and not of very energetic temper, while Gizeric had been
excellently trained in warfare, and was the cleverest of all men.
Boniface accordingly sent to Spain those who were his own most intimate
friends and gained the adherence of each of the sons of Godigisclus on
terms of complete equality, it being agreed that each one of the three,
holding a third part of Libya, should rule over his own subjects; but if
a foe should come against any one of them to make war, that they should
in common ward off the aggressors. On the basis of this agreement the
Vandals crossed the strait at Gadira and came into Libya, and the
Visigoths in later times settled in Spain. But in Rome the friends of
Boniface, remembering the character of the man and considering how
strange his action was, were greatly astonished to think that Boniface
was setting up a tyranny, and some of them at the order of Placidia went
to Carthage. There they met Boniface, and saw the letter of Aetius, and
after hearing the whole story they returned to Rome as quickly as they
could and reported to Placidia how Boniface stood in relation to her.
And though the woman was dumbfounded, she did nothing unpleasant to
Aetius nor did she upbraid him for what he had done to the emperor's
house, for he himself wielded great power and the affairs of the empire
were already in an evil plight; but she disclosed to the friends of
Boniface the advice Aetius had given, and, offering oaths and pledges of
safety, entreated them to persuade the man, if they could, to return to
his fatherland and not to permit the empire of the Romans to lie under
the hand of barbarians. And when Boniface heard this, he repented of his
act and of his agreement with the barbarians, and he besought them
incessantly, promising them everything, to remove from Libya. But since
they did not receive his words with favour, but considered that they
were being insulted, he was compelled to fight with them, and being
defeated in the battle, he retired to Hippo[22] Regius, a strong city in
the portion of Numidia that is on the sea. There the Vandals made camp
under the leadership of Gizeric and began a siege; for Gontharis had
already died. And they say that he perished at the hand of his brother.
The Vandals, however, do not agree with those who make this statement,
but say that Gontharis' was captured in battle by Germans in Spain and
impaled, and that Gizeric was already sole ruler when he led the Vandals
into Libya. This, indeed, I have heard from the Vandals, stated in this
way. But after much time had passed by, since they were unable to secure
Hippo Regius either by force or by surrender, and since at the same time
they were being pressed by hunger, they raised the siege. And a little
later Boniface and the Romans in Libya, since a numerous army had come
from both Rome and Byzantium and Aspar with them as general, decided to
renew the struggle, and a fierce battle was fought in which they were
badly beaten by the enemy, and they made haste to flee as each one
could. And Aspar betook himself homeward, and Boniface, coming before
Placidia, acquitted himself of the suspicion, showing that it had arisen
against him for no true cause.
IV
So the Vandals, having wrested Libya from the Romans in this way, made
it their own. And those of the enemy whom they took alive they reduced
to slavery and held under guard. Among these happened to be Marcian, who
later upon the death of Theodosius assumed the imperial power. At that
time, however, Gizeric commanded that the captives be brought into the
king's courtyard, in order that it might be possible for him, by looking
at them, to know what master each of them might serve without
degradation. And when they were gathered under the open sky, about
midday, the season being summer, they were distressed by the sun and sat
down. And somewhere or other among them Marcian, quite neglected, was
sleeping. Then an eagle flew over him spreading out his wings, as they
say, and always remaining in the same place in the air he cast a shadow
over Marcian alone. And Gizeric, upon seeing from the upper storey what
was happening, since he was an exceedingly discerning person, suspected
that the thing was a divine manifestation, and summoning the man
enquired of him who he might be. And he replied that he was a
confidential adviser of Aspar; such a person the Romans call a
"domesticus" in their own tongue. And when Gizeric heard this and
considered first the meaning of the bird's action, and then remembered
how great power Aspar exercised in Byzantium, it became evident to him
that the man was being led to royal power. He therefore by no means
deemed it right to kill him, reasoning that, if he should remove him
from the world, it would be very clear that the thing which the bird had
done was nothing (for he would not honour with his shadow a king who was
about to die straightway), and he felt, too, that he would be killing
him for no good cause; and if, on the other hand, it was fated that in
later times the man should become king, it would never be within his
power to inflict death upon him; for that which has been decided upon by
God could never be prevented by a man's decision. But he bound Marcian
by oaths that, if it should be in his power, he would never take up arms
against the Vandals at least. [450 A.D.] Thus, then, Marcian was
released and came to Byzantium, and when at a later time Theodosius died
he received the empire. And in all other respects he proved himself a
good emperor, but he paid no attention at all to affairs in Libya. But
this happened in later times.
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