Germanus, Thessalonica, and the Sclaveni Winter

This Good Works Translation completes the Book 7 Procopius dossier passages from the Greek.

The chapter belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius gives a major account of Sclaveni military pressure on the Balkans: a force near Naissus threatens Thessalonica, Germanus' earlier victory over the Antae changes their route, later Sclaveni groups winter inside Roman territory, and a Roman army is defeated near Adrianople before recovering captives and a lost standard.

The translation is newly made from the Greek source text printed below. Dewing's public-domain English translation was used only as a control.

Translation

Wars 7.40.1-45

While Germanus was gathering and ordering the army at Sardica, the city of the Illyrians, and preparing all things for the war with the greatest strength, a host of Sclaveni such as had never before come into Roman land crossed the river Ister and came into the region around Naissus.

A few of them, having become separated from the army, were wandering and going about the country there alone. Some Romans seized them, bound them, and asked why this army of the Sclaveni had crossed the river and what they intended to accomplish.

They insisted that they had come to take Thessalonica itself and the cities around it by siege. When the emperor heard this, he was greatly disturbed and at once wrote to Germanus, ordering him for the present to postpone the journey to Italy, to defend Thessalonica and the other cities, and to repel the invasion of the Sclaveni with all his power.

Germanus, then, was applying himself to this problem. But the Sclaveni, learning plainly from their captives that Germanus was in Sardica, fell into fear.

For Germanus had a great reputation among these barbarians for the following reason. In the reign of Justinian's uncle Justin, the Antae, who live close to the Sclaveni, had crossed the river Ister with a great army and invaded Roman territory.

Not long before this, as it happened, the emperor had appointed Germanus general of all Thrace. He joined battle with the hostile army, defeated it decisively, and killed almost all of them.

Because of this deed Germanus was held in great glory among all men, including these barbarians.

Therefore, because of their fear of him, as I have said, and also because they supposed that he was leading a formidable force, since he was being sent by the emperor against Totila and the Goths, the Sclaveni immediately turned aside from their march on Thessalonica and no longer dared to descend into the plain. Instead they crossed all the mountains of Illyricum and came into Dalmatia.

Germanus, accordingly, no longer paid attention to them. He ordered the whole army to prepare for the march, intending to begin the journey from there to Italy two days later.

But by some chance it happened that he was taken by sickness and suddenly reached the end of his life.

Thus Germanus suddenly departed, a man endowed with the finest qualities and remarkable for his energy. In war, he was not only a very able general, but also resourceful and independent in action; and in peace and good fortune, he knew well how to maintain both the laws and the institutions of the state with all firmness.

As a judge he was conspicuously upright; in private life he lent large sums of money to all who asked, and never even mentioned taking interest from them.

Both in the palace and in the marketplace he was impressive in appearance and very serious in manner; but in daily life at home he was pleasant, open-hearted, and gracious to his guests.

So far as his strength allowed, he permitted no offense against the established laws in the palace; nor did he ever share in the purpose or conversations of the conspirators in Byzantium, although many even of those in power had gone very far in their unnatural conduct.

Such was the course of these events. The emperor was deeply moved by this misfortune, and commanded John, the nephew of Vitalian and son-in-law of Germanus, together with Justinian, one of Germanus' two sons, to lead this army into Italy.

So they set out on the road to Dalmatia, intending to spend the winter at Salones. It seemed impossible to them at that season to make the circuit of the gulf, as they would have to do when traveling into Italy, and they could not ferry across because they had no ships.

Meanwhile Liberius, not yet having learned anything of the emperor's change of plan concerning the fleet he commanded, put in at Syracuse while it was being besieged by the enemy.

He forced his way through the barbarian lines, sailed into the harbor, and so came inside the fortifications with the whole fleet.

Not long afterward Artabanes reached Cephallenia. Finding that Liberius and his army had already put out from there and departed by sea on the way to Sicily, he immediately set out from there and crossed the so-called Adriatic sea.

But when he came near Calabria, a violent storm and an extraordinarily strong head wind fell upon him. It happened that all the ships were scattered so completely that it seemed most of them had been driven onto the shore of Calabria and had fallen into the hands of the enemy.

This, however, did not happen. They had first been separated by the great force of the wind, then had turned back while being violently battered by the sea, and had again reached the Peloponnesus.

Of the other ships, some were lost and some were saved, according to where chance carried each.

But the ship in which Artabanes himself was sailing had its mast broken off by the heavy sea. Yet after coming into such danger, it was carried by the surge and followed the swell until it came to land at the island of Melita.

Thus Artabanes was saved contrary to expectation. Liberius, meanwhile, found himself unable to make sallies against the besiegers or to fight a decisive battle with them; at the same time, the supplies could not possibly be enough for long, since his force was large. So he sailed from there with his troops, escaped the enemy's notice, and withdrew to Panormus.

Totila and the Goths, meanwhile, had plundered almost the whole land of Sicily. They had gathered as spoil a vast number of horses and other animals, and had stripped the island of grain and all its other crops. These, together with all the treasure, which amounted to a very great sum, they loaded onto their ships; then suddenly they abandoned the island and returned to Italy, being driven to do this for the following reason.

Not long before this, Totila had appointed one of the Romans, named Spinus, a native of Spolitium, to be his personal adviser. This man was staying in Catana, an unwalled town.

By some chance he fell into the hands of the enemy there. Totila, eager to rescue the man, wished to release to the Romans in exchange for him the wife of a notable man, whom he held prisoner.

But the Romans would not consent to take a woman in exchange for a man who held the office called quaestor.

The man therefore became afraid that he would be destroyed while in hostile hands, and promised the Romans that he would persuade Totila to leave Sicily immediately and cross over to Italy with the whole Gothic army.

So they first bound him with oaths to carry out this promise, and then gave him over to the Goths, receiving the woman in return.

He came before Totila and declared that the Goths were not looking to their own advantage by remaining there for a few insignificant fortresses, now that they had plundered almost the whole of Sicily.

He said that, while among the enemy, he had recently heard that Germanus, the emperor's nephew, had departed from the world, and that John, his son-in-law, and Justinian, his son, with the whole army gathered by Germanus, were already in Dalmatia and would move from there, after completing their preparations in the briefest time, straight for Liguria, plainly in order to fall suddenly upon the Goths, enslave their women and children, and plunder all their valuables.

It would be better for the Goths, he said, to be there to meet them, spending the winter meanwhile safely together with their families.

"For if we overcome that army, it will be possible for us, at the opening of spring, to renew the campaign against Sicily without anxiety and with no thought of an enemy in our minds."

Totila was persuaded by this advice. Leaving guards in four strongholds, he himself took all the booty and crossed over with all the rest of the army to Italy.

Such was the course of these events. John and the emperor's army, when they reached Dalmatia, decided to pass the winter at Salones, intending after the winter season to march from there straight to Ravenna.

But the Sclaveni now appeared again: both those who had previously come into the emperor's land, as I have recounted above, and others who had crossed the Ister not long afterward and joined the first. They began to overrun Roman territory with complete freedom.

Some suspected that Totila had bribed these barbarians with great gifts of money and had thus set them upon the Romans there, with the definite purpose that the emperor might not be able to manage the war against the Goths well because of his occupation with these barbarians.

But whether the Sclaveni were conferring a favor on Totila, or whether they came there without invitation, I am unable to say.

In any case, these barbarians divided themselves into three groups and did irreparable harm throughout all Europe, not merely plundering that country by sudden raids, but actually spending the winter there as though in their own land, with no fear of the enemy.

Afterward the Emperor Justinian sent a very considerable army against them, led by a number of commanders, among them Constantianus, Aratius, Nazares, Justinus the son of Germanus, and John who bore the name Glutton.

But over all of them he set Scholasticus, one of the palace eunuchs, as supreme commander.

This army came upon a part of the barbarians near Adrianople, which lies in inland Thrace, five days' journey from Byzantium.

The barbarians were unable to go farther, for they were bringing with them booty beyond all reckoning: men, animals, and valuables of every kind. So they remained there, eager to come to an engagement with the enemy, but not letting this be known to them in any way.

The Sclaveni were encamped on the hill that rises there, while the Romans were in the plain not far away.

When much time was spent in this way blockading the enemy, the soldiers grew resentful and made a great clamor. They accused the generals of having all provisions in abundance for themselves as commanders of the Roman army, while paying no attention to the soldiers, who were distressed by the lack of absolute necessities and were unwilling to engage the enemy.

Under these protests the generals were compelled to join battle with the enemy.

The battle that followed was fierce, but the Romans were decisively defeated. In that battle many of the best soldiers perished, and the generals came very near to falling into the hands of the enemy. Only with difficulty did they escape with the remnant of the army and save themselves, each as he could.

The barbarians also captured the standard of Constantianus, and, holding the Roman army in contempt, advanced farther.

They plundered at will the country called Astica, which had been unravaged from ancient times, and therefore it happened that they found there a very great amount of spoil. Plundering much country in this way, they came as far as the Long Walls, which are a little more than a day's journey from Byzantium.

Not long afterward, the Roman army followed these barbarians, came upon a part of them, and suddenly joined battle with them and turned them to flight.

They killed many of the enemy, rescued a great mass of Roman captives, and found and recovered the standard of Constantianus. The rest of the barbarians departed for home with the remaining booty.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Greek source text printed below. The Greek text was downloaded from the PerseusDL canonical Greek repository as tlg4029.tlg001.perseus-grc2.xml and inspected locally. Dewing's public-domain English, preserved in the local ToposText capture and Ready archival dossier, was used only as a control.

This is the twenty-fifth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the ninth Book 7 unit.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Procopius, Wars 7.40.1-45

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 7.40. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 7.40

§ 7.40.1 Γερμανοῦ δὲ τὸ στράτευμα ἐν Σαρδικῇ, τῇ Ἰλλυριῶν πόλει, ἀγείραντός τε καὶ διέποντος, ἅπαντά τε ἰσχυρότατα ἐξαρτυομένου τὰ ἐς τὴν τοῦ πολέμου παρασκευήν, Σκλαβηνῶν ὅμιλος ὅσος οὔπω πρότερον ἀφίκετο ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν· Ἴστρον τε ποταμὸν διαβάντες ἀμφὶ Νάϊσον ἦλθον.

§ 7.40.2 ὧν δὴ ὀλίγους τινὰς ἀποσκεδασθέντας μὲν τοῦ στρατοπέδου, πλανωμένους δὲ καὶ κατὰ μόνας περιιόντας τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία τῶν τινὲς Ῥωμαίων καταλαβόντες τε καὶ ξυνδήσαντες ἀνεπυνθάνοντο ὅτου δὴ ἕνεκα οὗτος δὴ ὁ τῶν Σκλαβηνῶν στρατὸς καὶ ὅ τι κατεργασόμενοι διέβησαν ποταμὸν Ἴστρον.

§ 7.40.3 οἱ δὲ ἰσχυρίσαντο ὡς Θεσσαλονίκην τε αὐτὴν καὶ πόλεις τὰς ἀμφ’ αὐτὴν πολιορκίᾳ ἐξαιρήσοντες ἥκοιεν. ἅπερ ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς ἤκουσεν, ἄγαν τε ξυνεταράχθη καὶ πρὸς Γερμανὸν εὐθὺς ἔγραψεν, ὁδὸν μὲν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα τὴν ἐπὶ Ἰταλίαν ἀναβαλέσθαι, Θεσσαλονίκῃ δὲ καὶ πόλεσι ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀμῦναι, καὶ τὴν Σκλαβηνῶν ἔφοδον ὅση δύναμις ἀποκρούσασθαι. καὶ Γερμανὸς μὲν ἀμφὶ ταῦτα διατριβὴν εἶχε.

§ 7.40.4 Σκλαβηνοὶ δὲ γνόντες διαρρήδην πρὸς τῶν αἰχμαλώτων Γερμανὸν ἐν Σαρδικῇ εἶναι ἐς δέος ἦλθον·

§ 7.40.5 μέγα γὰρ ὄνομα ἐς τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους ὁ Γερμανὸς εἶχεν ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. ἡνίκα Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ Γερμανοῦ θεῖος τὴν βασι· λείαν εἷχεν, Ἄνται, οἳ Σκλαβηνῶν ἄγχιστα ᾤκηνται, Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διαβάντες στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ἐσέβαλον ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν.

§ 7.40.6 ἐτύγχανε δὲ Γερμανὸν βασιλεὺς Θρᾴκης ὅλης στρατηγὸν καταστησάμενος οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον. ὃς δὴ ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθὼν τῷ τῶν πολεμίων στρατῷ κατὰ κράτος τε μάχῃ νικήσας σχεδόν τι ἅπαντας ἔκτεινε, κλέος τε μέγα ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ό Γερμανὸς ἐς πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ διαφερόντως ἐς τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους περιεβάλετο.

§ 7.40.7 δειμαίνοντες οὖν αὐτόν, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, Σκλαβηνοί, ἅμα δὲ καὶ δύναμιν ἀξιολογωτάτην αὐτὸν ἐπάγεσθαι οἰόμενοι ἅτε πρὸς βασιλέως στελλόμενον ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τε καὶ Γότθους, ὁδοῦ μὲν εὐθὺς τῆς ἐπὶ Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπέσχοντο, ἐς δὲ τὸ πεδίον καταβῆναι οὐκέτι ἐτόλμων, ἀλλὰ ξύμπαντα τὰ ὄρη τὰ Ἰλλυριῶν διαμείψαντες ἐν Δαλματίᾳ ἐγένοντο.

§ 7.40.8 ὧν δὴ ὁ Γερμανὸς ἀφροντιστήσας πάσῃ ἐπήγγελλε τῇ στρατιᾷ ξυσκευάζεσθαι, ὡς ἡμέραιν δυοῖν ὕστερον ὁδοῦ ἐνθένδε τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀρξόμενος.

§ 7.40.9 Ἀλλά τις αὐτῷ ξυνέπεσε τύχη νοσήσαντι ἐξαπιναίως τὸν βίον διαμετρήσασθαι. εὐθυωρόν τε ὁ Γερμανὸς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο, ἀνὴρ ἀνδρεῖός τε καὶ δραστήριος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, ἐν μὲν τῷ πολέμῳ στρατηγός τε ἄριστος καὶ αὐτουργὸς δεξιός, ἐν δὲ εἰρήνῃ καὶ ἀγαθοῖς πράγμασι τά τε νόμιμα καὶ τὸν τῆς πολιτείας κόσμον βεβαιότατα φυλάσσειν ἐξεπιστάμενος, δικάσας μὲν ὀρθότατα πάντων μάλιστα, χρήματα δὲ τοῖς δεομένοις ἅπασι δεδανεικὼς μεγάλα καὶ τόκον οὐδ’ ὅσον λόγῳ κεκομισμένος πρὸς αὐτῶν πώποτε, ἐν Παλατίῳ μὲν καὶ τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἐμβριθέστατός τε καὶ σοβαρὸς ἄγαν, ἑστιάτωρ δὲ καθ’ ἡμέραν οἴκοι ἡδύς τε καὶ ἐλευθέριος καὶ ἐπίχαρις, οὐδέ τι ἐν Παλατίῳ ἁμαρτάνεσθαι παρὰ τὰ εἰωθότα ὅση δύναμις ξυγχωρῶν, οὐδὲ στασιώταις τοῖς ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τῆς βουλήσεως ἢ τῆς ὁμιλίας μεταλαχὼν πώποτε, καίπερ καὶ τῶν ἐν δυνάμει πολλῶν ἐς τοῦτο ἀτοπίας ἐληλακότων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε κεχώρηκε.

§ 7.40.10 Βασιλεὺς δὲ τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι περιώδυνος γεγονὼς Ἰωάννην ἐκέλευε, τὸν Βιταλιανοῦ μὲν ἀδελφιδοῦν. Γερμανοῦ δὲ γαμβρόν, ξὺν Ἰουστινιανῷ θατέρῳ τοῖν Γερμανοῦ παίδοιν τῷ στρατῷ τούτῳ ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἡγήσασθαι.

§ 7.40.11 καὶ οἱ μὲν τὴν ἐπὶ Δαλματίας ᾔεσαν, ὡς ἐν Σάλωσι διαχειμάσοντες, ἐπεὶ ἀδύνατα σφίσιν ᾤοντο εἶναι τηνικάδε τοῦ καιροῦ περιιοῦσι τὴν τοῦ κόλπου περίοδον ἐς Ἰταλίαν κομίζεσθαι· διαπορθμεύεσθαι γὰρ νηῶν σφίσιν οὐ παρουσῶν ἀμήχανα ἦν.

§ 7.40.12 Λιβέριος δέ, οὔπω τι πεπυσμένος ὧνπερ βασιλεῖ ἀμφὶ τῷ στόλῳ τούτῳ μετέμελε, Συρακούσαις προσέσχε πολιορκουμέναις πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων.

§ 7.40.13 βιασάμενός τε τοὺς ταύτῃ βαρβάρους ἔς τε τὸν λιμένα κατῆρε καὶ παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένετο. καὶ

§ 7.40.14 Ἀρταβάνης δὲ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐν Κεφαλωνίᾳ γενόμενος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἀμφὶ Λιβέριον ἤδη ἐνθένδε ἀναχθέντας ἐπὶ Σικελίας κεχωρηκέναι ἔγνω, ἄρας ἐνθένδε πέλαγος αὐτίκα τὸ Ἀδριατικὸν καλούμενον διέβη.

§ 7.40.15 ἐπεὶ δὲ Καλαβρῶν ἀγχοῦ ἐγένετο, χειμῶνός οἱ ἐξαισίου ἐπιπεσόντος καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος σκληροῦ τε ὑπεράγαν ὄντος καὶ ἀπ’ ἐναντίας σφίσιν ἰόντος, οὕτως ἁπάσας διασκεδάννυσθαι τὰς ναῦς ξυνηνέχθη, ὡς δοκεῖν ὅτι δὴ αἱ πολλαὶ ἐς τὴν Καλαβρίαν ἐξενεχθεῖσαι ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐγένοντο.

§ 7.40.16 οὐκ ἦν δὲ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦ πνεύματος ξὺν βίᾳ πολλῇ διωθούμεναι ἀνέστρεφόν τε βιαζόμεναι ὑπερφυῶς καὶ αὖθις ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ ἐγένοντο. καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις δέ, ὅπη παρατύχῃ, ἢ διεφθάρθαι ἢ διασεσῶσθαι τετύχηκε.

§ 7.40.17 ναῦς δὲ μία, ἐν ᾗ ἔπλει Ἀρταβάνης αὐτός, τοῦ ἱστοῦ οἱ ἐν τῷ σάλῳ τούτῳ ἀποκοπέντος, ἐς τοσόνδε κινδύνου ἐλθοῦσα, πρός τε τοῦ ῥοθίου φερομένη καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι ἐπισπομένη Μελίτῃ προσέσχε τῇ νήσῳ. οὕτω μὲν Ἀρταβάνην διασεσῶσθαι ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ξυνέπεσε.

§ 7.40.18 Λιβέριος δὲ οὔτε τοῖς πολιορκοῦσιν ἐπεξιέναι ἢ μάχῃ πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἷός τε ὢν διακρίνεσθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων σφίσιν ἅτε πολλοῖς οὖσιν ἐς πλείω χρόνον οὐδαμῆ διαρκούντων, ἄρας ἐνθένδε ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους λαθὼν ἐς Πάνορμον ἀπεχώρησε.

§ 7.40.19 Τουτίλας δὲ καὶ Γότθοι σχεδόν τι ἅπαντα ληϊσάμενοι τὰ ἐπὶ Σικελίας χωρία ἵππων μὲν ἐπαγόμενοι καὶ ζῴων ἄλλων μέγα τι χρῆμα, σῖτον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους καρποὺς ἅπαντας ἐκ τῆς νήσου μετενεγκόντες καὶ πάντα τὰ χρήματα, μεγάλα κομιδῆ ὄντα, ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις ἐνθέμενοι, τήν τε νῆσον ἐξαπιναίως ἐξέλιπον καὶ ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀνέστρεφον, τρόπῳ ὁρμώμενοι τοιῷδε.

§ 7.40.20 τῶν τινὰ Ῥωμαίων, Σπῖνον ὄνομα, ἐκ Σπολιτίου ὁρμώμενόν οἱ αὐτῷ πάρεδρον οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον καταστησάμενος Τουτίλας ἔτυχεν.

§ 7.40.21 οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἐν πόλει Κατάνῃ, ἀτειχίστῳ οὔσῃ, διατριβὴν εἶχε. τύχη τέ τις αὐτῷ ξυνέβη ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνταῦθα γενέσθαι.

§ 7.40.22 ὃν δὴ ῥύεσθαι ὁ Τουτίλας ἐπειγόμενος τῶν τινὰ ἐπιφανῶν γυναῖκα, αἰχμάλωτον οὖσαν, ἀφεῖναι Ῥωμαίοις ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ ἤθελε.

§ 7.40.23 γυναῖκα δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι οὐδαμῆ ἐδικαίουν ἀνταλλάξασθαι ἀνδρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλουμένου κοιαίστωρος ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος.

§ 7.40.24 δείσας οὖν ὁ ἀνὴρ μὴ παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις διαφθαρείη, ὡμολόγησε Ῥωμαίοις αὐτίκα Τουτίλαν ἀναπείσειν Σικελίας μὲν ἀπανίστασθαι, παντὶ δὲ τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ ἐς Ἰταλίαν διαπορθμεύσασθαι.

§ 7.40.25 καὶ οἱ μὲν ὅρκοις αὐτὸν σφίσιν ἀμφὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ καταληφθέντα Γότθοις ἀπέσοσαν, ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα κεκομισμένοι.

§ 7.40.26 ὁ δὲ Τουτίλᾳ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ ξυμφόρῳ Γότθους ἔφασκε Σικελίαν ληϊσαμένους σχεδόν τι ὅλην ὀλίγων τινῶν φρουρίων διατριβὴν ἐνταῦθα ἔχειν.

§ 7.40.27 ἔναγχος γὰρ ἰσχυρίζετο ἀκηκοέναι, ἡνίκα παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, Γερμανὸν μὲν τὸν βασιλέως ἀνεψιὸν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι, Ἰωάννην δὲ τὸν αὐτοῦ κηδεστὴν καὶ Ἰουστινιανὸν τὸν αὐτοῦ παῖδα παντὶ τῷ πρὸς Γερμανοῦ συλλεγέντι στρατῷ εἶναι μὲν ἤδη ἐν Δαλματίᾳ, εὐθὺ δὲ Λιγουρίας αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ξυσκευαζομένους ἐνθένδε χωρήσειν, ἐφ’ ᾧ δὴ Γότθων ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἀνδραποδίσουσι καὶ χρήματα ληΐσονται πάντα, οἷσπερ ἡμᾶς ὑπαντιάζειν ἄμεινον ἂν εἴη ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ξὺν τοῖς οἰκείοις διαχειμάζοντας.

§ 7.40.28 ἢν γὰρ ἐκείνων περιεσόμεθα, Σικελίας αὖθις ἅμα ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ παρέσται ἡμῖν ἀδεέστερον ἐπιβήσεσθαι πολέμιον οὐδὲν ἐν νῷ ἔχουσι.

§ 7.40.29 ταύτῃ ὁ Τουτίλας τῇ ὑποθήκῃ ἀναπεισθεὶς φρουροὺς μὲν ἐν ὀχυρώμασι τέτρασιν εἴασεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ξύμπασαν τὴν λείαν ἐπαγόμενος παντὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐς Ἰταλίαν διεπορθμεύσατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράσσετο τῇδε.

§ 7.40.30 Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλέως στρατὸς ἀφικόμενοι ἐς Δαλματίαν ἐν Σάλωσι διαχειμάζειν ἔγνωσαν, ἐνθένδε μετὰ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥραν εὐθὺ Ῥαβέννης ὁδῷ ἰέναι διανοούμενοι.

§ 7.40.31 Σκλαβηνοὶ δέ, οἵ τε τὰ πρότερα ἐν γῇ τῇ βασιλέως γενόμενοι, ὥσπερ μοι ἔναγχος δεδιήγηται, καὶ ἄλλοι οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διαβάντες καὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἀναμιχθέντες, κατέθεον ἐν πολλῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν.

§ 7.40.32 καί τινες μὲν ἐν ὑποψίᾳ εἶχον ὡς Τουτίλας τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους χρήμασι πολλοῖς ἀναπείσας ἐπιπέμψειε τοῖς ταύτῃ Ῥωμαίοις, ὅπως δὴ βασιλεῖ ἀδύνατα εἴη τὸν πρὸς Γότθους πόλεμον ἀσχολίᾳ τῇ ἐς τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους εὖ διοικήσασθαι.

§ 7.40.33 εἴτε δὲ Τουτίλᾳ χαριζόμενοι εἴτε ἄκλητοι Σκλαβηνοὶ ἐνταῦθα ἦλθον οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν. ἐς τρία μέντοι τέλη σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διελόντες οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἀνήκεστα ἐν Εὐρώπῃ τῇ ὅλῃ ἔργα εἰργάσαντο, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ληϊζόμενοι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐν χώρᾳ οἰκείᾳ διαχειμάζοντες οὐδέν τε δεδιότες πολέμιον.

§ 7.40.34 ὕστερον δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς στρατιὰν ἀξιολογωτάτην ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν, ἧς ἄλλοι τε καὶ Κωνσταντιανὸς καὶ Ἀράτιος καὶ Ναζάρης ἡγοῦντο καὶ Ἰουστῖνος ὁ Γερμανοῦ παῖς καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὅνπερ ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν Φαγᾶν.

§ 7.40.35 ἐπιστάτην δὲ Σχολαστικὸν ἐφ’ ἅπασι κατεστήσατο, τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ εὐνούχων ἕνα.

§ 7.40.36 Οὗτος ὁ στρατὸς μοῖραν τῶν βαρβάρων καταλαμβάνουσιν ἀμφὶ Ἀδριανούπολιν, ἥπερ ἐπὶ Θράκης ἐν μεσογείοις κεῖται, πέντε ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν Βυζαντίου διέχουσα.

§ 7.40.37 καὶ πρόσω μὲν χωρεῖν οἱ βάρβαροι οὐκέτι εἶχον· λείαν γὰρ ἐπήγοντο ἀνθρωπων τε καὶ ζῴων ἄλλων καὶ πάντων χρημάτων ἀριθμοῦ κρείσσονα.

§ 7.40.38 μένοντες δὲ αὐτοῦ ἠπείγοντο τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι, τούτου δὴ αὐτοῖς αἴσθησιν ὡς ἥκιστα παρεχόμενοι. καὶ οἱ μὲν Σκλαβηνοὶ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο ἐς τὸ ὄρος ὃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν.

§ 7.40.39 χρόνου δὲ σφίσιν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ τριβομένου συχνοῦ ἤσχαλλόν τε οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο, τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ἐπικαλοῦντες ὅτι δὴ αὐτοὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ξύμπαντα εὔπορα ἔχοντες ἅτε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες τοὺς στρατιώτας περιορῶσι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ πιεζομένους καὶ οὐ βούλονται τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι.

§ 7.40.40 οἶς δὴ οἱ στρατηγοὶ ἀναγκασθέντες τοῖς ἐναντίοις ξυνέμιξαν. καὶ γίνεται μὲν καρτερὰ μάχη, ἡσσῶνται δὲ κατὰ κράτος Ῥωμαῖοι.

§ 7.40.41 ἔνθα δὴ στρατιῶται μὲν πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι θνήσκουσιν, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ παρ’ ὀλίγον ἐλθόντες ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις γενέσθαι ξὺν τοῖς καταλοίποις μόλις διαφυγόντες ἐσώθησαν,

§ 7.40.42 ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονε. καὶ Κωνσταντιανοῦ δὲ τὸ σημεῖον οἱ βάρβαροι εἷλον, τοῦ τε Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἐς ὀλιγωρίαν τραπόμενοι πρόσω ἐχώρουν.

§ 7.40.43 καὶ χώραν τὴν Ἀστικὴν καλουμένην ἐληΐζοντο κατ’ ἐξουσίαν, ἀδῄωτον ἐκ παλαιοῦ οὖσαν, καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ λείαν αὐτοὺς πολλήν τινα ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν ξυνηνέχθη· οὕτω δὲ χώραν πολλὴν ληϊζόμενοι ἄχρι ἐς τὰ μακρὰ τείχη ἀφίκοντο, ἅπερ ὀλίγῳ πλέον ἢ ἡμέρας ὁδὸν Βυζαντίου διέχει.

§ 7.40.44 οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς τούτοις δὴ ἐπισπόμενοι τοῖς βαρβάροις, μοίρᾳ τε αὐτῶν ἐντυχόντες τινὶ καὶ ἐξαπιναίως ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντες ἐτρέψαντο.

§ 7.40.45 καὶ τῶν μὲν πολεμίων πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν, Ῥωμαίων δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων μέγα τι διεσώσαντο χρῆμα, τό τε Κωνσταντιανοῦ σημεῖον εὑρόντες ἀνείλοντο. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ βάρβαροι ξὺν τῇ ἄλλῃ λείᾳ ἐπ’ οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν.

Source Colophon

Greek source text from the PerseusDL canonical Greek repository file tlg4029.tlg001.perseus-grc2.xml, inspected locally for this translation unit.

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