Cutrigurs, Utigurs, and Sandil's Protest

This Good Works Translation continues the Book 8 Procopius dossier passages from the Greek.

The unit belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius gives one of his fullest political accounts of the Cutrigur and Utigur Huns: Gepaed diplomacy, twelve thousand Cutrigurs under Chinialon, the Ister crossing, Justinian's appeal to the Utigurs, Sandil's campaign with Tetraxitae Goths, Roman captives escaping, Sinnion and the defeated Huns entering Thrace, and Sandil's protest to the emperor.

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 8.18.1-24

While these events were taking place as described, the following meanwhile happened in Europe.

The Gepaeds had at first, as I have stated in the previous narrative, confirmed a treaty with their enemies the Lombards.

But being wholly unable to compose their differences with them, they decided not much later that they must make war.

So the Gepaeds and the Lombards advanced in full force against one another, both fully prepared for war.

The commanders were Thorisin on the side of the Gepaeds and Auduin on the side of the Lombards, each followed by many myriads of men.

They had already come close to one another, though the two armies could not yet see each other.

But the fear called panic suddenly fell upon both armies and carried the men all backward in a flight that had no real cause, only the commanders being left where they were with a small number of men. Although they tried to draw their men back and check the retreat, they could accomplish nothing either by humble entreaty or by terrible threats.

Auduin became thoroughly frightened at seeing the men taking to their heels in this disorderly manner, for he did not know that the enemy had shared the same fate. He immediately sent some of his followers as an embassy to his opponents, to beg for peace.

When these men came to Thorisin, commander of the Gepaeds, and observed what was taking place and understood from their own experience what had happened to their enemies, they asked Thorisin, when they came before him, where in the world the host of his subjects was.

He, making no denial of what had happened, said: "They are fleeing, though no man pursues."

Then the envoys answered him: "This very thing has happened to the Lombards also. Since you speak the truth, O king, we shall conceal nothing on our side.

"Accordingly, since it is not at all the will of God that these nations should utterly perish, and since for this reason he dissolved the battle lines, striking both armies with a saving fear, come now, let us too yield to the will of God by putting an end to the war."

"Very well, let it be so," said Thorisin. Thus they made a two-year truce, so that by maintaining embassies and keeping constantly in communication with one another during the interval, they might make a thorough settlement of all their differences. At that time they each withdrew under this agreement.

But when, during this truce, they found themselves unable to come to such terms with one another as to reach a settlement of the disputed matter, they were once more on the point of resorting to war.

The Gepaeds, fearing the power of the Romans, since it was expected that the Romans would array themselves with the Lombards, planned to invite some of the Huns into an offensive and defensive alliance.

They therefore sent to the rulers of the Cutrigurs, who live on the western side of the Maeotic Lake, and begged them to assist in carrying on the war against the Lombards.

These Huns immediately sent them twelve thousand men under different commanders, among whom was Chinialon, an especially capable warrior.

For the moment, however, the Gepaeds were embarrassed by the presence of these barbarians, since the time had not yet arrived when battle could be fought, for the truce still had a year to run.

So they persuaded them to overrun the emperor's land in the interval, turning their embarrassment to their profit by delivering this attack upon the Romans.

Since the Romans were carefully guarding the crossing of the Ister River both in Illyricum and in the land of Thrace, the Gepaeds themselves ferried these Huns across the Ister at the point where their own territory touched the river, and turned them loose in Roman territory.

They had already plundered practically the whole country there when the Emperor Justinian hit upon the following plan.

Sending to the rulers of the Utigur Huns, who live on the eastern side of the Maeotic Lake, he reproached them and denounced as unjust their inaction with regard to the Cutrigurs, if indeed one ought to consider it the height of injustice to watch without protest the destruction of one's friends.

"For the Cutrigurs," he said, "paying no heed to their neighbors the Utigurs, even though they receive great sums of money every year from Byzantium, are unwilling in any degree to cease from their injustice toward the Romans, but raid and plunder them every day without cause.

"And although the Utigurs themselves receive no portion of this plunder and share none of the booty with the Cutrigurs, they are not taking the side of the Romans who are being wronged, though they have been in close friendship with them from ancient times."

Thus the Emperor Justinian, by sending this message to the Utigurs, and not only making them a gift of money but also reminding them of all the gifts they had previously received from him on many occasions, immediately persuaded them to attack those Cutrigurs who had been left behind.

So they first drew into alliance with them two thousand of the Goths called Tetraxitae, who are their neighbors, and then crossed the Tanais River in full force.

They were commanded by Sandil, a man of the greatest cleverness and experienced in many wars, and one moreover well endowed with courage and endurance.

After they had crossed the river, they engaged a large number of Cutrigurs who disputed their advance.

Since this force offered very vigorous resistance to the attackers, the battle continued for a very long time. But finally the Utigurs routed their opponents and killed many.

Only a small number saved themselves by fleeing wherever each man could. Then their enemy enslaved their women and children and departed on the homeward way.

Wars 8.19.1-22

While these barbarians were fighting one another in the manner described, and when the struggle had reached its most violent point, it happened that great good fortune came to the Romans.

For all the Romans who happened to be among the Cutrigurs as slaves, amounting, they say, to many tens of thousands, during this struggle hurried away from there without being detected. Since no one pursued them, they reached their native land, thus profiting from another nation's victory at the moment of their greatest need.

The Emperor Justinian now sent the general Aratius to Chinialon and the other Huns, ordering him to announce to them what had happened in their own land and, by offering them money, to persuade them to depart from Roman territory with all possible speed.

When these Huns learned of the Utigur inroad and at the same time received a large sum of money from Aratius, they made an agreement that they would commit no further bloodshed, enslave none of the Romans, and do no other harm, but would withdraw, treating the people on the way as friends.

This also was agreed: if these barbarians were able to return and settle in their own country, they would remain there and hold fast their allegiance to the Romans in the future.

But if it should be impossible for them to remain in that land, they were to return once more to Roman territory, and the emperor would confer on them some district in Thrace, so that they might establish their homes there, be forever at peace with the Romans, and help guard the land carefully against all barbarians.

By this time two thousand of the Huns who had been defeated in the battle and had escaped the Utigurs entered the Roman empire, bringing their wives and children. Among their several leaders was Sinnion, who long before had marched with Belisarius against Gelimer and the Vandals, and they now made themselves suppliants of the Emperor Justinian.

He received them with all kindness and ordered them to settle on Thracian soil.

But when Sandil, king of the Utigurs, learned this, he was exasperated and filled with anger.

He saw that, while he himself, by way of punishing the Cutrigurs, his kinsmen, for the wrong they had done the Romans, had driven them from their ancestral home, they in turn had been received by the emperor, settled in Roman territory, and were going to live much more comfortably.

He therefore sent envoys to the emperor to protest against what had been done. He placed no letter in their hands, for the Huns are completely unacquainted with writing and unskilled in it up to the present time; they have no writing-master, nor do the children among them toil over letters at all as they grow up. Instead, he instructed them to deliver by word of mouth, in the barbarian fashion, everything he enjoined upon them.

So when these envoys came before the Emperor Justinian, they stated that their king Sandil spoke through them as though by a letter, as follows:

"I know a certain proverb which I have heard from my boyhood, and, if I have not forgotten it, the proverb runs somewhat as follows. The wild beast, the wolf, might perhaps be able to change the color of his fur in some degree; but he does not transform his character, since nature does not permit him to change it.

"This proverb," says Sandil, "I have heard from my elders, who by means of a dark saying hinted at the ways of men.

"And I know something else which I have learned from experience, one of those things it is natural for a rough barbarian to learn: shepherds take dogs while they are still suckling and rear them in the house with no lack of care. The dog is an animal grateful to those who feed it and most mindful of kindness.

"This is plainly done by shepherds for this purpose: whenever wolves attack the flock, the dogs may check their attacks, standing over the sheep as guardians and saviors.

"I think this happens throughout the whole world. For no man in the world has ever seen dogs attacking a flock or wolves defending it; nature, as lawgiver, has established this as a kind of ordinance for dogs, sheep, and wolves.

"I think that even in your empire, where almost everything is found in abundance, doubtless including even impossible things, there is not the slightest departure from this rule.

"Otherwise, make a demonstration to my envoys, so that on the threshold of old age we may actually learn something new to our experience.

"But if these things are everywhere fixed by nature, I do not think it fair for you to receive hospitably the nation of the Cutrigurs, inviting in a foul set of neighbors, and making at home with you now those whom you did not endure beyond your borders.

"For they will, after no long delay, show their own true character toward the Romans. Apart from this, no enemy will be lacking who will prey upon Roman territory in the hope that, if defeated, he will be better off at your hands; and no friend will be left to the Romans who will someday stand in the way of those wishing to overrun your land, through fear that when he gains the mastery by fortune's gift, he may see the vanquished faring more splendidly than himself at your hands.

"We eke out our existence in a deserted and thoroughly unproductive land, while the Cutrigurs are free to trade in grain, revel in wine-cellars, and live on the fat of the land. No doubt they have access to baths too, and wear gold, the vagabonds, and have no lack of fine clothes embroidered and overlaid with gold.

"Yet another point: the Cutrigurs had previously enslaved countless thousands of Romans and carried them off to their own land.

"These cursed men have taken no slight pains to impose all the indignities of slavery upon their victims. No doubt they were always ready to apply the lash even to those who had done no wrong, or to put them to death; and they practiced whatever other cruelties natural inclination and opportunity suggest to a barbarian master.

"We, on the other hand, by struggles and dangers involving our lives, delivered them from the fate that then bound them and restored them to their parents, so that they proved to be the object of all our labors in the war.

"For these different actions we and they have each received from you opposite rewards, if it is true that we, on the one hand, still share our ancestral miseries, while they are allotted an equal share in the land of those who by our courage escaped from being their slaves."

Thus spoke the envoys of the Utigurs. But the emperor, after soothing them with many words and comforting them with a quantity of gifts, sent them away not long afterward. Such was the course of these events.

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 thirty-seventh unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the twelfth Book 8 unit.

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

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Source Text: Procopius, Wars 8.18.1-24 and 8.19.1-22

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.18-19. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.18

§ 8.18.1 Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράσσετο τῇδε, ἐν τούτῳ τάδε ξυνηνέχθη ἐν Εὐρώπῃ γενέσθαι. Γήπαιδες μέν, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, τὰς σπονδὰς θέμενοι πρὸς Λαγγοβάρδας τοὺς σφίσι πολεμίους ὄντας ἐτύγχανον.

§ 8.18.2 παντάπασι δὲ οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες τὰ διάφορα πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαλῦσαι πολεμητέα σφίσιν οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ᾤοντο εἶναι.

§ 8.18.3 Γήπαιδες μὲν οὖν καὶ Λαγγοβάρδαι πανδημεὶ ἐπ’ ἀλλήλους τῷ πολέμῳ ἀκμάζοντες ᾔεσαν.

§ 8.18.4 ἡγεῖτο δὲ τῶν μὲν Γηπαίδων Θορισίν, τῶν δὲ Λαγγοβαρδῶν Αὐδουὶν ὄνομα, καὶ αὐτῶν ἑκατέρῳ ἀνδρῶν μυριάδες πολλαὶ εἵποντο. ἤδη μὲν οὖν ἄγχιστά πη ἀμφότεροι ἦλθον, οὔπω δὲ τὰ στρατόπεδα πρὸς ἀλλήλων καθεωρῶντο.

§ 8.18.5 δείματα δὲ τὰ πανικὰ καλούμενα ἐξαπιναίως ἑκατέροις ἐπιπεσόντα φεύγοντας ἀπ’ αἰτίας οὐδεμιᾶς ἅπαντας ὀπίσω ἀπήνεγκε, μόνων τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτοῦ ἀπολελειμμένων ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισίν.

§ 8.18.6 οἵπερ αὐτοὺς ἀνθέλκειν τε καὶ τῆς ὑπαγωγῆς ἀναχαιτίζειν ἀποπειρασάμενοι οὐδὲν ἤνυον οὔτε θωπείαις οἰκτραῖς οὔτε ἀπειλαῖς φοβεραῖς χρώμενοι.

§ 8.18.7 Περιδεὴς οὖν γεγονὼς Αὐδουὶν ὁρῶν διασκεδαννυμένους ἀκόσμως οὕτως ʽοὐ γὰρ ᾔδει τοὺς πολεμίους τὴν ὁμοίαν κεκληρῶσθαι τύχην’ τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων τινὰς ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ παρὰ τοὺς ἐναντίους εὐθὺς ἔπεμψε τὴν εἰρήνην αἰτησομένους.

§ 8.18.8 οἵπερ, ἐπεὶ παρὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Γηπαίδων Θορισὶν ἀφικόμενοι τὰ πρασσόμενα εἶδον, ἔκ τε τῶν ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τετυχηκότων κατενόησαν τὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ξυνενεχθέντα καὶ τῷ Θορισὶν ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες ἀνεπυνθάνοντο αὐτοῦ ὅπη ποτέ οἱ γῆς τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸ πλῆθος εἴη.

§ 8.18.9 καὶ ὃς τῶν ξυμπεπτωκότων οὐδὲν ἀρνηθεὶς “Φεύγουσιν οὐδενὸς διώκοντοσ” ἔφη. οἱ δὲ ὑπολαβόντες “Ταὐτὸ τοῦτο,” φασί, “Λαγγοβάρδαι πεπόνθασιν. ἀληθιζομένῳ γάρ σοι, ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὐδέν τι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀποκρυψόμεθα.

§ 8.18.10 οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ τὰ γένη ταῦτα διολωλέναι ὡς ἥκιστα βουλομένῳ τῷ θεῷ ἐστὶ καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ διέλυσε τὴν παράταξιν, σωτήριον ἀμφοτέροις ἐπιβαλὼν δέος, φέρε δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπιχωρήσωμεν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ γνώμῃ, τὸν πόλεμον καταλύοντες.” “Ἔστω, γινέσθω ταῦτα,” ὁ Θορισὶν ἔφη. δυοῖν τε οὕτως ἐνιαυτοῖν ἐκεχειρίαν πεποίηνται,

§ 8.18.11 ὅπως μεταξὺ ἐπικηρυκευόμενοί τε καὶ παρ’ ἀλλήλους ἀεὶ φοιτῶντες ἅπαντα ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ διάφορα διαλύσωσι. τότε μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἑκάτεροι ἀνεχώρησαν.

§ 8.18.12 Ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκεχειρίᾳ ταύτῃ οὐχ οἷοί τε γεγενημένοι ἐς τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων τὴν διάλυσιν ἀλλήλοις ξυμβῆναι, αὖθις ἐπὶ τὰ πολέμια ἔργα χωρεῖν ἔμελλον.

§ 8.18.13 δειμαίνοντές τε Γήπαιδες τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ʽἐπίδοξοι γὰρ ἦσαν ὡς Λαγγοβάρδαις ξυντάξονταἰ τῶν τινὰς Οὔννων ἐς τὴν ὁμαιχμίαν ἐπάγεσθαι διενοοῦντο.

§ 8.18.14 ἔπεμψαν οὖν παρὰ τῶν Κουτριγούρων τοὺς ἄρχοντας, οἳ δὴ ἐνθένδε ᾤκηνται Λίμνης τῆς Μαιώτιδος, καὶ αὐτῶνἐδέοντο πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς Λαγγοβάρδας ξυνδιενεγκεῖν σφίσιν.

§ 8.18.15 οἱ δὲ αὐτοῖς δισχιλίους τε καὶ μυρίους εὐθὺς ἔπεμψαν, ὧν ἄλλοι τε ἡγοῦντο καὶ Χινιαλών, ἀνὴρ διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸς τὰ πολέμια.

§ 8.18.16 Γήπαιδες δὲ τούτων δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων τῇ παρουσίᾳ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἀχθόμενοι, ἐπεὶ οὔπω ὁ τῆς μάχης ἐνειστήκει καιρός, ἀλλ’ ἐνιαυτὸς ταῖς ξυνθήκαις ἔτι ἐλέλειπτο, πείθουσιν αὐτοὺς καταθεῖν μεταξὺ τὴν βασιλέως γῆν, πάρεργον τῆς σφετέρας ἀκαιρίας πεποιημένοι τὴν ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιβουλήν.

§ 8.18.17 ἐπεὶ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν διάβασιν ποταμοῦ Ἴστρου ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἔν τε Ἰλλυριοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης χωρίοις ἐφρούρουν, αὐτοὶ τούτους δὴ τοὺς Οὔννους ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ κατ’ αὐτοὺς διαπορθμεύσαντες ποταμὸν Ἴστρον ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἤθη ἀφίεσαν.

§ 8.18.18 Καὶ οἱ μὲν πάντα σχεδόν τι ἐληΐσαντο τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐπενόει τάδε. πέμψας παρὰ Οὔννων τῶν Οὐτιγούρων τοὺς ἄρχοντας, οἳ δὴ ἐπέκεινα Λίμνης ᾤκηνται τῆς Μαιώτιδος, ἐμέμφετό τε καὶ ἄδικον αὐτῶν ἀπεκάλει τὴν ἐς Κουτριγούρους ἀπραγμοσύνην, εἴπερ τὸ τοὺς φίλους διαφθειρομένους περιορᾶν ἐν τοῖς τῶν ἔργων ἀδικωτάτοις καταλέγειν δεήσει. αὐτῶν γὰρ Κουτρίγουροι,

§ 8.18.19 ἔφη, πλησιοχώρων ὄντων ἀφροντιστήσαντες, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκ Βυζαντίου χρήματα μεγάλα κομιζόμενοι ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, τρόπῳ οὐδενὶ τῆς ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἀδικίας οὐ θέλουσιν ἀποπαύεσθαι, ἀλλ’ ὁσημέραι καταθέουσί τε καὶ ληΐζονται αὐτοὺς οὐδενὶ λόγῳ.

§ 8.18.20 τούτων δὲ αὐτοὶ οὐδὲν τὸ μέρος κερδαίνοντες, οὐδὲ τῆς λείας Κουτριγούροις διαλαγχάνοντες, οὐ προσποιοῦνται κακουμένους Ῥωμαίους, καίπερ αὐτοῖς φίλοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὄντες.

§ 8.18.21 ταῦτα σημήνας τοῖς Οὐτιγούροις Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς καὶ χρήμασι μὲν αὐτοὺς δωρησάμενος, ὑπομνήσας δὲ ὅσων δώρων καὶ προτερον πολλάκις πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἔτυχον, ἀναπείθει σφᾶς ἔφοδον αὐτίκα ἐς τῶν Κουτριγούρων τοὺς ὑπολελειμμένους ποιήσασθαι.

§ 8.18.22 Οἱ δὲ Γότθων τῶν σφίσι προσοίκων, οἳ δὴ Τετραξῖται καλοῦνται, δισχιλίους ἐς ξυμμαχίαν ἐπαγόμενοι διέβησαν πανδημεὶ ποταμὸν Τάναϊν.

§ 8.18.23 ἦρχε δὲ αὐτῶν Σανδίλ, ἀνὴρ ξυνετώτατος μὲν καὶ πολέμων πολλῶν ἔμπειρος, ἐς ἀλκὴν δὲ καὶ ἀνδρίαν ἱκανῶς πεφυκώς.

§ 8.18.24 ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὴν διάβασιν ἐποιήσαντο, τῶν Κουτριγούρων πολλοῖς ὑπαντιάσασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθον. ὧνπερ ἰσχυρότατα τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμυνομένων ἐπὶ μακρότατον μὲν ἡ μάχη ἐγεγόνει, μετὰ δὲ Οὐτίγουροι τρεψάμενοι τοὺς ἐναντίους πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν. ὀλίγοι δέ τινες φεύγοντες, ὅπη αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ δυνατὰ γέγονε, διεσώθησαν. καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πολέμιοι παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἀνδραποδίσαντες ἐπ’ οἴκου ἀπεκομίσθησαν.

Wars 8.19

§ 8.19.1 Τούτων δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων τότε πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαμαχομένων ᾗπέρ μοι εἴρηται, τοῦ τε κινδύνου σφίσι κατὰ τὴν ἀγωνίαν ἀκμάζοντος, εὐτυχίᾳ χρῆσθαι Ῥωμαίοις ξυνηνέχθη πολλῇ.

§ 8.19.2 ὅσοι γὰρ αὐτῶν ὑπὸ Κουτριγούροις ἐν αἰχμαλώτων λόγῳ ὄντες ἐτύγχανον, ἐς μυριάδας, ὥς φασι, ξυνιόντες πολλάς, ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ διαλαθόντες ἐνθένδε τε κατὰ τάχος ἐξαναστάντες οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἐπισπομένου ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ἀφίκοντο, καὶ νίκης ἀλλοτρίας ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἀπώναντο.

§ 8.19.3 βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς Ἀράτιον στρατηγὸν στείλας παρά τε Χινιαλὼν καὶ Οὔννους τοὺς ἄλλους, ἀγγεῖλαι μὲν ἐκέλευε τὰ σφίσιν ἐν γῇ τῇ σφετέρᾳ αὐτῶν ξυνενεχθέντα, χρήματα δὲ αὐτοῖς προϊέμενον πεῖσαι ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι ὅτι τάχιστα ἐκ Ῥωμαίων τῆς γῆς.

§ 8.19.4 οἱ δὲ τῶν τε Οὐτιγούρων τὴν ἔφοδον γνόντες καὶ χρήματα μεγάλα πρὸς τοῦ Ἀρατίου κεκομισμένοι ξυνέβησαν μήτε φόνον ἔτι ἐργάσεσθαι μήτε ἀνδραποδιεῖν Ῥωμαίων μηδένα μήτε τι ἄλλο ἄχαρι δράσειν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἅτε διὰ φίλων ποιήσεσθαι τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων.

§ 8.19.5 ξυνέκειτο δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὥστε, εἰ μὲν δυνατοὶ εἶεν οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἐν γῇ τῇ πατρῴᾳ ἐπανιόντες ἱδρύεσθαι, μένειν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ πίστεως τῆς ἐς Ῥωμαίους τὸ λοιπὸν ἔχεσθαι· ἢν δέ γε αὐτοῖς ἐν ταύτῃ μένειν ἀδύνατα ᾖ, ἐπανιέναι μὲν αὖθις αὐτοὺς ἐς γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων, βασιλέα δὲ σφᾶς δωρήσασθαί τισι τῶν ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης χωρίων, ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐνταῦθα ἐνοικησάμενοι ἔνσπονδοί τε τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα Ῥωμαίοις ἔσονται καὶ τὴν χώραν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ξυμφυλάξουσιν ἐκ πάντων βαρβάρων.

§ 8.19.6 Ἤδη δὲ καὶ Οὔννων τῶν ἡσσημένων ἐν τῇ ξυμβολῇ καὶ διαφυγόντων τοὺς Οὐτιγούρους δισχίλιοι ἦλθον ἐς Ῥωμαίων τὴν γῆν, παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἐπαγόμενοι·

§ 8.19.7 ἡγοῦντο δὲ αὐτῶν ἄλλοι τε καὶ Σιννίων, ὅσπερ ξὺν Βελισαρίῳ πολλῷ πρότερον ἐπί τε Γελίμερα καὶ Βανδίλους ἐστράτευσε· γίνονταί τε Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ἱκέται. καὶ ὃς αὐτοὺς ὑπεδέξατο προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, ἔν τε χωρίοις ἱδρύσασθαι τοῖς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἐκέλευσεν.

§ 8.19.8 ἅπερ ἐπεὶ Σανδίλ, ὁ τῶν Οὐτιγούρων βασιλεύς, ἔμαθε, παρωξυσμένος τε καὶ περιωργισμένος, εἰ αὐτὸς μὲν Κουτριγούρους ὁμογενεῖς ὄντας ἀδικίας τῆς ἐς Ῥωμαίους τιννύμενος ἐξ ἠθῶν ἀναστήσειεν αὐτοὺς τῶν πατρίων, οἱ δὲ βασιλέως σφᾶς ἐνδεξαμένου ἐνοικησάμενοι ἐν Ῥωμαίων τῇ γῇ πολλῷ ἄμεινον βιοτεύσουσιν, ἔπεμψε πρέσβεις ἐς βασιλέα τὰ πεπραγμένα ὀνειδιοῦντας, οὐκ ἐπιστολὴν αὐτοῖς τινὰ ἐγχειρίσας ʽἐπεὶ γραμμάτων παντάπασιν Οὖννοι ἀνήκοοί τε καὶ ἀμελέτητοι ἐς τόδε εἰσὶ καὶ οὔτε γραμματιστήν τινα ἔχουσιν οὔτε τῳ περὶ τὰ γράμματα πόνῳ συναύξεται αὐτοῖς τὰ παιδίἀ, βαρβαρικώτερον δὲ ἅπαντα ἀποστοματιοῦντας ὅσα δὴ αὐτὸς ἐπιστείλειε σφίσιν.

§ 8.19.9 Ἀφικόμενοι οὖν οἱ πρέσβεις ἐς ὄψιν Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ λέγειν οἱ ἔφασαν δι’ αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν ἐπιστολῇ τάδε βασιλέα Σανδίλ· “Παροιμίαν τινὰ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀκηκοὼς οἶδα, καὶ εἴ τι μὴ αὐτῆς ἐπιλέλησμαι,

§ 8.19.10 τοιαύτη τις ἡ παροιμία τυγχάνει οὖσα. τὸ θηρίον ὁ λύκος τῆς μὲν τριχός, φασίν, ἴσως ἄν τι καὶ παραλλάξαι οὐκ ἀδύνατος εἴη, τὴν μέντοι γνώμην οὐ μεταστρέφει, οὐκ ἀφιείσης αὐτῷ μεθαρμοσαμένῳ ταύτην τῆς φύσεως.

§ 8.19.11 ταῦτα μέν,” παροιμιαζόμενός φησιν ὁ Σανδίλ, “τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀκήκοα, πλαγίῳ τινὶ παραδηλούντων τὰ ἀνθρώπινα λόγῳ. οἶδα δέ τι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας μαθών, οἷα εἰκὸς ἦν ἀγροικιζόμενον βάρβαρον ἐκμαθεῖν·

§ 8.19.12 τοὺς κύνας οἱ ποιμένες ἐπιτιτθίους ὄντας ἀναιρούμενοι οὐκ ἀπημελημένως οἴκοι ἐκτρέφουσιν, εὔγνωμον δὲ τοῖς σιτίζουσι ζῷον ὁ κύων καὶ τὰ ἐς χάριν μνημονικώτατον. πράσσεται οὖν ταῦτα τοῖς ποιμέσι τούτου δὴ ἕνεκα, τοῦ τῶν λύκων ἐπιόντων ποτὲ διακρούεσθαι τὰς ἐκείνων ἐφόδους τοὺς κύνας παραστάτας τε καὶ σωτῆρας τοῖς προβατίοις καθισταμένους. καὶ ταῦτα ἐν γῇ τῇ πάσῃ γίνεσθαι οἴομαι.

§ 8.19.13 τεθέαται γὰρ τῶν πάντων οὐδεὶς οὔτε ποίμνῃ κύνας ἐπιβουλεύσαντας οὔτε λύκους ἀμυνομένους αὐτῆς πώποτε, ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ τινὰ τοῦτον ἡ φύσις θεσμὸν κυσί τε καὶ προβάτοις καὶ λύκοις νομοθετήσασα ἔθετο.

§ 8.19.14 οἶμαι δὲ κἀν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῇ σῇ, οὗ δὴ πραγμάτων ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἁπάντων, τάχα δέ που καὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων, περιουσίαν ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, παράλλαξιν τούτων τινὰ οὐδαμῆ γίγνεσθαι.

§ 8.19.15 ἢ γοῦν τοῖς πρέσβεσι τοῖς ἐμοῖς δείξατε ὅπως ἄν τι καὶ τῶν οὐκ εἰωθότων ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ μάθοιμεν· εἰ δὲ ἀραρότως ταῦτα πανταχῆ πέφυκεν, οὐ καλόν σοί ἐστι Κουτριγούρων τὸ γένος ξεναγεῖσθαι, οἶμαι, τεθολωμένον ἐπαγαγομένῳ γειτόνημα, καὶ οὓς ὄντας ὑπερορίους οὐκ ἤνεγκας, τανῦν ἐνδήμους πεποιημένῳ.

§ 8.19.16 αὐτοί τε γὰρ τρόπον ἐς Ῥωμαίους τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐνδείξονται οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον, καὶ τούτου χωρὶς οὔτε πολέμιος ἐπιλείψει διαφθείρων τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν, ἐλπίδι τοῦ ἡσσηθεὶς ἀμείνων ἔσεσθαι παρὰ σοί, οὔτε φίλος περιέσται Ῥωμαίοις, ἐμπόδιός ποτε τοῖς καταθέουσι γῆν τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐσόμενος, δέει τοῦ μή, ἐπειδὰν φέρηται παρὰ τῆς τύχης τὰ κράτιστα, τοὺς ἡσσημένους ἐπιδεῖν ἐπιφανέστερον αὑτοῦ παρ’ ὑμῖν πράσσοντας, εἴ γε ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐν χώρᾳ ἐρήμῳ τε καὶ ἄλλως ἀγόνῳ τὰ διαιτητήρια ἔχομεν, τοῖς δὲ Κουτριγούροις σιτωνεῖν τε καὶ τοῖς οἰνῶσι κατακραιπαλᾶν ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ ἐστὶ καὶ παροψίδας αἱρεῖσθαι πάσας.

§ 8.19.17 πάντως δέ πη καὶ βαλανείων αὐτοῖς μέτεστι, καὶ χρυσοφοροῦσιν οἱ πλανῆται καὶ ἱματίων οὐκ ἀμοιροῦσι λεπτῶν τε καὶ πεποικιλμένων καὶ καταληλειμμένων χρυσῷ. καίτοι Κουτρίγουροι μὲν Ῥωμαίων

§ 8.19.18 ἀνάριθμα πλήθη ἐξηνδραποδικότες τὰ πρότερα μετήνεγκαν ἐς γῆν τὴν σφετέραν.

§ 8.19.19 οἷς δὴ τὰ ἀνδραποδώδη πάντα ἐπέχειν οὐ πάρεργον τοῖς καταράτοις ἐγίνετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ μάστιγας οὐχ ἡμαρτηκόσιν ἐντεῖναι καὶ θανατοῦν ἴσως πρόχειρον ἦν, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα δεσπότῃ βαρβάρῳ ὅ τε τρόπος καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία ἐφίησιν.

§ 8.19.20 ἡμεῖς δὲ πόνοις τε ἡμετέροις καὶ κινδύνοις ἐς ψυχὴν φέρουσι τύχης αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξαντες τῆς τότε κρατούσης τοῖς γειναμένοις ἀπέδομεν, διαπονήματα ἡμῖν τοῦ πολέμου γεγενημένους.

§ 8.19.21 ὧν δὴ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς πρὸς ὑμῶν ἀπ’ ἐναντίας ἑκάτεροι κεκομίσμεθα, εἴ γε ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀπολαύομεν ἔτι τῶν πατρίων κακῶν, οἱ δὲ τοῖς δι’ ἀρετὴν ἡμετέραν ἀποφυγοῦσι τὴν αὐτῶν δούλωσιν χώρας τῆς ἐκείνων ἰσομοιροῦντες

§ 8.19.22 διαλαγχάνουσι.” τοσαῦτα μὲν Οὐτιγούρων οἱ πρέσβεις εἶπον. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς πολλὰ τιθασσεύσας καὶ δώρων πλήθει παρηγορήσας οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἀπεπέμψατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι.

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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