Narses Delayed by the Huns

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

The unit belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius records an army of Huns descending on Roman territory, cutting off Narses at Philippopolis, advancing toward Thessalonica and Byzantium, and delaying the movement that frames Totila's next actions in Italy and Greece. The full unit preserves the Narses appointment, Roman omen material, Totila's Rome policy, the Aeneas and Greek ship digression, and the Gothic seizure of supplies for Narses.

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 8.21.1-22

Such was the progress of the wars in each land. The Gothic War continued as follows.

After the emperor had summoned Belisarius to Byzantium, as stated in the preceding narrative, he held him in honor; not even at the death of Germanus did he intend to send him to Italy. Instead he actually appointed him commander of the imperial guards, as general of the East, and kept him there.

Belisarius was first of all the Romans in dignity, although some of them had been enrolled among the patricians before him and had even ascended to the seat of the consuls.

Even so, they all yielded first place to him, being ashamed, in view of his achievements, to take advantage of the law and claim the right it conferred. This circumstance pleased the emperor exceedingly.

Meanwhile John, the nephew of Vitalian, was passing the winter at Salones. During all this time the commanders of the Roman army, expecting him in Italy, remained inactive. The winter drew to its close, and the sixteenth year ended in this Gothic War, the history of which Procopius has written.

When the following year opened, John intended to depart from Salones and lead his army as quickly as possible against Totila and the Goths.

But the emperor prevented him, ordering him to remain there until Narses the eunuch arrived; for he had decided to appoint Narses commander-in-chief for this war.

Why this was the emperor's wish was explicitly evident to no one in the world, since an emperor's purpose cannot be discovered except by his own will. But I shall set down here the surmises which people expressed.

The thought had occurred to the Emperor Justinian that the other commanders of the Roman army would be quite unwilling to take orders from John, not consenting in any way to be inferior to him in rank.

Consequently he feared that, by being at cross purposes or by playing the coward through envy, they might ruin their operations.

I also heard the following account of the matter from a Roman gentleman when I was staying in Rome; this man was a member of the senate.

This Roman said that once, during the time when Atalaric, grandson of Theoderic, ruled Italy, a herd of cattle came into Rome from the country in the late evening through the forum which the Romans call the Forum of Peace. In that place from ancient times has stood the Temple of Peace, which was struck by lightning.

There is a certain ancient fountain before this forum, and a bronze bull stands by it, the work, I think, of Pheidias the Athenian or of Lysippus; for there are many statues in this quarter which are the works of these two men.

Here, for example, is another statue which is certainly the work of Pheidias, for the inscription on the statue says this. There too is the calf of Myron. The ancient Romans took great pains to make all the finest things of Greece adornments of Rome.

He said that one of the cattle then passing by, a steer, left the herd and, mounting this fountain, stood over the bronze bull.

By chance a certain man of Tuscan birth was passing by, one who appeared to be very rustic, and he understood the scene that was being enacted and said, for the Tuscans even down to my day are gifted with prophecy, that one day a eunuch would undo the ruler of Rome.

Then, indeed, that Tuscan and the words he uttered earned only laughter. For before actual experience comes, men are always accustomed to mock at prophecies; proof does not unsettle them, because the events have not yet come about and the tale of them is not credible, but seems akin to some ridiculous myth.

But now all men, yielding to the arguments of actual events, marvel at this sign.

It was perhaps for this reason that Narses marched as general against Totila, the emperor's judgment penetrating the future, or chance ordaining the inevitable thing.

So Narses, receiving a notable army and great sums of money from the emperor, set forth.

But when he came with his command into the middle of Thrace, he spent some time at Philippopolis, having been cut off from his road.

For an army of Huns had made a descent upon Roman territory and was plundering and pillaging everything, with no man to stand in its way.

But after some of them advanced against Thessalonica and the rest took the road to Byzantium, Narses finally departed from there and marched forward.

Wars 8.22.1-32

While John, on the one hand, was at Salones awaiting Narses, and Narses, on the other, was traveling rather slowly, being hindered by the inroad of the Huns, Totila, while awaiting the army of Narses, was meanwhile engaged as follows.

He placed a part of the Romans and some of the members of the senate in Rome, leaving the rest in Campania.

He commanded them to look after the city as well as they could, plainly showing by this that he repented of what he had previously done to Rome; for, as it happened, he had burned large parts of it, especially on the farther side of the Tiber River.

But these Romans, reduced to the condition of slaves and stripped of all their money, were unable not only to lay claim to the public funds, but even to secure what belonged to them personally.

Yet the Romans love their city above all men we know, and they are eager to protect all their ancestral treasures and preserve them, so that nothing of the ancient glory of Rome may be obliterated.

For even though for a long period they were under barbarian rule, they preserved the buildings of the city and most of its adornments, such as by the excellence of their workmanship could withstand so long a passage of time and such neglect.

Furthermore, all such memorials of the race as were still left are preserved even to this day, among them the ship of Aeneas, the founder of the city, an altogether incredible sight.

For they built a ship-house in the middle of the city on the bank of the Tiber, and depositing it there, they have preserved it from that time.

I shall now explain what sort of ship this is, having seen it myself.

The ship is one with a single bank of oars and is very long, being one hundred and twenty feet in length and twenty-five feet wide; its height is all that it can be without becoming impossible to row.

There is nowhere in the boat any joining together of timbers, nor are the timbers fastened together by any device of iron. Rather, all the timbers are of one piece, a thing strange and unheard of, and true only, so far as we know, of this one boat.

The keel, which is a single piece, extends from the extreme stern to the bow, gradually sinking toward the middle of the ship in a remarkable way and then rising again from there properly and in due order until it stands upright and rigid.

All the heavy timbers that fit into the keel, which the poets call oak-stays but others call shepherds, extend each and every one from one side all the way to the other side of the ship.

These too, sinking from either end, form a remarkably shapely bend, so that the ship may be fashioned with a very wide hull, whether nature, constrained by their future use, originally carved out the timbers and fashioned this arch, or the sweep of the ribs was properly adjusted by craftsmen's skill and other devices.

Each plank, furthermore, extends from the very stem to the other end of the ship, being of one piece and pierced by iron spikes only for this purpose: that by being fastened to the timbers they may form the side of the ship.

This ship, constructed in this way, makes an impression when seen that surpasses all description; for the nature of things always makes those works most cunningly built not easy for men to describe, but by her innovations so prevails over our usual habits of mind as to check even our power of speech.

None of these timbers has rotted or shown the least sign of unsoundness; the ship, intact throughout, just as if newly made by the hand of the builder, whoever he was, has preserved its strength in a marvelous way even to my time. Such are the facts concerning the ship of Aeneas.

Totila now manned as many as three hundred ships of war with Goths and ordered them to go to Greece, instructing them to make every effort to capture those who fell in their way.

But this fleet, as far as the land of the Phaeacians, which is now called Corcyra, was able to do no damage.

For it happens that there is no inhabited island in that part of the sea which extends from the strait of Charybdis as far as Corcyra, so that many times, while passing that way, I have been at a loss to know where in the world the island of Calypso was.

Nowhere in that sea have I seen an island except three not far from Phaeacia, only about three hundred stades distant, crowded close together, very small, and having no habitation of men or animals or anything else at all.

These islands are now called Othoni. One might say that Calypso lived there, and that Odysseus, consequently, being not far from the land of the Phaeacians, ferried himself over from here on a raft, as Homer says, or by some other means without any ship.

But let this be ventured by us only as a possible interpretation. It is not easy to reconcile actual facts precisely with very ancient records, since the long passage of time is generally accustomed to change the names of places and the beliefs concerning them.

Such is the case of the ship that stands by the shore of the island in the land of the Phaeacians, made of white stone and supposed by some to be the very one that carried Odysseus to Ithaca when he had the fortune to be entertained in Phaeacia.

Yet this boat is not a monolith, but is composed of a very great number of stones.

An inscription has been cut in it and cries aloud that some merchant in earlier times set up this offering to Zeus Casius.

For the men of this place once honored Zeus Casius, since the very city in which this boat stands is called Casope up to the present time.

In the same manner, that ship is made of many stones which Agamemnon the son of Atreus set up to Artemis at Geraestus in Euboea, seeking even in this way to blot out the insult to her at the time when, through the suffering of Iphigeneia, Artemis permitted the Greeks to set sail.

This is declared by an inscription on this boat in hexameters, engraved either then or later.

Though most of it has disappeared because of the passage of time, the first verses are discernible even to the present and run as follows: "Here on this spot Agamemnon set me, a ship made of marble, a sign of the fleet of the Greeks sailing to Troy."

At the end it has these words: "Made by propitiate Artemis, who had detained the Trojan expedition by contrary winds. Tynnichus, to Artemis Bolosia." For thus they used to name Eileithyia in former times, because they called the pains of travail bolae.

But I must return to the point from which I have strayed.

When this Gothic expedition reached Corcyra, they plundered it thoroughly in a sudden raid, and also the other islands called Sybotae which lie near it.

Then, suddenly crossing over to the mainland also, they plundered the whole country around Dodona, and especially Nicopolis and Anchialus, where the natives say Anchises, father of Aeneas, departed from the world while sailing from captured Troy with his son, and thus gave the place its name.

Going along the whole coast and meeting many Roman ships, they captured every one of them, cargoes and all.

Among these happened to be some of the ships carrying provisions from Greece for the army of Narses. Thus these things happened.

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-eighth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the thirteenth 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 8.21.1-22 and 8.22.1-32

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.21-22. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.21

§ 8.21.1 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τὰ κατὰ τοὺς πολέμους ἐν χώρᾳ ἑκάστῃ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. ὁ δὲ Γοτθικὸς πόλεμος ἐφέρετο ὧδε. Βελισάριον μὲν ἐς Βυζάντιον μεταπεμψάμενος βασιλεύς, ᾗπέρ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, διὰ τιμῆς ἦγε, καὶ οὐδὲ Γερμανοῦ τετελευτηκότος πέμπειν αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν Ἰταλίαν διενοεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγὸν τῆς ἑῴας ὄντα, τῶν βασιλικῶν σωματοφυλάκων ἄρχοντα καταστησάμενος, αὐτοῦ κατεῖχεν.

§ 8.21.2 ἦν τε τῷ ἀξιώματι πρῶτος ὁ Βελισάριος Ῥωμαίων ἁπάντων, καίτοι τινὲς αὐτῶν πρότεροι ἀνάγραπτοί τε ἐς πατρικίους γενόνασι καὶ ἐς αὐτὸν ἀναβεβήκεσαν τῶν ὑπάτων τὸν δίφρον.

§ 8.21.3 ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς αὐτῷ τῶν πρωτείων ἐξίσταντο πάντες, αἰσχυνόμενοι κατὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῷ νόμῳ χρῆσθαι καὶ τὸ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ δικαίωμα περιβάλλεσθαι.

§ 8.21.4 ταῦτά τε βασιλέα κομιδῆ ἤρεσκεν. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ Βιταλιανοῦ διεχείμαζεν ἐν Σάλωσι. προσδεχόμενοί τε αὐτὸν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν χρόνον οἱ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄπρακτοι ἔμενον. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ τὸ ἑκκαιδέκατον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ Γοτθικῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψε.

§ 8.21.5 Τῷ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῳ ἐνιαυτῷ Ἰωάννης μὲν διενοεῖτο ἐκ Σαλώνων τε ἐξανίστασθαι καὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐξηγεῖσθαι ὅτι τάχιστα ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τε καὶ Γότθους.

§ 8.21.6 βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτὸν διεκώλυεν, αὐτοῦ τε μένειν ἐπέστελλεν, ἕως Ναρσῆς ὁ εὐνοῦχος ἀφίκηται. αὐτὸν γὰρ τοῦδε αὐτοκράτορα καταστήσασθαι τοῦ πολέμου ἐβούλευσεν.

§ 8.21.7 ὅτου δὲ δὴ ἕνεκα ταῦτα βουλομένῳ βασιλεῖ εἴη διαρρήδην μὲν τῶν πάντων οὐδενὶ φανερὸν γέγονε· βασιλέως γὰρ βούλευμα ἔκπυστον ὅτι μὴ αὐτοῦ ἐθελουσίου ἀμήχανά ἐστιν· ἃ δὲ ὑποπτεύοντες ἄνθρωποι ἔλεγον, ἐγὼ δηλώσω.

§ 8.21.8 ἔννοια Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ γέγονεν ὡς οἱ ἄλλοι τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες Ἰωάννου ἐπακούειν ὡς ἥκιστα ἐθελήσουσιν, οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες καταδεέστεροί τι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀξίωμα εἶναι.

§ 8.21.9 καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἔδεισε μὴ διχοστατοῦντες τῇ γνώμῃ ἢ ἐθελοκακοῦντες τῷ φθόνῳ ξυγχέωσι τὰ πρασσόμενα.

§ 8.21.10 Ἤκουσα δὲ καὶ τόνδε τὸν λόγον ἀπαγγέλλοντος Ῥωμαίου ἀνδρός, ἡνίκα ἐπὶ Ῥώμης διατριβὴν εἶχον· ἦν δὲ οὗτος ἀνὴρ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς.

§ 8.21.11 ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ῥωμαῖος οὗτος ὡς ἄρχοι μὲν Ἰταλίας ποτὲ Ἀταλάριχος ὁ Θευδερίχου θυγατριδοῦς, βοῶν δέ τις ἀγέλη ἐς Ῥώμην ὑπὸ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν ἐξ ἀγροῦ ἥκει διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἣν Φόρον Εἰρήνης καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι·

§ 8.21.12 ἐνταῦθα γάρ πη ὁ τῆς Εἰρήνης νεὼς κεραυνόβλητος γενόμενος ἐκ παλαιοῦ κεῖται. ἔστι δέ τις ἀρχαία πρὸ ταύτης δὴ τῆς ἀγορᾶς κρήνη, καὶ βοῦς ἐπὶ ταύτης χαλκοῦς ἕστηκε, Φειδίου, οἶμαι, τοῦ Ἀθηναίου ἢ Λυσίππου ἔργον.

§ 8.21.13 ἀγάλματα γὰρ ἐν χώρῳ τούτῳ πολλὰ τούτοιν δὴ τοῖν ἀνδροῖν ποιήματά ἐστιν. οὗ δὴ καὶ Φειδίου ἔργον ἕτερον· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀγάλματι γράμματα.

§ 8.21.14 ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸ τοῦ Μύρωνος βοΐδιον. ἐπιμελὲς γὰρ ἐγεγόνει τοῖς πάλαι Ῥωμαίοις τῆς Ἑλλάδος τὰ κάλλιστα πάντα ἐγκαλλωπίσματα Ῥώμης ποιήσασθαι.

§ 8.21.15 ἕνα δὲ ταῦρον ἔφη τῶν τηνικάδε παριόντων εὐνοῦχον τῆς τε ἀγέλης ἀπολειπόμενον καὶ ταύτης δὴ τῆς κρήνης ἐπιβατεύσαντα καθύπερθεν βοὸς τοῦ χαλκοῦ στῆναι.

§ 8.21.16 τύχῃ δέ τινι παριόντα τινά, Τοῦσκον γένος, κομιδῆ ἄγροικον δόξαντα εἶναι, ξυμβάλλοντα τὸ ποιούμενον φάναι ʽεἰσὶ γὰρ μαντικοὶ καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ Τοῦσκοἰ ὡς εὐνοῦχός ποτε καταλύσει τὸν ἄρχοντα Ῥώμης.

§ 8.21.17 καὶ τηνικάδε μὲν ὅ τε Τοῦσκος ἐκεῖνος καὶ ὁ παρ’ αὐτοῦ λόγος γέλωτα ὦφλε. πρὸ γὰρ τῆς πείρας ἀεὶ ἄνθρωποι τὰς προρρήσεις φιλοῦσι χλευάζειν, οὐκ ἀναχαιτίζοντος αὐτοὺς τοῦ ἐλέγχου, τῷ μήτε ἀποβεβηκέναι τὰ πράγματα μήτε τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν λόγον εἶναι πιστόν, ἀλλὰ μύθῳ τινὶ γελοιώδει ἐμφερῆ φαίνεσθαι.

§ 8.21.18 Νῦν δὲ δὴ ἅπαντες τὸ ξύμβολον τοῦτο ʽτοῖς ἀποβεβηκόσιν ὑποχωροῦντεσ̓ θαυμάζουσι.

§ 8.21.19 καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἴσως ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν ἐστρατήγει Ναρσῆς, ἢ στοχαζομένης τοῦ ἐσομένου τῆς βασιλέως γνώμης, ἢ πρυτανευούσης τὸ δέον τῆς τύχης.

§ 8.21.20 ὁ μὲν οὖν Ναρσῆς στράτευμά τε λόγου ἄξιον καὶ χρήματα μεγάλα πρὸς βασιλέως κεκομισμένος ἐστέλλετο.

§ 8.21.21 ἐπειδὴ δὲ ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐν μέσῃ Θρᾴκῃ ἐγένετο, χρόνον τινὰ ἐν Φιλιππουπόλει ἀποκεκλεισμένος τῆς ὁδοῦ ἔμεινε.

§ 8.21.22 στράτευμα γὰρ Οὐννικὸν ἐπισκῆψαν τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ ἅπαντα ἦγόν τε καὶ ἔφερον, οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτῶν οἱ μέν τινες ἐπὶ Θεσσαλονίκην, οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ᾔεσαν, μόλις ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἐπίπροσθεν ᾔει.

Wars 8.22

§ 8.22.1 Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης ἐπὶ Σαλώνων Ναρσῆν ἔμενε, Ναρσῆς δὲ Οὔννων τῇ ἐφόδῳ συμποδιζόμενος σχολαίτερον ᾔει, ἐν τούτῳ ὁ Τουτίλας προσδεχόμενος τὴν Ναρσοῦ στρατιὰν ἐποίει τάδε.

§ 8.22.2 ἄλλους τε Ῥωμαίους καί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς ἐν Ῥώμῃ καθίστη, τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπὶ Καμπανίας ἐάσας.

§ 8.22.3 καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευεν ὅση δύναμις ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῆς πόλεως, ἐνδεικνύμενος ὅτι δὴ αὐτῷ μεταμέλει τῶν οἱ ἐς Ῥώμην εἰργασμένων τὰ πρότερα, ἐπεὶ ἐμπρήσας αὐτῆς πολλὰ ἔτυχεν, ἄλλως τε καὶ ὑπὲρ Τίβεριν ποταμόν.

§ 8.22.4 οἱ δὲ καθεστῶτες ἐν αἰχμαλώτων λόγῳ καὶ περιῃρημένοι χρήματα πάντα, μὴ ὅτι τῶν κοινῶν, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τῶν ἰδίᾳ σφίσι προσηκόντων δυνατοὶ ἦσαν μεταποιεῖσθαι.

§ 8.22.5 Καίτοι ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα πάντων ὧν ἡμεῖς ἴσμεν φιλοπόλιδες Ῥωμαῖοι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, περιστέλλειν τε τὰ πάτρια πάντα καὶ διασώζεσθαι ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχουσιν, ὅπως δὴ μηδὲν ἀφανίζηται Ῥώμῃ τοῦ παλαιοῦ κόσμου.

§ 8.22.6 οἵ γε καὶ πολύν τινα βεβαρβαρωμένοι αἰῶνα τάς τε πόλεως διεσώσαντο οἰκοδομίας καὶ τῶν ἐγκαλλωπισμάτων τὰ πλεῖστα, ὅσα οἷόν τε ἦν χρόνῳ τε τοσούτῳ τὸ μῆκος καὶ τῷ ἀπαμελεῖσθαι δι’ ἀρετὴν τῶν πεποιημένων ἀντέχειν.

§ 8.22.7 ἔτι μέντοι καὶ ὅσα μνημεῖα τοῦ γένους ἐλέλειπτο ἔτι, ἐν τοῖς καὶ ἡ ναῦς Αἰνείου, τοῦ τῆς πόλεως οἰκιστοῦ, καὶ εἰς τόδε κεῖται, θέαμα παντελῶς ἄπιστον.

§ 8.22.8 νεώσοικον γὰρ ποιησάμενοι ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει, παρὰ τὴν τοῦ Τιβέριδος ὄχθην, ἐνταῦθά τε αὐτὴν καταθέμενοι, ἐξ ἐκείνου τηροῦσιν. ἥπερ ὁποία ποτέ ἐστιν αὐτὸς θεασάμενος ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι.

§ 8.22.9 Μονήρης τε ἡ ναῦς ἥδε καὶ περιμήκης ἄγαν τυγχάνει οὖσα, μῆκος μὲν ποδῶν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν, εὖρος δὲ πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι, τὸ δέ γε ὕψος τοσαύτη ἐστὶν ὅσον αὐτὴν ἐρέσσεσθαι μὴ ἀδύνατα εἶναι.

§ 8.22.10 ξύλων δὲ κόλλημα οὐδὲ ἓν τὸ παράπαν ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν οὐδὲ σιδήρων ἄλλῃ τινὶ μηχανῇ τὰ ξύλα τοῦ πλοίου εἰς ἄλληλά πη ἐρήρεισται, ἀλλὰ μονοειδῆ ξύμπαντά ἐστι λόγου τε καὶ ἀκοῆς κρείσσω καὶ μόνῳ γεγονότα, ὅσα γε ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι, ἐν τῷδε τῷ πλοίῳ.

§ 8.22.11 ἥ τε γὰρ τρόπις μονοφυὴς οὖσα ἐκ πρύμνης ἄκρας ἄχρι ἐς τὴν πρῷραν διήκει, κατὰ βραχὺ μὲν θαυμασίως ἐπὶ τὸ κοῖλον ὑποχωροῦσα, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἐνθένδε κατὰ λόγον εὖ μάλα ἐπὶ τὸ ὀρθόν τε καὶ διατεταμένον ἐπανιοῦσα.

§ 8.22.12 τά τε παχέα ξύμπαντα ξύλα ἐς τὴν τρόπιν ἐναρμοσθέντα ʽἅπερ οἱ μὲν ποιηταὶ δρυόχους καλοῦσιν, ἕτεροι δὲ νομέασ̓ ἐκ τοίχου μὲν ἕκαστον θατέρου ἄχρι ἐς τῆς νεὼς διήκει τὸν ἕτερον τοῖχον.

§ 8.22.13 ὑφιζάνοντα δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ ἐξ ἑκατέρας ἄκρας καμπὴν ποιεῖται διαφερόντως εὐπρόσωπον, ὅπως ἂν τὴν νῆα μάλιστα κοίλην ἀποτετορνεῦσθαι ξυμβαίη, εἴτε τῆς φύσεως κατὰ τὴν τῆς χρείας ἀνάγκην τά τε ξύλα διακοψάσης καὶ ξυναρμοσαμένης τὰ πρότερα τὸ κύρτωμα τοῦτο εἴτε χειροποιήτῳ τέχνῃ τε καὶ μηχανῇ ἄλλῃ τῆς τῶν νομέων ἀνωμαλίας ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ γεγενημένης.

§ 8.22.14 σανίς τε πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἑκάστη ἐκ πρύμνης ἄκρας ἐς τῆς νηὸς ἐξικνεῖται τὴν ἑτέραν ἀρχήν, μονοειδὴς οὖσα καὶ κέντρα σιδηρᾶ τούτου ἕνεκα προσλαβοῦσα μόνον, ὅπως δὴ ταῖς δοκοῖς ἐναρμοσθεῖσα τὸν τοῖχον ποιῇ.

§ 8.22.15 οὕτω μὲν ἡ ναῦς ἥδε πεποιημένη κρείσσω παρέχεται τοῦ λόγου τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπεὶ τῶν ἔργων τὰ πλείστῳ παραλόγῳ ξυμβαίνοντα οὐκ εὐδιήγητα τίθεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀεὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φύσις, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἐπινοίαις τὰ ξυνειθισμένα νικῶσα καὶ τοῦ λόγου κρατεῖ.

§ 8.22.16 τούτων δὲ δὴ τῶν ξύλων οὐδὲν οὔτε σέσηπεν οὔτε τι ὑποφαίνει ὡς σαπρὸν εἴη, ἀλλ’ ἀκραιφνὴς πανταχόθι οὖσα ἡ ναῦς, ὥσπερ ὑπόγυον τῷ τεχνίτῃ τῷ αὐτῆς, ὅστις ποτ’ ἦν, νεναυπηγημένη, ἔρρωται καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ θαυμαστὸν ὅσον. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῇ τοῦ Αἰνείου νηὶ ταύτῃ ἔχει.

§ 8.22.17 Τουτίλας δὲ πλοῖα μακρὰ ἐς τριακόσια Γότθων πληρώσας ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐκέλευεν ἰέναι, ληΐζεσθαι τοὺς παραπίπτοντας ἐπιστείλας δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ.

§ 8.22.18 οὗτος δὲ ὁ στόλος ἄχρι ἐς τὴν Φαιάκων χώραν, ἣ νῦν Κέρκυρα ἐπικαλεῖται, οὐδὲν ἄχαρι ἐργάζεσθαι ἔσχε.

§ 8.22.19 νῆσον γὰρ οὐδεμίαν ἐν τῷδε τῷ διάπλῳ οἰκουμένην ξυμβαίνει εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Χάρυβδιν πορθμοῦ μέχρι ἐς τὴν Κέρκυραν, ὥστε πολλάκις ἐγὼ ἐνταῦθα γενόμενος διηπορούμην ὅπη ποτὲ ἄρα τῆς Καλυψοῦς ἡ νῆσος εἴη.

§ 8.22.20 ταύτης γὰρ τῆς θαλάσσης οὐδαμῆ νῆσον τεθέαμαι, ὅτι μὴ τρεῖς, οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν τῆς Φαιακίδος, ἀλλ’ ὅσον ἀπὸ σταδίων τριακοσίων, ἄγχιστά πη ἀλλήλων οὔσας, βραχείας κομιδῆ καὶ οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπων οἰκία ἐχούσας οὔτε ζῴων οὔτε ἄλλων τὸ παράπαν οὐδέν. Ὀθονοὶ δὲ καλοῦνται τανῦν αἱ νῆσοι αὗται.

§ 8.22.21 καὶ φαίη ἄν τις τὴν Καλυψὼ ἐνταῦθα γενέσθαι, καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα γῆς τῆς Φαιακίδος ὄντα οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν ἢ σχεδίᾳ, ὥς φησιν Ὅμηρος, ἢ ἄλλῳ τῳ τρόπῳ νεώς τινος χωρὶς ἐνθένδε διαπορθμεύσασθαι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἡμῖν ὅσον τεκμηριοῦσθαι εἰρήσθω.

§ 8.22.22 τοῖς γὰρ παλαιοτάτοις ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐναρμόσασθαι τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ἐπεὶ ὁ πολὺς χρόνος τά τε τῶν χωρίων ὀνόματα καὶ τὴν ἀμφ’ αὐτοῖς δόξαν ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μεταβάλλειν φιλεῖ.

§ 8.22.23 Τὸ πλοῖον ἀμέλει ὅπερ ἐν γῇ τῇ Φαιάκων ἐκ λίθου λευκοῦ πεποιημένον παρὰ τὴν ταύτης ἀκτὴν ἕστηκεν, ἐκεῖνό τινες οἴονται εἶναι ὃ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα ἐς τὴν Ἰθάκην ἐκόμισεν, ἡνίκα ξεναγεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα ξυνέβη.

§ 8.22.24 καίτοι οὐ μονοειδὲς τὸ πλοῖον τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ἐκ λίθων ὅτι μάλιστα πολλῶν ξύγκειται.

§ 8.22.25 καὶ γράμματα ἐν αὐτῷ ἐγκεκόλαπται καὶ διαρρήδην βοᾷ τῶν τινὰ ἐμπόρων ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἱδρύσασθαι τὸ ἀνάθημα τοῦτο Διὶ τῷ Κασίῳ.

§ 8.22.26 Δία γὰρ Κάσιον ἐτίμων ποτὲ οἱ τῇδε ἄνθρωποι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ πόλις ἐν ᾗ τὸ πλοῖον τοῦτο ἕστηκεν ἐς τόνδε τὸν χρόνον Κασώπη ἐπικαλεῖται.

§ 8.22.27 τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἐκ λίθων πολλῶν καὶ ἡ ναῦς ἐκείνη πεποίηται ἣν Ἀγαμέμνων ὁ τοῦ Ἀτρέως τῆς Εὐβοίας ἐν Γεραιστῷ ἀνέθηκε τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι, ἀφοσιούμενος κἀν τούτῳ τὴν ἐς αὐτὴν ὕβριν, ἡνίκα διὰ τὸ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας πάθος τὸν ἀπόπλουν ἡ Ἄρτεμις ξυνεχώρει τοῖς Ἕλλησιν.

§ 8.22.28 ἃ δὴ γράμματα ἐν πλοίῳ τούτῳ ἢ τηνικάδε ἢ ὕστερον ξυσθέντα δηλοῖ ἐν ἑξαμέτρῳ. ὧν τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα ἐξίτηλα χρόνῳ τῷ μακρῷ γέγονε, τὰ δὲ πρῶτα καὶ ἐς τόδε διαφαίνεται λέγοντα ὧδε· Νῆά με λαϊνέην ἱδρύσατο τῇδ’ Ἀγαμέμνων, Ἑλλήνων στρατιῆς σῆμα πλοϊζομένης.

§ 8.22.29 καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἔχει· “Τύννιχος ἐποίει Ἀρτέμιδι Βολοσίᾳ.” οὕτω γὰρ τὴν Εἰλείθυιαν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἐκάλουν, ἐπεὶ καὶ βολὰς τὰς ὠδῖνας ὠνόμαζον. ἐμοὶ δὲ αὖθις ὅθενπερ ἐξέβην ἰτέον.

§ 8.22.30 Ἐπειδὴ ἐς τὴν Κέρκυραν οὗτος ὁ Γότθων στόλος ἀφίκετο, αὐτήν τε ἦγον καὶ ἔφερον ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς καὶ ὅσαι ἄλλαι αὐτῇ νῆσοι ἐπίκεινται,

§ 8.22.31 αἳ Συβόται καλοῦνται· διαβάντες δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἤπειρον ἐξαπιναίως ἅπαντα ἐληΐζοντο τὰ ἀμφὶ Δωδώνην χωρία καὶ διαφερόντως Νικόπολίν τε καὶ Ἀγχίαλον, οὗ δὴ Ἀγχίσην, τὸν Αἰνείου πατέρα, ἐξ Ἰλίου ἁλούσης ξὺν τῷ παιδὶ πλέοντά φασιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τῷ χωρίῳ δοῦναι.

§ 8.22.32 περιιόντες δὲ τὴν παραλίαν ὅλην καὶ ναυσὶ Ῥωμαίων ἐντυχόντες πολλαῖς αὐτοῖς φορτίοις ἁπάσας εἷλον. ἐν ταῖς εἶναι ξυνέβη καὶ τῶν νηῶν τινὰς αἳ τῇ Ναρσοῦ στρατιᾷ ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἔφερον. 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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