Narses' Army of Lombards, Eruli, Huns, and Gepaeds

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

The chapter belongs to the Scythian shelf because Procopius lists the composite army of Narses, including great numbers of Huns, Gepaeds under Asbadus, Eruli, Lombards, Persians, and Roman forces, and places them within the final Italian campaign route toward Ravenna.

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 8.26.1-25

When the emperor learned of the situation at Croton, he sent to Greece and ordered the garrison of Thermopylae to sail with all speed to Italy and bring all the help in their power to those besieged in Croton.

They acted accordingly, setting sail with great haste; chancing upon a favorable wind, they unexpectedly put in at the harbor of Croton.

When the barbarians suddenly saw the fleet, they were immediately plunged into great fear and, in wild confusion, broke up the siege.

Some of them escaped by ship to the harbor of Tarentum, while others withdrew by land to Mount Scylaeum.

This event humbled the spirit of the Goths still more. Because of this, Ragnaris, a Goth of very great note who commanded the garrison at Tarentum, and Moras, who commanded the guards in Acherontia, opened negotiations, by the wish of their soldiers, with Pacurius son of Peranius, commander of the Romans in Dryus. They agreed that, on condition that they receive pledges for their safety from the Emperor Justinian, they would surrender themselves with their commands to the Romans, together with the strongholds they had been set to guard. In order to confirm this agreement, Pacurius journeyed to Byzantium.

Narses now set out from Salones and moved against Totila and the Goths with the whole Roman army, which was extraordinarily large. He had received from the emperor an exceedingly large sum of money, with which he was first to gather a very formidable army and meet the other needs of the war, and after that to pay the soldiers in Italy all the money owed to them from the past. The emperor had long been delinquent in this matter, since the soldiers were not receiving from the public treasury, as was usual, the pay assigned to them. Furthermore, he was to bring pressure also upon those soldiers who had deserted to Totila, so that they would be made tractable by this money and reverse their choice of allegiance.

Indeed, although the Emperor Justinian had previously conducted this war very negligently, he made the most notable preparation for it at the end.

For when Narses saw that the emperor urgently desired him to lead an expedition against Italy, he displayed an ambition worthy of a general, declaring that he would obey the emperor's command on no other condition than that he take with him forces sufficient for the purpose.

By taking this position, he obtained from the emperor money, men, and arms in quantities worthy of the Roman empire, and he himself showed tireless enthusiasm and thus gathered an adequate army.

He not only took with him a great number of Roman soldiers from Byzantium, but also gathered many from the lands of Thrace and Illyricum.

John too, with his own army and that left by his father-in-law Germanus, accompanied him.

Moreover Auduin, ruler of the Lombards, having been won over by the Emperor Justinian with much money and in accordance with the treaty of alliance, selected twenty-five hundred of his followers who were capable warriors and sent them to fight with the Romans.

These were also attended by more than three thousand fighting men as servants.

Narses also had with him more than three thousand men of the Erulian nation, all horsemen, commanded by Philemuth and others, besides great numbers of Huns.

Dagisthaeus was there too with his followers, having been released from prison for this purpose, and also Cabades with many Persian deserters. This man was son of Zames and grandson of Cabades the Persian king, and has been mentioned in the previous narrative as having escaped from his uncle Chosroes through the efforts of the chanaranges and having come long before to the land of the Romans.

There was also Asbadus, a young man of the race of the Gepaeds and an especially active man, having with him four hundred men of his race who were capable warriors.

Besides these there was Aruth of the nation of the Eruli, who from boyhood had admired Roman ways and had taken as wife the daughter of Mauricius son of Mundus. He himself was a most valiant fighter and brought with him a large number of Eruli who were especially distinguished in the perils of war.

Finally there was John surnamed the Glutton, whom I have mentioned in the preceding narrative, bringing a large force of able Roman soldiers.

Narses, for his part, was a man of princely generosity and extraordinarily eager to help those who needed it; clothed with great power by the emperor, he exercised his judgment the more freely regarding the matters in which he was interested.

Consequently many commanders and soldiers also had in former times experienced his generosity.

Naturally, then, when he was appointed general against Totila and the Goths, each and every one most eagerly desired to serve under him, some wishing to repay old favors, others probably expecting, as was natural, to receive great gifts from his hand.

The Eruli and the other barbarians were particularly well disposed toward him, having been especially well treated by him.

When they had reached a point very close to Venetia, he sent a messenger to the rulers of the Franks who commanded the fortresses there, demanding that they allow his army free passage, since they were friends.

But they said they would by no means grant this to Narses. They did not openly reveal the real reason, but with all possible care concealed the fact that it was in the interest of the Franks or because of their goodwill toward the Goths that they were barring his passage.

They put forward a kind of pretext which did not seem very plausible, saying that he came bringing with him Lombards, who were their bitterest enemies.

Narses was at first perplexed by this and asked the Italians who were with him what should be done. But some men brought news that even if the Franks permitted them to pass through this country, they would still be utterly unable to get on from there to Ravenna, nor could he march that way farther than the city of Verona.

For Totila, they reported, had gathered whatever was notable in the Gothic army and, appointing Teias the Goth, a conspicuously able warrior, as general over them, had sent him to the city of Verona, which was subject to the Goths, for the purpose of preventing, as far as lay in him, the Roman army from passing by.

This was in fact the case.

By the time Teias entered the city of Verona, he had shut off entirely the road by which his enemy had to pass, having by artificial means made the land bordering the Padus River such that traveling in it or through it was altogether out of the question.

In some places he had constructed brush entanglements, ditches, and gullies; in others, sloughs of the greatest depth and certain expanses of swampy ground. He himself with the Gothic army kept close guard so as to engage the Romans if they attempted to pass by that road.

Totila had devised these things with the idea that the Romans would never be able to make the march along the coast of the Ionian Gulf, since a great number of navigable rivers have their mouths there and make the route entirely impassable. On the other hand, he thought that they certainly did not have ships in such numbers as to ferry the whole army together across the Ionian Gulf; if they should sail in small groups, he himself with the rest of the Gothic army would easily stop the disembarkation each time.

Such was Totila's purpose in giving these orders, and they were being duly executed by Teias.

Narses thus found himself completely bewildered. But John, the nephew of Vitalian, being familiar with these regions, advised him to proceed with the whole army along the coast, since the inhabitants of this district, as previously stated, were subject to them, while some ships and a large number of small boats accompanied them.

For whenever they came to the mouth of a river, they would throw a bridge of these boats across the river's current and thus make the crossing comparatively easy.

Such was John's advice, and Narses was persuaded. In this way he made the journey to Ravenna with the whole army.

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 fortieth unit in the Procopius Wars steppe and Black Sea translation dossier, and the fifteenth Book 8 unit.

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

🌲

Source Text: Procopius, Wars 8.26.1-25

Greek source text from Procopius, Wars 8.26. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Wars 8.26

§ 8.26.1 Βασιλεὺς δὲ μαθὼν τὰ ἐν Κρότωνι πρασσόμενα πέμψας ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐκέλευε τοὺς ἐν Θερμοπύλαις φρουροὺς ἔς τε τὴν Ἰταλίαν πλεῖν κατὰ τάχος καὶ τοῖς ἐν Κρότωνι πολιορκουμένοις βοηθεῖν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ.

§ 8.26.2 οἱ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν· ἄραντές τε σπουδῇ πολλῇ καὶ πνεύματος ἐπιφόρου ἐπιτυχόντες ἀπροσδόκητοι τῷ Κροτωνιατῶν λιμένι προσέσχον. οἵ τε βάρβαροι ἐξαπιναίως τὸν στόλον ἰδόντες αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ἐς δέος μέγα ἐμπεπτωκότες θορύβῳ πολλῷ τὴν πολιορκίαν διέλυσαν.

§ 8.26.3 καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ μέν τινες ναυσὶν ἐς τὸν Ταραντηνῶν λιμένα διέφυγον, οἱ δὲ πεζῇ ἰόντες ἐς ὄρος τὸ Σκύλαιον ἀνεχώρησαν. ἃ δὴ ξυνενεχθέντα πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐδούλωσε Γότθων τὸ φρόνημα.

§ 8.26.4 καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ Ῥάγναρίς τε, Γότθος ἀνὴρ δόκιμος μάλιστα, ὃς τοῦ ἐν Ταραντηνοῖς φυλακτηρίου ἦρχε, καὶ Μόρας, ὅσπερ ἐφειστήκει τοῖς ἐν Ἀχεροντίᾳ φρουροῖς, Πακουρίῳ τῷ Περανίου τῶν ἐν Δρυοῦντι Ῥωμαίων ἄρχοντι, γνώμῃ τῶν σφίσιν ἑπομένων, ἐς λόγους ἦλθον, ἐφ’ ᾧ δὴ ἀμφὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τὰ πιστὰ πρὸς Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως λαβόντες Ῥωμαίοις σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐγχειρίσουσι ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις καὶ τὰ ὀχυρώματα ὧνπερ ἐπὶ τῇ φυλακῇ καταστάντες ἐτύγχανον. ἐπὶ ταύτῃ μὲν οὖν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Πακούριος ἐπὶ Βυζαντίου κομίζεται.

§ 8.26.5 Ναρσῆς δὲ ἐκ Σαλώνων ἄρας ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τε καὶ Γότθους ᾔει παντὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ, μεγάλῳ ὑπερφυῶς ὄντι· χρήματα γὰρ κεκομισμένος ἐπιεικῶς μεγάλα πρὸς βασιλέως ἐτύγχανεν.

§ 8.26.6 ἀφ’ ὧν δὴ ἔμελλε στρατιάν τε ἀξιολογωτάτην ἀγεῖραι καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐπαρκέσειν τοῦ πολέμου ἀνάγκαις, τοῖς δὲ δὴ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας στρατιώταις ἐκλῦσαι τὰ πρόσθεν ὀφλήματα πάντα, ἐφ’ οἷσπερ αὐτοῖς ὑπερήμερος χρόνου πολλοῦ βασιλεὺς ἐγεγόνει, οὐ κομιζομένοις ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου, ᾗπερ εἴθισται, τὰς σφίσι τεταγμένας συντάξεις· ἔτι μέντοι καὶ αὐτῶν βιάσασθαι τῶν παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἀπηυτομοληκότων τὰς γνώμας, ὥστε δὴ αὐτοὺς τοῖς χρήμασι τούτοις χειροήθεις γεγενημένους τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ πολιτείᾳ μεταγνῶναι προαίρεσιν.

§ 8.26.7 Λίαν γὰρ τὰ πρότερα πόλεμον τόνδε ἀπημελημένως διαφέρων Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἀξιολογωτάτην αὐτοῦ πεποίηται τὴν παρασκευὴν ἐν ὑστάτῳ.

§ 8.26.8 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτόν οἱ ὁ Ναρσῆς ἐγκείμενον εἶδεν, ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐς Ἰταλίαν στρατεύοι, φιλοτιμίαν ἐνδέδεικται στρατηγῷ πρέπουσαν, οὐκ ἄλλως βασιλεῖ ἐπαγγέλλοντι ὑπηρετήσειν ὁμολογήσας, ἢν μὴ τὰς δυνάμεις ἀξιομάχους ἐπάγεσθαι μέλλῃ.

§ 8.26.9 χρήματά τε οὖν καὶ σώματα καὶ ὅπλα τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ἐπαξίως πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως κεκόμισται τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, καὶ προθυμίαν αὐτὸς ἀοκνοτάτην ἐπιδειξάμενος ἀξιόχρεων στρατιὰν ἐξήγειρεν.

§ 8.26.10 ἔκ τε γὰρ Βυζαντίου ἐπηγάγετο Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν μέγα τι χρῆμα κἀκ τῶν ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης χωρίων ἔκ τε Ἰλλυριῶν πολλοὺς ἤθροισε.

§ 8.26.11 καὶ Ἰωάννης δὲ ξύν τε τῷ οἰκείῳ στρατεύματι καὶ τῷ πρὸς Γερμανοῦ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ ἀπολελειμμένῳ ξὺν αὐτῷ ᾔει.

§ 8.26.12 καὶ Αὐδουίν, ὁ Λαγγοβαρδῶν ἡγούμενος, χρήμασι πολλοῖς ἀναπεισθεὶς Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῇ τῆς ὁμαιχμίας ξυνθήκῃ, πεντακοσίους τε καὶ δισχιλίους τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων ἀπολεξάμενος ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς τὰ πολέμια ἐς ξυμμαχίαν αὐτῷ ἔπεμψεν, οἷς δὴ καὶ θεραπεία εἵπετο μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν πλέον ἢ τρισχιλίων.

§ 8.26.13 εἵποντο δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ Ἐρούλων ἔθνους πλέον ἢ τρισχίλιοι, ἱππεῖς ἅπαντες, ὧν ἄλλοι τε καὶ Φιλημοὺθ ἦρχον, καὶ Οὖννοί τε παμπληθεῖς καὶ Δαγισθαῖος ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐκ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου διὰ τοῦτο ἀπαλλαγείς, καὶ Καβάδης, Πέρσας ἔχων αὐτομόλους πολλούς, ὁ Ζάμου μὲν υἱός, Καβάδου δὲ τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως υἱωνός, οὗπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐμνήσθην ἅτε τοῦ χαναράγγου σπουδῇ διαφυγόντος τε Χοσρόην τὸν θεῖον καὶ πολλῷ πρότερον ἀφικομένου ἐς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἤθη· καὶ Ἄσβαδος, νεανίας τις, Γήπαις γένος, διαφερόντως δραστήριος, ὁμογενεῖς τετρακοσίους ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων, ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς τὰ πολέμια· καὶ Ἀρούθ, Ἔρουλος μὲν τὸ γένος, ἐκ παιδὸς δὲ Ῥωμαίων τὴν δίαιταν στέρξας καὶ τὴν Μαυρικίου τοῦ Μούνδου γυναῖκα γαμετὴν ποιησάμενος, αὐτός τε μαχιμώτατος ὢν καὶ πολλοὺς τοῦ Ἐρούλων ἔθνους ἑπομένους ἔχων ἐν πολέμου κινδύνοις ὡς μάλιστα δοκιμωτάτους· Ἰωάννης τε, ὁ Φαγᾶς τὴν ἐπίκλησιν, οὗπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐμνήσθην, Ῥωμαίων ἐπαγαγόμενος ὅμιλον ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων.

§ 8.26.14 Ἦν οὖν μεγαλοδωρότατος ὁ Ναρσῆς καὶ πρὸς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν τοὺς δεομένους ὀξὺς ἐσάγαν, δύναμίν τε πολλὴν περιβεβλημένος ἐκ βασιλέως ἀδεέστερον ἐς τὰ σπουδαζόμενα ἐχρῆτο τῇ γνώμῃ.

§ 8.26.15 καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ πολλοὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις ἄρχοντές τε καὶ στρατιῶται εὐεργέτου αὐτοῦ ἔτυχον.

§ 8.26.16 ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀποδέδεικτο στρατηγὸς ἐπὶ Τουτίλαν τε καὶ Γότθους, ὡς ἀσμενέστατα ἕκαστοι στρατεύεσθαι ὑπ’ αὐτῷ ἤθελον, οἱ μὲν ἐκτίνειν οἱ ἐθέλοντες παλαιὰς χάριτας, οἱ δὲ καραδοκοῦντες, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν παρ’ αὐτοῦ τεύξεσθαι.

§ 8.26.17 μάλιστα δὲ αὐτῷ Ἔρουλοί τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι βάρβαροι εὐνοϊκῶς εἶχον, διαφερόντως πρὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὖ πεπονθότες.

§ 8.26.18 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Βενετίων ὡς ἀγχοτάτω ἐγένοντο, παρὰ τῶν Φράγγων τοὺς ἡγεμόνας, οἳ τῶν ἐκείνῃ φυλακτηρίων ἦρχον, ἄγγελον στείλας ᾐτεῖτο τὴν δίοδον σφίσιν ἅτε φίλοις οὖσι παρέχεσθαι.

§ 8.26.19 οἱ δὲ τοῦτο Ναρσῇ ἐπιτρέψειν οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ ἔφασαν, ἐς μὲν τὸ ἐμφανὲς τὴν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐξενεγκόντες, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα κατακρυψάμενοι, τοῦ Φράγγων ἕνεκα ξυμφόρου ἢ τῆς ἐς τοὺς Γότθους εὐνοίας τὴν κωλύμην ποιεῖσθαι, σκῆψιν δέ τινα οὐ λίαν εὐπρόσωπον δόξασαν εἶναι προβεβλημένοι, ὅτι δὴ Λαγγοβάρδας τοὺς σφίσι πολεμιωτάτους οὗτος ἐπαγόμενος ᾕκει.

§ 8.26.20 ἐπὶ τούτοις διαπορουμένῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ Ναρσῇ καὶ Ἰταλῶν τῶν οἱ παρόντων ἀμφὶ τῷ πρακτέῳ πυνθανομένῳ ἐσήγγλόν τινες ὡς εἰ καὶ Φράγγοι παρήσουσι σφᾶς τήνδε τὴν δίοδον ποιεῖσθαι, ἀλλ’ ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἐνθένδε κομίζεσθαι οὐδαμῆ ἕξουσιν, οὐδὲ τὴν πορείαν ταύτην ποιεῖσθαι ὅτι μὴ ἄχρι ἐς πόλιν Βερώνην.

§ 8.26.21 Τουτίλαν γὰρ ἀπολεξάμενον εἴ τι δόκιμον ἦν ἐν τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ, στρατηγόν τε αὐτοῖς καταστησάμενον Τεΐαν τὸν Γότθον, ἄνδρα διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸν τὰ πολέμια, στεῖλαι ἐς πόλιν Βερώνην Γότθων κατήκοον οὖσαν, ἐφ’ ᾧ τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ διακωλύοι τὴν πάροδον, ὅσα γε δυνατά. καὶ ἦν δὲ οὕτως.

§ 8.26.22 Ἐπειδή τε ὁ Τεΐας ἐγένετο ἐν πόλει Βερώνῃ, τὴν ἐκείνῃ δίοδον τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπέφραξε πᾶσαν, ἀδιέξοδά τε καὶ ὅλως ἄπορα πανταχόσε ἀμφὶ ποταμὸν Πάδον τὰ χωρία εἶναι ἀνάγκῃ χειροποιήτῳ σκευωρησάμενος, καὶ πὴ μὲν λόχμας τε καὶ τάφρους καὶ φάραγγας τεκτηνάμενος, πὴ δὲ τέλμινάς τε ὡς βαθυτάτας καὶ χώρους τεναγώδεις τινὰς αὐτὸς τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ ἐφύλασσεν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβές, ὡς ὁμόσε χωρῆσαι Ῥωμαίοις, ἤν τι ἀποπειρῶνται τῆς ἐνθένδε ὁδοῦ.

§ 8.26.23 ταῦτα δὲ Τουτίλας ἐμηχανᾶτο, οἰόμενος διὰ μὲν τῆς παραλίας κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου Ῥωμαίοις μήποτε δυνατὰ ἔσεσθαι τὴν πορείαν ποιεῖσθαι, ἐπεὶ ναυσίποροι ποταμοὶ παμπληθεῖς ἐνταῦθα ἐκβολὰς ἔχοντες ἀπόρευτα παντάπασι παρέχονται εἶναι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία· ναῦς δὲ αὐτοὺς τοσαύτας τὸ πλῆθος ὡς ἥκιστα ἔχειν, ὥστε δὴ ἀθρόους παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ διαπορθμεύεσθαι τὸν Ἰόνιον κόλπον, ἢν δέ γε κατ’ ὀλίγους ναυτίλλωνται, αὐτὸς ἂν τῷ καταλοίπῳ στρατῷ τῶν Γότθων τοὺς ἑκάστοτε ἀποβαίνοντας πόνῳ οὐδενὶ ἀναστείλειε.

§ 8.26.24 τοιαύτῃ μὲν οὖν γνώμῃ ὅ τε Τουτίλας ἐπήγγελλε ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Τεΐας ἐποίει. Ναρσῇ δὲ λίαν ἀμηχανοῦντι Ἰωαννης ὁ Βιταλιανοῦ, τῶν τῇδε χωρίων ἐμπείρως ἔχων, παρῄνει παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ μὲν κατὰ τὴν παραλίαν ἰέναι, κατηκόων σφίσιν ὄντων, ὡς προδεδήλωται, τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων, παρακολουθεῖν δὲ τῶν νηῶν τινὰς καὶ ἀκάτους πολλάς.

§ 8.26.25 ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ὁ στρατὸς ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν ποταμῶν ἐκβολαῖς γένωνται, γέφυραν ἐκ τῶν ἀκάτων τούτων τῷ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ῥοθίῳ ἐναρμοσάμενοι, ῥᾷον ἂν καὶ ἀπονώτερον ποιήσαιντο τὴν διάβασιν. ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης ταῦτα παρῄνει, πείθεται δὲ Ναρσῆς, καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτω παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ Ῥαβέννης κομίζεται.

Source Colophon

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

🌲