第3巻 第18章

Greek Ἐν δὲ δὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ Γελίμερ τὸν ἀνεψιὸν Γιβαμοῦνδον ἐκέλευεν ἅμα Βανδίλων δισχιλίοις φθάνοντα τὸ ἄλλο στράτευμα κατὰ τὸ εὐώνυμον μέρος ἰέναι, ὅπως Ἀμμάτας μὲν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος, Γελίμερ δὲ αὐτὸς ὄπισθεν, Γιβαμοῦνδος δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ χωρίων ἐς ταὐτὸ ξυνιόντες ῥᾷον δὴ καὶ ἀπονώτερον τὴν κύκλωσιν τῶν πολεμίων ποιήσονται.

Dewing And on that day Gelimer commanded his nephew Gibamundus with two thousand of the Vandals to go ahead of the rest of the army on the left side, in order that Ammatas coming from Carthage, Gelimer himself from the rear, and Gibamundus from the country to the left, might unite and accomplish the task of encircling the enemy with less difficulty and exertion.

Greek ἐμοὶ δὲ τά τε θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ ἐπῆλθε θαυμάσαι, ὅπως ὁ μὲν θεός, πόρρωθεν ὁρῶν τὰ ἐσόμενα, ὑπογράφει ὅπη ποτὲ αὐτῷ τὰ πράγματα δοκεῖ ἀποβήσεσθαι, οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι ἢ σφαλλόμενοι ἢ τὰ δέοντα βουλευόμενοι οὐκ ἴσασιν ὅτι ἔπταισάν τι, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, ἢ ὀρθῶς ἔδρασαν, ἵνα γένηται τῇ τύχῃ τρίβος, φέρουσα πάντως ἐπὶ τὰ πρότερον δεδογμένα.

Dewing But as for me, during this struggle I was moved to wonder at the ways of Heaven and of men, noting how God, who sees from afar what will come to pass, traces out the manner in which it seems best to him that things should come to pass, while men, whether they are deceived or counsel aright, know not that they have failed, should that be the issue, or that they have succeeded, God's purpose being that a path shall be made for Fortune, who presses on inevitably toward that which has been foreordained.

Greek εἰ μὴ γὰρ Βελισάριος οὕτω διῳκήσατο τὴν παράταξιν, τοὺς μὲν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην προτερῆσαι κελεύσας, τοὺς δὲ Μασσαγέτας ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἰέναι, οὐκ ἄν ποτε διαφυγεῖν τοὺς Βανδίλους ἰσχύσαμεν.

Dewing For if Belisarius had not thus arranged his forces, commanding the men under John to take the lead, and the Massagetae to march on the left of the army, we should never have been able to escape the Vandals.

Greek καὶ τούτων δὲ οὕτω Βελισαρίῳ βεβουλευμένων, εἰ τὸν καιρὸν Ἀμμάτας διεφύλαξε καὶ μὴ τοῦτον τεταρτημορίῳ τῆς ἡμέρας μάλιστα ἔφθασεν, οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω Βανδίλοις διεφθάρη τὰ πράγματα·

Dewing And even with this planned so by Belisarius, if Ammatas had observed the opportune time, and had not anticipated this by about the fourth part of a day, never would the cause of the Vandals have fallen as it did;

Greek νῦν δὲ Ἀμμάτας προτερήσας ἀμφὶ μέσην ἡμέραν ἐς Δέκιμον ἧκε, μακρὰν ἀπολελειμμένων ἡμῶν τε καὶ τοῦ Βανδίλων στρατεύματος, οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἁμαρτήσας, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν δέοντι ἀφίκετο χρόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Βανδίλων πλῆθος ἐν Καρχηδόνι ἀπολιπών, ἀπαγγείλας τε ὡς τάχιστα ἐς τὸ Δέκιμον ἥκειν, αὐτὸς ξὺν ὀλίγοις καὶ οὐδὲ ἀριστίνδην ξυνειλεγμένοις τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθε.

Dewing but as it was, Ammatas came to Decimum about midday, in advance of the time, while both we and the Vandal army were far away, erring not only in that he did not arrive at the fitting time, but also in leaving at Carthage the host of the Vandals, commanding them to come to Decimum as quickly as possible, while he with a few men and not even the pick of the army came into conflict with John's men.

Greek καὶ κτείνει μὲν τῶν ἀρίστων δώδεκα ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἀγωνιζομένους, πίπτει δὲ καὶ αὐτός, ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τούτῳ γενόμενος.

Dewing And he killed twelve of the best men who were fighting in the front rank, and he himself fell, having shewn himself a brave man in this engagement.

Greek καὶ ἡ μὲν τροπή, ἐπεὶ Ἀμμάτας ἔπεσε, λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει, φεύγοντες δὲ κατὰ κράτος οἱ Βανδίλοι ἀνεσόβουν ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐκ Καρχηδόνος ἐς Δέκιμον ἰόντας.

Dewing And the rout, after Ammatas fell, became complete, and the Vandals, fleeing at top speed, swept back all those who were coming from Carthage to Decimum.

Greek ἐπορεύοντο γὰρ οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ οὐδὲ ὡς ἐς μάχην ξυντεταγμένοι, ἀλλὰ κατὰ συμμορίας, καὶ ταύτας βραχείας· κατὰ τριάκοντα γὰρ ἢ εἴκοσιν ᾔεσαν.

Dewing For they were advancing in no order and not drawn up as for battle, but in companies, and small ones at that; for they were coming in bands of twenty or thirty.

Greek ὁρῶντες δὲ Βανδίλους τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀμμάταν φεύγοντας, καὶ οἰόμενοι τοὺς διώκοντας παμπληθεῖς εἶναι, τρέψαντες τὰ νῶτα συνέφευγον.

Dewing And seeing the Vandals under Ammatas fleeing, and thinking their pursuers were a great multitude, they turned and joined in the flight.

Greek Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐτῷ οἷς ἂν ἐντύχοιεν κτείνοντες ἄχρι ἐς τὰς Καρχηδόνος πύλας ἀφίκοντο.

Dewing And John and his men, killing all whom they came upon, advanced as far as the gates of Carthage.

Greek κα γέγονε φόνος Βανδίλων ἐν τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα σταδίοις τοσοῦτος ὥστε εἰκάζειν τοὺς θεωμένους δισμυρίων πολεμίων τὸ ἔργον εἶναι.

Dewing And there was so great a slaughter of Vandals in the course of the seventy stades that those who beheld it would have supposed that it was the work of an enemy twenty thousand strong.

Greek Κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον Γιβαμοῦνδός τε καὶ οἱ δισχίλιοι ἧκον ἐς Πεδίον Ἁλῶν, ὅπερ τεσσαράκοντα μὲν σταδίοις τοῦ Δεκίμου ἀπέχει ἐν ἀριστερᾷ εἰς Καρχηδόνα ἰόντι, ἀνθρώπων δὲ καὶ δένδρων καὶ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν ἔρημόν ἐστι, τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος ἅλμης ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα πλὴν τοὺς ἅλας ἐώσης γίγνεσθαι· ἔνθα δὴ τοῖς Οὔννοις περιπεπτωκότες ἀπώλοντο πάντες.

Dewing At the same time Gibamundus and his two thousand came to Pedion Halon,⁠ which is forty stades distant from Decimum on the left as one goes to Carthage, and is destitute of human habitation or trees or anything else, since the salt in the water permits nothing except salt to be produced there; in that place they encountered the Huns and were all destroyed.

Greek ἦν δέ τις ἐν τοῖς Μασσαγέταις ἀνήρ, ἀνδρίας μὲν καὶ ἰσχύος εὖ ἥκων, ὀλίγων δὲ ἡγούμενος ἀνδρῶν· οὗτος εἶχε γέρας ἐκ πατέρων τε καὶ προγόνων ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς Οὐννικοῖς στρατεύμασι πρῶτος εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους εἰσβάλλειν.

Dewing Now there was a certain man among the Massagetae, well gifted with courage and strength of body, the leader of a few men; this man had the privilege handed down from his fathers and ancestors to be the first in all the Hunnic armies to attack the enemy.

Greek οὐ γὰρ ἦν θεμιτὸν ἀνδρὶ Μασσαγέτῃ προτύψαντι ἐν μάχῃ τῶν τινα πολεμίων λαβεῖν, πρίν γε δή τινα ἐκ ταύτης τῆς οἰκίας ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους τῶν χειρῶν ἄρξαι.

Dewing For it was not lawful for a man of the Massagetae to strike first in battle and capture one of the enemy until, indeed, someone from this house began the struggle with the enemy.

Greek οὗτος ἀνήρ, ἐπεὶ τὰ στρατεύματα οὐ πόρρω ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων ἐγένετο, ἐξελάσας τὸν ἵππον, τοῦ τῶν Βανδίλων στρατοπέδου μόνος ὡς ἐγγυτάτω ἔστη.

Dewing So when the two armies had come not far from each other, this man rode out and stopped alone close to the army of the Vandals.

Greek οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι, ἢ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐψυχίαν καταπλαγέντες ἢ καί τι τοὺς πολεμίους ὑποτοπήσαντες ἐς αὐτοὺς μηχανᾶσθαι, οὔτε κινεῖσθαι οὔτε τὸν ἄνδρα βαλεῖν ἔγνωσαν.

Dewing And the Vandals, either because they were dumbfounded at the courageous spirit of the man or perhaps they suspected that the enemy were contriving something against them, decided neither to move nor to shoot at the man.

Greek οἶμαι δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐπώποτε Μασσαγετῶν μάχην ἐν πείρᾳ ἔχοντας, ἀκούοντας δὲ κομιδῆ μάχιμον τὸ ἔθνος εἶναι, οὕτω δὴ κατορρωδῆσαι τὸν κίνδυνον.

Dewing And I think that, since they had never had experience of battle with the Massagetae, but heard that the nation was very warlike, they were for this reason terrified at the danger.

Greek ἀναστρέψας δὲ ἐς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔλεξεν ὡς ὁ θεὸς σφίσιν ἕτοιμον βρῶσιν τοὺς ξένους τούσδε πέμψειεν.

Dewing And the man, returning to his compatriots, said that God had sent them these strangers as a ready feast.

Greek οὕτω δὴ ὁρμωμένους αὐτοὺς οἱ Βανδίλοι οὐχ ὑπέμειναν, ἀλλὰ λύσαντες τὴν τάξιν καὶ ἥκιστα ἐς ἀλκὴν ἰδόντες ἅπαντες αἰσχρῶς διεφθάρησαν.

Dewing Then at length they made their onset and the Vandals did not withstand them, but breaking their ranks and never thinking of resistance, they were all disgracefully destroyed.