第3巻 第23章

Greek Γελίμερ δὲ τότε χρήματά τε πολλὰ Λιβύων τοῖς γεωργοῖς προϊέμενος καὶ φιλοφροσύνῃ ἐς αὐτοὺς χρώμενος ἐπαγαγέσθαι πολλοὺς ἴσχυσεν.

Dewing But at that time Gelimer, by distributing much money to the farmers among the Libyans and shewing great friendliness toward them, succeeded in winning many to his side.

Greek οὓς δὴ ἐκέλευσε Ῥωμαίων τοὺς ἐς τὰ χωρία περιιόντας κτείνειν, χρυσίον τακτὸν ἐπὶ φόνῳ ἑκάστῳ τῷ ἀπολοῦντι ἐπικηρύξας.

Dewing These he commanded to kill the Romans who went out into the country, proclaiming a fixed sum of gold for each man killed, to be paid to him who did the deed.

Greek οἱ δὲ πολλοὺς τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἔκτεινον, οὐ στρατιώτας μέντοι, ἀλλὰ δούλους τε καὶ ὑπηρέτας, οἳ δὴ χρημάτων ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐς τὰς κώμας ἀναβαίνοντες λάθρα ἡλίσκοντο.

Dewing And they killed many from the Roman army, not soldiers, however, but slaves and servants, who because of a desire for money went up into the villages stealthily and were caught.

Greek καὶ αὐτῶν τὰς κεφαλὰς οἱ γεωργοὶ παρὰ Γελίμερα φέροντες αὐτοὶ μὲν ἔμμισθοι γενόμενοι ἀπηλλάσσοντο, ὁ δὲ στρατιώτας ἀνῃρηκέναι πολεμίους ὑπώπτευεν.

Dewing And the farmers brought their heads before Gelimer and departed receiving their pay, while he supposed that they had slain soldiers of the enemy.

Greek Ἐνταῦθα τοῦ χρόνου Διογένης, ὁ Βελισαρίου δορυφόρος, ἔργα ἐπεδείξατο ἀρετῆς ἄξια. σταλεὶς γὰρ ἅμα τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ τῶν ἐναντίων, ἐγένετο ἐν χωρίῳ δυοῖν ἡμέραιν ὁδὸν Καρχηδόνος διέχοντι.

Dewing At that time Diogenes, the aide of Belisarius, made a display of valorous deeds. For having been sent, together with twenty‑two of the body-guards, to spy upon their opponents, he came to a place two days' journey distant from Carthage.

Greek τούτους δὲ τοὺς ἄνδρας ʽοὐ γὰρ οἷοί τε ἦσαν οἱ τοῦ χωρίου γεωργοὶ κτείνειν’ ἀγγέλλουσι τῷ Γελίμερι ἐνταῦθα εἶναι.

Dewing And the farmers of the place, being unable to kill these men, reported to Gelimer that they were there.

Greek καὶ ὃς τριακοσίους ἀπολεξάμενος Βανδίλων ἱππέας ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἔστελλε, ζῶντας ἅπαντας ἐπισκήψας παρ’ αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν.

Dewing And he chose out and sent against them three hundred horsemen of the Vandals, enjoining upon them to bring all the men alive before him.

Greek λόγου γὰρ πολλοῦ ἄξιόν οἱ ἔδοξεν εἶναι Βελισαρίου δορυφόρον ξὺν ὑπασπισταῖς δύο καὶ εἴκοσι δορυαλώτους ποιήσασθαι.

Dewing For it seemed to him a most remarkable achievement to make captive a personal aide of Belisarius with twenty‑two body-guards.

Greek οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Διογένην ἐς οἰκίαν ἐσεληλυθότες τινὰ ἐκάθευδον ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ, πολέμιον οὐδὲν ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες, οἵ γε μακρὰν ἀπεῖναι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐπύθοντο.

Dewing Now Diogenes and his party had entered a certain house and were sleeping in the upper storey, having no thought of the enemy in mind, since, indeed, they had learned that their opponents were far away.

Greek οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι ὄρθρου βαθέος ἐνταῦθα ἐλθόντες διαφθεῖραι μὲν τὰς ἐκείνῃ θύρας ἢ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσελθεῖν νύκτωρ ἀξύμφορον σφίσιν ᾤοντο εἶναι, δείσαντες μὴ ἐς νυκτομαχίαν ἐμπεπτωκότες αὐτοὶ μὲν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διαφθείρωσιν, ἔξοδον δὲ πλείστοις τῶν πολεμίων ἐν σκότῳ, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, παρέξωσιν.

Dewing But the Vandals, coming there at early dawn, thought it would not be to their advantage to destroy the doors of the house or to enter it in the dark, fearing lest, being involved in a night encounter, they might themselves destroy one another, and at the same time, if that should happen, provide a way of escape for a large number of the enemy in the darkness.

Greek ἔπρασσον δὲ ταῦτα τῆς δειλίας αὐτοῖς ἐκπλησσούσης τὸν νοῦν, παρὸν σφίσιν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ φέρουσί τε πυρὰ καὶ τούτων χωρὶς οὐχ ὅσον ἀνόπλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυμνοὺς παντάπασι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπὶ τῶν στρωμάτων λαβεῖν.

Dewing But they did this because cowardice had paralyzed their minds, though it would have been possible for them with no trouble, by carrying torches or even without these, to catch their enemies in their beds not only without weapons, but absolutely naked besides.

Greek νῦν δὲ ἀμφὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἅπασαν κύκλῳ καὶ διαφερόντως τὰς θύρας φάλαγγα ποιησάμενοι ἔστησαν ἅπαντες.

Dewing But as it was, they made a phalanx in a circle about the whole house and especially at the doors, and all took their stand there.

Greek ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἑνὶ ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστῆναι ξυνέβη, ὅσπερ τοῦ θορύβου αἰσθόμενος ὃν δὴ οἱ Βανδίλοι φθεγγόμενοί τε ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς λάθρα ἐποίουν καὶ ξὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις κινούμενοι, ξυμβαλεῖν τὸ ποιούμενον ἴσχυσε, καὶ τῶν ἑταίρων ἀνεγείρας σιωπῇ ἕκαστον τὰ πρασσόμενα φράζει.

Dewing But in the meantime it so happened that one of the Roman soldiers was roused from sleep, and he, noti­cing the noise which the Vandals made as they talked stealthily among themselves and moved with their weapons, was able to comprehend what was being done, and rousing each one of his comrades silently, he told them what was going on.

Greek οἱ δὲ Διογένους γνώμῃ τά τε ἱμάτια ἐνδιδύσκονται ἡσυχῆ ἅπαντες καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἀνελόμενοι κάτω ἐχώρουν.

Dewing And they, following the opinion of Diogenes, all put on their clothes quietly and taking up their weapons went below.

Greek οὗ δὴ τοῖς ἵπποις τοὺς χαλινοὺς ἐπιθέμενοι ἀναθρώσκουσιν ἐπ’ αὐτούς, οὐδενὶ αἴσθησιν παρεχόμενοι. παρά τε τὴν αὔλειον χρόνον τινὰ στάντες ἀνακλίνουσι μὲν ἐξαπιναίως τὰς ταύτῃ θύρας, ἐξίασι δὲ εὐθὺς ἅπαντες.

Dewing There they put the bridles on their horses and leaped upon them unperceived by anyone. And after standing for a time by the court-yard entrance, they suddenly opened the door there, and straightway all came out.

Greek οἱ μὲν οὖν Βανδίλοι ἔργου ἤδη ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς εἴχοντο, ἤνυτον δὲ οὐδέν. οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι ταῖς τε ἀσπίσι φραξάμενοι καὶ τοῖς δορατίοις ἀμυνόμενοι τοὺς ἐπιόντας σπουδῇ ἤλαυνον.

Dewing And then the Vandals immediately closed with them, but they accomplished nothing. For the Romans rode hard, covering themselves with their shields and warding off their assailants with their spears.

Greek οὕτω τε Διογένης τοὺς πολεμίους διέφυγε, δύο μὲν τῶν ἑπομένων ἀποβαλών, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς σώσας.

Dewing And in this way Diogenes escaped the enemy, losing two of his followers, but saving the rest.

Greek πληγὰς μέντοι ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔλαβεν ἐς μὲν τὸν αὐχένα καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τρεῖς, ἀφ’ ὧν δὴ παρ’ ὀλίγον ἀποθανεῖν ἦλθε, κατὰ δὲ χειρὸς τῆς λαιᾶς μίαν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκέτι τῶν δακτύλων τὸν σμικρότατον ἐνεργεῖν ἴσχυσε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὧδε γενέσθαι ξυνέβη.

Dewing He himself, however, received three blows in this encounter on the neck and the face, from which indeed he came within a little of dying, and one blow also on the left hand, as a result of which he was thereafter unable to move his little finger. This, then, took place in this way.

Greek Βελισάριος δὲ τοῖς τε περὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν τεχνίταις καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ ὁμίλῳ χρήματα μεγάλα προτεινόμενος τάφρον τε λόγου πολλοῦ ἀξίαν ἀμφὶ τὸν περίβολον ὤρυξε κύκλῳ, καὶ σκόλοπας αὐτῇ ἐνθέμενος συχνοὺς εὖ μάλα περιεσταύρωσε.

Dewing And Belisarius offered great sums of money to the artisans engaged in the building trade and to general throng of workmen, and by this means he dug a trench deserving of great admiration about the circuit-wall, and setting stakes close together along it he made an excellent stockade about the fortifications.

Greek καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ πεπονθότα τοῦ τείχους ἐν βραχεῖ ἀνῳκοδομήσατο χρόνῳ, θαύματος ἄξιον οὐ Καρχηδονίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ Γελίμερι γεγονὸς ὕστερον.

Dewing And not only this, but he built up in a short time the portions of the wall which had suffered, a thing which seemed worthy of wonder not only to the Carthaginians, but also to Gelimer himself at a later time.

Greek ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δορυάλωτος ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἧκεν, ἠγάσθη τε ἰδὼν τὸ τεῖχος καὶ τὴν ὀλιγωρίαν τὴν αὑτοῦ πάντων οἱ ἔφη γεγονέναι τῶν παρόντων αἰτίαν. ταῦτα μὲν Βελισαρίῳ ἐν Καρχηδόνι ὄντι κατείργαστο ὧδε.

Dewing For when he came as a captive to Carthage, he marvelled when he saw the wall and said that his own negligence had proved the cause of all his present troubles. This, then, was accomplished by Belisarius while in Carthage.