第3巻 第7章

Greek Ἀνθέμιος δὲ ὁ τῶν δυσμῶν αὐτοκράτωρ πρὸς τοῦ κηδεστοῦ Ῥεκίμερος διαφθαρεὶς ἐτελεύτα, Ὀλύβριός τε τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκδεξάμενος ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον χρόνῳ τὴν ὁμοίαν πεπρωμένην ἀνέπλησε.

Dewing Now Anthemius, the emperor of the West, died at the hand of his son-in‑law Rhecimer,⁠ and Olybrius, succeeding to the throne, a short time afterward suffered the same fate.

Greek τελευτήσαντος δὲ καὶ Λέοντος ἐν Βυζαντίῳ, παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν Λέων ὁ Ζήνωνός τε καὶ Ἀριάδνης τῆς Λέοντος θυγατρός, ἐς ἡμερῶν ἔτι ὀλίγων που ἡλικίαν ἥκων.

Dewing And when Leon also had died in Byzantium, the imperial office was taken over by the younger Leon, the son of Zeno and Ariadne, the daughter of Leon, while he was still only a few days old.

Greek αἱρεθέντος δὲ ξυμβασιλέως αὐτῷ τοῦ πατρός, αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ὁ παῖς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο.

Dewing And his father having been chosen as partner in the royal power, the child forthwith passed from the world.

Greek ἄξιον δὲ καὶ Μαϊορίνου ἐπιμνησθῆναι, ὃς δὴ πρότερον ἔσχε τὸ ἑσπέριον κράτος. οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μαϊορῖνος, ξύμπαντας τοὺς πώποτε Ῥωμαίων βεβασιλευκότας ὑπεραίρων ἀρετῇ πάσῃ, τὸ Λιβύης πάθος οὐκ ἤνεγκε πρᾴως, ἀλλὰ στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Βανδίλους ἀξιολογωτάτην ἀγείρας ἐν Λιγούροις ἐγένετο, αὐτὸς τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξηγεῖσθαι διανοούμενος.

Dewing Majorinus⁠ also deserves mention, who had gained the power of the West before this time. For this Majorinus, who surpassed in every virtue all who have ever been emperors of the Romans, did not bear lightly the loss of Libya, but collected a very considerable army against the Vandals and came to Liguria, intending himself to lead the army against the enemy.

Greek ἦν γὰρ ὁ Μαϊορῖνος ἔς τε τοὺς ἄλλους πόνους καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐς τοὺς κινδύνους ἄοκνος κομιδῆ.

Dewing For Majorinus never showed the least hesitation before any task and least of all before the dangers of war.

Greek οὐκ ἀξύμφορον δέ οἱ ἡγούμενος εἶναι δύναμίν τε τὴν Βανδίλων καὶ τὸ Γιζερίχου ἦθος διερευνήσασθαι πρότερον καὶ ὅπη ποτὲ Μαυρούσιοί τε καὶ Λίβυες εὐνοίας τε ἢ ἔχθους πέρι ἐς αὐτοὺς ἔχοιεν, οὐκ ἄλλοις τισι πιστεύειν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἢ ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῖς αὑτοῦ ἔγνω.

Dewing But thinking it not inexpedient for him to investigate first the strength of the Vandals and the character of Gizeric and to discover how the Moors and Libyans stood with regard to friendship or hostility toward the Romans, he decided to trust no eyes other than his own in such a matter.

Greek πρεσβευτὴς οὖν ὡς δὴ ἐκ βασιλέως παρὰ τὸν Γιζέριχον ἐστάλη, ἄλλο τι αὑτῷ ὄνομα ξυμπεπλασμένον ἐπενεγκών. δείσας δὲ μὴ καταφανὴς γεγονὼς αὐτός τε κακόν τι λάβῃ καὶ τὰ πρασσόμενα διακωλύσῃ, μηχανᾶται τοιάδε.

Dewing Accordingly he set out as if an envoy from the emperor to Gizeric, assuming some fictitious name. And fearing lest, by becoming known, he should himself receive some harm and at the same time prevent the success of the enterprise, he devised the following scheme.

Greek τὰς ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τρίχας ʽδιαβόητοι γὰρ ἦσαν ἐς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὅτι δὴ οὕτω ξανθαὶ εἶεν ὥστε χρυσῷ ἀκιβδήλῳ εἰκάζεσθαἰ βαφῇ τινι χρίσας ἐς τοῦτο ἐξεπίτηδες ἐξευρημένῃ ἐπὶ καιροῦ μεταβαλεῖν ἐς τὸ κυάνεον παντελῶς ἴσχυσεν.

Dewing His hair, which was famous among all men as being so fair as to resemble pure gold, he anointed with some kind of dye, which was especially invented for this purpose, and so succeeded completely in changing it for the time to a dark hue.

Greek ἐπεὶ δὲ Γιζερίχῳ ἐς ὄψιν ἦλθε, τά τε ἄλλα ὁ Γιζέριχος αὐτὸν ἐνεχείρει δεδίσσεσθαι καὶ ἅτε φίλον ἐπαγαγόμενος ἐς τὸ οἴκημα ἦλθεν οὗ δὴ τὰ ὅπλα ξυνέκειτο πάντα, πολλά τε καὶ ἀξιολογώτατα ὑπερφυῶς ὄντα.

Dewing And when he came before Gizeric, the barbarian attempted in many ways to terrify him, and in particular, while treating him with engaging attention, as if a friend, he brought him into the house where all his weapons were stored, a numerous and exceedingly noteworthy array.

Greek ἐνταῦθά φασι τὰ ὅπλα κινηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ αὐτομάτου πάταγον οὐ μέτριον οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα ἀφεῖναι, καὶ τότε μὲν τῷ Γιζερίχῳ σεισμόν τινα γεγονέναι δοκεῖν, ἔξω δὲ γενομένῳ ἀμφί τε τῷ σεισμῷ ἀναπυνθανομένῳ, ἐπεί οἱ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδεὶς ὡμολόγει, θαῦμα μὲν ἐπιπεσεῖν μέγα, οὐ μέντοι ξυμβαλεῖν τὸ γεγονὸς οἵῳ τε εἶναι.

Dewing Thereupon they say that the weapons shook of their own accord and gave forth a sound of no ordinary or casual sort, and then it seemed to Gizeric that there had been an earthquake, but when he got outside and made enquiries concerning the earthquake, since no one else agreed with him, a great wonder, they say, came over him, but he was not able to comprehend the meaning of what had happened.

Greek ὁ μὲν οὖν Μαϊορῖνος διαπεπραγμένος ἅπερ ἐβούλετο ἐπὶ Λιγουρίας ἀπεκομίσθη, καὶ τῷ στρατῷ πεζῇ βαδίζοντι ἐξηγούμενος ἐπὶ στήλας τὰς Ἡρακλείους ᾔει, διαβαίνειν μὲν διανοούμενος τὸν ἐκείνῃ πορθμόν, ὁδῷ δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἐνθένδε ἰέναι.

Dewing So Majorinus, having accomplished the very things he wished, came to the Pillars of Heracles, purposing to cross over the strait at that point, and then to march by land from there against Carthage.

Greek ὧνπερ ὁ Γιζέριχος αἰσθόμενος καὶ ὅτι δὴ πρὸς Μαϊορίνου ἐν τῇ πρεσβείᾳ φενακισθείη, ἔς τε ὀρρωδίαν ἐμπέπτωκε καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἐξηρτύετο.

Dewing And when Gizeric became aware of this, and perceived that he had been tricked by Majorinus in the matter of the embassy, he became alarmed and made his preparations for war.

Greek οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι τεκμηριούμενοι τῇ Μαϊορίνου ἀρετῇ εὐέλπιδες ἤδη ἐγένοντο Λιβύην τῇ ἀρχῇ ἀνασώσασθαι.

Dewing And the Romans, basing their confidence on the valour of Majorinus, already began to have fair hopes of recovering Libya for the empire.

Greek ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ νόσῳ δυσεντερίας ἁλοὺς ὁ Μαϊορῖνος διαφθείρεται, ἀνὴρ τὰ μὲν εἰς τοὺς ὑπηκόους μέτριος γεγονώς, φοβερὸς δὲ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους.

Dewing But meantime Majorinus was attacked by the disease of dysentery and died, a man who had shewn himself moderate toward his subjects, and an object of fear to his enemies.

Greek καὶ Νέπως δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν ὀλίγας τε ἡμέρας ἐπιβιοὺς ἐτελεύτησε νόσῳ, καὶ Γλυκέριος μετ’ αὐτὸν ἐς ταύτην δὴ προελθὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν τύχην τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀνέπλησε. μεθ’ ὃν δὴ Αὔγουστος τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν ἔλαβε.

Dewing And another emperor, Nepos, upon taking over the empire, and living to enjoy it only a few days, died of disease, and Glycerius after him entered into this office and suffered a similar fate. And after him Augustus assumed the imperial power.

Greek βασιλεῖς μέντοι καὶ ἄλλοι πρότερον ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ γεγόνασιν, ὧνπερ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐξεπιστάμενος ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιμνήσομαι.

Dewing There were, moreover, still other emperors in the West before this time, but though I know their names well, I shall make no mention of them whatever.

Greek χρόνον τε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῇ ἀρχῇ ὀλίγον τινὰ ἐπιβιῶναι καὶ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ λόγου ἄξιον οὐδὲν πεπραχέναι ξυνέπεσε. ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ ἐγένετο.

Dewing For it so fell out that they lived only a short time after attaining the office, and as a result of this accomplished nothing worthy of mention. Such was the course of events in the West.

Greek Ἐν δὲ Βυζαντίῳ ὁ Βασιλίσκος ʽοὐ γὰρ ἔτι οἷός τε ἦν τὸν ἔρωτα τῆς βασιλείας βιάζεσθαἰ τυραννίδι ἐπιθέμενος ἐκράτησεν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, Ζήνωνος ὁμοῦ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐς τὴν Ἰσαυρίαν, ἀφ’ ἧς δὴ ὡρμᾶτο, διαφυγόντος.

Dewing But in Byzantium Basiliscus, being no longer able to master his passion for royal power, made an attempt to usurp the throne, and succeeded without difficulty, since Zeno, together with his wife, sought refuge in Isauria, which was his native home.

Greek ἔχοντι δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν τυραννίδα ἐνιαυτόν τε καὶ μῆνας ὀκτὼ οἵ τε ἄλλοι ὡς εἰπεῖν ξύμπαντες καὶ οἱ τῆς αὐλῆς στρατιῶται διὰ φιλοχρηματίας μέγεθος ἤχθοντο.

Dewing And while he was maintaining his tyranny for a year and eight months he was detested by practically everyone and in particular by the soldiers of the court on account of the greatness of his avarice.

Greek ὧν δὴ Ζήνων αἰσθόμενος στρατιάν τε ἀγείρας ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ᾔει. Βασιλίσκος δὲ στρατόν τε καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἁρμάτον ὡς ἀντιταξόμενος Ζήνωνι ἔπεμψεν.

Dewing And Zeno, perceiving this, collected an army and came against him. And Basiliscus sent an army under the general Harmatus in order to array himself against Zeno.

Greek ὡς δὲ πλησίον που ἀλλήλοις ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, παραδίδωσιν Ἁρμάτος Ζήνωνι τὸ αὑτοῦ στράτευμα, ἐφ’ ᾧ Βασιλίσκον τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱόν, κομιδῆ ὄντα παῖδα νέον, Καίσαρά τε καταστήσεσθαι καὶ τελευτῶντι διάδοχον τῆς βασιλείας ἀπολιπεῖν.

Dewing But when they had made camp near one another, Harmatus surrendered his army to Zeno, on the condition that Zeno should appoint as Caesar Harmatus' son Basiliscus, who was a very young child, and leave him as successor to the throne upon his death.

Greek Βασιλίσκος δὲ πάντων ἔρημος γεγονὼς ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν καταφεύγει οὗπερ καὶ πρότερον. καὶ αὐτὸν Ἀκάκιος, ὁ τῆς πόλεως ἱερεύς, Ζήνωνι ἐνεχείρισεν, ἀσέβειάν τε αὐτῷ ἐπενεγκὼν καὶ ὡς πολλὰ τοῦ Χριστιανῶν δόγματος ξυνετάραξέ τε καὶ ἐνεόχμωσεν, ἐς τὴν Εὐτυχοῦς αἵρεσιν ἀποκλίνας. καὶ ἦν δὲ οὕτως.

Dewing And Basiliscus, deserted by all, fled for refuge to the same sanctuary as formerly. And Acacius, the priest of the city, put him into the hands of Zeno, charging him with impiety and with having brought great confusion and many innovations into the Christian doctrine, having inclined toward the heresy of Eutyches. And this was so.

Greek Ζήνων δὲ αὖθις τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν καὶ τὴν ἐς Ἁρμάτον πίστιν ἀφοσιούμενος Βασιλίσκον τὸν αὐτοῦ παῖδα Καίσαρα καταστησάμενος, οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον αὐτόν τε ἀφείλετο τὴν τιμὴν καὶ Ἁρμάτον ἔκτεινε.

Dewing And after Zeno had thus taken over the empire a second time, he carried out his pledge to Harmatus formally by appointing his son Basiliscus Caesar, but not long afterwards he both stripped him of the office and put Harmatus to death.

Greek Βασιλίσκον δὲ ὁμοῦ τοῖς τε παισὶ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ πέμψας ἐς Καππαδοκίαν χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ σιτίων τε καὶ ἱματίων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἐπιμελείας ἐρήμους ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι.

Dewing And he sent Basiliscus together with his children and his wife into Cappadocia in the winter season, commanding that they should be destitute of food and clothes and every kind of care.

Greek ἔνθα δὴ ψύχει τε καὶ λιμῷ πιεζόμενοι ἔς τε ἀλλήλους καταφεύγουσι καὶ τὰ φίλτατα περιβαλόντες σώματα διεφθάρησαν. αὕτη τε Βασιλίσκον τῶν πεπολιτευμένων κατέλαβε τίσις. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἐγένετο.

Dewing And there, being hard pressed by both cold and hunger, they took refuge in one another's arms, and embra­cing their loved ones, perished. And this punishment overtook Basiliscus for the policy he had pursued. These things, however, happened in later times.

Greek Γιζέριχος δὲ τότε ἀπάτῃ τε περιελθὼν καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἐξελάσας, ὡς πρόσθεν εἴρηται, τοὺς πολεμίους, οὐδέν τι ἧσσον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, ἦγέ τε τὰ Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἔφερε ξύμπαντα, ἕως αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς Ζήνων ἐς ὁμολογίαν ἀφίκετο σπονδαί τε αὐτοῖς ἀπέραντοι ξυνετέθησαν, μήτε Βανδίλους πολέμιόν τι ἐς τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα Ῥωμαίους ἐργάσασθαι μήτε αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἐκείνων ξυμβῆναι. ταύτας τε τὰς σπονδὰς Ζήνων τε αὐτὸς διεσώσατο καὶ ὃς μετ’ ἐκεῖνον τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβεν Ἀναστάσιος.

Dewing But at that time Gizeric was plundering the whole Roman domain just as much as before, if not more, circumventing his enemy by craft and driving them out of their possessions by force, as has been previously said, and he continued to do so until the emperor Zeno came to an agreement with him and an endless peace was established between them, by which it was provided that the Vandals should never in all time perform any hostile act against the Romans nor suffer such a thing at their hands. And this peace was preserved by Zeno himself and also by his successor in the empire, Anastasius.

Greek διέμειναν δὲ καὶ ἐς Ἰουστῖνον αὐτοκράτορα. τούτου δὲ Ἰουστίνου ἀδελφιδοῦς ὢν Ἰουστινιανὸς διεδέξατο τὴν βασιλείαν·

Dewing And it remained in force until the time of the emperor Justinian. But Justinian, who was the nephew of Justinus, succeeded him in the imperial power,

Greek ἐπὶ τούτου Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλεύοντος ὁ πόλεμος κατέστη ὅδε, τρόπῳ ᾧ ἐν τοῖς ὄπισθεν λελέξεται λόγοις.

Dewing and it was in the reign of this Justinian that the war with which we are concerned came to pass, in the manner which will be told in the following narrative.

Greek χρόνον δὲ ὀλίγον Γιζέριχος ἐπιβιοὺς ἐτελεύτα πόρρω που ἤδη ἡλικίας ἥκων, διαθήκας διαθέμενος ἐν αἷς ἄλλα τε πολλὰ Βανδίλοις ἐπέσκηψε καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀεὶ Βανδίλων ἐς τοῦτον ἰέναι ὃς ἂν ἐκ γόνου ἄρρενος αὐτῷ Γιζερίχῳ κατὰ γένος προσήκων πρῶτος ὢν ἁπάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ ξυγγενῶν τὴν ἡλικίαν τύχοι.

Dewing Gizeric, after living on a short time, died at an advanced age, having made a will in which he enjoined many things upon the Vandals and in particular that the royal power among them should always fall to that one who should be the first in years among all the male offspring descended from Gizeric himself.

Greek Γιζέριχος μὲν οὖν ἄρξας Βανδίλων ἐπειδὴ Καρχηδόνος ἐκράτησεν ἔτη ἐννέα καὶ τριάκοντα, ἐτελεύτησεν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται.

Dewing So Gizeric, having ruled over the Vandals thirty-nine years from the time when he captured Carthage, died, as I have said. The Loeb Editor's Notes: 1 That is, the actual occupant could enter a demurrer to the former owner's action for recovery, citing his own occupancy for thirty years or more. The new law extended the period during which the ousted proprietor could recover possession, by admitting no demurrer from the occupant so far as the years were concerned during which the Vandals should be in possession of the country. ❦ 2 This is an error; he really ruled only eighteen months. ❦ 3 Geiseric, Gaiseric, less properly Genseric. ❦ 4 Now corrupted to Bona. Thayer's Note: This will seem mystifying to some — how does Hippo "corrupt" into Bona? Now Molière somewhere has one of his characters say that hippos, the Greek word for horse, was turned into the French word cheval by repla­cing hip by che and pos by val . . . but this is not that. Hippo (genitive Hipponis) presumably under the influence of those oblique cases, had already become Hippona in Antiquity, and from there after the Moslem conquest Bouna in Arabic. The Spanish and Italian form Bona was only very briefly the town's name, during the five years it was held by the Spanish in the 16c. After the French conquest in the 19c, it was called Bône. All of which is immaterial today, since it is now called Annaba: a name that appears to be altogether unrelated to its old Roman name. ❦ 5 Emperor in Gaul, Britain and Spain 383‑388. Aspiring to be Emperor of the West, he invaded Italy, was defeated by Theodosius, and put to death. ❦ 6 This is an error, for Attila died before Aetius. ❦ 7 Including the famous treasure which Titus had brought from Jerusalem, cf. IV.ix.5. ❦ 8 Domitian had spent 12,000 talents (£2,400,000) on the gilding alone; Plutarch, Publ. 15. ❦ 9 i.e. "leaders of a thousand." ❦ 10 130,000 Roman pounds; cf. Book I.xxii.4. The modern equivalent is unknown. ❦ 11 Placidia's sister, Eudocia, was the wife of Honoric, Gizeric's son. ❦ 12 See chap. iv.27. ❦ 13 i.e. "wisdom." Thayer's Notes: a Berine is the translator's strict transliteration of Procopius' Greek; she is much more commonly referred to by the Latin form of her name, Verina. ❦ b Ricimer. ❦ c Majorian. ◂ previous next ▸ Images with borders lead to more information. The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.) UP TO: Vandal Wars Ancient Military History Military History Home Procopius Greek & Latin Texts LacusCurtius A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer. See my copyright page for details and contact information. Page updated: 14 Sep 20 Accessibility