第5巻 第27章

Greek Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, ἐπειδὴ τειχομαχοῦντες ἀπεκρούσθησαν, τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ οἱ Γότθοι ἔδρασαν. ἡμέραις δὲ ὕστερον εἴκοσιν ἢ ὁ Πόρτος ἥ τε πόλις καὶ ὁ λιμὴν ἑάλω, Μαρτῖνός τε καὶ Βαλεριανὸς ἧκον, ἑξακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους στρατιώτας ἱππεῖς ἐπαγομένω.

Dewing This exploit, then, was accomplished by the Goths on the third day after they were repulsed in the assault on the wall. But twenty days after the city and harbour of Portus were captured, Martinus and Valerian arrived, bringing with them sixteen hundred horsemen,

Greek καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι Οὖννοί τε ἦσαν καὶ Σκλαβηνοὶ καὶ Ἄνται, οἳ ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον οὐ μακρὰν τῆς ἐκείνῃ ὄχθης ἵδρυνται.

Dewing the most of whom were Huns and Sclaveni⁠ and Antae,⁠ who are settled above the Ister River not far from its banks.

Greek Βελισάριος δὲ ἥσθη τε αὐτῶν τῇ παρουσίᾳ καὶ πολεμητέα σφίσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους εἶναι τὸ λοιπὸν ᾤετο.

Dewing And Belisarius was pleased by their coming and thought that thenceforth his army ought to carry the war against the enemy.

Greek τῇ γοῦν ὑστεραίᾳ τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕνα, θυμοειδῆ τε καὶ δραστήριον, Τραϊανὸν ὄνομα, τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν διακοσίους ἱππέας λαβόντα, ἐκέλευεν εὐθὺ τῶν βαρβάρων ἰέναι, καὶ ἐπειδὰν τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἐγγυτέρω ἵκωνται, ἀναβάντας ἐπὶ λόφου ὑψηλοῦ ἡσυχάζειν, δείξας τι χωρίον αὐτῷ.

Dewing On the following day, accordingly, he commanded one of his own bodyguards, Trajan by name, an impetuous and active fighter, to take two hundred horsemen of the guards and go straight towards the enemy, and as soon as they came near the camps to go up on a high hill (which he pointed out to him) and remain quietly there.

Greek ἢν δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἴωσιν, ἐκ χειρὸς μὲν τὴν μάχην οὐκ ἐᾶν γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ ξίφους ἢ δορατίου τινὸς ἅπτεσθαι, χρῆσθαι δὲ μόνοις τοξεύμασιν, ἡνίκα τέ οἱ τὴν φαρέτραν οὐδὲν ἐντὸς ἔχουσαν ἴδῃ, φεύγειν τε κατὰ κράτος οὐδὲν αἰδεσθέντα καὶ ἐς τὸν περίβολον ἀναχωρεῖν δρόμῳ.

Dewing And if the enemy should come against them, he was not to allow the battle to come to close quarters, nor to touch sword or spear in any case, but to use bows only, and as soon as he should find that his quiver had no more arrows in it, he was to flee as hard as he could with no thought of shame and retire to the fortifications on the run.

Greek ταῦτα ἐπιστείλας, τῶν τε τοξευμάτων τὰς μηχανὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀμφὶ ταύταις τεχνίτας ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχε. Τραϊανὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς διακοσίοις ἐκ πύλης Σαλαρίας ᾔει ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον.

Dewing Having given these instructions, he held in readiness both the engines for shooting arrows and the men skilled in their use. Then Trajan with the two hundred men went out from the Salarian Gate against the camp of the enemy.

Greek καὶ οἱ μέν. καταπεπληγμένοι τῷ αἰφνιδίῳ, ἐβοήθουν ἐκ τῶν χαρακωμάτων, ὡς ἑκάστῳ ἐκ τῶν δυνατῶν ἐσκευάσθαι τετύχηκεν.

Dewing And they, being filled with amazement at the suddenness of the thing, rushed out from the camps, each man equipping himself as well as he could.

Greek οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ Τραϊανὸν ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τοῦ λόφου ὅνπερ αὐτοῖς Βελισάριος ἔδειξεν, ἐνθένδε τοὺς βαρβάρους ἠμύνοντο βάλλοντες.

Dewing But the men under Trajan galloped to the top of the hill which Belisarius had shewn them, and from there began to ward off the barbarians with missiles.

Greek καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀτράκτους ἅτε ἐς πολὺν ἐμπίπτοντας ὅμιλον ἀνθρώπου ἢ ἵππου ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐπιτυγχάνειν ξυνέβαινεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντα σφᾶς τὰ βέλη ἤδη ἐπελελοίπει, οἵδε κατὰ τάχος ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνον, διώκοντές τε οἱ Γότθοι ἐνέκειντο.

Dewing And since their shafts fell among a dense throng, they were for the most part successful in hitting a man or a horse. But when all their missiles had at last failed them, they rode off to the rear with all speed, and the Goths kept pressing upon them in pursuit.

Greek ὡς δὲ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγγυτέρω ἵκοντο, τά τε ἐκ τῶν μηχανῶν τοξεύματα οἱ τεχνῖται ἐνήργουν, καὶ τῆς διώξεως οἱ βάρβαροι κατωρρωδηκότες ἀπέσχοντο.

Dewing But when they came near the fortifications, the operators of the engines began to shoot arrows from them, and the barbarians became terrified and abandoned the pursuit.

Greek λέγονται δὲ Γότθοι οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ χίλιοι ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τούτῳ ἀποθανεῖν. ἡμέραις δὲ ὀλίγαις ὕστερον Βελισάριος Μουνδίλαν τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕτερον, καὶ Διογένην, διαφερόντως ἀγαθοὺς τὰ πολέμια, ξὺν ὑπασπισταῖς τριακοσίοις στείλας, ταὐτὸ ποιεῖν τοῖς προτέροις ἐκέλευε. καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν.

Dewing And it is said that not less than one thousand Goths perished in this action. A few days later Belisarius sent Mundilas, another of his own bodyguard, and Diogenes, both exceptionally capable warriors, with three hundred guardsmen, commanding them to do the same thing as the others had done before. And they acted according to his instructions.

Greek ὑπαντιασάντων δὲ τῶν πολεμίων ξυνηνέχθη αὐτῶν οὐχ ἥσσους, εἰ μὴ καὶ πλείους, ἢ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ ἔργῳ τρόπῳ τῷ αὐτῷ ἀπολωλέναι.

Dewing Then, when the enemy confronted them, the result of the encounter was that no fewer than in the former action, perhaps even more, perished in the same way.

Greek πέμψας δὲ καὶ τρίτον ξὺν ἱππεῦσι τριακοσίοις Ὀΐλαν τὸν δορυφόρον, ἐφ’ ᾧ τὰ ὅμοια τοὺς πολεμίους ἐργάσονται, ταὐτὰ ἔδρασε.

Dewing And sending even a third time the guardsman Oilas with three hundred horsemen, with instructions to handle the enemy in the same way, he accomplished the same result.

Greek τρεῖς τε, καθάπερ μοι ἐρρήθη, ἐπεκδρομὰς ποιησάμενος τῶν ἐναντίων ἀμφὶ τετρακισχιλίους διέφθειρεν.

Dewing So in making these three sallies, in the manner told by me, Belisarius destroyed about four thousand of his antagonists.

Greek Οὐίττιγις δὲ ʽοὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν εἰσῄει τὸ διαλλάσσον ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις τῆς τε ὁπλίσεως καὶ τῆς ἐς τὰ πολέμια ἔργα μελέτησ̓ ῥᾷστα καὶ αὐτὸς ᾤετο τὰ ἀνήκεστα τοὺς πολεμίους ἐργάσασθαι, ἤν γε στρατῷ ὀλίγῳ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς τὴν ἔφοδον ποιοίη.

Dewing But Vittigis, failing to take into account the difference between the two armies in point of equipment of arms and of practice in warlike deeds, thought that he too would most easily inflict grave losses upon the enemy, if only he should make his attack upon them with a small force.

Greek ἔπεμψεν οὖν ἱππεῖς πεντακοσίους, ἄγχιστά τε τοῦ περιβόλου ἰέναι κελεύσας, καὶ ὅσα πρὸς ὀλίγων πολλάκις πολεμίων πεπόνθασι, ταῦτα δὴ ἐς ξύμπασαν τὴν ἐκείνων στρατιὰν ἐπιδείξασθαι.

Dewing He therefore sent five hundred horsemen, commanding them to go close to the fortifications, and to make a demonstration against the whole army of the enemy of the very same tactics as had time and time again been used against them, to their sorrow, by small bands of the foe.

Greek καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν χωρίῳ ὑψηλῷ γενόμενοι τῆς πόλεως οὐ μακρὰν ἄποθεν, ἀλλ’ ὅσον ἔξω βελῶν, ἵσταντο.

Dewing And so, when they came to a high place not far from the city, but just beyond the range of missiles, they took their stand there.

Greek Βελισάριος δὲ ἄνδρας τε ἀπολέξας χιλίους καὶ Βέσσαν αὐτοῖς ἄρχοντα ἐπιστήσας ὁμόσε χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπέστελλεν.

Dewing But Belisarius selected a thousand men, putting Bessas in command, and ordered them to engage with the enemy.

Greek οἱ δὲ κύκλωσίν τε τῶν βαρβάρων ποιησάμενοι καὶ κατὰ νώτου ἀεὶ βάλλοντες κτείνουσί τε συχνοὺς καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς βιασάμενοι κατελθεῖν ἐς τὸ πεδίον ἠνάγκασαν.

Dewing And this force, by forming a circle around the enemy and always shooting at them from behind, killed a large number, and by pressing hard upon the rest compelled them to descend into the plain.

Greek ἔνθα δὴ τῆς μάχης οὐκ ἐξ ἀντιπάλου τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκ χειρὸς γενομένης, τῶν Γότθων οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ διεφθάρησαν, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες μόλις διαφυγόντες εἰς τὸ σφέτερον στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησαν.

Dewing There a hand-to‑hand battle took place between forces not evenly matched in strength, and most of the Goths were destroyed, though some few with difficulty made their escape and returned to their own camp.

Greek οὓς δὴ ὁ Οὐίττιγις ἅτε τῷ ἀνάνδρῳ ἡσσημένους ἐκάκιζε, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἑτέροις τισὶν ἀνασώσασθαι οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ὑποσχόμενος, ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι ἡσύχαζε, τρισὶ δὲ ὕστερον ἡμέραις ἐκ πάντων τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἄνδρας ἀπολεξάμενος πεντακοσίους ἔργα ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκέλευεν ἐπιδείξασθαι ἀρετῆς ἄξια.

Dewing And Vittigis reviled these men, insisting that cowardice had been the cause of their defeat, and undertaking to find another set of men to retrieve the loss after no long time, he remained quiet for the present; but three days later he selected men from all the camps, five hundred in number, and bade them make a display of valorous deeds against the enemy.

Greek οὓς ἐπειδὴ Βελισάριος ἐγγυτέρω ἥκοντας εἶδε, πεντακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους καὶ ἄρχοντας Μαρτῖνόν τε καὶ Βαλεριανὸν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἔστελλεν.

Dewing Now as soon as Belisarius saw that these men had come rather near, he sent out against them fifteen hundred men under the commanders Martinus and Valerian.

Greek ἱππομαχίας τε ἐκ τοῦ εὐθέος γεγενημένης, τῷ πλήθει Ῥωμαῖοι παρὰ πολὺ ὑπεραίροντες τῶν πολεμίων, τρέπουσί τε αὐτοὺς οὐδενὶ πόνῳ καὶ σχεδόν τι ἅπαντας διαφθείρουσι.

Dewing And a cavalry battle taking place immediately, the Romans, being greatly superior to the enemy in numbers, routed them without any trouble and destroyed practically all of them.

Greek Καὶ τοῖς μὲν πολεμίοις δεινόν τε καὶ τύχης ἐναντίωμα παντάπασιν ἐδόκει εἶναι, εἰ πολλοί τε ὄντες πρὸς ὀλίγων πολεμίων ἐπιόντων σφίσιν ἡσσῶνται καὶ κατ’ ὀλίγους αὖθις ἰόντες ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς διαφθείρονται.

Dewing And to the enemy it seemed in every way a dreadful thing and a proof that fortune stood against them, if, when they were many and the enemy who came against them were few, they were defeated, and when, on the other hand, they in turn went in small numbers against their enemy, they were likewise destroyed.

Greek Βελισάριον δὲ δημοσίᾳ μὲν τῆς ξυνέσεως Ῥωμαῖοι ἐπῄνουν, ἐν θαύματι αὐτήν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, μεγάλῳ ποιούμενοι, ἰδίᾳ δὲ αὐτὸν ἠρώτων οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι ὅτῳ ποτὲ τεκμαιρόμενος ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ τοὺς πολεμίους οὕτως ἡσσημένος διέφυγεν, εὔελπις ἐγεγόνει τῷ πολέμῳ κατὰ κράτος αὐτῶν περιέσεσθαι.

Dewing Belisarius, however, received a public vote of praise from the Romans for his wisdom, at which they not unnaturally marvelled greatly, but in private his friends asked him on what he had based his judgment on that day when he had escaped from the enemy after being so completely defeated,⁠ and why he had been confident that he would overcome them decisively in the war.

Greek καὶ αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν ὡς αὐτοῖς κατ’ ἀρχὰς ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθὼν κατενόησεν ὅτι ποτὲ τὸ διαφέρον ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ στρατιᾷ εἴη, ὥστε ἢν κατὰ λόγον τῆς δυνάμεως τὰς ξυμβολὰς ποιοίη, οὐδὲν ἂν τῇ σφετέρᾳ ὀλιγανθρωπίᾳ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων λυμήνασθαι πλῆθος.

Dewing And he said that in engaging with them at the first with only a few men he had noticed just what the difference was between the two armies, so that if he should fight his battles with them with a force which was in strength proportionate to theirs,⁠ the multitudes of the enemy could inflict no injury upon the Romans by reason of the smallness of their numbers.

Greek διαφέρειν δέ, ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν σχεδόν τι ἅπαντες καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι Οὖννοι ἱπποτοξόται εἰσὶν ἀγαθοί, Γότθων δὲ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο οὐδενὶ ἤσκηται, ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν ἱππεῖς αὐτοῖς μόνοις δορατίοις τε καὶ ξίφεσιν εἰώθασι χρῆσθαι, οἱ δὲ τοξόται πεζοί τε ὄντες καὶ πρὸς τῶν ὁπλιτῶν καλυπτόμενοι ἐς μάχην καθίστανται.

Dewing And the difference was this, that practically all the Romans and their allies, the Huns, are good mounted bowmen, but not a man among the Goths has had practice in this branch, for their horsemen are accustomed to use only spears and swords, while their bowmen enter battle on foot and under cover of the heavy-armed men.

Greek οἵ τε οὗν ἱππεῖς, ἢν μὴ ἐκ χειρὸς ἡ ξυμβολὴ εἴη, οὐκ ἔχοντες καθ’ ὅ τι ἀμυνοῦνται πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων τοξεύμασι χρωμένων, εὐπετῶς ἂν βαλλόμενοι διαφθείρονται, καὶ οἱ πεζοὶ κατ’ ἀνδρῶν ἱππέων ἐπεκδρομὰς ποιεῖσθαι οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἱκανοὶ εἶεν.

Dewing So the horsemen, unless the engagement is at close quarters, have no means of defending themselves against opponents who use the bow, and therefore can easily be reached by the arrows and destroyed; and as for the foot-soldiers, they can never be strong enough to make sallies against men on horseback.

Greek διὰ ταῦτα μὲν Βελισάριος ἰσχυρίζετο τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐν ταύταις δὴ ταῖς ξυμβολαῖς πρὸς Ῥωμαίων ἡσσῆσθαι. Γότθοι δὲ τῶν σφίσι ξυμβεβηκότων τὸ παράλογον ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες οὔτε κατ’ ὀλίγους τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥώμης περίβολον ἐχώρουν οὔτε τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνοχλοῦντας ἐδίωκον, πλήν γε δὴ ὅσον ἐκ τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἀπώσασθαι.

Dewing It was for these reasons, Belisarius declared, that the barbarians had been defeated by the Romans in these last engagements. And the Goths, remembering the unexpected outcome of their own experiences, desisted thereafter from assaulting the fortifications of Rome in small numbers and also from pursuing the enemy when harassed by them, except only so far as to drive them back from their own camps.