第6巻 第16章

Greek Βελισάριος δὲ καὶ Ναρσῆς ξὺν ἀμφοτέροις στρατεύμασιν ἀλλήλοις ἀνεμίγνυντο ἀμφὶ πόλιν Φίρμον, ἣ κεῖται μὲν παρὰ τὴν ἠϊόνα τοῦ Ἰονίου κόλπου, ἀπέχει δὲ Αὐξίμου πόλεως ἡμέρας ὁδόν.

Dewing Belisarius and Narses came together with their two armies near the city of Firmum,⁠ which lies on the shore of the Ionian Gulf, and is one day's journey distant from the city of Auximus.

Greek ἐνταῦθα δὲ ξὺν πᾶσι τοῖς τοῦ στρατοῦ ἄρχουσιν ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιοῦντο, ὅπη ποτὲ σφίσι πρότερον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἰοῦσι μᾶλλον ξυνοίσει.

Dewing In that place they began to hold conferences with all the commanders of the army, considering at what particular point it would be most to their advantage to make the first attack upon the enemy.

Greek ἤν τε γὰρ ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀρίμινον πολιορκοῦντας χωρήσειαν, τοὺς ἐν Αὐξίμῳ ὑπώπτευον μὴ κατὰ νώτου ἰόντες σφᾶς τε καὶ Ῥωμαίους τοὺς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένους τὰ ἀνήκεστα, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, δράσωσι, καὶ ἀμφὶ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἐδείμαινον μὴ τῇ ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων δεινόν τι πάθωσιν.

Dewing For if, on the one hand, they should proceed against the forces besieging Ariminum, they suspected that the Goths in Auximus would in all probability, taking them in the rear, inflict irreparable harm both upon them and upon the Romans who lived in that region; but, on the other hand, they were anxious concerning the besieged, dreading lest by reason of their lack of provisions they should suffer some great misfortune.

Greek οἱ μὲν οὖν πλεῖστοι Ἰωάννῃ χαλεπῶς ἔχοντες ἐποιοῦντο τοὺς λόγους. ἐπεκάλουν γάρ οἱ ὅτι θράσει τε ἀλογίστῳ καὶ χρημάτων πολλῶν ἔρωτι ἐς τόσον κινδύνου ἀφίκοιτο, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τάξει οὐδὲ ᾗ Βελισάριος ἐξηγεῖτο ἐῴη τὰ τοῦ πολέμου περαίνεσθαι.

Dewing Now the majority were hostile toward John, and made their speeches accordingly; and the charge they brought against him was that he had been moved by unreasoning daring and a desire to gain great sums of money to place himself in his present dangerous position, and that he would not allow the operations of the war to be carried out in due order nor in the manner prescribed by Belisarius.

Greek Ναρσῆς δὲ ʽκαὶ γάρ οἱ φίλτατος ἦν Ἰωάννης ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων’ δείσας μὴ Βελισάριος πρὸς τὰ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν εἰρημένα ἐνδοὺς ἐν δευτέρῳ τὰ ἐν Ἀριμίνῳ πράγματα θῆται ἔλεξε τοιάδε·

Dewing But Narses, who loved John above all other men, beginning to be fearful lest Belisarius should give way to the words of the officers and treat the situation at Ariminum as of secondary importance, spoke as follows:

Greek “Οὐκ ἐν τοῖς εἰωθόσι διαλογίζεσθε, ἄνδρες ἄρχοντες, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἄν τις εἰκότως ἀμφιγνοήσειε τὴν βουλὴν ἔχετε, ἀλλ’ ἐν οἷς πάρεστι καὶ τοῖς ἐς πολέμου πεῖραν οὐδεμίαν ἐλθοῦσι τὴν αἵρεσιν αὐτοσχεδιάζουσιν ἑλέσθαι τὰ κρείσσω.

Dewing "Fellow officers, you are not debating a question of the customary sort, nor are you holding this council regarding a situation about which one would naturally be in doubt, but in circumstances where it is possible even for those who have had no experience of war to make their choice offhand and in so doing to choose the better course.

Greek εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὅ τε κίνδυνος ἐν ἴσῳ εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ βλάβος ἑκατέρωθεν τοῖς γε ἀποτυχοῦσιν ἀντίπαλον. βουλεύεσθαί τε ἱκανῶς ἄξιον καὶ λογίσμῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἰοῦσιν οὕτω ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν παρόντων διάγνωσιν.

Dewing For if it seems to be true that each of these two alternatives offers to those who fail an equal degree of danger and evenly balanced possibilities of mischief, it is altogether worth while to deliberate and to go most thoroughly into the arguments, and only then to make our decision regarding the situation before us.

Greek ἡμεῖς δὲ εἰ μὲν τὴν ἐς Αὔξιμον προσβολὴν ἐς ἄλλον τινὰ χρόνον ἀποθέσθαι βουλοίμεθα, τὴν ζημίαν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις οὐδαμῶς ἕξομεν· τί γὰρ ἂν μεταξὺ τὸ διαλλάσσον εἴη; ἐν Ἀριμίνῳ δέ, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, σφαλέντες, εἰ μὴ λίαν πικρὸν εἰπεῖν ᾖ, τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἰσχὺν καταλύσομεν.

Dewing But if we should wish to put off the assault upon Auximus to some other time, the penalty we shall suffer will involve in no way any vital interest of ours; for what difference could arise during the interval? But if we fail at Ariminum, we shall in all probability, if it is not too bitter a thing to say, shatter the strength of the Romans.

Greek εἰ μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννης ἐς τὰς σὰς ἐντολὰς ὕβρισεν, ἄριστε Βελισάριε, πολλήν γε τὴν δίκην ἔχεις παρ’ ἐκείνου λαβών, ἐπεί σοι πάρεστι σώζειν τε τὸν ἐπταικότα καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις προΐεσθαι.

Dewing Now if John treated your commands with insolence, most excellent Belisarius, the atonement you have already exacted from him is surely ample, since it is now in your power either to save him in his reverse or to abandon him to the enemy.

Greek σκόπει δὲ μὴ τὰς ποινὰς ὧν Ἰωάννης ἀγνοήσας ἥμαρτε παρὰ βασιλέως τε καὶ ἡμῶν λάβῃς. εἰ γὰρ νῦν Ἀρίμινον ἐξέλωσι Γότθοι, στρατηγόν τε αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαίων δραστήριον καὶ στράτευμα ὅλον καὶ πόλιν κατήκοον βασιλεῖ δορυάλωτον πεποιῆσθαι ξυμβήσεται.

Dewing But see that you do not exact from the emperor and from us the penalty for mistakes committed by John through ignorance. For if the Goths capture Ariminum at the present juncture, it will be their good fortune to have made captive a capable Roman general, as well as a whole army and a city subject to the emperor.

Greek καὶ οὐκ ἄχρι τούτου στήσεται τὸ δεινόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύμπασαν καταστῆσαι τὴν τοῦ πολέμου δυνήσεται τύχην. οὑτωσὶ γὰρ λογίζου περὶ τῶν πολεμίων, ὡς πλήθει μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἡμῶν παρὰ πολὺ προὔχουσιν, ἐς ἀνανδρίαν δὲ οἷς πολλάκις ἐσφάλησαν ἐμπεπτώκασιν. εἰκότως· τὸ γὰρ τῆς τύχης ἐναντίωμα πᾶσαν αὐτῶν τὴν παρρησίαν ἀφείλετο.

Dewing And the calamity will not stop with this, but it will also have such weight as to determine the fortune of the war in every field. For you should reason thus regarding the enemy, that they are still, even at the present time, far superior to us in the number of their soldiers, and they have lost their courage only because of the many reverses they have suffered. And this is natural; for the adversity of fortune has taken away all their confidence.

Greek ἢν τοίνυν ἐν τῷ παρόντι εὐημερήσωσι, τό τε φρόνημα οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἀπολήψονται καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν οὐκ ἐξ ἀντιπάλου μόνον ἡμῖν τῆς τόλμης, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μειζόνως τὸν πόλεμον τόνδε διοίσουσι.

Dewing If, therefore, they meet with success at the present time, they will at no distant date recover their spirit and thereafter they will carry on this war with a boldness, not merely equal to ours, but actually much greater.

Greek φιλοῦσι γὰρ οἱ τῶν δυσκόλων ἀπαλλασσόμενοι τῶν οὔπω δεδυστυχηκότων ἀμείνους ἀεὶ τὰς γνώμας εἶναι.” Ναρσῆς μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπε.

Dewing For it is a way with those who are freeing themselves from a difficult situation always to have a better heart than those who have not yet met with disaster." Thus spoke Narses.

Greek Στρατιώτης δέ τις ἐξ Ἀριμίνου λαθὼν τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν φυλακὴν ἔς τε τὸ στρατόπεδον ἦλθε καὶ Βελισαρίῳ γράμματα ἔδειξεν ἃ πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἰωάννης ἔγραψεν.

Dewing At this time a soldier who had escaped from Ariminum by slipping through the guard of the barbarians came into the camp and shewed Belisarius a letter which John had written to him, conveying the following message:

Greek ἐδήλου δὲ ἡ γραφὴ τάδε· “Ἅπαντα ἡμᾶς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια χρόνου πολλοῦ ἐπιλελοιπέναι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν μήτε πρὸς τὸν δῆμον ἀντέχειν ἡμᾶς ἴσθι μήτε τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνεσθαι οἵους τε εἶναι, ἀλλ’ ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν ἀκουσίους ἡμᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ πόλιν τήνδε τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐγχειριεῖν·

Dewing "Know that for a long time all our provisions have been exhausted, that we are no longer able either to hold out against the populace or to ward off our assailants, and that within seven days we shall unwillingly surrender both ourselves and this city to the enemy;

Greek περαιτέρω γὰρ βιάζεσθαι τὴν παροῦσαν ἀνάγκην ἥκιστα ἔχομεν, ἥνπερ ἀπολογεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἤν τι οὐκ εὐπρεπὲς δράσωμεν,

Dewing for beyond this time we are absolutely unable to overcome the necessity which is upon us, and this necessity, I think, will be a sufficient apology in our behalf, if we do anything which is unseemly."

Greek ἀξιόχρεων οἶμαι.” Ἰωάννης μὲν ἔγραψεν ὧδε. Βελισάριος δὲ διηπορεῖτό τε καὶ ἐς ἀμηχανίαν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐξέπιπτε. περί τε γὰρ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἐδείμαινε καὶ τοὺς ἐν Αὐξίμῳ πολεμίους ὑπώπτευε δῃώσειν μὲν ἀδεέστερον ἅπαντα περιιόντας τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, σφῶν δὲ κατόπισθεν τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐνεδρεύσοντας, ἄλλως τε καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν τοῖς ἐναντίοις προσμίξειαν, πολλά τε κακὰ καὶ ἀνήκεστα, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, διεργάσεσθαι.

Dewing Thus, then, did John write. But Belisarius, on his part, was sorely perplexed and plunged into the greatest uncertainty. For while he was fearful concerning the besieged, he suspected, at the same time, that the enemy in Auximus would overrun the whole country round about and plunder it with never a fear, and also that they would ambush his own army from behind at every opportunity, and especially whenever he joined battle with his opponents, and would thus in all probability do the Romans great and irreparable harm. Finally, however, he did as follows.

Greek ἔπειτα μέντοι ἐποίει τάδε. Ἀράτιον μὲν ξὺν χιλίοις ἀνδράσιν αὐτοῦ ἔλιπεν, ἐφ’ ᾧ πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ στρατόπεδον ποιήσονται, πόλεως Αὐξίμου σταδίους διακοσίους ἀπέχον.

Dewing He left Aratius with a thousand men there, instructing them to make a camp by the sea, at a distance of two hundred stades from Auximus.

Greek οὓς δὴ ἐκέλευε μήτε πη ἐξανισταμένους ἐνθένδε ἰέναι μήτε διαμάχεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, πλήν γε δὴ ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἀμυνομένους, ἢν ἐκεῖνοί ποτε ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἴωσι.

Dewing These troops he commanded neither to move away from that position nor to fight a decisive action with the enemy, except in so far as to drive them off from the camp, if they should ever make an attack upon it.

Greek ταύτῃ γὰρ τοὺς βαρβάρους μάλιστα ἤλπιζεν ἄγχιστά που στρατοπεδευομένων Ῥωμαίων ἔν τε Αὐξίμῳ ἡσυχῆ μενεῖν καὶ οὔποτε κακουργήσοντας σφίσιν ἕψεσθαι.

Dewing For he hoped by this course to make it certain that the barbarians, seeing Romans encamped close by, would remain quietly in Auximus and never follow his own army to do it harm.

Greek στρατιὰν δὲ ἀξιολογωτάτην ξὺν ναυσὶν ἔπεμψεν, ἧς Ἡρωδιανός τε καὶ Οὐλίαρις καὶ Ναρσῆς Ἀρατίου ἀδελφὸς ἦρχον.

Dewing And he despatched by sea a very considerable army commanded by Herodian, Uliaris and Narses the brother of Aratius.

Greek αὐτοκράτωρ δὲ τῷ στόλῳ Ἰλδίγερ ἐφειστήκει, ᾧ δὴ εὐθὺ Ἀριμίνου Βελισάριος ἐπέστελλε πλεῖν, φυλασσομένῳ ὅπως μὴ μακρὰν ἀπολελειμμένου τοῦ πεζοῦ στρατοῦ καταίρειν ἐς τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἀκτὴν ἐγχειρήσωσιν· ὁδῷ γὰρ αὐτοὺς πορεύεσθαι τῆς ἠϊόνος οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν.

Dewing But Ildiger was appointed commander-in- chief of the expedition, and he was instructed by Belisarius to sail straight for Ariminum, taking care not to attempt putting in to shore near the city while the land army was still far behind; for they would be proceeding by a road not far from the coast.

Greek καὶ στρατιὰν μὲν ἄλλην, ἧς Μαρτῖνος ἦρχε, ταῖς ναυσὶ ταύταις παρακολουθοῦντας κατὰ τὴν παραλίαν ἐκέλευεν ἰέναι, ἐντειλάμενος, ἐπειδὰν ἄγχιστα τῶν πολεμίων ἵκωνται, πυρὰ πλείονα καὶ οὐ κατὰ λόγον τοῦ στρατοῦ καίειν, δόκησίν τε πλήθους πολλῷ πλείονος τοῖς ἐναντίοις παρέχεσθαι.

Dewing And he ordered another army under command of Martinus to march along the coast, keeping near these ships, and instructing them that, when they came close to the enemy, they should burn a greater number of camp-fires than usual and not in proportion to the actual numbers of the army, and thus lead their opponents to believe their numbers to be much greater than they actually were.

Greek αὐτὸς δὲ ἄλλην ὁδὸν τῆς ἠϊόνος ἀπωτάτω οὖσαν ξύν τε Ναρσῇ καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ διὰ πόλεως Οὐρβισαλίας ᾔει, ἣν δὴ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις οὕτως Ἀλάριχος καθεῖλεν ὥστε ἄλλο γε αὐτῇ οὐδ’ ὁτιοῦν ἀπολέλειπται τοῦ πρότερον κόσμου, ὅτι μὴ πύλης μιᾶς καὶ τῆς κατασκευῆς τοῦ ἐδάφους λείψανόν τι βραχύ.

Dewing He himself, meanwhile, went by another road far removed from the shore with Narses and the rest of the army, passing through the city of Urvisalia,⁠ which in earlier times Alaric destroyed so completely⁠ that nothing whatever has been left of its former grandeur, except a small remnant of a single gate and of the floor of the adjoining edifice.