第6巻 第20章

Greek Βελισάριος δέ, ἐπεὶ Οὐρβῖνον ἀμφὶ τροπὰς χειμερινὰς εἷλεν, ἐς μὲν Αὔξιμον ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἰέναι ἀξύμφορον ᾤετο εἶναι· χρόνον γὰρ σφίσι τετρίψεσθαι πολὺν ἐν τῇ ἐς αὐτὴν προσεδρείᾳ ὑπώπτευε.

Dewing Now Belisarius, since he had captured Urbinus at about the winter solstice, thought it inexpedient to march against Auximus immediately; for he suspected that a long time would be consumed by his troops in besieging it.

Greek βίᾳ τε γὰρ τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν ἐρύματος ἰσχύϊ ἀδύνατον ἦν, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι ἐνταῦθα, ὥσπερ μοι προδεδήλωται, φυλακὴν ἔχοντες, πολλήν τινα ληϊσάμενοι χώραν μέγα τι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων χρῆμα ἐσηνέγκαντο σφίσιν.

Dewing For it was impossible to take the place by storm because of the strength of its defences, and the barbarian garrison of the city was both numerous and composed of the best troops, as I have previously stated,⁠ and since they had plundered a large tract of country, they had brought in for themselves a great store of provisions.

Greek Ἀράτιον δὲ σὺν πολλῇ στρατιᾷ ἐν Φίρμῳ διαχειμάζειν ἐκέλευε φυλάσσειν τε ὅπως τὸ λοιπὸν μὴ κατ’ ἐξουσίαν οἱ βάρβαροι τὰς ἐπεκδρομὰς ἐνθένδε ποιουμενοι ἀδεέστερον τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία βιάζωνται· αὐτὸς μέντοι ἐπὶ Οὐρβιβεντὸν ἐπῆγε τὸ στρατευμα.

Dewing But he commanded Aratius with a numerous army to pass the winter in Firmum and to be on his guard that the barbarians in future should not be at liberty to make their raids from Auximus and fearlessly to carry on a campaign of violence in that region; he himself, however, led his army against Urviventus.

Greek Περάνιος γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐς τοῦτο ἐνῆγεν, ἐπεὶ τοὺς ταύτῃ Γότθους τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ὑποσπανίζειν ἠκηκόει πρὸς τῶν αὐτομόλων, ἤλπιζέ τε, ἢν πρὸς τῇ ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων καὶ Βελισάριον παντί που παρόντα τῷ στρατῷ ἴδωσι, ῥᾷον ἐνδώσειν·

Dewing For Peranius kept urging him to do this, since he had heard from the deserters that the Goths in that city had a scarcity of provisions, and he hoped that if, in addition to their lack of supplies, they should see Belisarius also present with his whole army, as they would suppose, they would give in the more readily, as indeed actually happened.

Greek ὅπερ ἐγένετο. Βελισάριος γάρ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ἐς Οὐρβιβεντὸν ἀφίκετο, ἅπαντας μὲν ἐνστρατοπεδεύσασθαι ἐν χώρῳ ἐπιτηδείως κειμένῳ ἐκέλευσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ κύκλῳ περιιὼν διεσκοπεῖτο εἴ πως αὐτὴν βιάζεσθαι οὐκ ἀδύνατα ᾖ. καί οἱ μηχανὴ μὲν οὐδεμία ἔδοξεν εἶναι ὥστε βίᾳ τινὶ τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν.

Dewing For Belisarius, immediately upon reaching Urviventus, commanded the whole army to encamp in a place suitably situated, while he himself made a complete circuit of the city, looking carefully to see whether it was perhaps not impossible to capture it by storm. And it seemed to him that there was no possible means of taking the place by any manner of assault.

Greek λάθρα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς οὐ παντάπασιν ἐδόκει ἀμήχανός οἱ ἡ ἐπικράτησις ἔσεσθαι.

Dewing However, he decided that it would not be altogether impossible to capture it by a secret stratagem.

Greek Λόφος γάρ τις ἐκ κοίλης γῆς ἀνέχει μόνος, τὰ μὲν ὕπερθεν ὕπτιός τε καὶ ὁμαλός, τὰ δὲ κάτω κρημνώδης. ἀμφὶ δὲ τὸν λόφον ἰσομήκεις πέτραι κύκλωσιν αὐτοῦ ποιοῦνταί τινα, οὐκ ἄγχιστά πη οὖσαι, ἀλλ’ ὅσον βολὴν διέχουσαι λίθου.

Dewing For the city occupies a lone hill which springs from low-lying ground, being on the top level and smooth, but precipitous at the base. And round this hill there stand rocks of equal height which form, as it were, a circle about it, not immediately at the base of the hill, but about a stone's throw away.⁠

Greek ἐπὶ τούτου δὴ τοῦ λόφου οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι τὴν πόλιν ἐδείμαντο, οὔτε τείχη περιβαλόντες οὔτ’ ἄλλο τι ὀχύρωμα ποιησάμενοι, ἐπεὶ φύσει αὐτοῖς τὸ χωρίον ἀνάλωτον ἔδοξεν εἶναι.

Dewing Upon this hill, then, the men of old built the city, and they neither placed walls around it nor constructed defences of any other kind, since the place seemed to them impregnable by nature.

Greek μία γὰρ ἐς αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν πετρῶν εἴσοδος τυγχάνει οὖσα, ἣν φυλασσομένοις τοῖς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένοις οὐδεμίαν ἑτέρωθι πολεμίων προσβολὴν δεδιέναι ξυμβαίνει.

Dewing For there is only one approach to the city through the rocks, and if the inhabitants of the city only keep this under guard, they have nothing to fear from hostile attacks at any other point.

Greek χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ χωρίου ᾗ τὴν εἴσοδον ἡ φύσις ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐτεκτήνατο, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ποταμὸς ἀεὶ μέγας τε καὶ ἀπόρευτος τὰ μεταξὺ ἔχει τοῦ τε λόφου καὶ τῶν πετρῶν ὧν ἄρτι ἐμνήσθην.

Dewing For apart from the place where nature, as has been stated, constructed the approach to the city, a river⁠ which is always large and impassable occupies the space between the hill and the rocks which I have just mentioned.

Greek διὸ δὴ καὶ βραχεῖάν τινα οἰκοδομίαν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ εἰσόδῳ πεποίηνται τὸ παλαιὸν Ῥωμαῖοι. καὶ πύλη τις ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν, ἣν τότε Γότθοι ἐφύλασσον. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Οὐρβιβεντῷ ταύτῃ πη ἔχει.

Dewing In view of this situation the Romans of old built a short piece of wall across this approach. And there is a gate in it, which the Goths were guarding at that time. Such is the situation of Urviventus.

Greek Βελισάριος δὲ τῷ παντὶ στρατῷ ἐς τὴν πολιορκίαν καθίστατο, ἢ διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ κακουργήσειν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχων ἢ λιμῷ παραστήσεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους.

Dewing And Belisarius commenced the siege with his whole army, hoping either to deliver an attack by way of the river or to bring the enemy to submission by famine.

Greek οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τέως μὲν οὐ παντάπασι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐσπάνιζον, καίπερ ἐνδεεστέρως ἢ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν αὐτὰ ἔχοντες, ὅμως τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ παρὰ δόξαν ἀντεῖχον, ἥκιστα μὲν ἐς τροφῆς κόρον ἐρχόμενοι, ὅσον δὲ μὴ λιμῷ ἀποθνήσκειν χρώμενοι σιτίοις ἐς ἡμέραν ἑκάστην.

Dewing The barbarians, on their part, were for a time not utterly destitute of provisions, though their supply was indeed too scanty for their needs, but still they held out beyond all expectation in enduring their suffering, never getting sufficient nourishment to satisfy them, and using each day only enough food so as not to die of starvation.

Greek ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντα σφᾶς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐπελελοίπει, δέρρεις τε καὶ διφθέρας ὕδατι βρέχοντες πολύν τινα χρόνον εἶτα ἤσθιον· Ἀλβίλας γὰρ ὃς αὐτῶν ἦρχεν, ἀνὴρ ἐν Γότθοις δόκιμος μάλιστα, ἐλπίσιν αὐτοὺς κεναῖς ἔβοσκεν.

Dewing But finally, when all their provisions had been exhausted, they began to eat skins and hides which they had previously soaked in water for a long time; for their commander Albilas, a man of especial note among the Goths, was sustaining them with empty hopes.⁠

Greek Ἡνίκα τε αὖθις ἐπανιὼν ὁ χρόνος τὴν τοῦ θέρους ὥραν ἤνεγκεν, ὁ σῖτος ἤδη ἐν τοῖς ληΐοις αὐτόματος ἤκμαζεν, οὐχὶ τοσοῦτος μέντοι ὅσος τὸ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ ἥσσων.

Dewing Now as time went on and brought again the summer season, the grain was already ripening uncared for in the cornlands, but in no such quantities as formerly — indeed it was much less.

Greek ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς αὔλαξιν οὐκ ἀρότροις οὐδὲ χερσὶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκέκρυπτο, ἀλλ’ ἐπιπολῆς κείμενος ἔτυχε, μοῖραν αὐτοῦ τινα ὀλίγην ἡ γῆ ἐνεργεῖν ἴσχυεν.

Dewing For since it had not been covered in the furrows, either by ploughs or by the hand of man, but lay upon the surface, the earth was able to make only a small portion of it take root.

Greek οὐδενός τε αὐτὸν ἔτι ἀμήσαντος, πόρρω ἀκμῆς ἐλθὼν αὖθις ἔπεσε καὶ οὐδὲν τὸ λοιπὸν ἐνθένδε ἐφύη. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ Αἰμιλίᾳ ξυμπεπτωκὸς ἔτυχε.

Dewing And since after that no one reaped it, when it had become fully ripe it fell again to the ground and nothing grew from it thereafter. And this same thing had happened also in Aemilia;

Greek διὸ ἐκλιπόντες τὰ οἰκεῖα οἱ ταύτῃ ἄνθρωποι ἐς Πικηνὸν ἦλθον. οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία διὰ τὸ ἐπιθαλάττια εἶναι παντάπασι τῇ ἀπορίᾳ πιέζεσθαι.

Dewing and because of this situation the inhabitants of that region left their homes and went to Picenum, thinking that, since that country was on the sea, it could not be suffering from absolute lack of food supplies.

Greek καὶ Τούσκων δὲ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἐξ αἰτίας τῆς αὐτῆς ὁ λιμὸς ἥψατο, ἀλλ’ αὐτῶν ὅσοι ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ᾤκηντο, τῶν δρυῶν τὰς βαλάνους ἀλοῦντες, ὥσπερ τὸν σῖτον, ἄρτους τε ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ποιούμενοι ἤσθιον.

Dewing And the Tuscans, no less than the others, were attacked by famine for the same cause; and as many of them as lived in the mountains were eating loaves made of the acorns of the oak trees, which they ground up just like grain.

Greek καὶ νόσοις μὲν παντοδαπαῖς, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, οἱ πλεῖστοι ἡλίσκοντο,

Dewing The natural result of this was that the most of the people fell victim to all manner of diseases, and it was only a few who threw these off and recovered.

Greek ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ περιγενόμενοι διεσώζοντο. ἐν Πικηνῷ μέντοι λέγονται Ῥωμαῖοι γεωργοὶ οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ πέντε μυριάδες λαοῦ λιμῷ ἀπολωλέναι, καὶ πολλῷ ἔτι πλείους ἐκτὸς κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου.

Dewing Indeed it is said that among the Roman farmers in Picenum not less than fifty thousand persons perished by famine, and a great many more north of the Ionian Gulf.⁠

Greek Ὁποῖοι δὲ τὸ εἶδος ἐγίνοντο καὶ ὅτῳ τρόπῳ ἔθνησκον αὐτὸς θεασάμενος ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι.

Dewing I shall now tell of the appearance which they came to have and in what manner they died, for I was an eye-witness.

Greek ἰσχνοὶ μὲν καὶ ὠχροὶ ἐγίνοντο πάντες· ἥ τε γὰρ σὰρξ ἀποροῦσα τροφῆς κατά γε τὸν παλαιὸν λόγον ἑαυτῆς ἥπτετο, καὶ ἡ χολὴ τῷ περιόντι τὸ κράτος τῶν σωμάτων ἤδη ἔχουσα οἰκείαν τινὰ εἰκασίαν ἐς ταῦτα ἠφίει.

Dewing All of them first became lean and pale; for the flesh, being ill supplied with nourishment, according to the old saying "laid hold upon itself," and the bile, having now the mastery of their bodies by reason of its excess, lent them almost its own appearance.

Greek προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ κακοῦ, πᾶσά τε αὐτοὺς ἰκμὰς ἐπελελοίπει καὶ τὸ δέρμα λίαν ἀπεσκληκὸς βύρσῃ μάλιστα ἐμφερὲς ἦν, δόκησιν παρέχον ὡς ἄρα τοῖς ὀστέοις ἐμπεπηγὸς εἴη. τό τε πελιδνὸν ἐς τὸ μέλαν μεταβαλόντες δᾳδίοις τισὶν ἐς ἄγαν καυθεῖσιν ἐῴκεσαν.

Dewing And as the malady developed, all moisture left them, and the skin became very dry so that it resembled leather more than anything else, giving the appearance of having been fastened upon the bones. And as they changed from a livid to a black colour, they came to resemble torches thoroughly burned.

Greek καὶ αὐτοῖς μὲν ἀεὶ τὰ πρόσωπα ἔκθαμβα ἦν, ἀεὶ δὲ δεινῶς τι μανικὸν ἔβλεπον. ἔθνησκόν τε οἱ μὲν ἀπορίᾳ τροφῆς, οἱ δὲ καὶ λίαν αὐτῆς ἐς κόρον ἰόντες.

Dewing And their faces always wore an expression of amazement, while they always had a dreadful sort of insane stare. And they died, some because of the lack of food, and others too by sating themselves too much with it.

Greek ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφίσιν ἀποσβεσθὲν ἅπαν τὸ θερμὸν ἔτυχεν ὅπερ ἡ φύσις ἐντὸς ἔκαυσεν, εἴ τις ἐς κόρον αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ μὴ κατὰ βραχύ, θρέψειεν, ὥσπερ τὰ ἐπὶ καιροῦ τεχθέντα παιδία, οἵδε καταπέψαι οὐκέτι τὰ σιτία ἔχοντες, πολλῷ διεφθείροντο θᾶσσον.

Dewing For since all the warmth which nature kindled within them had died away, whenever anyone fed them to satiety, and not little by little, just like infants newly born, the result was that, since they were as yet unable to digest the food, they died much more quickly.

Greek τινὲς δὲ τοῦ λιμοῦ ὑπερβιαζομένου ἀλλήλων ἐγεύσαντο. καὶ λέγονται γυναῖκες δύο ἐν ἀγρῷ τινι ὑπὲρ Ἀριμίνου πόλεως ἄνδρας ἑπτακαίδεκα ἐδηδοκέναι, ἅσπερ ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ μόνας περιεῖναι ξυνέπεσε.

Dewing Some too, overcome by hunger, fed upon their comrades. And it is said that two women in a certain place in the country above the city of Ariminum ate seventeen men; for these women, as it happened, were the only inhabitants of the place who survived,

Greek διὸ δὴ τοὺς ἐκείνῃ πορευομένους ξένους εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον καταλύειν οὗπερ αὗται ᾤκουν ξυνέβαινεν· οὓς δὴ καθεύδοντας διαφθείρουσαι ἤσθιον.

Dewing and consequently it came about that strangers travelling that way lodged in the little house where these women lived; so they would kill these strangers while they slept and eat them.

Greek λέγουσιν οὖν τὸν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον ξένον ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστάντα, ἡνίκα αὐτῷ ταῦτα τὰ γύναια ἐγχειρεῖν ἔμελλον, μαθεῖν τε παρ’ αὐτῶν ἀναθορόντα τὸν πάντα λόγον καὶ ἄμφω κτεῖναι.

Dewing Now the story goes that the eighteenth stranger was roused from sleep, just when these women were about to lay hands upon him, and leaping up and learning from them the whole story, killed both of them.

Greek τοῦτο μὲν δὴ οὕτω γεγενῆσθαί φασιν. οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι τῇ τοῦ λιμοῦ ἀνάγκῃ ἐχόμενοι, εἴ πού τις παρατύχῃ πόα, πολλῇ μὲν σπουδῇ ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ᾔεσαν, ὀκλάσαντες δὲ ἀνέλκειν αὐτὴν ἐκ γῆς ἐπειρῶντο.

Dewing Such, then, is the story which they tell. And the most of the people were so overcome by their hunger that if they happened upon a bit of grass anywhere, they would rush to it with great eagerness, and kneeling down, would try to pull it from the ground.

Greek εἶτα ʽοὐ γὰρ ἠδύναντο, ἐπεὶ πᾶσα αὐτοὺς ἰσχὺς ἐπελελοίπεἰ ὑπέρ τε τῆς πόας καὶ τῆς χειρὸς πίπτοντες ἔθνησκον.

Dewing Then, finding themselves unable to do so because all strength had left them, they would fall upon the grass and their outstretched hand and die.

Greek καὶ γῇ μὲν αὐτοὺς ἔκρυπτεν οὐδεὶς οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γὰρ ἦν τις ὅτῳ καὶ ταφῆς λόγος γένοιτο· ὄρνις μέντοι αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς ἥπτετο, οἷοι πολλοὶ σιτίζεσθαι πεφύκασι νεκροῖς σώμασιν,

Dewing And no one ever laid them in the earth, for there was in fact not a man to concern himself about burying them; and yet they remained untouched by any of those numerous birds which have the habit of feeding upon dead bodies, for they offered nothing which the birds craved.

Greek ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶχον οὐδὲν ὅτου ἐφεῖντο. σάρκας γὰρ ἁπάσας, ὥσπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, προδεδαπανῆσθαι τῷ λιμῷ ἤδη τετύχηκε. τὰ μὲν δὴ ἀμφὶ τῷ λιμῷ ταύτῃ πη ἔσχε.

Dewing For all the flesh, as I have previously stated, had already been consumed by starvation. Such was the manner in which famine visited the land.