andhewasprivatelyassured,thatacrowdofRomandeserterswouldabandon,onhisapproach,thestandardofTotila。HissecondmarriagewithMalasontha,thegranddaughterofTheodoricendearedGermanustotheGothsthemselves;andtheymarchedwithreluctanceagainstthefatherofaroyalinfantthelastoffspringofthelineofAmali。^27Asplendidallowancewasassignedbytheemperor:thegeneralcontributehisprivatefortune:histwosonswerepopularandactiveandhesurpassed,inthepromptitudeandsuccessofhisleviestheexpectationofmankind。HewaspermittedtoselectsomesquadronsofThraciancavalry:theveterans,aswellastheyouthofConstantinopleandEurope,engagedtheirvoluntaryservice;andasfarastheheartofGermany,hisfameandliberalityattractedtheaidoftheBarbarians。TheRomansadvancedtoSardica;anarmyofSclavoniansfledbeforetheirmarch;butwithintwodaysoftheirfinaldeparture,thedesignsofGermanuswereterminatedbyhismaladyanddeath。YettheimpulsewhichhehadgiventotheItalianwarstillcontinuedtoactwithenergyandeffect。ThemaritimetownsAncona,Crotona,Centumcellae,resistedtheassaultsofTotilaSicilywasreducedbythezealofArtaban,andtheGothicnavywasdefeatednearthecoastoftheAdriatic。Thetwofleetswerealmostequal,forty—seventofiftygalleys:thevictorywasdecidedbytheknowledgeanddexterityoftheGreeks;
buttheshipsweresocloselygrappled,thatonlytwelveoftheGothsescapedfromthisunfortunateconflict。Theyaffectedtodepreciateanelementinwhichtheywereunskilled;buttheirownexperienceconfirmedthetruthofamaxim,thatthemasteroftheseawillalwaysacquirethedominionoftheland。^28
[Footnote!:Thisisasingularmistake。Gibbonmusthavehastilycaughtathisinexperience,andconcludedthatitmusthavebeenfromyouth。LordMahonhaspointedoutthiserror,p。
401。Ishouldaddthatinthelast4to。edition,correctedbyGibbon,itstands"wantofyouthandexperience;"—butGibboncanscarcelyhaveintendedsuchaphrase。—M。]
[Footnote26:SeetheactsofGermanusinthepublicVandal。l。
ii,c。16,17,18Goth。l。iii。c。31,32andprivatehistory,Anecdot。c。5,andthoseofhissonJustin,inAgathias,l。
iv。p。130,131。NotwithstandinganambiguousexpressionofJornandes,fratrisuo,Alemannushasprovedthathewasthesonoftheemperor'sbrother。]
[Footnote27:ConjunctaAniciorumgenscumAmalastirpespemadhucutiiusquegenerispromittit,Jornandes,c。60,p。703。
HewroteatRavennabeforethedeathofTotila]
[Footnote*:Seenote31,p。268。—M。]
[Footnote28:ThethirdbookofProcopiusisterminatedbythedeathofGermanus,Add。l。iv。c。23,24,25,26。]
AfterthelossofGermanus,thenationswereprovokedtosmile,bythestrangeintelligence,thatthecommandoftheRomanarmieswasgiventoaeunuch。ButtheeunuchNarses^29isrankedamongthefewwhohaverescuedthatunhappynamefromthecontemptandhatredofmankind。Afeeble,diminutivebodyconcealedthesoulofastatesmanandawarrior。Hisyouthhadbeenemployedinthemanagementoftheloomanddistaff,inthecaresofthehousehold,andtheserviceoffemaleluxury;butwhilehishandswerebusy,hesecretlyexercisedthefacultiesofavigorousanddiscerningmind。Astrangertotheschoolsandthecamp,hestudiedinthepalacetodissemble,toflatter,andtopersuade;andassoonasheapproachedthepersonoftheemperor,Justinianlistenedwithsurpriseandpleasuretothemanlycounselsofhischamberlainandprivatetreasurer。^30ThetalentsofNarsesweretriedandimprovedinfrequentembassies:
heledanarmyintoItalyacquiredapracticalknowledgeofthewarandthecountry,andpresumedtostrivewiththegeniusofBelisarius。Twelveyearsafterhisreturn,theeunuchwaschosentoachievetheconquestwhichhadbeenleftimperfectbythefirstoftheRomangenerals。Insteadofbeingdazzledbyvanityoremulation,heseriouslydeclaredthat,unlesshewerearmedwithanadequateforce,hewouldneverconsenttoriskhisowngloryandthatofhissovereign。Justiniangrantedtothefavoritewhathemighthavedeniedtothehero:theGothicwarwasrekindledfromitsashes,andthepreparationswerenotunworthyoftheancientmajestyoftheempire。Thekeyofthepublictreasurewasputintohishand,tocollectmagazines,tolevysoldiers,topurchasearmsandhorses,todischargethearrearsofpay,andtotemptthefidelityofthefugitivesanddeserters。ThetroopsofGermanuswerestillinarms;theyhaltedatSalonaintheexpectationofanewleader;andlegionsofsubjectsandallieswerecreatedbythewell—knownliberalityoftheeunuchNarses。ThekingoftheLombards^31satisfiedorsurpassedtheobligationsofatreaty,bylendingtwothousandtwohundredofhisbravestwarriors,^!!whowerefollowedbythreethousandoftheirmartialattendants。ThreethousandHerulifoughtonhorsebackunderPhilemuth,theirnativechief;
andthenobleAratus,whoadoptedthemannersanddisciplineofRome,conductedabandofveteransofthesamenation。DagistheuswasreleasedfromprisontocommandtheHuns;andKobad,thegrandsonandnephewofthegreatking,wasconspicuousbytheregaltiaraattheheadofhisfaithfulPersians,whohaddevotedthemselvestothefortunesoftheirprince。^32Absoluteintheexerciseofhisauthority,moreabsoluteintheaffectionofhistroops,NarsesledanumerousandgallantarmyfromPhilippopolistoSalona,fromwhencehecoastedtheeasternsideoftheAdriaticasfarastheconfinesofItaly。Hisprogresswaschecked。TheEastcouldnotsupplyvesselscapableoftransportingsuchmultitudesofmenandhorses。TheFranks,who,inthegeneralconfusion,hadusurpedthegreaterpartoftheVenetianprovince,refusedafreepassagetothefriendsoftheLombards。ThestationofVeronawasoccupiedbyTeias,withthefloweroftheGothicforces;andthatskilfulcommanderhadoverspreadtheadjacentcountrywiththefallofwoodsandtheinundationofwaters。^33Inthisperplexity,anofficerofexperienceproposedameasure,securebytheappearanceofrashness;thattheRomanarmyshouldcautiouslyadvancealongtheseashore,whilethefleetprecededtheirmarch,andsuccessivelycastabridgeofboatsoverthemouthsoftherivers,theTimavus,theBrenta,theAdige,andthePo,thatfallintotheAdriatictothenorthofRavenna。Ninedayshereposedinthecity,collectedthefragmentsoftheItalianarmy,andmarchingtowardsRiminitomeetthedefianceofaninsultingenemy。
[Footnote29:ProcopiusrelatesthewholeseriesofthissecondGothicwarandthevictoryofNarses,l。iv。c。21,26—35。A
splendidscene。AmongthesixsubjectsofepicpoetrywhichTassorevolvedinhismind,hehesitatedbetweentheconquestsofItalybyBelisariusandbyNarses,Hayley'sWorks,vol。iv。p。
70。]
[Footnote30:ThecountryofNarsesisunknown,sincehemustnotbeconfoundedwiththePersarmenian。ProcopiusstyleshimseeGoth。l。ii。c。13;PaulWarnefrid,l。ii。c。3,p。776,
Chartularius:MarcellinusaddsthenameofCubicularius。InaninscriptionontheSalarianbridgeheisentitledEx—consul,Ex—praepositus,CubiculiPatricius,Mascou,Hist。oftheGermans,l。xiii。c。25。ThelawofTheodosiusagainstennuchswasobsoleteorabolished,Annotationxx。,butthefoolishprophecyoftheRomanssubsistedinfullvigor,Procop。l。iv。
c。21。
Note:LordMahonsupposesthembothtohavebeenPersarmenians。Note,p。256。—M。]
[Footnote31:PaulWarnefrid,theLombard,recordswithcomplacencythesuccor,service,andhonorabledismissionofhiscountrymen—reipublicaeRomanaeadversusaemulosadjutoresfuerant,l。ii。c。i。p。774,edit。Grot。IamsurprisedthatAlboin,theirmartialking,didnotleadhissubjectsinperson。
Note:TheLombardswerestillatwarwiththeGepidae。SeeProcop。Goth。lib。iv。p。25。—M。]
[Footnote!!:GibbonhasblindlyfollowedthetranslationofMaltretus:Bismilleducentos—whiletheoriginalGreeksaysexpresslysomethingelse,Goth。lib。iv。c。26。Inlikemanner,p。266,hedrawsvolunteersfromGermany,ontheauthorityofCousin,who,inoneplace,hasmistakenGermanusforGermania。
YetonlyafewpagesfurtherwefindGibbonloudlycondemningtheFrenchandLatinreadersofProcopius。LordMahon,p。403。ThefirstoftheseerrorsremainsuncorrectedintheneweditionoftheByzantines。—M。]
[Footnote32:Hewas,ifnotanimpostor,thesonoftheblindZames,savedbycompassion,andeducatedintheByzantinecourtbythevariousmotivesofpolicy,pride,andgenerosity,Procop。
Persic。l。i。c。23。]
[Footnote33:InthetimeofAugustus,andinthemiddleages,thewholewastefromAquileiatoRavennawascoveredwithwoods,lakes,andmorasses。Manhassubduednature,andthelandhasbeencultivatedsincethewatersareconfinedandembanked。SeethelearnedresearchesofMuratori,Antiquitat。ItaliaeMediiAevi。tom。i。dissertxxi。p。253,254,fromVitruvius,Strabo,Herodian,oldcharters,andlocalknowledge。]
ChapterXLIII:LastVictoryAndDeathOfBelisarius,DeathOfJustinian。
PartIII。
TheprudenceofNarsesimpelledhimtospeedyanddecisiveaction。Hispowerswerethelasteffortofthestate;thecostofeachdayaccumulatedtheenormousaccount;andthenations,untrainedtodisciplineorfatigue,mightberashlyprovokedtoturntheirarmsagainsteachother,oragainsttheirbenefactor。
ThesameconsiderationsmighthavetemperedtheardorofTotila。
ButhewasconsciousthattheclergyandpeopleofItalyaspiredtoasecondrevolution:hefeltorsuspectedtherapidprogressoftreason;andheresolvedtorisktheGothickingdomonthechanceofaday,inwhichthevaliantwouldbeanimatedbyinstantdangerandthedisaffectedmightbeawedbymutualignorance。InhismarchfromRavenna,theRomangeneralchastisedthegarrisonofRimini,traversedinadirectlinethehillsofUrbino,andreenteredtheFlaminianway,ninemilesbeyondtheperforatedrock,anobstacleofartandnaturewhichmighthavestoppedorretardedhisprogress。^34TheGothswereassembledintheneighborhoodofRome,theyadvancedwithoutdelaytoseekasuperiorenemy,andthetwoarmiesapproachedeachotheratthedistanceofonehundredfurlongs,betweenTagina^35andthesepulchresoftheGauls。^36ThehaughtymessageofNarseswasanoffer,notofpeace,butofpardon。TheansweroftheGothickingdeclaredhisresolutiontodieorconquer。"Whatday,"saidthemessenger,"willyoufixforthecombat?""Theeighthday,"repliedTotila;butearlythenextmorningheattemptedtosurpriseafoe,suspiciousofdeceit,andpreparedforbattle。TenthousandHeruliandLombards,ofapprovedvaloranddoubtfulfaith,wereplacedinthecentre。
EachofthewingswascomposedofeightthousandRomans;therightwasguardedbythecavalryoftheHuns,theleftwascoveredbyfifteenhundredchosenhorse,destined,accordingtotheemergenciesofaction,tosustaintheretreatoftheirfriends,ortoencompasstheflankoftheenemy。Fromhisproperstationattheheadoftherightwing,theeunuchrodealongtheline,expressingbyhisvoiceandcountenancetheassuranceofvictory;excitingthesoldiersoftheemperortopunishtheguiltandmadnessofabandofrobbers;andexposingtotheirviewgoldchains,collars,andbracelets,therewardsofmilitaryvirtue。
Fromtheeventofasinglecombattheydrewanomenofsuccess;
andtheybeheldwithpleasurethecourageoffiftyarchers,whomaintainedasmalleminenceagainstthreesuccessiveattacksoftheGothiccavalry。Atthedistanceonlyoftwobow—shots,thearmiesspentthemorningindreadfulsuspense,andtheRomanstastedsomenecessaryfood,withoutunloosingthecuirassfromtheirbreast,orthebridlefromtheirhorses。Narsesawaitedthecharge;anditwasdelayedbyTotilatillhehadreceivedhislastsuccorsoftwothousandGoths。Whileheconsumedthehoursinfruitlesstreaty,thekingexhibitedinanarrowspacethestrengthandagilityofawarrior。Hisarmorwasenchasedwithgold;hispurplebannerfloatedwiththewind:hecasthislanceintotheair;caughtitwiththerighthand;shiftedittotheleft;threwhimselfbackwards;recoveredhisseat;andmanagedafierysteedinallthepacesandevolutionsoftheequestrianschool。Assoonasthesuccorshadarrived,heretiredtohistent,assumedthedressandarmsofaprivatesoldier,andgavethesignalofabattle。Thefirstlineofcavalryadvancedwithmorecouragethandiscretion,andleftbehindthemtheinfantryofthesecondline。Theyweresoonengagedbetweenthehornsofacrescent,intowhichtheadversewingshadbeeninsensiblycurved,andweresalutedfromeithersidebythevolleysoffourthousandarchers。Theirardor,andeventheirdistress,drovethemforwardstoacloseandunequalconflict,inwhichtheycouldonlyusetheirlancesagainstanenemyequallyskilledinalltheinstrumentsofwar。AgenerousemulationinspiredtheRomansandtheirBarbarianallies;andNarses,whocalmlyviewedanddirectedtheirefforts,doubtedtowhomheshouldadjudgetheprizeofsuperiorbravery。TheGothiccavalrywasastonishedanddisordered,pressedandbroken;andthelineofinfantry,insteadofpresentingtheirspears,oropeningtheirintervals,weretrampledunderthefeetoftheflyinghorse。SixthousandoftheGothswereslaughteredwithoutmercyinthefieldofTagina。
Theirprince,withfiveattendants,wasovertakenbyAsbad,oftheraceoftheGepidae。"SparethekingofItaly,"criedaloyalvoice,andAsbadstruckhislancethroughthebodyofTotila。TheblowwasinstantlyrevengedbythefaithfulGoths:
theytransportedtheirdyingmonarchsevenmilesbeyondthesceneofhisdisgrace;andhislastmomentswerenotimbitteredbythepresenceofanenemy。Compassionaffordedhimtheshelterofanobscuretomb;buttheRomanswerenotsatisfiedoftheirvictory,tilltheybeheldthecorpseoftheGothicking。Hishat,enrichedwithgems,andhisbloodyrobe,werepresentedtoJustinianbythemessengersoftriumph。^37
[Footnote34:TheFlaminianway,asitiscorrectedfromtheItineraries,andthebestmodernmaps,byD'Anville,Analysedel'Italie,p。147—162,maybethusstated:RometoNarni,51
Romanmiles;Terni,57;Spoleto,75;Foligno,88;Nocera,103;
Cagli,142;Intercisa,157;Fossombrone,160;Fano,176;Pesaro,184;Rimini,208—about189Englishmiles。HetakesnonoticeofthedeathofTotila;butWestsellingItinerar。p。614
exchanges,forthefieldofTaginas,theunknownappellationofPtanias,eightmilesfromNocera。]
[Footnote35:Taginae,orratherTadinae,ismentionedbyPliny;
butthebishopricofthatobscuretown,amilefromGualdo,intheplain,wasunited,intheyear1007,withthatofNocera。
Thesignsofantiquityarepreservedinthelocalappellations,Fossato,thecamp;Capraia,Caprea;Bastia,BustaGallorum。SeeCluverius,ItaliaAntiqua,l。ii。c。6,p。615,616,617,LucasHolstenius,Annotat。adCluver。p。85,86,Guazzesi,Dissertat。p。177—217,aprofessedinquiry,andthemapsoftheecclesiasticalstateandthemarchofAncona,byLeMaireandMagini。]
[Footnote36:ThebattlewasfoughtintheyearofRome458;andtheconsulDecius,bydevotinghisownlife,assuredthetriumphofhiscountryandhiscolleagueFabius,T。Liv。x。28,29。
ProcopiusascribestoCamillusthevictoryoftheBustaGallorum;
andhiserrorisbrandedbyCluveriuswiththenationalreproachofGraecorumnugamenta。]
[Footnote*:"Dog,wiltthoustrikethyLord?"wasthemorecharacteristicexclamationoftheGothicyouth。Procop。lib。iv。
p。32。—M。]
[Footnote37:Theophanes,Chron。p。193。Hist。Miscell。l。xvi。
p。108。]
AssoonasNarseshadpaidhisdevotionstotheAuthorofvictory,andtheblessedVirgin,hispeculiarpatroness,^38hepraised,rewarded,anddismissedtheLombards。Thevillageshadbeenreducedtoashesbythesevaliantsavages;theyravishedmatronsandvirginsonthealtar;theirretreatwasdiligentlywatchedbyastrongdetachmentofregularforces,whopreventedarepetitionofthelikedisorders。ThevictoriouseunuchpursuedhismarchthroughTuscany,acceptedthesubmissionoftheGoths,heardtheacclamations,andoftenthecomplaints,oftheItalians,andencompassedthewallsofRomewiththeremainderofhisformidablehost。Roundthewidecircumference,Narsesassignedtohimself,andtoeachofhislieutenants,arealorafeignedattack,whilehesilentlymarkedtheplaceofeasyandunguardedentrance。NeitherthefortificationsofHadrian'smole,noroftheport,couldlongdelaytheprogressoftheconqueror;andJustinianoncemorereceivedthekeysofRome,which,underhisreign,hadbeenfivetimestakenandrecovered。
^39ButthedeliveranceofRomewasthelastcalamityoftheRomanpeople。TheBarbarianalliesofNarsestoofrequentlyconfoundedtheprivilegesofpeaceandwar。ThedespairoftheflyingGothsfoundsomeconsolationinsanguinaryrevenge;andthreehundredyouthsofthenoblestfamilies,whohadbeensentashostagesbeyondthePo,wereinhumanlyslainbythesuccessorofTotila。Thefateofthesenatesuggestsanawfullessonofthevicissitudeofhumanaffairs。OfthesenatorswhomTotilahadbanishedfromtheircountry,somewererescuedbyanofficerofBelisarius,andtransportedfromCampaniatoSicily;whileothersweretooguiltytoconfideintheclemencyofJustinian,ortoopoortoprovidehorsesfortheirescapetothesea—shore。
Theirbrethrenlanguishedfiveyearsinastateofindigenceandexile:thevictoryofNarsesrevivedtheirhopes;buttheirprematurereturntothemetropoliswaspreventedbythefuriousGoths;andallthefortressesofCampaniawerestainedwithpatrician^40blood。Afteraperiodofthirteencenturies,theinstitutionofRomulusexpired;andifthenoblesofRomestillassumedthetitleofsenators,fewsubsequenttracescanbediscoveredofapubliccouncil,orconstitutionalorder。Ascendsixhundredyears,andcontemplatethekingsoftheearthsolicitinganaudience,astheslavesorfreedmenoftheRomansenate!^41
[Footnote38:Evagrius,l。iv。c。24。TheinspirationoftheVirginrevealedtoNarsestheday,andtheword,ofbattle,PaulDiacon。l。ii。c。3,p。776]
[Footnote39:Procop。Goth。lib。iv。p。33。]