XLIII. CHA P. were landed in Corcyra and the ancient continent of Epirus; they advanced as far as Nicopolis, the trophy of Auguftus, and Dodona 25, once famous by the oracle of Jove. In every step of his victories, the wife Barbarian repeated to Juftinian his defire of peace, applauded the concord of their predeceffors, and offered to employ the Gothic arms in the service of the empire. Preparations of Juftinian for the Gothic war. A. D. 549-551. Juftinian was deaf to the voice of peace; but he neglected the profecution of war; and the indolence of his temper disappointed in fome degree the obftinacy of his paffions. From this falutary flumber the emperor was awakened by the pope Vigilius and the patrician Cethegus, who appeared before his throne, and adjured him, in the name of God and the people, to resume the conqueft and deliverance of Italy. In the choice of the generals, caprice, as well as judgment, was fhewn. A fleet and army failed for the relief of Sicily, under the conduct of Liberius; but his want of youth and experience were afterwards discovered, and before he touched the fhores of the island he was overtaken by his fucceffor. In the place of Liberius the confpirator Artaban was raised from a prison to military honours; in the pious prefumption, that gratitude would animate his valour, and fortify his allegiance. Belifarius reposed in the fhade of his laurels, but the command of the 25 M. d'Anville (Memoires de l'Acad. tom. xxxii. p. 513-528.) illuftrates the gulph of Ambracia; but he cannot afcertain the fitua tion of Dodona. A country in fight of Italy is lefs known than the wilds of America. 3 principal principal army was reserved for Germanus ", the CHAP. emperor's nephew, whofe rank and merit had been long depreffed by the jealoufy of the court.. Theodora had injured him in the rights of a private citizen, the marriage of his children, and the testament of his brother; and although his conduct was pure and blameless, Justinian was displeased that he should be thought worthy of the confidence of the malecontents. The life of Germanus was a leffon of implicit obedience: he nobly refused to prostitute his name and character in the factions of the circus: the gravity of his manners was tempered by innocent chearfulness ; and his riches were lent without intereft to indigent or deferving friends. His valour had formerly triumphed over the Sclavonians of the Danube and the rebels of Africa: the first report of his promotion revived the hopes of the Italians; and he was privately affured, that a crowd of Roman deferters would abandon, on his approach, the standard of Totila. His fecond marriage with Malafontha, the grand-daughter of Theodoric, endeared Germanus to the Goths themselves; and they marched with reluctance against the father of a royal infant, the laft offfpring of the line of Amali 27. A fplendid al 26 See the acts of Germanus in the public (Vandal. 1. ii. c. 16, 17, 18. Goth. 1. iii. c. 31, 32.) and private history (Anecdot, c.5.), and those of his son Juftin, in Agathias (1. iv. p. 130, 131.). Notwithstanding an ambiguous expreffion of Jornandes, fratri fuo, Alemannus has proved that he was the fon of the emperor's brother. 27 Conjuncta Aniciorum gens cum Amalà ftirpe fpem adhuc utriufque generis promittit (Jornandes, c. 60. p. 703). He wrote at Ravenna before the death of Totila. lowance XLIII. XLIII. CHAP. lowance was affigned by the emperor: the general. contributed his private fortune; his two fons were popular and active; and he furpaffed, in the promptitude and fuccefs of his levies, the expectation of mankind. He was permitted to felect fome fquadrons of Thracian cavalry: the veterans, as well as the youth of Conftantinople and Europe, engaged their voluntary fervice; and as far as the heart of Germany, his fame and liberality attracted the aid of the Barbarians. The Romans advanced to Sardica; an army of Sclavonians fled before their march; but within two days of their final departure, the defigns of Germanus were terminated by his malady and death. Yet the impulfe which he had given to the Italian war still continued to act with energy and effect. The maritime towns, Ancona, Crotona, Centumcellæ, refifted the affaults of Totila. Sicily was reduced by the zeal of Artaban, and the Gothic navy was defeated near the coaft of the Hadriatic. The two fleets were almoft equal, forty-feven to fifty gallies: the victory was decided by the knowledge and dexterity of the Greeks; but the fhips were fo closely grappled, that only twelve of the Goths escaped from this unfortunate conflict. They affected to depreciate an element in which they were unskilled, but their own experience confirmed the truth of a maxim, that the mafter of the fea will always acquire the dominion of the land 28. 28 The iiid book of Procopius is terminated by the death of Germanus (Add. 1. iv. c. 23, 24, 25, 26.). After XLIII. After the lofs of Germanus, the nations were CHAP. provoked to fmile, by the ftrange intelligence, that the command of the Roman armies was given Character to an eunuch. But the eunuch Narfes 29 is ranked dition of among the few who have rescued that unhappy much Narname from the contempt and hatred of mankind. A feeble diminutive body concealed the foul of a ftatefman and a warrior. His youth had been employed in the management of the loom and distaff, in the cares of the household, and the fervice of female luxury; but while his hands were busy he secretly exercised the faculties of a vigorous and difcerning mind. A stranger to the schools and the camp, he ftudied in the palace to diffemble, to flatter, and to perfuade; and as soon as he approached the perfon of the emperor, Juftinian liftened with furprise and pleasure to the manly counfels of his chamberlain and private treasurer 3°. The talents of Narfes were tried and. improved in frequent embaffies; he led an army into Italy, acquired a practical knowledge of the war and the country, and prefumed to ftrive with 30 29 Procopius relates the whole feries of this fecond Gothic war and the victory of Narfes (1. iv. c. 21. 26—35.). A splendid scene! Among the fix fubjects of epic poetry which Tasso revolved in his mind, ke ḥefitated between the conquefts of Italy by Belisarius and by Narfes (Hayley's Works, vol. iv. p. 70.). 30 The country of Narfes is unknown, fince he must not be confounded with the Perfarmenian. Procopius ftyles him (Goth. 1. й. C. 13.) βασιλικων χρημάτων ταμίας; Paul Warnefrid (1. ii. c. 3. p. 776.), Chartularius: Marcellinus adds the name of Cubicularius. In an inscription on the Salarian bridge he is entitled Ex-conful, Ex-præpofitus, Cubiculi Patricius (Mascou, Hift. of the Germans, 1. xiii. c. 25.). The law of Theodofius against eunuchs was obfolete or abolished (Annotation xx.); but the foolish prophecy of the Romans fubfifted in full vigour (Procop. 1, iv. c. 21.). the eu fes, A.D. 552. XLIII. CHAP. the genius of Belifarius. Twelve years after his return, the eunuch was chofen to atchieve the conqueft which had been left imperfect by the first of the Roman generals. Inftead of being dazzled by vanity or emulation, he seriously declared, that unless he were armed with an adequate force, he would never confent to rifk his own glory, and that of his fovereign. Juftinian granted to the favourite, what he might have denied to the hero : the Gothic war was rekindled from its afhes, and the preparations were not, unworthy of the ancient majesty of the empire. The key of the public treasure was put into his hand, to collect magazines, to levy foldiers, to purchase arms and horfes, to discharge the arrears of pay, and to tempt the fidelity of the fugitives and deferters. The troops of Germanus were ftill in arms; they halted at Salona in the expectation of a new leader; and legions of fubjects and allies were created by the well-known liberality of the eunuch Narfes. The king of the Lombards" fatisfied or furpaffed the obligations of a treaty, by lending two thoufand two hundred of his braveft warriors, who were followed by three thousand of their martial attendants. Three thousand Heruli fought on horfeback under Philemuth, their native chief; and the noble Aratus, who adopted the manners and difcipline of Rome, conducted a band of 31 Paul Warnefrid, the Lombard, records with complacency the fuccour, service, and honourable difmiffion of his countrymen-reipublicæ Romanæ adverfus æmulos adjutores fuerant (1. ii. c. r. p. 774. edit. Grot.). I am surprised that Alboin, their martial king, did not lead his fubjects in perfon. veterans |