In the camp of Cethegus the Prefect at Setinum, at the foot of the
Apennines, a few miles north of Taginae, Lucius Licinius, who had just
arrived by sea from Epidamnus, was walking up and down, in eager
conversation with Syphax, before the tent of the commander-in-chief.
"My master has been anxiously expecting you, tribune, for many days,"
said the Moor; "he will be rejoiced to find you in the camp when he
returns. He has ridden out to reconnoitre."
"Whither rode he?"
"Towards Taginae, with Piso and the other tribunes."
"That is the next fortified town occupied by the Goths to the south, is
it not? But now, you wise Moor, tell me what happened last at
Byzantium? You know that your master sent me to levy forces among the
Longobardians, long before anything was decided. And as, after a
dangerous journey through the country of the Longobardians and Gepidae,
I safely crossed the rapid Ister near Novae into Justinian's kingdom,
and went to fetch the promised orders of the Prefect from my host at
Nicopolis, I only found a laconic command to meet him in Senogallia. I
was much astonished; for I scarcely dared to hope that he would ever
again, at the head of the imperial fleet and army, victoriously tread
the soil of Italy. From Senogallia I followed your march hither. The
few captains whom I have met in the camp told me briefly of the course
of events until shortly before the arrest of Belisarius. But they could
not tell me how that occurred, and what took place later. Now you----"
"Yes, I know what happened almost as well as my master, for I was
present."
"Is it possible? Can Belisarius really have conspired against the
Emperor? I could never have believed it!"
Syphax smiled slyly.
"I have no right to judge of that. I can only tell you exactly what
happened. Listen--but come into the tent and refresh yourself. My
master would scold me for letting you stand outside unattended to. And
we can talk more freely inside," he added, as he closed the curtains of
the tent behind him. Then begging his master's guest to be seated, he
served him with fruit and wine, and began his account. "As the night of
that fateful day fell, I went and hid myself in a niche of Photius's
house, behind the tall statue of some Christian saint, whose name I do
not know, but who had a famous broad back. I could easily look into the
hall of the house through an aperture just above my head, which had
been made to allow the passage of fresh air. The faint light within
enabled me to distinguish a number of the aristocrats whom I had often
seen in the imperial palace, and in the houses of Belisarius and
Procopius. The first thing that I understood--for my master has taken
care that I should learn the speech of the Greeks who call themselves
Romani--was what the master of the house was saying to a man who had
just then entered. 'Rejoice,' he said, 'for Belisarius comes. After
scarcely deigning to look at me yesterday when, full of expectation, I
stopped him in the gymnasium of Zenon, to-day he himself addressed me
as I was slowly and cautiously passing his house, for I knew that he
would return from the hunt towards evening. He pressed this waxen
tablet into my hand, first looking round to make sure that no one
observed him. And on the tablet is written: "I cannot longer withstand
your appeals. Certain reasons impel me to join you. I shall come this
evening." But,' continued the master of the house, 'where is Piso,
where is Salvius Julianus and the other young Romans?' 'They will not
be coming,' answered the man. 'I saw almost all of them in boats on the
Bosphorus. They have no doubt sailed to some feast at the Prefect's
villa, near the Gate of Constantine.' 'Let them go,' said Photius; 'we
do not need the brutal Latins, nor the proud and false Prefect. Verily,
Belisarius outweighs them all.' At that moment I saw Belisarius enter
the hall. He wore an ample mantle, which entirely hid his figure. The
master of the house hurried to meet him, and all present gathered
respectfully around him. 'Great Belisarius,' said his freedman, 'we
know how to value your compliance.' And he pressed upon Belisarius the
little ivory staff which is held by the head of the assembly, and led
him to the raised seat of the president, which he himself had just
vacated. 'Speak--command--act--we are ready,' said Photius. 'I shall
act at the right time,' answered Belisarius gloomily, and took his
seat. Just then young Anicius rushed into the room with tangled hair
and flying garments; a drawn sword in his hand. 'Fly!' he cried. 'We
are discovered and betrayed.' Belisarius rose. 'They have forced my
house,' continued Anicius. 'My slaves were taken prisoners. The weapons
which I had hidden were found, and your letters and documents, and,
alas, my own too, have disappeared from a hiding-place which was known
only to me! And still more--as I turned into the grove of Constantine,
I thought I heard the sound of whispering and the rattle of arms
amongst the bushes. I am followed--save yourselves!' The conspirators
rushed to the doors. Belisarius alone remained quietly standing before
his chair. 'Take heart!' cried Photius. 'Follow the example of your
hero-chief!' But the sound of a trumpet was heard from the great
house-door, the sign for me to leave my post and join my master, who
stormed into the house at the head of the imperial lance-bearers and
Golden Shields, with the Prefect of Byzantium, and the archon of the
palace-guard. My master looked splendid," continued Syphax
enthusiastically, "as, with a flaming torch in his left hand, a sword
in his right, and his crimson plume floating behind him, he rushed into
the hall; so looks the fire-demon when he issues from a blazing
mountain in Africa! I drew my sword and sprang to my master's left
side, for he carried no shield. He had ordered me to render young
Anicius harmless as soon as possible. 'Down with all who resist, in the
name of Justinian!' cried my master. His sword was dripping with blood,
for he had killed with his own hand the body-guards whom Belisarius had
placed at the entrance of the grove. 'Yield!' he cried to the
frightened crowd; 'and thou, archon of the palace, arrest _all_ the
conspirators. Do you understand--_all_!' 'Is it possible! Shameless
traitor!' cried Anicius, and rushed at my master with his sword. 'Yes,'
he cried, 'there is the crimson crest! Die, murderer of my brother!'
But the next moment he lay at our feet, severely wounded. I drew my
sword out of his breast, and then disarmed Photius, who was the only
one who still resisted. All the others allowed themselves to be taken
like sheep bewildered by a thunder-storm. 'Bravo, Syphax!' cried my
master. 'Examine his dress for any writings.' Then he turned to the
archon, asking him if he were ready, for he had stopped hesitatingly
opposite Belisarius, who remained perfectly quiet. 'What!' asked the
archon--'must I also arrest the magister militum?' '_All_, I said. 'Do
you no longer understand Greek? You see--all see--that Belisarius is at
the head of the conspiracy--he holds the president's staff, he occupies
the president's chair.' 'Ha!' now cried Belisarius; 'is it so! Guards!
Help, help, my body-guards! Marcellus, Barbatio, Ardaburius!" 'The dead
cannot hear, magister militum,' said my master. 'Yield, in the name of
the Emperor! Here is his great seal. For this night he has made me his
representative, and a thousand lances bristle round this house.'
'Fidelity is madness!' cried Belisarius, threw his sword away, and held
out his strong arms to the archon, who put on the chains. 'Into the
dungeons with all the prisoners,' said my master. 'Photius and
Belisarius must be put separately into the round tower of Anastasius,
in the palace. I will hasten to the Emperor and return his ring, and
take him this steel'--he lifted the sword of Belisarius from the
ground--'and tell him that he may sleep in peace. The conspiracy is
crushed--the Empire is saved!'--The very next morning the trial for
high treason was commenced. Many witnesses were heard--I amongst them.
I swore that I had seen Belisarius received and heard him greeted as
the head of the conspiracy. I myself had taken the tablet from the
dress of Photius. Belisarius would have appealed to the testimony of
his bodyguards, but they were all dead. Photius and other prisoners,
submitted to the rack, confessed that Belisarius had finally consented
to become the head of the conspiracy. Antonina was strictly guarded in
the Red House. The Empress refused to grant the interview for which she
passionately sued. It told strongly against both her and Belisarius
when spies of the Empress bore witness that they had seen young Anicius
steal by night into the house of Belisarius for weeks together. And it
shocked the judges that Anicius himself, Antonina and Belisarius,
continued obstinately to deny their guilt, although it was so fully
proved. Immediately after the arrest I was sent for by my master, to
tell Antonina that he had been most painfully surprised to find that
Belisarius was _really_ at the head of the conspiracy; and at the same
time to say that he had found not alone letters of hatred in the
cistern belonging to Anicius. As I said these words, which I did not
understand, the beautiful wife of Belisarius fell fainting to the
ground.--We left Byzantium before Belisarius was sentenced; but Photius
and most of the others were already condemned to death as we set sail
with the imperial fleet for Epidamnus, where my master's tribunes and
mercenaries, and the imperial forces originally intended for the
Persian wars, were awaiting us. For my master had been honoured with
the newly-created dignity of Magister Militum per Italium, and the
command of the 'first army.' The 'second army' was to be brought after
us by Prince Areobindos, when he had accomplished the easy task of
overpowering the small Gothic garrisons in the towns of Epirus and the
islands with a force five times their number."
"What is said will be the punishment of Belisarius?" asked Lucius
Licinius. "I could never have believed that that man----"
"The judge will certainly condemn him to death, for his guilt is clear.
But people speculate as to whether the Emperor's anger or his former
affection for the general will get the victory. Most of them think that
the Emperor will change the sentence of death into one of banishment
and loss of sight. My master says that Belisarius's senseless denial of
his guilt does him great harm. And he is also without the assistance of
his wise friend Procopius, who is absent in Asia. Cethegus managed the
embarkation of the troops to Epidamnus with such secrecy that the
stupid Goths, who, besides, reckoned upon the armistice, were
completely taken by surprise; and while the crews were sleeping on
shore, the scantily-guarded Gothic fleet was taken and destroyed. But
hark! here comes my master; he alone has such a proud step?"
From Licinius Cethegus now learned that not only had he obtained a
promise from Alboin, the Longobardian chief, that he would come to the
help of Cethegus with twenty thousand men (a number which the latter,
always jealous, found almost too great), but that he had succeeded in
engaging other warlike troops of mercenaries.
Cethegus, on his side, informed Lucius that, although he had been able
to relieve Ravenna, he had met with much hindrance on the part of his
own countrymen, who were slow to rise in revolt against the Goths; and
that only with the Byzantines under his command, it would be impossible
to beat Totila. He complained bitterly of the delay of Areobindos in
bringing up the "second army," and regretted that he had been unable to
reach Taginae before Earl Teja, who had beaten the Saracens there posted
with great loss, and had taken up a strong position in the expectation
of being speedily joined by King Totila with the army.
"And Taginae is the key of the position," concluded Cethegus. "Earl Teja
must have flown from Rome on the wings of the wind! I have tried to-day
to ascertain the strength of his garrison, but I could not penetrate
beyond Caprae. The barbarian King is already on the march, and where,
oh! where tarries my 'second army?'"