About this time Belisarius underwent another disgrace. The people of
Byzantium were ravaged by the pestilence of which I have already
spoken. The Emperor Justinian was attacked by it so severely that it
was reported that he had died. Rumour spread these tidings abroad till
they reached the Roman camp, whereupon some of the chief officers said
that, if the Romans set up any other emperor in Byzantium, they would
not acknowledge him. Shortly after this, the Emperor recovered from
his malady, whereupon the chiefs of the army accused one another of
having used this language. The General Peter, and John, surnamed "The
Glutton," declared that Belisarius and Buzes had used the words which
I have just quoted. The Empress Theodora, thinking that these words
applied to herself, was greatly enraged. She straightway summoned all
the commanders to Byzantium to make an inquiry into the matter, and
suddenly sent for Buzes to come into her private apartments, on the
pretext of discussing important matters of business with him. There
was in the palace an underground building, which was securely
fastened, and as complicated as a labyrinth, and which might be
compared to the nether world, wherein she kept imprisoned most of
those who had offended her. Into this pit she cast Buzes; and although
he was of a consular family, nothing was known for certain concerning
him; as he sat in the darkness, he could not tell day from night; nor
could he ask, for he who flung him his daily food never spoke, but
acted like one dumb beast with another. All thought him dead, but none
dared to mention him or allude to him. Two years and four months
afterwards, Theodora relented and released him, and he appeared in the
world like one raised from the dead; but ever afterwards he was
short-sighted and diseased in body. Such was the fate of Buzes.
Belisarius, although none of the charges brought against him could be
proved, was removed by the Emperor, at the instance of Theodora, from
the command of the army in the East, which was given to Martinus. The
command of the Doryphori[8] and Hypaspitæ[9] of Belisarius, and of
those of his servants who had distinguished themselves in war, was by
his orders divided amongst the generals and certain of the palace
eunuchs. They cast lots for these soldiers, together with their arms,
and divided them amongst themselves as the lot fell. As for his
friends and the many people who had before served under him, Justinian
forbade them to visit him. Thus was seen in the city a piteous
spectacle which men could scarce believe to be real, that of
Belisarius simply a private individual, almost alone, gloomy and
thoughtful, ever dreading to be set upon and assassinated.
When the Empress learned that he had amassed much treasure in the
East; she sent one of the palace eunuchs to fetch it away to the
Court. Antonina, as I have already said, was now at variance with her
husband, and the nearest and dearest friend of the Empress, because
she had just destroyed John of Cappadocia. To please Antonina, the
Empress arranged everything in such a fashion that she appeared to
have pleaded for her husband's pardon, and to have saved him from
these great disasters; whereby the unhappy man not only became finally
reconciled to her, but her absolute slave, as though he had been
preserved by her from death. This was brought about as follows:
One day Belisarius came early to the palace as usual, accompanied by a
small and miserable retinue. He was ungraciously received by the
Emperor and Empress, and even insulted in their presence by low-born
villains. He went home towards evening, often turning himself about,
and looking in every direction for those whom he expected to set upon
him. In this state of dread, he went up to his chamber, and sat down
alone upon his couch, without a brave man's spirit, and scarce
remembering that he had ever been a man, but bathed with sweat, his
head dizzy, trembling and despairing, racked by slavish fears and
utterly unmanly thoughts. Antonina, who knew nothing of what was going
on, and was far from expecting what was about to come to pass, kept
walking up and down the hall, on pretence of suffering from heartburn;
for they still regarded each other with suspicion. Meanwhile, an
officer of the palace, named Quadratus, came just after sunset, passed
through the court, and suddenly appeared at the door of the men's
apartments, saying that he brought a message from the Empress.
Belisarius, on hearing him approach, drew up his hands and feet on to
the bed, and lay on his back in the readiest posture to receive the
final stroke, so completely had he lost his courage.
Quadratus, before entering, showed him the Empress' letter. It ran as
follows:
"You are not ignorant, my good sir, of all your offences against me;
but I owe so much to your wife, that I have determined to pardon all
your offences for her sake, and I make her a present of your life. For
the future you may be of good cheer as regards your life and fortune:
we shall know by your future conduct what sort of husband you will be
to your wife!"
When Belisarius read this, he was greatly excited with joy, and, as he
wished at the same time to give some present proof of his gratitude,
he straightway rose, and fell on his face at his wife's feet. He
embraced her legs with either hand, and kissed the woman's ankles and
the soles of her feet, declaring that it was to her that he owed his
life and safety, and that hereafter he would be her faithful slave,
and no longer her husband.
The Empress divided Belisarius's fortune into two parts; she gave
thirty centenars of gold to the Emperor, and allowed Belisarius to
keep the rest. Such was the fortune of the General Belisarius, into
whose hands Fate had not long before given Gelimer and Vitiges as
prisoners of war. The man's wealth had for a long time excited the
jealousy of Justinian and Theodora, who considered it too great, and
fit only for a king. They declared that he had secretly embezzled most
of the property of Gelimer and Vitiges, which belonged to the State,
and that he had restored a small part alone, and one hardly worthy of
an Emperor's acceptance. But, when they thought of what great things
the man had done, and how they would raise unpopular clamour against
themselves, especially as they had no ground whatever for accusing him
of peculation, they desisted; but, on this occasion, the Empress,
having surprised him at a time when he was quite unmanned by fear,
managed at one stroke to become mistress of his entire fortune; for
she straightway established a relationship between them, betrothing
Joannina, Belisarius's only daughter, to her grandson Anastasius.
Belisarius now asked to be restored to his command, and to be
nominated general of the army of the East, in order to conduct the war
against Chosroes and the Medes, but Antonina would not permit this;
she declared that she had been insulted by her husband in those
countries, and never wished to see them again.
For this reason Belisarius was appointed Constable,[10] and was sent
for a second time into Italy, with the understanding, they say, with
the Emperor, that he should not ask for any money to defray the cost
of this war, but should pay all its expenses out of his own private
purse. Everyone imagined that Belisarius made these arrangements with
his wife and with the Emperor in order that he might get away from
Byzantium, and, as soon as he was outside the city walls, straightway
take up arms and do some brave and manly deed against his wife and
his oppressors. But he made light of all that had passed, forgot the
oaths which he had sworn to Photius and his other intimates, and
followed his wife in a strange ecstasy of passion for her, though she
was already sixty years of age.
When he arrived in Italy, things went wrong with him daily, for he had
clearly incurred the enmity of heaven. In his former campaign against
Theodatus and Vitiges, the tactics which he had adopted as general,
though they were not thought to be suitable to the circumstances, yet,
as a rule, turned out prosperously: in this second campaign, he gained
the credit of having laid his plans better, as was to be expected from
his greater experience in the art of war; but, as matters for the most
part turned out ill, people began to have a poor opinion of him and
his judgment. So true it is that human affairs are guided, not by
men's counsel, but by the influence of heaven, which we commonly call
fortune, because we see how events happen, but know not the cause
which determines them. Therefore, to that which seems to come to pass
without reason is given the name of "chance." But this is a subject
upon which everyone must form his own opinion.