The King had left the breach in the wall and the Tower of AEtius to the
care of Hildebad, and hurried at once to the place of the
conflagration.
When he arrived he found the fire dying out--but merely for want of
more combustibles.
The whole contents of the magazines, together with the wooden walls and
roofs, and everything that could burn, had been destroyed; not a
remnant of corn nor a splinter of wood was left. The naked smoke and
soot-blackened stone walls of the marble Circus alone still rose into
the sky. Not a sign of its having been struck by lightning could be
seen. The fire must have glimmered for some time after the lightning
had kindled the woodwork, and spread slowly and unseen through the
interior of the building; and when smoke and flame had burst through
the apertures in the roof, it was too late to save the structure. The
inhabitants had enough to do to save the neighbouring houses, of which
many had already caught fire in various places.
The rain, which began to fall shortly before daybreak, came to their
assistance. The wind, thunder and lightning had ceased; but when the
sun broke through the clouds it only illumined, instead of the
granaries, a miserable heap of rubbish and ashes in the middle of the
marble Circus.
The King leaned against one of the pillars of the Basilica, sadly and
silently looking at the ruins.
For a long time he stood motionless, only sometimes he drew his mantle
more closely over his heaving chest.
A painful resolution was ripening in his soul, which seemed to have
become as still as the grave.
But round about him the place was full of the misery of the poor people
of Ravenna, who prayed, scolded, wept and cursed.
"Oh! what will now become of us?"--"Oh, how sweet and good and white
was the bread which we received but yesterday!"--"What shall we eat
now?"--"Bah, the King must help us."--"Yes, the King must give us
bread."--"The King? Ah, the poor man! where will he get it?"--"He has
no more."--"That's another thing!"--"He alone has brought us to this
pass!"--"It is his fault!"--"Why did he not surrender the city to the
Emperor long ago?"--"Yes, to its rightful master!"--"Curses on the
barbarians! It is all their fault!"--"No, no, it is only the
King's fault!"--"Do you not understand? It is a punishment from
God!"--"Punishment? Why? What wrong has he done? Has he not given bread
to the people?"--"Then you do not know? How can a bigamist deserve the
grace of God? The wicked man has two wives. He lusted for the beauty of
Mataswintha, and did not rest until she became his. He put away his
lawful wife."
Witichis indignantly descended the steps.
He was disgusted with the people.
But they recognised him.
"There is the King! How gloomy he looks!" they called to each other,
avoiding him.
"Oh, I don't fear him! I fear hunger more than his anger. Give us
bread. King Witichis! Do you hear? We are starving!" cried a ragged old
man, catching at the King's mantle.
"Bread, King!"
"Good King, bread!"
"We are in despair!"
"Help us!"
And the crowd gathered round him with wild gestures.
Quietly but decisively the King freed himself.
"Have patience," he said gravely; "before the sun sets you shall have
bread."
And he hurried to his room.
There a Roman physician and some of Mataswintha's attendants awaited
him.
"Sire," said the physician, "the Queen, your wife, is very sick. The
terrors of last night have disturbed her mind. She speaks as if in
delirium. Will you not see her?"
"Not now. Have a care of her."
"With an air of great distress and anxiety she gave me this key," added
the physician. "It appeared to be the principal subject of her
wandering speeches. She took it from under her pillow, and she made me
swear to give it into your own hands, as it was of great importance."
With a bitter smile the King took the key and threw it on one side.
"It is no longer of importance. Go; leave me: and send my secretary."
An hour later, Procopius admitted Cethegus into the tent of the
commander-in-chief.
As he entered, Belisarius, who was pacing to and fro with hasty steps,
cried out:
"This comes of your plans, Prefect--of your arts and lies! I always
said that lies are the source of ruin. I do not understand such ways!
Oh, why did I follow your advice? Now I am in great straits!"
"What mean these virtuous speeches?" Cethegus asked Procopius.
The latter handed him a letter.
"Bead. These barbarians are unfathomable in their grand simplicity.
They conquer the devil by virtue of their childlike minds. Read."
And Cethegus read with amazement:
"'Yesterday thou didst acquaint me with three things: that the Franks
had betrayed me; that thou, allied with them, wilt wrest the West from
the ungrateful Emperor; and that thou offerest the Goths a free
departure, unarmed, over the Alps. Yesterday I answered that the Goths
would never give up their arms, nor Italy, the conquest and inheritance
of their great King, and that I would rather fall here with my whole
army than do so. This I answered yesterday. I say so still, although
earth, air, fire, and water are allied against me. But last night, as I
watched the flames which were devouring my stores, I felt sure of what
I have long dimly suspected. That a curse lies upon me. For my sake the
Goths perish. This shall go on no longer. The crown upon my head has
hitherto prevented me from taking an honourable course; it shall
prevent me no longer. Thou art right to rebel against the false and
ungrateful Justinian! He is our enemy and thine. Well then--instead of
placing thy confidence in an army of faithless Franks, place it in the
whole Gothic nation, whose strength and fidelity are known to thee!
With the first thou wouldst share Italy; with us thou canst keep it
all. Let me be the first to greet thee as Emperor of the West and King
of the Goths. All the rights of my people remain untouched; thou simply
takest my place. I myself will set my crown upon thy head, and verily,
no Justinian shall then tear it from thee! If thou rejectest this
offer, prepare for such a battle as thou hast never yet fought. I will
break into thy camp with fifty thousand Goths. We shall fall, but with
us thy whole army. The one and the other. I have sworn it. Choose.
"'WITICHIS.'"
For one moment the Prefect was terribly alarmed. He cast a swift and
searching look at Belisarius.
But a single glance sufficed to set him at ease.
"It is Belisarius," he said to himself, "but it is always dangerous to
play with the devil. What A temptation!"
He returned the letter, and said with a smile: "What an idea! To what
strange things can desperation lead!"
"The idea would not be bad," observed Procopius, "if----"
"If Belisarius were not Belisarius," said Cethegus, smiling.
"Spare your smiles," said Belisarius. "I admire the man, and I cannot
take it amiss that he thinks I am capable of revolt. Have I not
pretended to be so?" and he stamped his foot. "Now advise and help me!
You have led me to this miserable alternative. I cannot say yes; and if
I say no--I may look upon the Emperor's army as annihilated, and, into
the bargain, must confess that I pretended to revolt!"
Cethegus reflected in silence, slowly stroking his chin with his left
hand. Suddenly a thought seemed to flash across his mind. A ray of joy
beautified his face.
"In this way I can ruin them both," he said to himself.
At this moment he was exceedingly contented with himself.
But first he wished to make sure of Belisarius.
"Reasonably, you can only do one of two things," he said hesitatingly.
"Speak: I see neither the one nor the other."
"Either really accept----"
"Prefect!" cried Belisarius in a rage, and put his hand on his sword.
Procopius caught his arm in alarm. "Not another such word, Cethegus, if
you value your life!"
"Or," continued Cethegus quietly, "seem to accept. Enter Ravenna
without a stroke of the sword, and send the Gothic crown, together with
the Gothic King, to Byzantium."
"That is splendid!" cried Procopius.
"It is treason!" cried Belisarius.
"It is both," said Cethegus calmly.
"I could never look a Goth in the face again!"
"It will not be necessary. You will take the King a prisoner to
Byzantium. The disarmed nation will cease to be a nation."
"No, no, I will not do it."
"Good. Then let your whole army make its will. Farewell, Belisarius. I
go to Rome. I have not the least desire to see fifty thousand Goths
fighting in despair. And how Emperor Justinian will praise the
destroyer of his best army!"
"It is a terrible alternative!" cried Belisarius.
Cethegus slowly approached him.
"Belisarius," he said, with a voice which seemed to come from his very
heart, "you have often held me to be your enemy. And I am, in some
sort, your adversary. But who can be near Belisarius in the field of
battle and not admire him!" His manner had a suavity and solemnity
seldom seen in the sarcastic Prefect. Belisarius was touched, and even
Procopius wondered. "I am your friend whenever possible. In this case I
will prove my friendship by giving you good advice. Do you believe me,
Belisarius?"
And he laid his left hand upon the heroes shoulder, and offered him his
right, looking frankly into his eyes.
"Yes," said Belisarius. "Who can mistrust such a look!"
"See, Belisarius! Never has a noble man had such a distrustful master
as yours. The Emperor's last letter is the greatest offence to your
fidelity."
"Heaven knows it!"
"And never has a man"--here he took both the hands of Belisarius--"had
a more splendid opportunity to put ignoble mistrust to shame, to
revenge himself gloriously, and to prove his fidelity. You are accused
of aspiring to the Empire of the West! By God, you have it in your
power! Enter Ravenna--let Goths and Italians do you homage and place a
double crown upon your head. Ravenna yours, with your blindly devoted
army, the Goths and Italians--truly you are unassailable. Justinian
will tremble before Belisarius, and his haughty Narses will be but a
straw against your strength. But you--who have all this in your
hand--you will lay all the glory and the power at your master's feet
and say: 'Behold, Justinian, Belisarius would rather be your servant,
than ruler of the Western Empire.' So gloriously, Belisarius, has
fidelity never yet been proved upon earth."
Cethegus had hit the mark. The general's eyes flashed.
"You are right, Cethegus. Come to my heart. I thank you. It is nobly
thought. O Justinian, you shall blush with shame!"
Cethegus withdrew from the embrace, and went to the door.
"Poor Witichis," whispered Procopius, as he passed; "he is sacrificed
to this masterpiece of truth! Now he is indeed lost."
"Yes," said Cethegus, "he is lost most surely."
Outside the tent he added, as he threw his mantle over his shoulder:
"But you, Belisarius, more surely still!"
Arrived at his quarters, he found Lucius Licinius in full armour.
"Well, general!" asked Lucius. "The city has not yet surrendered. When
shall we fight?"
"The war is over, my Lucius. Doff your arms and gird yourself for a
journey. This very day you must carry some private letters for me."
"To whom?"
"To the Emperor and Empress."
"In Byzantium?"
"No. Fortunately they are quite near, at the Baths of Epidaurus.
Hasten! In fifteen days you must be back again. Not half a day later.
The fate of Italy awaits your return."
As soon as Procopius brought the answer of Belisarius to the Gothic
King, the latter summoned to his palace the leaders of the army, the
principal Goths, and a number of trustworthy freemen, and communicated
to them what had happened, demanding their acquiescence.
At first they were exceedingly surprised, and complete silence followed
his words.
At last Duke Guntharis, looking at the King with emotion, said:
"The last of thy royal deeds, Witichis, is as noble, yea, nobler than
all thy former acts. I shall ever regret having once opposed thee.
Long since I swore in my heart to atone by blindly obeying thee. And
truly--in this case thou alone canst decide; for thy sacrifice is the
greatest--a crown! But if another than thou shalt be King--the
Woelfung's can better endure to serve a stranger, a Belisarius, than
some other Goth. So I agree to what thou sayest, and tell thee that
thou hast acted well and nobly."
"And I say no! a thousand times no!" cried Hildebad. "Think what you
do. A stranger at the head of the Goths!"
"Have not other Germans done the same before us--Quadians; Herulians,
and Markomannians?" said Witichis calmly. "Even our most glorious
Kings--even Theodoric? They served the Emperor and received land in
exchange. So runs the treaty with Emperor Zeno, by which Theodoric took
possession of Italy. I do not count Belisarius less than Zeno, and
myself, truly, not better than Theodoric!"
"Yes, if it were Justinian," interposed Guntharis.
"Never would I submit to the false and cowardly tyrant!" cried
Hildebad.
"But Belisarius is a hero--canst thou deny it? Hast thou forgotten how
he thrust thee off thy horse?"
"May the thunder strike me if I forget it! It is the only thing in him
which has ever pleased me."
"And fortune is with him, as misfortune is with me. We shall be as free
as before, and only fight his battles against Byzantium. We shall be
revenged on our common enemy."
Almost all those present now agreed with the King.
"Well, I cannot contradict you in words," said Hildebad; "my tongue has
ever been more clumsy than my sword. But I feel sure that you are
wrong. Had we but the Black Earl here, he would say what I can only
feel. May you never regret this step! But permit me to quit this
monstrous kingdom. I will never live under Belisarius. I will go in
search of adventures. With a shield and spear and a strong hand, a man
can go a great way."
Witichis hoped to change the intention of his trusty comrade in private
conversation. At present he continued to carry forward that which he
had at heart.
"You must know," he said, "that first of all Belisarius has made it a
condition that nothing should be published until he has occupied
Ravenna. It is to be feared that some of his leaders, with their
troops, will hear nothing of a rebellion against Belisarius. These, as
well as the suspicious quarters of Ravenna, must be surrounded by the
Goths and the trustworthy adherents of Belisarius before all is made
known."
"Take care," said Hildebad, "that you yourselves do not fall into a
trap! We Goths should not try to spin such spiders' toils. It is as if
a bear should try to dance on a rope--he would fall, sooner or later.
Farewell--and may this business turn out better than I expect. I go to
take leave of my brother. He, if I know him, will soon reconcile
himself to this Roman-Gothic State. But Black Teja, I think, will go
away with me."
In the evening a report ran through the city that terms of capitulation
had been made and accepted. The conditions were unknown. But it was
certain that Belisarius, at the desire of the King, had sent large
stores of bread, meat, and wine into Ravenna, which were distributed
amongst the poor.
"He has kept his word!" cried the people; and blessed the name of the
King.
Witichis now asked after the health of the Queen, and learned that she
was gradually recovering.
"Patience," he said, taking a deep breath; "she also will soon be at
liberty, and rid of me!"
It was already growing dark, when a strong company of mounted Goths
made their way through the city to the breach at the Tower of AEtius.
A tall horseman went first. Then came a group, carrying a heavy burden,
hidden by cloths and mantles, upon their crossed lances. Then the rest
of the men in full armour.
"Unbolt the gate!" cried the leader; "we want to go out."
"Is it thou, Hildebad?" asked Earl Wisand, who commanded the watch, and
he gave the order to open the gate. "Dost thou know that to-morrow the
city will surrender? Whither wilt thou go?"
"To freedom!" cried Hildebad; and spurred his horse forward.