The next morning Procopius, Johannes, Demetrius, Bessas, Acacius,
Vitalius, and many other Byzantine leaders arrived in the city, and, to
the great astonishment of the Ravennese, entered the King's palace.
They assembled there to take counsel as to particular stipulations, and
to decide upon the form of surrender.
Meanwhile the Goths heard only that peace was concluded. The two
principal considerations, for the sake of which they had endured all
the grievous war, were obtained. They would be free, and remain in
undisturbed possession of the lovely Southland, which had become so
dear to them. That was far more than could have been expected,
considering the desperate state at which the Gothic cause had arrived
since the retreat from Rome and the inevitable loss of Ravenna; and the
heads of the great families, and other influential men in the army, who
were now made acquainted with the intentions of Belisarius, were
completely satisfied with the conditions agreed upon.
The few who refused acquiescence were freely allowed to depart from
Ravenna and Italy.
But, apart from this, the Gothic army in Ravenna had already been
dispersed in all directions.
Witichis saw that it was impossible to feed the Gothic army and the
population, as well as the hosts of Belisarius, from the produce of the
exhausted land; he therefore agreed to the proposal of Belisarius, that
the Goths, in companies of a hundred or a thousand, should be led out
of the gates of the city and dismissed in all directions to their
native places.
Belisarius feared the outbreak of despair when the terrible treachery
practised should become known, and he therefore wished for the speedy
dispersal of the disbanded army. Once in Ravenna, he hoped to be able
to quell any possible rebellion in the open country without difficulty.
Tarvisium, Verona, and Ticinum, the last strongholds of the Goths in
Italy, could not then, for any length of time, resist the forces which
would be sent against them.
The execution of these measures was the work of many days. Only when
very few Goths were left in Ravenna did Belisarius decide upon entering
the city. And even of the few who remained, half were transferred to
the Byzantine camp, the other half being divided amongst the different
quarters of the city, under the pretext of being ready to crush any
possible resistance on the part of Justinian's adherents.
But what surprised the Ravennese and the uninitiated Goths the most
was, that the blue Gothic flag still waved upon the roof of the palace.
Certainly it was guarded by a Byzantine instead of by a Gothic
sentinel. For the palace was already full of Byzantines.
Belisarius had taken particular measures against any attempt of the
Prefect to make himself master of the city, as he had done of Rome.
Cethegus saw through this and smiled. He did nothing to prevent it.
On the morning of the day appointed for the entrance, Cethegus entered
the tent of Belisarius, clad in a magnificent suit of armour. He found
only Procopius.
"Are you ready!" he asked.
"Perfectly."
"At what time shall it take place?"
"At the moment when the King mounts his horse in the courtyard of the
palace in order to ride to meet Belisarius. We have thought of
everything."
"Once more of everything!" said Cethegus, with a laugh. "Yet one thing
you have left to me. It is certain that as soon as our plan has
succeeded and become known, that the barbarians all over the country
will fly into a rage. Revenge and compassion for their King may cause
them to commit furious deeds. But all their enthusiasm for Witichis and
anger against us would be nipped in the bud; they would consider
themselves betrayed by their King, and not by us, if we could get him
to sign a document to the purport that he did not surrender the city to
Belisarius as the King of the Goths and a rebel against the Emperor,
but simply to Justinian's commander-in-chief. Then the revolt of
Belisarius, which will actually not take place, would seem to the Goths
to have been a mere lie invented by their King in order to hide from
them the shame of the surrender."
"That would be excellent; but Witichis will not do it."
"_Knowingly_, scarcely; but perhaps unknowingly. He has only signed the
treaty in the original yet?"
"He has signed only once."
"And the document is in his possession? Good. I will make him sign the
duplicate which I have drawn up, so that Belisarius also may possess
the valuable document."
Procopius looked at it.
"If he sign this, then, indeed, not a Goth will raise his sword in his
defence. But----"
"Let me manage the 'buts.' Either he will voluntarily sign it to-day,
unread, under pressure of the moment----"
"Or?"
"Or," concluded Cethegus gloomily, "he will sign it later, against his
will. I will now go before you. Excuse me if I do not assist at your
triumphal procession. Many congratulations to Belisarius."
But as he turned to go, Belisarius himself entered the tent, unarmed,
and looking very sullen. He was followed by Antonina.
"Hasten, general," cried Procopius, "Ravenna waits for her conqueror.
The entrance----"
"Speak not of it!" cried Belisarius angrily. "I regret the whole
affair! Recall the soldiers!"
Cethegus remained standing at the entrance of the tent.
"Belisarius!" cried Procopius, horrified, "what demon has put you into
this temper?"
"I!" said Antonina proudly. "What do you say now?"
"I say that great statesmen have no business with wives," cried
Procopius angrily.
"Belisarius told me your intentions only last night," said Antonina,
"and with tears----"
"Of course!" grumbled Procopius. "Tears always come when wanted."
"With tears I prayed him to refrain. I cannot bear to see my hero so
spotted with black treachery."
"And I will not be so," said Belisarius. "Rather would I ride into
Orcus a prisoner, than as _such_ a conqueror into Ravenna! My letters
to the Emperor have not yet been sent away--so there is still time----"
"No!" cried Cethegus imperiously, coming forward from the doorway,
"fortunately for you there is _not_ still time. I wrote to the Emperor
eight days ago, told him all, and congratulated him on his general's
having won Ravenna and put an end to the war without the slightest
loss."
"Indeed, Prefect!" cried Belisarius. "You are very ready! Wherefore
this zeal?"
"Because I know Belisarius and his wavering mind. Because you must be
_forced_ into taking advantage of your good fortune, and because I wish
to make an end to this war which so cruelly devastates my Italy!"
And he approached Antonina threateningly, who again could not avoid the
demonic fascination of his glance.
"Dare it! try it now! Dare to retreat, to undeceive Witichis, and
sacrifice Ravenna, Italy, and your whole army to a whim of your wife!
Then see if Justinian would ever forgive you! On Antonina's soul the
guilt! Hark! the trumpets sound! Arm yourself! There is no choice!"
And he hurried out.
Antonina looked after him in dismay.
"Procopius," she asked, "does the Emperor really know it already?"
"Even if he did not, too many are initiated into our secret. In all
cases he would learn afterwards that Ravenna and Italy were his,
and--that Belisarius strove for the Gothic and the imperial crown.
Nothing can justify Belisarius in the Emperor's eyes, except the fact
of gaining Ravenna, and delivering it to Justinian."
"Yes," said Belisarius, sighing, "he is right. I have no choice left."
"Then go!" said Antonina, intimidated. "But excuse me from accompanying
you. It is no triumph, but a laying of a trap."
The population of Ravenna, although in the dark as to the particular
conditions, were still certain that peace was concluded, and the long
and terrible suffering they had endured at an end. In their joy at this
deliverance, the citizens had cleared away the ruins caused by the
earthquake in many of the streets, and had festively decorated the
city.
Wreaths, flags, and carpets were hung out; the people crowded the
forums, the canals of the lagoons, and the baths and basilicas, curious
to see the hero, Belisarius, and the army which had so long threatened
their walls, and had, at last, overcome the barbarians.
Already some divisions of the Byzantine army marched proudly through
the gates, while the scattered and scanty Gothic patrols beheld, in
silence and indignation, the entrance of their hated enemies into the
residence of Theodoric.
The Gothic nobles assembled in a hall in the gaily-decorated palace,
near the apartment of the King.
The latter, as the hour for the entrance of Belisarius approached,
prepared to don his royal garments--with great contentment, for it was
the last time that he would ever wear the signs of a dignity which had
brought him nothing but pain and wretchedness.
"Go, Duke Guntharis," he said to the Woelfung, "Hildebad, my faithless
chamberlain, has left me; thou, therefore, must take his place. The
attendant will show thee the golden chest which contains the crown,
helm, and purple mantle, the sword and shield of Theodoric. To-day, for
the first and last time, I will array myself in them, in order to
deliver them to a hero who will wear them not unworthily. What noise is
that?"
"Sire," answered Earl Wisand, "it is a Gothic woman. She has tried to
force her way in thrice already. Send her away!"
"No; tell her I will listen to her later. She shall ask for me this
evening at the palace."
As Guntharis left the room, Bessas entered with Cethegus.
The Prefect had given Bessas--without initiating him into the
secret--the duplicate of the capitulation, which the King had yet to
sign. He thought that Witichis would take the document more
unsuspiciously from an innocent hand.
Witichis greeted them as they entered; but at the sight of the Prefect
there passed a shadow across his countenance, which had before been
brighter than for many months. But he forced himself to say:
"You here, Prefect of Rome? The war has ended very differently to what
we expected! However, you may be satisfied. At least no Grecian
Emperor, no Justinian, will rule over your Rome."
"And shall not, as long as I live."
"I come, King of the Goths," interrupted Bessas, "to lay before you the
treaty with Belisarius, in order that you may sign it."
"I have already done so."
"It is the duplicate intended for my master."
"Then give it me," said Witichis, and stretched out his hand to take
it.
But before he could do so, Duke Guntharis hurried into the room with
the attendant.
"Witichis," he cried, "the royal insignia have disappeared!"
"What sayest thou?" asked Witichis. "Hildebad alone kept the key!"
"The golden chest and other chests are gone. Within the empty niche,
where they usually stood, lay this strip of parchment. The characters
are those of Hildebad's secretary."
The King took it and read:
"'Crown, helm and sword, purple and shield of Theodoric are in my care.
If Belisarius will have them, he may fetch them.' The Runic character
H-- for Hildebad!"
"He must be followed until he yield them up," cried Cethegus.
At this moment Demetrius and Johannes hurried in.
"Make haste. King Witichis," they cried. "Do you hear the trumpets?
Belisarius has already reached the Gate of Stilicho."
"Then let us go," said Witichis, allowing his attendant to place the
purple mantle, which they had brought instead of the missing one, upon
his shoulders, and pressing a golden coronet upon his head. Instead of
the sword, a sceptre was handed to him; and thus adorned, he turned to
the door.
"You have not yet signed, King," said Bessas.
"Give it to me," and now Witichis took the parchment from the hand of
the Byzantine. "The document is very long," he said, glancing over it;
and then began to read.
"Haste, King," said Johannes.
"There is no time to read it," said Cethegus, with an indifferent
voice, and took a reed-pen from the table.
"Then there is no time to sign it," said the King. "You know I am the
'_Peasant_-King,' as the people call me. And a peasant never signs a
letter before he has read to what he commits himself. Let us go," and,
smiling, he gave the document to the Prefect and left the room.
Bessas and all present followed, except Cethegus. Cethegus crushed the
document in his hand.
"Wait!" he whispered furiously. "You shall yet sign!" And he slowly
followed the others.
The hall leading to the King's apartment was already empty. The Prefect
went into the vaulted gallery which ran round the quadrangle of the
first story of the palace. The Byzantine-Roman arches afforded a free
outlook into the large courtyard. It was filled with armed men. At all
the four doors were placed the Persian lance-bearers of Belisarius.
Cethegus leaned against an archway and, watching the course of events,
spoke to himself.
"Well, there are Byzantines enough to take a small army prisoner!
Friend Procopius is prudent. There! Witichis appears at the door. His
Goths are still far behind upon the staircase. The King's horse is led
forward. Bessas holds the stirrups. Witichis is close to it; he lifts
his foot. Now comes a blast of trumpets. The door of the staircase is
closed and the Goths shut into the palace! Procopius tears down the
Gothic flag on the roof. Johannes takes the King's right arm--bravo,
Johannes! The King defends himself valiantly--but his long mantle
hinders him--he staggers! He falls to the ground! There lies the
kingdom of the Goths!"
"There lies the kingdom of the Goths!" with these words Procopius also
concluded the sentences which he wrote down in his diary that night.
"To-day I have assisted in making an important piece of history," he
wrote, "and will take note of it to-night. When I saw the imperial army
enter the gates and the King's palace of Ravenna, I thought that indeed
it is not always merit, virtue, or number that ensures success. There
is a higher power, inevitable necessity. In number and heroism the
Goths were superior to us, and they did not fail in every possible
exertion. The Gothic women in Ravenna scolded their husbands to their
faces when they saw the slight forms, the small number of our troops as
they marched in. Summa: in the most righteous cause, with the most
heroic efforts, a man or a nation may succumb, if superior powers,
which have not always the better right on their side, oppose him. My
heart beat with a sense of wrong as I tore down the Gothic flag and set
the golden Dragon of Justinian in its place, as I raised the flag of
evil above the flag of righteousness. Not justice, but a necessity
which is inscrutable, rules the fate of men and nations. But that does
not confuse a true man. For not _what_ we do, live, or suffer--_how_ we
do or bear it, makes a man a hero. The Goths' defeat is more honourable
than our victory. And the hand which tore down their banner will
chronicle the fame of this people for future generations.
Notwithstanding, however that may be--there lies the kingdom of the
Goths!"
FOOTNOTE:
[Footnote 1: Procopius, in his "Wars of the Goths," vol. i., pp. 7, 18,
places here, in mistake, the Tiber instead of the Anio.]
END OF VOL. II.
BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD, SURREY.
_H. L. & Co._
End of Project Gutenberg's A Struggle for Rome, Vol. 2 (of 3), by Felix Dahn