BEL 



diers in his private pay, and the attachment of the army, 

 ■whufe afTcftion he fecured by his jullice and libcrahty, he 

 mJKiit well be reckoned the fecond perfon in the empire. 

 To the hufbandmeu he was endeared by the peace and plenty 

 which they enjoyed under tlie (hadovv of his (landard. Such 

 had been tlic rigid dil'ciphne of his camp, tliat the country, 

 initead of being injured by the march of the Roman armies, 

 had been enriched by them ; and not fo much as an apple 

 was gathered from a tree, nor could a path be traced in the 

 corn fields. As to his perfonal conduft, he was fober and 

 chafte to fuch a Jc^^ree, that, in the licence of a military 

 life, none could bonll that they had feen him intoxicated 

 with wine, and that he was never fufpeftcd of violating the 

 laws of conjugal fidelity. '-The fpeftator and hillorian of 

 his exploits," liiys Gibbou, " has obferved, that amidll the 

 perils of war, he was daring without ralhiiefs, prjdent with- 

 out fear, (low or rapid according to the exigencies of the 

 moment ; that in the deepeft diftrefs he was animated by 

 real or apparent hope ; but that he was modtft and humble 

 in the moft profperous fortune. By thefe virtues he equalled 

 or excelled the ancient mafters of the military art. Vittory, 

 by fca and land, attended his arms. He fubdued Africa, 

 Italy, and the adjacent iflands ; led away captives the fuc- 

 ceffors of Genferic ai.d Theodoric ; filled Conftantinople with 

 the fpoils of their palncet. ; and in the fpace of fix years re- 

 covered half the provinces of the wcfiern empire. In his 

 fame and merit, in wealth and power, he remained, with- 

 out a rival, the firft of the Roman fubjcds ; the voice of 

 envy could only magnify his dangerous importance ; and the 

 emperor might applaud his own difcerning fpirit, which had 

 difcovered and raifed the genius of Belifarius." Neverthe- 

 Icfs, the fame, and even the virtue of Belifarius, were pol- 

 luted by the luft and cruelty of his wife Antonina. This 

 profligate woman was the daughttr of a theatrical proftitute; 

 and in the various fituations of tiie fortune of her parents, 

 (he became the companion, the enemy, the fervant, and the 

 favourite of the emprefs Theodora. Before h.er marriage 

 with Belifarius, ihe had one hufband and many lovers ; and 

 after their connubial union, (lie contrived to gratify her licen- 

 tious paffions, and to impofe on the credulity of her hufband, 

 whom Ihedilhonoured, and whom by her influence iheinlligat- 

 ed to tranfactions that fix an indcliljle ftain on his memory. 



When Syria was invaded by CholVoes king of Perfia, in 

 the year 540, and Antioch, its rich capital, deftroyed, Be- 

 lifarius, the conqueror of Italy, v.-as appointed to the defence 

 of the call. Accordingly, in the year 541, he encamped 

 beyond the Euphrates, witliin fix miles of Nifibis, in order 

 to reftrain the progrefs of the Perfian monarch on the 

 coaft of the Eixine. Having fucceeded, without the fup- 

 port which he had reafon to experdt, in forcing Chofroes to 

 return with lofs and precipitation, he was recalled, at the 

 clofe of the campaign, to Conftantinop'e, by an ungrateful 

 court; but the dangers of the enfuing fpring reftored his 

 confidence and command ; and the hero, almoft alone, was 

 difpatchcd with the fpeed of poil-horfes, to repel by his 

 name and prefence the invafion of Syria. On the hanks of 

 the Euphrates his firm attitude reftraintd Chofroes from ad- 

 vancing towards Palettine, and compelled him to repafs the 

 river: thus accomplifhing his purpofe by a fafe and bloodlefs 

 viftory, more glorious than his Afncan and Gothic triumphs, 

 in which neither fortune, nor the valour of his foldiers, can 

 fubtraft any part of the general's renown. But the danger 

 threatened to Italy by the rapid conquefts of Totila, who 

 had been advanced to the Gothic throne, required the pre- 

 fence of Belifarius ; and accordingly he was again recalled 

 from the eafl, and in 544, he arrived at the port of Ravenna, 

 with an inconfiderable number of ill-provided recruits. Thus 



BEL 



fuppoited, he was unable to impede the progrefs of Totila, 

 and to prevent his laying ficge even to Rome. When the 

 city was reduced to extreme dillrefs by the want of provifions, 

 the fupply of which had been long obftitifted by the be- 

 fieging army, Belifarius made a bold attempt for its relief. 

 But his enterprife for this purpofe having failed, Rome was 

 obliged to fubmit to the Gothic yoke ; and Belifarius could 

 only prevail by his interpolition to prevent its threatened de- 

 ftruftion. Totiln, having dcmohflied its walls, and removed 

 moil of its inhabitants, marched into the fouth of Italy ; 

 upon which Belifarius took pofltffior! of it, and haftily forti- 

 fied himfelf within its circuit ; fo that he was able thrice to 

 rtpulfc the Gothic army which Totila brought againft it. 

 But whilll he was engaged in its defence, he was command- 

 ed by the emperor to leave a fufficient garrifon at Rom.e, 

 and to tranfport himfelf into.Lucania, in order to fupprcls a 

 revolt wliich had taken place in that province. In this war- 

 fare he was bafely vanquilhe d by the delay, difobedience, and 

 cowardice of his officers ; and having repoled in his winter- 

 quarters at Crotona, he was obliged by the rapid march of 

 the Goths to make his efcape to the coaft of Sicily. At 

 length Antonina, who had been fent to Conftantinople to 

 folicit fnccours, obtained, after the death of the emprefs, per- 

 miflion for Belifarius to return. Accordingly, after failing 

 to deliver Italy from the Goths, and wandering like a fugi- 

 tive along the coaft, without daring to march into the coun- 

 try, or to accept the bold and repeated challenge of Toti- 

 la, he was recalled in September 548. The fublcqnent luc- 

 cefs of Narfes in recovering Italy, threw a (hade over the 

 military reputation of Belifarius ; though about 10 years 

 afterwards he dilUngulflied himfelf by laving the capital 

 ' from an incurfion of the Bulgarians, who had advanced to 

 its long walls, about 40 miles from the city, and occafioned 

 an univerfal alarm. Tiie enemy were put to flight by the 

 niihtai^ veteran at the bead of a tumultuary band ; though 

 it was neceffary to purchafc their return into their own 

 country by a heavy ranfom. This was the laft exploit of 

 Belilarius ; and his remaining days were doomed to misfor- 

 tune and dif Jrace. The jealoufy of the emperor, increafing 

 with his years, led him to fufpedf Belifarius of being con- 

 cerned in a coufpiracy againlt his crown and Ins hfe ; and 

 the veteran general, after forty years' fervice, and on incom- 

 petent tellin.ony, was judged guilty, Dec. 5, A.D. 567. 

 His life, indeed, was fpartd, but his fortimes were fequef- 

 tered, and he v.'as guarded for feveral months, as a prifoncr, 

 in his own houfe. At length, July 19, A. D. 564, his 

 innocence was acknowledged; his freedom and honour were 

 reftored ; and death, which might be haftened by refent- 

 ment and grief, removed him from the world about eight 

 nionths after his dehverance, March 13, A.D. ^d^. " The 

 name of Belifarius," fays Gibbon, " can never die ; but in- 

 ftead of the funeral, the monuments, the ftatues, fo juftly 

 due to his memory, I only read, that his treafures, the 

 fpoils of the Goths aud Vandals, were immediately confif- 

 cnted by the emperor. Some decent portion, howeve-r, was 

 referved for the ufe of his widow ; and as Antonina had 

 much to repent, (he devoted the lall remains of her hfe and 

 fortune to the foundation of a convent. Such is the fimple 

 and genuine narrative of the fall of Belifarius and the ingra- 

 titude of Jnftinian. That he was deprived of his eyes, and 

 reduced by envy to beg his bread, Give a penny to Belifarius 

 the general, is a fiftion of later times, which has obtained 

 credit, or rather favour, as a (Irange example of the vicifTi- 

 tudes of fortune." 



The fource of this idle fable may be derived from a mifcel- 

 laneous work of the twelfth century, the Chiliads of John 

 Tietzes, 3 monk, who relates the blindnefs and beggary of 



Belifarius 



