7.16 GOTHS. 
illand was (tripped of its fjold and filver, of the frnitS'of 
the earth, and of an infinite number of horfes, Iheep, 
an I oxen. Sardinia and Corfica obeyed the fortune of 
Italy ; and the fea-coaft of Greece was vifited by a fleet 
of three liundred gullies. The Goths vvere landed in 
Gorcyra and the ancient continent of Epirus ; they ad¬ 
vanced as far as Nicopolis, the trophy of Augufius, and 
Dodona. But inevery fiep of Ins victories, the wife bar¬ 
barian repeated tbjuftinian his defire of peace, andotl’ered 
to employ the Gothic arms in the fervice of the empire. 
Juftinian was deaf to peace, and firmly bent on the 
deliverance of Italy. Belifarius now repofed in the 
fnade of his laurels ; but the command of the principal 
army was referved for Germanus, the emperor’s nephew, 
wiiofe rank and merit had been long deprefled by the 
jealoufy of the court. His valour had formerly tri¬ 
umphed over the Sclavonians of the Danube, and the 
rebels of Africa : the firll report of his promotion re¬ 
vived the hopes of the Italians; and he was privately 
afl'ured, that a crowd of Roman deferters would aban¬ 
don, on his approach, the (tandard of Totila. His fe- 
cond marriage with Malafontha, the grand-daughter of 
the great Theodoric, endeared Germanus to the Goths 
themfelves ’; and they inarched with*relu(Slance againll 
the father of a royal infant, the lafl oftspring of the line 
of Amali. A fplendid allowance was alTigned by the 
emperor ; and he furpafl'ed, in the promptitude and fuc- 
cefs of his levies, the expectation of mankind. He was 
permitted to felecl fome (quadrons of Thracian cavalry : 
the veterans, as well as the youth, of Coaftantinopleand 
Europe, engaged their voluntary fervice;'and as far as 
tile heart of Germany, his fame and liberality attrafted 
the aid of the barbarians. The Romans advanced to 
Sardica ; an army of Sclavonians fled before their 
march ; but within two days of their final departure, 
the defigns of Germanus were terminated by liis I’ud- 
den death, A. D. 551. Yet the impuKe which lie had 
given to the war, llill continued to act with energy and 
effedt. The maritime towns, Ancona, Crotona, Cen- 
tumcelhc, refifted the alfaults of Totila, Sicily was 
reduced by the zeal of Artaban, and the Gothic navy 
was defeated near the coaft of the Adriatic. The two 
fleets were almoll equal, forty-feven to fifty gallies : 
the vidlory was decided by the knowledge and dexterity 
of the Greeks ; but the lliips were fo clofely grappled, 
that only twelve of the Goths elcaped from this unfor¬ 
tunate coiiflitl. They affecled to depreciate an element 
in which they were uiifkilled; but their own experi. 
ence coufinncd the truth of a maxim, “ that the 
MASTER OF THE SEA WILL ALWAYS ACQUIRE THE 
DOMINION OF THE LAND.” 
After the lofs of Germanus, the nations were made to 
fniile by the llrange intelligence, tiiat the command of 
tlie Roman armies was given to an euiuicli. But the 
eiimich Narfes is ranked among the few who have 
refeued that unhappy name from the contempt of man¬ 
kind. A mean diminutive body in this cafe concealed tlie 
foul of a (tatefmaii and a vrarrior. His youth had been 
employed in the management of the houiehold, and tiie 
fervice of female luxury ; but while his hands w’ere 
bufy, he fecretly exerciied the faculties of a vigorous 
and difeerning mind, A (traiiger to the fchools and the 
camp, he ftiidied in the palace to dilfcmble, to flatter, 
and to perfuade; and as loon he approached the perlon 
of tlie emperor, Jiifiinian liftened witli lurpril'e and plea- 
fure to the manly counfels of his chamberlain and pri¬ 
vate treafiirer. The talents of Narles were tried and 
improved in frequent emballies ; he led an <uniy into 
Italy, acquired a practical knowledge of the war and 
the country, arid prefumed to drive with the genius of 
Belifarius. I'welve years after his return, the eunuch 
was chofen to atchieve the conqueft which had been 
left irnperfetf by all the Roman generals. Inllead of 
being dazzled by vanity or emulation, he feiioully de. 
dared, that unlefs he were armed with an adequate 
force, lie would never confent to rilk his own glory, and 
that of his lovereign. Jufiinian granted to the favou¬ 
rite, what he might have denied to tlie hero : the Go¬ 
thic war was rekindled from its allies, and the prepara¬ 
tions were not unworthy of tlie Roman empire. The 
key of the public treafure was put into bis liand, to 
coiled magazines, to levy foldiers, to purtlial'o arms 
and horfes, to dil'charge the arrears of pay, and to tempt 
the fidelity, of the fugitives and deferters. The troops 
of Germanus were llill in arms; they halted at Salon,a 
in the expectation of a new leader ; and legions of fub- 
jedts and allies were created by the well-known libe¬ 
rality of the eunuch Narles. The king of the Lombards 
latisfied the obligations of a treaty, by landing two 
tlioul'and two hundred of his bravell warriors, w lio were 
followed by three thoufand of their martial attendants. 
Three thoufand Heruli fought on horl’eback under Phi- 
lemutli, their native chief; and the nobleAratus, wlio 
adopted the manners and difcipliiie of Rome, conducted 
a band of veterans of the fame nation. Dagifiheus was 
releafed from prifon to command the Huns; and Kobad, 
the grandi’on and nephew of tlie great king, was confpi- 
cuous by the regal tiara at the head of the Perlians, wlio 
had devoted themfelves to the fortunes of their prince. 
Abfolute ill the exercife of his authority, Narfes led 
this luimerous army from Philippopolis to Saloiia, from 
whence he coaltcd tiie eallern fide of the Adriatic as far 
as the confines of Italy. But his progrefs was checked. 
The Eall could not fupply vell'els capable of tranfport- 
iiig fucli multitudes of men and horles. The Franks, 
who, ill the gener.il confufion, had iifnrped the greater 
part of the Venetian provinces, refufed a pallage to th.' 
friends of tlie Lombards. The llation of Verona was 
occupied by Teias, with the flower of the Gothic forces; 
and that lliiiful commander had ovei fpread tlie adjacent 
country with the fall of woods, aijd the inundation of 
waters. In this perplexity, an officer of experience 
propofed a mealure, that the Roman army lliotild canti. 
oully advance along the fea-fhore, while the fleet pre¬ 
ceded their march, and fuccellively call a bridge of boats 
over the mouths of the Timavus, the Brenta, the Adige, 
and the Po, which fall into the Adriatic to the north of 
Ravenna. Nine days he repoled in the city, collected 
the fragments of the Italian army, and marclied towards 
Rimini, to meet the defiance of the Goths. 
Tlie prudence of Narfes impelled liiin to fpeedy and 
decifive attion. His powers were the lad etton of the 
date ; the cod of each day accumulated the enormous 
account; and the nations, untrained to difcipliiie or fa¬ 
tigue, miglit be rallily provoked to turn their arms 
againd each other, or agaiiid their benefadlor. The 
I'jme confideratioiis might have tempered the ardour of 
Totila. But he fufpetted the rapid progrefs of treafoii, 
and refolved to rifk the Gothic kingdom on tJie chance 
of a day, in wliich the valiant would be animated by 
iiidant danger, and the difai'fected might be awed by 
mutual ignorance. In liis march from Ravenna, the 
Roman general cliadifed the ganifon of Rimini, tra- 
verfed in a direbt line the hills of Urbino, and re-entered 
tlie Flaminian way nine miles beyond the perforated 
rock. The Goths were aflembled 111 the neighbourhood 
of Rome, they advanced without delay to ieek a lupe- 
rior enemy, and the two armies approaced each other at 
the diflance of one hundred furlongs, between Tagiiia 
and the lepulchres of the Gauls. 1 lie liaughty melfage 
of Nanes was an offer, not of peace, but of pardon. 
The aiilwer of the Gothic king declared his relolution, 
to die or conquer. “ What day,” laid tlie meli'enger, 
“ will you fix for the combat?” “llieeiglitli day,” re¬ 
plied Totila ; but early the next morning he attempted 
to fnrprife a foe, fufpicious of deceit, and prepared for 
battle. Ten thoufand Heruli and LoiDbards, of ap. 
proved valour, were placed in the centre. Each of the 
I wings 
