GOTHS. 
wings v/as compofedof eight thoufand Romans ; the right 
was guarded by the cavalry of the Kuns, the leftwas co- 
vered by fifteen liundrcd chofen horfe, defiined, accord¬ 
ing to tlie emergencies of adtion,- to fufiain the retreat 
of their friends, or to eiicompal's the Hank of the enemy. 
I'rom his Itaiion at the head of the right vving, the eu¬ 
nuch rode along the line, exprelling by his voice and 
countenance the alfuranee of vi6tory ; exciting the fol- 
diers of the emperor to punifii the guilt and inadnel's of 
a band of robbers; and expoling to tlieir view, gold 
chains, collars, and bracelets, tiie rewards of military 
virtue. From the event of a lingle combat, they drew 
an omen of fuccefs ; and they beheld with plealure the 
courage of fifty archers, who maintained a fmall emi¬ 
nence againft three fucccfiive attacks of the Gothic ca¬ 
valry. At the diftance only of two bow-lhots, the ar¬ 
mies Ipent themorningin awful ful'pence. Nai fesawaited 
the charge ; and it was delayed by Totila till he had re¬ 
ceived liis laft fuccours of two thoul'and Goths. WTtile 
he confuiYed the hours in fruitlefs treaty, the king ex¬ 
hibited in a narrow fpace the ftrength and agility of a 
warrior. Fiis armour was enchafed with gold ; his pur¬ 
ple banner floated with the wind : he cafi his lance into ' 
the air ; caught it with the right hand; ihifted it to 
th.e left; threw Ifimfelf backtvards ; recovered his feat; 
and managed a fiery (teed in all the paces and evolutions 
of the equefirian Ichool. As foon as the fuccours had 
arrived, he retired to his tent, afl'umed the drefs and 
arms of a private I'oldier, and gave the fignal of battle. 
The fil'd line of cavalry advanced with more cotirage 
than difcretion, and left behind them the infantry of the 
fecond Ime. They were foon engaged between the 
l;orns of a crefcent, into wdiich the adverfe wings had 
been infenfibly curved, and were fainted from either 
fide by the vollies of four thoufand arclters. Their ar¬ 
dour, and eveja^their didrefs, drove them forwards to a 
dole and unequal conflict, in which the'y could only ufe 
their lances againd an enemy equally Ikilled in all the 
indrumcnts of war.' A generous emulation infpired the 
Romans and their barbarian allies; and Narfes, who 
calmly viewed and directed their efibrts, doubted to 
wliom he Ihould adjudge the prize of fuperior bravery. 
The Gothic cavalry was allonifhed and difordered, 
prelfed and broken ; and the line of infantry, inltead of 
prefenting their fpears, or opening their intervals, were 
trampled under the feet of the flying horle. Six thou¬ 
fand of the Goths were flaughtercd, without mercy, in 
the field of Tagina. Their prince, with five attendants, 
was overtaken by Albad, of the race of tiie Gepidae ; 
Spare the king of Italy,” cried a diltant loyal voice ; 
but Albad flruck his lance through the body of Totila. 
The blow was inftantly revenged by his faithful Goths; 
they tranfported their dying monarch feven miles be¬ 
yond the Icene of his difgrace ; .and his lall moments 
were not embittered by the prefence of an enemy. 
Compalfion afforded him the llielter of an obfcure tomb ; 
but the Romans would not be fatisfied of their victory, 
till they beheld the corpfe of the Gothic king, ilis 
hat, enriched with gems, and his bloody robe, were pre- 
fented to Jtiftinian by the melTengers ot'triumph. 
The vfctorious eunuch purl'ued his march through 
Tufcany, accepted the lubmillion of the Goths, and en- 
compall'ed the walls »f Rome with the remainder of his 
formidable hofi. Round the wide circumference, Nar¬ 
fes alligned to himfelf, and to each of his lieutenants, a 
real or a feigned attack, while he filently marked the 
place of the moll unguarded entrance. Neither the for¬ 
tifications of Adrian’s mole, nor of the port, could long 
delay the progrefs of the conqueror ; and Juftinian once 
more received the keys of Rome, which, under liis 
reign, had been five times taken and recovered. But 
the deliverance of Rome was the laft: calamity of the 
Roman people. The barbarian allies of Narfes too fre¬ 
quently confounded the privileges of peace and war ; 
tliey fpared none, neither regarded tiie chaftitv of hu- 
Vo J.. VIII. No. 540, 
trons or virgins. The defpair of the flying Goths had 
recourfe to fanguinary revenge : and three hundred 
youths of the nobleft families, who had been fent as hof- 
tages beyond the Po, were inhtimanly (lain by the fuc- 
ceilbr of'I'otila. 
T-'he Gotliic war was yet alive. The braveft of the 
nation retired beyond the Po ; and Teias was unani- 
moufly chofen to fuccecd and revenge theii departed 
hero. The new king fent amball'adors to implore, or ra¬ 
ther to purchafe, the aid of th.e i'ranks, and nobly la- 
viflied tor the public fafety, the riches which had been 
depofited in the coffers of Pavia. The refidue of the 
royal treafure was guarded by his brother Aligern at 
Cumte ; but the ftrong caftle which Totila had forti¬ 
fied, was clofely befieged by the arms of Narfes. From 
the Alps to the foot of mount Vefuvius, the Gothic 
king, by rapid and fecret marches, advanced to the re¬ 
lief of his brother, eluded the vigilance of the'Roman 
chiefs, and pitched his camp on the banks ot the Sarnus, 
which flows from Nuceria into the bay of Naples. The 
river feparated the two armies; fixty days were con- 
fumed in diftant and frtiitlefs combat; and Teias main¬ 
tained this important poft, till he was deferted by his 
fleet, and the hope of fubfiftence. The Goths now em¬ 
braced a generous refolution ; to difmils their horles, 
and die in arms, in tlie podeftion of their freedom. The 
king marched at their head, bearing in his right-hami, 
a lance, and a buckler in his left: with the one he ftruck 
dead the foremoft of the affailants; with the oiher he 
received the weapons which every hand was ambitiotis 
to aim againft his life. After a combat of many hours, 
his left arm was fatigued by the tveiglit of twelve jave¬ 
lins which .hung from his (hield. Without moving 
from his ground, or fufpending his blows, the hero call¬ 
ed aloud on his attendants for a frelli buskler, but in 
the moment, while his fide was uncovered, it was 
pierced by a mortal dart. He fell: and his head, ex¬ 
alted on a fpear, proclaimed to the nations, that the 
Gothic kingdom was no more. But the example ot his 
death ferVed only to animate the companions who had 
fworn to perifli with their leader. They fought till 
darknefs-defeended on the earth. They repoied on 
their arms. The combat was renewed with the return 
of day-light, and maintained with unabated vigour till 
the evening of the fecond day. The repofe ot a tecond 
night, the want of water, and the lots of their braveft 
champions, determined the furviving Gotlis to accept 
the capitulation w'hich the prudence of Narles was ia-- 
clined to propofe. They entbraced the alternative of 
refifting' in Italy as the fubjedts and loldiers ot Juitiniaii, 
or departing wdth a portion of their private wealtii, in 
fearch of fome independent country. Yet the oath of 
fidelity or exile was fpurned by one thouland Goths, 
who broke aw'ay before the treaty was figned, and bold¬ 
ly effedted their retreat to the walls of Pavia, d'he Ipi- 
rit of Aligern prompted him to imitate, rather than to 
bewail, his brother : a ftrong and dexterotis arch.er, he 
tranfpierced wdth a fingle arrow the armour and bread 
of his antagonift ; and his military condudt detended 
Cumae above a year againft the forces ot the Romans. 
Their indtiftry had fcooped the SibylPs cave into a 
prodigious mine; colubuftible materials were intro- 
dticed to confume the temporary props : the wall and 
the gate of Cumae funk into the cavern, but the ruins 
formed a deep and inacceliible precipice. On the frag¬ 
ment of a rock, Aligern the Goth ftood alone and tin- 
fliaken, till he calmly furveyed the hopelefs condition 
of his country, and judged it more honourable to be 
the friend of Narfes, than the (lave of the Franks. 
After the death of Teias, the Roman general feparated 
his troops to reduce the cities of Italy ; Lucca (uf- 
tained a long and vigorous liege; and fuch was the hu¬ 
manity or the prudence of Narfes, that the repeated 
perfidy of the inliabitants could not provoke him to 
exabt frlie forfeit lives of their holtages. Thele hof- 
9 B tages 
