CHAPTER XIII.
Narses was a stunted little man, considerably shorter than Justinian,for which reason the latter stooped, when speaking with him, much morethan was necessary. He was bald, his complexion a sickly yellow, hisright shoulder higher than his left, and he limped a little on the leftfoot, supporting himself upon a stick with a golden crutch. But hiseagle eye was so commanding, that it annulled any disagreeableimpression made by his insignificant figure, and lent to his plaincountenance the consecration of intellectual greatness, while theexpression of painful resignation and cool superiority about his mouthhad even a singular charm. When addressed by the Emperor, Narsesquickly banished from his lips a cold smile, which had been excited bythe jurist's moral politics, and raised his head.
"Emperor," he said, in a sharp, decided voice, "I would dissuade youfrom this war--for the present."
The Emperor bit his lips in vexation.
"Also from reasons of justice?" he asked, almost sarcastically.
"I said: for the present."
"Why?"
"Because what is necessary precedes what is pleasant. He who has todefend his own house should not break into strange dwellings."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, that no danger threatens your empire from the West, from theGoths. The enemy who can, and perhaps will, destroy it, comes from theEast."
"The Persians!" cried Justinian contemptuously.
"Since when," interposed Belisarius, "since when does Narses, my greatrival, fear the Persians?"
"Narses fears no one," answered the latter, without looking at hisinterrogator, "neither the Persians whom he has beaten, nor you whomthe Persians have beaten. But he knows the Orient. If not the Persians,then it will be others who follow them. The tempest which threatensByzantium approaches from the Tigris, not from the Tiber."
"Well, and what does that mean?"
"It means, that it is a shameful thing for you, O Emperor, and for theRoman name which we still bear, that you should, year by year, buypeace from Chosroes, the Persian Khan, at the cost of manyhundredweights of gold."
The Emperor's face flushed scarlet.
"How can you put such a meaning upon gifts, subsidies?"
"Gifts! If they are not forthcoming but a week after the day ofpayment, Chosroes, the son of Cabades, burns your villages! Subsidies!With them he pays Huns and Saracens, the most dangerous enemies of yourfrontiers!"
Justinian walked rapidly through the room.
"What do you then advise?" he said at last, stopping short beforeNarses.
"Not to attack the Goths without necessity or reason, when we canscarcely defend ourselves from the Persians. To put forth the wholepower of your empire in order to abolish this shameful tribute; toprevent the depredations on your frontiers; to rebuild the burnt townsof Antiochia, Dara, and Edessa; to win back the provinces which youlost, in spite of the valiant sword of Belisarius; and to protect yourfrontiers by a seven-fold girdle of fortresses from the Euphrates tothe Araxes. And when you have completed this necessary work--and I fearmuch you cannot complete it--then you may follow where Fame leads."
Justinianus slightly shook his head.
"You are displeasing to me, Narses," he said bitterly.
"I knew that long ago," Narses answered quietly.
"And not indispensable," cried Belisarius proudly. "Do not listen, mygreat Emperor, to this small doubter. Give me the thirty thousand, andI wager my right hand that I will conquer Italy for you."
"And I wager my head, which is more," said Narses, "that Belisariuswill conquer Italy neither with thirty, nor with sixty, nor with ahundred thousand men.",
"Well," asked Justinianus, "and who can do it, and with what forces?"
"I," said Narses, "with eighty thousand."
Belisarius grew red with anger; he was silent for want of words.
"You have never yet, with all your self-esteem, Narses," said thejurist, "vaunted yourself thus highly above your rival."
"I do not now, Tribonianus. See, the difference is this: Belisarius isa great hero, and I am not; but I am a great general, and Belisarius isnot, and none but a great general can conquer the Goths."
Belisarius drew himself up to his full height, and angrily grasped hissword. He looked as if he would have gladly crushed the cripple nearhim.
The Emperor defended him. "Belisarius no great general! Envy blindsyou, Narses."
"I envy Belisarius nothing, not even," answered Narses, slightlysighing, "his health. He would h& a great general if he were not sogreat a hero. Every battle which he has lost, he has lost through toogreat heroism."
"That can not be said of you, Narses," retorted Belisarius.
"No, Belisarius, for I have never yet lost a battle."
An angry retort from Belisarius was cut short by the entrance of aslave, who, lifting the curtain, announced:
"Alexandros, sire, who was sent to Ravenna, has landed an hour ago, andasks----"
"Bring him in! Here!" cried the Emperor, hastily starting from hisseat. He impatiently signed to the ambassador, who entered at once, torise from his obeisance.
"Well, Alexandros, you came back alone?"
The ambassador--a handsome and still young man--repeated: "Alone."
"But your last report said--In what condition have you left the Gothickingdom?"
"In great confusion. I wrote in my last report that the Queen haddecided to rid herself of her three most haughty enemies. Should theattempt fail, she would be no longer safe in Italy, and she begged tobe allowed, in that case, to go in my ship to Epidamnus, and fromthence to escape to Byzantium."
"And I accepted the proposal readily. Well, and the attempt?"
"Succeeded. The three dukes are no more. But the rumour had reachedRavenna that the most dangerous of them, Duke Thulun, was only wounded.This induced the Queen--as, besides, the Goths threateningly surroundedthe palace--to escape to my ship. We weighed anchor, but soon after wehad left the harbour, off Ariminum, Earl Witichis overtook us withsuperior numbers, boarded us, and demanded that Amalaswintha shouldreturn, guaranteeing her safety until a solemn examination had takenplace before the National Assembly. When she learnt from him that DukeThulun had succumbed to his wounds, and saw from the proposal ofWitichis that he and his powerful friends did not yet believe in herguilt, and as, besides, she apprehended compulsion, she consented toreturn with him to Ravenna. But first, on board the _Sophia_, she wrotethis letter to you, and sends you this present from her treasury."
"Of that later. Tell me further, how do things, stand now in Italy?"
"Well for you, O great Emperor! An exaggerated account of the rebellionof the Goths at Ravenna and of the flight of the Queen to Byzantium,has flown through the whole country. Already many encounters have takenplace between Romans and barbarians. In Rome itself the patriots wishedto strike a blow at once; to choose a Dictator in the Senate, and callfor your assistance. But this step would have been premature, for theQueen was in the hands of the Goths, and only the firmness of theclever man who heads the conspiracy of the Catacombs prevented it."
"The Prefect of Rome?" asked Justinian.
"Cethegus. He mistrusted the reports. The conspirators wished tosurprise the Goths, proclaim you Emperor of the West, and choose him,meanwhile, for Dictator. But he literally allowed them to put thedagger to his throat in the Curia, and said, No."
"A courageous man!" said Belisarius.
"A dangerous man!" said Narses.
"An hour after," continued the ambassador, "news, arrived ofAmalaswintha's return, and things remained as they were. That gloomywarrior, Teja, had sworn to render Rome a pasture for cattle, if a dropof Gothic blood were shed. I learned all this on my intentionally slowcoast voyage to Brundusium. But I have something still better toannounce. I have found zealous friends of Byzantium, not only among theRomans, but also among the Goths, and even in the members of the RoyalFamily."
"Whom mean you?"
"In Tuscany there liv
es a rich proprietor, Prince Theodahad, the cousinof Amalaswintha."
"To be sure! he is the last male of the Amelung family, is he not?"
"The last. He and, still more, Gothelindis, his clever but wickedwife, the proud daughter of the Balthe, mortally hate the Queen. He,because she opposed the measureless avarice with which he sought toappropriate the property of all his neighbours; she, from reasons whichI could not discover, but which, I believe, originated during thegirlhood of the two Princesses; enough, her hate is deadly. Now, thesetwo have promised me to help you in every possible way to win Italyback. She will be satisfied, it seems, with the destruction of theobject of her hatred; he, however, demands a rich reward."
"He shall have it."
"His support is important, for he already possesses half Tuscany--thenoble family of the Woelfungs owns the other half--and can easily bringit into our power; and also because he expects, if Amalaswintha falls,to seat himself upon her throne. Here are letters from him andGothelindis. But, first of all, read the writing from the Queen---- Ibelieve it is very important."