CHAP. IX.
THE Gothish Garrison, being 800. men, Belisarius took, and hurt not, but respected them as his owne Souldiers. Pastor, when he saw the Towne taken, fell dead of an Apoplexy, having never had any touch of it before; Asclepiodotus his associate, with some other chiefe men, came to Belisarius, whom Stephanus
seeing, Thou vildest of all men (quoth he) what mischiefe hast thou done thy Country-men, and sold their safety for Barbarians Favour? If they had pros∣pered, thou wouldst have claimed Rewards, and accused us of Conspiracy with the Romans, who gave the best Counsels. And now the City being the Emperours, and we preserved by this mans Virtue, dar'st thou thus foolishly come to him? as if cleare of all disservice to the Neapolitans, and the Imperiall Army? Stepha∣nus in passion for the Disaster uttered this. But he answered him; Worthy Sir, you unwittingly extoll me, in that you raile at me for my affection to the Goths. None loves his Superiours in danger, but from a constant mind. Me the Victors shall finde a Defender of their State, as lately their Enemy. A faithfull man changeth not his Minde with Fortune, nor entertaines Propositions from Ene∣mies in an alteration. But he that is sick of Inconstancy, renounces his Friends upon his first feares.Having thus said, and retiring, the common people fol∣lowed and charged him with their Sufferings, and left him not, till they had kil∣led him, and torne him in peeces. And they entred Pastors house, searching, and not beleiving the Servants Affirmation of his Death, till they saw his Body, which they crucified in the Suburbes; then excused their doings to Belisarius upon such just provocation; and obtaining Pardon, went home.
But the Goths in Rome, and other Townes that way, wondred to see Theodatus so tame, not offering to fight with the Romans, being his so neere Neighbours: And they suspected him to betray their State to Justinian, caring onely to live at ease himselfe, and to be rich. When they heard that Naples was taken, they assembled at Regêta 35. miles from Rome, and accused him openly. The place they found fit to encamp in, being neere to a faire Champian, and to the River of Decanovius, so called, because having made a compasse of 19. miles, it enters the Sea about the City of Taracina. Neere unto which is the Mountaine Circaeum, where they say Ʋlisses had the Company of Circe, improbably in my conceit; Homer affirm∣ing Circes house to be in an Island. Indeed Circaeum runs far into the Sea, and seemes an Island along the Shore to the Sailer: but being in it, he findes his mista∣king. Upon this reason Homer might call it an Island. But the Goths assembled at Regeta, chose Vitigis their King, a man of no conspicuous Family: but in Fights about Sirmium, against the Gepaedes (with whom Theodorick had War) he got great Reputation. Theodatus hearing his, ran away to Ravenna: after him Vitigis sent Optaris a Goth, to bring him alive, or dead. This Optaris had a pique a∣gainst Theodatus: for having betroathed a handsome Maid, an Inheritrix, Theodatus perswaded her for Wealth to marry another man. So that to gratifie his owne An∣ger