Res Gestae

These lamentable occurrences, which under Valens, aided and abetted by Petronius, closed the houses of the poor and the palaces of the rich in great numbers, added to the fear of a still more dreadful future, sank deeply into the minds of the provincials and of the soldiers, who groaned under similar oppression, and with universal sighs everyone prayed (although darkly and in silence) for a change in the present condition of affairs with the help of the supreme deity.

All this Procopius observed from his hiding- place, and thinking that when a more favourable turn of fortune should occur, the crown of supreme power could be gained with little trouble, he lay in wait like a beast of prey, ready to leap forth at once on seeing anything which he could seize.

And while he was burning with impatience to hasten his designs, fate offered him this most timely opportunity. For Valens at the end of winter hastened to Syria and had already crossed the frontier of Bithynia, when he learned from the reports of his generals that the Gothic tribes, at that time

And so, since the emperor was removed to a distance, Procopius, worn out by long-continued troubles, and thinking that even a cruel death would be more merciful than the evils by which he was tormented, hazarded at one cast all perils whatsoever; and without fear now of suffering the worst, led by a desperate resolve he essayed the bold deed of hastening to tempt the legions of Divitenses and the Younger Tungricani,[*](Cf. xxvii. 1, 2.) who had been ordered with other troops to hasten to the urgent service in Thrace, and as usual were to remain for two days in Constantinople.[*](For rest and preparation for the campaign.) This he did by hastening to appeal to certain acquaintances that he had among those same troops; but because it would be dangerous and difficult to speak with all, he confided in only a few.

These men, enticed by the hope of great rewards, promised under the sanctity of an oath that they would do everything that he wished, guaranteeing also the favour of their comrades, with whom they held an important place in giving advice, since they were the highest paid[*](A soldier’s pay differed in the various branches of the army, and was increased according to his years of service; cf. Veget. ii. 21.) and the most deserving.

So, as had been agreed, as soon as the sun’s rays illumined the day, the

So there he stood rather wasted (you would think that he had come up from the lower world), and because a purple robe could nowhere be found, he was dressed in a gold-embroidered tunic, like an attendant at court, but from foot to waist he looked like a page in the service of the palace[*](The paedagogium was the apartment where pages or slaves were trained for service; cf. Pliny, Epist. vii. 27, 13, and xxix. 3, 3, below.) ; he wore purple shoes on his feet, and bore a lance, and a small piece of purple cloth in his left hand; just as sometimes on the stage you might think that a splendidly decorated figure was suddenly made to appear as the curtain was raised, or through some mimic deception.[*](The language is far from clear, but the general meaning is that he resembled some grotesque actor in a stage-play or mime; Salvète (see Bibliogr. Note, vol. i.) seems to take it to be a figure painted on the curtain. In that case through the curtain would mean by the curtain, as it was raised at the end of a performance; cf. Virg., Georg. iii. 24 f., vel scaena ut versis discedat frontibus utque purpureas intexti tollant aulaea Britanni. The curtain as it rises shows the figure a part at a time and the representation in a mime would be grotesque; Ammianus seems to have combined the two ideas. It is hard to see how per aulaeum can mean behind the curtain, as Büchele takes it, or that a figure on the stage could be seen through the curtain. Yonge omits per aulaeum altogether.)

Raised in a laughable

And as he advanced more boldly,[*](Val. takes intimidius as equivalent to timidius, com- paring Vell. ii. 37, 2, armis infractus. ) the people neither opposed nor favoured him; nevertheless, they were aroused by the sudden charm of novelty which is inborn in most of the commons, and they were still more strongly moved because they one and all (as we have already said) hated Petronius, who was enriching himself by violence, and was reviving transactions that were long since buried, and debts of the misty past brought up again against all classes.[*](See § 7, above.)

Accordingly, when the said Procopius had mounted the tribunal,[*](It was opposite the palace near the Senate House.) and all were filled with amazement, fearing the gloomy silence, and believing (as indeed he had expected) that he had merely come to a steeper road to death, since a trembling which pervaded all his limbs hindered his speaking, he stood for a long time without a

Certainly some may wonder that so laughable a reign, rashly and blindly begun, broke out into such lamentable disasters to the state, if perchance they are unacquainted with previous instances, and think that this happened for the first time.

It was thus that Andriscus of Adramytium,[*](Cf. xiv. 11, 30.) a man born to the lowest condition, raised himself to the title of a Pseudophilippus and added to the Macedonian wars a third, full of danger. It was thus, when the emperor Macrinus was living at Antioch, that Heliogabalus Antoninus[*](Cf. Lamprid., Heliog. i. 5, Scr. Hist. Aug. ii. p. 106, note, L.C.L. ) burst forth from Emesa.[*](A city of Apamene, north of Coelesyria) Thus, by the unexpected uprising of Maximinus, Alexander[*](Alexander Severus; cf. Jul. Cap., Max. 7, 8; and Lamprid., Alex. Sev. 61.) was murdered with his mother Mamaea. Thus in Africa the elder Gordian was hurried to the throne, but when he found himself entangled in the terror of coming dangers, ended his life with the noose.[*](Capit., Gord. 16, 2; for his cenotaph, see xxiii. 5, 7, above.)

Thus the dealers in cheap dainties, the palace attendants, or those who had once been such, and former soldiers who had now retired to a more peaceful mode of life, a part unwillingly, others voluntarily, were induced to participate in the uncertainties of this unusual enterprise.[*](I.e. to join the new emperor.) But some, thinking that anything was safer than the present condition, secretly left the city and went at rapid pace to the emperor’s camp.

All these were outstripped by the swift course of Sophronias, at that time a secretary and later city-prefect in Constantinople. He met Valens just as he was on the point of leaving Caesarea in Cappadocia, in order to go to his residence at Antioch, since the oppressive heat in Cilicia was already somewhat diminished, and after telling him what had happened, induced him, discouraged by this event and amazed, as was natural at such a crisis, to go to Galatia, in order to take hold of affairs while they were still unsettled.

While Valens was hastening on by forced marches, Procopius with strictest attention was busy day and night, and brought forward certain emissaries, who with crafty assurance pretended that they had come, some from the Orient, others from

And because attempts at revolution, even though audaciously begun, are sometimes wont to be strengthened by quick action, accordingly, that nothing might be neglected which could arouse fear, Nebridius, recently promoted to be praetorian prefect in place of Salutius by the party of Petronius, and Caesarius, prefect of the city of Constantinople, were thrown into chains. Phronimius[*](Cf. ch. 10.) was ordered to take charge of the city with the usual powers, and Euphrasius was made chief-marshal of the court; both were Gauls, distinguished for their training in the noble arts. The direction of military affairs was entrusted to Gomoarius and Agilo, who were recalled to service —being an unwise appointment, as the result of their treachery revealed.[*](Cf. 9, 6, 7, below.)

Therefore because it was feared that Count Julius,[*](Cf. xxxi. 16, 8.) who commanded the military forces in Thrace, if he should hear of the attempt, would march from the neighbouring posts to crush the rebels, an effective plan was devised. For a letter was extorted by violence from Nebridius, who was still in prison, in which it was pretended that by Valens’ order Julius was to discuss serious measures relating to the disturbances among the barbarians; and so he was summonedto Constantinople and there held in strict confinement. Through this clever trick the warlike nations of Thrace were now won over without bloodshed, and this powerful support was gained by the rebellious venture.

After this had been effected with such happy success, Araxius by soliciting the favour of the