vy-councillor greeted the friend of his youth with great
pleasure. He was a man of sound commonsense, one of the few men of
science of that time, whose capability of healthy feeling and simple
apprehension had not been suffocated by the artificial ornaments of
Byzantine knowledge in the Schools of Rhetoric.

Clear sense was expressed on his open brow, and in his still youthfully
bright eyes shone delight in all that was good.

When Cethegus had washed off the dust and heat of travel in a
carefully-prepared bath, his host, before inviting him to the evening
meal in his tent, led him round the camp, and showed him the quarters
of the principal divisions, pointing out the most famous generals, and,
in a few words, describing their peculiarities, their services, and the
often singular contrasts of their past lives.

There were the sons of rude Thracia, Constantinus and Bessas, who had
worked their way up from the rank of rough hirelings; brave soldiers,
but without culture, and filled with the presumption of self-made men.
They considered themselves to be the indispensable supports and equally
capable successors of Belisarius.

There was the aristocratic Iberian Peranius, of the royal family of the
Iberians, the hostile neighbours of Persia, who had given up his
fatherland and hope of the crown out of hatred to the Persian
conqueror, and had taken service in the Emperor's army.

Then Valentinus, Magnus, and Innocentius, daring, leaders of
the horsemen; Paulus, Demetrius, Ursicinus, the leaders of the
foot-soldiers; Ennes, the Isaurian chief and commander of the Isaurians
of Belisarius; Aigan and Askan, the leaders of the Massagetae;
Alamundarus and King Abocharabus, the Saracens; Ambazuch and Bleda, the
Huns; Arsakes, Amazaspes, and Artabanes, the Armenians (the Arsakide
Phaza had been left behind in Neapolis with the rest of the Armenians);
Azarethas and Barasmanes, the Persians; and Antallas and Cabaon, the
Moors.

All these Procopius knew and named, praising sparingly, but expressing
his blame with great enjoyment, in biting but witty phrases.

They had just turned towards the quarters of Martinus, the peaceful
town-burner, on the right, when Cethegus, standing still, asked:

"And whose is the silken tent there on the hill, with the golden stars
and purple ensign? The guards carry golden shields!"

"There," said Procopius, "dwells his Invincible Daintiness, the Upper
Purple-Snail Intendant of the Roman Empire,