y were afraid of the punishment the general would inflict or because
they were ashamed to appear before their comrades.

DATE:
[W]Feb. 21, 537 A.D.

FOOTNOTES:

[87] The Mulvian Bridge.

[88] Cf. chap. v. 3.

XVIII

On the following day the Goths destroyed the gates of the tower with no
trouble and made the crossing, since no one tried to oppose them. But
Belisarius, who had not as yet learned what had happened to the
garrison, was bringing up a thousand horsemen to the bridge over the
river, in order to look over the ground and decide where it would be
best for his forces to make camp. But when they had come rather close,
they met the enemy already across the river, and not at all willingly
they engaged with some of them. And the battle was carried on by
horsemen on both sides. Then Belisarius, though he was safe before,
would no longer keep the general's post, but began to fight in the front
ranks like a soldier; and consequently the cause of the Romans was
thrown into great danger, for the whole decision of the war rested with
him. But it happened that the horse he was riding at that time was
unusually experienced in warfare and knew well how to save his rider;
and his whole body was dark grey, except that his face from the top of
his head to the nostrils was the purest white. Such a horse the Greeks
call "phalius"[89] and the barbarians "balan." And it so happened that
the most of the Goths threw their javelins and other missiles at him and
at Belisarius for the following reason. Those deserters who on the
previous day had come to the Goths, when they saw Belisarius fighting in
the front ranks, knowing well that, if he should fall, the cause of the
Romans would be ruined instantly, cried aloud urging them to "shoot at
the white-faced horse." Consequently this saying was passed around and
reached the whole Gothic army, and they did not question it at all,
since they were in a great tumult of fighting, nor did they know clearly
that it referred to Belisarius. But conjecturing that it was not by mere
accident that the saying had gained such currency as to reach all, the
most of them, neglecting all others, began to shoot at Belisarius. And
every man among them who laid any claim to valour was immediately
possessed with a great eagerness to win honour, and getting as close as
possible they kept trying to lay hold of him and in a great fury kept
striking with their spears and swords.