Belisarius

“Ὑπὸ τοῖς θεοῖς παλαιοῖς,” ὁ μοῦ πρόσθεν δεσπότης ὁ Δαμοκλὴς ἔλεγε προσεπιρρητορεύων, “ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ ἀεὶν ἐτίμα, ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία ᾐσχύνετο· τοῦ κακούργου ὁ σταυρὸς οὐκ ἐνεχρυσοῦτο καὶ ἐποικίλλετο· οὐχ οἱ ἀνθρώποι ἐτέρποντο αἰσχυνθῆναι.” Ἀλλὰ πιστεύῃ ἕκαστος ὃ δοκεῖ. Καὶ εἰ τυγχάνει ἀτεχνῶς φιλεῖν τὴν εὐσεβείαν, μηδὲ εἶναι σοφιστὴς καὶ ἀγαθοφανὴς θεολόγος ἢ ἐγκρατευτὴς διεφθαργμένος, αὕτη ἡ ἱστορία οὐκ αὐτὸν λυπήσει, ἀλλ’ ἐναντίως θαρσυνεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κανόσι. Ὁ γὰρ Κόμης Βελισάριος ἀτεχνῶς ἐφίλει τὴν εὐσεβείαν, καὶ μηδέποτε ἐπαύσατο. Οἰ ἐξ ὑμῖν νομίζοντες τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἀληθὲς εἶναι λέγοισθε ὅτι Βελισάριος παρέσχε ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῇ δίκῃ παρὰ τὸν Ἰουστινιανὸν ἐν τρόπῳ τοῦ Δεσπότου παρὰ Πόντιον Πιλᾶτον, τὸν Ὕπαρχον τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἀδικῶς κατηγορεύθεντος τῆς ὁμοίης κακουργίας, τῆς προδοσίας ἐπὶ τὴν Βασιλείαν· καὶ ὅτι ἐκεῖνος οὐ μεῖον ταπεινῶς ἔπαθε.

   Ἐξαρκεῖ οὖν περὶ ταῦτα.

 

(“Hypo toîs theoîs palaioîs,” ho moû prósthen despótēs ho Damoklēs élege prosepirrētoreúōn, “hē men aretē aein etíma, hē de hamartía ēschýneto; toû kakoúrgou ho stauros ouk enekrysoûto kai epoikílleto; ouch hoi anthrṓpoi etérponto aischynthêntai.” Alla pisteúē hékastos ho dokeî. Kai ei tynchánei atechnôs phileîn tēn eusebeían, mēde eînai sophistēs kai agathophanēs theológos ē enkrateutēs diephthargménos, haútē hē historía ouk auton lypḗsei, all’ enantíōs tharsyneî auton en toîs kanósi. Ho gar Kómēs Belisários atechnôs ephílei tēn eusebeían, kai mēdépote epaúsato. Hoi ex hӯmîn nomízontes to Euangélion alēthes eînai légoisthe hóti Belisários parésche heauton en tê díkē para ton Ioustinianon en trópō toû Despótou para Póntion Pilâton, ton Hýparchon tês Ioudaías, adikôs katēgoreúthentos tês homoíēs kakourgías, tês prodosías epi tēn Basileían; kai hóti ekeînos ou meîon tapeinôs épathe.

   Exarkeî oûn peri taûta.)

 

“Under the old gods,” my former master Damocles used to say, somewhat exaggerating the case, “virtue was always honoured, ignominy frowned upon; the felon’s cross was not gilded and jewelled; man did not revel in self-abasement.” But let everyone believe what he pleases. And if he happens to be a simple devotee of virtue, not a logic-chopping, hypocritical theologian or perverted ascetic, this story will not offend him, but contrariwise confirm him in his principles. For Count Belisarius had such a simple devotion to virtue, from which he never declined. Those of you for whom the Gospel story carries historical weight may perhaps say that Belisarius behaved at his trial before Justinian very much as his Master had done before Pontius Pilate, the Governor of Judaea, when unjustly accused of the very same crime, namely treason against the Empire; and that he suffered no less patiently.

   So much, then, for these things.

 

—Robert Graves, Ὁ Κόμης Βελισάριος  (Count Belisarius)