e. There was a certain Presidius, a Roman living at Ravenna,
and a man of no mean station. This Presidius had given offence to the
Goths at the time when Vittigis was about to march against Rome, and so
he set out with some few of his domestics ostensibly on a hunting
expedition, and went into exile; he had communicated his plan to no one
and took none of his property with him, except indeed that he himself
carried two daggers, the scabbards of which happened to be adorned with
much gold and precious stones. And when he came to Spolitium, he lodged
in a certain temple outside the fortifications. And when Constantinus,
who happened to be still tarrying there,[164] heard of this, he sent one
of his guards, Maxentiolus, and took away from him both the daggers for
no good reason. The man was deeply offended by what had taken place, and
set out for Rome with all speed and came to Belisarius, and Constantinus
also arrived there not long afterward; for the Gothic army was already
reported to be not far away. Now as long as the affairs of the Romans
were critical and in confusion, Presidius remained silent; but when he
saw that the Romans were gaining the upper hand and that the envoys of
the Goths had been sent to the emperor, as has been told by me above, he
frequently approached Belisarius reporting the injustice and demanding
that he assist him in obtaining his rights. And Belisarius reproached
Constantinus many times himself, and many times through others, urging
him to clear himself of the guilt of an unjust deed and of a
dishonouring report. But Constantinus--for it must needs be that evil
befall him--always lightly evaded the charge and taunted the wronged
man. But on one occasion Presidius met Belisarius riding on horseback in
the forum, and he laid hold of the horse's bridle, and crying out with a
loud voice asked whether the laws of the emperor said that, whenever
anyone fleeing from the barbarians comes to them as a suppliant, they
should rob him by violence of whatever he may chance to have in his
hands. And though many men gathered about and commanded him with threats
to let go his hold of the bridle, he did not let go until at last
Belisarius promised to give him the daggers. On the following day,
therefore, Belisarius called Constantinus and many of the commanders to
an apartment in the palace, and after going over what had happened on
the previous day urged him even at that late time to restore the
daggers. But C