s, after defeating them in battle, slew most of their number, and
had ample opportunity to destroy them all. But the remainder of them
threw themselves upon the mercy of the generals and begged them to spare
their lives and to have them as allies and servants of the emperor
thereafter. And when Anastasius learned this, he was pleased, and
consequently a number of the Eruli were left; however, they neither
became allies of the Romans, nor did they do them any good.

But when Justinian took over the empire,[Y] he bestowed upon them good
lands and other possessions, and thus completely succeeded in winning
their friendship and persuaded them all to become Christians. As a
result of this they adopted a gentler manner of life and decided to
submit themselves wholly to the laws of the Christians, and in keeping
with the terms of their alliance they are generally arrayed with the
Romans against their enemies. They are still, however, faithless toward
them, and since they are given to avarice, they are eager to do violence
to their neighbours, feeling no shame at such conduct. And they mate in
an unholy manner, especially men with asses, and they are the basest of
all men and utterly abandoned rascals.

DATE:
[Y]527 A.D.

Afterwards, although some few of them remained at peace with the Romans,
as will be told by me in the following narrative,[191] all the rest
revolted for the following reason. The Eruli, displaying their beastly
and fanatical character against their own "rex," one Ochus by name,
suddenly killed the man for no good reason at all, laying against him no
other charge than that they wished to be without a king thereafter. And
yet even before this, while their king did have the title, he had
practically no advantage over any private citizen whomsoever. But all
claimed the right to sit with him and eat with him, and whoever wished
insulted him without restraint; for no men in the world are less bound
by convention or more unstable than the Eruli. Now when the evil deed
had been accomplished, they were immediately repentant. For they said
that they were not able to live without a ruler and without a general;
so after much deliberation it seemed to them best in every way to summon
one of their royal family from the island of Thule. And the reason for
this I shall now explain.

FOOTNOTES:

[188] Cf. Book IV. iv. 30.

[189] Modern Danube.

[190] Cf. Book III. ii. 2-6, VII. xxiv. 10.

[191