n
Peter, who had boldly rebuked the Gothic King for the murder of his
benefactress, and had on his master's behalf denounced a truceless war
against him, still lingered at his Court. Theodahad, who during part
of the summer and autumn of 535 seems to have been at Rome, not at
Ravenna, was more than half inclined to resume his old negotiations
with the Emperor, and either to purchase peace by sinking into the
condition of a tributary, or to sell his kingdom outright for a
revenue of L48,000 a year and a high place among the nobles of the
Empire. Procopius[65] gives us a vivid and detailed narrative of the
manner in which these negotiations were conducted by Theodahad, who
was perpetually wavering between arrogance and timidity; trembling at
the successes of Belisarius, elated by any victory which his generals
might win in Dalmatia; and who at length, upon receiving the tidings
of the defeat and death of Mundus, broke off the negotiations
altogether, and shut up Peter and his colleague Athanasius in prison.

[Footnote 65: De Bello Gotthico, i. 6.]

[Sidenote: Silence of the 'Variae' as to many of the negotiations
between Theodahad and Justinian.]

Here again, while not doubting the truth of the narrative of
Procopius, I do not find it possible exactly to fit in the letters
written by Cassiodorus for Theodahad with the various stages of the
negotiation as described by him. Especially the striking letter of the
King to the Emperor--striking by reason of its very abjectness--which
is quoted by Procopius in the sixth chapter of his First Book, appears
to be entirely unrepresented in the collection of Cassiodorus.
Evidently all this part of the 'Variae' has been severely edited by
its author, who has expunged all that seemed to reflect too great
discredit on the Sovereign whom he had once served, and has preserved
only some letters written to Justinian and Theodora by Theodahad and
his wife, vaguely praising peace, and beseeching the Imperial pair to
restore it to Italy; letters which, as it seems to me, may be applied
with about equal fitness to any movement of the busy shuttle of
diplomacy backwards and forwards between Ravenna and Constantinople.

[Sidenote: Theodahad deposed, Witigis elected, Aug. 536.]

The onward march of Belisarius trampled all the combinations of
diplomatists into the dust. In the early part of July, 536, he had
succeeded in capturing the important city of Neapolis, and had begun
to threaten Rome