Letter 77
To Anysius
Light and darkness are not wont to await each other. By a natural law, they avoid one another. Returning from escorting you we fell in with Andronicus.
Letter 78
To Anysius
Nothing could be more advantageous to Pentapolis than to give honour
to the Unnigardae, who are excellent both as men and as soldiers, in preference to all the
other troops, not only those who are termed native troops, but also all that have ever
come into these districts as auxiliary forces. The truth in that these latter, even when
they are much superior to the enemy in numbers, never yet gave battle with courage, but
the Unnigardae in two or three engagements, with a handful of forty men, engaged an enemy
of over a thousand. Assisted by God and led by you, they have gained the greatest and most
glorious victories. The barbarians have scarcely shown themselves when some were killed on
the spot and others put to flight. They still patrol the heights, ever on the watch to
drive back attacks of the enemy, like whelps springing out from the courtyard, that no
wild beast may attack the flock. But we blush when we see these brave fellows weeping in
the very midst of their strenuous service in our cause. It is not without sadness that you
are also ought not to be remain unmoved at their prayer. They make a request of you
through me, and of the Emperor through you, which it were only fair that we ourselves
should have made, even had they been silent, to wit, that their men should not be enrolled
amongst the native units. They would be useless both to themselves and to us if they were
deprived of their relays of horses and of their equipment, and of the pay which is due to
troops on active service. I beg you who were the bravest among these, not to allow your
comrades-in-arms to enter an inferior rank, but to let them remain without loss of their
honours, in the security of their former position.
This might be well, if our most kind Emperor should learn through your
representation how useful they have been to Pentapolis. Make of the Emperor another
request on my behalf in your letter, namely, to add one hundred and sixty of these
soldiers to the forty that we have already; for who would not admit that two hundred
Unnigardae, with the aid of God, like unto these in heart and hand, and no less docile
than brave, would suffice, when commanded by you, to bring the Ausurian war to an end for
the Emperor? Or what use are many levies and the annual cost of maintaining the troops
here? For war we need hands, not a list of names.