The Goths, from the earliest times to the end of the Gothic dominion in Spain . try people sufferedduring this terrible year will never be fully thousand peasants died of famine in the pro-vince of Piccnum alone. The historian Procopiusdescribes in vivid language the ghastly scenes ofwhich he was an eye-witness. The victims of hunger,he tells us, first grew deadly pale, then livid, andfinally black, like the charred remains of eyes had the wild glare of insanity. It wasruniovircd that some had yielded to the temptation THE HORRORS OF FAMINE. 267 to save their own live
The Goths, from the earliest times to the end of the Gothic dominion in Spain . try people sufferedduring this terrible year will never be fully thousand peasants died of famine in the pro-vince of Piccnum alone. The historian Procopiusdescribes in vivid language the ghastly scenes ofwhich he was an eye-witness. The victims of hunger,he tells us, first grew deadly pale, then livid, andfinally black, like the charred remains of eyes had the wild glare of insanity. It wasruniovircd that some had yielded to the temptation THE HORRORS OF FAMINE. 267 to save their own lives by feeding on human were seen lying dead on the ground, theirhands still clutching the grass which they had beentrying to pull up for food. The bodies lay unburied,but the birds disdained to touch them, for there wasno flesh left upon the bones. It is a horrible picture ; but it helps us to under-stand in some degree what is really meant by the famines that are so often mentioned in passing asincidents in the wars of the centuries to which ourstory XXV. THE GOTHS LOSE RAVENNA. Beltsarius was now master of the whole of Italy,except Ravenna itself and the northern provinceswhich form what is now called Lombardy. As soonas the siege of Auximum was ended, he marchedwith all his army to blockade the fortress capital inwhich King Witigis had taken refuge. That Ravenna would fall sooner or later wascertain. No doubt the great army of Goths whostill remained within the walls might, if they hadhad an efficient general, have sallied forth and over-whelmed the besiegers with their superior with Witigis for their commander nothing of thesort was to be feared ; and Bclisarius had capturedthe supplies of corn which were being brought to thecity down the Po, while the Roman war-ships in theAdriatic prevented any provisions from being im-ported by sea. And just at this time the storehousesof corn in Ravenna were consumed by fire, throughthe treachery, it
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectgoths, bookyear1887
