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he ordered all the pilots. 3.13.4 And so it happened that with the three ships leading the whole fleet, not one of them was left behind. And whenever they were about to set sail from a harbor, the trumpets would signal this to them. 3.13.5 But after they had put to sea from Abydus, harsh winds fell upon them and drove them to Sigeum. And then, experiencing a calm, they came more slowly to Malea, where indeed 3.13.6 the calm was of the greatest consequence to them. For since they were in a great fleet and with oversized ships, when night came on, the narrow space threw everything into confusion and 3.13.7 brought them to the extremity of danger. There both the pilots and the other sailors showed their skill, using much shouting and clatter and pushing off with their poles, and expertly making distances from one another, so that if either a following wind or a head wind had come upon them, the sailors, it seems to me, 3.13.8 would have with difficulty saved both themselves and the ships. But as it was, having escaped in the manner described, they put in at Taenarum, 3.13.9 which is now called Caenopolis. Then setting out from there they put in at Methone, and found that Valerian and Martinus with their men had arrived there a little before. 3.13.10 And since no winds were blowing for them, Belisarius anchored the ships there, and disembarked the whole army, and after they had disembarked he organized the commanders 3.13.11 and drew up the soldiers. And while he was arranging these things and there were no winds at all, it befell many of the soldiers to be destroyed by disease from the following cause. 3.13.12 The praetorian prefect John was both vile in character and so clever at devising ways to bring money into the public treasury to the ruin of men, that 3.13.13 I for my part could never describe it adequately. But this has also been said in the previous books, when 3.13.14 I was brought by the history to this point in my account. But now I shall proceed to tell in what manner he destroyed these 3.13.15 soldiers. The bread, on which the soldiers in the army are to be fed, must necessarily be put into the oven twice, and be so carefully baked that it may last for a very long time and not be spoiled in a short time, and the bread so baked must weigh less, and for this reason in such distributions of bread the soldiers are accustomed to have a fourth part of the usual weight 3.13.16 deducted. John, therefore, calculating how he might use less wood and pay a smaller wage to the bakers, and how the weight for him might not be deficient, had the bread, while still unbaked, brought to the public bath of Achilles, where the fire is burned underneath, 3.13.17 and ordered it to be put there. And when it seemed to have been baked in some fashion or other, he threw it into sacks and, putting it on the 3.13.18 ships, sent it off. And when the fleet arrived at Methone, the loaves, having fallen apart, had reverted again to flour, not sound, however, but rotten and mouldy and 3.13.19 already giving off a certain heavy smell. And they supplied this to the soldiers by measure, those to whom this duty was assigned, making the bread distribution now by choenices and medimni. 3.13.20 And the soldiers, feeding on this in the summer season in a place suffering from drought, fell sick, and no fewer than five hundred of them died; and indeed this was about to happen to the majority, but Belisarius prevented it, by ordering that local bread be supplied to them. And by reporting the matter to the emperor he himself won credit, but he certainly brought no penalty upon John at that time. 3.13.21 These things, then, happened in this way. And setting out from Methone they arrived at the harbor of the Zacynthians, where, having taken on board as much water as would be sufficient for them while sailing across the Adriatic sea, and having made their other 3.13.22 preparations, they began to sail. But since a very gentle and sluggish wind blew for them, on the sixteenth day they sailed down to a deserted place of Sicily, near which 3.13.23 Mount Aetna rises. And while they were delayed on this voyage, as has been said, it came to pass that all the water was spoiled, except, indeed, that which Belisarius himself 3.13.24 and his table-companions were drinking. For this alone was preserved by the

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κυβερνήτας ἐκέλευε πάντας. 3.13.4 οὕτω τε τῶν νεῶν τῶν τριῶν ἡγουμένων παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ τετύχηκεν αὐτῶν οὐδεμίαν ἀπολελεῖφθαι. ὅτε μέντοι ἐκ λιμένος ἀπαίρειν μέλλοιεν, ἐσήμαινον αὐτοῖς αἱ σάλπιγγες τοῦτο. 3.13.5 Ἐκ δὲ Ἀβύδου ἀναχθεῖσιν αὐτοῖς ἄνεμοι σκληροὶ ἐπιπεσόντες ἤγαγον εἰς τὸ Σίγειον. αὖθίς τε νηνεμίᾳ χρησάμενοι σχολαίτεροι ἐς Μαλέαν ἦλθον, ἔνθα δὴ 3.13.6 αὐτοῖς ἡ νηνεμία ξυνήνεγκεν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα. ἅτε γὰρ ἐν στόλῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ ναυσὶν ὑπερμεγέθεσι, νυκτὸς ἐπιγενομένης, ἡ στενοχωρία ξυνετάραξέ τε ἅπαντα καὶ 3.13.7 ἐς ἔσχατον κινδύνου ἤνεγκεν. ἐνταῦθα οἵ τε κυβερνῆται καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ναῦται ἀρετὴν ἐπεδείξαντο, βοῇ τε καὶ πατάγῳ πολλῷ χρώμενοι καὶ τοῖς κοντοῖς διωθούμενοι, ἐμπείρως τε ἀπ' ἀλλήλων τὰς διαστάσεις ποιούμενοι, ὥστε εἰ καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπίφορον ἢ καὶ ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐτοῖς ἐπεγένετο, μόλις ἂν οἱ ναῦταί μοι 3.13.8 δοκεῖ σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς ναῦς διεσώσαντο. νῦν δὲ οὕτως ὥσπερ εἴρηται διαφυγόντες Ταινάρῳ προσέ3.13.9 μιξαν, ἣ νῦν Καινούπολις ἐπικαλεῖται. εἶτα ἐνθένδε ὁρμηθέντες Μεθώνῃ προσέσχον, εὗρόν τε ὀλίγῳ πρότερον τοὺς ἀμφὶ Βαλεριανόν τε καὶ Μαρτῖνον αὐτόσε 3.13.10 ἀφικομένους. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἄνεμοι οὐκ ἐπέπνεον σφίσι, τὰς μὲν ναῦς Βελισάριος ἐνταῦθα ὥρμισε, τὸ δὲ στράτευμα ἀπεβίβασεν ἅπαν, καὶ ἀποβάντας τούς τε ἄρχον3.13.11 τας διεκόσμησε καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας διέτασσε. ταῦτά τε αὐτοῦ διέποντος καὶ ἀνέμων ἥκιστα ἐπιγινομένων, ἐπῆλθε πολλοῖς τῶν στρατιωτῶν νόσῳ διαφθαρῆναι ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. 3.13.12 Ὁ τῆς αὐλῆς ἔπαρχος Ἰωάννης φλαῦρός τε ἦν τὸν τρόπον καὶ οὕτω δυνατὸς εἰς τὸ προσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἐπινοῆσαι χρήματα ἐπὶ λύμῃ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς 3.13.13 οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἔγωγε φράσαι ἱκανῶς ἔχοιμι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, ἡνίκα 3.13.14 πρὸς τῆς ἱστορίας ἐς τόδε ἠγόμην τοῦ λόγου. τὰ δὲ νῦν ὅτῳ ποτὲ τρόπῳ τούτους δὴ τοὺς στρατιώτας διε3.13.15 χρήσατο ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. τὸν ἄρτον, ᾧ δὴ μέλλουσιν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ οἱ στρατιῶται σιτίζεσθαι, δὶς μὲν ἐπάναγκες ἐς τὸν πνιγέα εἰσάγεσθαι, ἐπιμελῶς δὲ οὕτως ὀπτᾶσθαι ὥστε ἐξικνεῖσθαί τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ μὴ χρόνῳ βραχεῖ διαφθείρεσθαι, τόν τε οὕτως ὀπτώμενον ἄρτον ἀνάγκη ἐλάσσω τὸν σταθμὸν ἕλκειν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς τοιαῖσδε ἀρτοδαισίαις εἰώθασιν οἱ στρατιῶται τοῦ συνειθισμένου σταθμοῦ τὸ τεταρτη3.13.16 μόριον ἀποτέμνεσθαι. Ἰωάννης οὖν λογισάμενος ὅπως ἐλάσσω τε τὰ ξύλα καὶ τὸν μισθὸν τοῖς ἀρτοποιοῖς ἥσσονα δοίη, καὶ ὅπως οἱ οὐκ ἐνδεὴς ὁ σταθμὸς εἴη, ὠμὸν ἔτι τὸν ἄρτον ἐς τὸ δημόσιον βαλανεῖον ἐσκομίσας τὸν Ἀχιλλέα, οὗ δὴ ἔνερθεν τὸ πῦρ καίεται, 3.13.17 καταθέσθαι ἐκέλευσε. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀμωσγέπως ὀπτᾶσθαι ἐδόκει, ἐμβαλὼν θυλακίοις ἐνθέμενός τε ἐν ταῖς 3.13.18 ναυσὶν ἔστελλε. καὶ ἐπεὶ ὁ στόλος ἐς Μεθώνην ἀφίκετο, διαρρυέντες οἱ ἄρτοι ἐπανῆκον αὖθις ἐς ἄλευρα, οὐχ ὑγιᾶ μέντοι, σεσηπότα δὲ καὶ εὐρωτιῶντα καί 3.13.19 τινα ὀσμὴν ἤδη βαρεῖαν φέροντα. ἐχορήγουν τε αὐτὰ τοῖς στρατιώταις πρὸς μέτρον οἷς προσέκειτο ἡ τιμὴ αὕτη, χοίνιξί τε ἤδη καὶ μεδίμνοις τὴν ἀρτοδαισίαν 3.13.20 ποιούμενοι. τούτοις δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται ὥρᾳ θέρους ἐν χωρίῳ αὐχμοὺς ἔχοντι σιτιζόμενοι ἐνόσησάν τε καὶ αὐτῶν ἀπέθανον οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ πεντακόσιοι· ὃ δὴ καὶ τοῖς πλείοσι ξυμπεσεῖν ἔμελλεν, ἀλλὰ Βελισάριος διεκώλυσεν, ἄρτους αὐτοῖς ἐπιχωρίους χορηγεῖσθαι κελεύσας. βασιλεῖ δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα δηλώσας αὐτὸς μὲν ηὐδοκίμησεν, οὐ μήν τινα τότε Ἰωάννῃ ζημίαν ἤνεγκε. 3.13.21 Ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτως ἐγένετο. ἐκ δὲ Μεθώνης ὁρμηθέντες ἀφίκοντο ἐς τὸν Ζακυνθίων λιμένα, ἔνθα δὴ ὕδωρ τε ἐμβεβλημένοι ὅσον σφίσιν ἐξικνεῖσθαι ἔμελλε τὸ Ἀδριατικὸν πέλαγος διαπλέουσι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα 3.13.22 παρασκευασάμενοι ἔπλεον. ἀνέμου δὲ σφίσι μαλακοῦ τε καὶ νωθροῦ κομιδῆ ἐπιπνεύσαντος ἑκκαιδεκαταῖοι κατέπλευσαν τῆς Σικελίας ἐς χῶρον ἔρημον, οὗ τὸ 3.13.23 ὄρος ἐγγὺς ἡ Αἴτνη ἀνέχει. ἐν δὲ τῷ διάπλῳ τούτῳ διατρίψασιν αὐτοῖς ὥσπερ εἴρηται, ξυνέπεσεν ἅπασι διαφθαρῆναι τὰ ὕδατα, πλήν γε δὴ οὗ Βελισάριός τε 3.13.24 αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ ξυμπόται ἔπινον. τοῦτο γὰρ διεσώσατο μόνον ἡ