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beginning in the morning, ended at night. And in this battle the heroes were, on the Roman side Belisarius, and on the Gothic side Visandus Bandalarius, who, when the battle raged around Belisarius, having been the first to fall upon him, did not withdraw until he fell after receiving thirteen wounds in his body. 5.18.30 And since he was thought to have died instantly, he was neglected by his comrades, although they had been victorious, and he lay there with the dead. 5.18.31 But on the third day, when the barbarians, having encamped very near the wall of Rome, sent some men for the purpose of burying their dead and performing the customary rites over them in a pious manner, those who were examining the bodies of the fallen found Visandus Bandalarius still breathing, and one of his 5.18.32 comrades begged him to utter some sound. But he, for he was not able, since his insides were exceedingly parched by both hunger and the dryness resulting from his other suffering, motioned for water to be poured into his mouth. And when he had drunk and come to himself, they lifted him up and carried him to the camp. 5.18.33 And Visandus Bandalarius won a great name among the Goths from this deed, and being especially renowned he lived on for a very long time. So it came to pass that these things happened on the third day after the battle. 5.18.34 At that time Belisarius, when he was in safety with his followers, gathered the soldiers and practically the whole populace of the Romans to the wall, and ordered them to light many fires and to stay awake the whole night. And going around the circuit-wall he gave various orders and set one of the commanders over each gate. 5.18.35 But Bessas, who had the guard at the gate called Praenestine, sending a messenger to Belisarius, bade him say that the city was being taken by the enemy, who had broken in through another gate, which is beyond the river Tiber, 5.18.36 being named after Pancratius, a holy man. Hearing this, all those who were with Belisarius advised him to save himself as quickly as possible through another gate. He himself, however, was not terrified, nor did he maintain that the report was sound. 5.18.37 And he sent some of the cavalry with all speed across the river Tiber, who, after inspecting matters there, reported that nothing hostile had happened to the city there. 5.18.38 Therefore he sent immediately to each gate and instructed the commanders everywhere that, whenever they should hear that the enemy had broken in at some other part of the wall, they should neither defend nor leave their own post, but should remain quiet; for he himself would take care of 5.18.39 these matters. He did these things so that they might not be thrown into confusion again by an untrue rumour. And Wittigis, while the Romans were still in great confusion, sent to the Salarian Gate one of the commanders, Vacis 5.18.40 by name, a man of no mean station. He, coming there and reviling the Romans for their faithlessness toward the Goths, reproached them for the treason which, he said, they had committed against both their fatherland and themselves, they who had exchanged the power of the Goths for Greeks who were unable to defend them, from whom they had previously seen no one come to Italy except tragic actors and mimes and 5.18.41 thieving sailors. After Vacis had said these things and much of a like sort, since no one answered him, he withdrew to the Goths and to 5.18.42 Wittigis. But Belisarius incurred much ridicule from the Romans, since, having barely escaped the enemy, he was now bidding them to be of good courage and to despise the barbarians. For he said he knew well that he would defeat them decisively. But how he learned this and knew it, will be told in the subsequent narrative. 5.18.43 And when it was far into the night, his wife and such of his friends as were present with difficulty compelled Belisarius, who was still fasting, to taste a very little bread. So, then, both sides passed this night in this way. 5.19.1 On the following day the Goths, thinking to capture Rome by siege with no trouble because of the size of the city, and the Romans, defending it, were drawn up as follows. The circuit-wall of the city has fourteen gates and 5.19.2 some posterns. But the Goths, not being able to surround the wall in a circle with their whole army, made six fortified camps and harassed the space of five gates, from the

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πρωῒ ἀρξαμένη ἐτελεύτα ἐς νύκτα. ἠρίστευσαν δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ Ῥωμαίων μὲν Βελισάριος, Γότθων δὲ Οὐίσανδος Βανδαλάριος, ὃς, ἡνίκα ἡ μάχη ἀμφὶ Βελισαρίῳ ἐγένετο, ἐπειδὴ αὐτῷ τὰ πρῶτα ἐπέπεσεν, οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη ἕως τρισκαίδεκα πληγὰς λαβὼν τῷ σώματι 5.18.30 ἔπεσε. δόξας δὲ αὐτίκα τεθνάναι, ἠμελήθη τε πρὸς τῶν ἑταίρων, καίπερ νενικηκότων, καὶ ξὺν τοῖς νεκροῖς 5.18.31 αὐτοῦ ἔκειτο. τρίτῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐπειδὴ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἄγχιστα τοῦ Ῥώμης περιβόλου οἱ βάρβαροι ἔπεμψάν τινας ἐφ' ᾧ νεκρούς τε τοὺς σφετέρους θάψουσι καὶ τὰ νόμιμα ἐπὶ ὁσίᾳ τῇ ἐκείνων ποιήσονται, οἱ τὰ σώματα τῶν κειμένων διερευνώμενοι Οὐίσανδον Βανδαλάριον ἔτι ἔμπνουν εὑρίσκουσι, καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν 5.18.32 τις ἑταίρων φωνήν τινά οἱ ἀφεῖναι ἠξίου. ὁ δὲ, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐδύνατο, ἐπεί οἱ τὰ ἐντὸς τῷ τε λιμῷ καὶ τῷ ἐκ τῆς ἄλλης κακοπαθείας αὐχμῷ λίαν ἐκάετο, ὕδωρ οἱ ἔνευεν ἐς τὸ στόμα ἐμβάλλεσθαι. πιόντα τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν αὑτῷ γεγονότα ἀράμενοι ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον 5.18.33 ἤνεγκαν. μέγα τε ὄνομα Οὐίσανδος Βανδαλάριος ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ἐν Γότθοις ἔσχε, καὶ τὰ μάλιστα εὐδοκιμῶν πάμπολύν τινα ἐπεβίω χρόνον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τρίτῃ ἀπὸ τῆς μάχης ἡμέρᾳ γεγενῆσθαι ξυνέπεσε. 5.18.34 Τότε δὲ Βελισάριος ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐγένετο, στρατιώτας τε καὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων δῆμον σχεδόν τι ἅπαντα ἐς τὸ τεῖχος ἀγείρας, πυρά τε πολλὰ καίειν καὶ τὴν νύκτα ὅλην ἐγρηγορέναι ἐκέλευε. καὶ τὸν περίβολον περιιὼν κύκλῳ τά τε ἄλλα διεῖπε καὶ πύλῃ ἑκάστῃ τῶν τινα ἀρχόντων ἐπέστησε. 5.18.35 Βέσσας δὲ, ὃς ἐν πύλῃ τῇ καλουμένῃ Πραινεστίνῃ φυλακὴν ἔσχεν, ἄγγελον παρὰ Βελισάριον πέμψας ἐκέλευε λέγειν ἔχεσθαι πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων τὴν πόλιν, δι' ἄλλης πύλης ἐμβεβληκότων, ἣ ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Τίβερίν 5.18.36 ἐστι Παγκρατίου ἀνδρὸς ἁγίου ἐπώνυμος οὖσα. ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες ὅσοι ἀμφὶ Βελισάριον ἦσαν, σώζεσθαι ὅτι τάχιστα διὰ πύλης ἑτέρας παρῄνουν. αὐτὸς μέντοι οὔτε κατωρρώδησεν, οὔτε τὸν λόγον ὑγιᾶ ἰσχυρίζετο 5.18.37 εἶναι. ἔπεμψε δὲ καὶ τῶν ἱππέων τινὰς ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Τίβεριν κατὰ τάχος, οἳ τὰ ἐκείνῃ ἐπισκεψάμενοι οὐδὲν πολέμιον τῇ πόλει ἐνταῦθα ξυμβῆναι ἀπήγγελλον. 5.18.38 πέμψας οὖν εὐθὺς ἐς πύλην ἑκάστην ἄρχουσι τοῖς πανταχῆ οὖσιν ἐπέστελλεν ὥστε, ἐπειδὰν τοὺς πολεμίους ἀκούσωσι κατ' ἄλλην τινὰ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐσβεβληκέναι μοῖραν, μήτε ἀμύνειν μήτε φυλακὴν τὴν σφετέραν ἐκλιπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἡσυχῆ μένειν· αὐτῷ γὰρ ὑπὲρ 5.18.39 τούτων μελήσειν. ἔπρασσε δὲ ταῦτα, ὅπως μὴ ἐκ φήμης οὐκ ἀληθοῦς ἐς ταραχὴν αὖθις καθιστῶνται. Οὐίττιγις δὲ, Ῥωμαίων ἔτι ἐν θορύβῳ πολλῷ καθεστώτων, ἐς πύλην Σαλαρίαν τῶν τινα ἀρχόντων, Οὔακιν 5.18.40 ὄνομα, ἔπεμψεν, οὐκ ἀφανῆ ἄνδρα. ὃς ἐνταῦθα ἐλθὼν καὶ Ῥωμαίους τῆς ἐς Γότθους ἀπιστίας κακίσας τὴν προδοσίαν ὠνείδιζεν, ἣν αὐτοὺς ἐπί τε τῇ πατρίδι πεποιῆσθαι καὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν, οἳ τῆς Γότθων δυνάμεως Γραικοὺς τοὺς σφίσιν οὐχ οἵους τε ἀμύνειν ὄντας ἠλλάξαντο, ἐξ ὧν τὰ πρότερα οὐδένα ἐς Ἰταλίαν ἥκοντα εἶδον, ὅτι μὴ τραγῳδούς τε καὶ μίμους καὶ 5.18.41 ναύτας λωποδύτας. ταῦτά τε καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα Οὔακις εἰπὼν, ἐπεί οἱ οὐδεὶς ἀπεκρίνατο, ἐς Γότθους τε καὶ 5.18.42 Οὐίττιγιν ἀνεχώρησε. Βελισάριος δὲ γέλωτα πολὺν πρὸς Ῥωμαίων ὦφλεν, ἐπεὶ μόλις τοὺς πολεμίους διαφυγὼν θαρσεῖν τε ἤδη καὶ περιφρονεῖν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκέλευεν. εὖ γὰρ εἰδέναι ὡς κατὰ κράτος αὐτοὺς νικήσει. ὅπως δὲ τοῦτο καταμαθὼν ἔγνω, ἐν τοῖς 5.18.43 ὄπισθεν λόγοις εἰρήσεται. ἐπεὶ δὲ πόρρω ἦν τῶν νυκτῶν, νῆστιν ἔτι Βελισάριον ὄντα ἥ τε γυνὴ καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ὅσοι παρῆσαν ἄρτου βραχέος κομιδῆ γεύσασθαι μόλις ἠνάγκασαν. ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν νύκτα οὕτως ἑκάτεροι διενυκτέρευσαν. 5.19.1 Τῇ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ Γότθοι μὲν Ῥώμην πολιορκίᾳ ἑλεῖν διὰ μέγεθος τῆς πόλεως οὐδενὶ πόνῳ οἰόμενοι, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτῆς ἀμυνόμενοι ἐτάξαντο ὧδε. ἔχει μὲν τῆς πόλεως ὁ περίβολος δὶς ἑπτὰ πύλας καὶ 5.19.2 πυλίδας τινάς. Γότθοι δὲ οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες ὅλῳ τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τὸ τεῖχος περιλαβέσθαι κύκλῳ, ἓξ ποιησάμενοι χαρακώματα πέντε πυλῶν χῶρον ἠνώχλουν, ἐκ τῆς