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and he ordered that the garrison of the tomb be taken care of. 5.22.19 And meanwhile the Goths were attacking the Aurelian Gate and the tower of Hadrian, having no engines of war, but bringing up a very great quantity of ladders and thinking that with a multitude of arrows they would easily drive the enemy to desperation and would take the garrison there with no 5.22.20 trouble on account of its fewness of men. And they advanced holding shields before them, in no way inferior to the shields in Persia, and indeed they came very close to their opponents 5.22.21 without being noticed. For they came hidden under the portico which extends to the church of the Apostle Peter. From there appearing suddenly they set to work, so that the guards were not able to use the so-called ballista (for these machines do not hurl their missiles except straight ahead) nor indeed to defend themselves against the attackers with their arrows, since the situation was against them 5.22.22 because of the shields. And since the Goths were pressing on vigorously, shooting frequently at the battlements, and were now about to place their ladders against the fortification, having almost surrounded those defending themselves from the tomb, for they were always coming at them from the flanks and in the rear, if they should advance, for a short time consternation fell upon the Romans, as they had no hope as to how they should defend themselves and be saved, but after coming to an agreement, they destroyed most of the statues, which were very large, and lifting huge stones from there with both hands, they hurled them from the top down upon the enemy, who, being struck, gave 5.22.23 way. And as they gradually retreated, the Romans, now having the advantage, took courage and with a great shout defended themselves with bows and volleys of stones against those assaulting the wall. 5.22.24 And getting to their engines they brought great fear upon the enemy, and their assault came to an end in a short time. 5.22.25 And Constantine was now present, having frightened away and easily repulsed those who had made an attempt on the river, since they found the fortification there not entirely unguarded, as they had supposed. And thus matters concerning the Aurelian Gate were made safe. 5.23.1 However, against the gate beyond the river Tiber, which is called the Pancratian, a force of the enemy came and did nothing at all worthy of mention, because of the strength of the place; for in this part the circuit-wall of the city is steep and not easy for 5.23.2 assaults. Paul held the guard there, with an infantry detachment which he himself commanded. Moreover, they did not even make an attempt on the Flaminian Gate, since, lying in a precipitous place, it is not very easy of 5.23.3 access. The Rhegians, an infantry contingent, were guarding this, and Ursicinus, who commanded them. And between this gate and the small gate next to it on the right, which is named Pincian, a certain portion of the circuit-wall had long ago been split in two of its own accord, not, however, from the foundation, but about halfway up, it did not fall nor was it otherwise destroyed, but it leaned in such a way on both sides, that one part appeared outside the rest of the wall, and the other 5.23.4 inside. And from this the Romans from of old call the place in their own language the "Broken Wall." 5.23.5 And when Belisarius at the beginning attempted to tear down and rebuild this part, the Romans prevented him, insisting that Peter the apostle had promised them that he himself would take care of the guard-post there. And this apostle the Romans revere 5.23.6 and marvel at most of all. And everything turned out for them in this place just as they intended and expected. For neither on that day, nor indeed during the whole time that the Goths were besieging Rome, did any force of the enemy come there nor did any disturbance 5.23.7 happen to occur. And we indeed were amazed that this portion of the circuit-wall never came into our memory or that of the enemy during the whole time, neither when they were assaulting the wall nor when they were plotting against the wall by night, 5.23.8 such as the many things they attempted. For which reason no one later dared to rebuild this, but to this day the wall in that place is thus divided. So these things, then, turned out in this way. 5.23.9 But at the Salarian Gate a Gothic man

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καὶ τῷ τάφῳ φρουρᾶς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι παρήγ5.22.19 γελλεν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ Γότθοι πύλῃ τῇ Αὐρηλίᾳ καὶ τῷ Ἀδριανοῦ πύργῳ προσέβαλλον, μηχανὴν μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντες, κλιμάκων δὲ πάμπολύ τι ἐπαγόμενοι χρῆμα καὶ τοξευμάτων πλήθει ῥᾷον ἔς τε ἀπορίαν καταστήσασθαι τοὺς πολεμίους οἰόμενοι καὶ τοῦ ἐνταῦθα φυλακτηρίου κρατήσειν δι' ὀλιγανθρωπίαν οὐ5.22.20 δενὶ πόνῳ. θύρας δὲ προβεβλημένοι ἐβάδιζον, οὐδὲν ἐλασσουμένας τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις θυρεῶν, καὶ ἔλαθόν γε 5.22.21 τοὺς ἐναντίους ἀγχοτάτω αὐτῶν ἥκοντες. ὑπὸ γὰρ τῇ στοᾷ κρυπτόμενοι ἦλθον, ἣ ἐς τὸν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου νεὼν διήκει. ἐνθένδε φανέντες ἐξαπιναίως ἔργου εἴχοντο, ὡς μήτε τῇ καλουμένῃ βαλλίστρᾳ χρῆσθαι τοὺς φύλακας οἵους τε εἶναι (οὐ γὰρ πέμπουσιν ὅτι μὴ ἐξ ἐναντίας αἱ μηχαναὶ αὗται τὰ βέλη) οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῖς τοξεύμασι τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνεσθαι, τοῦ 5.22.22 πράγματος σφίσι διὰ τὰς θύρας ἀντιστατοῦντος. ἐπεὶ δὲ καρτερῶς τε οἱ Γότθοι ἐνέκειντο, βάλλοντες συχνὰ ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις, καὶ τὰς κλίμακας ἤδη προσθήσειν τῷ τειχίσματι ἔμελλον, κυκλώσαντες σχεδόν τι τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ τάφου ἀμυνομένους, ἀεὶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς, εἰ χωρήσειαν, κατὰ νώτου ἐκ τῶν πλαγίων ἐγίνοντο, χρόνον μέν τινα ὀλίγον ἔκπληξις τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένετο οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐλπίδα καθ' ὅ τι χρὴ ἀμυνομένους σωθῆναι, μετὰ δὲ ξυμφρονήσαντες τῶν ἀγαλμάτων τὰ πλεῖστα, μεγάλα λίαν ὄντα, διέφθειρον, αἴροντές τε λίθους περιπληθεῖς ἐνθένδε χερσὶν ἀμφοτέραις κατὰ κορυφὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐρρίπτουν, οἱ δὲ βαλλόμενοι ἐνεδίδο5.22.23 σαν. κατὰ βραχύ τε αὐτῶν ὑποχωρούντων, τὸ πλέον ἤδη Ῥωμαῖοι ἔχοντες, ἐθάρσησάν τε καὶ ξὺν βοῇ μείζονι τόξοις τε καὶ λίθων βολαῖς τοὺς τειχομαχοῦντας 5.22.24 ἠμύνοντο. καὶ τῶν μηχανῶν ἁψάμενοι ἐς δέος μέγα τοὺς ἐναντίους ἦγον, ἥ τε προσβολὴ αὐτῶν δι' ὀλίγου 5.22.25 ἐγένετο. παρῆν δὲ ἤδη καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος δεδιξάμενός τε τοὺς τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀποπειρασαμένους καὶ ῥᾳδίως ὠσάμενος, ἐπεὶ οὐ παντάπασιν ἀφύλακτον, ὥσπερ ᾤοντο, τὸ ἐκείνῃ τείχισμα εὗρον. οὕτω τε ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ τὰ ἀμφὶ πύλην Αὐρηλίαν ἐγένετο. 5.23.1 Ἐς μέντοι πύλην τὴν ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Τίβεριν, ἣ Παγκρατιανὴ καλεῖται, δύναμις τῶν πολεμίων ἐλθοῦσα οὐδὲν ὅ τι καὶ ἄξιον λόγου ἔδρασε, χωρίου ἰσχύϊ· ἀνάντης τε γὰρ καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐφόδους οὐκ εὐ5.23.2 πετὴς ταύτῃ ὁ τῆς πόλεως περίβολός ἐστι. Παῦλος ἐνταῦθα φυλακὴν εἶχε, ξὺν καταλόγῳ πεζικῷ, οὗ αὐτὸς ἦρχεν. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πύλης Φλαμινίας ἀπεπειράσαντο, ἐπεὶ ἐν χώρῳ κρημνώδει κειμένη οὐ λίαν ἐστὶν εὐπρόσ5.23.3 οδος. οἱ Ῥῆγες ἐνταῦθα πεζικὸν τέλος ἐφύλασσον καὶ Οὐρσικῖνος, ὃς αὐτῶν ἦρχε. ταύτης δὲ μεταξὺ τῆς πύλης καὶ τῆς ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐχομένης πυλίδος, ἣ Πιγκιανὴ ὀνομάζεται, μοῖρά τις τοῦ περιβόλου δίχα τὸ παλαιὸν ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου διαιρεθεῖσα, οὐκ ἐξ ἐδάφους μέντοι, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐκ μήκους τοῦ ἡμίσεος, οὐκ ἔπεσε μὲν οὐδὲ ἄλλως διεφθάρη, ἐκλίθη δὲ οὕτως ἐφ' ἑκάτερα, ὡς τὸ μὲν ἐκτὸς τοῦ ἄλλου τείχους, τὸ δὲ 5.23.4 ἐντὸς φαίνεσθαι. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Περίβολον ∆ιερρωγότα Ῥωμαῖοι τῇ σφετέρᾳ γλώσσῃ ἐκ παλαιοῦ καλοῦσι 5.23.5 τὸν χῶρον. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μέρος καθελεῖν τε καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι Βελισάριον κατ' ἀρχὰς ἐγχειροῦντα ἐκώλυον Ῥωμαῖοι, Πέτρον σφίσι τὸν ἀπόστολον ὑποσχέσθαι ἰσχυριζόμενοι αὑτῷ μελήσειν τοῦ ἐνταῦθα φυλακτηρίου. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν ἀπόστολον σέβονται Ῥωμαῖοι 5.23.6 καὶ τεθήπασι πάντων μάλιστα. ἀπέβη τε αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα ἐν τῷδε τῷ χωρίῳ ᾗ διενοοῦντο καὶ προσεδόκων. οὐδὲ γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον, καθ' ὃν Γότθοι Ῥώμην ἐπολιόρκουν, οὔτε πολεμίων τις δύναμις ἐνταῦθα ἀφίκετο οὔτε τινὰ 5.23.7 ταραχὴν γενέσθαι ξυνέβη. καὶ ἐθαυμάζομέν γε ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐς μνήμην ἡμετέραν ἢ τῶν πολεμίων αὕτη τοῦ περιβόλου ἡ μοῖρα παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἦλθεν, οὔτε τειχομαχούντων οὔτε νύκτωρ ἐπιβουλευόντων τῷ 5.23.8 τείχει, οἷα πολλὰ ἐνεχείρησαν. διὸ δὴ οὐδὲ ὕστερόν τις ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι τοῦτο ἐτόλμησεν, ἀλλ' ἐς ἡμέραν τήνδε οὕτω τὸ ἐκείνῃ διῄρηται τεῖχος. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὧδέ πη ἔσχεν. 5.23.9 Ἐν δὲ Σαλαρίᾳ πύλῃ Γότθος ἀνὴρ