218

tall and a good warrior, wearing a corselet and having a helmet on his head, and being not inconspicuous among the Gothic nation, he did not remain in the ranks with the others, but standing by a tree he shot frequently at the battlements. 5.23.10 And an engine on a tower at the left side, by some chance, shot this man. 5.23.11 And the missile, passing through both the corselet and the man's body, sank more than half its length into the tree, and by its impact, binding the man to it, suspended him there a corpse. 5.23.12 When the Goths saw this, they were terrified and, getting out of range of the missiles, they still remained in their ranks, but they no longer harassed those on the wall. 5.23.13 But Bessas and Peranius, since Vittigis was pressing them most vigorously at the Vivarium, sent for Belisarius. And he, fearing for the wall there (for it was most assailable at this point, as has been said), came himself with all speed to the rescue, leaving one of his trusted men at the Salarian Gate. 5.23.14 And finding the soldiers in the Vivarium terrified by the attack of the enemy, which was both strong and made by a great host, he bade them despise the enemy and brought them back to a state of confidence. 5.23.15 For the ground at this point was quite level and for that reason exposed to the assaults of assailants. And by some chance the wall there had so crumbled for the most part that the bond of the bricks was not very secure. 5.23.16 Now the ancient Romans had thrown another short wall about it on the outside, not for the sake of any security (for it had no fortification of towers, nor indeed had any battlements been made there nor anything else from which it would have been possible to repel an attack of the enemy against the circuit-wall) but for the sake of some unseemly luxury, so that they might shut in and keep lions and other wild beasts there. 5.23.17 For this reason, indeed, it has been named Vivarium. For thus the Romans call the place where untamed animals are accustomed to be kept. Vittigis, therefore, was preparing engines at different parts of the wall and commanded the Goths to dig through the outer small wall, thinking that, if they got inside this, they would capture the wall with no trouble, since he knew it was in no way strong. 5.23.18 But Belisarius, seeing the enemy digging through the Vivarium and attacking many parts of the circuit-wall, allowed the soldiers neither to defend nor to remain on the battlements, except for a very few, although he had with him all who were of any account in the army. 5.23.19 But below he held them all in readiness about the gates, armed with corselets and carrying only swords in their hands. And when the Goths, having broken through the wall, got inside the Vivarium, he quickly sent Cyprian with some others against them and ordered them to get to work. 5.23.20 And they killed all who had rushed in, who were not defending themselves and were being destroyed by their own men in the narrow space at the exit. 5.23.21 And since the enemy were panic-stricken by the unexpectedness of it and were not drawn up in order, but were rushing one in one direction and another in another, he suddenly threw open the gates of the circuit-wall and sent his whole army against the enemy. 5.23.22 And the Goths were not at all concerned with resistance, but rushed into flight, wherever each one happened to be. And the Romans followed and very easily killed those who were always in their path, and the pursuit became great, since the Goths were fighting against the wall here far removed from their own stockades. 5.23.23 And Belisarius ordered the enemy's engines to be burned, and the flame, rising to a great height, naturally caused greater panic among the fugitives. 5.23.24 At this time it also happened that a similar fortune befell at the Salarian Gate. For they suddenly opened the gates and fell upon the barbarians unexpectedly, and they killed them as they offered no resistance but turned their backs, and they burned their siege-engines. 5.23.25 And the flame rose high in many parts of the wall, and the retreat of the Goths was already becoming a rout from the whole circuit-wall, and the shouting from both sides was tremendous, with the Romans on the wall urging on the pursuers, and those in the stockades the excess of their suffering

218

εὐμήκης τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὰ πολέμια θώρακά τε ἐνδιδυσκόμενος καὶ κράνος ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ ἔχων, ὤν τε οὐκ ἀφανὴς ἐν τῷ Γότθων ἔθνει, οὐκ ἐν τάξει ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔμεινεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ δένδρου ἱστάμενος ἔβαλε συχνὰ ἐς τὰς ἐπάλ5.23.10 ξεις. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα μηχανὴ ἐν πύργῳ κατὰ 5.23.11 μέρος τὸ λαιὸν οὖσα τύχῃ τινὶ ἔβαλε. διαβὰν δὲ τόν τε θώρακα καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σῶμα τὸ βέλος ὑπὲρ ἥμισυ ἐς τὸ δένδρον ἔδυ, ἐνέρσει τε αὐτοῦ τὸν ἄνδρα 5.23.12 ξυνδῆσαν νεκρὸν ἤρτησεν. ὅπερ ἐπεὶ οἱ Γότθοι κατεῖδον, κατορρωδήσαντες καὶ βελῶν ἔξω γενόμενοι ἔμενον μὲν ἔτι ἐν τάξει, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τῷ τείχει οὐκέτι ἐλύπουν. 5.23.13 Βέσσας δὲ καὶ Περάνιος, Οὐιττίγιδος ἐν Βιβαρίῳ ἰσχυρότατα ἐγκειμένου σφίσι, Βελισάριον μετεπέμποντο. ὁ δὲ δείσας περὶ τῷ ἐνταῦθα τείχει (ἦν γὰρ ταύτῃ ἐπιμαχώτατον, ὥσπερ εἴρηται) κατὰ τάχος ἐβοήθει αὐτὸς, ἕνα τῶν τινα ἐπιτηδείων λιπὼν ἐν Σαλαρίᾳ. 5.23.14 καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας εὑρὼν ἐν Βιβαρίῳ τὴν προσβολὴν τῶν ἐναντίων πεφοβημένους, μεγάλην τε οὖσαν καὶ πολυάνθρωπον, ὑπερφρονεῖν τε τῶν πολεμίων ἐκέλευε 5.23.15 καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ θαρσεῖν ἀντικαθίστη. ἦν δὲ ὁ ταύτῃ χῶρος ὁμαλὸς κομιδῆ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ταῖς ἐφόδοις τῶν προσιόντων ἐκκείμενος. τύχῃ τέ τινι τὸ ἐκείνῃ τεῖχος οὕτως ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διερρυήκει ὡς τῶν πλίνθων μὴ 5.23.16 λίαν τὴν ξυνθήκην ξυνίστασθαι. τείχισμα δὲ ἄλλο βραχὺ περιέβαλλον ἔξωθεν αὐτῷ οἱ πάλαι Ῥωμαῖοι, οὐκ ἀσφαλείας τινὸς ἕνεκα (οὐ γὰρ οὖν οὐδὲ πύργων ὀχύρωμα εἶχεν, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐπάλξεις τινὲς ἐνταῦθα πεποίηντο οὐδέ τι ἄλλο, ὅθεν ἂν καὶ ἀπώσασθαι οἷόν τε ἦν τὴν ἐς τὸν περίβολον ἐπιβουλὴν τῶν πολεμίων) ἀλλὰ τρυφῆς τινος οὐκ εὐπρεποῦς χάριν, ὅπως δὴ λέοντάς τε καὶ τἄλλα θηρία καθείρξαντες ἐνταῦθα 5.23.17 τηροῖεν. διὸ δὴ καὶ Βιβάριον τοῦτο ὠνόμασται. οὕτω γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσι τὸν χῶρον οὗ ἂν τῶν ζῴων τὰ μὴ χειροήθη τρέφεσθαι εἴωθεν. Οὐίττιγις μὲν οὖν μηχανάς τε ἄλλας ἄλλῃ τοῦ τείχους ἡτοίμαζε καὶ ὀρύσσειν τὸ ἔξω τείχισμα τοὺς Γότθους ἐκέλευεν, οἰόμενος, ἢν τούτου ἐντὸς γένωνται, πόνῳ οὐδενὶ τοῦ τείχους κρατήσειν, ὅπερ οὐδαμῆ ἐχυρὸν ξυνηπίστατο 5.23.18 εἶναι. Βελισάριος δὲ ὁρῶν τοὺς πολεμίους τό τε Βιβάριον διορύσσοντας καὶ πολλαχῆ τοῦ περιβόλου προσβάλλοντας, οὔτε ἀμύνειν τοὺς στρατιώτας οὔτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπάλξεσι μένειν, ὅτι μὴ λίαν ὀλίγους, εἴα, καίπερ ἅπαν ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων, εἴ τι ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ λόγιμον ἦν. 5.23.19 κάτω δὲ ἅπαντας ἀμφὶ τὰς πύλας ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχε τεθωρακισμένους τε καὶ ξίφη μόνα ἐν χερσὶ φέροντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Γότθοι, διελόντες τὸν τοῖχον, ἐντὸς Βιβαρίου ἐγένοντο, Κυπριανὸν ξὺν ἄλλοις τισὶ κατὰ τάχος 5.23.20 ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐσβιβάσας ἔργου ἐκέλευεν ἔχεσθαι. καὶ οἱ μὲν τοὺς ἐσπεπτωκότας ἅπαντας ἔκτεινον, οὔτε ἀμυνομένους καὶ ὑπὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν διαφθειρομένους ἐν 5.23.21 τῇ ἐς τὴν ἔξοδον στενοχωρίᾳ. τῶν δὲ πολεμίων τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ καταπλαγέντων καὶ οὐκ ἐν τάξει συντεταγμένων, ἀλλὰ ἄλλου ἄλλῃ φερομένου, τοῦ περιβόλου τὰς πύλας ἀνακλίνας ἐξαπιναίως ἅπαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναν5.23.22 τίους ἠφίει τὸ στράτευμα. καὶ οἱ μὲν Γότθοι ἐς ἀλκὴν ἥκιστα ἔβλεπον, ἀλλ' ἐς φυγὴν, ὅπη ἕκαστος ἔτυχεν, ὥρμηντο. ἐπισπόμενοι δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τοὺς ἀεὶ ἐν ποσὶ ῥᾷστα ἔκτεινον, ἥ τε δίωξις πολλὴ γέγονεν, ἐπεὶ οἱ Γότθοι μακρὰν ἀπολελειμμένοι τῶν σφετέρων χαρα5.23.23 κωμάτων τῇδε ἐτειχομάχουν. Βελισάριος δὲ τὰς τῶν πολεμίων μηχανὰς καίειν ἐκέλευεν, ἐπὶ πλεῖστόν τε ἡ φλὸξ αἰρομένη μείζονα τὴν ἔκπληξιν, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, τοῖς φεύγουσιν ἐποίει. 5.23.24 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ κατὰ πύλην Σαλαρίαν ξυμπεσεῖν τὴν ὁμοίαν τύχην ξυνέβη. τάς τε γὰρ πύλας ἐξαπιναίως ἀνέῳγον καὶ ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἐνέπιπτον, τούτους τε οὐκ ἀμυνομένους, ἀλλὰ τὰ νῶτα στρέψαντας ἔκτεινον, καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς μη5.23.25 χανήματα ἔκαιον. καὶ ἥ τε φλὸξ πολλαχῆ τοῦ τείχους ἐπὶ μέγα ἤρθη ἥ τε τῶν Γότθων ὑπαγωγὴ κατὰ κράτος ἤδη ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγίνετο, καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ ἀμφοτέρωθεν ὑπερφυὴς ἦν, τῶν μὲν ἐν τῷ τείχει Ῥωμαίων τοῖς διώκουσιν ἐγκελευομένων, τῶν δὲ ἐν τοῖς χαρακώμασι τὴν τοῦ πάθους ὑπερβολὴν