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using sails or oars very little, since it is not possible for the boats here to be propelled by any wind, as the river frequently winds for a great distance and does not run straight, nor can the oars accomplish anything, since the current of the 5.26.12 water is always running against them. But attaching ropes from the barges to the necks of the oxen, they pull them like wagons all the way to 5.26.13 Rome. On the other side of the river, for one going from the city of Ostia to Rome, the road is both wooded and otherwise neglected, and not even near the bank of the Tiber, since the towing of barges does not take place there. 5.26.14 The Goths, therefore, finding the city by the harbour unguarded, both captured it at the first shout and killed many of the Romans who lived there, and they held the harbour together with 5.26.15 it. And having stationed a thousand of their men there as a garrison, the rest withdrew to their camps. 5.26.16 And from that time it was impossible for things to be brought in from the sea for the besieged, except through Ostia, 5.26.17 and with labour, as was likely, and great danger. For Roman ships 5.26.17 were no longer able to land there, but they anchored at Antium, which is a day's journey away from Ostia. 5.26.18 And taking up the cargoes from there, they transported them with difficulty. The reason was the shortage of men. For Belisarius, fearing for the circuit-wall of Rome, was not strong enough to secure the harbour with any guard. 5.26.19 For I think that if even three hundred had been guarding there, the barbarians would never have made an attempt on the place, since it was exceedingly strong. 5.27.1 The Goths, then, did these things on the third day after they had been repulsed in their assault on the wall. And twenty days after Portus, both the city and the harbour, was captured, Martinus and Valerianus arrived, bringing with them sixteen hundred cavalrymen. 5.27.2 And the most of them were Huns and Sclaveni and Antae, who are settled beyond the Ister river, not far from its 5.27.3 bank. And Belisarius was pleased by their arrival and thought that from then on they must make war upon the enemy. 5.27.4 On the next day, at any rate, he ordered one of his own guards, Trajan by name, a spirited and energetic man, taking two hundred cavalrymen from the shield-bearers, to go straight against the barbarians, and when they came near the trenches, to go up onto a high hill and remain quiet, having pointed out a certain place to him. 5.27.5 But if the enemy should come against them, not to allow the battle to become hand-to-hand, nor to touch sword or any spear, but to use only arrows, and when he should see his quiver holding nothing inside, to flee at top speed without any shame and to withdraw to the circuit-wall 5.27.6 at a run. Having given these instructions, he had the missile-engines and the technicians with them in readiness. And Trajan with the two hundred went out from the Salarian Gate against the enemy's 5.27.7 camp. And they, being astounded by the suddenness, came to the rescue from the trenches, as each happened to be equipped as best he could. 5.27.8 But Trajan's men went up onto the hill which Belisarius had shown them, and from there they defended themselves against the barbarians by 5.27.9 shooting. And their arrows, since they fell into a great crowd, happened to hit a man or a horse for the most part. But when all their missiles had now failed them, these men rode back with speed, 5.27.10 and the Goths pressed upon them in pursuit. And when they came near the circuit-wall, the technicians put into action the missiles from the engines, and the barbarians, being terrified, refrained from the pursuit. 5.27.11 And the Goths are said to have died in this action, not less than a thousand. A few days later Belisarius sent another of his guards, Mundilas, and Diogenes, men exceptionally good in matters of war, with three hundred shield-bearers, and ordered them to do the same as the first group. And they 5.27.12 acted accordingly. And when the enemy came to meet them, it came to pass that not fewer of them, if not even more, than in the previous action perished in the same manner. 5.27.13 And sending a third time, with three hundred horsemen, Oilas the guardsman, on condition that

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μὲν ἢ κώπαις ἥκιστα χρώμενοι, ἐπεὶ οὔτε ἀνέμῳ τινὶ ἐνταῦθα οἷά τέ ἐστι τὰ πλοῖα ὠθεῖσθαι συχνά τε τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑλισσομένου καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ εὐθέος ἰόντος, οὐδέ τι ἐνεργεῖν αἱ κῶπαι δύνανται, τῆς τοῦ 5.26.12 ὕδατος ῥύμης ἀπ' ἐναντίας αὐταῖς ἀεὶ φερομένης. βρόχους δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν βάρεων ἐς τῶν βοῶν τοὺς αὐχένας ἀρτήσαντες ἕλκουσιν αὐτὰς ὥσπερ ἁμάξας ἄχρι ἐς 5.26.13 Ῥώμην. ἑτέρωθι δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐκ πόλεως Ὀστίας ἐς Ῥώμην ἰόντι ὑλώδης τε ἡ ὁδός ἐστι καὶ ἄλλως ἀπημελημένη καὶ οὐδὲ τῆς τοῦ Τιβέριδος ἠϊόνος ἐγγὺς, ἅτε τῆς τῶν βάρεων ἀνολκῆς ἐνταῦθα οὐκ οὔσης. 5.26.14 ἀφύλακτον οὖν τὴν πρὸς τῷ λιμένι πόλιν εὑρόντες οἱ Γότθοι αὐτήν τε αὐτοβοεὶ εἷλον καὶ Ῥωμαίων τῶν ταύτῃ ᾠκημένων πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν, καὶ τὸν λιμένα ξὺν 5.26.15 αὐτῇ ἔσχον. χιλίους τε σφῶν ἐνταῦθα φρουροὺς καταστησάμενοι ἐς τὰ στρατόπεδα οἱ λοιποὶ ἀνεχώρησαν. 5.26.16 καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις τὰ ἐκ θαλάσσης ἐσκομίζεσθαι ἀδύνατα ἦν, ὅτι μὴ διὰ τῆς Ὀστίας 5.26.17 πόνῳ τε, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, καὶ κινδύνῳ μεγάλῳ. οὐδὲ γὰρ 5.26.17 καταίρειν ἐνταῦθα Ῥωμαίων νῆες τὸ λοιπὸν εἶχον, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ Ἀνθίῳ ὡρμίζοντο, ἡμέρας ὁδῷ τῆς Ὀστίας 5.26.18 ἀπέχοντι. ἐνθένδε τε τὰ φορτία αἰρόμενοι ἐκόμιζον μόλις. αἴτιον δὲ ἡ ὀλιγανθρωπία ἐγίνετο. Βελισάριος γὰρ περὶ τῷ Ῥώμης περιβόλῳ δείσας τὸν λιμένα κρα5.26.19 τύνασθαι οὐδεμιᾷ φυλακῇ ἴσχυσεν. οἶμαι γὰρ ἂν εἰ καὶ τριακόσιοι ἐνταῦθα ἐφύλασσον, οὔ ποτε τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀποπειρᾶσθαι τοῦ χωρίου, ἐχυροῦ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὄντος. 5.27.1 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, ἐπειδὴ τειχομαχοῦντες ἀπεκρούσθησαν, τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ οἱ Γότθοι ἔδρασαν. ἡμέραις δὲ ὕστερον εἴκοσιν ἢ ὁ Πόρτος ἥ τε πόλις καὶ ὁ λιμὴν ἑάλω, Μαρτῖνός τε καὶ Βαλεριανὸς ἧκον, ἑξακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους στρατιώτας ἱππεῖς ἐπαγομένω. 5.27.2 καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι Οὖννοί τε ἦσαν καὶ Σκλαβηνοὶ καὶ Ἄνται, οἳ ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον οὐ μακρὰν τῆς 5.27.3 ἐκείνῃ ὄχθης ἵδρυνται. Βελισάριος δὲ ἥσθη τε αὐτῶν τῇ παρουσίᾳ καὶ πολεμητέα σφίσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους 5.27.4 εἶναι τὸ λοιπὸν ᾤετο. τῇ γοῦν ὑστεραίᾳ τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕνα, θυμοειδῆ τε καὶ δραστήριον Τραϊανὸν ὄνομα, τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν διακοσίους ἱππέας λαβόντα, ἐκέλευεν εὐθὺ τῶν βαρβάρων ἰέναι, καὶ ἐπειδὰν τῶν χαρακωμάτων ἐγγυτέρω ἵκωνται, ἀναβάντας ἐπὶ λόφου ὑψηλοῦ ἡσυχάζειν, δείξας τι χωρίον αὐτῷ. 5.27.5 ἢν δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἴωσιν, ἐκ χειρὸς μὲν τὴν μάχην οὐκ ἐᾶν γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ ξίφους ἢ δορατίου τινὸς ἅπτεσθαι, χρῆσθαι δὲ μόνοις τοξεύμασιν, ἡνίκα τέ οἱ τὴν φαρέτραν οὐδὲν ἐντὸς ἔχουσαν ἴδῃ, φεύγειν τε κατὰ κράτος οὐδὲν αἰδεσθέντα καὶ ἐς τὸν περί5.27.6 βολον ἀναχωρεῖν δρόμῳ. ταῦτα ἐπιστείλας, τῶν τε τοξευμάτων τὰς μηχανὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀμφὶ ταύταις τεχνίτας ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχε. Τραϊανὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς διακοσίοις ἐκ πύλης Σαλαρίας ᾔει ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων 5.27.7 στρατόπεδον. καὶ οἱ μὲν, καταπεπληγμένοι τῷ αἰφνιδίῳ, ἐβοήθουν ἐκ τῶν χαρακωμάτων, ὡς ἑκάστῳ ἐκ 5.27.8 τῶν δυνατῶν ἐσκευάσθαι τετύχηκεν. οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ Τραϊανὸν ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τοῦ λόφου, ὅνπερ αὐτοῖς Βελισάριος ἔδειξεν, ἐνθένδε τοὺς βαρβάρους ἠμύνοντο 5.27.9 βάλλοντες. καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀτράκτους ἅτε ἐς πολὺν ἐμπίπτοντας ὅμιλον ἀνθρώπου ἢ ἵππου ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐπιτυγχάνειν ξυνέβαινεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντα σφᾶς τὰ βέλη ἤδη ἐπελελοίπει, οἵδε κατὰ τάχος ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνον, 5.27.10 διώκοντές τε οἱ Γότθοι ἐνέκειντο. ὡς δὲ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγγυτέρω ἵκοντο, τά τε ἐκ τῶν μηχανῶν τοξεύματα οἱ τεχνῖται ἐνήργουν, καὶ τῆς διώξεως οἱ βάρβαροι 5.27.11 κατωρρωδηκότες ἀπέσχοντο. λέγονται δὲ Γότθοι οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ χίλιοι ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τούτῳ ἀποθανεῖν. ἡμέραις δὲ ὀλίγαις ὕστερον Βελισάριος Μουνδίλαν τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕτερον, καὶ ∆ιογένην, διαφερόντως ἀγαθοὺς τὰ πολέμια, ξὺν ὑπασπισταῖς τριακοσίοις στείλας, ταὐτὸ ποιεῖν τοῖς προτέροις ἐκέλευε. καὶ οἱ 5.27.12 μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν. ὑπαντιασάντων δὲ τῶν πολεμίων ξυνηνέχθη αὐτῶν οὐχ ἥσσους, εἰ μὴ καὶ πλείους, ἢ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ ἔργῳ τρόπῳ τῷ αὐτῷ ἀπολωλέναι. 5.27.13 πέμψας δὲ καὶ τρίτον ξὺν ἱππεῦσι τριακοσίοις Ὀΐλαν τὸν δορυφόρον, ἐφ' ᾧ