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"serving most hostile men in the most shameful of all ways, "and myself and the daughter of Theuderic's daughter led wherever it pleases our present enemies; "I would wish that you too, fearing that these things might befall you, 5.29.9 "enter into this battle. For thus "on the field of battle you would consider the end of your life "of more account than safety after defeat. For noble men consider that they are unfortunate in one thing only, 5.29.10 "in being worsted by their enemies. But death, "especially when it comes quickly, always makes prosperous 5.29.11 "those who before were not fortunate. And it is very clear that, "if you fight through this battle with these thoughts, you will most easily conquer your opponents, "being both few and Greeks, and you will punish them "immediately for the injustice and insolence with which 5.29.12 "they began against us. For we boast that we surpass them in valour and "in numbers and in all other respects, "but they are bold against us, elated by our misfortunes, "and having as their only resource our own "negligence. For their confidence is fed by 5.29.13 "their undeserved good fortune." With these words of exhortation Vittigis proceeded to draw up his army for battle, placing the infantry in the center and the cavalry 5.29.14 on both wings. However, he did not draw up the phalanx far from the fortifications, but very near them, so that, as soon as the rout occurred, the enemy might be easily overtaken and destroyed, the pursuit taking place over a great 5.29.15 distance. For he hoped that, if the battle were fought hand-to-hand on the plain, they would not hold out even for a short time, concluding, by a very unreasonable process of reasoning, that the enemy's army was no match for his own. 5.29.16 So the soldiers on both sides began the action early. And both Vittigis and Belisarius from behind 5.29.17 urged on both armies to courage. And at first the fortunes of the Romans were superior, and many of the barbarians were falling under the missiles, but there was no pursuit 5.29.18 of them. For since the Goths stood in great numbers, others very easily took the place of those who were destroyed, and they gave no sign of any loss among them. And to the Romans it seemed sufficient, being very few, 5.29.19 that the struggle had been decided for them thus far. And having carried the battle up to the enemy's camps by midday, and having already destroyed many of the enemy, they wished to return to the city, 5.29.20 if any pretext arose for them. In this struggle three Roman men proved themselves brave above all others, Athenodorus, an Isaurian, renowned among the bodyguards of Belisarius, and Theodoriscus and George, bodyguards of Martinus, Cappadocians by race. 5.29.21 For they were constantly sallying out from the front of the phalanx and with their spears were killing many of the barbarians. These things were happening 5.29.22 here. But on the Plain of Nero for a long time the two sides sat opposite each other, and the Moors were constantly making sallies and hurling their javelins and annoying the 5.29.23 Goths. For they were by no means willing to come out against them, fearing the men from the Roman populace who were not far off, whom they thought to be soldiers and to be remaining quiet while setting some ambush for them, in order that by coming upon their rear and making them caught between two forces they might destroy 5.29.24 them. But when it was already midday, the Roman army suddenly charged against the enemy, and the Goths, contrary to expectation, were routed, being astounded by the unexpectedness of it. 5.29.25 And they were not even strong enough to flee to the fortification, but they climbed the hills there and kept quiet. But the Romans were many, but not all were soldiers, but the majority were an unarmed crowd. 5.29.26 For since the general was elsewhere, many sailors and servants in the Roman camp, eager to have a share in the war, had mingled with the army in this quarter. 5.29.27 and by their numbers they terrified the barbarians, as has been said, and put them to flight, but by their disorder the Roman

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«ἀνδράσιν ἐχθίστοις τὰ πάντων αἴσχιστα ὑπηρετούσας, «ἐμαυτὸν δὲ ἀγόμενον καὶ τὴν τῆς Θευδερίχου θυγα»τρὸς παῖδα ὅπη ποτὲ τοὺς νῦν πολεμίους ἀρέσκει· «ταῦτα βουλοίμην ἂν καὶ ὑμᾶς ὅπως μὴ προσπέσωσι 5.29.9 «δείσαντας ἐς μάχην τήνδε καθίστασθαι. οὕτω γὰρ «ἂν ἐν τῷ τῆς ξυμβολῆς χωρίῳ τὴν τοῦ βίου κατα»στροφὴν περὶ πλείονος τῆς μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν σωτηρίας «ποιήσαισθε. ἑνὶ γὰρ μόνῳ κακοτυχεῖν ἄνδρες γενναῖοι 5.29.10 «τῷ τῶν πολεμίων ἐλασσοῦσθαι νομίζουσι. θάνατος «δὲ, ἄλλως τε καὶ ταχὺς ἥκων, εὐδαίμονας ἀεὶ τοὺς 5.29.11 «πρόσθεν οὐκ εὐτυχοῦντας ἐργάζεται. εὔδηλόν τε ὡς, «ἢν μετὰ τούτων ὑμεῖς τῶν λογισμῶν τήνδε τὴν ξυμ»βολὴν διενέγκητε, ῥᾷστα μὲν τοὺς ἐναντίους νικήσετε, «ὀλίγους τε ὄντας καὶ Γραικοὺς, κολάσετε δὲ αὐτοὺς «αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα τῆς τε ἀδικίας καὶ ὕβρεως ἧς ἐς 5.29.12 «ἡμᾶς ἦρξαν. ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀρετῇ τε καὶ «πλήθει καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ὑπεραίρειν αὐχοῦμεν, «οἱ δὲ θρασύνονται καθ' ἡμῶν τοῖς ἡμετέροις κακοῖς «ἐπαρθέντες, καὶ μόνον ἐφόδιον ἔχοντες τὴν ἡμετέραν «ὀλιγωρίαν. βόσκει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν παρρησίαν τὸ 5.29.13 «παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν εὐτύχημα.» τοσαῦτα καὶ Οὐίττιγις παρακελευσάμενος διεκόσμει τὸ στράτευμα ἐς παράταξιν, πεζοὺς μὲν ἐς μέσον καταστησάμενος, τοὺς ἱππέας δὲ 5.29.14 ἐς ἄμφω τὰ κέρατα. οὐκ ἄποθεν μέντοι τῶν χαρακωμάτων τὴν φάλαγγα διέτασσεν, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἄγχιστα, ὅπως, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα ἡ τροπὴ γένηται, εὐπετῶς οἱ πολέμιοι καταλαμβανόμενοι διαφθείρωνται, ἐν χώρῳ 5.29.15 πολλῷ τῆς διώξεως αὐτοῖς γινομένης. ἤλπιζε γὰρ, ἢν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἡ μάχη συσταδὸν γένηται, αὐτοὺς οὐδὲ βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἀνθέξειν, τεκμαιρόμενος πολλῷ γε ὄντι τῷ παραλόγῳ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀντίπαλον τῷ σφετέρῳ τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στράτευμα εἴη. 5.29.16 Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται πρωῒ ἀρξάμενοι ἔργου ἑκατέρωθεν εἴχοντο. Οὐίττιγις δὲ καὶ Βελισάριος ὄπισθεν 5.29.17 ἐγκελευόμενοι ἀμφοτέρους ἐς εὐψυχίαν ὥρμων. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα καθυπέρτερα ἦν τὰ Ῥωμαίων, οἵ τε βάρβαροι πρὸς τῶν τοξευμάτων συχνοὶ ἔπιπτον, δίωξις 5.29.18 μέντοι αὐτῶν οὐδεμία ἐγίνετο. ἅτε γὰρ ἐν πλήθει μεγάλῳ οἱ Γότθοι καθεστῶτες ῥᾷστα δὴ ἐς τῶν διαφθειρομένων τὴν χώραν ἕτεροι ἵσταντο, αἴσθησίν τε οὐδεμίαν τῶν ἐν σφίσιν ἀπολλυμένων παρείχοντο. καὶ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἱκανὸν ἐφαίνετο λίαν ὀλίγοις οὖσιν 5.29.19 ἐς τόδε αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀγωνίαν ἀποκεκρίσθαι. τήν τε μάχην ἄχρι ἐς τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων στρατόπεδα διενεγκοῦσιν ἐς μέσην ἡμέραν, καὶ πολλοὺς ἤδη διαφθείρασι τῶν πολεμίων βουλομένοις ἦν ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐπανιέναι, 5.29.20 ἤν τις αὐτοῖς γένηται σκῆψις. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πόνῳ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαίων ἀγαθοὶ πάντων μάλιστα ἐγένοντο τρεῖς, Ἀθηνόδωρός τε, ἀνὴρ Ἴσαυρος, ἐν τοῖς Βελισαρίου δορυφόροις εὐδόκιμος, καὶ Θεοδωρίσκος τε καὶ Γεώργιος, Μαρτίνου δορυφόροι, Καππαδόκαι γένος. 5.29.21 ἀεὶ γὰρ τοῦ τῆς φάλαγγος ἐξιόντες μετώπου δόρασι διειργάζοντο τῶν βαρβάρων πολλούς. ταῦτα μὲν ἐφέρετο 5.29.22 τῇδε. ἐν δὲ Νέρωνος πεδίῳ χρόνον μὲν συχνὸν ἀντεκάθηντο ἑκάτεροι ἀλλήλοις, καὶ οἱ Μαυρούσιοι ἐπεκδρομάς τε ἀεὶ ποιούμενοι καὶ τὰ δοράτια ἐσακοντίζοντες τοὺς 5.29.23 Γότθους ἐλύπουν. ἐπεξιέναι γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἥκιστα ἤθελον, δεδιότες τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων δήμου οὐκ ἄποθεν ὄντας, οὓς δὴ στρατιώτας τε ᾤοντο εἶναι καί τινα ἐνέδραν ἐς σφᾶς ποιουμένους ἡσυχῆ μένειν, ὅπως κατὰ νώτου ἰόντες ἀμφιβόλους τε ποιησάμενοι διαφθεί5.29.24 ρωσιν. ἤδη δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας μεσούσης ὁρμᾷ μὲν τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, τρέπονται δὲ παρὰ δόξαν οἱ Γότθοι τῷ ἀπροσ5.29.25 δοκήτῳ καταπλαγέντες. καὶ οὐδὲ ἐς τὸ χαράκωμα φυγεῖν ἴσχυσαν, ἀλλ' ἐς τοὺς ἐκείνῃ λόφους ἀναβάντες ἡσύχαζον. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πολλοὶ μὲν ἦσαν, οὐ στρατιῶται δὲ πάντες, ἀλλ' οἱ πλεῖστοι γυμνὸς ὅμιλος. 5.29.26 ἅτε γὰρ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἑτέρωθι ὄντος πολλοὶ ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατοπέδῳ ναῦται καὶ οἰκέται τοῦ πολέμου μεταλαχεῖν ἐφιέμενοι ἀνεμίγνυντο τῷ ταύτῃ στρατῷ. 5.29.27 καὶ πλήθει μὲν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκπλήξαντες, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐς φυγὴν ἔτρεψαν, ἀκοσμίᾳ δὲ τὰ Ῥωμαίων