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eager to defend the wall, if anyone should come from outside to do it harm. 6.4.14 And he was also providing grain to some of the Roman populace. But Martinus and Trajan, having passed through the enemy's camps by night, when they arrived in Tarracina, sent Antonina to Campania with a few men, but they themselves seized the strongholds there, and sallying forth from there and making their attacks suddenly, they checked the Goths who were roaming about in the districts of that region. And Magnus and Sinthues 6.4.15 rebuilt in a short time all the parts of the fort that had fallen down, and when they were in a safe position, they harassed the enemy all the more, since their own counter-fort was not far off, by making frequent raids and by constantly startling with the unexpected the barbarians who were escorting provisions, until Sinthues, struck in a certain battle by a spear in his right hand, with his sinews severed, became for the future unfit for fighting. And the Huns, 6.4.16 having made their camp nearby, as I have related, were inflicting no less evils upon the Goths, so that they too were already being pressed by hunger, since it was no longer safe for them to bring in their food as before. And a pestilence also fell upon them and destroyed many, 6.4.17 and especially in the camp which happened to be their last one near the Appian Way, as has been previously shown by me. 6.4.18 And the few of them from here who had not perished withdrew to the other entrenchments. And the Huns, suffering this same thing, entered Rome. 6.4.19 So these things were happening there. But Procopius, when he was in Campania, raised there no fewer than five hundred soldiers, and having filled a great number of ships with grain, he had them in readiness. 6.4.20 And Antonina also joined him not long afterwards and was already taking care of the fleet with him. 6.4.21 At that time also Mount Vesuvius roared, but it did not erupt, although it was very much expected that it would erupt. For this reason it happened that the local people fell into great fear. 6.4.22 This mountain is seventy stades distant from Naples, facing the north wind, and it is simply precipitous, its lower parts being broad all around, 6.4.23 but the parts above are craggy and exceedingly impassable. And on the summit of Vesuvius a cavern appears, very deep about its middle, so that one might guess that it extends to the very bottom of the mountain. 6.4.24 And it is possible to see fire there, if one should dare to peer over, and at other times the flame turns back upon itself, causing no trouble to any of the people there, but whenever the mountain sends forth a certain sound resembling a roar, not long afterward it throws up a great quantity of ash for the most part. 6.4.25 And if this evil thing catches anyone walking on the road, there is no way for this person to survive, and if it falls upon any houses, they too fall, weighed down by the mass of the ash. 6.4.26 And if a strong wind happens to blow upon it, the ash happens to be sent up to a great height, so as to be no longer visible to man, and to be carried wherever the breeze might bear it, and to fall upon land, however far away it may be. 6.4.27 And they say that once it fell in Byzantium and so terrified the people there that all together, from that time to this, they resolved to propitiate God with annual prayers, and that at another time it fell in Tripolis in Libya. 6.4.28 And formerly they say this roaring used to happen at intervals of a hundred years or even more, but later it happened much more quickly. 6.4.29 This, however, they say, asserting it strongly, that whenever it happens that Vesuvius erupts this ash, that country must be abundant in all its crops. 6.4.30 And the air is very fine and exceedingly well-suited for health on this mountain above all others. Indeed, physicians from ancient times send to this place those afflicted with consumption. So the facts concerning Vesuvius are about as follows. 6.5.1 At this time also another army sailed down from Byzantium, three thousand Isaurians to the harbour of Naples, whom Paul and Conon were leading, to

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τείχους ἀμύνεσθαι προθυμούμενος, ἤν τις ἔξωθεν ἐπ' αὐτὸ κακουργήσων ἴοι. 6.4.14 καὶ σῖτον μέντοι τισὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων δήμου παρείχετο. Μαρτῖνος δὲ καὶ Τραϊανὸς διελθόντες νύκτωρ τὰ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδα, ἐπειδὴ ἐν Ταρακίνῃ ἐγένοντο, Ἀντωνίναν μὲν ἐς Καμπανίαν ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἔπεμψαν, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὰ ταύτῃ ὀχυρώματα καταλαβόντες, ἔνθεν τε ὁρμώμενοι καὶ τὰς ἐφόδους ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ποιούμενοι, τῶν Γότθων τοὺς ἐς τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία περιιόντας ἀνέστελλον. Μάγνος δὲ καὶ Σινθούης τοῦ 6.4.15 τε φρουρίου ὅσα καταπεπτώκει ἐν βραχεῖ ἀνῳκοδομήσαντο χρόνῳ καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ἐγένοντο, ἤδη μᾶλλον ἐλύπουν τοὺς πολεμίους ἅτε αὐτῶν τὸ ἐπιτείχισμα οὐκ ἄποθεν ὂν συχνά τε καταθέοντες καὶ τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ ἐκπλήσσοντες ἀεὶ τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια παραπέμποντας, ἕως Σινθούης ἐν μάχῃ δή τινι δόρατι πληγεὶς τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα τῶν τε νεύρων οἱ ἀποκοπέντων ἀπόμαχος τὸ λοιπὸν γέγονε. καὶ Οὖννοι 6.4.16 δὲ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐν γειτόνων, ὥσπερ μοι ἐρρήθη, πεποιημένοι οὐκ ἐλάσσω κακὰ τοὺς Γότθους ἐποίουν, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὶ τῷ λιμῷ ἐπιέζοντο ἤδη, οὐκέτι σφίσιν ἀδείας οὔσης τὰς τροφὰς ὥσπερ τὸ πρότερον ἐσκομίζεσθαι. καὶ λοιμὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπεισπεσὼν πολλοὺς 6.4.17 ἔφθειρε, καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, ὅπερ αὐτοῖς ἀγχοῦ τῆς Ἀππίας ὁδοῦ ὕστατον, ὥσπερ μοι προδεδή6.4.18 λωται, γεγονὸς ἔτυχε. καὶ αὐτῶν ὀλίγοι ἐνθένδε ὅσοι οὐ διεφθάρησαν ἐς τἄλλα χαρακώματα ὑπεχώρησαν. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ Οὖννοι παθόντες ἐς Ῥώμην εἰσῆλ6.4.19 θον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐγίνετο τῇδε. Προκόπιος δὲ, ἐπεὶ ἐν Καμπανίᾳ ἐγένετο, στρατιώτας τε οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ πεντακοσίους ἐνταῦθα ἤγειρε, καὶ νεῶν πολύ τι 6.4.20 χρῆμα σίτου ἐμπλησάμενος ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχε. παρῆν δέ οἱ καὶ Ἀντωνίνα οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον καὶ τοῦ στόλου ἤδη ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐπεμελεῖτο. 6.4.21 Τότε καὶ τὸ ὄρος ὁ Βέβιος ἐμυκήσατο μὲν, οὐ μέντοι ἠρεύξατο, καίτοι γε καὶ λίαν ἐπίδοξος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐγεγόνει ὅτι ἐρεύξεται. διὸ δὴ καὶ τοῖς ἐπι6.4.22 χωρίοις ξυνέβη ἐς δέος μέγα ἐμπεπτωκέναι. τὸ δὲ ὄρος τοῦτο Νεαπόλεως μὲν ἑβδομήκοντα σταδίοις διέχει, τετραμμένον αὐτῆς πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον, ἀπότομον δὲ ἀτεχνῶς ἐστι, τὰ κάτω μὲν ἀμφιλαφὲς κύκλῳ, 6.4.23 τὰ δὲ ὕπερθεν κρημνῶδές τε καὶ δεινῶς ἄβατον. ἐν δὲ τῇ τοῦ Βεβίου ὑπερβολῇ σπήλαιον κατὰ μέσον μάλιστα βαθὺ φαίνεται, ὥστε εἰκάζειν αὐτὸ ἄχρι ἐς 6.4.24 τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ ὄρους διήκειν. καὶ πῦρ ἐνταῦθα ὁρᾶν πάρεστιν, ἤν τις ὑπερκύπτειν τολμήσειε, καὶ χρόνῳ μὲν τῷ ἄλλῳ ἡ φλὸξ ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν στρέφεται, πράγματα οὐδενὶ παρεχομένη τῶν ταύτῃ ἀνθρώπων, ἐπειδὰν δὲ κτύπον τινὰ μυκηθμῷ ἐμφερῆ τὸ ὄρος ἀφῇ, κόνεως μέγα τι χρῆμα οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον 6.4.25 ἀνίησι. καὶ ἢν μέν τινα ὁδῷ τὸ κακὸν τοῦτο βαδίζοντα λάβῃ, τοῦτον δὴ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐδεμία μηχανὴ βιώσεσθαί ἐστιν, ἢν δὲ οἰκίαις τισὶν ἐπιπέσῃ, πίπτουσι 6.4.26 καὶ αὐταὶ τῷ τῆς κόνεως πλήθει ἀχθόμεναι. ἀνέμου δὲ σκληροῦ, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐπιπεσόντος, ἀνιέναι μὲν αὐτὴν ξυμβαίνει ἐς ὕψος μέγα, ὡς μηκέτι ἀνθρώπῳ ὁρατὴν εἶναι, φέρεσθαι δὲ ὅπη ἂν αὐτῇ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπίφορον ἴοι, ἐμπίπτειν τε ἐς γῆν, ἣ ὡς ἑκαστάτω 6.4.27 τυγχάνει οὖσα. καί ποτε μέν φασιν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐπιπεσοῦσαν οὕτως ἐκπλῆξαι τοὺς ταύτῃ ἀνθρώπους ὥστε πανδημεὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου δὴ καὶ ἐς τόδε τοῦ χρόνου λιταῖς ἐνιαυσίοις ἐξιλάσκεσθαι τὸν θεὸν ἔγνωσαν, ἐς Τρίπολιν δὲ τῆς Λιβύης χρόνῳ ἑτέρῳ ἐμπεπτωκέναι. 6.4.28 καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἐνιαυτῶν ἑκατὸν ἢ καὶ πλειόνων τὸν μυκηθμὸν τοῦτόν φασι γενέσθαι, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ 6.4.29 ἔτι θᾶσσον ξυμβῆναι. τοῦτο μέντοι ἀπισχυρισάμενοι λέγουσιν, ὅτι δὴ ἐπειδὰν τῷ Βεβίῳ ταύτην ἐρεύξασθαι τὴν κόνιν ξυμβαίη, εὐθηνεῖν ἀνάγκη τὴν ἐκείνην 6.4.30 χώραν καρποῖς ἅπασιν. ἀὴρ δὲ λεπτότατός ἐστι καὶ πρὸς ὑγείαν ἱκανῶς πεφυκὼς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ πάντων μάλιστα. ἐς τοῦτο ἀμέλει τοὺς φθόῃ ἁλόντας ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν χρόνων ἰατροὶ πέμπουσι. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ Βεβίῳ ταύτῃ πη ἔχει. 6.5.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἄλλο στράτευμα ἐκ Βυζαντίου κατέπλευσεν, Ἰσαύρων μὲν ἐς τὸν Νεαπόλεως λιμένα τρισχίλιοι, ὧν Παῦλος καὶ Κόνων ἡγοῦντο, ἐς