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however, whatever 6.8.13 he might command at the present time, he would never do. So Belisarius ordered the guards to come in, but Constantinus said, “So that, of course, they may kill me.” “By no means,” said Belisarius, “but so that “your shield-bearer Maxentiolus, who for you the daggers “forcibly brought, they may compel the man to give 6.8.14 “back what he happened to have taken from him by force.” But Constantinus, thinking he would die immediately, wished to do some 6.8.15 great deed, before he himself should suffer anything. For this reason indeed he drew the dagger, which was hanging for him by his thigh, and suddenly thrust it at the belly of Belisarius. But he, being astounded, stepped back and, embracing Bessas who was standing somewhere near 6.8.16, managed to escape. So Constantinus, still boiling with anger, came on. But seeing what was being done, Ildiger and Valerianus, the one seizing his right hand, the other his other hand, 6.8.17 dragged him back. And at this point, the guards whom Belisarius had summoned a little before having come in, they took the dagger from Constantinus' hand with great force, and seizing him with a great uproar, they did him no harm at the moment, respecting the presence of the commanders, I think, but leading him away to another chamber, on Belisarius' order, some time 6.8.18 later they killed him. This was the only unholy deed done by Belisarius and one by no means worthy of his character. For he employed great clemency toward all others. But it was fated, as was said, that Constantinus should come to a bad end. 6.9.1 And the Goths not long afterwards wished to do mischief against the circuit-wall of Rome. And first by night they let some men down into one of the aqueducts, from which they themselves had diverted the 6.9.2 water at the beginning of this war. And they, holding lamps and torches in their hands, attempted the entrance from there into the city. And it happened that a certain channel of this aqueduct 6.9.3, not far from the Pincian Gate, had a vaulted roof. And from there, indeed, one of the guards, catching sight of the fire, told his fellow guards; 6.9.4 but they said they had seen a wolf passing by there. For at this point it happened that the ground did not cover the structure of the aqueduct, and they thought that the wolf's eyes 6.9.5 resembled fire. So as many of the barbarians as made the attempt of the aqueduct, when they came to be in the middle of the city, where there was a certain way up from of old leading to the Palace itself, there they encountered a certain structure which neither permitted them to go further on nor to use the ascent 6.9.6 at all. And this structure Belisarius had had made with a certain forethought at the beginning of this siege, as has been related by me in the previous 6.9.7 narrative. So taking away one small stone from there, they decided to turn back immediately and returning to Vittigis, displaying the stone, 6.9.8 they reported everything. And he, on the one hand, was holding in counsel the matters of the plot together with the chief men of the Goths, but on the other hand, as many of the Romans as were on guard about the Pincian Gate, were calling to mind among themselves the suspicion about the wolf 6.9.9 on the following day. But when the story, being passed around, came to Belisarius, the general did not hear the matter carelessly, but immediately sent down men of repute in the army into the aqueduct along with Diogenes the guard, and ordered them to investigate everything with great 6.9.10 speed. And they found the lamps of the enemy and such of the torches as had dripped everywhere in the aqueduct, and having noticed the structure, from which the stone had been removed by the Goths, 6.9.11 they reported to Belisarius. For this reason, indeed, he both kept the aqueduct under a strong guard, and the Goths, perceiving this, abstained from this attempt. 6.9.12 Then, even openly, the barbarians contrived an assault against the circuit-wall. So, watching for the time of the midday meal and bringing up ladders and fire, when the enemy were least expecting it, they went against the Pincian Gate, trusting in the hope that they would capture the city by a sudden attack, since not many soldiers had been left 6.9.13 there. And it happened that Ildiger at that time was keeping guard with his followers; for each man had been assigned to the guard 6.8.14 in turn. So when he saw

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μέντοι, ὃ 6.8.13 ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἐπιτάττοι, οὐ μήποτε δράσειν. Βελισάριος μὲν οὖν εἰσιέναι τοὺς δορυφόρους ἐκέλευε, Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ «Ὅπως με δηλαδὴ ἀποκτενοῦσιν» ἔφη. «Οὐδαμῶς γε» ὁ Βελισάριος εἶπεν «ἀλλ' ἵνα «τὸν σὸν ὑπασπιστὴν Μαξεντίολον, ὅς σοι τὰ ξιφίδια «βιασάμενος ἤνεγκεν, ἀναγκάσωσι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπο6.8.14 «διδόναι ἅπερ αὐτοῦ βίᾳ λαβὼν ἔτυχεν.» ἀλλὰ Κωνσταντῖνος τεθνήξεσθαι παραυτίκα οἰόμενος δρᾶσαί τι 6.8.15 μέγα, πρίν τι αὐτὸς πάθοι, ἐβούλετο. διὸ δὴ τὸ ξιφίδιον εἷλκεν, ὅπερ οἱ πρὸς τῷ μηρῷ ἀπεκρέματο, ἄφνω τε αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τὴν Βελισαρίου γαστέρα ὦσεν. ὁ δὲ καταπλαγεὶς ὀπίσω τε ἀπέστη καὶ Βέσσᾳ ἐγγύς που 6.8.16 ἑστηκότι περιπλακεὶς διαφυγεῖν ἴσχυσε. Κωνσταντῖνος μὲν οὖν, ἔτι τῷ θυμῷ ζέων, ἐπῄει. κατιδόντες δὲ Ἰλδίγερ τε καὶ Βαλεριανὸς τὸ ποιούμενον ὁ μὲν τῆς δεξιᾶς, ὁ δὲ τῆς ἑτέρας αὐτοῦ χειρὸς λαμβανόμενος 6.8.17 ὀπίσω ἀνθεῖλκον. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ εἰσελθόντες οἱ δορυφόροι, οὓς δὴ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον ἐκάλεσε Βελισάριος, Κωνσταντίνου τε τὸ ξιφίδιον ξὺν βίᾳ πολλῇ ἐκ χειρὸς αἱροῦσι, καὶ αὐτὸν πολλῷ θορύβῳ ἁρπάσαντες οὐδὲν μὲν ἄχαρι ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα εἰργάσαντο, παρόντας αἰδούμενοι τοὺς ἄρχοντας, οἶμαι, ἐς οἴκημα δὲ ἄλλο ἀπαγαγόντες, Βελισαρίου κελεύσαντος, χρόνῳ τινὶ 6.8.18 ὕστερον ἔκτειναν. τοῦτο Βελισαρίῳ εἴργασται μόνον οὐχ ὅσιον ἔργον καὶ ἤθους τοῦ αὐτοῦ οὐδαμῶς ἄξιον. ἐπιεικείᾳ γὰρ πολλῇ ἐς πάντας τοὺς ἄλλους ἐχρῆτο. ἀλλὰ ἔδει, ὅπερ ἐρρήθη, Κωνσταντίνῳ γενέσθαι κακῶς. 6.9.1 Γότθοι τε οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐς Ῥώμης τὸν περίβολον κακουργεῖν ἤθελον. καὶ πρῶτα μέν τινας ἐς τῶν ὀχετῶν ἕνα νύκτωρ καθῆκαν, ὧν αὐτοὶ τὸ 6.9.2 ὕδωρ κατ' ἀρχὰς τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ἀφῄρηντο. οἱ δὲ λύχνα τε καὶ δᾷδας ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἀπεπειρῶντο τῆς ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐνθένδε εἰσόδου. ἔτυχε δέ τινα διώρυχα οὐ μακρὰν Πιγκιανῆς πυλίδος τοῦ ὀχετοῦ 6.9.3 τούτου κύρτωμα ἔχον. ὅθεν δὴ τῶν τις φυλάκων τὸ πῦρ κατιδὼν τοῖς ξυμφυλάσσουσιν ἔφρασεν· οἱ δὲ 6.9.4 λύκον αὐτοῦ παριόντα ἰδεῖν ἔφασαν. ταύτῃ γὰρ τὴν γῆν οὐχ ὑπερέχειν τὴν τοῦ ὀχετοῦ οἰκοδομίαν ξυνέβαινε, πυρὶ δὲ εἰκάζεσθαι τοὺς τοῦ λύκου ὀφθαλμοὺς 6.9.5 ᾤοντο. τῶν μὲν οὖν βαρβάρων ὅσοι τοῦ ὀχετοῦ ἀπεπειράσαντο, ἐπειδὴ ἐν μέσῃ πόλει ἐγένοντο, ἔνθα δὴ ἄνοδός τις ἦν ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐς αὐτό που τὸ Παλάτιον φέρουσα, οἰκοδομίᾳ τινὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐνέτυχον οὔτε πρόσω ἰέναι τὸ λοιπὸν συγχωρούσῃ οὔτε τῇ ἀναβάσει 6.9.6 τὸ παράπαν χρῆσθαι. ταύτην δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν Βελισάριος προμηθείᾳ τινὶ κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆσδε τῆς πολιορκίας πεποίηται, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν 6.9.7 λόγοις δεδήλωται. λίθον οὖν ἕνα βραχὺν ἐνθένδε ἀφελόντες ὀπίσω τε ἀναστρέφειν εὐθὺς ἔγνωσαν καὶ παρὰ τὸν Οὐίττιγιν ἐπανήκοντες τόν τε λίθον ἐν6.9.8 δεικνύμενοι πάντα ἀπήγγελλον. καὶ ὁ μὲν τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἅμα τοῖς Γότθων ἀρίστοις ἐν βουλῇ εἶχε, Ῥωμαίων δὲ ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἀμφὶ πυλίδα Πιγκιανὴν εἶχον, μνήμην τῆς τοῦ λύκου ὑποψίας ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς 6.9.9 ἐποιοῦντο τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος περιφερόμενος ἐς Βελισάριον ἦλθεν, οὐ παρέργως ὁ στρατηγὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἤκουσεν, ἀλλ' ἄνδρας τε αὐτίκα τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ δοκίμων ξὺν ∆ιογένει τῷ δορυφόρῳ ἐς τὸν ὀχετὸν καθῆκε καὶ διερευνήσασθαι ἅπαντα ξὺν πολλῷ 6.9.10 τάχει ἐκέλευσεν. οἱ δὲ τὰ λύχνα τῶν πολεμίων καὶ τῶν δᾴδων ὅσα διερρυήκει πανταχοῦ τοῦ ὀχετοῦ εὗρον, καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν, ᾗ ὁ λίθος πρὸς τῶν Γότθων 6.9.11 ἀφῄρητο, κατανενοηκότες Βελισαρίῳ ἀπήγγελλον. διὸ δὴ αὐτός τε τὸν ὀχετὸν ἐν μεγάλῃ φυλακῇ ἔσχε καὶ οἱ Γότθοι αἰσθόμενοι ταύτης δὴ τῆς πείρας ἀπέσχοντο. 6.9.12 Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἔφοδον κατὰ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐμηχανῶντο οἱ βάρβαροι. τηρήσαντες οὖν τὸν τοῦ ἀρίστου καιρὸν κλίμακάς τε καὶ πῦρ ἐπαγόμενοι, ἥκιστα τῶν πολεμίων προσδεχομένων, ἐπὶ πυλίδα Πιγκιανὴν ᾔεσαν, ἐλπίδι θαρροῦντες ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν, ἅτε οὐ πολλῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐν6.9.13 ταῦθα λειφθέντων. ἔτυχε δὲ Ἰλδίγερ τηνικαῦτα ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις φυλακὴν ἔχων· ἕκαστοι γὰρ ἐκ περι6.9.14 τροπῆς ἐς τὴν φρουρὰν ἐτετάχατο. ἐπεὶ οὖν εἶδε