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the enemy approaching not in order, and he met them not drawn up for battle, but advancing with great disorder, and having routed those around him with no trouble 6.9.15 he killed many. And a great shout and confusion having arisen throughout the city, as was likely, the Romans ran together as quickly as possible to all parts of the circuit-wall and the barbarians, having accomplished nothing, withdrew to their camps not long after. 6.9.16 But Vittigis again set about a plot against the circuit-wall. And, for there was a certain part of it that was especially assailable, where the bank of the Tiber is, since in this place the Romans of old, trusting in the defense of the water, had built the wall carelessly, making it both low and altogether destitute of towers, he hoped to take the city more easily from this side. For not even any guard-post worthy of mention happened to be there. 6.9.17 He therefore persuaded with money two Romans who lived near the church of Peter the apostle to go to the guards in that place around lamplighting time carrying a wineskin, and showing friendliness in some way or other to give them the wine as a gift, then to sit with them drinking far into the night, and to put into the cup of each a sleeping potion, which he himself 6.9.18 had given them. And he had secretly prepared skiffs on the other bank, in which some of the barbarians, as soon as the guards were overcome by sleep, crossing the river with ladders at a single signal, were to make 6.9.19 the attack on the circuit-wall. And he was preparing his whole army for this, so that the entire city might be taken by 6.9.20 storm. But when these things had been so arranged among them, one of the two men prepared by Vittigis for this very service (for it was not destined for the Romans to be captured by this Gothic army) came of his own accord to Belisarius and told him everything and 6.9.21 pointed out the other. Who, indeed, being tortured, brought to light everything he was about to do and showed 6.9.22 the potion which Vittigis had given him. And Belisarius, having mutilated his nose and his ears, sent him riding on a donkey to the enemy's stockade. 6.9.23 And when the barbarians saw him, they knew that God did not allow their plans to proceed on their way, and that for this reason the city would never be taken by them. 6.10.1 But while these things were happening, at this time Belisarius wrote to John and ordered him to get to work. And he, with two thousand horsemen, went through the country of Picenum and plundered everything in his path, making slaves 6.10.2 of the children and women of the enemy. And having met Ulitheus, the uncle of Vittigis, with an army of Goths, he defeated him in battle and killed both him and almost the entire army of the enemy. 6.10.3 For this reason, indeed, no one dared any longer to come to blows with him. And when he arrived at the city of Auximum, he learned that the Gothic garrison there was not very considerable, but he perceived that the place was otherwise strong 6.10.4 and impregnable. And on this account he was by no means willing to lay siege to it, but departing 6.10.5 from there as quickly as possible he rode forward. He also did this same thing concerning the city of Urbinum, and since the Romans invited him, he rode into Ariminum, which is one day's 6.10.6 journey distant from Ravenna. The barbarians, therefore, who maintained the garrison there, being very suspicious of the Roman inhabitants, when they learned that this army was advancing, withdrew and going at a run 6.10.7 they arrived in Ravenna. Thus John took Ariminum, leaving an enemy garrison behind him in both Auximum and Urbinum, not because he had forgotten the commands of Belisarius, nor because he was possessed by a senseless audacity, since he combined intelligence with his energy, but because he reasoned, as indeed came to pass, that if the Goths should learn that the Roman army was somewhere very near Ravenna, they would at once break off the siege at Rome, fearing for this 6.10.8 place. And he did in fact hit upon the true opinion. For when Vittigis and the army of the Goths heard that Ariminum was held by him, falling into great fear for Ravenna and taking no account of anything else at all, they made their withdrawal straightway. 6.10.9

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προσιόντας οὐκ ἐν τάξει τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀπήντησέ τε οὐ ξυντεταγμένοις ἐς παράταξιν, ἀλλὰ ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ ἰοῦσι, καὶ τοὺς κατ' αὐτὸν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ τρεψάμενος 6.9.15 συχνοὺς ἔκτεινε. κραυγῆς δὲ μεγάλης καὶ ταραχῆς ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, γεγενημένης Ῥωμαῖοί τε ὡς τάχιστα πανταχόσε τοῦ περιβόλου ξυνέρρεον καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἄπρακτοι ἐς τὰ στρατόπεδα οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν 6.9.16 ἐχώρησαν. Οὐίττιγις δὲ αὖθις ἐς ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ περιβόλου καθίστατο. καὶ, ἦν γάρ τις αὐτῷ ἐπιμαχωτάτη μάλιστα μοῖρα, ᾗ τοῦ Τιβέριδος ἡ ὄχθη ἐστὶν, ἐπεὶ ταύτῃ οἱ πάλαι Ῥωμαῖοι θαρσοῦντες τοῦ ὕδατος τῷ ὀχυρώματι τὸ τεῖχος ἀπημελημένως ἐδείμαντο, βραχύ τε αὐτὸ καὶ πύργων ἔρημον παντάπασι ποιησάμενοι, ῥᾷον ἐνθένδε ἤλπιζε τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τι φυλακτήριον λόγου ἄξιον ἐνταῦθα τετύχηκεν εἶναι. 6.9.17 δύο οὖν Ῥωμαίους ἀμφὶ τὸν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου νεὼν ᾠκημένους χρήμασιν ἀναπείθει οἴνου ἀσκὸν ἔχοντας παρὰ τοὺς ἐκείνῃ φρουροὺς ἰέναι περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς, καὶ αὐτοῖς τὸν οἶνον τρόπῳ ὅτῳ δὴ φιλοφροσύνην ἐνδεικνυμένους χαρίζεσθαι, εἶτα ξὺν αὐτοῖς πόρρω τῶν νυκτῶν καθημένους πίνειν, ἑκάστῳ τε ἐς τὴν κύλικα ὑπνωτικὸν ἐμβαλεῖν φάρμακον, ὅπερ σφίσιν 6.9.18 αὐτὸς ἐδεδώκει. ἀκάτους δὲ λάθρα ἐν τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ὄχθῃ ἐν παρασκευῇ ποιησάμενος εἶχεν, αἷς δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων τινὰς, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα οἱ φύλακες ὕπνῳ ἔχοιντο, ξὺν κλίμαξιν ἐκ σημείου ἑνὸς τὸν ποταμὸν διαβαίνοντας 6.9.19 τὴν ἐπίθεσιν τῷ περιβόλῳ ποιήσασθαι. τό τε στράτευμα ἐς τοῦτο ἡτοίμαζεν ὅλον, ὅπως ἅπασα κατὰ 6.9.20 κράτος ἡ πόλις ἁλῴη. τούτων δὲ οὕτω ξυγκειμένων σφίσι, τοῖν ἀνδροῖν ἅτερος τοῖν Οὐιττίγιδι ἐς ταύτην δὴ παρεσκευασμένοιν τὴν ὑπουργίαν (οὐ γὰρ ἔδει Ῥωμαίους τούτῳ τῷ Γότθων στρατοπέδῳ ἁλῶναι) αὐτεπάγγελτος ἐλθὼν Βελισαρίῳ τε ἅπαντα φράζει καὶ 6.9.21 τὸν ἕτερον ἐνδείκνυσιν. ὃς δὴ αἰκιζόμενος ἐς φῶς τε ἅπαντα ἤνεγκεν ὅσα δρᾶν ἔμελλε καὶ τὸ φάρμακον 6.9.22 ἐπεδείκνυεν, ὅπερ Οὐίττιγις αὐτῷ ἐδεδώκει. καὶ αὐτοῦ Βελισάριος τήν τε ῥῖνα καὶ τὰ ὦτα λωβησάμενος ἐς τῶν πολεμίων τὸ χαράκωμα ὄνῳ ὀχούμενον ἔπεμψε. 6.9.23 καὶ κατιδόντες αὐτὸν οἱ βάρβαροι ἔγνωσαν ὡς ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐῴη σφῶν τὰ βουλεύματα ὁδῷ ἰέναι, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἡ πόλις σφίσιν ἁλώσιμος εἴη. 6.10.1 Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐγίνετο, ἐν τούτῳ Βελισάριος γράψας πρὸς Ἰωάννην ἔργου ἐκέλευεν ἔχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ ξὺν τοῖς δισχιλίοις ἱππεῦσι τὴν Πικηνῶν περιιὼν χώραν τὰ ἐν ποσὶν ἐληΐζετο πάντα, παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας τῶν πολεμίων ἐν ἀνδραπόδων ποιούμενος 6.10.2 λόγῳ. Οὐλίθεόν τε, τὸν Οὐιττίγιδος θεῖον, ξὺν Γότθων στρατῷ ὑπαντιάσαντα μάχῃ νικήσας αὐτόν τε κτείνει καὶ πάντα σχεδὸν τὸν τῶν πολεμίων στρατόν. 6.10.3 διὸ δὴ οὐδείς οἱ ἐτόλμα ἔτι ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφῖκτο ἐς Αὔξιμον πόλιν, Γότθων μὲν ἐνταῦθα φρουρὰν οὐκ ἀξιόχρεών τινα ἔμαθεν εἶναι, ἄλλως δὲ ὀχυρόν τε 6.10.4 καὶ ἀνάλωτον κατενόησε τὸ χωρίον. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ προσεδρεύειν μὲν οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπαλλαγεὶς 6.10.5 ἐνθένδε ὅτι τάχιστα πρόσω ἤλαυνε. ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ Οὐρβῖνον ἀμφὶ πόλιν ἐποίει, ἔς τε Ἀρίμινον Ῥωμαίων αὐτὸν ἐπαγαγομένων ἐσήλαυνεν, ἥπερ μιᾶς ἡμέρας 6.10.6 ὁδῷ Ῥαβέννης διέχει. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι, ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἐνταῦθα εἶχον, ὑποψίᾳ ἐς Ῥωμαίους τοὺς οἰκήτορας πολλῇ χρώμενοι, ἐπειδὴ προϊέναι τὸ στράτευμα τοῦτο ἐπύθοντο, ἀπεχώρησάν τε καὶ δρόμῳ 6.10.7 ἰόντες ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ ἐγένοντο. οὕτω δὲ Ἰωάννης Ἀρίμινον ἔσχε πολεμίων φρουρὰν ὄπισθεν ἔν τε Αὐξίμῳ καὶ Οὐρβίνῳ ἀπολιπὼν, οὐχ ὅτι τῶν Βελισαρίου ἐντολῶν ἐς λήθην ἦλθεν, οὐδὲ θράσει ἀλογίστῳ ἐχόμενος, ἐπεὶ ξὺν τῷ δραστηρίῳ τὸ ξυνετὸν εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ λογισάμενος, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, ὡς ἢν Γότθοι πύθωνται τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸν ἄγχιστά πη Ῥαβέννης εἶναι, αὐτίκα μάλα τὴν ἐν Ῥώμῃ διαλύσουσι προσεδρείαν, ἀμφὶ τῷ 6.10.8 χωρίῳ τούτῳ δείσαντες. καὶ ἔτυχέ γε τῆς ἀληθοῦς δόξης. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Οὐίττιγίς τε καὶ ὁ Γότθων στρατὸς Ἀρίμινον ἔχεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἤκουσαν, ἐς μέγα δέος ἀμφὶ Ῥαβέννῃ ἐμπεπτωκότες ἄλλο τε ὑπολογισάμενοι τῶν πάντων οὐδὲν, εὐθυωρὸν τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιή6.10.9