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they were leading it, where it seemed to them to be most assailable. 6.12.2 But so that they might not suffer what had befallen them to suffer before the circuit-wall of Rome, they were not leading the tower by means of oxen, but 6.12.3 they themselves, hiding inside, were dragging it along. And there was a certain ladder inside the tower, exceedingly wide, by which the multitude of the barbarians were expecting to ascend easily, having the hope that, as soon as they brought the tower up against the circuit-wall, from there they would with no trouble mount upon the battlements of the wall. For so the height of the tower 6.12.4 had been constructed for them. When, therefore, they came somewhere very near the circuit-wall with this machine, they then remained quiet, since it was already growing dark, and having set guards around the tower, they all bivouacked, having in mind that there would be no opposition whatsoever to them. 6.12.5 For there was no other obstacle, not even a trench in the way, except one that happened to be altogether small. And the Romans, in great fear that they would perish on the coming day, 6.12.6 passed the night. But John, neither despairing in the face of the danger nor confounded by fear, devised the following plan. Leaving the others at their posts, he himself with the Isaurians, who were carrying mattocks and certain other such tools, in the dead of night, having said nothing beforehand to anyone at all, went outside the circuit-wall 6.12.7 and ordered them to dig the trench in silence. And they did accordingly, and the earth which they took out from there, they continually placed on the other side of the trench towards the wall, which then served them there as a 6.12.8 wall. And having for a very long time escaped the notice of the sleeping enemy, they in a short time made the trench both deep and of sufficient width, at the very point where the circuit-wall was most assailable and the barbarians were intending to attack with their machine. 6.12.9 But the enemy, when it was far into the night, perceiving what was being done, rushed at the diggers, and John with the Isaurians, since the work on the trench was in the best possible state for him, 6.12.10 got inside the circuit-wall. But Vittigis at daybreak, perceiving what had been done and being exceedingly grieved at what had happened, put some of the guards to death, but nonetheless, being eager to bring up the machine, he ordered the Goths to throw a multitude of fascines into the trench with all speed, and thus to drag and bring the tower 6.12.11 there. And they were doing these things, just as Vittigis commanded, with all eagerness, although the enemy were defending themselves most stoutly from the wall. But the fascines, when the tower came upon them, being weighed down, as was natural, gave way downwards. 6.12.12 For this reason, the barbarians were in no way able to go forward with the machine, since the ground became much more of an incline for them, where the Romans, as has been told by me, had happened to pile up the earth. 6.12.13 Fearing, therefore, lest when night came on the enemy might come out and burn the machine, they began to drag it back again. 6.12.14 Which thing John, being eager to prevent with all his might, both armed the soldiers 6.12.15 and calling them all together exhorted them as follows: "Men, who share with us in this danger, if it is pleasing to any of you both to live and to see those left behind at home, let him know that he possesses the hope of these things in nothing else than in his own hands. 6.12.16 For when Belisarius sent us in the first place, the hope and love of many things were leading us to eagerness for the task. 6.12.17 For neither did we suspect that we would be besieged in a coastal land, with the Romans thus ruling the sea, nor would anyone have supposed that the Emperor's army would overlook us for so long. 6.12.18 And apart from these things, at that time there urged us on to daring both a demonstration of our loyalty to the state and the glory from our struggles that would come to all men. 6.12.19 But now it is not possible for us to survive, except through courage, and it is necessary for us to undergo this danger for the sake of nothing other than our own survival. 6.12.20 So if it happens that any of you lay claim to any valour, it is possible for them, by acting as brave men, 6.12.21

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ἦγον, ᾗ μάλιστα ἐπιμα6.12.2 χώτατον αὐτοῖς ἔδοξεν εἶναι. ὅπως δὲ μὴ πάθωσιν, ὅπερ αὐτοῖς πρὸ τοῦ Ῥώμης περιβόλου ξυνηνέχθη παθεῖν, οὐ διὰ τῶν βοῶν τὸν πύργον ἦγον, ἀλλ' 6.12.3 αὐτοὶ ἔνδον κρυπτόμενοι ἐφεῖλκον. κλῖμαξ δὲ ἦν τις τοῦ πύργου ἐντὸς εὐρεῖα ἐς ἄγαν, δι' ἧς τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων πλῆθος ἀναβήσεσθαι εὐπετῶς ἔμελλον, ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες ὡς, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα τὸν πύργον τῷ περιβόλῳ ἐρείσωσιν, ἐνθένδε πόνῳ οὐδενὶ ἐπιβήσονται κατὰ τὰς τοῦ τείχους ἐπάλξεις. οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ τοῦ πύργου 6.12.4 ὑπερβολὴ εἴργαστο. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοῦ περιβόλου ἄγχιστά πη ξὺν τῇ μηχανῇ ταύτῃ ἐγένοντο, τότε μὲν ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, ἐπεὶ καὶ ξυνεσκόταζεν ἤδη, φύλακας δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν πύργον καταστησάμενοι ηὐλίσαντο ἅπαντες, ἐναντίωμα οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἔσεσθαι σφίσιν ἐν νῷ ἔχοντες. 6.12.5 οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τι ἄλλο ἐμπόδιον, οὐδὲ τάφρος ἐν μέσῳ ὅτι μὴ βραχεῖα παντάπασιν ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα. οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι ξὺν δέει πολλῷ ὡς ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ἀπο6.12.6 λούμενοι ἐνυκτέρευσαν. Ἰωάννης δὲ οὔτε ἀπογνοὺς πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον οὔτε τῷ δέει ξυνταραχθεὶς ἐπενόει τάδε. τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἐν τοῖς φυλακτηρίοις ἀπολιπὼν, αὐτὸς δὲ ξὺν τοῖς Ἰσαύροις δικέλλας τε καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα τοιαῦτα ὄργανα φέρουσιν, ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν, οὐδενὶ τῶν πάντων προειρημένον, ἔξω τοῦ περιβόλου 6.12.7 γενόμενος ἐκέλευσε σιωπῇ τὴν τάφρον ὀρύσσειν. οἱ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, καὶ τὸν χοῦν, ὅνπερ ἐνθένδε ἀνῃροῦντο, ἐπὶ θάτερα τῆς τάφρου ἐς τὰ πρὸς τῷ τείχει ἐς ἀεὶ ἐτίθεσαν, ὃς δὴ ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ 6.12.8 τοίχου ἐγίνετο. λαθόντες τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τοὺς πολεμίους καθεύδοντας βαθεῖάν τε καὶ εὔρους ἱκανῶς ἔχουσαν τὴν τάφρον δι' ὀλίγου πεποίηνται, οὗ δὴ μάλιστα ἐπιμαχώτατός τε ὁ περίβολος ἦν καὶ προσ6.12.9 βάλλειν ξὺν τῇ μηχανῇ οἱ βάρβαροι ἔμελλον. οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι πόρρω που τῶν νυκτῶν αἰσθόμενοι τοῦ ποιουμένου ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀρύσσοντας ἐβοήθουν δρόμῳ, καὶ Ἰωάννης ξὺν τοῖς Ἰσαύροις, ἐπεί οἱ τὰ ἀμφὶ τῇ τάφρῳ 6.12.10 ὡς ἄριστα εἶχεν, ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένετο. Οὐίττιγις δὲ ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ τά τε πεπραγμένα κατανοήσας καὶ περιαλγήσας τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι διεχρήσατο μὲν τῶν φυλάκων τινὰς, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧσσον ἐπάγειν τὴν μηχανὴν ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχων ἐκέλευε φακέλλων πλῆθος τοὺς Γότθους ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ κατὰ τάχος ῥίπτειν, οὕτω τε τὸν πύργον 6.12.11 ἐνταῦθα ἐφέλκοντας ἄγειν. καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα, ὥσπερ Οὐίττιγις ἐπέτελλεν, ἔπρασσον προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, καίπερ τῶν ἐναντίων καρτερώτατα ἐκ τοῦ τείχους ἀμυνομένων. οἱ δὲ φάκελλοι, ἐμπεσόντος σφίσι τοῦ πύργου, βαρυνόμενοι, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ὑπεχώρουν κάτω. 6.12.12 διὸ δὴ οἱ βάρβαροι πρόσω ἰέναι ξὺν τῇ μηχανῇ οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, ἐπεὶ ἄναντες σφίσι πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐγίνετο, οὗ δὴ ξυννήσαντες τὸν χοῦν ἔτυχον, ὥσπερ μοι ἐρρήθη, 6.12.13 Ῥωμαῖοι. δείσαντες οὖν μὴ νυκτὸς ἐπιγινομένης ἐπεξελθόντες οἱ πολέμιοι τὴν μηχανὴν καύσωσιν, ὀπίσω 6.12.14 αὐτὴν αὖθις ἐφεῖλκον. ὅπερ Ἰωάννης κωλύειν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ ἐν σπουδῇ ἔχων τούς τε στρατιώτας ἐξώπλισε 6.12.15 καὶ ξυγκαλέσας ἅπαντας τοιάδε παρεκελεύσατο «Ἄνδρες, «οἷς τοῦδε τοῦ κινδύνου ξὺν ἡμῖν μέτεστιν, εἴ τῳ «ὑμῶν πρὸς ἡδονήν ἐστι βιῶναί τε καὶ τοὺς οἴκοι «ἀπολελειμμένους ἰδεῖν, μὴ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ τῳ κεκτημένος «τὴν τούτων ἐλπίδα ἢ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ γνώτω. 6.12.16 «ἡνίκα μὲν γὰρ Βελισάριος ἡμᾶς τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔστελλε, «πολλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐλπίς τε καὶ ἔρως ἐς τὴν τοῦ ἔργου 6.12.17 «προθυμίαν ἐνῆγον. οὔτε γὰρ ἐν γῇ τῇ παραλίᾳ «πολιορκηθήσεσθαι ὑπωπτεύομεν, οὕτω δὴ θαλασσο»κρατούντων Ῥωμαίων, οὔτε τοσοῦτον ἡμῶν περιόψε6.12.18 «σθαι τὸν βασιλέως στρατὸν ὑπετόπησεν ἄν τις. χωρὶς «δὲ τούτων τότε μὲν ἡμᾶς ἐς εὐτολμίαν ὥρμα ἐπίδειξίς «τε τῆς ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν εὐνοίας καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῶν ἀγώ6.12.19 «νων ἐσόμενον κλέος ἐς πάντας ἀνθρώπους. νῦν δὲ «οὔτε περιεῖναι ἡμᾶς, ὅτι μὴ διὰ τῆς εὐψυχίας, οἷόν «τέ ἐστιν, ἐπάναγκές τε οὐκ ἄλλου του ἢ τοῦ βιώσε»σθαι ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἕνεκα τοῦτον ὑποστῆναι τὸν κίν6.12.20 «δυνον. ὥστε εἰ μέν τισιν ὑμῶν ἀρετῆς τι μεταποιεῖ»σθαι ξυμβαίνει, πάρεστιν αὐτοῖς ἀνδραγαθιζομένοις, 6.12.21