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they came to a place a day's journey distant from Ariminum, they encountered a few Goths who were travelling along the road on some business. 6.17.15 And these men, having unexpectedly fallen in with an enemy's army, were by no means able to turn aside from the road, until, being assailed by those who were marching in front, some of them fell on the spot, while others, having been wounded, ran up to some of the 6.17.16 cliffs there and escaped notice. From there, observing the Roman army pouring into all the difficult places, they supposed them to be much more numerous than their true number. 6.17.17 And there indeed, seeing the standards of Belisarius, they recognized that he himself was leading this army. And night came on, and the Romans bivouacked on the spot, but the wounded Goths went secretly to the camp of Vittigis. 6.17.18 Arriving there about midday, they both shewed their wounds and insisted that Belisarius with an army too strong to be numbered would be upon them presently. 6.17.19 And they began to prepare for battle, turned toward the north of the city of Ariminum (for they thought the enemy would arrive from this direction) and they all kept looking continually toward the summits of the mountain. 6.17.20 But when, night having come upon them, they had laid aside their arms and were keeping quiet, they saw many fires to the east of the city about sixty stades away, which the army with Martinus was kindling, and they fell into a helpless fear. 6.17.21 For they suspected that they would be surrounded by the enemy at daybreak. 6.17.21 Therefore they passed this night in such fear, but on the following day at sunrise they saw a fleet of ships of extraordinary size coming against them. And falling into speechlessness they were impelled to flight. 6.17.22 And packing up in haste they were possessed by so great a confusion and clamour that they neither heard the orders given nor had anything else in mind than how each man for himself might be the first to get away from the camp and get inside the fortifications of Ravenna. 6.17.23 And if any strength or courage had happened to remain in the besieged, they would have sallied forth and killed very many of the enemy on the spot, and the whole war would have ended there. 6.17.24 But as it was, this was prevented both by the great terror which had come upon them before and by the weakness which had befallen many through the lack of necessities. The barbarians, therefore, in an excess of confusion, leaving some of their possessions on the spot, ran with great speed the road to Ravenna. 6.18.1 And the first of the Romans to arrive, Ildiger and those with him, entering the enemy's stockade, enslaved all the Goths who, being afflicted with some diseases, had remained there, and they collected all the valuables 6.18.2 which the Goths had left behind in their flight. And Belisarius with the whole army arrived at midday. And when he saw John and those with him pale and terribly squalid, hinting at the recklessness of his daring, he said that he owed thanks to Ildiger. 6.18.3 But he said that he acknowledged his debt not to Ildiger, but to Narses, the emperor's treasurer, making it clear, I suppose, that Belisarius had come to their aid not very willingly, but had been persuaded by Narses. And for the future both treated each other with great suspicion. 6.18.4 For this reason, indeed, his associates would not allow Narses to campaign with Belisarius, but tried to persuade him how shameful it would be for one who shared the emperor's secrets not to be commander-in-chief of the army, but to obey another general. 6.18.5 For they declared that Belisarius would never willingly agree to command the army on an equal footing with him, but that if he wished to lead the Roman army by himself, more soldiers and 6.18.6 much better ones would follow their leaders. For they said that the Heruli and his own bodyguards and shield-bearers, and the troops whom Justinus and John himself commanded, together with the followers of Aratius and Narses, were not less than ten thousand, being brave and exceptionally good at warfare, and that they wished the subjugation of Italy to be credited not to Belisarius alone, but that Narses also should get his share. 6.18.7 For he thought that he had left the emperor's company not in order that by his own dangers he might strengthen the fame of Belisarius, but in order that

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ἐγένοντο, ὅσον Ἀριμίνου ἀπέχειν ἡμέρας ὁδὸν, Γότθοις τισὶν ὀλίγοις κατά τινα χρείαν ὁδῷ πορευομένοις ἐνέτυχον. 6.17.15 οἳ δὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου πολεμίων περιπεπτωκότες στρατῷ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τῆς ὁδοῦ οὐδαμῆ ἴσχυσαν, ἕως παρὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἰόντων βαλλόμενοι οἱ μὲν αὐτοῦ ἔπεσον, οἱ δὲ τραυματίαι γεγενημένοι ἐπί τινας τῶν 6.17.16 ἐκείνῃ σκοπέλων ἀναδραμόντες διέλαθον. ὅθεν σκοπούμενοι τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸν ἐς πάσας δυσχωρίας ξυρρέοντας, πολλῷ πλείονας τοῦ ἀληθοῦς μέτρου ὑπε6.17.17 τόπαζον εἶναι. ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὰ Βελισαρίου σημεῖα ἰδόντες, αὐτὸν ἐξηγεῖσθαι ταύτῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ ἔγνωσαν. νύξ τε ἐπέλαβε, καὶ αὐτοῦ μὲν Ῥωμαῖοι ηὐλίσαντο, τῶν δὲ Γότθων οἱ τραυματίαι λάθρα ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ Οὐιττί6.17.18 γιδος στρατόπεδον ᾔεσαν. οὗ δὴ ἀμφὶ μέσην ἡμέραν γενόμενοι τάς τε πληγὰς ἐπεδείκνυον καὶ Βελισάριον σφίσι ξὺν στρατῷ κρείσσονι ἢ ἀριθμεῖσθαι ὅσον οὔπω 6.17.19 παρέσεσθαι ἰσχυρίζοντο. οἱ δὲ παρεσκευάζοντο μὲν ὡς ἐς μάχην πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον Ἀριμίνου πόλεως τετραμμένοι (ταύτῃ γὰρ ᾤοντο τοὺς πολεμίους ἀφίξεσθαι) ἀεί τε ἐς τοῦ ὄρους τὰ ἄκρα ἔβλεπον ἅπαντες. 6.17.20 ἐπεὶ δὲ, νυκτὸς σφίσιν ἐπιγενομένης, καταθέμενοι τὰ ὅπλα ἡσύχαζον, πυρὰ πολλὰ ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἕω τῆς πόλεως ὅσον ἀπὸ σταδίων ἑξήκοντα εἶδον, ἅπερ τὸ ξὺν Μαρτίνῳ στράτευμα ἔκαιεν, ἐς δέος τε ἀμήχανον ἦλθον. 6.17.21 κυκλωθήσεσθαι γὰρ πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ 6.17.21 ὑπώπτευον. ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν νύκτα ξὺν δέει τοιούτῳ ηὐλίσαντο, τῇ δὲ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἅμα ἡλίῳ ἀνίσχοντι στόλον νηῶν ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἰόντα ὁρῶσιν ἐξαίσιον οἷον. ἔς τε ἀφασίαν ἐμπεπτωκότες ἐς φυγὴν 6.17.22 ὥρμηντο. ξυσκευαζόμενοί τε κατὰ τάχος τοσούτῳ θορύβῳ τε καὶ κραυγῇ εἴχοντο ὥστε οὔτε τῶν παραγγελλομένων κατήκουον οὔτε ἄλλο τι ἐν νῷ ἐποιοῦντο ἢ ὅπως ἂν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος πρῶτός τε ἀπαλλάσσοιτο τοῦ στρατοπέδου καὶ Ῥαβέννης τοῦ περιβόλου ἐντὸς γένοιτο. 6.17.23 καὶ εἰ μέν τι ἰσχύος ἢ θάρσους περιεῖναι τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις τετύχηκε, πλείστους τε ἂν τῶν πολεμίων ἐπεξελθόντες αὐτοῦ ἔκτειναν καὶ ξύμπας ἐνταῦθα ἂν 6.17.24 ὁ πόλεμος ἐτελεύτησε. νῦν δὲ τοῦτο ἐκώλυσεν ὀρρωδία τε σφίσι μεγάλη τοῖς φθάσασιν ἐπιγενομένη καὶ ἀσθένεια τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ πολλοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσα. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι θορύβου ὑπερβολῇ αὐτοῦ λειπόμενοι τῶν χρημάτων τινὰ δρόμῳ πολλῷ τὴν ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν ἔθεον. 6.18.1 Πρῶτοι δὲ Ῥωμαίων Ἰλδίγερ τε καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐτῷ ἀφικόμενοι ἐς τὸ τῶν πολεμίων χαράκωμα τῶν Γότθων ὅσοι νόσοις τισὶν ἐχόμενοι αὐτοῦ ἔμειναν ἐν ἀνδραπόδων ἐποιήσαντο λόγῳ, καὶ χρήματα πάντα 6.18.2 ξυνέλεξαν ὅσα φεύγοντες Γότθοι ἐλίποντο. καὶ Βελισάριος παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἦλθεν ἐς μέσην ἡμέραν. καὶ ἐπεὶ ὠχριῶντάς τε καὶ δεινὸν αὐχμῶντας Ἰωάννην τε καὶ τοὺς ξὺν αὐτῷ εἶδε, τοῦ θράσους ὑπαινιττόμενος τὸ ἀλόγιστον χάριτας αὐτὸν ἔφασκεν Ἰλδίγερι ὀφείλειν. 6.18.3 ὁ δὲ οὐκ Ἰλδίγερι, ἀλλὰ Ναρσῇ τῷ βασιλέως ταμίᾳ ὁμολογεῖν ἔφη, παραδηλῶν, οἶμαι, Βελισάριον οὐ σφόδρα ἐθελούσιον, ἀλλὰ Ναρσῇ ἀναπεισθέντα σφίσιν ἀμῦναι. καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἄμφω ὑποψίᾳ πολλῇ ἐς ἀλλή6.18.4 λους ἐχρῶντο. διὸ δὴ οὐδὲ Ναρσῆν εἴων οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι ξὺν Βελισαρίῳ στρατεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀνέπειθον, ὅσον αἰσχρὸν εἴη τῷ τῶν ἀπορρήτων βασιλεῖ κοινωνοῦντι μὴ οὐχὶ αὐτοκράτορι τοῦ στρατοῦ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ 6.18.5 στρατηγῷ ἀνδρὶ ὑπακούειν. οὐ γάρ ποτε Βελισάριον ἐπὶ τῇ ἴσῃ ἑκόντα εἶναι τῆς στρατιᾶς ξὺν αὐτῷ ἄρξειν ἀπεφαίνοντο, βουλομένῳ δέ οἱ καθ' αὑτὸν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐξηγεῖσθαι πλείους τε στρατιώτας καὶ 6.18.6 πολλῷ ἀμείνους τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἕψεσθαι. τούς τε γὰρ Ἐρούλους καὶ τοὺς δορυφόρους τε καὶ ὑπασπιστὰς τοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὧν Ἰουστῖνός τε καὶ αὐτὸς Ἰωάννης ἦρχον, ξὺν τοῖς Ἀρατίῳ τε καὶ Ναρσῇ ἑπομένοις οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ μυρίους ἔφασκον εἶναι, ἀνδρείους τε ὄντας καὶ διαφερόντως ἀγαθοὺς τὰ πολέμια, βούλεσθαί τε τὴν Ἰταλίας ἐπικράτησιν οὐ Βελισαρίῳ λογίζεσθαι μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέρος καὶ Ναρσῆν φέρεσθαι. 6.18.7 τὴν γὰρ βασιλέως αὐτὸν οἴεσθαι ὁμιλίαν ἀπολιπεῖν, οὐκ ἐφ' ᾧ κινδύνοις ἰδίοις τὴν Βελισαρίου δόξαν κρατύνηται, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ᾧ