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to Italy we have sent. For we wish Belisarius alone to command the whole army, in whatever way may seem to him to be best, and it is proper for you all to follow him for the advantage of our state.” So the 6.18.29 emperor's letter ran something like this. But Narses, laying hold of the final clause of the letter, argued against Belisarius that in the present situation he was not planning for the advantage of the state; and therefore it was not necessary for them to follow him. 6.19.1 Hearing this, Belisarius sent Peranius to 6.19.1 Urviventus with a large force, to besiege it, while he himself led the army against Urbinus, a strong city having a sufficient garrison of Goths, (this city is a day's journey for an unencumbered man from the city of Ariminum) and as he led the army, Narses and John and all the others followed 6.19.2 him. And coming near the city, they encamped separately at the foot of the hill. For they were not arrayed with one another, but Belisarius' men held the parts to the east of the city, and Narses' 6.19.3 men the parts to the west. Urbinus lies on a hill which is rounded and very high. However, the hill is neither precipitous nor altogether inaccessible, but only difficult to climb because of its excessive steepness, 6.19.4 especially for one approaching very near the city. It has one entrance on level ground toward the north wind. So the Romans were arranged for the siege in this way. Belisarius, thinking that the barbarians would more readily come to terms with him by agreement, since they dreaded the danger, sent envoys to them, and promising that they would have many good things, he urged them to become subjects of the 6.19.5 emperor. The envoys, therefore, having come near the gates (for the enemy did not receive them into the city), said many and very persuasive things, but the Goths, confident in the strength of their position and in the abundance of their provisions, by no means accepted their words, but ordered the Romans to depart from there with all 6.19.6 speed. So Belisarius, on hearing this, announced to the army to collect thick branches, 6.19.7 and to make a long portico from them. Hidden inside this, they intended to go with it very near the gates, where the ground is most level, and to employ their stratagem against the wall. And they were doing so accordingly. 6.19.8 But some of Narses' associates, meeting with him, said that Belisarius was undertaking impossible things and devising impractical plans. For John had already made an attempt on the place, and that too when it had a garrison of only a few men at the time, and had perceived that it was altogether impregnable (and so it was), but that he himself ought to recover for the emperor the strongholds in 6.19.9 Aemilia. Narses, being persuaded by this suggestion, broke up the siege by night, although Belisarius earnestly begged him to remain 6.19.10 there and help them take the city of Urbinus. These men came with speed to Ariminum with the rest of the army. But Moras and the barbarians, when at daybreak they saw that half the enemy had withdrawn, jeered from the wall, mocking those who had remained. 6.19.11 But Belisarius wished to assault the wall with the remaining army. And while he was planning this, a stroke of good fortune came to pass for him, 6.19.12 of a wonderful kind. There was a single spring in Urbinus, from which all who lived there drew their water. This, little by little, of its own accord, dried up and began to fail. 6.19.13 And in three days the water had so left it that the barbarians drew it thence mixed with mud and drank it. Therefore they decided to surrender to the Romans. 6.19.14 But Belisarius, having heard nothing of this, wished to make an attempt on the wall. And arming the rest of the army, he stationed it all around the hill in a circle, and ordered some men to bring up the portico made of 6.19.15 branches on the level ground. For so they are accustomed to call this engine. And they, getting inside it, were walking and dragging the portico along, unseen by the enemy. 6.19.16 The barbarians, therefore, stretching out their right hands from the battlements, began to beg for peace. But the Romans, not knowing any of the

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Ἰταλίαν «ἐπέμψαμεν. μόνον γὰρ Βελισάριον παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ «ἐξηγεῖσθαι βουλόμεθα, ὅπη ἂν αὐτῷ δοκῇ ὡς ἄριστα «ἔχειν, αὐτῷ τε ὑμᾶς ἕπεσθαι ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τῷ συμ»φέροντι τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ πολιτείᾳ προσήκει.» τὰ μὲν οὖν 6.18.29 βασιλέως γράμματα ὧδέ πη εἶχε. Ναρσῆς δὲ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ ἀκροτελευτίου λαβόμενος ἀπ' ἐναντίας Βελισάριον ἰσχυρίζετο ἐν τῷ παρόντι τοῦ τῆς πολιτείας ξυμφόρου βουλεύεσθαι· διὸ δὴ σφίσιν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι αὐτῷ ἕπεσθαι. 6.19.1 Ταῦτα ἀκούσας Βελισάριος Περάνιον μὲν ἐς 6.19.1 Οὐρβιβεντὸν ξὺν πολλῇ στρατιᾷ, ἐφ' ᾧ πολιορκήσουσιν αὐτὴν, ἔπεμψεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ Οὐρβῖνον τὸ στράτευμα ἐπῆγε, πόλιν τε ἐχυρὰν καὶ Γότθων φρουρὰν διαρκῆ ἔχουσαν, (ἀπέχει δὲ αὕτη Ἀριμίνου πόλεως ἡμέρας ὁδὸν εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ) καί οἱ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐξηγουμένῳ Ναρσῆς τε καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ξύμ6.19.2 παντες εἵποντο. τῆς τε πόλεως ἀγχοῦ ἐλθόντες παρὰ τοῦ λόφου τὸν πρόποδα ἐστρατοπέδευσαν δίχα. οὐ γάρ πη ἀλλήλοις ξυνετετάχατο, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἀμφὶ Βελισάριον τὰ πρὸς ἕω τῆς πόλεως εἶχον, οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ 6.19.3 Ναρσῆν τὰ πρὸς ἑσπέραν. κεῖται δὲ Οὐρβῖνος ἐπὶ λόφου περιφεροῦς τε καὶ ὑψηλοῦ λίαν. οὐ μέντοι ὁ λόφος οὔτε κρημνώδης οὔτε παντάπασιν ἀπόρευτός ἐστι, μόνον δὲ δύσοδος τῷ ἀνάντης ἐς ἄγαν εἶναι, 6.19.4 ἄλλως τε καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀγχοτάτω ἰόντι. μίαν δὲ εἴσοδον ἐν τῷ ὁμαλεῖ ἔχει πρὸς βορρᾶν ἄνεμον. Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν οὖν ἐς τὴν πολιορκίαν ἐτετάχατο ὧδε. Βελισάριος δὲ ῥᾷον σφίσι προσχωρήσειν ὁμολογίᾳ τοὺς βαρβάρους οἰόμενος ἅτε κατωρρωδηκότας τὸν κίνδυνον, πρέσβεις τε παρ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψε καὶ πολλὰ ὑποσχόμενος αὐτοῖς ἀγαθὰ ἔσεσθαι κατηκόους βασι6.19.5 λέως γενέσθαι παρῄνει. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις τῶν πυλῶν ἀγχοῦ γενόμενοι (οὐ γὰρ τῇ πόλει σφᾶς ἐδέξαντο οἱ πολέμιοι) πολλά τε καὶ λίαν ἐπαγωγὰ εἶπον, οἱ δὲ Γότθοι χωρίου τε ἰσχύϊ θαρροῦντες καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τῇ ἀφθονίᾳ τοὺς μὲν λόγους ἥκιστα ἐνεδέχοντο, κατὰ τάχος δὲ Ῥωμαίους ἐνθένδε ἐκέλευον 6.19.6 ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. Βελισάριος οὖν ταῦτα ἀκούσας ῥάβδους παχείας τῷ στρατῷ ξυλλέγειν ἐπήγγελλε, στοάν 6.19.7 τε ἀπ' αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι μακράν. ἧς δὴ ἐντὸς κρυπτόμενοι ἔμελλον τῶν τε πυλῶν ξὺν αὐτῇ ἀγχοτάτω ἰέναι, ᾗ μάλιστα ὁ χῶρος ὁμαλός ἐστι, καὶ τῇ ἐς τὸ τεῖχος ἐπιβουλῇ χρῆσθαι. καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν. 6.19.8 Ναρσῇ δὲ ξυγγενόμενοι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τινὲς, ἀπέραντά τε ποιεῖν Βελισάριον καὶ τὰ ἀμήχανα ἐπινοεῖν ἔφασκον. ἤδη γὰρ Ἰωάννην τοῦ χωρίου ἀποπειρασάμενον, καὶ ταῦτα ὀλίγων τινῶν τηνικαῦτα φρουρὰν ἔχοντος, ἀνάλωτον αὐτὸ ᾐσθῆσθαι παντάπασιν εἶναι (καὶ ἦν δὲ οὕτως), ἀλλ' αὐτὸν χρῆναι βασιλεῖ ἀνα6.19.9 σώσασθαι τὰ ἐπὶ Αἰμιλίας χωρία. ταύτῃ ὁ Ναρσῆς τῇ ὑποθήκῃ ἀναπεισθεὶς νύκτωρ τὴν προσεδρείαν διέλυσε, καίπερ Βελισαρίου πολλὰ λιπαροῦντος μένειν τε 6.19.10 αὐτοῦ καὶ Οὐρβῖνον πόλιν σφίσι ξυνελεῖν. οὗτοι μὲν ἐς Ἀρίμινον κατὰ τάχος ξὺν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἵκοντο. Μώρας δὲ καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐπεὶ κατὰ ἥμισυ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀναχωρήσαντας ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ εἶδον, ἐτώθαζον ἀπὸ τοῦ περιβόλου τοὺς μεμενηκότας ἐρεσχελοῦντες. 6.19.11 Βελισάριος δὲ τῇ λειπομένῃ στρατιᾷ τειχομαχεῖν ἤθελε. καί οἱ ταῦτα βουλευομένῳ εὐτύχημα γενέσθαι ξυνη6.19.12 νέχθη θαυμάσιον οἷον. μία τις ἦν ἐν Οὐρβίνῳ πηγὴ, ἐξ ἧς δὴ πάντες οἱ ταύτῃ οἰκοῦντες ὑδρεύοντο. αὕτη κατὰ βραχὺ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου ἀποξηρανθεῖσα ὑπέληγεν. 6.19.13 ἔν τε ἡμέραις τρισὶν οὕτως αὐτὴν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπέλιπεν ὥστε ξὺν τῷ πηλῷ ἐνθένδε αὐτὸ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀρυόμενοι ἔπινον. διὸ δὴ Ῥωμαίοις προσχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν. 6.19.14 Βελισάριος δὲ ταῦτα μὲν οὐδαμῆ πεπυσμένος ἤθελεν ἀποπειράσασθαι τοῦ περιβόλου. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄλλο στράτευμα ἐξοπλίσας κύκλῳ ἀμφὶ τὸν λόφον ἅπαντα ἔστησε, τινὰς δὲ ἐκέλευσεν ἐν τῷ ὁμαλεῖ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν 6.19.15 ῥάβδων ἐπάγειν στοάν. οὕτω γὰρ καλεῖν τὴν μηχανὴν νενομίκασι ταύτην. οἱ δὲ αὐτῆς ἐντὸς ὑποδύντες ἐβάδιζόν τε καὶ τὴν στοὰν ἐφεῖλκον τοὺς πολεμίους λαν6.19.16 θάνοντες. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι χεῖρας τὰς δεξιὰς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπάλξεων προτεινόμενοι ἐδέοντο τῆς εἰρήνης τυχεῖν. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ οὐκ εἰδότες τι τῶν