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had gathered about the spring, I suspected that they feared both the war and the engine. At any rate, both sides gladly abstained from battle. 6.19.17 And the Goths surrendered themselves and the city to Belisarius by agreement, on the condition that they should remain unharmed, having become subjects of the emperor on equal and like terms with the Roman army. 6.19.18 But Narses, upon hearing this, considered the matter both a marvel and a calamity. 6.19.19 And while he himself remained quiet still in Ariminum, he ordered John to lead the whole army against Caesena. And they went, carrying ladders. 6.19.20 When they got very near the fortress, they both attacked and made an attempt on the circuit-wall. But as the barbarians defended themselves stoutly, many others fell there, including Phanitheus, the leader of the Heruli. 6.19.21 John, having then failed at the fortress of Caesena, did not think it worthwhile to try again, since it seemed to him impregnable, and he marched forward with Justinus and the rest of the army. 6.19.22 And he captured by surprise an ancient city, which is named Forum Cornelii, and since the barbarians were continually retreating and nowhere coming to grips with them, he recovered the whole of Aemilia for the emperor. So these things, then, were being carried on in this way. 6.20.1 But Belisarius, since he had captured Urbinum about the winter solstice, thought it inexpedient to go against Auximum immediately; for he suspected that much time would be wasted by them in the siege against it. 6.20.2 For it was impossible to take the place by force because of the strength of its defences, and the barbarians there, many and excellent, as has been previously shown by me, keeping guard, had plundered a great deal of the country and brought in for themselves a great store of provisions. 6.20.3 But he ordered Aratius with a large force to winter in Firmum and to keep watch so that in the future the barbarians, by making sallies from there at will, might not with greater impunity do violence to the places in that region; he himself, however, led the army 6.20.4 against Urviventus. For Peranius was urging him to this, since he had heard from deserters that the Goths in this place were running short of provisions, and he hoped that if, in addition to their lack of necessities, they also saw Belisarius present with the whole army, they would more easily give in; which is what happened. 6.20.5 For Belisarius, as soon as he arrived at Urviventus, ordered all to encamp in a suitably situated place, and he himself, going round about, was examining whether it might not be impossible to take it by storm. And it seemed to him that there was no means by which to take the place by any force. 6.20.6 But it seemed to him that its capture by stealth, through a plot, would not be altogether impossible for him. 6.20.7 For a certain hill rises up alone from a hollow land, its upper parts being flat and level, but its lower parts precipitous. And around the hill rocks of equal height make a sort of circle about it, being not very near, but as far as a stone's throw away. 6.20.8 Upon this very hill men of old built the city, neither throwing a wall around it nor making any other fortification, since the place seemed to them to be impregnable by nature. 6.20.9 For there happens to be one entrance into it from the rocks, and when those dwelling there guard this, it follows that they have to fear no attack of enemies from any other quarter. 6.20.10 For except for the place where nature has fashioned the entrance into the city, as was said, a river, both large and impassable, always occupies the space between the hill and the rocks 6.20.11 of which I have just made mention. For this reason indeed the Romans of old had made a small structure at this entrance. And there is a certain gate there, which the Goths were then guarding. So, then, the situation concerning Urviventus is something like this. 6.20.12 And Belisarius with his whole army settled down to the siege, having the hope either of doing mischief by means of the river or of reducing the enemy by famine. 6.20.13 But the barbarians for a time were not altogether lacking in necessities, and although having them more scantily than their need required, nevertheless they held out against the hardship beyond expectation, coming least of all to a satiety of food, but using just enough provisions each day 6.20.14 so as not to die of hunger. But when all

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ἀμφὶ τῇ πηγῇ ξυμπεπτωκότων τόν τε πόλεμον αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν μηχανὴν δεδιέναι ὑπώπτευον. ἀμφότεροι γοῦν τῆς μάχης 6.19.17 ἄσμενοι ἀπέσχοντο. καὶ Γότθοι Βελισαρίῳ σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὁμολογίᾳ παρέδοσαν, ἐφ' ᾧ κακῶν ἀπαθεῖς μείνωσι, βασιλέως κατήκοοι ξὺν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἴσῃ καὶ ὁμοίᾳ γεγενημένοι. 6.19.18 Ναρσῆς δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐν θαύματί τε καὶ ξυμ6.19.19 φορᾷ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐποιεῖτο. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἐν Ἀριμίνῳ ἔτι ἡσύχαζεν, Ἰωάννην δὲ τῷ παντὶ στρατῷ ἐπὶ Καισῆναν ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἐκέλευεν. οἱ δὲ κλίμακας φέροντες 6.19.20 ᾔεσαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄγχιστα τοῦ φρουρίου ἐγένοντο, προσέβαλλόν τε καὶ τοῦ περιβόλου ἀπεπειρῶντο. καρτερῶς δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀμυνομένων ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ αὐτοῦ ἔπεσον καὶ Φανίθεος ὁ τῶν Ἐρούλων ἡγούμενος. 6.19.21 Ἰωάννης δὲ Καισήνης τότε τοῦ φρουρίου ἀποτυχὼν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι οὐκέτι ἠξίου, ἐπεί οἱ ἀνάλωτον ἔδοξεν εἶναι, ξύν τε Ἰουστίνῳ καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ πρόσω 6.19.22 ἤλαυνε. καὶ πόλιν μὲν ἀρχαίαν ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου κατέλαβεν, ἣ Φοροκορνήλιος ὠνόμασται, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων οἱ ἀεί τε ὑποχωρούντων καὶ οὐδαμῆ ἐς χεῖρας ἰόντων, ξύμπασαν βασιλεῖ τὴν Αἰμιλίαν ἀνεσώσατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐφέρετο τῇδε. 6.20.1 Βελισάριος δὲ, ἐπεὶ Οὐρβῖνον ἀμφὶ τροπὰς χειμερινὰς εἷλεν, ἐς μὲν Αὔξιμον ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἰέναι ἀξύμφορον ᾤετο εἶναι· χρόνον γὰρ σφίσι τετρίψεσθαι πολὺν ἐν τῇ ἐς αὐτὴν προσεδρείᾳ ὑπώπτευε. 6.20.2 βίᾳ τε γὰρ τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν ἐρύματος ἰσχύϊ ἀδύνατον ἦν, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι ἐνταῦθα, ὥσπερ μοι προδεδήλωται, φυλακὴν ἔχοντες, πολλήν τινα ληϊσάμενοι χώραν μέγα τι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων χρῆμα 6.20.3 ἐσηνέγκαντο σφίσιν. Ἀράτιον δὲ σὺν πολλῇ στρατιᾷ ἐν Φίρμῳ διαχειμάζειν ἐκέλευε φυλάσσειν τε ὅπως τὸ λοιπὸν μὴ κατ' ἐξουσίαν οἱ βάρβαροι τὰς ἐπεκδρομὰς ἐνθένδε ποιούμενοι ἀδεέστερον τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία βιάζωνται· αὐτὸς μέντοι ἐπὶ Οὐρβιβεντὸν ἐπῆγε τὸ στρά6.20.4 τευμα. Περάνιος γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐς τοῦτο ἐνῆγεν, ἐπεὶ τοὺς ταύτῃ Γότθους τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ὑποσπανίζειν ἠκηκόει πρὸς τῶν αὐτομόλων, ἤλπιζέ τε, ἢν πρὸς τῇ ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων καὶ Βελισάριον παντί που παρόντα τῷ στρατῷ ἴδωσι, ῥᾷον ἐνδώσειν· ὅπερ ἐγένετο. 6.20.5 Βελισάριος γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ἐς Οὐρβιβεντὸν ἀφίκετο, ἅπαντας μὲν ἐνστρατοπεδεύσασθαι ἐν χώρῳ ἐπιτηδείως κειμένῳ ἐκέλευσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ κύκλῳ περιιὼν διεσκοπεῖτο εἴ πως αὐτὴν βιάζεσθαι οὐκ ἀδύνατα ᾖ. καί οἱ μηχανὴ μὲν οὐδεμία ἔδοξεν εἶναι ὥστε βίᾳ τινὶ 6.20.6 τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν. λάθρα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς οὐ παντάπασιν ἐδόκει ἀμήχανός οἱ ἡ ἐπικράτησις ἔσεσθαι. 6.20.7 λόφος γάρ τις ἐκ κοίλης γῆς ἀνέχει μόνος, τὰ μὲν ὕπερθεν ὕπτιός τε καὶ ὁμαλὸς, τὰ δὲ κάτω κρημνώδης. ἀμφὶ δὲ τὸν λόφον ἰσομήκεις πέτραι κύκλωσιν αὐτοῦ ποιοῦνταί τινα, οὐκ ἄγχιστά πη οὖσαι, ἀλλ' ὅσον βολὴν 6.20.8 διέχουσαι λίθου. ἐπὶ τούτου δὴ τοῦ λόφου οἱ πάλαι ἄνθρωποι τὴν πόλιν ἐδείμαντο, οὔτε τείχη περιβαλόντες οὔτ' ἄλλο τι ὀχύρωμα ποιησάμενοι, ἐπεὶ φύσει 6.20.9 αὐτοῖς τὸ χωρίον ἀνάλωτον ἔδοξεν εἶναι. μία γὰρ ἐς αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν πετρῶν εἴσοδος τυγχάνει οὖσα, ἣν φυλασσομένοις τοῖς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένοις οὐδεμίαν ἑτέρωθι 6.20.10 πολεμίων προσβολὴν δεδιέναι ξυμβαίνει. χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ χωρίου, ᾗ τὴν εἴσοδον ἡ φύσις ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐτεκτήνατο, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ποταμός τε ἀεὶ μέγας τε καὶ ἀπόρευτος τὰ μεταξὺ ἔχει τοῦ τε λόφου καὶ τῶν πε6.20.11 τρῶν, ὧν ἄρτι ἐμνήσθην. διὸ δὴ καὶ βραχεῖάν τινα οἰκοδομίαν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ εἰσόδῳ πεποίηνται τὸ παλαιὸν Ῥωμαῖοι. καὶ πύλη τις ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν, ἣν τότε Γότθοι ἐφύλασσον. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Οὐρβιβεντῷ ταύτῃ πη 6.20.12 ἔχει. Βελισάριος δὲ τῷ παντὶ στρατῷ ἐς τὴν πολιορκίαν καθίστατο, ἢ διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ κακουργήσειν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχων ἢ λιμῷ παραστήσεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους. 6.20.13 οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τέως μὲν οὐ παντάπασι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐσπάνιζον, καίπερ ἐνδεεστέρως ἢ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν αὐτὰ ἔχοντες, ὅμως τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ παρὰ δόξαν ἀντεῖχον, ἥκιστα μὲν ἐς τροφῆς κόρον ἐρχόμενοι, ὅσον δὲ μὴ λιμῷ ἀποθνήσκειν, χρώμενοι σιτίοις ἐς ἡμέραν ἑκά6.20.14 στην. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντα