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would make him an enemy to the Emperor Justinian.6.22.18 Therefore they persuaded two of the priests in Liguria with a great sum of money to undertake this service.6.22.19 One of them, who seemed to be the more worthy, though clad in the guise and name of a bishop which in no way belonged to him, was appointed to the embassy, and the other followed, serving him.6.22.20 And Vittigis put into their hands a letter written to Chosroes and sent them off. By this letter Chosroes was induced to inflict irreparable injuries upon the Romans in time of peace,6.22.21 as I have stated in the previous narrative. And when the Emperor Justinian heard that Chosroes and the Persians were making these plans, he decided to end the war in the West as quickly as possible, and to summon Belisarius6.22.22 in order to march against the Persians. He therefore immediately sent away the ambassadors of Vittigis (for they happened still to be in Byzantium), promising that men would be sent from him to Ravenna who would make the treaty with the Goths6.22.23 in whatever way should seem to be to the advantage of both parties. But Belisarius did not release these ambassadors to the enemy until they themselves had released Athanasius and6.22.24 Peter. When these men arrived in Byzantium, the emperor deemed them worthy of the highest honors, appointing Athanasius Praetorian Prefect of Italy, and bestowing upon Peter the office of the so-called magister.6.22.25 And the winter was ending, and the fourth year was coming to a close in this war, which Procopius wrote down. 6.23.1 Belisarius wished first to capture both Auximum and Fiesole, and then to march against both Vittigis and Ravenna, with no enemy any longer able to stand in their way or to do harm in their rear.6.23.2 He therefore sent Cyprian and Justinus with their followers and some Isaurians to Fiesole, and five hundred infantry from the regular army, whom Demetrius commanded, who pitched their camp around the fortress and besieged the barbarians there.6.23.3 And he despatched Martinus and John with their followers and another army, which John, whom they also called Phagas, led, to the region of6.23.4 the River Po. He ordered them to take care that Uraias and his men did not advance against them from Mediolanum, and if they were not able to repel the enemy's attack, they were to follow them secretly from behind and fall upon their rear.6.23.5 And they, having seized the city of Dorthon near the river, which was unwalled, pitched their camp and remained there, but he himself arrived at the city of Auximum with eleven thousand men.6.23.6 Now this Auximum is the first of the cities in Picenum, which the Romans are accustomed to call the metropolis. It is about eighty-four stades from the shore of the Ionian gulf, and from the city of Ravenna a three days' journey and eighty stades.6.23.7 It lies on a high hill, having no entrance on level ground, and for this reason6.23.8 it is altogether inaccessible to the enemy. There Vittigis had placed in the garrison whatever picked men there were among the Goths, reckoning that the Romans, unless they first captured this place, would never dare to march on Ravenna.6.23.9 And when the Roman army came to Auximum, Belisarius ordered everyone to encamp in a circle at the very foot of the hill.6.23.10 And they, being formed into companies, pitched their huts, each in a different part of the place, but the Goths, seeing them separated far from one another and not easily able to assist each other, being on a great plain, suddenly in the late afternoon advanced against the enemy, towards the east of the city, where Belisarius happened to be still making his camp with his guards6.23.11 and shield-bearers. But they, taking up their arms as they were, defended themselves against their assailants, and having easily repulsed them by their valor, put them to flight, and following them as they fled, came to the middle of the hill.6.23.12 There the barbarians turned, and trusting in the strength of the position, stood against their pursuers, and striking many of them, since they were shooting from a higher position

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αὐτὸν Ἰουστι6.22.18 νιανῷ βασιλεῖ πολέμιον καταστήσουσι. διὸ δὴ τῶν ἐν Λιγούροις ἱερέων δύο χρήμασι πολλοῖς ἐς ταύτην 6.22.19 ἀναπείθουσι τὴν ὑπουργίαν. ὧν ἅτερος μὲν, ὅσπερ ἀξιώτερος ἔδοξεν εἶναι, ἐπισκόπου δόκησίν τε καὶ ὄνομα περιβεβλημένος, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσῆκον, ἐς τὴν πρεσβείαν καθίστατο, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος αὐτῷ ὑπηρετῶν 6.22.20 εἵπετο. γράμματά τε αὐτοῖς ἐγχειρίσας πρὸς Χοσρόην γεγραμμένα Οὐίττιγις ἔπεμψεν. οἷς δὴ Χοσρόης ἠγμένος ἀνήκεστα ἐν σπονδαῖς ἔργα Ῥωμαίους εἰργάσατο, 6.22.21 ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη. ταῦτα δὲ ἐπεὶ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς Χοσρόην τε καὶ Πέρσας βουλεύεσθαι ἤκουσε, καταλύειν μὲν τὸν ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ πόλεμον ὡς τάχιστα ἔγνω, Βελισάριον δὲ μεταπέμψασθαι 6.22.22 ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπὶ Πέρσας στρατεύσειε. τοὺς μὲν οὖν Οὐιττίγιδος πρέσβεις (ἔτι γὰρ ὄντες ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐτύγχανον) αὐτίκα δὴ ἀπεπέμψατο, ἄνδρας παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Ῥαβέννης σταλήσεσθαι ὑποσχόμενος, οἵπερ ἐς Γότθους τὰς σπονδὰς 6.22.23 θήσονται, ὅπη ἂν ἑκατέροις ξυνοίσειν μέλλῃ. τούτους δὲ τοὺς πρέσβεις οὐ πρότερον μεθῆκε Βελισάριος τοῖς πολεμίοις ἕως καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς ἀμφὶ Ἀθανάσιόν τε καὶ 6.22.24 Πέτρον ἀφῆκαν. οὓς δὴ ἐς Βυζάντιον ἀφικομένους γερῶν βασιλεὺς τῶν μεγίστων ἠξίωσεν, Ἀθανάσιον μὲν ὕπαρχον τῶν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ πραιτωρίων καταστησάμενος, Πέτρῳ δὲ τὴν τοῦ μαγίστρου καλουμένου ἀρχὴν 6.22.25 παρασχόμενος. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε καὶ τέταρτον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψε. 6.23.1 Βελισάριος δὲ Αὔξιμόν τε καὶ Φισούλαν ἐξελεῖν πρότερον ἤθελε, οὕτω τε ἐπί τε Οὐίττιγιν καὶ Ῥάβενναν ἰέναι, οὐδενὸς ἔτι τῶν πολεμίων οὔτε σφίσιν ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθαι δυναμένου, οὔτε τὰ ὄπισθε κακουρ6.23.2 γεῖν ἔχοντος. Κυπριανὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ Ἰουστῖνον ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις καὶ Ἰσαύρων τισὶν ἐς Φισούλαν ἔπεμψε, καὶ πεντακοσίους πεζοὺς ἐκ καταλόγου, οὗ ∆ημήτριος ἦρχεν, οἳ δὴ τοὺς ἐκείνῃ βαρβάρους ἀμφὶ τὸ φρούριον 6.23.3 στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐπολιόρκουν. Μαρτῖνον δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννην ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις καὶ στρατεύματι ἄλλῳ, οὗπερ Ἰωάννης ἡγεῖτο ὃν καὶ Φαγᾶν ἐκάλουν, ἀμφὶ 6.23.4 Πάδον ποταμὸν ἔστελλεν. οὓς δὴ φροντίδα ἔχειν ἐκέλευεν ὅπως μὴ Οὐραΐας τε καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐκ Μεδιολάνου ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἴωσιν, ἢν δὲ τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἔφοδον ἀποκρούεσθαι οὐχ οἷοί τε ὦσιν, ὄπισθεν αὐτοὺς 6.23.5 λάθρα ἐπισπομένους κατὰ νώτου ἰέναι. καὶ οἱ μὲν πόλιν ∆ορθῶνα πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ ἀτείχιστον οὖσαν καταλαβόντες, αὐτοῦ τε ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐς Αὔξιμον πόλιν χιλίους τε καὶ μυρίους 6.23.6 ἔχων ἀφίκετο. Αὔξιμος δὲ αὕτη πρώτη μὲν τῶν ἐν Πικηνοῖς πόλεών ἐστιν, ἣν δὴ μητρόπολιν καλεῖν νενομίκασι Ῥωμαῖοι. ἀπέχει δὲ ἀκτῆς μὲν κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου σταδίους τέσσαράς τε καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα μάλιστα, Ῥαβέννης δὲ πόλεως ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ σταδίους 6.23.7 ὀγδοήκοντα. κεῖται δὲ ἐπὶ λόφου τινὸς ὑψηλοῦ, εἴσοδον ἐν τῷ ὁμαλεῖ οὐδαμῆ ἔχουσα, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ 6.23.8 ἀπρόσοδος τοῖς πολεμίοις παντάπασιν οὖσα. ἐνταῦθα Γότθων εἴ τι δόκιμον ἦν, Οὐίττιγις ἐς τὴν φρουρὰν κατεστήσατο, τεκμαιρόμενος ὅτι Ῥωμαῖοι, εἰ μὴ ταύτην ἐξέλωσι πρότερον, ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν οὔποτε στρατεύειν 6.23.9 τολμήσωσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐς Αὔξιμον ἦλθεν, ἐκέλευε Βελισάριος παρὰ τοῦ λόφου τὰ ἔσχατα 6.23.10 πάντας στρατοπεδεύεσθαι κύκλῳ. καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ συμμορίας γενόμενοι καλύβας ἄλλος ἄλλῃ τοῦ χωρίου ἐπήγνυντο, κατιδόντες δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ Γότθοι μακράν που ἀπολελειμμένους ἀλλήλων καὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπιβοηθεῖν ἅτε ἐν μεγάλῳ πεδίῳ οὐκ εὐπετῶς ἔχοντας, ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν χωροῦσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἕω τῆς πόλεως, ᾗ Βελισάριος στρατόπεδον ἔτι ποιούμενος ξύν τε δορυφόροις 6.23.11 καὶ ὑπασπισταῖς τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἔτυχεν. οἱ δὲ ἀράμενοι τὰ ὅπλα ἐκ τῶν παρόντων τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἠμύνοντο, ῥᾷστά τε αὐτοὺς ἀρετῇ ὠσάμενοι ἔτρεψαν, καὶ φεύγουσιν 6.23.12 ἐπισπόμενοι κατὰ μέσον τοῦ λόφου ἐγίνοντο. ἔνθα οἱ βάρβαροι ἐπιστραφέντες καὶ χωρίου ἰσχύϊ πιστεύοντες ἀντίοι τοῖς διώκουσιν ἔστησαν, συχνούς τε αὐτῶν ἅτε κατὰ κορυφὴν βάλλοντες