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they kept killing, until night came on and stopped them. And so both sides separated and passed that 6.23.13 night in their camps. It happened that on the day before this action some of the Goths had been sent out at early dawn to the country round about for the purpose of collecting provisions. 6.23.14 These men, having learned nothing of the enemy's presence, returned at nightfall. And suddenly catching sight of the Roman fires, they were in great wonder and fear. 6.23.15 And many of them, daring to face the danger and eluding the enemy, entered Auximum. But as many as in terror hid themselves for the moment in some woods, with the intention of proceeding to Ravenna, these not long afterwards fell into the hands of the 6.23.16 enemy and were destroyed. But Belisarius, seeing that Auximum was exceedingly strong in its defenses, and that it was altogether impossible for him to make an assault upon the circuit-wall, thought that he could never take the place by storm, but he had hopes that by a close siege the enemy would be reduced to a want of necessities and that in 6.23.17 time he would get them in his power. But not 6.23.17 far from the circuit-wall the earth sent up an abundance of some kind of grass, and this furnished a cause of conflict every day for both Romans and 6.23.18 Goths. For seeing the enemy always cutting this for their horses, the Romans would go up the hill at a great run and, coming to close quarters with the enemy, would display deeds worthy of their valour, by no means allowing them to carry off the grass, and they were constantly destroying many of the enemy in this place. 6.23.19 But the barbarians, being worsted by the valour of the enemy, devised the following plan. They took the wheels from their waggons with only the axles and held them in readiness, and beginning to cut the grass, when they saw the Romans already coming up to the middle of the hill, they released the wheels to rush down 6.23.20 upon them from the top. And by some chance it happened that these wheels came all the way to the level ground without touching a single man. So the barbarians, having failed in this attempt, for the moment fled and got inside the circuit-wall, 6.23.21 and afterwards they did as follows. They set ambuscades of their approved men in the ravines which are very close to the circuit-wall, and then appeared before the enemy near the grass with a few men; and whenever the battle came to close quarters, the men in hiding would leap out from the ambuscades, and both by overwhelming the enemy by their great numbers and by terrifying them by the surprise, they would kill very many and always turn the rest to 6.23.22 flight. And as many of the Romans as stood in the camps would see the enemy rising up from the ambuscades, but by shouting loudly to call back their comrades they accomplished nothing, since the combatants could not hear their cries at all, both because they were separated from them by the great length of the hill and because the barbarians always intentionally made a clatter against them with their weapons. 6.23.23 But as Belisarius was at a loss what to do in the present situation, Procopius, who wrote this history, came to him and said: «Those who used the «trumpets, O general, in the ancient Roman «army knew two distinct modes, one of «which was very much like a command to charge and «urged the soldiers on to battle, while the other recalled «the combatants to the camp, whenever 6.23.24 «this seemed best to the general. And in this way «always the generals commanded the soldiers to do their duty, «and the latter were able to carry out the tasks 6.23.25 commanded. For a shout in battle is by no means «adapted to give any clear signal, since a din, as is to be expected, «echoes in every direction, and fear stuns 6.23.26 «the senses of the combatants. But since at the present time «this art has been lost through ignorance and with one trumpet «it is impossible to indicate both signals, do you for the future act as follows. 6.23.27 «With the cavalry trumpets give the command to the sol»diers to fight it out with the enemy, but with the infantry 6.23.28 «trumpets call the men back for the retreat. For of each «sound it is impossible for them not to understand, «since the one is made of hide and exceedingly thin wood, 6.23.29 «the

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ἔκτειναν, ἕως νὺξ ἐπιλαβοῦσα ἐκώλυσεν. οὕτω τε διαλυθέντες ἑκάτεροι τὴν 6.23.13 νύκτα ἐκείνην ηὐλίσαντο. ἔτυχον δὲ τῇ προτεραίᾳ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου Γότθων τινὲς ὄρθρου βαθέος τροφῶν ξυγκομιδῆς ἕνεκα ἐς τὰ ἐκείνῃ σταλέντες χωρία. 6.23.14 οἳ δὴ οὐδὲν ἀμφὶ τῶν πολεμίων τῇ παρουσίᾳ πυθόμενοι ἐς νύκτα ἐπανῆκον. ἄφνω τε τὰ Ῥωμαίων πυρὰ κατιδόντες ἐν θαύματί τε καὶ δέει μεγάλῳ ἐγένοντο. 6.23.15 καὶ αὐτῶν πολλοὶ μὲν τὸν κίνδυνον ὑποστῆναι τολμήσαντες καὶ λαθόντες τοὺς πολεμίους ἐς Αὔξιμον ἐσῆλθον. ὅσοι δὲ κατορρωδήσαντες ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἐς ὕλας τινὰς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔκρυψαν, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπὶ Ῥαβέννης χωρήσουσιν, οὗτοι δὴ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ὑπὸ τοῖς 6.23.16 ἐναντίοις γενόμενοι διεφθάρησαν. Βελισάριος δὲ κατιδὼν τὴν Αὔξιμον ἰσχυροτάτην ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ οὖσαν, παντελῶς τέ οἱ ἀμήχανα εἶναι προσβολὴν τῷ περιβόλῳ ποιήσασθαι, βίᾳ μὲν τὸ χωρίον ἑλεῖν οὐκ ἄν ποτε ᾤετο, πολιορκίᾳ δὲ ἀκριβεῖ ἔς τε ἀπορίαν τῶν ἀναγκαίων καταστήσεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐλπίδα εἶχε καὶ τῷ 6.23.17 χρόνῳ ὑποχειρίους ποιήσασθαι. τοῦ δὲ περιβόλου οὐ 6.23.17 μακρὰν ἄποθεν πόαν τινὰ πολλὴν ἡ γῆ ἀνιεῖσα ξυμβολῆς ἀφορμὴν ἐς ἡμέραν ἑκάστην Ῥωμαίοις τε καὶ 6.23.18 Γότθοις ἔφερε. ταύτην γὰρ ἀποτεμνομένους ἀεὶ τῶν ἵππων ἕνεκα τοὺς ἐναντίους ὁρῶντες Ῥωμαῖοι ἔν τε τῷ λόφῳ δρόμῳ πολλῷ ἀνιόντες ἐγίνοντο καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰόντες ἔργα τε ἀρετῆς ἄξια ἐνδεικνύμενοι, φέρεσθαι τὴν πόαν οὐδαμῆ εἴων, πολλούς τε ἀεὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐν τῷ χώρῳ τούτῳ διέφθειρον. 6.23.19 οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ἀρετῇ τῶν πολεμίων ἡσσώμενοι ἐπενόουν τάδε. τῶν ἁμαξῶν τοὺς τροχοὺς ξὺν μόνοις τοῖς ἄξοσιν ἀφελόμενοι ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶχον, τέμνειν τε τὴν πόαν ἀρξάμενοι, ἐπειδὴ ἀνιόντας ἤδη ἐς τοῦ λόφου τὰ μέσα τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἶδον, τοὺς τροχοὺς ἀφῆκαν κατὰ κορυφὴν 6.23.20 ἐπ' αὐτοὺς φέρεσθαι. τύχῃ δέ τινι τούτους ξυνέπεσε τοὺς τροχοὺς ἄχρι ἐς τὸ ὁμαλὲς ἀνθρώπου οὐδενὸς ἁψαμένους ἐλθεῖν. ταύτης τε τῆς πείρας ἀποτυχόντες οἱ βάρβαροι, τότε μὲν φεύγοντες ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου 6.23.21 ἐγένοντο, ἔπειτα δὲ ἐποίουν τάδε. τὰς φάραγγας, αἳ τοῦ περιβόλου εἰσὶν ἄγχιστα, ἐνέδραις τῶν ἐν σφίσι δοκίμων ἀνδρῶν προλοχίσαντες ὀλίγοι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀμφὶ τὴν πόαν ἐφαίνοντο, ἡνίκα τε ἡ μάχη ἐν χερσὶ γένοιτο, ἐκπηδῶντες ἐκ τῶν ἐνεδρῶν οἱ κρυπτόμενοι, πλήθει τε τοὺς ἐναντίους παρὰ πολὺ ὑπεραίροντες καὶ αὐτοὺς τῷ μὴ προαισθέσθαι ἐκπλήσσοντες πλείστους μὲν ἔκτεινον, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἀεὶ ἐς 6.23.22 φυγὴν ἔτρεπον. Ῥωμαίων δὲ ὅσοι ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις εἱστήκεσαν ἔβλεπον μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἐνεδρῶν ὑπεξανισταμένους τοὺς πολεμίους, κραυγῇ δὲ πολλῇ τοὺς ἑταίρους ἀνακαλοῦντες οὐδὲν ἤνυον, ἐπεὶ οἱ μαχόμενοι τῆς ἐκείνων βοῆς ἥκιστα ἤκουον, μήκει τε τοῦ λόφου ἐπὶ πλεῖστον αὐτῶν διειργόμενοι καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀεὶ ἐξεπίτηδες σφίσιν ἀντιπαταγούντων τοῖς ὅπλοις. 6.23.23 Βελισαρίῳ δὲ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀπορουμένῳ Προκόπιος, ὃς τάδε ξυνέγραψε, προσελθὼν εἶπεν «Οἱ ταῖς «σάλπιγξιν, ὦ στρατηγὲ, τὸ παλαιὸν ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαίων «στρατῷ χρώμενοι νόμους τινὰς ἠπίσταντο δύο, ὧν «ἅτερος μὲν ἐγκελευομένῳ τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐῴκει καὶ «τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐς μάχην ὁρμῶντι, ὁ δὲ ἄλλος ἐπὶ «τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀνεκάλει τοὺς μαχομένους, ἡνίκα 6.23.24 «ταῦτα ἐδόκει τῷ στρατηγῷ ὡς ἄριστα ἔχειν. ταύτῃ τε «ἀεὶ οἱ μὲν στρατηγοὶ τὰ καθήκοντα τοῖς στρατιώταις «ἐκέλευον, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὰ παραγγελλόμενα ἔργα ἐπιτελεῖν 6.23.25 «ἴσχυον. κραυγὴ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ξυμβολαῖς σημῆναί τι «σαφὲς οὐδαμῶς πέφυκε, πατάγου τε, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, «πανταχόσε ἀντικτυποῦντος καὶ τοῦ δέους ἐκπλήσσον6.23.26 «τος τὰς τῶν μαχομένων αἰσθήσεις. ἐπεὶ δὲ τανῦν «ἀμαθίᾳ τε ἡ τοιαύτη τέχνη ἐξώλισθε καὶ μιᾷ σάλπιγγι «ἄμφω δηλῶσαι ἀμήχανον, αὐτὸς οὕτω τὸ λοιπὸν ποίει. 6.23.27 «σάλπιγξι μὲν ταῖς ἱππικαῖς ἐγκελεύου τοῖς στρατιώ»ταις διαμάχεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, ταῖς δὲ πεζικαῖς 6.23.28 «ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἀνακάλει τοὺς ἄνδρας. ἑκατέρου «γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦ ἤχου μὴ οὐχὶ ξυνεῖναι ἀδύνατον, «ἐπεὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκ βύρσης τε καὶ ξύλου ὑπεράγαν λεπτοῦ, 6.23.29 «ὁ