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having taken up, whom you yourself "you disregard as they lie here, may they hereafter be shut»off from none of your possessions." The letter, then, de6.24.11clared so much. And when Vittigis saw it after it was brought back 6.24.11, at the moment, having promised the men that he would help Auximum with the entire Gothic army, he sent them away, but after much deliberation he remained quiet. 6.24.12 For he suspected John and his men lest they, following upon their rear, should place them in a perilous position, and thinking that a great force of fighting men 6.24.13 was with Belisarius, he fell into a kind of helpless fear. 6.24.13 But most of all the famine was troubling him, since he did not have any source from which to pro6.24.14vide provisions for the army. 6.24.14 For the Romans, since they controlled the sea and held the fortress at Ancona, de6.24.15positing all the necessary supplies there from both Sicily and Calabria, when the time was right, easily brought them from there. 6.24.15 But for the Goths campaigning in the land of Picenum, perceiving that there would be no source of provisions, he was reduced to helplessness. 6.24.16 Vittigis' promise, then, those who had previously been sent from there to him, having eluded the enemy, brought to Auximum and they encouraged the barbarians there with empty 6.24.17 hopes. 6.24.17 But Belisarius, hearing these things from deserters, ordered that the guard be kept still more strictly, so that nothing of the sort might happen again. These things, then, were happening in this way. 6.24.18 But Cyprian and Justinus and their men, who were besieging Fiesole, were by no means able to assault the circuit-wall or to get very close to it; for this fortress was difficult of access on all sides; but since the barbarians frequently sallied out against them, and were more willing to decide the issue by battle with them than to be hard pressed by lack of necessities, at first the encounters were evenly matched, but then the Romans, now having the upper hand, both shut the enemy up in the fortress and guarded them securely, 6.24.19 so that no one could go anywhere from there. The barbarians, therefore, lacking necessities and being at a loss in their present circumstances, again eluding the enemy, sent to Vittigis, begging him to help them with all speed, as they would not hold out for any longer time. 6.24.20 And Vittigis ordered Uraias to go with the army in Liguria to Ticinum; for he asserted that in this way he himself also with the entire Gothic force to the besieged 6.24.21 would come to aid. 6.24.21 And he did accordingly and having set in motion the entire army with him, he went to Ticinum. And having crossed the Padus river they came somewhere near the camp of the Romans 6.24.22. 6.24.22 And there they too pitched their camp and sat over against the enemy, being distant from them about sixty stades at most. But of hostilities neither 6.24.23 began. 6.24.23 For it seemed sufficient to the Romans if they stood in the way of the enemy, so that they would not advance against the besiegers, and the barbarians hesitated to fight it out with the enemy there, reasoning that if they should be unsuccessful in this encounter, they would ruin all the affairs of the Goths 6.24.24. 6.24.24 For they would no longer, by joining with Vittigis and his men, be able to defend the besieged along with him. With such a purpose, then, both sides remained quiet. 6.25.1 Meanwhile the Franks, having heard that both Goths and Romans were weakened by the war, and for this reason thinking that they could most easily win over for themselves the greater part of Italy, considered it a terrible thing if others were carrying on a war for so great a length of time for the rule of a country that was so very near to them, while they themselves, remaining quiet, should stand out of the way of both. 6.25.2 Therefore, straightway forgetting the oaths and treaties which they had made a little before with both Romans and Goths (for this nation is the most treacherous of all men in matters of trust) immediately gathering to the number of one hundred thousand, with Theudibert leading them, they marched into Italy, having a few horsemen about their leader, who indeed also 6.25.3 alone carried spears, 6.25.3 but all the rest were foot-soldiers, having neither bows nor spears, but each man carried a sword and a shield and one axe. Of this the iron head was both heavy and sharp on both sides to the

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ἀνελόμενοι, ὧν αὐτὸς «ἐνταῦθα κειμένων ὑπερορᾷς, οὐδενὸς τῶν σῶν ἀπο»κεκλεισμένοι τὸ λοιπὸν ὦσι.» τὰ γράμματα μὲν το6.24.11 σαῦτα ἐδήλου. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτὰ Οὐίττιγις ἀπενεχθέντα 6.24.11 εἶδεν, ἐν μὲν τῷ παραυτίκα τοὺς ἄνδρας πάσῃ τῇ Γότθων στρατιᾷ βοηθήσειν Αὐξίμῳ ὑποσχόμενος ἀπεπέμψατο, μετὰ δὲ πολλὰ λογισάμενος ἡσυχίαν ἦγε. 6.24.12 τούς τε γὰρ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην ὑπώπτευε μὴ κατὰ νώτου σφίσιν ἐπισπόμενοι ἐν ἀμφιβόλῳ ποιήσωνται, καὶ πολλὴν οἰόμενος ξὺν Βελισαρίῳ μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν 6.24.13 δύναμιν εἶναι ἐς ἀμήχανόν τι δέος ἐξέπιπτε. μάλιστα δὲ ἁπάντων ὁ λιμὸς αὐτὸν ξυνετάρασσεν, οὐκ ἔχοντα ὅθεν ἂν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τῷ στρατοπέδῳ πορί6.24.14 ζηται. οἱ μὲν γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι ἅτε θαλασσοκρατοῦντες καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἀγκῶνι φρούριον ἔχοντες, τὰ ἀναγκαῖα πάντα ἔκ τε Σικελίας καὶ Καλαβρίας ἐνταῦθα κατα6.24.15 τιθέμενοι ἐς καιρὸν ἐνθένδε εὐπετῶς ἔφερον. Γότθοις δὲ στρατεύουσιν ἐς Πικηνῶν τὴν χώραν πόρον οὐδένα τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐννοῶν ἔσεσθαι ἐς ἀμηχανίαν καθίστατο. 6.24.16 Οὐιττίγιδος μὲν οὖν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν λαθόντες τοὺς πολεμίους ἐς Αὔξιμον ἤνεγκαν οἱ πρώην ἐς αὐτὸν ἐνθένδε σταλέντες καὶ βαρβάρους τοὺς ἐνταῦθα κεναῖς 6.24.17 ἐλπίσιν ἐπέρρωσαν. Βελισάριος δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς τῶν αὐτομόλων ἀκούσας ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς φυλακὴν ἐκέλευε ποιεῖσθαι, ὅπως μή τι συμβαίη καὶ αὖθις τοιοῦτο. ταῦτα μὲν ἐγίνετο τῇδε. 6.24.18 Οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ Κυπριανὸν καὶ Ἰουστῖνον Φισούλαν πολιορκοῦντες τῷ μὲν περιβόλῳ προσβάλλειν ἢ ἄγχιστά που αὐτοῦ ἰέναι οὐδαμῆ εἶχον· δυσπρόσοδον γὰρ τοῦτο πανταχόθεν τὸ φρούριον ἦν· τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων σφίσι συχνὰ ἐπεξιόντων μάχῃ τε μᾶλλον διακρίνεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐθελόντων ἢ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ πιέζεσθαι, ἀγχώμαλοι μὲν αἱ ξυμβολαὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἐγίνοντο, ἔπειτα δὲ πλέον ἤδη Ῥωμαῖοι ἔχοντες ἔς τε τὸ τεῖχος τοὺς πολεμίους κατέκλεισαν καὶ ἀσφαλῶς διεφύλασσον, 6.24.19 ὥστε μηδένα πη ἐνθένδε ἰέναι. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι τῶν τε ἀναγκαίων σπανίζοντες καὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀπορούμενοι, λαθόντες αὖθις τοὺς πολεμίους παρὰ τὸν Οὐίττιγιν ἔπεμπον, βοηθεῖν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τάχος δεόμενοι, ὡς οὐκέτι πλείω τινὰ ἀνθέξουσι χρόνον. 6.24.20 Οὐίττιγις δὲ Οὐραΐαν ἐκέλευε ξὺν τῷ ἐν Λιγούροις στρατῷ ἐς Τικινοὺς ἰέναι· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἰσχυρίζετο πάσῃ τῇ Γότθων δυνάμει τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις 6.24.21 παρέσεσθαι. ὁ δὲ κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει καὶ ἅπαν κινήσας τὸ ξὺν αὐτῷ στράτευμα ἐς Τικινοὺς ᾔει. Πάδον τε ποταμὸν διαβάντες ἐγγύς που τοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων 6.24.22 στρατοπέδου ἦλθον. οὗ δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἀντεκάθηντο τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀπέχοντες αὐτῶν μάλιστα ὅσον σταδίους ἑξήκοντα. χειρῶν δὲ οὐδέτεροι 6.24.23 ἦρχον. τοῖς τε γὰρ Ῥωμαίοις ἔδοξεν ἀποχρῆν, εἰ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐμποδὼν στήσονται, ὥστε μὴ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας πορεύεσθαι, καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐνταῦθα ὤκνουν διαμάχεσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, λογιζόμενοι ὡς, ἢν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ξυμβολῇ ἀτυχήσωσιν, ἅπαντα Γότθων 6.24.24 διαφθεροῦσι τὰ πράγματα. οὐ γὰρ ἔτι τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Οὐίττιγιν ἐπιμιγνύμενοι ἀμύνειν τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ξὺν αὐτῷ ἕξουσι. τοιαύτῃ μὲν γνώμῃ ἑκάτεροι ἡσυχίαν ἦγον. 6.25.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Φράγγοι κεκακῶσθαι τῷ πολέμῳ Γότθους τε καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀκούσαντες καὶ δι' αὐτὸ ῥᾷστα ἂν οἰόμενοι Ἰταλίας τὰ πολλὰ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς προσποιήσασθαι, δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο, εἰ πόλεμον μὲν ἕτεροι ἐς τοσόνδε χρόνου διαφέρουσι μῆκος περὶ χώρας ἀρχῇ, οὕτω δὴ αὐτοῖς ἐν γειτόνων οὔσης, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἡσυχῆ μένοντες ἀμφοτέροις ἐκποδὼν στήσονται. 6.25.2 ὅρκων τοίνυν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα καὶ ξυνθηκῶν ἐπιλελησμένοι, αἵπερ αὐτοῖς ὀλίγῳ πρότερον πρός τε Ῥωμαίους καὶ Γότθους ἐπεποίηντο (ἔστι γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος τοῦτο τὰ ἐς πίστιν σφαλερώτατον ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων) ἐς μυριάδας δέκα εὐθὺς ξυλλεγέντες, ἡγουμένου σφίσι Θευδιβέρτου, ἐς Ἰταλίαν ἐστράτευσαν, ἱππέας μὲν ὀλίγους τινὰς ἀμφὶ τὸν ἡγούμενον ἔχοντες, οἳ δὴ καὶ 6.25.3 μόνοι δόρατα ἔφερον, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ πεζοὶ ἅπαντες οὔτε τόξα οὔτε δόρατα ἔχοντες, ἀλλὰ ξίφος τε καὶ ἀσπίδα φέρων ἕκαστος καὶ πέλεκυν ἕνα. οὗ δὴ ὁ μὲν σίδηρος ἁδρός τε καὶ ὀξὺς ἑκατέρωθι ἐς τὰ