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having lately agreed to join us in this war against 6.25.22 «the Goths. But now you have not only stood out of the way of »both of us, but have also come against us, having taken up arms so «heedlessly. Do not you, O «best of men, also commit these outrages against a great emperor, whom it would «surely be unlikely not to avenge the outrage very greatly in matters of the greatest importance. 6.25.23 «It is better for a man to hold his own possessions in security «than, by laying claim to what does not belong to him, to be brought «into some danger concerning the things most necessary.» When Theudebert read this letter, being already perplexed by the present situation and reproached by the Germans, because they were dying for no reason in a desolate land, he set out with the survivors of the Franks and with great speed withdrew for home. 6.26.1 Thus Theudebert, having campaigned in Italy, made his departure. And the men with Martin and John returned no less, so that the enemy might not make some attack upon them as they were besieging. 6.26.2 But the Goths in Auximum, having heard nothing about the arrival of the Franks, and despairing of the hope from Ravenna which was so long in coming, were again minded to appeal to Vittigis, but being unable to elude the guard of the enemy, they were lamenting. 6.26.3 Afterwards, seeing one of the Romans, Burcentius by name, a Bessian by race, serving under Narses the Armenian, standing guard alone at midday, so that no one might go out from the city to get fodder, they came closer and entered into conversation with him, and giving him pledges that they would do him no harm, they bade him join them, promising that he would receive great sums 6.26.4 of money from them. And when they were in the same place, the barbarians begged the man to carry a letter to Ravenna, arranging a specified amount of gold for him on the spot, and promising to give more, whenever he should return to them bringing a letter from Vittigis. 6.26.5 And the soldier, persuaded by the money, agreed to perform this service and fulfilled his promise. At any rate, taking a sealed letter he arrived in Ravenna with all speed. And coming into the presence of Vittigis he handed over the 6.26.6 letter. It said the following: «You will know clearly how our present situation stands, «by enquiring who the bearer of the letter might 6.26.7 «be. For it is impossible for a Gothic man to get outside the «wall. And the most abundant of our foods»happens to be the grass beside the wall, of which indeed «it is not now possible for us even to touch, except by losing »many in the fight for it. It is for you and the Goths «in Ravenna to consider to what end this will come for us.» 6.26.8 When Vittigis read this, he replied as follows: «Let no one suppose that we have become remiss, «O dearest of all men, nor that we have «come to such a degree of baseness as to betray the affairs of the Goths 6.26.9 «through idleness. For recently both the preparation for the «expedition was completed by me as well as possible, and «Uraias was summoned and came from Mediolanum with the whole army. 6.26.10 «But the attack of the Franks, falling unexpectedly »upon us, has checked all our preparations, for which 6.26.11 «I could not justly bear the blame. For whatever is greater «than human power grants even to those who have failed to be «blameless, since fortune always draws to itself the blame for what has been 6.26.12 «done. Now, however (for we hear that Theudebert has got out of »our way), we shall be with you before long, «if God is willing, with the whole army of the Goths. 6.26.13 «But you must bear what befalls with courage and in a manner «befitting the necessity, considering your own valour, on account «of which I chose you out of all and established you in Auximum, «and feeling shame for the reputation which all the Goths, having in you, «have made you the defenders of Ravenna and of their own safety.» 6.26.14 Having written so much, Vittigis presented the man with a large sum of money and sent him away. He, upon arriving at Auximum, went to his comrades, and pretending that an illness had befallen him, went to a certain shrine not far off on account of

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ὁμολογήσας ἔναγχος πόλεμον ἡμῖν ἐπὶ 6.25.22 «Γότθους τόνδε ξυλλήψεσθαι. νῦν δὲ οὐχ ὅσον ἀμφο»τέροις ἐκποδὼν ἕστηκας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπλα οὕτως ἀνε»πισκέπτως ἀράμενος ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἥκεις. μὴ σύ γε, ὦ «βέλτιστε, καὶ ταῦτα ἐς βασιλέα μέγαν ὑβρίζων, ὃν δή «που τὴν ὕβριν μὴ λίαν ἐν τοῖς μεγίστοις ἀμείψεσθαι 6.25.23 «οὐκ εἰκὸς εἴη. κρεῖσσον δὲ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀσφαλῶς αὐτόν «τινα ἔχειν ἢ τῶν οὐ προσηκόντων μεταποιούμενον ἐς «κίνδυνόν τινα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων καθίστασθαι.» ταύτην ἐπεὶ Θευδίβερτος τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀνελέξατο, τοῖς τε παροῦσιν ἀπορούμενος ἤδη καὶ πρὸς Γερμανῶν κακιζόμενος, ὅτι δὴ ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς προφάσεως θνήσκοιεν ἐν χώρᾳ ἐρήμῳ, ἄρας τοῖς περιοῦσι τῶν Φράγγων ἐπ' οἴκου ξὺν τάχει πολλῷ ἀπεχώρησεν. 6.26.1 Οὕτω μὲν Θευδίβερτος στρατεύσας ἐς Ἰταλίαν τὴν ἄφοδον ἐποιήσατο. οἵ τε ἀμφὶ Μαρτῖνον καὶ Ἰωάννην ἀνέστρεψαν οὐδέν τι ἧσσον, ὅπως μή τινα οἱ πολέμιοι ἔφοδον ἐπὶ σφῶν τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας 6.26.2 ποιήσονται. Γότθοι δὲ οἱ ἐν Αὐξίμῳ, Φράγγων μὲν ἀφίξεως πέρι οὐδὲν πεπυσμένοι, ἀπειρηκότες δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐκ Ῥαβέννης ἐλπίδα οὕτω μέλλουσαν, αὖθις μὲν Οὐίττιγιν διενοοῦντο μαρτύρεσθαι, λαθεῖν δὲ τῶν πολεμίων τὴν φυλακὴν οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες ἐπένθουν. 6.26.3 μετὰ δὲ τῶν τινα Ῥωμαίων, Βέσον γένος Βουρκέντιον ὄνομα, ὑπὸ Ναρσῇ τεταγμένον τῷ Ἀρμενίῳ, μόνον ἰδόντες ἐς μέσην ἡμέραν φυλακὴν ἔχοντα, ὡς μή τις ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τὴν πόαν ληψόμενος ἴοι, ἔς τε λόγους αὐτῷ ξυνῆλθον ἐγγυτέρω ἥκοντες καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δόντες ὡς οὐδὲν ἐς αὐτὸν κακουργήσωσι ξυγγενέσθαι σφίσιν ἐκέλευον, ἔσεσθαί οἱ μεγάλα ἐπαγγειλαμένοις 6.26.4 παρὰ σφῶν χρήματα. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἐγένοντο, ἐδέοντο τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ βάρβαροι ἐπιστολήν τινα ἐς Ῥάβενναν διακομίσαι, τάξαντες μέν οἱ ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα χρυσίον ῥητὸν, πλέον δὲ ὑποσχόμενοι δώσειν, ἐπειδὰν σφίσιν Οὐιττίγιδος γράμματα ἐπανήκοι φέρων. 6.26.5 τοῖς δὲ χρήμασιν ὁ στρατιώτης ἀναπεισθεὶς ὑπουργήσειν τε ὡμολόγησε ταῦτα καὶ ἐπιτελῆ ἐποίησε τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. γράμματα γοῦν κατασεσημασμένα λαβὼν ἐς Ῥάβενναν κατὰ τάχος ἀφίκετο. καὶ Οὐιττίγιδι ἐς 6.26.6 ὄψιν ἐλθὼν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐνεχείρισεν. ἐδήλου δὲ τάδε «Ὅπη μὲν ἡμῖν τὰ παρόντα ἔχει σαφῶς εἴσεσθε, «πυνθανόμενοι ὅστις ποτὲ ὁ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς παραπομπὸς 6.26.7 «εἴη. Γότθῳ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ ἔξω γενέσθαι τοῦ περιβόλου «ἀμήχανά ἐστι. τῶν δὲ βρωμάτων ἡμῖν τὸ εὐπορώτα»τον ἡ παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος πόα τυγχάνει οὖσα, ἧς γε «ἡμῖν οὐδὲ ὅσον ἅψασθαι τανῦν ἔξεστιν, ὅτι μὴ πολ»λοὺς ἀποβάλλουσιν ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ ταύτης ἀγῶνι. ταῦτα «ἐς ὅ τι ἡμῖν τελευτήσει σέ τε χρὴ καὶ Γότθους τοὺς 6.26.8 «ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ λογίζεσθαι.» ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ὁ Οὐίττιγις ἀνελέξατο, ἀμείβεται ὧδε «Ἀναπεπτωκέναι δὲ ἡμᾶς, «ὦ φίλτατοι ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων, οἰέσθω μηδεὶς, μηδὲ «ἐς κακίας τοσόνδε ἥκειν ὥστε ῥᾳθυμίᾳ τὰ Γότθων 6.26.9 «καταπροΐεσθαι πράγματα. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἔναγχος ἥ τε «τῆς ἐξόδου παρασκευὴ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα ἤσκητο καὶ «Οὐραΐας παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐκ Μεδιολάνου μετάπεμπτος 6.26.10 «ἦλθεν. ἀλλ' ἡ Φράγγων ἔφοδος παραδόξως ἐπιπε»σοῦσα πάντα ἡμῖν τὰ ἐν παρασκευῇ ἀνεχαίτισεν, ὧν 6.26.11 «ἔγωγε οὐκ ἂν τὴν αἰτίαν δικαίως φεροίμην. ὅσα «γὰρ μείζω ἢ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου δύναμίν ἐστι καὶ τοῖς «ἐπταικόσι τὸ ἀνεγκλήτοις εἶναι χαρίζεται, τῆς τύχης «ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν ἐπισπωμένης ἀεὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν πεπραγμένων 6.26.12 «ἐγκλήματα. νῦν μέντοι (καὶ γὰρ Θευδίβερτον ἐκπο»δὼν ἡμῖν γεγενῆσθαι ἀκούομεν) οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ὑμῖν, «ἂν θεὸς θέλῃ, πάσῃ τῇ Γότθων στρατιᾷ παρεσόμεθα. 6.26.13 «χρὴ δὲ ὑμᾶς τὰ παραπίπτοντα φέρειν ἀνδρείως τε «καὶ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ ἐπιτηδείως, λογιζομένους μὲν τὴν «ὑμετέραν ἀρετὴν, ἧς ἕνεκα ἐκ πάντων ἀπολέξας ὑμᾶς «ἐν Αὐξίμῳ κατεστησάμην, αἰσχυνομένους δὲ τὴν δόξαν, «ἣν Γότθοι ἅπαντες ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἔχοντες Ῥαβέννης τε «ὑμᾶς καὶ τῆς σφῶν αὐτῶν σωτηρίας προβέβληνται.» 6.26.14 τοσαῦτα γράψας Οὐίττιγις καὶ χρήμασι πολλοῖς τὸν ἄνθρωπον δωρησάμενος ἀπεπέμψατο. ὃς δὴ ἐς Αὔξιμον ἀφικόμενος, παρά τε τοὺς ἑταίρους τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἦλθε καὶ ἀρρώστημα ὅτι δή οἱ ξυμβεβηκέναι σκηψάμενος ἔς τε ἱερόν τι οὐκ ἄποθεν ὂν διὰ