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he learned, persuaded one of those dwelling there with money to secretly burn these very buildings along with 6.28.26 the grain. And they say that these things were destroyed also by the will of Matasuntha, the wife of Wittigis. And when the grain had been suddenly burned, some suspected that the deed had been done by a plot, 6.28.27 while others suspected that the place had been struck by lightning. And considering both possibilities, both the Goths and Wittigis fell into still greater helplessness, no longer able even to trust themselves and thinking that they were being warred upon by God. So these things were done in this way. 6.28.28 And in the Alps, which separate the Gauls and the Ligurians, which the Romans call the Cottian Alps, 6.28.29 it happens that there are many forts. where indeed many and excellent Goths from of old, dwelling with their wives and children, held the garrison; and when Belisarius heard that they wished to come over to him, he sent one of his followers, Thomas by name, with a few men to them, on the condition that after giving pledges they would win over 6.28.30 the barbarians there by agreement. And when they arrived in the Alps, Sisigis, who was in command of the garrisons there, having received them in one of the forts, both came over himself 6.28.31 and was inducing each of the others to do this. But in the meantime Uraias, having selected four thousand Ligurians and men from the forts in the Alps, was proceeding with speed to Ravenna 6.28.32 in order to bring help. And when they learned what had been done by Sisigis, fearing for their families, 6.28.33 they demanded to go there first. For this reason, then, Uraias with his whole army came to the Cottian Alps and besieged Sisigis along with Thomas and his men. When John, the nephew of Vitalian, and Martinus learned these things (for they happened to be very near the river Po), they speedily brought aid with their whole army and falling upon some of the forts in the Alps by a sudden raid, they captured them, and enslaved those who dwelt there, among whom it happened there were many children and women of those serving under 6.28.34 Uraias. For most of them, coming from these very forts, had followed. 6.28.35 And they, when they learned that their own property had been captured, suddenly deserting the camp of the Goths, decided to go over to John and his men, and from this Uraias was neither able to accomplish anything there nor to help the Goths endangered in Ravenna, but having come to Liguria with a few men, he remained quiet without accomplishing anything. And Belisarius at his pleasure confined both Wittigis and the notable men of the Goths in Ravenna. 6.29.1 And at that time also ambassadors arrived from the emperor, Domnicus and Maximinus, both from the senate, in order that 6.29.2 they might make peace on the following terms. That Wittigis, on the one hand, was to carry away half of the royal treasure, and to rule the country which is beyond the river Po; but that half of the treasures should be the emperor's, and that he should make whatever is within the river Po subject to the payment of tribute. 6.29.3 And the ambassadors, after showing the emperor's letters to Belisarius, were brought to Ravenna. And when the Goths and Wittigis learned for what purpose they had come, they gladly agreed that they would make the treaty according to 6.29.4 these terms. Hearing this, Belisarius was vexed, considering it a great misfortune, if someone should not allow him, when it was possible with no trouble, both to carry off the victory of the whole war and to lead Wittigis as a captive of the spear 6.29.5 to Byzantium. And when the ambassadors came to him from Ravenna, he was by no means willing to confirm the treaty with his own 6.29.6 letters. And the Goths, perceiving this, suspected that the Romans were proposing the peace to them with a deceitful mind, and held them in great suspicion, and they now openly declared that without the letters and oaths of Belisarius they would never 6.29.7 make a treaty with them. But Belisarius, hearing that some of the commanders were reviling him, as though he were plotting against the emperor's interests and was by no means willing to end the war, having called all together, with Domnicus 6.29.8 and Maximinus present, spoke as follows: "That the "fortune of war is by no means set on a secure footing, "I myself both know and

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ἔγνω, τῶν τινα ταύτῃ ᾠκημένων ἀνέπεισε χρήμασι ταῦτα δὴ τὰ οἰκήματα ξὺν 6.28.26 τῷ σίτῳ λάθρα ἐμπρῆσαι. φασὶ δὲ καὶ γνώμῃ Ματασούνθης, τῆς Οὐιττίγιδος γυναικὸς, ταῦτα ἀπολωλέναι. ἐπειδή τε ὁ σῖτος ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐκέκαυτο, οἱ μέν τινες ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς γεγενῆσθαι τὸ ἔργον ὑπετόπαζον, 6.28.27 οἱ δὲ κεραυνῷ τὸν χῶρον βεβλῆσθαι ὑπώπτευον. ἑκάτερα δὲ λογιζόμενοι Γότθοι τε καὶ Οὐίττιγις ἐς ἀμηχανίαν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐνέπιπτον, οὐδὲ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς πιστεύειν τὸ λοιπὸν ἔχοντες καὶ πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πολεμεῖσθαι οἰόμενοι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ταύτῃ ἐπράσσετο. 6.28.28 Ἐν δὲ Ἄλπεσιν, αἳ Γάλλους τε καὶ Λιγούρους διορίζουσιν, ἅσπερ Ἄλπεις Κουτίας καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, 6.28.29 φρούρια συχνὰ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. οὗ δὴ Γότθοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι, ξύν τε γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶ τοῖς αὐτῶν ᾠκημένοι, φυλακὴν εἶχον· οὕσπερ ἐπεί οἱ βούλεσθαι Βελισάριος προσχωρεῖν ἤκουσε, τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων τινὰ, Θωμᾶν ὄνομα, ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ παρ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ πιστὰ δόντες παραστήσονται 6.28.30 ὁμολογίᾳ τοὺς ταύτῃ βαρβάρους. καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὰς Ἄλπεις ἀφικομένους Σίσιγις, ὃς τῶν ἐνταῦθα φυλακτηρίων ἦρχεν, ἑνὶ τῶν φρουρίων δεξάμενος, αὐτός τε προσεχώρησε 6.28.31 καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἑκάστους εἰς τοῦτο ἐνῆγεν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Οὐραΐας τετρακισχιλίους Λιγούρους τε κἀκ τῶν ἐν ταῖς Ἄλπεσι φρουρίων ἀπολεξάμενος, ἐπὶ Ῥάβενναν 6.28.32 ὡς βοηθήσων κατὰ τάχος ᾔει. οἵπερ ἐπειδὴ τὰ Σισίγιδι πεπραγμένα ἐπύθοντο, ἀμφὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις δεδιότες, 6.28.33 ἐνταῦθα πρῶτον ἠξίουν ἰέναι. διὸ δὴ Οὐραΐας παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐς τὰς Ἄλπεις Κουτίας ἦλθε καὶ τὸν Σίσιγιν ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Θωμᾶν ἐπολιόρκει. ταῦτα Ἰωάννης τε, ὁ Βιταλιανοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦς, καὶ Μαρτῖνος πυθόμενοι (ἀγχοτάτω γὰρ Πάδου ποταμοῦ ὄντες ἐτύγχανον) κατὰ τάχος ἐβοήθουν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ καὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς Ἄλπεσι φρουρίων τισὶν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ἐπισκήψαντες εἷλον, καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα ᾠκημένους ἠνδραποδίσαντο, ἐν οἷς παῖδάς τε συχνοὺς καὶ γυναῖκας τῶν ὑπὸ τῷ 6.28.34 Οὐραΐᾳ στρατευομένων ξυνέπεσεν εἶναι. πλεῖστοι γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐκ τούτων δὴ τῶν φρουρίων ὁρμώμενοι εἵποντο. 6.28.35 οἵπερ, ἐπεὶ ἁλῶναι τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν ἔμαθον, ἀποταξάμενοι τοῦ Γότθων στρατοπέδου ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου, τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην προσχωρεῖν ἔγνωσαν, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Οὐραΐας οὔτε τι ἐνταῦθα ἀνύτειν οὔτε τοῖς ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ κινδυνεύουσι Γότθοις βοηθεῖν ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ ἄπρακτος ἐς Λιγουρίαν ξὺν ὀλίγοις ἐλθὼν ἡσυχῆ ἔμενε. καὶ Βελισάριος κατ' ἐξουσίαν Οὐίττιγίν τε καὶ Γότθων τοὺς δοκίμους ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ καθεῖρξε. 6.29.1 Τότε δὲ καὶ πρέσβεις ἐκ βασιλέως ἀφίκοντο ∆όμνικός τε καὶ Μαξιμῖνος, ἐκ βουλῆς ἄμφω, ἐφ' ᾧ 6.29.2 τὴν εἰρήνην κατὰ τάδε ποιήσονται. Οὐίττιγιν μὲν πλούτου τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ φέρεσθαι, χώρας τε ἄρχειν ἣ ἐκτὸς Πάδου ποταμοῦ ἐστι· τῶν δὲ δὴ χρημάτων τὸ ἥμισυ βασιλέως εἶναι, καὶ αὐτὸν ὅσα ἐντὸς Πάδου ποταμοῦ ἐστιν ὑπήκοα ἐς ἀπαγωγὴν φόρου 6.29.3 ποιήσασθαι. Βελισαρίῳ τε οἱ πρέσβεις τὰ βασιλέως γράμματα δείξαντες ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἐκομίσθησαν. μαθόντες δὲ Γότθοι καὶ Οὐίττιγις ἐφ' ᾧ ἥκοιεν, ἄσμενοι κατὰ 6.29.4 ταῦτα ὡμολόγησαν τὰς σπονδὰς θήσεσθαι. ἅπερ ἀκούσας Βελισάριος ἤσχαλλεν, ἐν ξυμφορᾷ μεγάλῃ ποιούμενος, εἰ μή τις αὐτὸν ἐῴη, παρὸν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, τό τε κράτος τοῦ πολέμου παντὸς φέρεσθαι καὶ δορυάλω6.29.5 τον Οὐίττιγιν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἀγαγεῖν. ἐπειδή τε οἱ πρέσβεις ἐκ Ῥαβέννης πρὸς αὐτὸν ἵκοντο, γράμμασιν 6.29.6 οἰκείοις ἐπιρρῶσαι τὰς ξυνθήκας ἥκιστα ἤθελεν. ὧνπερ οἱ Γότθοι αἰσθόμενοι νῷ τε δολερῷ τὴν εἰρήνην σφίσι Ῥωμαίους προτείνεσθαι ὑπετόπαζον, καὶ ὑποψίᾳ ἐς αὐτοὺς μεγάλῃ ἐχρῶντο, ἄντικρύς τε ἤδη ἔφασκον ἄνευ τῶν Βελισαρίου γραμμάτων τε καὶ ὅρκων οὔποτε 6.29.7 ξυνθήκας πρὸς αὐτοὺς θήσεσθαι. ἀκούσας δὲ Βελισάριος λοιδορεῖσθαί οἱ τῶν ἀρχόντων τινὰς, ὡς δὴ ἐπιβουλεύων τοῖς βασιλέως πράγμασι τὸν πόλεμον καταλύειν οὐδαμῶς βούλοιτο, ξυγκαλέσας ἅπαντας, ∆ομνίκου 6.29.8 τε καὶ Μαξιμίνου παρόντων, ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Τὴν μὲν «τοῦ πολέμου τύχην ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ὡς ἥκιστα ἑστάναι «αὐτός τε οἶδα καὶ