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and 6.29.28 he said he would swear to the Gothic rulers. And the envoys, thinking that he would never shake off the imperial power, but rather desired it more than anything, straightway 6.29.29 urged him to go with them to Ravenna. And at that time Belisarius ordered Bessas and John and Narses and Aratius (for he suspected that these were especially hostile to him) to go each to a different place with their followers and to provide for their own necessities; for he said that it was no longer possible for him to bring provisions into that place for the whole army. 6.29.30 And they acted accordingly, together with Athanasius, the praetorian prefect, who had just come from Byzantium, but he himself with the rest of the army went with the Gothic 6.29.31 envoys to Ravenna. And filling a fleet of ships with grain and the other provisions, he ordered them to sail with all speed to the harbour of Classes. For so the Romans call the suburb of Ravenna, where the harbour 6.29.32 is. But as I was considering at that time the entrance of the Roman army into Ravenna, a thought came to me, that human affairs are accomplished least of all by the wisdom or any other excellence of men, but that there is some divine power, which is ever turning their thoughts and leading them where there will be no obstacle to what is being accomplished. 6.29.33 For the Goths, though far superior to their opponents in multitude and in power, and having neither been decided by battle, since they were in Ravenna, nor had their spirit been enslaved by any other thing whatever, were becoming captives of the spear to their inferiors and held the name of slavery in no 6.29.34 disgrace. And the women (for they had chanced to hear from their men that the enemy were large in body and superior in number) all spat upon the faces of the men, when they saw them all sitting in the city, and pointing with their hands at the 6.29.35 victors, they reproached them for their cowardice. But Belisarius held Vittigis in custody, but not with dishonour, and as for all the barbarians who dwelt inside the Po River, he ordered them to go to their own fields and to take care of them as they pleased. 6.29.36 For he suspected that he would have no enemy there, nor that the Goths would ever unite in this region, since he had previously happened to station many of the Roman army in the places there. And they went 6.29.37 gladly with all speed. Thus the Romans were now in a state of safety. For they were no longer inferior to the Goths in number, at least in Ravenna. And after this he took the treasures in the Palace, 6.29.38 which he was intending to convey to the emperor. For he himself plundered none of the Goths, nor did he permit anyone else to plunder them, but each of them kept his own property 6.29.39 in accordance with the agreements. But when those of the barbarians who were keeping guard in the strongest of the fortresses heard that both Ravenna and Vittigis were held by the Romans, they sent envoys to Belisarius, thinking it right to surrender both themselves by agreement and the places they were guarding. 6.29.40 And he, having most readily given pledges to all, gained possession of Tarbesium and whatever other stronghold there was in Venetia. For Caesena in Aemilia alone was left, which he had happened to subdue previously along with Ravenna. 6.29.41 And all the Goths, who were in command of these places, as soon as they received the pledges, came to Belisarius and remained there; but Ildibadus, a notable man, who was in command of the garrison in Verona, though he himself also sent envoys to Belisarius on the same terms as the others, since Belisarius had also found his children in Ravenna and was holding them, nevertheless he neither came to Ravenna nor became subject to Belisarius. For a certain fortune befell him, which I shall presently relate. 6.30.1 Certain commanders of the Roman army, feeling envy toward Belisarius, were slandering him to the emperor, charging him with a tyranny that in no way belonged to him. 6.30.2 And the emperor, not so much persuaded by these slanders, but because the Median war was now pressing upon him, summoned Belisarius with all speed, in order that he might lead an army against the Persians; and he ordered Bessas and John, along with the others, to take charge of Italy, and he wrote to Constantianus to go from Dalmatia to Ravenna.

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καὶ 6.29.28 Γότθων τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὀμεῖσθαι ἔφη. καὶ αὐτὸν οἱ πρέσβεις οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἀποσείεσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν οἰόμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐφίεσθαι αὐτῆς πάντων μάλιστα, αὐτίκα δὴ 6.29.29 μάλα ἐς Ῥάβενναν ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευον ἰέναι. καὶ τότε δὴ Βελισάριος Βέσσαν τε καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ναρσῆν καὶ Ἀράτιον (τούτους γάρ οἱ ὡς μάλιστα δύσνους εἶναι ὑπώπτευεν) ἄλλον ἀλλαχόσε ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐκέλευεν ἰέναι τά τε ἀναγκαῖα σφίσι πορίζεσθαι· αὐτῷ γὰρ οὐκέτι ἔφασκε δυνατὰ εἶναι ἐς τοῦτο δὴ τὸ χωρίον παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐσκομίζεσθαι. 6.29.30 καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν, ξὺν Ἀθανασίῳ τῷ τῶν πραιτωρίων ὑπάρχῳ, ἄρτι ἥκοντι ἐκ Βυζαντίου, αὐτὸς δὲ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατεύματι σὺν Γότθων τοῖς 6.29.31 πρέσβεσιν ἐς Ῥάβενναν ᾔει. καὶ νηῶν στόλον ἐμπλησάμενος σίτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων ἐκέλευε κατὰ τάχος ἐς Κλάσσες τὸν λιμένα ἐσπλεῖν. οὕτω γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ Ῥαβέννης προάστειον καλοῦσιν, οὗ ὁ λιμήν 6.29.32 ἐστιν. ἐμοὶ δὲ τότε διασκοπουμένῳ τὴν ἐς Ῥάβενναν εἴσοδον τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἔννοιά τις ἐγένετο, ἀνθρώπων μὲν ξυνέσει ἢ τῇ ἄλλῃ ἀρετῇ ὡς ἥκιστα περαίνεσθαι τὰ πρασσόμενα, εἶναι δέ τι δαιμόνιον, ὅπερ αὐτῶν ἀεὶ στρέφον τὰς διανοίας ἐνταῦθα ἄγει οὗ δὴ κωλύμη τις τοῖς περαινομένοις οὐδεμία ἔσται. 6.29.33 τοὺς γὰρ ἐναντίους οἱ Γότθοι πλήθει καὶ δυνάμει παρὰ πολὺ ὑπεραίροντες καὶ οὔτε μάχῃ διακριθέντες, ἐπεὶ ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ ἐγένοντο, οὔτε ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν δεδουλωμένοι τὸ φρόνημα, δορυάλωτοί τε πρὸς τῶν ἐλασσόνων ἐγίνοντο καὶ τὸ τῆς δουλείας ὄνομα ἐν ὕβρει οὐ6.29.34 δεμιᾷ ἦγον. αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες (ἐτύγχανον γὰρ πρὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀκηκουῖαι μεγάλους τε τὰ σώματα καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείσσους τοὺς πολεμίους εἶναι) τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν ἀνδρῶν πᾶσαι ἀπέπτυον, ἐπειδὴ ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως καθημένους εἶδον, καὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἐνδεικνύμεναι τοὺς 6.29.35 νενικηκότας τὴν ἀνανδρίαν ὠνείδιζον. Βελισάριος δὲ Οὐίττιγιν μὲν οὐ ξὺν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχε, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ὅσοι ἐντὸς Πάδου ποταμοῦ ᾤκηντο, ἐς ἀγροὺς τοὺς σφετέρους ἰόντας, ἐκέλευεν αὐτῶν κατ' 6.29.36 ἐξουσίαν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι. πολέμιον γάρ οἱ οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα ὑπώπτευεν ἔσεσθαι, οὐδὲ Γότθους ποτὲ ταύτῃ ξυστήσεσθαι, ἐπεὶ πολλοὺς πρότερον τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἐς τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία καταστησάμενος ἔτυχεν. οἱ δὲ κατὰ 6.29.37 τάχος ἄσμενοι ᾔεσαν. οὕτω τε Ῥωμαῖοι ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ἤδη ἐγίνοντο. οὐ γὰρ ἔτι Γότθων ἔν γε Ῥαβέννῃ πλήθει ἡσσῶντο. μετὰ δὲ τὰ ἐν Παλατίῳ χρήματα 6.29.38 ἔλαβεν, ἅπερ διακομίζειν βασιλεῖ ἔμελλε. Γότθων γὰρ οὐδένα οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐληΐσατο οὔτε ἄλλῳ τῳ ληΐσασθαι ξυνεχώρησεν, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν ἕκαστος τὴν οὐσίαν 6.29.39 κατὰ τὰ ξυγκείμενα διεσώσατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων ὅσοι ἐς τῶν χωρίων τὰ ἐχυρώτατα φυλακὴν εἶχον Ῥάβεννάν τε καὶ Οὐίττιγιν πρὸς Ῥωμαίων ἔχεσθαι ἤκουσαν, πρέσβεις παρὰ Βελισάριον ἔπεμπον, σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ὁμολογίᾳ παραδιδόναι καὶ ἅπερ ἐφύλασσον 6.29.40 ἀξιοῦντες. καὶ ὃς, ἅπασι τὰ πιστὰ προθυμότατα παρασχόμενος, Ταρβήσιόν τε καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐν Βενετίοις ὀχύρωμα ἦν παρεστήσατο. Καισῆνα γὰρ ἐν Αἰμιλίᾳ μόνη ἐλέλειπτο, ἣν δὴ πρότερον ξὺν Ῥαβέννῃ παραστη6.29.41 σάμενος ἔτυχε. καὶ Γότθοι μὲν ἅπαντες, ὅσοι τούτων δὴ τῶν χωρίων ἦρχον, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα τὰ πιστὰ ἔλαβον, παρὰ Βελισάριον ἥκοντες αὐτοῦ ἔμενον· Ἰλδίβαδος δὲ, ἀνὴρ δόκιμος, ὅσπερ φρουρᾶς τῆς ἐν Βερώνῃ ἦρχε, πρέσβεις μὲν ἐς Βελισάριον ἐφ' οἷσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι καὶ αὐτὸς ἔπεμψεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ εὑρὼν Βελισάριος ἔσχεν, οὐ μὴν οὔτε ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἦλθεν οὔτε Βελισαρίῳ ὑποχείριος γέγονε. τύχη γάρ τις αὐτῷ ξυνέβη, ἣν δὴ ἐγὼ αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 6.30.1 Τινὲς τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες βασκανίαν ἐς Βελισάριον ἔχοντες διέβαλλον αὐτὸν βασιλεῖ, τυραννίδα οὐδαμόθεν αὐτῷ προσήκουσαν ἐπενεγκόντες. 6.30.2 βασιλεὺς δὲ οὐχ ὅσον ταῖς διαβολαῖς ταύταις ἀναπεισθεὶς, ἀλλ' ὅτι οἱ ὁ Μηδικὸς πόλεμος ἐνέκειτο ἤδη, Βελισάριον μὲν ὡς τάχιστα μετεπέμψατο, ὅπως ἐπὶ Πέρσας στρατεύσειεν· ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δὲ Ἰταλίας Βέσσαν τε καὶ Ἰωάννην ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐκέλευε, καὶ Κωνσταντιανῷ ἐς Ῥάβενναν ἐκ ∆αλματίας ἐπέστελλεν ἰέναι.