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to have dangers. 7.1.30 He became the most responsible of all men. But the Byzantines also called him by the nickname Psalidion, because it was indeed easy for him, by clipping the gold coin in a circle, to make it smaller to whatever extent he wished, and still to preserve the circular shape it 7.1.31 had before. For they call this tool, with which one does such things, a psalidion. This Alexander, after the emperor had recalled Belisarius, 7.1.32 he sent to Italy. And when he arrived in Ravenna, he put forward accounts that made no sense. For he called to account the Italians who had neither touched the emperor's money nor done anything amiss for the public treasury, alleging injustice towards Theuderic and the other rulers of the Goths, and compelling them to pay back if, by deceiving those men, as 7.1.33 he himself claimed, they had made any profit. And for the soldiers, he unexpectedly requited their wounds and dangers with petty calculations. Therefore, the Italians became disaffected towards Emperor Justinian, and none of the soldiers was any longer willing to face the danger of war, but by shirking their duty they always caused the enemy's affairs to advance greatly. 7.1.34 So the other commanders for these reasons remained quiet, but Vitalius alone (for he happened to be in Venetia with both another multitude of an army and a large crowd of barbarian Heruls) dared to engage Ildibad in battle, fearing, as indeed happened, that when he had attained great power later 7.1.35 they would no longer be able to check him. And a fierce battle having taken place near the city of Tarbesium, Vitalius was decisively defeated and fled, saving some few men, but losing most of them there. In this battle many Heruls fell and Visandus, the leader of the Heruls, 7.1.36 died. And Theudimundus, the son of Mauricius, the son of Mundus, being still a youth, came into danger of death, but nevertheless escaped with Vitalius. And the name of Ildibad, as a result of this deed, reached both the emperor and all men. 7.1.37 Later it happened that Uraias fell out with Ildibad for the following reason. Uraias had a wife who in wealth and beauty of body held the first place 7.1.38 among all these barbarians. She once went down to the bath, dressed in a great amount of finery and bringing with her an entourage of great 7.1.39 account. And seeing Ildibad's wife there in plain clothes, she neither did obeisance to her as the wife of a king, but also otherwise treated her with contempt and insulted her. For Ildibad was still living in poverty, having scarcely 7.1.40 come into possession of the royal treasures. And Ildibad's wife, being exceedingly grieved by the outrageousness of the insult, came in tears to her husband and demanded that he avenge her for the irreparable things she had suffered from the wife of Uraias. 7.1.41 For which reason Ildibad at first slandered Uraias among the barbarians, alleging that he was about to desert to the enemy, and a little later killed him by treachery and as a result 7.1.42 incurred the hatred of the Goths. For it was by no means their wish that Uraias should be so thoughtlessly removed from the world. And many, now conspiring among themselves, reviled Ildibad as one who had committed an impious act. However, no one was willing to take vengeance on him for this murder. 7.1.43 But there was a certain Velas among them, a Gepid by race, who had attained the rank of the emperor's bodyguards. 7.1.44 This man, having become betrothed to a woman comely in appearance, was exceedingly in love, and when he had been sent against the enemy, in order to make a raid on them with some others, Ildibad married his betrothed to another of the barbarians, whether through ignorance or moved by some 7.1.45 other reason. When Velas, upon returning from the camp, heard this, being spirited by nature, he could not bear the insult resulting from this deed, but immediately decided to kill Ildibad, thinking that in this way he would gratify all the Goths. 7.1.46 And once, watching him as he was feasting the best of the Goths, 7.1.47 he attempted the plot. For it is the custom for the king while at luncheon to be surrounded by many others, including his bodyguards. He then the

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κινδύνους ἔχειν 7.1.30 αἰτιώτατος ἐγένετο ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. Βυζάντιοι δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ Ψαλίδιον ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν, ὅτι δὴ αὐτῷ ῥᾴδιον ἦν ἀποτεμνομένῳ κύκλῳ τὸ χρυσοῦν νόμισμα ἔλασσον μὲν αὐτὸ ἐς ὅσον βούλοιτο ἐξεργάζεσθαι, φυλάσσειν δὲ καὶ ὣς τὸ κυκλοτερὲς σχῆμα ἐφ' 7.1.31 οὗπερ τὸ πρότερον ἦν. ψαλίδιον γὰρ τοῦτο καλοῦσι τὸ ὄργανον, ὅτῳ τις τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργάζεται. τοῦτον βασιλεὺς τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον, ἐπειδὴ Βελισάριον μετεπέμ7.1.32 ψατο, ἐς Ἰταλίαν πέμπει. ὁ δὲ γεγονὼς ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ λογισμοὺς προὔθηκε λόγον οὐκ ἔχοντας. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ Ἰταλιώτας οὔτε τῶν βασιλέως ἁψαμένους χρημάτων οὔτε τι ἄτοπον εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ὑπουργήσαντας ἐπὶ τὰς εὐθύνας ἐκάλει, τὴν ἐς Θευδέριχον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Γότθων ἄρχοντας ἀδικίαν ἐπικαλῶν, ἀναγκάζων τε ἀποτιννύναι, εἴ τι ἐκείνους ἐξαπατήσαντες, ὥσπερ 7.1.33 αὐτὸς ἔφασκεν, ἐκέρδαινον. τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν τά τε τραύματα καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν μικρολογίᾳ παρὰ δόξαν ἠμείβετο. διὸ δὴ οἵ τε Ἰταλιῶται Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ δύσνοι ἐγένοντο καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν οὐδεὶς ἔτι ἐς κίνδυνον πολέμου καθίστασθαι ἤθελεν, ἀλλ' ἐθελοκακοῦντες ἐπὶ μέγα χωρεῖν 7.1.34 ἐποίουν ἀεὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις τὰ πράγματα. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι ἄρχοντες διὰ ταῦτα ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, Βιτάλιος δὲ μόνος (ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐν Βενετίοις ἄλλο τε πλῆθος στρατιᾶς ἔχων καὶ βαρβάρων Ἐρούλων πολύν τινα ὅμιλον) διὰ μάχης ἐλθεῖν Ἰλδιβάδῳ ἐτόλμησε, δείσας, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, μὴ ἐπὶ μέγα δυνάμεως χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ αὐτὸν ἥκοντα 7.1.35 οὐκέτι ἀναστέλλειν οἷοί τε ὦσι. μάχης δὲ καρτερᾶς ἀμφὶ πόλιν Ταρβήσιον γενομένης Βιτάλιος παρὰ πολὺ ἡσσηθεὶς ἔφυγεν, ὀλίγους μέν τινας σώσας, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσας. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ Ἔρουλοί τε πολλοὶ πίπτουσι καὶ Οὐίσανδος ὁ τῶν Ἐρούλων 7.1.36 ἀρχηγὸς θνήσκει. Θευδιμοῦνδος δὲ ὁ Μαυρικίου τοῦ Μούνδου υἱὸς, μειράκιον ὢν ἔτι, ἐς κίνδυνον μὲν θανάτου ἦλθεν, ὅμως δὲ ξὺν Βιταλίῳ διέφυγεν. Ἰλδιβάδου τε ὄνομα ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου παρά τε βασιλέα ἦλθε καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους. 7.1.37 Ὕστερον δὲ Οὐραΐαν Ἰλδιβάδῳ προσκεκρουκέναι ξυνέπεσεν ἀπ' αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. ἦν τῷ Οὐραΐᾳ γυνὴ πλούτῳ τε καὶ σώματος κάλλει τὰ πρωτεῖα φερομένη 7.1.38 ἐν τούτοις δὴ τοῖς βαρβάροις πασῶν μάλιστα. αὕτη ἐς τὸ βαλανεῖον κατῆλθέ ποτε, κόσμου τε περιβεβλημένη πολύ τι χρῆμα καὶ θεραπείαν ἐπαγομένη λόγου 7.1.39 πολλοῦ ἀξίαν. τήν τε Ἰλδιβάδου γυναῖκα ἐν ἱματίοις λιτοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἰδοῦσα, οὔτε ὡς ξυνοικοῦσαν βασιλεῖ προσεκύνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλως ὑπεριδοῦσα ἐς αὐτὴν ὕβρισεν. ἔτι γὰρ Ἰλδίβαδος πενίᾳ ξυνῆν ὡς ἥκιστα 7.1.40 βασιλικοῖς ἐντυχὼν χρήμασι. περιαλγὴς δὲ γενομένη τῆς ὕβρεως τῇ ἀτοπίᾳ τοῦ Ἰλδιβάδου γυνὴ, παρά τε τὸν ἄνδρα δεδακρυμένη ἦλθε καί οἱ ἀμῦναι τὰ ἀνήκεστα πρὸς τῆς Οὐραΐου γυναικὸς παθούσῃ ἠξίου. 7.1.41 διὸ δὴ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα Ἰλδίβαδος Οὐραΐαν ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους διέβαλεν, ὡς δὴ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους αὐτομολεῖν μέλλοι, ὀλίγῳ δὲ ὕστερον δόλῳ ἔκτεινε καὶ ἀπ' 7.1.42 αὐτοῦ ἐς τὸ Γότθων ἔχθος ἐνέπεσε. βουλομένοις γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὡς ἥκιστα ἦν οὕτως ἀνεπισκέπτως Οὐραΐαν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι. πολλοί τε ἤδη ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ξυνιστάμενοι Ἰλδιβάδῳ ἅτε ἀνόσια εἰργασμένῳ ἐλοιδοροῦντο. τίσασθαι μέντοι τούτου δὴ τοῦ φόνου 7.1.43 αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἤθελεν. ἦν δέ τις ἐν αὐτοῖς Οὐέλας, Γήπαις μὲν γένος, ἐς δὲ τὸ τῶν βασιλέως δορυφόρων 7.1.44 ἀξίωμα ἥκων. οὗτος ἀνὴρ, μνησθεὶς γυναικὸς εὐπρεποῦς τὴν ὄψιν, ἐξαίσιόν τινα ἔρωτα ἤρα, ἐσταλμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἐφ' ᾧ τινα ποιοίη ξὺν ἑτέροις τισὶν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔφοδον, τὴν μνηστὴν ἑτέρῳ τῶν βαρβάρων τινὶ Ἰλδίβαδος, εἴτε ἀγνοίᾳ εἴτε τῳ 7.1.45 ἄλλῳ ἠγμένος, ξυνῴκισεν. ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐπανήκων Οὐέλας ἤκουσε, θυμοειδὴς ὢν φύσει, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου ὕβριν οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτίκα κτεῖναι Ἰλδίβαδον ἔγνω, χαριεῖσθαι Γότθοις ἅπασι 7.1.46 ταύτῃ οἰόμενος. καί ποτε αὐτὸν Γότθων τοὺς ἀρίστους 7.1.47 ἑστιῶντα τηρήσας τῇ ἐπιβουλῇ ἐπεχείρησεν. ἀριστῶντα γὰρ τὸν βασιλέα πολλούς τε ἄλλους καὶ τοὺς δορυφόρους περιίστασθαι νόμος. ὁ μὲν οὖν τὴν