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each one remained inside his own circuit-wall and prepared for a siege, 7.5.19 fearing that the barbarians might come against him. But Totila, by showing great friendliness towards the prisoners, was able to win them over, and thereafter most of them campaigned voluntarily with him against the Romans. And the winter was ending, and the seventh year of this war, which Procopius wrote, was coming to a close. 7.6.1 Then Totila captured the fortresses of Caesena and Petra. And a little later he arrived in Tuscany, and after making an attempt on the places there, since no one was willing to surrender to him, he crossed the Tiber river, but did not come anywhere near the boundaries of Rome, but coming at once to Campania and Samnium he took the strong city of Beneventum with no trouble, and razed its walls to the ground, so that an army coming from Byzantium, setting out from a strong position, might not be able to cause trouble for the Goths. 7.6.2 And after this he decided to besiege the Neapolitans, since they were by no means willing to receive him in the city, although he said many persuasive things. For Conon was on guard there, having one thousand Romans and Isaurians. 7.6.3 And he himself, having encamped with the greater part of the army not far from the circuit-wall, remained quiet; but having sent a portion of his army, he captured the fortress of Cumae and some other strongholds, and from there was able to acquire great sums of money. 7.6.4 And finding there the wives of senators, he neither insulted them and with much kindness set them free, and from this he gained a great name for both intelligence and humanity among all the Romans. And since no enemy met him, by continually sending out small groups of his army he accomplished deeds 7.6.5 worthy of much account. He subdued the Bruttians and the Lucanians, and held Apulia together with Calabria, and he himself collected the public taxes, and carried off the revenues of money instead of those who owned the lands, and arranged the other affairs as having become master of Italy. 7.6.6 For this very reason, the emperor owed large sums of money to the Roman army, since it was not receiving its customary 7.6.7 payments at the proper times. And because of this, the Italians, having been cast out of their own properties and having been driven again into a state of great danger, were in great grief. And the soldiers showed themselves even more disobedient to their commanders, and gladly remained in the cities. 7.6.8 So Constantianus held Ravenna, John held Rome, Bessas Spoletium, Justinus Florentia, and Cyprianus Perusia, and each of the others held whatever place he happened to have fled to and been saved in at the beginning. 7.6.9 The emperor, learning these things and considering it a calamity, appointed Maximinus praetorian prefect of Italy as quickly as possible, on the condition that he should be supervisor of the commanders for the war and should provide the necessary supplies for the soldiers. 7.6.10 And he sent with him a fleet of ships, filled with Thracian and Armenian soldiers. The Thracians were led by Herodianus, and the Armenians by Phazas the Iberian, the nephew of Peranius; 7.6.11 and a few Huns also sailed with them. So Maximinus, setting out from Byzantium with the whole fleet, came to Epirus in Greece; there indeed he sat wasting 7.6.12 time for no reason. For he was in no way experienced in the works of war and for this reason was exceedingly cowardly and hesitant. 7.6.13 And afterwards the emperor also sent the general Demetrius, who had previously campaigned with Belisarius, 7.6.14 commanding a contingent of infantry. So Demetrius, having sailed to Sicily, when he heard that Conon and the Neapolitans were being most bitterly besieged, being altogether in want of provisions, wished to bring aid quickly, but being unable, since a small 7.6.15 and insignificant army followed him, he devised the following plan. Gathering as many ships as possible from all of Sicily and having filled them with grain and other provisions, he sailed, giving the impression to the enemy that there was a very large army in 7.6.16 the ships. And he did indeed succeed in what the enemy supposed. For they thought a large army was coming against them, concluding this from the fact that they had learned that a great number of ships was sailing from 7.6.17 Sicily. And if

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ἕκαστος τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν περιβόλου ἐντὸς ἔμενε καὶ τὰ ἐς πολιορκίαν ἡτοίμαζε, δε7.5.19 διὼς μὴ οἱ βάρβαροι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἴωσι. Τουτίλας δὲ φιλοφροσύνην ἐς τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πολλὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος, προσποιεῖσθαί τε αὐτοὺς ἴσχυσε καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐθελούσιοι ξὺν αὐτῷ οἱ πλεῖστοι ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐστράτευον. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ ἕβδομον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψεν. 7.6.1 Ἔπειτα δὲ ὁ Τουτίλας Καισῆνάν τε καὶ Πέτραν τὰ φρούρια εἷλεν. ὀλίγον τε ὕστερον ἐς Τουσκίαν ἀφίκετο, καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα χωρίων ἀποπειρασάμενος, ἐπεί οἱ προσχωρεῖν οὐδεὶς ἤθελε, Τίβεριν ποταμὸν διαβὰς, ἐς μὲν τὰ Ῥώμης ὅρια οὐδαμῆ ἦλθεν, ἐς Καμπανοὺς δὲ καὶ Σαμνίτας αὐτίκα ἥκων Βενεβεντὸν πόλιν ἐχυρὰν παρεστήσατο οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, καὶ αὐτῆς τὰ τείχη ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλεν, ὅπως μὴ στράτευμα ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἧκον ἔκ τε ὀχυροῦ ὁρμώμενον πράγματα Γότ7.6.2 θοις παρέχειν δύνηται. μετὰ δὲ Νεαπολίτας πολιορκεῖν ἔγνω, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸν δέχεσθαι τῇ πόλει, καίπερ ἐπαγωγὰ πολλὰ λέγοντα, ὡς ἥκιστα ἤθελον. Κόνων γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἐφύλασσε, Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Ἰσαύρων χιλίους 7.6.3 ἔχων. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν τῷ πλείονι τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενος οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν τοῦ περιβόλου ἡσύχαζε, πέμψας δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς μοῖραν, Κύμην τε τὸ φρούριον καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα ὀχυρώματα εἷλε, χρήματά τε 7.6.4 ἐνθένδε περιβαλέσθαι μεγάλα ἴσχυσε. καὶ γυναῖκας τῶν ἐκ βουλῆς ἐνταῦθα εὑρὼν οὔτε ὕβρισε καὶ ξὺν πολλῇ φιλοφροσύνῃ ἐλευθέρας ἀφῆκε, μέγα τε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ὄνομα ἐπί τε ξυνέσει καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἅπαντας ἔσχε. καὶ ἐπεί οἱ πολέμιον οὐδὲν ὑπηντίαζεν, ὀλίγους ἀεὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ περιπέμπων ἔργα 7.6.5 λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξια ἔπρασσε. Βριττίους μὲν καὶ Λευκανοὺς παρεστήσατο, καὶ Ἀπουλίαν ξὺν Καλαβρίᾳ ἔσχε, τούς τε δημοσίους φόρους αὐτὸς ἔπρασσε, καὶ τὰς τῶν χρημάτων προσόδους ἀντὶ τῶν τὰ χωρία κεκτημένων ἐφέρετο, καὶ τἄλλα καθίστη ἅτε τῆς Ἰταλίας 7.6.6 γεγονὼς κύριος. διὸ δὴ τῇ Ῥωμαίων στρατιᾷ χρόνοις τοῖς καθήκουσιν οὐ κομιζομένῃ τὰς συνειθισμένας συν7.6.7 τάξεις χρήματα μεγάλα βασιλεὺς ὤφειλε. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οἱ μὲν Ἰταλιῶται τῶν τε προσηκόντων ἐκπεπτωκότες καὶ ἐς κινδύνου μέγεθος αὖθις ἐληλακότες ἐν πένθει μεγάλῳ ἐγίνοντο. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται ἀπειθεστέρους αὑτοὺς τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἔτι μᾶλλον παρεῖχον, ἔν 7.6.8 τε ταῖς πόλεσιν ἄσμενοι ἔμενον. Κωνσταντιανὸς μὲν οὖν Ῥάβενναν εἶχεν, Ἰωάννης δὲ Ῥώμην, Σπολίτιονδὲ Βέσσας, καὶ Ἰουστῖνος Φλωρεντίαν, Κυπριανὸς δὲ Περυσίαν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστος ὅπη φυγών τε καὶ διασωθεὶς κατ' ἀρχὰς ἔτυχε. 7.6.9 Ταῦτα βασιλεὺς μαθών τε καὶ ἐν ξυμφορᾷ πεποιημένος τῶν Ἰταλίας πραιτωρίων ἔπαρχον Μαξιμῖνον ὡς τάχιστα κατεστήσατο, ἐφ' ᾧ τοῖς τε ἄρχουσιν ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιστάτης εἴη καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις τὰ 7.6.10 ἐπιτήδεια κατὰ τὴν χρείαν πορίζηται. καί οἱ νεῶν ξυνέπεμψε στόλον, Θρᾳκῶν τε καὶ Ἀρμενίων στρατιωτῶν ἐμπλησάμενος. ἡγεῖτο δὲ τῶν μὲν Θρᾳκῶν Ἡρωδιανὸς, τῶν δὲ Ἀρμενίων Φάζας Ἴβηρ, Περανίου ἀδελφιδοῦς· 7.6.11 ξυνέπλεον δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Οὖννοι ὀλίγοι. Μαξιμῖνος μὲν οὖν ἄρας ἐκ Βυζαντίου παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐς τὴν Ἤπειρον ἦλθεν· ἔνθα δὴ τὸν καιρὸν κατα7.6.12 τρίβων ἐκάθητο οὐδενὶ λόγῳ. ἦν γὰρ πολεμίων ἔργων οὐδαμῶς ἔμπειρος καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δειλός τε καὶ μελλητὴς 7.6.13 ἐς τὰ μάλιστα. μετὰ δὲ καὶ ∆ημήτριον στρατηγὸν βασιλεὺς ἔπεμψεν, ὃς δὴ τὰ πρότερα ξὺν Βελισαρίῳ 7.6.14 ἐστράτευε καταλόγου πεζικοῦ ἄρχων. καταπλεύσας οὖν ὁ ∆ημήτριος ἐς Σικελίαν, ἐπεὶ Κόνωνά τε καὶ Νεαπολίτας πικρότατα πολιορκεῖσθαι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων παντάπασι σπανίζοντας ἤκουσε, βοηθεῖν μὲν κατὰ τάχος ἤθελεν, ἀδύνατος δὲ ὢν, ἐπεί οἱ στράτευμα βραχύ τε 7.6.15 καὶ οὐκ ἀξιόλογον εἵπετο, ἐπενόει τοιάδε. ναῦς ὅτι πλείστας ἐκ Σικελίας ἁπάσης ἀγείρας σίτου τε αὐτὰς ἐμπλησάμενος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων ἔπλει, δόκησιν παρέχων τοῖς ἐναντίοις πάμπολύ τι στράτευμα ἐν 7.6.16 ταῖς ναυσὶν εἶναι. καὶ ἔτυχέ γε τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐννοίας. μέγαν γὰρ σφίσιν ἐπιέναι στρατὸν ᾤοντο, τεκμαιρόμενοι ὅτι δὴ στόλου πολύ τι χρῆμα πλεῖν ἐκ 7.6.17 Σικελίας ἐπύθοντο. καὶ εἰ