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had built it in former times, but it happened to have been deserted for a long time, since the barbarians in that region were plundering it. 7.14.33 For the emperor Justinian had agreed to grant them this city and the land around it, as belonging to the Romans from the beginning, and to help settle it with them with all his power, and to give them a large sum of money, on the condition that they, being allies for the future, would be a perpetual obstacle to the Huns, 7.14.34 when they wished to overrun the Roman dominion. When the barbarians heard this, they both approved and promised to do everything, if he would again appoint for them Chilbudius, the general of the Romans, as a fellow-founder, insisting that that very man, just as they wished, 7.14.35 was Chilbudius. And the man, puffed up by these hopes, was now himself both willing and asserting that he was Chilbudius, the general of the Romans. For which reason, as he was setting out for Byzantium, Narses overtakes him on this journey. 7.14.36 And having met him, when he found the man to be an impostor (although he spoke the Latin tongue and had already learned many of Chilbudius’s distinguishing marks and was well able to feign them), he both confined him in a prison and forced him to tell the whole story, and thus brought him to Byzantium with him. But I shall return to the point from which I digressed. 7.15.1 The emperor, then, was doing these things which I have related. Meanwhile, Belisarius sent Valentinus and one of his own guardsmen, Phocas by name, who was exceptionally brave in war, with an army to the Port of the Romans, so that they might both guard the fort at Portus with the garrison there, which Innocentius commanded, and, wherever it was possible for them, make sallies and throw the enemy's camp into confusion. 7.15.2 So the men with Valentinus and Phocas sent secretly to Rome and informed Bessas that they were about to attack the enemy’s stockade suddenly and at once; it would be necessary, therefore, for him also, having selected the most warlike of the soldiers in Rome, to come to their aid at a run when he perceived the attack, so that on both sides they might be able to do some great harm to the barbarians. 7.15.3 But this was by no means pleasing to Bessas, although he had with him as many as three thousand soldiers. For this reason both Valentinus and Phocas, with five hundred men, unexpectedly fell upon the enemy's camp and killed a few men, and perception of the tumult from there quickly reached the besieged. 7.15.4 But as no one came out from the city, they withdrew quickly to the port, completely 7.15.5 unharmed. And sending to Bessas again, they accused him of a certain hesitation that had wrongly overcome him, and insisting that a little later they would make another sally against the enemy, they urged him also to attack the barbarians at the opportune moment with all his force. 7.15.6 But he no less refused to risk an attack on the enemy. However, the men with Valentinus and Phocas intended to fall upon the enemy with a larger force and were already in preparation. 7.15.7 But a certain soldier serving under Innocentius came as a deserter to Totila and announced that on the following day there would be an attack upon them from 7.15.8 Portus. And he decided to lay ambushes of fighting men in advance in as many places as were suitable for this purpose. Where, indeed, on the next day, Valentinus and Phocas with their followers, having fallen in, lost most of their men and they themselves died. And a few, escaping with difficulty, are brought to Portus. 7.15.9 Then also Vigilius, the high priest of Rome, who was staying in Sicily, filled as many ships as possible with grain and sent them, thinking that in some way it would be possible for those escorting the cargo to enter Rome. 7.15.10 So these ships were sailing to the port of the Romans, but the enemy, having perceived them, arrived at the port a short time before and hid themselves inside the walls, so that, as soon as the ships should put in there, they might seize them with no trouble. 7.15.11 And when all who kept guard in Portus saw this, they all went up to the battlements and, waving their cloaks to those on the

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τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις αὐτὴν δειμαμένου, ἔρημος δὲ ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ληϊσα7.14.33 μένων αὐτὴν τῶν ταύτῃ βαρβάρων. ταύτῃ γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ τῇ ἀμφ' αὐτὴν χώρᾳ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἅτε προσηκούσῃ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς Ῥωμαίοις ὡμολόγει δεδωρήσεσθαι καὶ σφίσι ξυνοικιεῖν μὲν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ, χρήματα δὲ μεγάλα σφίσι προΐεσθαι, ἐφ' ᾧ οἱ ἔνσπονδοι τὸ λοιπὸν ὄντες Οὔννοις ἐμπόδιοι ἐς ἀεὶ γένωνται, 7.14.34 καταθεῖν βουλομένοις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν. ταῦτα ἐπεὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἤκουσαν, ἐπῄνεσάν τε καὶ πράξειν ἅπαντα ὑπέσχοντο, εἴπερ αὐτοῖς τὸν Χιλβούδιον στρατηγὸν Ῥωμαίων αὖθις καταστησάμενος ξυνοικιστὴν δοίη, αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἰσχυριζόμενοι, ᾗπερ ἠβούλοντο, 7.14.35 Χιλβούδιον εἶναι. ταύταις δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπαρθεὶς ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἤδη καὶ αὐτὸς ἤθελέ τε καὶ ἔφασκε Χιλβούδιος ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς εἶναι. ἐφ' οἷς δὴ αὐτὸν στελλόμενον ἐς Βυζάντιον Ναρσῆς ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πορείᾳ 7.14.36 καταλαμβάνει. καὶ ξυγγενόμενος, ἐπεὶ φενακίζοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὗρε (καίπερ τήν τε Λατίνων ἀφιέντα φωνὴν καὶ τῶν Χιλβουδίου γνωρισμάτων πολλὰ ἐκμαθόντα τε ἤδη καὶ προσποιεῖσθαι ἱκανῶς ἔχοντα) ἔν τε δεσμωτηρίῳ καθεῖρξε καὶ τὸν πάντα ἐξειπεῖν λόγον ἠνάγκασεν, οὕτω τε ἐς Βυζάντιον ξὺν αὑτῷ ἤγαγεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὅθενπερ ἐξέβην ἐπάνειμι. 7.15.1 Βασιλεὺς μὲν ταῦτα ἅπερ μοι δεδήλωται ἔπρασσεν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Βελισάριος Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ ἕνα, Φωκᾶν ὄνομα, διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸν τὰ πολέμια, ξὺν στρατεύματι ἐς τὸν Ῥωμαίων λιμένα ἔπεμψεν, ἐφ' ᾧ τό τε ἐν Πόρτῳ φρούριον ξυμφυλάξουσι τοῖς ἐνταῦθα φρουροῖς, ὧνπερ Ἰννοκέντιος ἦρχε, καὶ ὅπη ἂν σφίσι δυνατὰ ᾖ ἐπεκδρομὰς ποιούμενοι ξυνταράξουσι τὸ τῶν πολεμίων 7.15.2 στρατόπεδον. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ Φωκᾶν πέμψαντες λάθρα ἐς Ῥώμην σημαίνουσι Βέσσᾳ ὡς αὐτίκα δὴ ἐπιέναι τῶν ἐναντίων τῷ χαρακώματι ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου μέλλουσι· δεήσει οὖν καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ στρατιωτῶν τοὺς μαχιμωτάτους ἀπολεξάμενον, ἡνίκα αἴσθηται τῆς ἐπιδρομῆς, βοηθεῖν δρόμῳ, ὅπως τι καὶ δρᾶν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἑκάτεροι δυνήσονται μέγα. 7.15.3 Βέσσᾳ δὲ ταῦτα οὐδαμῆ ἤρεσκε, καίπερ ἐς τρισχιλίους στρατιώτας ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχοντι. διὸ δὴ καὶ Βαλεντῖνός τε καὶ Φωκᾶς ξὺν πεντακοσίοις ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἐπισκήψαντες τῷ τῶν πολεμίων στρατοπέδῳ ὀλίγους μέν τινας ἔκτειναν, αἴσθησίς τε τοῦ ἐνθένδε θορύβου 7.15.4 τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ταχὺ γέγονεν. ὡς δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπεξῄει, κατὰ τάχος ἐς τὸν λιμένα κακῶν 7.15.5 παντάπασιν ἀπαθεῖς ἀνεχώρησαν. πέμψαντές τε παρὰ Βέσσαν αὖθις ᾐτιῶντο μὲν ὄκνησίν τινα οὐ δέον αὐτῷ ἐμπεπτωκέναι, ἰσχυριζόμενοι δὲ ὡς ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἑτέραν ἐπεκδρομὴν ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους ποιήσονται παρεκάλουν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐς καιρὸν τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπιθέσθαι 7.15.6 δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ. ὁ δὲ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον τὸ μὴ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπεξιόντα διακινδυνεύειν ἀπεῖπεν. οἱ μέντοι ἀμφὶ Βαλεντῖνόν τε καὶ Φωκᾶν ξὺν στρατῷ πλείονι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐμπεσεῖσθαι διενοοῦντο καὶ ἐν παρα7.15.7 σκευῇ ἤδη ἐγένοντο. στρατιώτης δέ τις ὑπὸ Ἰννοκεντίῳ ταττόμενος αὐτόμολος παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἥκων ἀγγέλλει ὡς ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπιγενησομένῃ ἔφοδος ἐκ τοῦ 7.15.8 Πόρτου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔσται. καὶ ὃς τῶν χωρίων ὅσα ἐπιτηδείως ἐς τοῦτο εἶχεν, ἐνέδραις ἔγνω προλοχίζειν ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων. οὗ δὴ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ Βαλεντῖνός τε καὶ Φωκᾶς ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐμπεπτωκότες τούς τε πλείστους ἀποβάλλουσι καὶ αὐτοὶ θνήσκουσιν. ὀλίγοι δέ τινες μόλις διαφυγόντες ἐς τὸν Πόρτον κομίζονται. 7.15.9 Τότε καὶ Βιγίλιος, ὁ τῆς Ῥώμης ἀρχιερεὺς, ἐν Σικελίᾳ διατριβὴν ἔχων ναῦς ὅτι πλείστας σίτου ἐμπλησάμενος ἔπεμψεν, οἰόμενος ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ τοῖς τὰ φορτία παραπέμπουσιν ἐς τὴν Ῥώμην ἐσιτητὰ εἶναι. 7.15.10 αἱ μὲν οὖν νῆες αὗται ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων λιμένα, αἰσθόμενοι δὲ οἱ πολέμιοι χρόνῳ τε βραχεῖ προτερήσαντες ἐν τῷ λιμένι ἐγένοντο καὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἐντὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔκρυψαν, ὅπως, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα αἱ νῆες ἐνταῦθα κατάρωσι, κρατήσωσιν αὐτῶν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ. 7.15.11 ὅπερ κατιδόντες ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἐν Πόρτῳ εἶχον, ἔς τε τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἀνέβαινον ἅπαντες καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια σείοντες τοῖς ἐν