304

would be a concern. And so John, fearing because of these things lest he should fall into some encirclement by the enemy, no longer went to Belisarius, 7.18.26 but proceeded into Bruttium and Lucania. Now there was a certain man among the Goths, Recimundus, a man of note, whom Totila had happened to set in command of the garrison of Bruttium, having some Gothic and Roman soldiers and Maurusian deserters, in order that with them he might guard both the strait at Scylla and the coast there, so that none might be able to depart from there to Sicily nor sail hither from the island with any more security. 7.18.27 John, falling upon this army unexpectedly and in person between Rhegium and Vibona, terrified them by the suddenness of his attack, since they had no thought of resistance, 7.18.28 and immediately put them to flight. And they fled to the mountain which rises there, it being difficult of access and otherwise precipitous; but John pursued them and, coming upon the enemy on the upward slope, engaged with them before they had yet secured themselves in the difficult terrain, and killed very many of both the Maurusian and Roman soldiers as they defended themselves most valiantly, and took Recimundus and the Goths with all the rest 7.18.29 by surrender. John, having accomplished these things, remained there, while Belisarius, constantly expecting John, remained quiet. And he blamed him because, indeed, he had not run the risk and, engaging with the three hundred who were guarding Capua, attempted to force the passage, although he had with him barbarians gathered from the best. But John, despairing of the passage, proceeded to Apulia, and kept quiet in a place called Cerbarium. 7.19.1 Belisarius, therefore, fearing for the besieged, lest they should do something irreparable from want of necessities, was planning in what way he might bring provisions into Rome. 7.19.2 And since he by no means had a force strong enough to match the enemy, so as to decide the issue with them in a pitched battle in the plain, he first devised the following. 7.19.3 Having yoked two very wide skiffs and bound them very firmly to each other, he constructed a wooden tower upon them, much higher than those which had been made by the enemy on the bridge. 7.19.4 For he had happened to measure them accurately beforehand, having sent some of his followers, who were sent to the barbarians ostensibly as deserters. 7.19.5 And he surrounded two hundred dromons with wooden walls and launched them into the Tiber, having made loopholes everywhere in the wooden walls, so that they might be able to shoot at the enemy from them. Therefore, having put on board these dromons both grain and many other provisions, he filled them with his most warlike soldiers. 7.19.6 And he stationed other soldiers, both foot and horse, on both sides in certain fortified places about the mouth of the Tiber, whom he ordered both to remain there and, if any of the enemy should go against Portus, to hinder them with all their strength. 7.19.7 And bringing Isaac into Portus, he entrusted to him both the city and his wife and whatever else he happened to have there. And he instructed him to depart from there by no means, not even if he should learn that Belisarius had been destroyed by the enemy, but always to keep to his guard, so that, if any reverse should befall them, they would have a place to which they might flee and be saved. 7.19.8 For they had no other stronghold in this land, 7.19.9 but everything everywhere was hostile to them. And he himself, embarking on one of the dromons, led the fleet and ordered them to tow the skiffs, on which he had happened to construct the tower. 7.19.10 And on top of the tower he placed a small boat, having filled it with pitch and sulphur and resin and all the other things that are by nature the most rapid fuel for fire. 7.19.11 And along the other bank of the river, which is on the right as one goes from Portus to Rome, an infantry force had also come to help. 7.19.12 And sending also to Bessas on the previous day, he ordered him on the following day to sally forth with a large army and throw the enemy's camps into confusion, which indeed he had happened to instruct him to do many times before.

304

μελήσειν. δείσας τε διὰ ταῦτα Ἰωάννης μὴ ἐς κύκλωσιν τῶν πολεμίων τινὰ ἐμπέσῃ, παρὰ Βελισάριον μὲν 7.18.26 οὐκέτι ᾔει, ἐς δὲ Βριττίους καὶ Λευκανοὺς ἐχώρει. ἦν δέ τις ἐν Γότθοις Ῥεκιμοῦνδος, ἀνὴρ δόκιμος, ὅνπερ ὁ Τουτίλας ἐπὶ τῇ Βριττίων φρουρᾷ καταστησάμενος ἔτυχε, Γότθων τε καὶ Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν καὶ Μαυρουσίων αὐτομόλων τινὰς ἔχοντα, ἐφ' ᾧ ξὺν αὐτοῖς τόν τε κατὰ Σκύλλαν φυλάξει πορθμὸν καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ ἠϊόνα, ὡς μήτε ἐνθένδε τινὲς ἀπαίρειν ἐς Σικελίαν μήτε ἐκ τῆς νήσου ἐνταῦθα καταπλεῖν ἀδεέστερον οἷοί 7.18.27 τε ὦσι. τούτῳ τῷ στρατῷ μεταξὺ Ῥηγίου τε καὶ Βέβωνος ἀπροσδόκητος καὶ αὐτάγγελος Ἰωάννης ἐπιπεσὼν κατέπληξέ τε ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀλκῆς αὐτοὺς 7.18.28 μεμνημένους, καὶ αὐτίκα ἐς φυγὴν ἔτρεψε. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐς τὸ ὄρος, ὃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει, δύσβατόν τε ὂν καὶ ἄλλως κρημνῶδες, κατέφυγον, Ἰωάννης δὲ διώξας τε καὶ ξὺν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐν τῷ ἀνάντει γενόμενος, οὔπω τε σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς δυσχωρίαις κρατυναμένοις ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθὼν, πλείστους μὲν τῶν τε Μαυρουσίων καὶ Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν ἔκτεινεν, ἰσχυρότατα ἀμυνομένους, Ῥεκιμοῦνδον δὲ καὶ Γότθους ξὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς 7.18.29 ἅπασιν ὁμολογίᾳ εἷλεν. Ἰωάννης μὲν ταῦτα διαπεπραγμένος αὐτοῦ ἔμενε, Βελισάριος δὲ Ἰωάννην ἐς ἀεὶ καραδοκῶν ἡσυχῆ ἔμενεν. ἐμέμφετό τε ὅτι δὴ οὐ διακινδυνεύσας τε καὶ τοῖς ἐν Καπύῃ φυλάσσουσι τριακοσίοις οὖσιν ἐς χεῖρας ἥκων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν δίοδον ἐνεχείρησε, καίπερ βαρβάρους ἀριστίνδην ξυνειλεγμένους ξὺν αὑτῷ ἔχων. Ἰωάννης δὲ τὴν δίοδον ἀπογνοὺς ἐπὶ Ἀπουλίας ἐχώρησεν, ἔν τε χωρίῳ Κερβαρίῳ καλουμένῳ ἡσύχαζε. 7.19.1 ∆είσας οὖν Βελισάριος ἀμφὶ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις, μή τι ἀνήκεστον δράσωσι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ, ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐς Ῥώμην εἰσκο7.19.2 μίζειν διενοεῖτο. καὶ ἐπεὶ δύναμιν ἀξιόμαχον πρός γε τοὺς πολεμίους οὐδαμῆ εἶχεν, ὥστε μάχῃ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακρίνεσθαι, πρότερον ἐπενόει 7.19.3 τάδε. ἀκάτους δύο ἐσάγαν εὐρείας ζεύξας τε καὶ λίαν ἐς ἀλλήλας ξυνδήσας, πύργον ξύλινον ἐπ' αὐταῖς ἐτεκτήνατο, πολλῷ καθυπέρτερον τῶν τοῖς πολεμίοις 7.19.4 ἐν τῇ γεφύρᾳ πεποιημένων. ξυμμετρησάμενος γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἔτυχε πρότερον, πέμψας τῶν οἱ ἑπομένων τινὰς, οἵπερ εἰς τοὺς βαρβάρους αὐτόμολοι 7.19.5 δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ ἐστέλλοντο. δρόμωνάς τε διακοσίους τείχεσι ξυλίνοις περιβαλὼν ἐς Τίβεριν καθῆκε, πανταχόθι τῶν ξυλίνων τειχῶν τρυπήματα ποιησάμενος, ὅπως δὴ βάλλειν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐνθένδε σφίσι δυνατὰ εἴη. σῖτόν τε οὖν καὶ ἄλλα τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πολλὰ τοῖς δρόμωσι τούτοις ἐνθέμενος στρατιωτῶν 7.19.6 αὐτοὺς τῶν μαχιμωτάτων ἐπλήρου. στρατιώτας δὲ ἄλλους πεζούς τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ἑκατέρωθεν ἐν χωρίοις ἐχυροῖς τισιν ἀμφὶ τὰς τοῦ Τιβέριδος ἐκβολὰς ἔστησεν, οὓς δὴ ἐκέλευσε μένειν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ, ἢν τῶν πολεμίων τινὲς ἐπὶ τὸν Πόρτον ἴωσι, διακωλύειν δυνάμει 7.19.7 τῇ πάσῃ. τὸν δὲ Ἰσαάκην ἐς τὸν Πόρτον ἐσαγαγὼν τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα παρέδωκε καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐνταῦθα ἔχων ἐτύγχανε. καί οἱ ἐπέστελλε μηδεμιᾷ ἐνθένδε μηχανῇ ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι, μηδ' ἢν Βελισάριον πύθηται πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἀπολωλέναι, ἀλλὰ τῆς φυλακῆς ἐς ἀεὶ ἔχεσθαι, ὅπως, ἤν τι σφίσιν ἐναντίωμα ὑπαντιάσῃ, ἕξουσιν ὅπη διαφυγόντες σωθήσονται. 7.19.8 ὀχύρωμα γὰρ ἄλλο ταύτης δὴ τῆς χώρας οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, 7.19.9 ἀλλὰ πάντα σφίσι πανταχόσε πολέμια ἦν. αὐτὸς δὲ ἐς ἕνα τῶν δρομώνων ἐσβὰς τοῦ τε στόλου ἡγεῖτο καὶ τὰς ἀκάτους ἐφέλκειν ἐκέλευεν, οὗ δὴ τὸν πύργον 7.19.10 ἐτύγχανε τεκτηνάμενος. τοῦ δὲ πύργου ὕπερθεν λέμβον τινὰ ἔθετο, πίσσης τε καὶ θείου καὶ ῥητίνης αὐτὸν ἐμπλησάμενος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ὅσα δὴ τοῦ 7.19.11 πυρὸς βρῶσις ὀξυτάτη γίνεσθαι πέφυκε. κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὄχθην, ἥ ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ Πόρτου ἐς Ῥώμην ἰόντι ἐν δεξιᾷ, καὶ πεζὸς παραβεβοηθήκει 7.19.12 στρατός. πέμψας δὲ καὶ παρὰ Βέσσαν τῇ προτεραίᾳ ἐκέλευε τῇ ἐπιγενησομένῃ ἡμέρᾳ πολλῷ στρατῷ ἐπεξιόντα ξυνταράξαι τὰ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδα, ὅπερ οἱ καὶ πρότερον ἐπιστείλας πολλάκις ἤδη ἐτύγχανεν.