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all their affairs had been ruined for them and no other stronghold was left, where they might flee and save themselves for the future, he fell into a state of speechlessness, a thing which had certainly not happened 7.19.31 to him before. For this reason indeed he quickly led the army back, intending to attack the enemy while they were still in disorder, and to recover the place by every means. Thus the Roman army withdrew from there without success. 7.19.32 But when Belisarius reached Portus, he learned of the madness of Isaac and perceived the untimely confusion that had befallen him, and having become exceedingly distressed at this opposition of fortune, he fell ill 7.19.33 in body. For a fever came upon him for a length of time and afflicted him exceedingly, and brought him into danger of death. 7.19.34 But two days later it happened that Ruderic ended his life, and Totila, greatly grieved by the misfortune, put Isaac to death. 7.20.1 And Bessas grew rich by selling off the grain still more, the necessity of the needy dictating the prices for him. And being wholly engrossed in the care for these things, he took no thought either for the guarding of the circuit-wall or for any other matter of safety, but it was possible for any of the soldiers who so wished to be neglectful, and the garrison on the walls consisted of only a few men, 7.20.2 and this too was neglected as much as possible. For those to whom the guard duty was always assigned, there was ample opportunity to sleep, since no one was set over them who would take any account of such a thing; nor did any men, going around the circuit of the walls, as was customary, think it fit to inspect the guards to see what they were doing, nor indeed was any of the inhabitants able to stand guard with them. 7.20.3 For very few remained there, as I have said, and they themselves were exceedingly distressed by the famine. 7.20.4 Four Isaurians, therefore, who were on guard duty at the Asinarian Gate, having watched for the opportune moment of the night, at which it was the turn for those next to them to sleep, and the guard of that part of the wall was assigned to them, and having let down ropes from the battlements reaching to the ground, and grasping these with both hands, they got outside the circuit-wall and coming to Totila they promised to receive into the city both him and the army of the Goths; for they insisted that they were able to do this 7.20.5 with no trouble. And he, having promised to show them great gratitude, if they should accomplish this, and that he would make them masters of great sums of money, sent two of his followers with them to spy out the place, from which the men said the city was accessible to the Goths. 7.20.6 And when they arrived at the wall, they took hold of the ropes and climbed up to the battlements, with no one there either uttering a sound 7.20.7 or having any perception of what was being done. And when they got there, the Isaurians showed the barbarians everything, how for those wishing to ascend there would be no obstacle, and that once they had ascended, there would be ample opportunity for them, with no one at all resisting, and having ordered them to report these things to Totila, they sent them away. 7.20.8 When Totila heard this, he was pleased in a way with the report, but being still held by suspicion toward the Isaurians, 7.20.9 he did not think it right to trust them too much. And not many days later the men came to him again, urging him to the deed. And he sent two others with them, so that they too might investigate everything with precision and report back. 7.20.10 And they, having returned to him, reported everything in the same way as the first ones. Meanwhile, many Roman soldiers sent out on a reconnaissance of the city, not far off encountered ten Goths going along the road, whom they captured and immediately 7.20.11 led to Bessas. And he inquired of these barbarians what Totila intended to do, and the Goths said that they were in hope that some of the Isaurians would betray the city to them; for the story had already become widely known among 7.20.12 many of the barbarians. But Bessas and Conon, hearing these things, both held it in great contempt and a reproach against them

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ἅπαντα διεφθάρθαι σφίσι τὰ πράγματα ἄλλο τε οὐδὲν ἀπολελεῖφθαι ὀχύρωμα, ὅποι ἂν καταφυγόντες τὸ λοιπὸν σώζοιντο, ἐς ἀφασίαν ἐμπέπτωκεν οὐ γεγονὸς 7.19.31 αὐτῷ πρότερον τοῦτό γε. διὸ δὴ κατὰ τάχος ὀπίσω ὑπῆγε τὸ στράτευμα, ὡς ἐπιθησόμενος μὲν ἀτάκτοις ἔτι τοῖς πολεμίοις οὖσιν, ἀνασωσόμενος δὲ πάσῃ μηχανῇ τὸ χωρίον. οὕτω μὲν ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐν7.19.32 θένδε ἄπρακτοι ἀνεχώρησαν. ἐν δὲ τῷ Πόρτῳ γενόμενος Βελισάριος, τήν τε Ἰσαάκου μανίαν ἔγνω καὶ τῆς οὐ δέον οἱ αὐτῷ ξυμβάσης ταραχῆς ᾔσθετο, τῷ τε τῆς τύχης ἐναντιώματι περιώδυνος γεγονὼς ἐνόσει 7.19.33 τὸ σῶμα. πυρετὸς γὰρ ἐπιγενόμενος ἐς χρόνου μῆκος ὑπερφυῶς τε αὐτὸν ἠνία καὶ ἐς κίνδυνον θανάτου 7.19.34 ἦγεν. ἡμέραιν δὲ δυοῖν ὕστερον Ῥουδερίχῳ τε ξυνέβη τελευτῆσαι τὸν βίον καὶ ὁ Τουτίλας περιαλγήσας τῇ ξυμφορᾷ τὸν Ἰσαάκην διέφθειρε. 7.20.1 Βέσσας τε τὸν σῖτον ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀπεμπολῶν ἐπλούτει, πρυτανευούσης αὐτῷ τὰς τιμὰς τῆς τῶν δεομένων ἀνάγκης. καὶ ὅλος εἰς μέριμναν τὴν περὶ ταῦτα ἐσπουδακὼς οὔτε φυλακῆς τοῦ περιβόλου οὔτε ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν ἀσφαλείας πέρι ἐπεμελεῖτο, ἀλλὰ ἀναπεπτωκέναι μὲν τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοῖς γε βουλομένοις ἐξῆν, φυλακτήριον δὲ ὀλίγων τινῶν ἐν τοῖς τείχεσιν ἦν, 7.20.2 καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀπημελημένον ὡς μάλιστα. οἷς γὰρ ἀεὶ τὴν φυλακὴν ἐπικεῖσθαι ξυνέβαινε, πολλὴ ἐξουσία τοῦ καθεύδειν ἐγίνετο, ἐπεὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐφειστήκει, ὅστις ἂν καὶ λόγον τινὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ποιοῖτο· οὐδὲ περιιόντες τινὲς κύκλῳ τῶν περιβόλων, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, διερευνᾶσθαι τοὺς φύλακας ὅ τί ποτε ποιοῦσιν ἠξίουν, οὐ μὴν οὐδέ τις τῶν οἰκητόρων αὐτοῖς ξυμφυλάσσειν ἠδύ7.20.3 νατο. ὀλίγοι τε γὰρ κομιδῆ ἐνταῦθα, ὥσπερ μοι ἐρρήθη, ἐλείποντο καὶ αὐτοὶ τῷ λιμῷ ὑπερφυῶς κεκακωμένοι. 7.20.4 Τέσσαρες οὖν Ἴσαυροι, ἀμφὶ πύλην Ἀσιναρίαν φυλακὴν ἔχοντες, τηρήσαντες τῆς νυκτὸς τὸν καιρὸν, ἐν ᾧ τοῖς μὲν αὐτῶν ἐχομένοις καθεύδειν ἐπέβαλλεν, αὐτοῖς δὲ ἡ φυλακὴ τοῦ ἐκείνῃ τείχους ἐπέκειτο, κάλως τε ἐκ τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἀναρτήσαντες ἄχρι ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος ἐξικνουμένους, καὶ τούτων χερσὶν ἀμφοτέραις λαβόμενοι ἔξω τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο καὶ παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἀφικόμενοι δέξασθαι τῇ πόλει αὐτόν τε ὡμολόγουν καὶ τὸν Γότθων στρατόν· δυνατοὶ γὰρ εἶναι τοῦτο 7.20.5 ποιεῖν ἰσχυρίζοντο οὐδενὶ πόνῳ. καὶ ὃς χάριτας σφίσιν ἁδρὰς ἕξειν ὁμολογήσας, ἤνπερ ἐπιτελῆ ταῦτα ποιήσωσι, κυρίους τε αὐτοὺς καταστήσεσθαι χρημάτων μεγάλων, δύο τῶν ἑπομένων ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔπεμψε κατασκεψομένους τὸν χῶρον, ὅθεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι Γότθοις 7.20.6 ἔφασκον ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐσιτητὰ εἶναι. οἵπερ ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τὸ τεῖχος ἀφίκοντο, τῶν καλωδίων λαβόμενοι ἀνέβαινον ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις, οὐδενὸς ἐνταῦθα ἢ φθεγγο7.20.7 μένου ἢ τῶν ποιουμένων αἴσθησιν ἔχοντος. ἐπειδή τε ἐνταῦθα ἐγένοντο, τοῖς βαρβάροις οἱ Ἴσαυροι πάντα ἐδείκνυον, ὡς ἀνιέναι μὲν βουλομένοις οὐδὲν ἂν ἐμπόδιον εἴη, ἀνελθοῦσι δὲ πολλὴ ἂν ἐξουσία γένοιτο σφίσιν, οὐδενὸς τὸ παράπαν ἀντιστατοῦντος, ταῦτά τε αὐτοὺς ἀπαγγέλλειν Τουτίλᾳ κελεύσαντες ἀπεπέμψαντο. 7.20.8 ἅπερ ἐπεὶ ὁ Τουτίλας ἤκουσεν, ἥσθη μέν πως τῇ ἀγγελίᾳ, ὑποψίᾳ δὲ καὶ ὣς ἐς τοὺς Ἰσαύρους ἐχόμενος 7.20.9 οὐ λίαν αὐτοῖς πιστεύειν ἠξίου. ἡμέραις τε οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον αὖθις οἱ ἄνθρωποι παρ' αὐτὸν ἧκον, ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν παρακαλοῦντες. καὶ ὃς ἑτέρους δύο ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔπεμψεν, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἅπαντα διερευ7.20.10 νησάμενοι ἀπαγγείλωσιν. οἱ δὲ ἐς αὐτὸν ἐπανήκοντες ἅπαντα ὁμοίως τοῖς προτέροις ἤγγελλον. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι στρατιῶται πολλοὶ ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ στελλόμενοι τῆς πόλεως οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν Γότθοις δέκα ὁδῷ ἰοῦσιν ἐνέτυχον, οὓς δὴ ἑλόντες παρὰ τὸν Βέσσαν εὐθὺς 7.20.11 ἄγουσι. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνεπυνθάνετο τούτων δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων ὅ τί ποτε ὁ Τουτίλας διανοοῖτο, οἱ δὲ Γότθοι ἐν ἐλπίδι ἔφασαν εἶναι τῶν τινας σφίσιν Ἰσαύρων ἐνδώσειν τὴν πόλιν· ἤδη γὰρ ἔκπυστος ὁ λόγος ἐς 7.20.12 τῶν βαρβάρων πολλοὺς ἐγεγόνει. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα Βέσσας τε καὶ Κόνων ἀκούσαντες ἔν τε πολλῇ ὀλιγωρίᾳ ἔσχον καὶ αὐτῶν ἐντροπὴν