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they had made none. And a third time the Isaurians came into the presence of Totila and urged the man to the deed. 7.20.13 And he sent with them both others and a certain one of his own kinsmen, who, returning to him and reporting the whole story, encouraged him to the enterprise. 7.20.14 But Totila, as soon as night had fallen, quietly armed his whole army and led it towards the Asinarian Gate. And he ordered four of the Goths, who were excellent in courage and strength, to climb up to the battlements with the Isaurians by means of the ropes, at that particular time of night, of course, when the watch of the wall there fell to these very Isaurians, while the others took their sleep in turn. 7.20.15 These men, when they were inside the circuit-wall, went down to the Asinarian Gates, with no one opposing them, and they destroyed with axes both the wooden bar which, fitted into the masonry of either wall, they were accustomed to use to fasten the gates, and all the ironwork with which the guards always inserted the keys and both locked the gates and opened them as need arose. 7.20.16 And thus, having thrown open the gates as they wished, they admitted Totila and the army of the Goths into the city with no trouble. But Totila gathered them there into one place and did not allow them to scatter at all; for he feared lest some ambush might be set for them by the enemy. 7.20.17 And when confusion and tumult, as was natural, fell upon the city, most of the Roman soldiers fled through another gate with their commanders, as was easiest for each, but a few with the rest of the Romans took refuge in the sanctuaries. 7.20.18 Of the patricians, Decius and Basilius, with some others (for they happened to have horses at hand) were strong enough to flee with Bessas. 7.20.19 But Maximus and Olybrius and Orestes and some others fled to the church of Peter the Apostle. It happened, however, that five hundred men of the populace were left throughout the whole city, who barely escaped to the sanctuaries. 7.20.20 For of all the rest, some had already departed before to other lands, and others had perished by famine, as has been said by me before. So many people reported to Totila during the night that Bessas and the enemy were fleeing. But he, saying that they had spoken a pleasing word, did not allow a pursuit. 7.20.21 "For what could be more pleasant for a man," he said, "than a fleeing enemy?" 7.20.22 And when it was now day and no suspicion of any ambush was left, Totila went to the church of Peter the Apostle to pray, but the Goths were killing those who fell in their way. 7.20.23 And in this manner there were killed twenty-six of the soldiers, and sixty of the populace. But when Totila arrived at the sanctuary, Pelagius came into his presence carrying the Christian scriptures in his hands, and offering supplication in every way, he said, "Spare your own, O master." 7.20.24 And he, jesting and with a scornful air, said, "Now, O Pelagius, have you come to supplicate me?" "Since," Pelagius answered, "God has made me your slave. 7.20.25 But henceforth spare your slaves, O master." Totila, accepting this supplication, forbade the Goths to kill any more of all the Romans, but to take out the most valuable of the property for himself, and to plunder the rest for themselves at their pleasure. 7.20.26 He found, therefore, many things in the houses of the patricians, but most of all where Bessas had lodged. For the wretched man, as has been shown, was hoarding for Totila the unholy profits from the grain. 7.20.27 And thus it came about that the other Romans and those of the senatorial council, and not least Rusticiana, who had been the wife of Boethius and was the daughter of Symmachus, and who had always been giving her substance to the needy, clad in the garments of slaves and rustics, were begging bread or anything else necessary for life from the enemy. 7.20.28 And going about to the houses and constantly knocking at the doors, they begged for food to be given to them, the deed bringing them no shame. 7.20.29 And the Goths were eager to kill Rusticiana

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οὐδεμίαν πεποίηντο. καὶ τρίτον οἱ Ἴσαυροι Τουτίλᾳ ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθόντες ἐς 7.20.13 τὸ ἔργον τὸν ἄνδρα ἐνῆγον. ὁ δὲ ἄλλους τε ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔπεμψε καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος προσηκόντων τινὰ, οἵπερ ἐς αὐτὸν ἐπανήκοντες καὶ τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀγγείλαντες ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐπέρρωσαν. 7.20.14 Τουτίλας δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα νὺξ ἐγεγόνει, ἅπαν ἡσυχῆ ἐξοπλίσας τὸ στράτευμα ἐπῆγεν ἀμφὶ πύλην Ἀσιναρίαν. καὶ τέσσαρας τῶν ἐν Γότθοις, ἀνδρίας τε καὶ ἰσχύος πέρι εὖ ἥκοντας, ξὺν τοῖς Ἰσαύροις διὰ τῶν βρόχων ἀναβαίνειν ἐς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἐκέλευεν, ἐς ἐκεῖνον δηλονότι τῆς νυκτὸς τὸν καιρὸν, ἐς ὃν τούτοις δὴ τοῖς Ἰσαύροις ἡ φυλακὴ τοῦ ταύτῃ τείχους ὕπνον 7.20.15 ἐκ περιτροπῆς τῶν ἄλλων αἱρουμένων ἐπέβαλεν. οἵπερ, ἐπειδὴ ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο, καταβαίνουσι μὲν ἐς πύλας τὰς Ἀσιναρίας, οὐδενὸς σφίσιν ἀντιστατοῦντος, καὶ τό τε ξύλον πελέκεσι διαφθείρουσιν, ᾧπερ ἐνέρσει τοίχου ἑκατέρου ἐναρμοσθέντι τὰς πύλας ἐπιζευγνύναι εἰώθεσαν, τά τε σιδήρια ξύμπαντα, οἷς δὴ τὰς κλεῖς ἀεὶ οἱ φύλακες ἐμβαλλόμενοι ἔκλειόν τε τὰς πύλας καὶ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν 7.20.16 ἀνέῳγον. οὕτω δὲ τὰς πύλας ἀναπετάσαντες, ᾗπερ ἐβούλοντο, τῇ πόλει Τουτίλαν τε καὶ τὸν Γότθων στρατὸν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ἐδέξαντο. Τουτίλας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνταῦθα ἐς ἕνα χῶρον ξυναγαγὼν σκεδάννυσθαι οὐδαμῆ εἴασεν· ἔδεισε γὰρ μή τις ἐνέδρα πρὸς τῶν πο7.20.17 λεμίων σφίσι ξυμβαίνῃ. ταραχῆς δὲ, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, τῇ πόλει καὶ θορύβου ἐπιπεσόντος οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν διὰ πύλης ἑτέρας ξὺν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἔφευγον, ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ εὐπετὲς γέγονεν, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες ξὺν Ῥωμαίοις τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐς τὰ ἱερὰ 7.20.18 καταφεύγουσι. τῶν δὲ πατρικίων ∆έκιος καὶ Βασίλειος ξὺν ἑτέροις τισὶν (ἵπποι γὰρ σφίσι παρόντες 7.20.19 ἔτυχον) ξὺν τῷ Βέσσᾳ φυγεῖν ἴσχυσαν. Μάξιμος δὲ καὶ Ὀλύβριος καὶ Ὀρέστης καί τινες ἄλλοι ἐς τὸν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου νεὼν ἔφυγον. τοῦ μέντοι δήμου πεντακοσίους ἄνδρας ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἀπολελεῖφθαι ξυνέπεσεν, οἵπερ ἐς τὰ ἱερὰ κατέφυγον 7.20.20 μόλις. τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων ἁπάντων οἱ μὲν ἀπιόντες ἤδη πρότερον ἐς ἑτέρας ᾤχοντο χώρας, οἱ δὲ τῷ λιμῷ διεφθάρησαν, ὥσπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται. πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν Τουτίλᾳ νύκτωρ ἤγγελλον ὅτι δὴ Βέσσας τε καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι φεύγουσιν. ὁ δὲ χαρίεντα τὸν λόγον 7.20.21 αὐτοὺς εἰρηκέναι εἰπὼν οὐκ εἴα διώκειν. τί γὰρ ἂν ἥδιον ἀνθρώπῳ γένοιτο, ἔφη, πολεμίων φευγόντων; 7.20.22 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡμέρα τε ἦν ἤδη καὶ οὐδεμία ἔτι ἐνέδρας τινὸς ὑποψία ἐλέλειπτο, Τουτίλας μὲν ἐς τὸν Πέτρου νεὼν τοῦ ἀποστόλου εὐξόμενος ᾔει, Γότθοι 7.20.23 δὲ τοὺς παραπεπτωκότας διέφθειρον. ἀπέθανόν τε τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι, τοῦ δὲ δήμου ἑξήκοντα. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Τουτίλας ἀφίκετο ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν, Πελάγιος αὐτῷ ἐς ὄψιν ἦλθε τὰ Χριστιανῶν λόγια ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ φέρων, παντί τε τρόπῳ τὴν ἱκεσίαν προτεινόμενος «Φείδου τῶν σῶν, ὦ δέσποτα» 7.20.24 εἶπε. καὶ ὃς ἐπιτωθάζων τε καὶ ἐνδιαθρυπτόμενος ἔφη «Νῦν με, ὦ Πελάγιε, ἱκετεύσων ἐλήλυθας.» «Ὅτε «με» ὁ Πελάγιος ἀπεκρίνατο «δοῦλον σὸν ὁ θεὸς εἶναι 7.20.25 «πεποίηκεν. ἀλλὰ δούλων τῶν σῶν τὸ λοιπὸν, ὦ δέσ»ποτα, φείδου.» ταύτην ὁ Τουτίλας τὴν ἱκεσίαν δεξάμενος ἀπεῖπε Γότθοις μηδένα τὸ λοιπὸν ἀποκτιννύναι τῶν πάντων Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλὰ τῶν χρημάτων αὐτῷ μὲν τὰ τιμιώτατα ἐξελεῖν, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς 7.20.26 κατ' ἐξουσίαν ληΐζεσθαι. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς πατρικίων οἰκίαις εὗρε, πάντων δὲ μάλιστα οὗπερ ὁ Βέσσας κατέλυε. τὰς γὰρ ἀνοσίας, ὥς γε δεδήλωται, τοῦ 7.20.27 σίτου τιμὰς ὁ κακοδαίμων Τουτίλᾳ ἤθροιζεν. οὕτω τε περιέστη τοῖς τε ἄλλοις Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα Ῥουστικιανῇ, τῇ Βοετίου μὲν γαμετῇ γενομένῃ, παιδὶ δὲ Συμμάχου, καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀεὶ τοῖς δεομένοις προϊεμένῃ, δούλων τε καὶ ἀγροίκων ἀμπεχομένοις ἱμάτια, πρὸς τῶν πολεμίων ἄρτον ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων αἰτουμένοις 7.20.28 βιοῦν. ἔς τε τὰς οἰκίας περιιόντες καὶ τὰς θύρας ἐς ἀεὶ κόπτοντες τροφὴν διδόναι σφίσιν ἐδέοντο, οὐ 7.20.29 φέροντος αὐτοῖς αἰσχύνην τοῦ ἔργου. καὶ Γότθοι μὲν Ῥουστικιανὴν κτείνειν ἐν σπουδῇ