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And on the next day Totila decided to assault the walls again with his whole army, and the Romans defended themselves in the manner which has been described. And having gained the upper hand in the engagement, 7.24.20 they took courage to sally out against the enemy. And as the barbarians were withdrawing, some of the Romans in pursuit got a great distance from the circuit-wall. These men the barbarians were on the point of surrounding, so that they would not be able to return to the city. But Belisarius (for he perceived what was being done) sent many of his own guard there 7.24.21 and was able to rescue the men. Thus repulsed, the barbarians withdrew, having lost many of their fighting men, and bringing back very many wounded 7.24.22 to their camp. And there they remained quietly, both tending their wounds and caring for their weapons (for many of them had already been destroyed) and making all other preparations. And many days later they came against the circuit-wall as if 7.24.23 to assault it. But the Romans, meeting them, came to blows. And by some chance the man carrying Totila's standard, being struck a mortal blow, both falls from his horse 7.24.24 and threw the standard to the ground. And as many of the Romans as were fighting in the front rank rushed forward to seize the standard and the corpse. But the most daring of the barbarians, getting there first, seized the standard and, cutting off the left hand of the corpse, 7.24.25 took it with them. For the fallen man happened to be wearing on it a golden bracelet of great value, with which they were least of all willing for the enemy to deck themselves, obviously avoiding 7.24.26 the disgrace from such a deed. And the army of the barbarians turned to flight in no order, and the Romans despoiled the rest of the corpse, and pursuing the enemy for a very great distance killed many, and came into the city entirely unscathed. 7.24.27 Then as many of the Goths as were of high repute came to Totila and both reviled and openly reproached him for his ill counsel, because, having captured Rome, he had neither razed it all to the ground, so that it might no longer be taken by the enemy, nor had he held it himself, but what had happened to be won by them with much toil and time, this he himself had for no reason 7.24.28 destroyed. So ingrained is it in men always to regulate their judgment by the outcome of events and to yield their thought to the current of fortune, and from it to make sudden shifts 7.24.29 of opinion. And for this reason, indeed, the Goths had marvelled at Totila when he was successful in his undertakings, as if he were a god, calling him some invincible and unconquerable man, at the time when he allowed the walls of captured cities to be destroyed in some portion, but when he failed, as has been said, they did not shrink from reviling him, forgetting what they had recently said concerning him, and going to the opposite view 7.24.30 with no hesitation. But these and such things it is not possible for men not always to get wrong, 7.24.31 since they are also accustomed to happen by nature. But Totila and the barbarians, having lifted the siege, arrived at the city of Tibur, after destroying almost all the bridges of the Tiber, so that the Romans 7.24.32 might not be able to come against them easily. One bridge, however, which is named after Mulvius, they were in no way able to destroy, since it happened to be very near the city. And they decided with all their strength to rebuild the fortress in Tibur; 7.24.33 for they had happened to tear it down before; and having deposited all their money there 7.24.34 they remained quietly. And Belisarius, having now more securely fitted the gates of Rome's circuit-wall on all sides and having bound them with iron, again sent the keys to the emperor. And the winter was ending, and the twelfth year was coming to a close for this war, which Procopius wrote. 7.25.1 Now long before this Totila had happened to send an army against Perusia, who, having encamped about the city's circuit-wall, were besieging 7.25.2 the Romans there closely. And when they perceived that they were already short of provisions, they sent to Totila and begged him to come there with his whole army, as they could thus capture it more easily and with less toil

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δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ Τουτίλας αὖθις παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ τειχομαχεῖν ἔγνω, οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τρόπῳ τῷ εἰρημένῳ ἠμύνοντο. καθυπέρτεροί τε τῇ ξυμβολῇ γεγενημένοι 7.24.20 ἐπεξελθεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐθάρσησαν. καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ὑποχωρούντων διώκοντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων τινὲς πόρρω που τοῦ περιβόλου ἐγένοντο. οὓς δὴ κυκλώσεσθαι οἱ βάρβαροι ἔμελλον, ὡς μὴ ἀναστρέφειν ἐς τὴν πόλιν δυνατοὶ εἶεν. ἀλλὰ Βελισάριος (κατενόησε γὰρ τὰ ποιούμενα) τῶν ἀμφ' αὑτὸν πολλοὺς ἐνταῦθα στείλας 7.24.21 διασώσασθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἴσχυσεν. οὕτω τε ἀποκρουσθέντες οἱ βάρβαροι ἀνεχώρησαν, πολλοὺς μὲν ἀποβεβληκότες τῶν ἐν σφίσι μαχίμων, πλείστους δὲ τραυ7.24.22 ματίας ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐπαγόμενοι. ἐνταῦθά τε ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, τά τε τραύματα θεραπεύοντες καὶ τῶν ὅπλων ἐπιμελούμενοι (πολλὰ γὰρ σφίσι διέφθαρτο ἤδη) καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐν παρασκευῇ πάσῃ ποιούμενοι. ἡμέραις δὲ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἐπὶ τὸν περίβολον ὡς 7.24.23 τειχομαχήσοντες ᾔεσαν. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ σφίσιν ὑπαντιάσαντες ἐς χεῖρας ἦλθον. τύχῃ τέ τινι ὁ τὸ Τουτίλα σημεῖον φέρων καιρίαν πληγεὶς αὐτός τε ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου 7.24.24 ἐκπίπτει καὶ τὸ σημεῖον ἐς τὴν γῆν ἔρριψε. καὶ Ῥωμαίων μὲν ὅσοι ἐς τὰ πρῶτα ἐμάχοντο, ὥρμησαν ὥστε τὸ σημεῖον καὶ τὸν νεκρὸν ἁρπασόμενοι. φθάσαντες δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων οἱ εὐτολμότατοι τό τε σημεῖον ἁρπάζουσι καὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ χεῖρα τὴν λαιὰν ἀποτεμόντες 7.24.25 ξὺν αὑτοῖς ἔλαβον. ψέλλιον γὰρ χρυσοῦν ἐπὶ ταύτης ὁ πεπτωκὼς φορῶν ἔτυχε λόγου ἄξιον, ᾧπερ ἐναβρύνεσθαι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἥκιστα ἤθελον, φεύγοντες δη7.24.26 λονότι τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργου αἰσχύνην. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων στρατὸς ἐς ὑπαγωγὴν ἐτράποντο οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τὸ μὲν ἄλλο τοῦ νεκροῦ σῶμα ἐσκύλευσαν, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διώκοντες πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν, ἔς τε τὴν πόλιν κακῶν παντάπασιν ἀπαθεῖς ἦλθον. 7.24.27 Τότε δὲ ὅσοι ἐν Γότθοις λόγιμοι ἦσαν Τουτίλᾳ προσελθόντες ἐλοιδοροῦντό τε καὶ ἀνέδην αὐτῷ τὴν ἀβουλίαν ὠνείδιζον, ὅτι δὴ Ῥώμην ἑλὼν οὔτε ξύμπασαν ἐς ἔδαφος καθεῖλεν, ὅπως μηκέτι τοῖς πολεμίοις καταληπτὴ εἴη, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἔσχεν, ἀλλ' ὅπερ πόνῳ τε καὶ χρόνῳ πολλῷ αὐτοῖς ἐργασθὲν ἔτυχε, τοῦτο λόγῳ 7.24.28 αὐτὸς οὐδενὶ διαφθείρειεν. οὕτω τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμπέφυκε πρὸς τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς ἀποβάσεις ἀεὶ τὴν γνώμην ῥυθμίζειν καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ τῆς τύχης ῥεύματι προσχωρεῖν, ἀγχιστρόφους τε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὰς 7.24.29 μεταστάσεις ποιεῖσθαι τῆς δόξης. διὸ δὴ καὶ Γότθοι εὐημεροῦντα μὲν τοῖς ἐγχειρήμασι Τουτίλαν ἐτεθήπεσαν ἴσα θεῷ, ἄμαχόν τινα καὶ ἀήττητον ἀποκαλοῦντες, ἡνίκα πόλεων τῶν ἁλισκομένων ἐκ μοίρας τινὸς τὰ τείχη διαφθείρειν εἴα, σφαλέντι δὲ, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, λοιδορεῖσθαι οὐκ ἀπηξίουν τῶν ἔναγχος σφίσιν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν εἰρημένων ἀμνημονοῦντες, ἀπ' ἐναντίας τε αὐτῶν 7.24.30 οὐδεμιᾷ ὀκνήσει ἰόντες. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστι μὴ οὐχὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐς ἀεὶ ἁμαρτά7.24.31 νεσθαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ φύσει γίγνεσθαι εἴωθε. Τουτίλας δὲ καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι λύσαντες τὴν προσεδρείαν ἐς Τίβουριν πόλιν ἀφίκοντο, πάσας σχεδόν τι τὰς τοῦ Τιβέριδος γεφύρας διελόντες, ὅπως μὴ Ῥωμαῖοι 7.24.32 εὐπετῶς σφίσιν ἐπιέναι οἷοί τε ὦσι. γέφυραν μέντοι μίαν, ἣ Μολιβίου ἐπώνυμός ἐστι, διαφθεῖραι οὐδαμῆ ἴσχυσαν, ἐπεὶ ἄγχιστα τῆς πόλεως ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα. τό τε ἐν Τιβούρει φρούριον ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι 7.24.33 σθένει παντὶ ἔγνωσαν· καθελόντες γὰρ αὐτὸ πρότερον ἔτυχον· τά τε χρήματα ἐνταῦθα καταθέμενοι ἅπαντα 7.24.34 ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον. καὶ Βελισάριος ἀδεέστερον ἤδη τὰς πύλας τοῦ Ῥώμης περιβόλου πανταχόθι ἐφαρμοσάμενος σιδήρῳ τε αὐτὰς περιβαλὼν αὖθις βασιλεῖ τὰς κλεῖς ἔπεμψε. καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἔληγε, καὶ τὸ δωδέκατον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε, ὃν Προκόπιος ξυνέγραψεν. 7.25.1 Ἐτύγχανε δὲ πολλῷ πρότερον στράτευμα ἐπὶ Περυσίαν ὁ Τουτίλας στείλας, οἵπερ ἀμφὶ τὸν τῆς πόλεως περίβολον ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐπολιόρκουν 7.25.2 ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τοὺς ταύτῃ Ῥωμαίους. καὶ ἐπεὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων αὐτοὺς σπανίζοντας ᾔσθοντο ἤδη, πέμψαντες παρὰ Τουτίλαν ἐδέοντο παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐνταῦθα ἰέναι, ῥᾷον ἂν οὕτω καὶ ἀπονώτερον ἐξελεῖν