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he decided to send another army against the Goths and Totila, moved by the letters of Belisarius, since he urged him to this, having 7.27.2 often indicated their present circumstances. First, then, he sent Pacurius the son of Peranius and Sergius the nephew of Solomon with a few men. And they, upon arriving in Italy, immediately joined the rest of the 7.27.3 army. After this he dispatched Verus with three hundred Heruls and Varazes, an Armenian by race, with eight hundred Armenians, and having summoned Valerian, the general of the Armenians, from there, he ordered him to go to Italy with his attendant bodyguards and shield-bearers, who were more than a thousand. 7.27.4 Verus, then, having first put in at Dryous and left the ships there, was by no means willing to remain where John's camp also was, but riding with 7.27.5 his men, went forward. For this man was not serious, but for the most part was given to the vice of drunkenness, and as a result was always possessed by a reckless 7.27.6 boldness. And when they arrived very near the city of Brentesium, they encamped there and waited. When Totila learned this, he said, "Verus is one of two things: either he commands a great force, or he is possessed of great 7.27.7 folly. Let us go against him, therefore, at this very moment, so that we may either test the man's power, 7.28.8 or he may become aware of his own folly." So Totila, having said this, went against him with a large army, but the Heruls, seeing the enemy already present, fled into some woodland that was nearby. 7.27.9 And the enemy surrounded them and killed more than two hundred, and they were about to capture Verus himself and the remainder who were hiding in the thorns, but some chance befell them and saved them 7.27.10 unexpectedly. For the ships, in which Varazes and the Armenians with him were sailing, suddenly put in to shore there. When Totila saw this, suspecting that the enemy army was larger than it was, he immediately departed and rode away from there, and the men of Verus 7.27.11 gladly came running to the ships. And Varazes decided not to sail further forward, but went with them to Tarentum, where John, the son of Vitalian, also arrived not long afterward with his whole army. So these things proceeded in this way. 7.27.12 But the emperor wrote to Belisarius that he had sent him a large army, with which he should join battle with the enemy in 7.27.13 Calabria. And by now Valerian, having come very near the Ionian Gulf, thought that it was inexpedient for him to cross over at the present 7.27.14 time. For the provisions would not be sufficient for the soldiers and horses at that time of year, since it was around the 7.27.15 winter solstice. And sending three hundred of his followers to John, he promised that after wintering he himself would also come at the beginning 7.27.16 of spring. Belisarius, therefore, when he had read the emperor's letter, having picked out nine hundred of his best men, seven hundred cavalry and two hundred infantry, and having established all the rest to guard that country, and having set Conon over them as commander, 7.27.17 immediately sailed for Sicily. And from there he put to sea, intending to land at the harbor of the Tarentines, having on his left the place called Scylaeum, where the poets say Scylla was born, not that the monstrous woman was in any way there, as they say, but because a great multitude of whelps, which they now call puppies, happens to be there in the strait 7.27.18 from ancient times until my own. For names are always fitting for things at first, but rumor, carrying them about to other men, creates certain incorrect opinions there through ignorance of the true 7.27.19 facts. And as it advances, this time immediately becomes a powerful creator of myth, and, as is likely, it makes the poets, by the authority of their art, witnesses of things that did not happen. For this reason, the inhabitants from of old named one promontory of the island of Corcyra, which is toward the rising sun, the Dog's Head, while others, from this, that there are certain dog-headed men

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στράτευμα πέμπειν ἄλλο ἐπὶ Γότθους καὶ Τουτίλαν ἔγνω, γράμμασι τοῖς Βελισαρίου ἠγμένος, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸν ἐς τοῦτο ἐνῆγε, τὰ 7.27.2 παρόντα σφίσι πολλάκις σημήνας. πρῶτα μὲν οὖν Πακούριόν τε τὸν Περανίου καὶ Σέργιον τὸν Σολόμωνος ἀδελφιδοῦν ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἔπεμψεν. οἱ δὲ εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἀφικόμενοι τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ αὐτίκα ξυνέ7.27.3 μιξαν. μετὰ δὲ Βῆρόν τε ξὺν Ἐρούλοις τριακοσίοις καὶ Οὐαράζην Ἀρμένιον γένος ξὺν ὀκτακοσίοις Ἀρμενίοισστέλλει, Βαλεριανόν τε τὸν τῶν Ἀρμενίων στρατηγὸν ἐνθένδε ἀναστήσας ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις δορυφόροις τε καὶ ὑπασπισταῖς πλέον ἢ χιλίοις οὖσιν ἐς Ἰταλίαν 7.27.4 ἐκέλευεν ἰέναι. Βῆρος οὖν πρῶτος ∆ρυοῦντι προσχὼν καὶ τὰς ναῦς ἐνταῦθα ἀφεὶς μένειν μὲν αὐτοῦ οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, οὗ δὴ καὶ τὸ Ἰωάννου στρατόπεδον ἦν, ἱππεύων 7.27.5 δὲ ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν πρόσθεν ᾔει. ἦν γὰρ οὗτος ἀνὴρ οὐ κατεσπουδασμένος, ἀλλὰ μέθης νόσῳ ἀνειμένος ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ θράσει 7.27.6 ἀπερισκέπτῳ ἐς ἀεὶ εἴχετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἄγχιστά πη πόλεως Βρεντεσίου ἀφίκοντο, αὐτοῦ ἐνστρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον. ἅπερ ὁ Τουτίλας μαθὼν «Ὁ Βῆρος δυοῖν» ἔφη «τὸ ἕτερον· ἢ δυνάμει μεγάλῃ χρῆται, ἢ ἀνοίᾳ πολλῇ 7.27.7 «ἔχεται. ἴωμεν τοίνυν ἐπ' αὐτὸν αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, «ὅπως ἢ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀποπειρασώμεθα τοῦ ἀνθρώ7.27.8 «που, ἢ τῆς ἀνοίας ἐκεῖνος τῆς αὑτοῦ αἴσθηται.» ὁ μὲν οὖν Τουτίλας ταῦτα εἰπὼν στρατῷ πολλῷ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ᾔει, Ἔρουλοι δὲ παρόντας ἤδη κατιδόντες τοὺς πολεμίους κατέφυγον ἐς ὕλην τινὰ ἐγγύς πη οὖσαν. 7.27.9 κυκλώσαντές τε αὐτοὺς οἱ πολέμιοι πλέον μὲν ἢ διακοσίους διέφθειραν, ἔμελλον δὲ Βῆρόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς λειπομένους ἐς τὰς ἀκάνθας κρυπτομένους χειρώσασθαι, ἀλλὰ τύχη τις αὐτοῖς ξυμβᾶσα διεσώσατο 7.27.10 ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξου. νῆες γὰρ, ἐν αἷς ὅ τε Οὐαράζης καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐτῷ Ἀρμένιοι ἔπλεον, ἄφνω ἐς τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἀκτὴν κατῆραν. ὅπερ ἐπεὶ ὁ Τουτίλας εἶδε, πλείονα ἤπερ ἦν ὑποτοπάζων εἶναι τὸν τῶν πολεμίων στρατὸν ἄρας αὐτίκα ἐνθένδε ἀπήλαυνεν, οἵ τε ἀμφὶ τὸν Βῆρον 7.27.11 ἄσμενοι ἐς τὰς ναῦς δρόμῳ ἀφίκοντο. ὅ τε Οὐαράζης πλεῖν μὲν ἐπίπροσθεν οὐκέτι ἔγνω, ἐς δὲ τὸν Τάραντα ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἦλθεν, οὗ δὴ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Βιταλιανοῦ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἀφίκετο οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε ἐχώρησε. 7.27.12 Βελισαρίῳ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἔγραψεν ὅτι δὴ πολλὴν αὐτῷ στρατιὰν πέμψειεν, οἷσπερ αὐτὸν δεῖν ἐν Καλα7.27.13 βρίᾳ ξυμμίξαντα τοῖς πολεμίοις ὁμόσε ἰέναι. ἤδη δὲ καὶ Βαλεριανὸς ἄγχιστα κόλπου τοῦ Ἰονίου ἥκων διαπορθμεύσασθαι μὲν ᾤετό οἱ ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι ἀξύμ7.27.14 φορον εἶναι. στρατιώταις τε γὰρ καὶ ἵπποις ἐς ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια οὐκ ἂν ἐπαρκέσειν, ἐπεὶ ἀμφὶ 7.27.15 τροπὰς χειμερινὰς ἦν. τριακοσίους δὲ τῶν αὐτῷ ἑπομένων Ἰωάννῃ πέμψας ὡμολόγησε διαχειμάσας ἅμα 7.27.16 ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἥξειν. Βελισάριος οὖν ἐπειδὴ τὰ βασιλέως ἀνελέξατο γράμματα, ἐνακοσίους ἀριστίνδην ἀπολεξάμενος, ἱππεῖς μὲν ἑπτακοσίους, πεζοὺς δὲ διακοσίους, τούς τε λοιποὺς ἅπαντας ἐς φυλακὴν τῆς ἐκείνῃ χώρας καταστησάμενος, ἄρχοντά τε αὐτοῖς Κό7.27.17 νωνα ἐπιστήσας ἐπὶ Σικελίας αὐτίκα ἔπλει. ἔνθεν τε ἀνηγάγετο, καταίρειν διανοούμενος ἐς τὸν Ταραντηνῶν λιμένα, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἔχων τὸν Σκύλαιον καλούμενον χῶρον, ἐφ' οὗ δὴ τὴν Σκύλλαν οἱ ποιηταὶ γεγενῆσθαί φασιν, οὐχ ὅτι ταύτῃ πη τὸ θηριῶδες γύναιον, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι λέγουσιν, ἦν, ἀλλ' ὅτι σκυλάκων μέγα τι χρῆμα, οὕσπερ κυνίσκους τανῦν καλοῦσιν, ἐνταῦθα τοῦ πορθμοῦ 7.27.18 ἐκ παλαιοῦ τε καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ξυμβαίνει εἶναι. τὰ γὰρ ὀνόματα τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀρχὴν μὲν εἰκότα ἐς ἀεὶ γίνεται, ἡ δὲ φήμη αὐτὰ περιαγαγοῦσα ἐς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους τινὰς δόξας οὐκ ὀρθὰς ἀγνοίᾳ τῶν ἀληθινῶν ἐνταῦθα 7.27.19 ποιεῖται. καὶ προϊὼν οὗτος ὁ χρόνος ἰσχυρὸς μέν τις δημιουργὸς αὐτίκα τοῦ μύθου καθίσταται, μάρτυρας δὲ τῶν οὐ γεγονότων τοὺς ποιητὰς ἐξουσίᾳ τῆς τέχνης, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἑταιρίζεται. ταῦτά τοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ μὲν ὠνόμασαν ἐπιχώριοι Κυνὸς Κεφαλὴν ἄκραν τὴν μίαν Κερκύρας τῆς νήσου, ἣ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιόν ἐστιν, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κυνοκεφάλους τινὰς εἶναι