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to enslave them and, so to speak, everything else. And at that time he also abandoned the city of Perusia, which happened to be the first in Tuscany, while it was being most bitterly besieged, which indeed 7.35.3 while he was still on the way was captured by storm. And having arrived at Byzantium he spent the rest of his time there, invested with great power of wealth, and being a conspicuous figure because of the successes which had previously befallen him, which the divine power had foretold to him by a certain not obscure sign before he had campaigned to Libya. 7.35.4 And the sign came about as follows. Belisarius had a certain estate in the suburb of Byzantium, which is named Panteichion, and it lies on the opposite mainland. There, a little before Belisarius was about to lead the Roman army against both Gelimer and Libya, 7.35.5 it happened that his vines were most exceedingly full. And his servants, having filled a very great quantity of jars with the wine which happened to have been produced from there, and having buried some of them below ground, and having carefully stopped up 7.35.6 those above with clay, they deposited them in the wine-cellar. But eight months later the wine, fermenting in certain jars, burst the clay with which each of them had been stopped, and gushing out and flowing in great quantity it flooded the adjacent ground to such an extent as to create a large pool on this 7.35.7 ground. When the servants saw this, being in great astonishment, they were able to fill many amphorae from it, and having again stopped these jars with clay, they kept what was happening in 7.35.8 silence. And when they saw this happening many times during the same period, they themselves brought the matter to the owner, and he, gathering many of his friends there, showed what was being done; who, interpreting the sign, foretold that great blessings would come for this very house. 7.35.9 So these things went thus for Belisarius. But Vigilius, the high priest of Rome, with the Italians who were then present there, being both numerous and very notable, no longer held back, but begged the emperor to lay claim to Italy 7.35.10 with all his strength. And most of all Gothigus urged him, a man of patrician rank, who had ascended to the consular chair long before; since he himself for this very reason happened to have arrived in Byzantium 7.35.11 recently. But the emperor promised that he himself would take thought for Italy, but for the most part he was occupied with the dogmas of the Christians, being especially eager and insistent to settle well the matters disputed among them. 7.35.12 These things were being done in Byzantium. And it happened that a Langobard man was fleeing to the Gepids for the following 7.35.13 reason. When Wacis ruled the Langobards, he had a certain nephew, Risiulf by name, whom indeed the law, whenever Wacis should die, called to the leadership. 7.35.14 Wacis therefore, taking thought how the rule might pass to his own son, bringing a charge against Risiulf which had no 7.35.15 basis, punished the man with exile. Who, departing from his ancestral home with a few men, immediately fled to the Varni, two sons having been left behind by him 7.35.16 there. And Wacis with money persuaded these barbarians to kill Risiulf. And of Risiulf's sons, the one died of disease, and the 7.35.17 other, Ildiges by name, fled to the Sclaveni. Not much later, therefore, Wacis fell sick and departed from the world, and to Waldar, the son of Wacis, the rule of the Langobards came. For whom, being a mere child, Audoin, having been appointed regent, administered the rule. 7.35.18 And using his great power, he himself held the rule not long after, this child having immediately departed from the world by disease. 7.35.19 When, therefore, the war arose between the Gepids and the Langobards, as has been told by me, Ildiges immediately, having brought with him both those of the Langobards who followed him and many of the Sclaveni, came to the Gepids, and the Gepids had hope that they would restore him 7.35.20 to his rule. But when the present truce was made with the Langobards, Audoin immediately demanded Ildiges from the Gepids as from friends, but they by no means decided to give the man up,

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ἀνδραποδίσαι καὶ τἄλλα ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα. τότε δὲ καὶ Περυσίαν πόλιν, ἣ πρώτη ἐν Τούσκοις οὖσα ἐτύγχανε, πικρότατα πολιορκουμένην ἀπέλιπεν, ἥπερ 7.35.3 αὐτοῦ ἔτι ὁδῷ ἰόντος κατ' ἄκρας ἑάλω. ἐς Βυζάντιον δὲ ἀφικόμενος διατριβὴν τὸ λοιπὸν ἐνταῦθα εἶχε, πλούτου μὲν ἐξουσίαν περιβεβλημένος πολλὴν, εὐτυχήμασι δὲ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῷ ξυμβεβηκόσιν ἀπόβλεπτος ὢν, ἅπερ οἱ πρότερον ἢ ἐς Λιβύην ἐστράτευσε ξυμβόλῳ προὔλεγέ τινι οὐκ ἀφανεῖ τὸ δαιμόνιον. 7.35.4 ὁ δὲ ξύμβολος ἐγένετο ὧδε. ἦν τις Βελισαρίῳ κλῆρος ἐν Βυζαντίων τῷ προαστείῳ, ὃ δὴ Παντείχιον μὲν ὀνομάζεται, κεῖται δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἠπείρῳ. ἐνταῦθα ὀλίγῳ ἔμπροσθεν ἢ ἔμελλε Βελισάριος ἐπί τε Γελίμερα καὶ Λιβύην ἐξηγήσασθαι τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ, 7.35.5 ἐνδελεχέστατα πλήθειν οἱ τὰς ἀμπέλους ξυνέβη. οἴνου τε ὃς ἐνθένδε γεγονὼς ἔτυχε πίθων οἱ θεράποντες ἐμπλησάμενοι μέγα τι χρῆμα, καὶ αὐτῶν τὰ μὲν ἔνερθεν κατορύξαντες, τὰ δὲ ὕπερθεν πηλῷ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐπι7.35.6 βύσαντες, ἐν τῷ οἰνῶνι κατέθεντο. μησὶ δὲ ὀκτὼ ὕστερον ἐν πίθοις τισὶν ἀναβράσσων ὁ οἶνος διεσπάσατο μὲν τὸν πηλὸν ᾧπερ ἐπέφρακτο αὐτῶν ἕκαστος, ὑπερβλύσας δὲ καὶ ῥεύσας πολὺς ἐς τοσόνδε γῆν τὴν ἐχομένην ἐπέκλυσεν ὥστε καὶ τέλμα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ 7.35.7 ἐδάφει ἐργάσασθαι μέγα. ὅπερ ἐπεὶ οἱ θεράποντες εἶδον, ἐν θάμβει μεγάλῳ γενόμενοι πολλοὺς μὲν ἐνθένδε ἀμφορέας ἐμπλήσασθαι ἔσχον, αὖθις δὲ τούτους δὴ τοὺς πίθους τῷ πηλῷ ἀποφράξαντες τὰ παρόντα ἐν 7.35.8 σιωπῇ εἶχον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο πολλάκις ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον γεγονὸς εἶδον, αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν κεκτημένον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦγον, ὁ δὲ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πολλοὺς ἐνταῦθα ἀγείρας ἐπέδειξε τὰ ποιούμενα· οἵπερ τῷ ξυμβόλῳ τεκμηριούμενοι ἐς ταύτην δὴ τὴν οἰκίαν μεγάλα προὔλεγον ἀγαθὰ ἔσεσθαι. 7.35.9 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε Βελισαρίῳ ἐχώρησε. Βιγίλιος δὲ, ὁ τῆς Ῥώμης ἀρχιερεὺς, ξὺν Ἰταλοῖς τοῖς ἐνταῦθα τηνικάδε παροῦσι, πολλοῖς τε καὶ λογιμωτάτοις ἐσάγαν οὖσιν, οὐκέτι ἀνίει, ἀλλ' ἔχρῃζε βασιλέως Ἰταλίας 7.35.10 μεταποιεῖσθαι δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ. μάλιστα δὲ πάντων αὐτὸν Γόθιγος ἐνῆγε, πατρίκιος ἀνὴρ, ἐς τῶν ὑπάτων τὸν δίφρον ἀναβεβηκὼς πολλῷ πρότερον· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς τούτων δὴ ἕνεκεν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἀφικόμενος 7.35.11 ἔτυχεν ἔναγχος. βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰταλίας μὲν ἐπηγγέλλετο προνοήσειν αὐτὸς, ἀμφὶ δὲ τὰ Χριστιανῶν δόγματα ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διατριβὴν εἶχεν, εὖ διαθέσθαι τὰ ἐν σφίσιν ἀντιλεγόμενα σπουδάζων καὶ διατεινόμενος 7.35.12 μάλιστα. ταῦτα μὲν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐπράσσετο. ἐτύγχανε δὲ Λαγγοβάρδης ἀνὴρ ἐς Γήπαιδας φεύγων ἐξ 7.35.13 αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. ἡνίκα Λαγγοβαρδῶν Οὐάκης ἦρχεν, ἦν τίς οἱ ἀνεψιὸς Ῥισιοῦλφος ὄνομα, ὃν δὴ ὁ νόμος, ἐπειδὰν Οὐάκης τελευτήσειεν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐκάλει. 7.35.14 προνοήσας οὖν Οὐάκης ὅπως εἰς τὸν παῖδα τὸν αὑτοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἄγοιτο, ἔγκλημα Ῥισιούλφῳ ἐπενεγκὼν αἰτίαν 7.35.15 οὐκ ἔχον φυγῇ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐζημίωσεν. ὃς δὴ ἐξ ἠθῶν ἀναστὰς τῶν πατρίων ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἐς τοὺς Οὐάρνους αὐτίκα φεύγει, παίδων οἱ ἀπολελειμμένων 7.35.16 ἐνταῦθα δυοῖν. χρήμασι δὲ Οὐάκης τοὺς βαρβάρους τούτους ἀνέπεισε τὸν Ῥισιοῦλφον κτεῖναι. τῶν δὲ Ῥισιούλφου παίδων ὁ μὲν εἷς ἐτελεύτησε νόσῳ, ὁ δὲ 7.35.17 δὴ ἕτερος, Ἰλδίγης ὄνομα, ἐς Σκλαβηνοὺς φεύγει. οὐ πολλῷ μὲν οὖν ὕστερον ὁ μὲν Οὐάκης νοσήσας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἠφάνιστο, ἐς δὲ Οὐάλδαρον, τὸν Οὐάκου υἱὸν, ἡ Λαγγοβαρδῶν ἦλθεν ἀρχή. ᾧ δὴ παιδὶ κομιδῆ ὄντι ἐπίτροπος καταστὰς Αὐδουὶν τὴν ἀρχὴν διῳκεῖτο. 7.35.18 δυνάμει τε πολλῇ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χρώμενος αὐτὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἔσχε, τοῦ παιδὸς τούτου νόσῳ 7.35.19 αὐτίκα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθέντος. ἡνίκα τοίνυν Γήπαισί τε καὶ Λαγγοβάρδαις ὁ πόλεμος κατέστη, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, Ἰλδίγης εὐθὺς Λαγγοβαρδῶν τε τούς οἱ ἐπισπομένους καὶ Σκλαβηνῶν πολλοὺς ἐπαγαγόμενος ἐς Γήπαιδας ἦλθε, καὶ αὐτὸν Γήπαιδες κατά7.35.20 ξειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐλπίδα εἶχον. γενομένων δὲ τῶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι πρὸς Λαγγοβάρδας σπονδῶν ἕνεκα ὁ μὲν Αὐδουὶν τὸν Ἰλδίγην εὐθὺς ἅτε πρὸς φίλων ἐξῃτεῖτο Γηπαίδων, οἱ δὲ τὸν μὲν ἄνθρωπον ἐκδοῦναι οὐδαμῆ ἔγνωσαν,