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to be. Totila, being eager to rescue him, was willing to release to the Romans in exchange for him a certain woman of high rank who was a captive. 7.40.23 But the Romans by no means thought it right to exchange a woman for a man holding the office of the so-called 7.40.24 quaestor. The man, therefore, fearing that he might be put to death among the enemy, promised the Romans that he would straightway persuade Totila to withdraw from Sicily and to cross over to Italy with the whole army of the Goths. 7.40.25 And they, having bound him by oaths to them concerning this agreement, gave him back to the Goths, 7.40.26 having received the woman in exchange for him. But he, when he came into Totila's presence, said that it was not to their own advantage for the Goths, after having plundered almost all of Sicily, to waste time there over a few fortresses. 7.40.27 For he claimed to have heard recently, when he happened to be among the enemy, that Germanus, the emperor's nephew, had departed from the world, and that John, his son-in-law, and Justinian, his son, with the entire army that had been gathered by Germanus, were already in Dalmatia, and were making preparations to march from there straight to Liguria very soon, in order to enslave by a sudden raid the children and wives of the Goths and plunder all their property; and it would be better for us to meet them, wintering 7.40.28 in safety with our families. For if we get the better of them, it will be possible for us to set foot on Sicily again more fearlessly at the beginning of spring, 7.40.29 with no enemy in mind. Totila, persuaded by this suggestion, left garrisons in four strongholds, but he himself, taking along all the booty, crossed over to Italy with all the rest of the army. So these things were done in this way. 7.40.30 But John and the emperor's army, having arrived in Dalmatia, decided to winter in Salona, intending to march from there straight to Ravenna by road after the winter season. 7.40.31 But the Sclaveni, both those who had previously been in the emperor's land, as has been recently related by me, and others who not much later crossed the river Ister and mixed with the first group, were overrunning the Roman dominion with great 7.40.32 impunity. And some suspected that Totila had persuaded these barbarians with much money and sent them against the Romans in that region, so that it might be impossible for the emperor to manage the war against the Goths well, because of the trouble with these barbarians. 7.40.33 But whether the Sclaveni came there to gratify Totila or uninvited, I cannot say. However, these barbarians, dividing themselves into three bands, wrought irreparable deeds in the whole of Europe, not plundering the districts there by a raid, but wintering as if in their own land and fearing no 7.40.34 enemy. But later the Emperor Justinian sent a most notable army against them, which was led by Constantianus, Aratius, and Nazares, among others, and Justinus, the son of Germanus, and John, who was called by the nickname 7.40.35 Phagas. And he appointed Scholasticus as commander over all, one of the eunuchs in the Palace. 7.40.36 This army came upon a portion of the barbarians near Adrianople, which is situated inland in Thrace, a five days' journey from Byzantium. 7.40.37 And the barbarians could no longer advance. For they were bringing along booty of men and other animals and 7.40.38 all kinds of property beyond number. But remaining there they were eager to come to grips with the enemy, giving them as little notice of themselves as possible. And the Sclaveni encamped on the mountain which rises there, while the Romans were in the plain not far off. 7.40.39 But when much time was spent by them in this blockade, the soldiers were distressed and took it hard, reproaching their generals that they, having all their provisions easily available as commanders of the Roman army, were overlooking the soldiers who were being hard-pressed by lack of necessities, and were unwilling 7.40.40 to come to grips with the enemy. Compelled by these things, the generals joined battle with their adversaries. And a fierce battle took place,

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γενέσθαι. ὃν δὴ ῥύεσθαι ὁ Τουτίλας ἐπειγόμενος τῶν τινα ἐπιφανῶν γυναῖκα, αἰχμάλωτον οὖσαν, ἀφεῖναι 7.40.23 Ῥωμαίοις ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἤθελε. γυναῖκα δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι οὐδαμῆ ἐδικαίουν ἀνταλλάξασθαι ἀνδρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλου7.40.24 μένου κοιαίστωρος ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος. δείσας οὖν ὁ ἀνὴρ μὴ παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις διαφθαρείη, ὡμολόγησε Ῥωμαίοις αὐτίκα Τουτίλαν ἀναπείσειν Σικελίας μὲν ἀπανίστασθαι, παντὶ δὲ τῷ Γότθων στρατῷ ἐς Ἰταλίαν 7.40.25 διαπορθμεύσασθαι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὅρκοις αὐτὸν σφίσιν ἀμφὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ καταληφθέντα Γότθοις ἀπέ7.40.26 δοσαν, ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα κεκομισμένοι. ὁ δὲ Τουτίλᾳ ἐς ὄψιν ἥκων οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ ξυμφόρῳ Γότθους ἔφασκε Σικελίαν ληϊσαμένους σχεδόν τι ὅλην ὀλίγων τινῶν φρουρίων διατριβὴν ἐνταῦθα ἔχειν. 7.40.27 ἔναγχος γὰρ ἰσχυρίζετο ἀκηκοέναι, ἡνίκα παρὰ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐτύγχανεν ὢν, Γερμανὸν μὲν τὸν βασιλέως ἀνεψιὸν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι, Ἰωάννην δὲ τὸν αὐτοῦ κηδεστὴν καὶ Ἰουστινιανὸν τὸν αὐτοῦ παῖδα παντὶ τῷ πρὸς Γερμανοῦ συλλεγέντι στρατῷ εἶναι μὲν ἤδη ἐν ∆αλματίᾳ, εὐθὺ δὲ Λιγουρίας αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα ξυσκευαζομένους ἐνθένδε χωρήσειν, ἐφ' ᾧ δὴ Γότθων ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας ἀνδραποδίσουσι καὶ χρήματα ληΐσονται πάντα, οἷσπερ ἡμᾶς ὑπαντιάζειν ἄμεινον ἂν εἴη ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ξὺν τοῖς οἰκείοις δια7.40.28 χειμάζοντας. ἢν γὰρ ἐκείνων περιεσόμεθα, Σικελίας αὖθις ἅμα ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ παρέσται ἡμῖν ἀδεέστερον 7.40.29 ἐπιβήσεσθαι πολέμιον οὐδὲν ἐν νῷ ἔχουσι. ταύτῃ ὁ Τουτίλας τῇ ὑποθήκῃ ἀναπεισθεὶς φρουροὺς μὲν ἐν ὀχυρώμασι τέτρασιν εἴασεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ξύμπασαν τὴν λείαν ἐπαγόμενος παντὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐς Ἰταλίαν διεπορθμεύσατο. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράσσετο τῇδε. 7.40.30 Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλέως στρατὸς ἀφικόμενοι ἐς ∆αλματίαν ἐν Σάλωσι διαχειμάζειν ἔγνωσαν, ἐνθένδε μετὰ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥραν εὐθὺ Ῥαβέννης ὁδῷ ἰέναι 7.40.31 διανοούμενοι. Σκλαβηνοὶ δὲ, οἵ τε τὰ πρότερα ἐν γῇ τῇ βασιλέως γενόμενοι, ὥσπερ μοι ἔναγχος δεδιήγηται, καὶ ἄλλοι οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διαβάντες καὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἀναμιχθέντες, κατέθεον ἐν πολλῇ 7.40.32 ἐξουσίᾳ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν. καί τινες μὲν ἐν ὑποψίᾳ εἶχον ὡς Τουτίλας τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους χρήμασι πολλοῖς ἀναπείσας ἐπιπέμψειε τοῖς ταύτῃ Ῥωμαίοις, ὅπως δὴ βασιλεῖ ἀδύνατα εἴη τὸν πρὸς Γότθους πόλεμον ἀσχολίᾳ τῇ ἐς τούτους δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους 7.40.33 εὖ διοικήσασθαι. εἴτε δὲ Τουτίλᾳ χαριζόμενοι εἴτε ἄκλητοι Σκλαβηνοὶ ἐνταῦθα ἦλθον οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν. ἐς τρία μέντοι τέλη σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διελόντες οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἀνήκεστα ἐν Εὐρώπῃ τῇ ὅλῃ ἔργα εἰργάσαντο, οὐκ ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς ληϊζόμενοι τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν χώρᾳ οἰκείᾳ διαχειμάζοντες οὐδέν τε 7.40.34 δεδιότες πολέμιον. ὕστερον δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς στρατιὰν ἀξιολογωτάτην ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔπεμψεν, ἧς ἄλλοι τε καὶ Κωνσταντιανὸς καὶ Ἀράτιος καὶ Ναζάρης ἡγοῦντο καὶ Ἰουστῖνος ὁ Γερμανοῦ παῖς καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὅνπερ 7.40.35 ἐπίκλησιν ἐκάλουν Φαγᾶν. ἐπιστάτην δὲ Σχολαστικὸν ἐφ' ἅπασι κατεστήσατο, τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ εὐνούχων 7.40.36 ἕνα. οὗτος ὁ στρατὸς μοῖραν τῶν βαρβάρων καταλαμβάνουσιν ἀμφὶ Ἀδριανούπολιν, ἥπερ ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἐν μεσογείοις κεῖται, πέντε ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν Βυζαντίου 7.40.37 διέχουσα. καὶ πρόσω μὲν χωρεῖν οἱ βάρβαροι οὐκέτι εἶχον. λείαν γὰρ ἐπήγοντο ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ ζῴων ἄλλων καὶ 7.40.38 πάντων χρημάτων ἀριθμοῦ κρείσσονα. μένοντες δὲ αὐτοῦ ἠπείγοντο τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι, τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῖς αἴσθησιν ὡς ἥκιστα παρεχόμενοι. καὶ οἱ μὲν Σκλαβηνοὶ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο ἐς τὸ ὄρος, ὃ ταύτῃ ἀνέχει, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ οὐ πολλῷ ἄποθεν. 7.40.39 χρόνου δὲ σφίσιν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ τριβομένου συχνοῦ ἤσχαλλόν τε οἱ στρατιῶται καὶ δεινὰ ἐποιοῦντο, τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ἐπικαλοῦντες, ὅτι δὴ αὐτοὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ξύμπαντα εὔπορα ἔχοντες ἅτε τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ἄρχοντες τοὺς στρατιώτας περιορῶσι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ πιεζομένους καὶ οὐ βούλονται 7.40.40 τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι. οἷς δὴ οἱ στρατηγοὶ ἀναγκασθέντες τοῖς ἐναντίοις ξυνέμιξαν. καὶ γίνεται μὲν καρτερὰ μάχη,