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pushed. And he, having fallen from his horse to the ground, lay dead; and a tremendous shout was raised from the army of the Romans, but not 8.31.17 even so, however, did either side begin any battle. But Totila was alone in the space between the armies, not to fight a single combat, but to waste this time for the enemy. For having learned that the two thousand Goths who had been left behind were somewhere very near, he was putting off the engagement until their 8.31.18 arrival, and he did the following things. First, he did not disdain to show the enemy who he was. For he had put on armour which was abundantly covered with gold, and the ornaments of his cheek-pieces, hanging both from his helmet and his spear, were of purple and 8.31.19 otherwise royal, and wonderfully large. And he himself, riding a magnificent horse, skillfully played the war-dance in the space between the armies. For he wheeled his horse around in a circle, and turning it to either side, he 8.31.20 again made it run in circles. And as he rode he would toss his spear into the air, and catching it as it quivered, he would then pass it frequently from hand to hand on either side, and shifting it skillfully, he showed off his practice in such things, bending backwards and sideways and leaning to either side, just as if he had been taught with precision from childhood the arts of the dance. 8.31.21 And by doing these things he wore away the whole morning. And wishing to prolong the delay of the battle as much as possible, he sent to the camp of the Romans, saying that he wished to meet with them for a 8.31.22 conference. But Narses insisted that he was deceiving them, if indeed, when he had intended to make war before, at a time when there was an opportunity to propose talks, he now, having come into the space between the armies, should proceed to a parley. 8.32.1 Meanwhile the two thousand also arrived for the Goths; and when Totila learned that they had reached the camp, since the time was also leading to the midday meal, he himself went to his own tent, and the Goths, breaking their line of battle, returned 8.32.2 back. And having arrived at his lodging place, Totila found the two thousand already present. And after ordering everyone to take their midday meal and changing his own armour, he armed them all with precision in the manner of a common soldier, and immediately led his army out against the enemy, thinking he would fall upon them unexpectedly and in this way would be 8.32.3 victorious. But not even so did he find the Romans unprepared. For Narses, fearing what actually happened, that the enemy might fall upon them unexpectedly, forbade everyone either to take their midday meal or to dismount or indeed for any man at all to take off his breastplate or to let go of his horse's 8.32.4 bridle. However, he did not leave them entirely without food, but ordered them, having taken a bite to eat in their ranks and in their armour, to keep watching continuously in this way, awaiting the enemy's 8.32.5 attack. They were no longer drawn up, however, in the same manner, but for the Romans the wings, in which the four thousand foot-archers had been stationed, were turned into a crescent shape by the plan of 8.32.6 Narses. And all the Gothic infantry stood in a mass behind the cavalry, so that, if it should happen that the cavalry were routed, the fugitives, turning back to them, might be saved, and both might then advance together. And it had been announced to all the Goths to use neither arrow nor any other weapon whatever in this engagement 8.32.7 except their lances. For this reason it happened that Totila was out-generaled by his own folly; who, when drawing up for this battle, I know not by what persuasion, presented his own army to the enemy as a force which was neither a match for them in its arms, nor a counterpoise in its formation, nor an equal in any other respect, since the Romans, for their part, used each of their weapons as was most opportune in the action, either shooting arrows, or thrusting with spears, or wielding swords, or employing something else of what was ready to hand for them and suitable at the moment, some fighting on horseback, and others taking their position on foot in the battle line, according to what was advantageous for the need, and in one place effecting an encirclement of the enemy, and in another receiving those who advanced and with their 8.32.8 shields repelling the attack. But the cavalry of the Goths, since their infantry

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ὦσε. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου πεσὼν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος νεκρὸς ἔκειτο· κραυγὴ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ ὑπερφυὴς ἤρθη, οὐδ' 8.31.17 ὣς μέντοι μάχης τινὸς οὐδέτεροι ἦρξαν. Τουτίλας δὲ μόνος ἐν μεταιχμίῳ ἐγένετο, οὐ μονομαχήσων, ἀλλὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῖς ἐναντίοις τοῦτον ἐκκρούσων. Γότθων γὰρ τοὺς ἀπολειπομένους δισχιλίους ἄγχιστά πη προσιέναι μαθὼν ἀπετίθετο ἐς τὴν αὐτῶν παρουσίαν τὴν 8.31.18 ξυμβολὴν, ἐποίει δὲ τάδε. πρῶτα μὲν οὐκ ἀπηξίου τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνδείκνυσθαι ὅστις ποτὲ εἴη. τήν τε γὰρ τῶν ὅπλων σκευὴν κατακόρως τῷ χρυσῷ κατειλημμένην ἠμπίσχετο καὶ τῶν οἱ φαλάρων ὁ κόσμος ἔκ τε τοῦ πίλου καὶ τοῦ δόρατος ἁλουργός τε καὶ 8.31.19 ἄλλως βασιλικὸς ἀπεκρέματο θαυμαστὸς ὅσος. καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπερφυεῖ ὀχούμενος ἵππῳ παιδιὰν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ ἔπαιζε τὴν ἐνόπλιον ἐπισταμένως. τόν τε γὰρ ἵππον ἐν κύκλῳ περιελίσσων, ἐπὶ θάτερά τε ἀναστρέφων 8.31.20 αὖθις κυκλοτερεῖς πεποίητο δρόμους. καὶ ἱππευόμενος μεθίει ταῖς αὔραις τὸ δόρυ, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τε κραδαινόμενον ἁρπασάμενος εἶτα ἐκ χειρὸς ἐς χεῖρα παραπέμπων συχνὰ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα, καὶ μεταβιβάζων ἐμπείρως, ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο τῇ ἐς τὰ τοιαῦτα μελέτῃ, ὑπτιάζων καὶ ἰσχιάζων καὶ πρὸς ἑκάτερα ἐγκλινόμενος, ὥσπερ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀκριβῶς τὰ ἐς τὴν ὀρχήστραν δεδιδαγμένος. 8.31.21 ταῦτά τε ποιῶν πᾶσαν κατέτριψε τὴν δείλην πρωΐαν. ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ τὴν τῆς μάχης ἀναβολὴν μηκύνειν ἐθέλων ἔπεμψεν ἐς τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον, φάσκων 8.31.22 ἐθέλειν αὐτοῖς ἐς λόγους ξυμμῖξαι. Ναρσῆς δὲ φενακίζειν αὐτὸν ἰσχυρίζετο, εἴ γε πολεμησείων τὰ πρότερα, ἡνίκα τοῦ προτείνεσθαι λόγους ἐξουσία εἴη, νῦν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ γενόμενος ἐς τοὺς διαλόγους χωροίη. 8.32.1 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Γότθοις καὶ οἱ δισχίλιοι ἧκον· οὕσπερ ἐς τὸ χαράκωμα Τουτίλας ἀφικέσθαι μαθὼν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐς ἄριστον ἦγεν, αὐτός τε ἐς σκηνὴν τὴν οἰκείαν ἐχώρησε καὶ Γότθοι διαλύσαντες 8.32.2 τὴν παράταξιν ὀπίσω ἀνέστρεφον. ἐν δὲ τῇ καταλύσει τῇ αὐτοῦ γεγονὼς Τουτίλας τοὺς δισχιλίους ἤδη παρόντας εὗρε. τό τε ἄριστον ἅπαντας αἱρεῖσθαι κελεύσας καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅπλων σκευὴν μεταμφιασάμενος ἅπαντας ἐξωπλίσατο μὲν ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐν στρατιωτῶν λόγῳ, εὐθὺς δὲ τὴν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξῆγεν, ἀπροσδόκητος αὐτοῖς ἐπιπεσεῖσθαι οἰόμενος 8.32.3 καὶ ταύτῃ αἱρήσειν. ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὣς ἀπαρασκεύους Ῥωμαίους εὗρε. δείσας γὰρ ὁ Ναρσῆς, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, μὴ σφίσιν ἀπροσδοκήτοις ἐπιπέσοιεν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἀπεῖπεν ἅπασι μήτε ἄριστον αἱρεῖσθαι μήτε ἀποδαρθεῖν μήτε μὴν ἀποθωρακίσασθαι τῶν πάντων μηδένα μήτε τοῦ 8.32.4 χαλινοῦ μεθεῖναι τὸν ἵππον. οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ ἀποσίτους τὸ παράπαν αὐτοὺς εἴασεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ τάξει καὶ τῇ τῶν ὅπλων σκευῇ ἀκρατισαμένους ἐκέλευσε διηνεκὲς οὕτως ἀποσκοποῦντας καραδοκεῖν τῶν πολεμίων 8.32.5 τὴν ἔφοδον. τρόπῳ μέντοι τῷ αὐτῷ οὐκέτι ἐτάξαντο, ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαίοις μὲν τὰ κέρα, ἐν οἷς κατὰ τετρακισχιλίους οἱ πεζοὶ τοξόται εἱστήκεισαν, ἐπὶ τὸ μηνοειδὲς 8.32.6 τοῦ Ναρσοῦ γνώμῃ ἐτράπετο. Γότθοι δὲ οἱ πεζοὶ ἅπαντες ὄπισθεν τῶν ἱππέων ἀθρόοι ἵσταντο, ἐφ' ᾧ, ἢν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι τραπῆναι ξυμβῇ, ἀναστρέφοντες μὲν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς οἱ φεύγοντες σώζοιντο, ἐπίκοινα δὲ ἀμφότεροι εὐθὺς χωρήσαιεν. προείρητο δὲ Γότθοις ἅπασι μήτε τοξεύματι μήτε ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν ἐς συμβολὴν τήνδε 8.32.7 ὅτι μὴ τοῖς δόρασι χρῆσθαι. διὸ δὴ Τουτίλαν πρὸς τῆς ἀβουλίας καταστρατηγηθῆναι τῆς αὑτοῦ ξυνηνέχθη· ὅς γε καθιστάμενος ἐς τήνδε τὴν μάχην οὐκ οἶδα ὅτῳ ἀναπεισθεὶς παρείχετο τοῖς ἐναντίοις τὴν αὑτοῦ στρατιὰν οὔτε τῇ ὁπλίσει ἀντίξουν οὔτε τῇ τάξει ἀντίρροπον οὔτε τῳ ἄλλῳ ἀντίπαλον, ἐπεὶ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ἑκάστοις ὡς ἐπικαιρότατα ἦν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ ἐχρῶντο, ἢ τοξεύοντες, ἢ δόρατα ὠθοῦντες, ἢ ξίφη διαχειρίζοντες, ἢ ἄλλο τι ἐνεργοῦντες τῶν σφίσι προχείρων κἀν τῷ παρόντι ἐπιτηδείων, οἱ μὲν ἱππευόμενοι, οἱ δὲ καὶ πεζῇ ἐς τὴν παράταξιν καθιστάμενοι, κατὰ τὸ τῇ χρείᾳ ξυνοῖσον, καὶ πὴ μὲν κύκλωσιν τῶν πολεμίων διαπρασσόμενοι, πὴ δὲ προσιόντας δεχόμενοι καὶ ταῖς 8.32.8 ἀσπίσιν ἀποκρουόμενοι τὴν ἐπίθεσιν. οἱ δὲ τῶν Γότθων ἱππεῖς, τῶν πεζῶν σφίσιν