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all took their positions. 8.35.20 Here I shall describe a battle worthy of much account and the valour of a man inferior, I think, to none of the so-called heroes, of which Teias has now made a display. 8.35.21 Despair of their present situation spurred the Goths to boldness, and the Romans, though seeing them driven to desperation, withstood them with all their might, ashamed to yield to their inferiors, and both sides charged their neighbours with great fury, the one side courting death, 8.35.22 the other eager for glory. The battle began early in the morning, and Teias, conspicuous to all, holding his shield before him and brandishing his spear, 8.35.23 stood first in the phalanx with a few men. The Romans, seeing him and thinking that if he fell, the engagement would be immediately broken off for them, all those who laid claim to valour, being a great multitude, gathered against him, and they all either thrust with their spears against him, 8.35.24 or hurled them. But he, covered by his shield, received all the spears with it, and falling upon them 8.35.25 suddenly, he slew many. And whenever he saw his shield full of spears stuck in it, handing it over to one of his shield-bearers, 8.35.26 he took another. Thus fighting he passed the third part of the day, and at that time his shield held twelve spears stuck in it, and he was no longer able to move it as he wished or to ward off his attackers. 8.35.27 He called hastily for one of his shield-bearers, not leaving his post, not even so much as a single finger's breadth, nor stepping back, nor allowing the enemy to advance, nor turning around, nor resting his back on his shield, nor indeed turning sideways, but as if fixed to the ground he stood there with his shield, killing with his right hand and warding off with 8.35.28 his left, and calling out the name of his shield-bearer. And he came to him with the shield, and Teias immediately exchanged it for the one weighed down by the spears. 8.35.29 In this brief moment of time it happened that his chest was exposed, and by chance he happened then to be struck with a javelin and from it he died instantly. 8.35.30 And some of the Romans, raising his head on a pole, went about displaying it to each army, to the Romans, that they might be more courageous, and to the Goths, that in despair they might give up the war. 8.35.31 Nevertheless, the Goths did not give up the fight, but fought on until night, although they knew that their king was dead. When darkness fell, both sides separated there and passed the night 8.35.32 under arms. And on the following day, rising at dawn, they drew up again in the same way and fought until night, and neither yielded to the other nor turned anywhere or retreated, although many were being killed on both sides, but enraged by the relentless action against each other they persisted, the Goths well knowing that they were fighting their last battle, and the Romans disdaining to be worsted by them. 8.35.33 At last the barbarians, sending some of their notable men to Narses, said that they had learned that their fight was against God; for they perceived the power arrayed against them; and considering what had happened, they wished for the future to acknowledge the truth of the matter and to abandon the struggle, not, however, to obey the emperor, but to live independently with some of the other barbarians, and they requested the Romans to grant them a peaceful withdrawal, not grudging them a sensible course of action, but also presenting them with their own possessions as provisions, whatever each of them happened to have previously deposited 8.35.34 in the fortresses in Italy. Narses took these things under consideration. But John, the son of Vitalian, advised that this request be accepted, and not to proceed further through battle with men courting death, nor to make trial of the daring that springs from despair of life, which becomes dangerous both for those who possess it 8.35.35 and for those who oppose it. "For it is enough," he said, "for those who at least

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ἐτάξαντο πάντες. 8.35.20 Ἐνταῦθά μοι μάχη τε πολλοῦ λόγου ἀξία καὶ ἀνδρὸς ἀρετὴ οὐδὲ τῶν τινος λεγομένων ἡρώων, οἶμαι, καταδεεστέρα γεγράψεται, ἧς δὴ ὁ Τεΐας δήλωσιν ἐν τῷ 8.35.21 παρόντι πεποίηται. Γότθους μὲν ἐς εὐτολμίαν ἡ τῶν παρόντων ἀπόγνωσις ὥρμα, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτοὺς, καίπερ ἀπονενοημένους ὁρῶντες, ὑφίσταντο δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ, τοῖς καταδεεστέροις ἐρυθριῶντες ὑποχωρεῖν, ἀμφότεροί τε θυμῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πέλας πολλῷ ἵεντο, οἱ μὲν θανα8.35.22 τῶντες, οἱ δὲ ἀρετῶντες. καὶ ἡ μὲν μάχη πρωὶ ἤρξατο, Τεΐας δὲ πᾶσιν ἔνδηλος γεγενημένος καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀσπίδα προβεβλημένος, ἐπανατεινόμενος δὲ τὸ δόρυ, 8.35.23 πρῶτος ξὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ τῆς φάλαγγος ἔστη. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτὸν ἰδόντες, οἰόμενοί τε, ἢν αὐτὸς πέσῃ, διαλυθήσεσθαι τὴν ξυμβολὴν σφίσιν αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, ξυνίσταντο ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὅσοι ἀρετῆς μετεποιοῦντο, παμπληθεῖς ὄντες, καὶ τὰ δόρατα ἐς αὐτὸν ἅπαντες οἱ μὲν ὤθουν, 8.35.24 οἱ δὲ ἐσηκόντιζον. αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπὸ τῇ ἀσπίδι κεκαλυμμένος ταύτῃ μὲν τὰ δόρατα ἐδέχετο πάντα, ἐμπίπτων 8.35.25 δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου πολλοὺς διεχρῆτο. καὶ ὁπηνίκα οἱ τὴν ἀσπίδα ἔμπλεων οὖσαν πεπηγότων δοράτων θεῷτο, τῶν τινι ὑπασπιστῶν ταύτην παραδι8.35.26 δοὺς ἑτέραν ᾑρεῖτο. οὕτω μαχόμενος ἐς τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ τριτημόριον διαγέγονε, καὶ τότε δὴ δώδεκα μὲν αὐτῷ δόρατα ἐμπεπηγότα ἡ ἀσπὶς εἶχε, κινεῖν δὲ αὐτὴν ὅπη βούλοιτο καὶ ἀποκρούεσθαι τοὺς ἐπιόντας οὐκέτι 8.35.27 ἴσχυε. τῶν δέ τινα ὑπασπιστῶν μετεκάλει σπουδῇ, οὐ τὴν τάξιν λιπὼν οὐδὲ ὅσον ἄχρι ἐς δάκτυλον ἕνα οὐδὲ ἀναποδίσας, ἢ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω ἐπαγαγόμενος, οὐδὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς, οὐδὲ τὰ νῶτα τῇ ἀσπίδι ἐρείσας, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πλάγιος γεγονὼς, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τῷ ἐδάφει ἐρηρεισμένος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ἀσπίδος εἱστήκει, κτείνων τε τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ καὶ ἀποκρουόμενος 8.35.28 τῇ λαιᾷ καὶ ἀνακαλῶν τὸ τοῦ ὑπασπιστοῦ ὄνομα. καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς ἀσπίδος παρῆν, ὁ δὲ ταύτην εὐθὺς τῆς βαρυνομένης τοῖς δόρασιν ἀντηλλάσσετο. 8.35.29 ἐν τούτῳ δέ οἱ χρόνου τινὰ βραχεῖαν στιγμὴν γυμνῷ γενέσθαι τὰ στέρνα ξυνέβη, τύχῃ τέ οἱ ξυνέπεσε τότε ἀκοντίῳ βεβλῆσθαι καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ εὐθυωρὸν θνήσκει. 8.35.30 καὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ κοντοῦ μετεωρίσαντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων τινὲς στρατιᾷ ἑκατέρᾳ περιιόντες ἐδείκνυον, Ῥωμαίοις μὲν, ὅπως δὴ θαρσήσωσι μᾶλλον, Γότθοις δὲ, ὅπως ἀπογνόντες τὸν πόλεμον καταλύσωσιν. 8.35.31 οὐ μὴν οὐδ' ὣς τὴν ξυμβολὴν κατέλυσαν Γότθοι, ἀλλ' ἄχρι ἐς νύκτα ἐμάχοντο, καίπερ ἐξεπιστάμενοι τὸν βασιλέα τεθνάναι σφίσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ξυνεσκόταζεν, αὐτοῦ ἑκάτεροι διαλυθέντες ἐν τῇ τῶν ὅπλων σκευῇ ἐνυκτέ8.35.32 ρευσαν. ἡμέρᾳ δὲ τῇ ἐπιγενομένῃ ἀναστάντες ὄρθρου τρόπῳ τῷ αὐτῷ αὖθις ἐτάξαντο καὶ μέχρι ἐς νύκτα ἐμάχοντο, καὶ οὔτε ὑπεχώρουν ἀλλήλοις οὔτε πη ἐτρέποντο ἢ ἀνεπόδιζον, καίπερ ἀμφοτέρωθεν κτεινομένων πολλῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπηγριωμένοι τῷ ἐς ἀλλήλους ἀπηνεῖ ἔργου εἴχοντο, Γότθοι μὲν εὖ εἰδότες ὅτι δὴ τὴν ὑστάτην διαφέρουσι μάχην, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ αὐτῶν ἐλασ8.35.33 σοῦσθαι ἀπαξιοῦντες. ἐν ὑστάτῳ δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι παρὰ τὸν Ναρσῆν πέμψαντες τῶν λογίμων τινὰς μεμαθηκέναι μὲν ἔλεγον ὡς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν σφίσιν ὁ ἀγὼν γένοιτο· αἰσθάνεσθαι γὰρ τὴν ἀντιταχθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς δύναμιν· καὶ τοῖς ξυμπεσοῦσι ξυμβάλλοντες τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν γνωσιμαχεῖν τὸ λοιπὸν βούλεσθαι καὶ ἀπολιπεῖν τὴν ἀγώνισιν, οὐ μέντοι βασιλεῖ ἐπακούσοντες, ἀλλὰ ξὺν τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων τισὶν αὐτόνομοι βιοτεύσοντες, ἐδέοντό τε εἰρηναίαν σφίσι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐνδοῦναι Ῥωμαίους, οὐ φθονοῦντας αὐτοῖς λογισμοῦ σώφρονος, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρήμασι τοῖς αὐτῶν ὥσπερ ἐφοδίοις αὐτοὺς δωρουμένους, ὅσα δὴ ἐν τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰταλίας φρουρίοις αὐτῶν ἕκαστος ἐναποθέμενος ἔτυχε 8.35.34 πρότερον. ταῦτα ὁ μὲν Ναρσῆς ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιεῖτο. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ Βιταλιανοῦ παρῄνει δέησιν ἐνδέχεσθαι τήνδε, καὶ μὴ περαιτέρω θανατῶσιν ἀνθρώποις διὰ μάχης ἰέναι, μηδὲ ἀποπειράσασθαι τόλμης ἐν ἀπογνώσει φυομένης τοῦ βίου, ἣ καὶ τοῖς αὐτῆς ἐχομένοις 8.35.35 καὶ τοῖς ὑπαντιάζουσι χαλεπὴ γίνεται. «ἀρκεῖ γὰρ», ἔφη, «τοῖς γε