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they reported. And he got his whole army in readiness as if to meet them and ordered the Goths in Calabria, wherever it might be possible for them, to keep the passage under guard. 7.18.8 But when Belisarius, as a favourable wind began to blow, sailed away from Dryous, the Goths grew careless and lived a life not seriously ordered in Calabria and Totila, remaining quiet, guarded the entrances to Rome still more, so that it might not be possible for any of the provisions to be brought in. 7.18.9 And on the Tiber he devised the following. Having observed a place where the river comes down in a very narrow channel, about ninety stades from the city, he placed there exceedingly long beams, reaching from one bank to the other, in the form of a bridge. 7.18.10 And having constructed two wooden towers on either bank, he established a garrison of fighting men, so that it would no longer be possible for any skiffs or other boats, coming up from Portus, to enter the city. 7.18.11 Meanwhile Belisarius put in at the harbour of the Romans, and the army with John remained. But John crossed over to Calabria, quite unnoticed by the Goths, who, as was said, 7.18.12 were tarrying about Brundisium. And having captured two of the enemy who were going on the road for reconnaissance, he immediately killed one, but the other, clasping his knees, begged to be taken alive. 7.18.13 "For I shall not be useless to you," he said, "and to the army of the Romans." And when John asked him how, if he were not to perish, he would ever be of service to the Romans and to himself, the man promised that he would bring him upon the Goths when they were least expecting it. 7.18.14 And he said that he would by no means fail in his request, but that he must first show him the pastures of the horses. Since, then, the barbarian agreed to this too, he went with him. 7.18.15 And first, coming upon the enemy's horses at pasture, they all mounted them, as many as happened to be on foot; and these were many and excellent. Then they proceeded at a run against the camp of the enemy. 7.18.16 And the barbarians, being unarmed and completely unprepared and astounded by the unexpectedness of it, for the most part were destroyed on the spot, not remembering any valor, but a few who escaped were brought to Totila. 7.18.17 And John, by consoling and taming all the Calabrians, won them over to the good will of the emperor, promising them that they would receive many good things both from the emperor and from the Roman army. 7.18.18 And having set out from Brundisium with all speed, he seized a city named Canusium, which is situated somewhere in the middle of Apulia, and is a five days' journey from Brundisium for one going towards the west and Rome. 7.18.19 Twenty-five stades from this Canusium is Cannae, where they say the great disaster befell the Romans in ancient times when Hannibal was general of the Libyans. 7.18.20 There a certain Tullianus, son of Venantius, a Roman man, who had great power among the Bruttians and Lucanians, came into John's presence and accused the emperor's army for what they had formerly done to the Italians, but he agreed that, if they would for the future treat them with any fairness, he would hand over to them the Bruttians and the Lucanians, who would again be subjects of the emperor for the payment of tribute, no less than they were before. 7.18.21 For they had not willingly gone over to the barbarians, who were also Arians, but had been compelled by the enemy, on the one hand, and wronged by the emperor's 7.18.22 soldiers, on the other. And since John insisted that for the future all good things would come to the Italians from them, 7.18.23 Tullianus went with him. And from that time on the soldiers were no longer held by any suspicion towards the Italians, but most of the places inside the Ionian gulf had become friendly to them and subject to the emperor. 7.18.24 When Totila heard this, he selected three hundred of the Goths and sent them to Capua. To them he gave orders that, whenever they should see the army with John going from there to Rome, they should follow them without giving them any notice of their presence; for the rest would be his own care. 7.18.25