Γότθοι τε οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἐς Ῥώμης τὸν περίβολον κακουργεῖν ἤθελον. καὶ πρῶτα μέν τινας ἐς τῶν ὀχετῶν ἕνα νύκτωρ καθῆκαν, ὧν αὐτοὶ τὸ ὕδωρ κατ̓ ἀρχὰς τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ἀφῄρηντο. [2] οἱ δὲ λύχνα τε καὶ δᾷδας ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες ἀπεπειρῶντο τῆς ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐνθένδε εἰσόδου. ἔτυχε δέ τινα διώρυχα οὐ μακρὰν Πιγκιανῆς πυλίδος τοῦ ὀχετοῦ τούτου κύρτωμα ἔχον, [3] ὅθεν δὴ τῶν τις φυλάκων τὸ πῦρ κατιδὼν τοῖς ξυμφυλάσσουσιν ἔφρασεν: οἱ δὲ λύκον αὐτοῦ παριόντα ἰδεῖν ἔφασαν. [4] ταύτῃ γὰρ τὴν γῆν οὐχ ὑπερέχειν τὴν τοῦ ὀχετοῦ οἰκοδομίαν ξυνέβαινε, πυρὶ δὲ εἰκάζεσθαι τοὺς τοῦ λύκου ὀφθαλμοὺς ᾤοντο. [5] τῶν μὲν οὖν βαρβάρων ὅσοι τοῦ ὀχετοῦ ἀπεπειράσαντο, ἐπειδὴ ἐν μέσῃ πόλει ἐγένοντο, ἔνθα δὴ ἄνοδός τις ἦν ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐς αὐτό που τὸ Παλάτιον φέρονσα, οἰκοδομίᾳ τινὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐνέτυχον οὔτε πρόσω ἰέναι τὸ λοιπὸν συγχωρούσῃ οὔτε τῇ ἀναβάσει τὸ παράπαν χρῆσθαι. [6] ταύτην δὲ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν Βελισάριος προμηθείᾳ τινὶ κατ̓ ἀρχὰς τῆσδε τῆς πολιορκίας πεποίηται, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις δεδήλωται. [7] λίθον οὖν ἕνα βραχὺν ἐνθένδε ἀφελόντες ὀπίσω τε ἀναστρέφειν εὐθὺς ἔγνωσαν καὶ παρὰ τὸν Οὐίττιγιν ἐπανήκοντες τόν τε λίθον ἐνδεικνύμενοι πάντα ἀπήγγελλον. [8] καὶ ὁ μὲν τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἅμα τοῖς Γότθων ἀρίστοις ἐν βουλῇ εἶχε, Ῥωμαίων δὲ ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἀμφὶ πυλίδα Πιγκιανὴν εἶχον, μνήμην τῆς τοῦ λύκου ὑποψίας ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐποιοῦντο τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ. [9] ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος περιφερόμενος ἐς Βελισάριον ἦλθεν, οὐ παρέργως ὁ στρατηγὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἤκουσεν, ἀλλ̓ ἄνδρας τε αὐτίκα τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ δοκίμων ξὺν Διογένει τῷ δορυφόρῳ ἐς τὸν ὀχετὸν καθῆκε καὶ διερευνήσασθαι ἅπαντα ξὺν πολλῷ τάχει ἐκέλευσεν. [10] οἱ δὲ τὰ λύχνα τῶν πολεμίων καὶ τῶν δᾴδων ὅσα διερρυήκει πανταχοῦ τοῦ ὀχετοῦ εὗρον, καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν ᾗ ὁ λίθος πρὸς τῶν Γότθων ἀφῄρητο κατανενοηκότες Βελισαρίῳ ἀπήγγελλον. [11] διὸ δὴ αὐτός τε τὸν ὀχετὸν ἐν μεγάλῃ φυλακῇ ἔσχε καὶ οἱ Γότθοι αἰσθόμενοι ταύτης δὴ τῆς πείρας ἀπέσχοντο. [12] Ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἔφοδον κατὰ τοῦ περιβόλου ἐμηχανῶντο οἱ βάρβαροι. τηρήσαντες οὖν τὸν τοῦ ἀρίστου καιρὸν κλίμακάς τε καὶ πῦρ ἐπαγόμενοι, ἥκιστα τῶν πολεμίων προσδεχομένων, ἐπὶ πυλίδα Πιγκιανὴν ᾔεσαν, ἐλπίδι θαρροῦντες ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν, ἅτε οὐ πολλῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐνταῦθα λειφθέντων. [13] ἔτυχε δὲ Ἰλδίγερ τηνικαῦτα ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις φυλακὴν ἔχων: ἕκαστοι γὰρ ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἐς τὴν φρουρὰν ἐτετάχατο. [14] ἐπεὶ οὖν εἶδε προσιόντας οὐκ ἐν τάξει τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀπήντησέ τε οὐ ξυντεταγμένοις ἐς παράταξιν, ἀλλὰ ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ ἰοῦσι, καὶ τοὺς κατ̓ αὐτὸν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ τρεψάμενος συχνοὺς ἔκτεινε. [15] κραυγῆς δὲ μεγάλης καὶ ταραχῆς ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, γεγενημένης Ῥωμαῖοί τε ὡς τάχιστα πανταχόσε τοῦ περιβόλου ξυνέρρεον καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἄπρακτοι ἐς τὰ στρατόπεδα οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν ἐχώρησαν. [16] Οὐίττιγις δὲ αὖθις ἐς ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ περιβόλου καθίστατο. καί, ἦν γάρ τις αὐτῷ ἐπιμαχωτάτη μάλιστα μοῖρα, ᾗ τοῦ Τιβέριδος ἡ ὄχθη ἐστίν, ἐπεὶ ταύτῃ οἱ πάλαι Ῥωμαῖοι θαρσοῦντες τοῦ ὕδατος τῷ ὀχυρώματι τὸ τεῖχος ἀπημελημένως ἐδείμαντο, βραχύ τε αὐτὸ καὶ πύργων ἔρημον παντάπασι ποιησάμενοι, ῥᾷον ἐνθένδε ἤλπιζε τὴν πόλιν αἱρήσειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδέ τι φυλακτήριον λόγου ἄξιον ἐνταῦθα τετύχηκεν εἶναι. [17] δύο οὖν Ῥωμαίους ἀμφὶ τὸν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου νεὼν ᾠκημένους χρήμασιν ἀναπείθει οἴνου ἀσκὸν ἔχοντας παρὰ τοὺς ἐκείνῃ φρουροὺς ἰέναι περὶ λύχνων ἁφάς, καὶ αὐτοῖς τὸν οἶνον τρόπῳ ὅτῳ δὴ φιλοφροσύνην ἐνδεικνυμένους χαρίζεσθαι, εἶτα ξὺν αὐτοῖς πόρρω τῶν νυκτῶν καθημένους πίνειν, ἑκάστῳ τε ἐς τὴν κύλικα ὑπνωτικὸν ἐμβαλεῖν φάρμακον ὅπερ σφίσιν αὐτὸς ἐδεδώκει. [18] ἀκάτους δὲ λάθρα ἐν τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ὄχθῃ ἐν παρασκευῇ ποιησάμενος εἶχεν, αἷς δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων τινάς, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα οἱ φύλακες ὕπνῳ ἔχοιντο, ξὺν κλίμαξιν ἐκ σημείου ἑνὸς τὸν ποταμὸν διαβαίνοντας τὴν ἐπίθεσιν τῷ περιβόλῳ ποιήσασθαι. [19] τό τε στράτευμα ἐς τοῦτο ἡτοίμαζεν ὅλον, ὅπως ἅπασα κατὰ κράτος ἡ πόλις ἁλῴη. [20] τούτων δὲ οὕτω ξυγκειμένων σφίσι; τοῖν ἀνδροῖν ἅτερος τοῖν Οὐιττίγιδι ἐς ταύτην δὴ παρεσκευασμένοιν τὴν ὑπουργίαν ῾οὐ γὰρ ἔδει Ῥωμαίους τούτῳ τῷ Γότθων στρατοπέδῳ ἁλῶναἰ αὐτεπάγγελτος ἐλθὼν Βελισαρίῳ τε ἅπαντα φράζει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἐνδείκνυσιν. [21] ὃς δὴ αἰκιζόμενος ἐς φῶς τε ἅπαντα ἤνεγκεν ὅσα δρᾶν ἔμελλε καὶ τὸ φάρμακον ἐπεδείκνυεν ὅπερ Οὐίττιγις αὐτῷ ἐδεδώκει. [22] καὶ αὐτοῦ Βελισάριος τήν τε ῥῖνα καὶ τὰ ὦτα λωβησάμενος ἐς τῶν πολεμίων τὸ χαράκωμα ὄνῳ ὀχούμενον ἔπεμψε. [23] καὶ κατιδόντες αὐτὸν οἱ βάρβαροι ἔγνωσαν ὡς ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐῴη σφῶν τὰ βουλεύματα ὁδῷ ἰέναι, καὶ δἰ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἡ πόλις σφίσιν ἁλώσιμος εἴη.
IX
And the Goths not long after this wished to strike a blow at the fortifications of Rome. And first they sent some men by night into one of the aqueducts, from which they themselves had taken out the water at the beginning of this war. And with lamps and torches in their hands they explored the entrance into the city by this way. Now it happened that not far from the small Pi
ncian Gate an arch of this aqueduct had a sort of crevice in it, and one of the guards saw the light through this and told his companions; but they said that he had seen a wolf passing by his post. For at that point it so happened that the structure of the aqueduct did not rise high above the ground, and they thought that the guard had imagined the wolf’s eyes to be fire. So those barbarians who explored the aqueduct, upon reaching the middle of the city, where there was an upward passage built in olden times leading to the palace itself, came upon some masonry there which allowed them neither to advance beyond that point nor to use the ascent at all. This masonry had been put in by Belisarius as an act of precaution at the beginning of this siege, as has been set forth by me in the preceding narrative. So they decided first to remove one small stone from the wall and then to go back immediately, and when they returned to Vittigis, they displayed the stone and reported the whole situation. And while he was considering his scheme with the best of the Goths, the Romans who were on guard at the Pincian Gate recalled among themselves on the following day the suspicion of the wolf. But when the story was passed around and came to Belisarius, the general did not treat the matter carelessly, but immediately sent some of the notable men in the army, together with the guardsman Diogenes, down into the aqueduct and bade them investigate everything with all speed. And they found all along the aqueduct the lamps of the enemy and the ashes which had dropped from their torches, and after observing the masonry where the stone had been taken out by the Goths, they reported to Belisarius. For this reason he personally kept the aqueduct under close guard; and the Goths, perceiving it, desisted from this attempt.
But later on the barbarians went so far as to plan an open attack against the fortifications. So they waited for the time of lunch, and bringing up ladders and fire, when their enemy were least expecting them, made an assault upon the small Pincian Gate, emboldened by the hope of capturing the city by a sudden attack, since not many soldiers had been left there. But it happened that Ildiger and his men were keeping guard at that time; for all were assigned by turns to guard-duty. So when he saw the enemy advancing in disorder, he went out against them before they were yet drawn up in line of battle and while they were advancing in great disarray, and routing those who were opposite him without any trouble he slew many. And a great outcry and commotion arose throughout the city, as was to be expected, and the Romans gathered as quickly as possible to all parts of the fortifications; whereupon the barbarians after a short time retired to their camp baffled.
But Vittigis resorted again to a plot against the wall. Now there was a certain part of it that was especially vulnerable, where the bank of the Tiber is, because at this place the Romans of old, confident in the protection afforded by the stream, had built the wall carelessly, making it low and altogether without towers; Vittigis therefore hoped to capture the city rather easily from that quarter. For indeed there was not even any garrison there of any consequence, as it happened. He therefore bribed with money two Romans who lived near the church of Peter the Apostle to pass along by the guards there at about nightfall carrying a skin full of wine, and in some way or other, by making a show of friendship, to give it to them, and then to sit drinking with them well on into the night; and they were to throw into the cup of each guard a sleep-producing drug which Vittigis had given them. And he stealthily got ready some skiffs, which he kept at the other bank; as soon as the guards should be overcome by sleep, some of the barbarians, acting in concert, were to cross the river in these, taking ladders with them, and make the assault on the wall. And he made ready the entire army with the intention of capturing the whole city by storm. After these arrangements were all complete, one of the two men who had been prepared by Vittigis for this service (for it was not fated that Rome should be captured by this army of the Goths) came of his own accord to Belisarius and revealed everything, and told who the other man was. So this man under torture brought to light all that he was about to do and displayed the drug which Vittigis had given him. And Belisarius first mutilated his nose and ears and then sent him riding on an ass into the enemy’s camp. And when the barbarians saw him, they realised that God would not allow their purposes to have free course, and that therefore the city could never be captured by them.
Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐγίνετο, ἐν τούτῳ Βελισάριος γράψας πρὸς Ἰωάννην ἔργου ἐκέλευεν ἔχεσθαι. ὁ δὲ ξὺν τοῖς δισχιλίοις ἱππεῦσι τὴν Πικηνῶν περιιὼν χώραν τὰ ἐν ποσὶν ἐληΐζετο πάντα, παῖδάς τε καὶ γυναῖκας τῶν πολεμίων ἐν ἀνδραπόδων ποιούμενος λόγῳ. [2] Οὐλίθεόν τε, τὸν Οὐιττίγιδος θεῖον, ξὺν Γότθων στρατῷ ὑπαντιάσαντα μάχῃ νικήσας αὐτόν τε κτείνει καὶ πάντα σχεδὸν τὸν τῶν πολεμίων στρατόν. [3] διὸ δὴ οὐδείς οἱ ἐτόλμα ἔτι ἐς χεῖρας ἰέναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφῖκτο ἐς Αὔξιμον πόλιν, Γότθων μὲν ἐνταῦθα φρουρὰν οὐκ ἀξιόχρεών τινα ἔμαθεν εἶναι, ἄλλως δὲ ὀχυρόν τε καὶ ἀνάλωτον κατενόησε τὸ χωρίον. [4] καὶ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ προσεδρεύειν μὲν οὐδαμῆ ἤθελεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἐνθένδε ὅτι τάχιστα πρόσω ἤλαυνε. [5] ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ Οὐρβῖνον ἀμφὶ πόλιν ἐποίει, ἔς τε Ἀρίμινον Ῥωμαίων αὐτὸν ἐπαγαγομένων ἐσήλαυνεν, ἥπερ μιᾶς ἡμέρας ὁδῷ Ῥαβέννης διέχει. [6] οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι ὅσοι φρουρὰν ἐνταῦθα εἶχον, ὑποψίᾳ ἐς Ῥωμαίους τοὺς οἰκήτορας πολλῇ χρώμενοι, ἐπειδὴ προϊέναι τὸ στράτευμα τοῦτο ἐπύθοντο, ἀπεχώρησάν τε καὶ δρόμῳ ἰόντες ἐν Ῥαβέννῃ ἐγένοντο. [7] οὕτω δὲ Ἰωάννης Ἀρίμινον ἔσχε πολεμίων φρουρὰν ὄπισθεν ἔν τε Αὐξίμῳ καὶ Οὐρβίνῳ ἀπολιπών, οὐχ ὅτι τῶν Βελισαρίου ἐντολῶν ἐς λήθην ἦλθεν, οὐδὲ θράσει ἀλογίστῳ ἐχόμενος, ἐπεὶ ξὺν τῷ δραστηρίῳ τὸ ξυνετὸν εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ λογισάμενος, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, ὡς ἢν Γότθοι πύθωνται τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸν ἄγχιστά πη Ῥαβέννης εἶναι, αὐτίκα μάλα τὴν ἐν Ῥώμῃ διαλύσουσι προσεδρείαν, [8] ἀμφὶ τῷ χωρίῳ τούτῳ δείσαντες. καὶ ἔτυχέ γε τῆς ἀληθοῦς δόξης. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Οὐίττιγίς τε καὶ ὁ Γότθων στρατὸς Ἀρίμινον ἔχεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἤκουσαν, ἐς μέγα δέος ἀμφὶ Ῥαβέννῃ ἐμπεπτωκότες ἄλλο τε ὑπολογισάμενοι τῶν πάντων οὐδέν, εὐθυωρὸν τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιήσαντο, [9] ὥς μοι αὐτίκα λελέξεται. καὶ μέ γα τι κλέος ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου Ἰωάννης ἔσχε, διαβόητος καὶ τὸ πρότερον ὤν. [10] τολμητής τε γὰρ ἦν καὶ αὐτουργὸς ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα, ἔς τε τοὺς κινδύνους ἄοκνος, δίαιτάν τε σκληρὰν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν τινὰ ἐς ἀεὶ εἶχε βαρβάρου ὁτουοῦν ἢ στρατιώτου οὐδενὸς ἧσσον. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννης τοιόσδε τις ἦν. [11] Ματασοῦνθα δέ, ἡ τοῦ Οὐιττίγιδος γυνή, δεινῶς τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀχθομένη, ὅτι δή οἱ βίᾳ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐς κοίτην ἦλθεν, ἐπειδὴ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐς Ἀρίμινον ἥκειν ἐπύθετο, περιχαρής τε ἀτεχνῶς γέγονε καὶ π�
�μψασα παῤ αὐτὸν λάθρα γάμου τε καὶ προδοσίας πέρι ἐς λόγους ἦλθε. [12] Καὶ οἱ μὲν πέμποντες ἀεὶ κρύφα τῶν ἄλλων ταῦτα ἔπρασσον. Γότθοι δὲ ἐπεὶ τά τε ἀμφὶ Ἀρίμινον ἔμαθον καὶ ἅμα ξύμπαντα σφᾶς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐπελελοίπει, ὅ τε τῶν τριῶν μηνῶν χρόνος ἐξῆκεν ἤδη, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιοῦντο, καίπερ οὔπω τι τῶν πρέσβεων ἕνεκα πεπυσμένοι. [13] τοῦ μὲν οὖν ἔτους ἀμφὶ τροπὰς ἐαρινὰς ἦν, τῇ δὲ πολιορκίᾳ ἐνιαυτός τε ἐτέτριπτο καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ ἡμέραι ἐννέα, ὅτε οἱ Γότθοι ἅπαντα σφῶν τὰ χαρακώματα καύσαντες, ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ ὁδοῦ εἴχοντο. [14] Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ φεύγοντας ὁρῶντες τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἶχον ᾗ τὸ παρὸν θήσονται. τῶν τε γὰρ ἱππέων τὸ πλῆθος οὐ παρεῖναι τηνικαῦτα ξυνέβαινεν, ἄλλων ἄλλῃ πη ἐσταλμένων, ὥσπερ μοι ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, αὐτοί τε ἀξιόμαχοι πρὸς τοσοῦτον πλῆθος πολεμίων οὐκ ᾤοντο εἶναι. ἅπαντας μέντοι πεζούς τε καὶ ἱππέας Βελισάριος ὥπλισε. [15] καὶ ἐπεὶ τῶν πολεμίων ὑπὲρ ἥμισυ διαβάντας τὴν γέφυραν εἶδεν, ἐξῆγε διὰ Πιγκιανῆς πύλης τὸ στράτευμα, ἥ τε μάχη ἐκ χειρὸς γέγονε τῶν προτέρων οὐδεμιᾶς ἧσσον. [16] καὶ κατ̓ ἀρχὰς μὲν καρτερῶς τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς πολεμίους ὑφισταμένων, πολλοὶ ἑκατέρων ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ ξυμβολῇ ἔπεσον: ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ Γότθοι τραπόμενοι μέγα τε καὶ ὑπερφυὲς σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὸ πάθος ἐποίουν: [17] αὐτὸς γὰρ ἕκαστος τὴν γέφυραν διαβαίνειν ἠπείγετο πρῶτος. ἀφ̓ οὗ δὴ ἐς στενοχωρίαν πολλὴν ἀφικόμενοι τὰ χαλεπώτατα ἔπασχον: πρός τε γὰρ σφῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐκτείνοντο. [18] πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῆς γεφύρας ἐφ̓ ἑκάτερα ἐξέπιπτον ἐς τὸν Τίβεριν καὶ αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις καταδυόμενοι ἔθνησκον. οὕτω δὲ τοὺς πλείστους ἀποβαλόντες οἱ λοιποὶ τοῖς πρότερον διαβᾶσι ξυνέμιξαν. [19] Λογγῖνος δὲ Ἴσαυρος καὶ Μουνδίλας, οἱ Βελισαρίου δορυφόροι, διαφερόντως ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ ἠρίστευσαν. ἀλλὰ Μουνδίλας μὲν τέτρασι βαρβάροις καθ̓ ἕκαστον ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθὼν ἔκτεινέ τε ἅπαντας καὶ αὐτὸς ἐσώθη: [20] Λογγῖνος δὲ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων τροπῆς αἰτιώτατος γεγονὼς αὐτοῦ ἔπεσε πολὺν αὑτοῦ πόθον τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατοπέδῳ ἀπολιπών.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 448