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But after the aqueducts had been broken open, as I have stated, the
water no longer worked the mills, and the Romans were quite unable to
operate them with any kind of animals owing to the scarcity of all food
in time of siege; indeed they were scarcely able to provide for the
horses which were indispensable to them. And so Belisarius hit upon the
following device. Just below the bridge[102] which I lately mentioned as
being connected with the circuit-wall, he fastened ropes from the two
banks of the river and stretched them as tight as he could, and then
attached to them two boats side by side and two feet apart, where the
flow of the water comes down from the arch of the bridge with the
greatest force, and placing two mills on either boat, he hung between
them the mechanism by which mills are customarily turned. And below
these he fastened other boats, each attached to the one next behind in
order, and he set the water-wheels between them in the same manner for a
great distance. So by the force of the flowing water all the wheels, one
after the other, were made to revolve independently, and thus they
worked the mills with which they were connected and ground sufficient
flour for the city. Now when the enemy learned this from the deserters,
they destroyed the wheels in the following manner. They gathered large
trees and bodies of Romans newly slain and kept throwing them into the
river; and the most of these were carried with the current between the
boats and broke off the mill-wheels. But Belisarius, observing what was
being done, contrived the following device against it. He fastened
above the bridge long iron chains, which reached completely across the
Tiber. All the objects which the river brought down struck upon these
chains, and gathered there and went no farther. And those to whom this
work was assigned kept pulling out these objects as they came and bore
them to the land. And Belisarius did this, not so much on account of the
mills, as because he began to think with alarm that the enemy might get
inside the bridge at this point with many boats and be in the middle of
the city before their presence became known. Thus the barbarians
abandoned the attempt, since they met with no success in it. And
thereafter the Romans continued to use these mills; but they were
entirely excluded from the baths because of the scarcity of water.
However, they had sufficient water to drink, since even for those who
lived very far from the river it was possible to draw water from wells.
But as for the sewers, which carry out from the city whatever is
unclean, Belisarius was not forced to devise any plan of safety, for
they all discharge into the Tiber River, and therefore it was impossible
for any plot to be made against the city by the enemy in connection with
them.

FOOTNOTES:

[96] This is an error. Procopius means the Porta Cornelia.

[97] According to tradition the Basilica of St. Peter was built over the
grave of the Apostle.

[98] The Aurelian.

[99] The Janiculum.

[100] The wall described was a part of the wall of Aurelian.

[101] This is an exaggeration; the channels vary from four to eight feet
in height.

[102] The Pons Aurelius. See section 10 of this chapter.

XX

Thus, then, did Belisarius make his arrangements for the siege. And
among the Samnites a large company of children, who were pasturing
flocks in their own country, chose out two among them who were well
favoured in strength of body, and calling one of them by the name of
Belisarius, and naming the other Vittigis, bade them wrestle. And they
entered into the struggle with the greatest vehemence and it so fell out
that the one who impersonated Vittigis was thrown. Then the crowd of
boys in play hung him to a tree. But a wolf by some chance appeared
there, whereupon the boys all fled, and the one called Vittigis, who was
suspended from the tree, remained for some time suffering this
punishment and then died. And when this became known to the Samnites,
they did not inflict any punishment upon these children, but divining
the meaning of the incident declared that Belisarius would conquer
decisively. So much for this.

But the populace of Rome were entirely unacquainted with the evils of
war and siege. When, therefore, they began to be distressed by their
inability to bathe and the scarcity of provisions, and found themselves
obliged to forgo sleep in guarding the circuit-wall, and suspected that
the city would be captured at no distant date; and when, at the same
time, they saw the enemy plundering their fields and other possessions,
they began to be dissatisfied and indignant that they, who had done no
wrong, should suffer siege and be brought into peril of such magnitude.
And gathering in groups by themselves, they railed openly against
Belisarius, on the ground that he had dared to take the field against
the Goths before he had received an adequate force from the emperor. And
these reproaches against Belisarius were secretly indulged in also by
the members of the council which they call the senate. And Vittigis,
hearing all this from the deserters and desiring to embroil them with
one another still more, and thinking that in this way the affairs of the
Romans would be thrown into great confusion, sent to Belisarius some
envoys, among whom was Albis. And when these men came before Belisarius,
they spoke as follows in the presence of the Roman senators and all the
commanders of the army:

"From of old, general, mankind has made true and proper distinctions in
the names they give to things; and one of these distinctions is
this--rashness is different from bravery. For rashness, when it takes
possession of a man, brings him into danger with discredit, but bravery
bestows upon him an adequate prize in reputation for valour. Now one of
these two has brought you against us, but which it is you will
straightway make clear. For if, on the one hand, you placed your
confidence in bravery when you took the field against the Goths, there
is ample opportunity, noble sir, for you to do the deeds of a brave man,
since you have only to look down from your wall to see the army of the
enemy; but if, on the other hand, it was because you were possessed by
rashness that you came to attack us, certainly you now repent you of the
reckless undertaking. For the opinions of those who have made a
desperate venture are wont to undergo a change whenever they find
themselves in serious straits. Now, therefore, do not cause the
sufferings of these Romans to be prolonged any further, men whom
Theoderic fostered in a life not only of soft luxury but also of
freedom, and cease your resistance to him who is the master both of the
Goths and of the Italians. Is it not monstrous that you should sit in
Rome hemmed in as you are and in abject terror of the enemy, while the
king of this city passes his time in a fortified camp and inflicts the
evils of war upon his own subjects? But we shall give both you and your
followers an opportunity to take your departure forthwith in security,
retaining all your possessions. For to trample upon those who have
learned to take a new view of prudence we consider neither holy nor
worthy of the ways of men. And, further, we should gladly ask these
Romans what complaints they could have had against the Goths that they
betrayed both us and themselves, seeing that up to this time they have
enjoyed our kindness, and now are acquainted by experience with the
assistance to be expected from you."

Thus spoke the envoys. And Belisarius replied as follows: "It is not to
rest with you to choose the moment for conference. For men are by no
means wont to wage war according to the judgment of their enemies, but
it is customary for each one to arrange his own affairs for himself, in
whatever manner seems to him best. But I say to you that there will come
a time when you will want to hide your heads under the thistles but will
find no shelter anywhere. As for Rome, moreover, which we have captured,
in holding it we hold nothing which belongs to others, but it was you
who trespassed upon this city in former times, though it did not belong
to you at all, and now you have given it back, however unwillingly, to
its ancient possessors. And whoever of you has hopes of setting foot in
Rome without a fight is mistaken in his judgment. For as long as
Belisarius lives, it is impossible for him to relinquish this city."
Such were the words of Belisarius. But the Romans, being overcome by a
great fear, sat in silence, and, even though they were abused by the
envoys at length for their treason to the Goths, dared make no reply to
them, except, indeed, that Fidelius saw fit to taunt them. This man was
then praetorian prefect, having been appointed to the office by
Belisarius, and for this reason he seemed above all others to be well
disposed toward the emperor.

XXI

The envoys then betook themselves to their own army. And when Vittigis
enquired of them what manner of man Belisarius was and how his purpose
stood with regard to the question of withdrawing from Rome, they replied
that the Goths were hoping for vain things if they supposed that they
would frighten Belisarius in any way whatsoever. And when Vittigis heard
this, he began in great earnest to plan an assault upon the wall, and
the preparations he made for the attempt upon the fortifications were as
follows. He constructed wooden towers equal in height to the enemy's
wall, and he discovered its true measure by making many calculations
based upon the courses of stone. And wheels were attached to the floor
of these towers under each corner, which were intended, as they turned,
to move the towers to any point the attacking army might wish at a given
time, and the towers were drawn by oxen yoked together. After this he
made ready a great number of ladders, that would reach as far as the
parapet, and four engines which are called rams. Now this engine is of
the following sort. Four upright wooden beams, equal in length, are set
up opposite one another. To these beams they fit eight horizontal
timbers, four above and an equal number at the base, thus binding them
together. After they have thus made the frame of a four-sided building,
they surround it on all sides, not with walls of wood or stone, but with
a covering of hides, in order that the engine may be light for those who
draw it and that those within may still be in the least possible danger
of being shot by their opponents. And on the inside they hang another
horizontal beam from the top by means of chains which swing free, and
they keep it at about the middle of the interior. They then sharpen the
end of this beam and cover it with a large iron head, precisely as they
cover the round point of a missile, or they sometimes make the iron head
square like an anvil. And the whole structure is raised upon four
wheels, one being attached to each upright beam, and men to the number
of no fewer than fifty to each ram move it from the inside. Then when
they apply it to the wall, they draw back the beam which I have just
mentioned by turning a certain mechanism, and then they let it swing
forward with great force against the wall. And this beam by frequent
blows is able quite easily to batter down and tear open a wall wherever
it strikes, and it is for this reason that the engine has the name it
bears, because the striking end of the beam, projecting as it does, is
accustomed to butt against whatever it may encounter, precisely as do
the males among sheep. Such, then, are the rams used by the assailants
of a wall. And the Goths were holding in readiness an exceedingly great
number of bundles of faggots, which they had made of pieces of wood and
reeds, in order that by throwing them into the moat they might make the
ground level, and that their engines might not be prevented from
crossing it. Now after the Goths had made their preparations in this
manner, they were eager to make an assault upon the wall.

But Belisarius placed upon the towers engines which they call
"ballistae."[103] Now these engines have the form of a bow, but on the
under side of them a grooved wooden shaft projects; this shaft is so
fitted to the bow that it is free to move, and rests upon a straight
iron bed. So when men wish to shoot at the enemy with this, they make
the parts of the bow which form the ends bend toward one another by
means of a short rope fastened to them, and they place in the grooved
shaft the arrow, which is about one half the length of the ordinary
missiles which they shoot from bows, but about four times as wide.
However, it does not have feathers of the usual sort attached to it, but
by inserting thin pieces of wood in place of feathers, they give it in
all respects the form of an arrow, making the point which they put on
very large and in keeping with its thickness. And the men who stand on
either side wind it up tight by means of certain appliances, and then
the grooved shaft shoots forward and stops, but the missile is
discharged from the shaft,[104] and with such force that it attains
the distance of not less than two bow-shots, and that, when it hits a
tree or a rock, it pierces it easily. Such is the engine which bears
this name, being so called because it shoots with very great force.[105]
And they fixed other engines along the parapet of the wall adapted for
throwing stones. Now these resemble slings and are called "wild
asses."[106] And outside the gates they placed "wolves,"[107] which they
make in the following manner. They set up two timbers which reach from
the ground to the battlements; then they fit together beams which have
been mortised to one another, placing some upright and others crosswise,
so that the spaces between the intersections appear as a succession of
holes. And from every joint there projects a kind of beak, which
resembles very closely a thick goad. Then they fasten the cross-beams to
the two upright timbers, beginning at the top and letting them extend
half way down, and then lean the timbers back against the gates. And
whenever the enemy come up near them, those above lay hold of the ends
of the timbers and push, and these, falling suddenly upon the
assailants, easily kill with the projecting beaks as many as they may
catch. So Belisarius was thus engaged.

FOOTNOTES:

[103] Cf. The description of the ballista and other engines of war in
Ammianus Marcellinus, XXII. iv. The engine here described by Procopius
is the catapult of earlier times; the ballista hurled stones, not
arrows. See the Classical Dictionaries for illustrations.

[104] The "shaft" is a holder for the missile, and it (not the missile)
is driven by the bowstring. When the holder stops, the missile goes on.

[105] A popular etymology of [Greek: ballistra], a corrupted form of
[Greek: ballista]; the point is in the Greek words [Greek: ballo] +
[Greek: malista], an etymology correct only as far as [Greek: ballo] is
concerned.

[106] Called also "scorpions"; described by Ammianus, _l.c._

[107] This contrivance was not one familiar to classical times. The
"lupi" of Livy XXVIII. iii. were hooks; Vegetius, _De Re Militari_, ii.
25 and iv. 23, mentions "lupi" (also hooks), used to put a battering-ram
out of action.

XXII

On the eighteenth day from the beginning of the siege the Goths moved
against the fortifications at about sunrise under the leadership of
Vittigis in order to assault the wall, and all the Romans were struck
with consternation at the sight of the advancing towers and rams, with
which they were altogether unfamiliar. But Belisarius, seeing the ranks
of the enemy as they advanced with the engines, began to laugh, and
commanded the soldiers to remain quiet and under no circumstances to
begin fighting until he himself should give the signal. Now the reason
why he laughed he did not reveal at the moment, but later it became
known. The Romans, however, supposing him to be hiding his real feelings
by a jest, abused him and called him shameless, and were indignant that
he did not try to check the enemy as they came forward. But when the
Goths came near the moat, the general first of all stretched his bow and
with a lucky aim hit in the neck and killed one of the men in armour who
were leading the army on. And he fell on his back mortally wounded,
while the whole Roman army raised an extraordinary shout such as was
never heard before, thinking that they had received an excellent omen.
And twice did Belisarius send forth his bolt, and the very same thing
happened again a second time, and the shouting rose still louder from
the circuit-wall, and the Romans thought that the enemy were conquered
already. Then Belisarius gave the signal for the whole army to put
their bows into action, but those near himself he commanded to shoot
only at the oxen. And all the oxen fell immediately, so that the enemy
could neither move the towers further nor in their perplexity do
anything to meet the emergency while the fighting was in progress. In
this way the forethought of Belisarius in not trying to check the enemy
while still at a great distance came to be understood, as well as the
reason why he had laughed at the simplicity of the barbarians, who had
been so thoughtless as to hope to bring oxen up to the enemy's wall. Now
all this took place at the Salarian Gate. But Vittigis, repulsed at this
point, left there a large force of Goths, making of them a very deep
phalanx and instructing the commanders on no condition to make an
assault upon the fortifications, but remaining in position to shoot
rapidly at the parapet, and give Belisarius no opportunity whatever to
take reinforcements to any other part of the wall which he himself might
propose to attack with a superior force; he then went to the Praenestine
Gate with a great force, to a part of the fortifications which the
Romans call the "Vivarium,"[108] where the wall was most assailable. Now
it so happened that engines of war were already there, including towers
and rams and a great number of ladders.

But in the meantime another Gothic assault was being made at the
Aurelian Gate[109] in the following manner. The tomb of the Roman
Emperor Hadrian[110] stands outside the Aurelian Gate, removed about a
stone's throw from the fortifications, a very noteworthy sight. For it
is made of Parian marble, and the stones fit closely one upon the other,
having nothing at all[111] between them. And it has four sides which are
all equal, each being about a stone's throw in length, while their
height exceeds that of the city wall; and above there are statues of the
same marble, representing men and horses, of wonderful workmanship.[112]
But since this tomb seemed to the men of ancient times a fortress
threatening the city, they enclosed it by two walls, which extend to it
from the circuit-wall,[113] and thus made it a part of the wall. And,
indeed, it gives the appearance of a high tower built as a bulwark
before the gate there. So the fortifications at that point were most
adequate. Now Constantinus, as it happened, had been appointed by
Belisarius to have charge of the garrison at this tomb. And he had
instructed him also to attend to the guarding of the adjoining wall,
which had a small and inconsiderable garrison. For, since that part of
the circuit-wall was the least assailable of all, because the river
flows along it, he supposed that no assault would be made there, and so
stationed an insignificant garrison at that place, and, since the
soldiers he had were few, he assigned the great majority to the
positions where there was most need of them. For the emperor's army
gathered in Rome at the beginning of this siege amounted at most to
only five thousand men. But since it was reported to Constantinus that
the enemy were attempting the crossing of the Tiber, he became fearful
for that part of the fortifications and went thither himself with all
speed, accompanied by some few men to lend assistance, commanding the
greater part of his men to attend to the guarding of the gate and the
tomb. But meanwhile the Goths began an assault upon the Aurelian Gate
and the Tower of Hadrian, and though they had no engines of war, they
brought up a great quantity of ladders, and thought that by shooting a
vast number of arrows they would very easily reduce the enemy to a state
of helplessness and overpower the garrison there without any trouble on
account of its small numbers. And as they advanced, they held before
them shields no smaller than the long shields used by the Persians, and
they succeeded in getting very close to their opponents without being
perceived by them. For they came hidden under the colonnade which
extends[114] to the church of the Apostle Peter. From that shelter they
suddenly appeared and began the attack, so that the guards were neither
able to use the engine called the ballista (for these engines do not
send their missiles except straight out), nor, indeed, could they ward
off their assailants with their arrows, since the situation was against
them on account of the large shields. But the Goths kept pressing
vigorously upon them, shooting many missiles at the battlements, and
they were already about to set their ladders against the wall, having
practically surrounded those who were fighting from the tomb; for
whenever the Goths advanced they always got in the rear of the Romans
on both flanks[115]; and for a short time consternation fell upon the
Romans, who knew not what means of defence they should employ to save
themselves, but afterwards by common agreement they broke in pieces the
most of the statues, which were very large, and taking up great numbers
of stones thus secured, threw them with both hands down upon the heads
of the enemy, who gave way before this shower of missiles. And as they
retreated a little way, the Romans, having by now the advantage, plucked
up courage, and with a mighty shout began to drive back their assailants
by using their bows and hurling stones at them. And putting their hands
to the engines, they reduced their opponents to great fear, and their
assault was quickly ended. And by this time Constantinus also was
present, having frightened back those who had tried the river and easily
driven them off, because they did not find the wall there entirely
unguarded, as they had supposed they would. And thus safety was restored
at the Aurelian Gate.[116]

FOOTNOTES:

[108] See chap. xxiii. 15-17 and note.

[109] Procopius errs again (cf. chap. xix. 4). He means the Porta
Cornelia.

[110] Now called Castello di Sant' Angelo.

[111] _i.e._ No mortar or other binding material.

[112] The square structure was the base of the monument, each side
measuring 300 Roman feet in length and 85 feet in height. Above this
rose a cylindrical drum, surrounded by columns and carrying the statues,
and perhaps capped by a second drum. For details see Jordan,
_Topographie der Stadt Rom_, iii. 663 ff.

[113] Procopius neglects to say that the tomb was across the river from
the circuit-wall at this point, at the end of a bridge (Pons Aelius)
which faced the gate (Porta Cornelia) which he calls the Aurelian Gate.

[114] From the Pons Aelius.

[115] Because of the quadrangular shape of the building the Goths were
able to take their enemy in flank and in rear by advancing beyond the
corners.

[116] _i.e._ the Cornelian.

XXIII

But at the gate beyond the Tiber River, which is called the Pancratian
Gate, a force of the enemy came, but accomplished nothing worth
mentioning because of the strength of the place; for the fortifications
of the city at this point are on a steep elevation and are not
favourably situated for assaults. Paulus was keeping guard there with an
infantry detachment which he commanded in person. In like manner they
made no attempt on the Flaminian Gate, because it is situated on a
precipitous slope and is not very easy of access. The "Reges,"[117] an
infantry detachment, were keeping guard there with Ursicinus, who
commanded them. And between this gate and the small gate next on the
right, which is called the Pincian, a certain portion of the wall had
split open of its own accord in ancient times, not clear to the ground,
however, but about half way down, but still it had not fallen or been
otherwise destroyed, though it leaned so to either side that one part of
it appeared outside the rest of the wall and the other inside. And from
this circumstance the Romans from ancient times have called the place
"Broken Wall"[118] in their own tongue. But when Belisarius in the
beginning undertook to tear down this portion and rebuild it, the Romans
prevented him, declaring that the Apostle Peter had promised them that
he would care for the guarding of the wall there. This Apostle is
reverenced by the Romans and held in awe above all others. And the
outcome of events at this place was in all respects what the Romans
contemplated and expected. For neither on that day nor throughout the
whole time during which the Goths were besieging Rome did any hostile
force come to that place, nor did any disturbance occur there. And we
marvelled indeed that it never occurred to us nor to the enemy to
remember this portion of the fortifications during the whole time,
either while they were making their assaults or carrying out their
designs against the wall by night; and yet many such attempts were made.
It was for this reason, in fact, that at a later time also no one
ventured to rebuild this part of the defences, but up to the present day
the wall there is split open in this way. So much, then, for this.

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