o the ancient honors of the
Roman legion. Belisarius praised the spirit of his troops, condemned
their presumption, yielded to their clamors, and prepared the remedies
of a defeat, the possibility of which he alone had courage to suspect.
In the quarter of the Vatican, the Romans prevailed; and if the
irreparable moments had not been wasted in the pillage of the camp, they
might have occupied the Milvian bridge, and charged in the rear of the
Gothic host. On the other side of the Tyber, Belisarius advanced from
the Pincian and Salarian gates. But his army, four thousand soldiers
perhaps, was lost in a spacious plain; they were encompassed and
oppressed by fresh multitudes, who continually relieved the broken ranks
of the Barbarians. The valiant leaders of the infantry were unskilled
to conquer; they died: the retreat (a hasty retreat) was covered by the
prudence of the general, and the victors started back with affright from
the formidable aspect of an armed rampart. The reputation of Belisarius
was unsullied by a defeat; and the vain confidence of the Goths was not
less serviceable to his designs than the repentance and modesty of the
Roman troops.

[Footnote 85: Vivarium was an angle in the new wall enclosed for wild
beasts, (Procopius, Goth. l. i. c. 23.) The spot is still visible in
Nardini (l iv. c. 2, p. 159, 160,) and Nolli's great plan of Rome.]

[Footnote 86: For the Roman trumpet, and its various notes, consult
Lipsius de Militia Romana, (Opp. tom. iii. l. iv. Dialog. x. p.
125-129.) A mode of distinguishing the charge by the horse-trumpet of
solid brass, and the retreat by the foot-trumpet of leather and light
wood, was recommended by Procopius, and adopted by Belisarius.]

Chapter XLI: Conquests Of Justinian, Charact Of Balisarius.--Part IV.

From the moment that Belisarius had determined to sustain a siege, his
assiduous care provided Rome against the danger of famine, more dreadful
than the Gothic arms. An extraordinary supply of corn was imported from
Sicily: the harvests of Campania and Tuscany were forcibly swept for the
use of the city; and the rights of private property were infringed by
the strong plea of the public safety. It might easily be foreseen
that the enemy would intercept the aqueducts; and the cessation of the
water-mills was the first inconvenience, which was speedily removed
by mooring large vessels, and fixing mill-stones in the current of
the river. The stream was soon embarra