troops, came to
Milan, made camp and began a siege when the Romans were least expecting
them. At any rate the Romans, through this action, found it impossible
to bring in any kind of provisions, but they were immediately in
distress for want of necessities. Indeed, even the guarding of the walls
was not being maintained by the regular soldiers, for it so happened
that Mundilas had occupied all the cities near Milan which had defences,
namely Bergomum, Comum, and Novaria,[185] as well as some other
strongholds, and in every place had established a considerable garrison,
while he himself with about three hundred men remained in Milan, and
with him Ennes and Paulus. Consequently and of necessity the inhabitants
of the city were regularly keeping guard in turn. Such was the progress
of events in Liguria, and the winter drew to its close, and the third
year came to an end in this war, the history of which Procopius has
written.

FOOTNOTES:

[183] Cf. Chap. vii. 35.

[184] Modern Pavia.

[185] Modern Bergamo, Como, and Novara.

XIII

And Belisarius at about the time of the summer solstice marched against
Vittigis and the Gothic army, leaving a few men to act as a garrison in
Rome, but taking all the others with him. And he sent some men to Tudera
and Clusium, with orders to make fortified camps there, and he was
intending to follow them and assist in besieging the barbarians at those
places. But when the barbarians learned that the army was approaching,
they did not wait to face the danger, but sent envoys to Belisarius,
promising to surrender both themselves and the two cities, with the
condition that they should remain free from harm. And when he came
there, they fulfilled their promise. And Belisarius removed all the
Goths from these towns and sent them to Sicily and Naples, and after
establishing a garrison in Clusium and in Tudera, he led his army
forward.

But meanwhile Vittigis had sent another army, under command of Vacimus,
to Auximus, commanding it to join forces with the Goths there, and with
them to go against the enemy in Ancon and make an attempt upon that
fortress. Now this Ancon is a sort of pointed rock, and indeed it is
from this circumstance that it has taken its name; for it is exceedingly
like an "elbow." And it is about eighty stades distant from the city of
Auximus, whose port it is. And the defences of the fortress lie upon the
pointed rock in a position of security, but all the build