sent Empire:' 'subito praesentis
Imperii tanquam solis ortus fama radiavit.' I avoid the word
'present,' because of its ambiguity. Observe the use of 'Imperii'
applied to the Gothic Kingdom.]

[Footnote 899: 'Quando illum cognovit nominatae (?) gentis esse
Rectorem, quem sub militis nomine probaverat esse singularem.' This
evident allusion to Witigis obliges us to place the date of this
Burgundian invasion not much earlier than the summer of 536, when
Witigis was raised to the throne. Apparently the Burgundians were
already in Italy when they heard the news of that event.]

[Footnote 900: 'Ut Gothi ad belli studium gemina se fortitudine
contulerunt.' These words perhaps allude to the necessity of fighting
two enemies at once, Belisarius and the Burgundians; or perhaps to the
existence of two Gothic armies, whose combined operations are
indicated by the following words, 'prospera concertatione.']

[Footnote 901: 'Quasi inde nudos hinc stare contigisset armatos.'
'Hinc' and 'inde' refer to geographical position, not to the order of
the words in the sentence.]

'[902]To these triumphs must be added the lately foiled plunder-raid
of the Alamanni, so checked in its very first attempts that their
entrance and exit were almost one event, like a wound well and
opportunely cauterised. Thus were the excesses of the presumptuous
invader punished, and the subjects of our King were saved from
absolute ruin. I might indeed enumerate to you what crowds of the
enemy fell in other places, but I turn rather--such is human
nature--to more joyful themes, and revert to the point with which I at
first commenced, namely that the Sovereign who has saved you from the
hostile sword is determined now to avert from your Province the perils
of famine.

[Footnote 902: See von Schubert's 'Unterwerfung der Alamannen,' pp.
57-59, for a careful analysis of the following paragraph.]

'In this new war the citadels are well-stored granaries; Starvation is
the dreaded foe: if they are closed she enters; by opening them wide
she is put to flight. I know not what the world in general may think
of the relative merit of these two campaigns of our King. For my part,
though I recognise it as the mark of a brave man to have fought a
winning battle, I think it is something above mere human valour to
have conquered penury.

'In addition to these benefits the King has remitted one-half of the
taxes of the Province, that he might not sadden with the one hand