tempting anything, except that some bands of robbers now and then
ranged the districts in their own neighbourhood, always, however, to
their own injury. And now I will return to the main history from which I
have digressed.

VI.

Sec. 1. When this series of occurrences had been made generally known by
frequent messengers, Sueridus and Colias, two nobles of the Goths, who
had some time before been friendly received with their people, and had
been sent to Hadrianople to pass the winter in that city, thinking their
own safety the most important of all objects, looked on all the events
which were taking place with great indifference.

2. But, on a sudden, letters having arrived from the emperor, in which
they were ordered to cross over to the province of the Hellespont, they
asked, in a very modest manner, to be provided with money to defray the
expenses of their march, as well as provisions, and to be allowed a
respite of two days. But the chief magistrate of the city was indignant
at this request, being also out of humour with them on account of some
injury which had been done to property of his own in the suburbs, and
collected a great mob of the lowest of the people, with a body of
armourers, of whom there is a great number in that place, and led them
forth armed to hasten the departure of the Goths. And ordering the
trumpeters to sound an alarm, he menaced them with destruction unless
they at once departed with all speed, as they had been ordered.

3. The Goths, bewildered by this unexpected calamity, and alarmed at
this outbreak of the citizens, which looked more as if caused by a
sudden impulse than by any deliberate purpose, stood without moving. And
being assailed beyond all endurance by reproaches and manifestations of
ill will, and also by occasional missiles, they at last broke out into
open revolt; having slain several of those who had at first attacked
them with too much petulance, and having put the rest to flight, and
wounded many with all kinds of weapons, they stripped their corpses and
armed themselves with the spoils in the Roman fashion; and then, seeing
Fritigern near them, they united themselves to him as obedient allies,
and blockaded the city. They remained some time, maintaining this
difficult position and making promiscuous attacks, during which they
lost some of their number by their own audacity, without being able to
avenge them; while many were slain by arrows and large stones hurled
fro