] Perhaps the Stadium of Caligula.

II

Now a certain Euthalius, at about the spring equinox, came to Taracina
from Byzantium with the money which the emperor owed the soldiers. And
fearing lest the enemy should come upon him on the road and both rob him
of the money and kill him, he wrote to Belisarius requesting him to make
the journey to Rome safe for him. Belisarius accordingly selected one
hundred men of note from among his own bodyguards and sent them with two
spearmen to Taracina to assist him in bringing the money. And at the
same time he kept trying to make the barbarians believe that he was
about to fight with his whole army, his purpose being to prevent any of
the enemy from leaving the vicinity, either to bring in provisions or
for any other purpose. But when he found out that Euthalius and his men
would arrive on the morrow, he arrayed his army and set it in order for
battle, and the barbarians were in readiness. Now throughout the whole
forenoon he merely held his soldiers near the gates; for he knew that
Euthalius and those who accompanied him would arrive at night. Then, at
midday, he commanded the army to take their lunch, and the Goths did the
same thing, supposing that he was putting off the engagement to the
following day. A little later, however, Belisarius sent Martinus and
Valerian to the Plain of Nero with the troops under their command,
directing them to throw the enemy's camp into the greatest possible
confusion. And from the small Pincian Gate he sent out six hundred
horsemen against the camps of the barbarians, placing them under command
of three of his own spearmen, Artasires, a Persian, and Bochas, of the
race of the Massagetae, and Cutilas, a Thracian. And many of the enemy
came out to meet them. For a long time, however, the battle did not come
to close quarters, but each side kept retreating when the other advanced
and making pursuits in which they quickly turned back, until it looked
as if they intended to spend the rest of the day at this sort of thing.
But as they continued, they began at last to be filled with rage against
each other. The battle then settled down to a fierce struggle in which
many of the best men on both sides fell, and support came up for each of
the two armies, both from the city and from the camps. And when these
fresh troops were mingled with the fighters the struggle became still
greater. And the shouting which filled the city and the camps terrified
th