made in favour of persons who were
considered as particularly reliable and in the late unquiet times of
his reign, during the process against Boethius, he had issued orders
for the general disarming of all Romans. This measure had certainly
never been strictly carried out, but still Cethegus dared not hope that
the Queen-Regent would allow him, against the expressed will of her
august father and the evident interests of the Goths, to form any
considerable forces of Italians.

He contented himself with representing to her, that, by means of a very
innocent concession, she could procure for herself the merit of having
cancelled Theodoric's hateful measure by a noble trust; proposing to
her that she should allow him to drill and keep under arms only two
thousand Roman citizens as a guard for the city; the Romans would be
for ever grateful to her that the city did not appear to be solely
protected by barbarians.

Amalaswintha, who was enthusiastic about Rome, and whose dearest wish
was to gain the love of the Romans, gave her consent, and Cethegus
began to form his militia, as we should call it. In a proclamation,
which sounded like a trumpet-call, he "bid the sons of Scipio take up
their old weapons." He promised to double the pay fixed upon by the
Princess from his own pocket, to any Roman who voluntarily presented
himself. From the thousands who pressed forward he chose the most able.
He armed the poor; gave to those who distinguished themselves in the
service, Gallic helmets and Spanish swords from his own collections;
and, as the most important step, he regularly discharged those who were
sufficiently drilled as soon as possible, leaving them their weapons,
and enlisted new recruits, so that although at no time more were on the
service than the number allowed by Amalaswintha, yet, in an incredibly
short space of time, many thousands of armed and practised Romans were
at the disposal of their adored leader.

While Cethegus added in this manner to the strength of his future
capital and formed his future pretorians, he put off his
co-conspirators, who constantly urged him to strike, and comforted them
with the hope that the proper moment would soon arrive, which, however,
he alone could determine. At the same time he kept up constant
communication with Byzantium. He wanted to make sure of assistance
thence, which could appear upon the scene of action at any hour in
which he might desire it, but which would not come wi