flag and joined
the Gothic army.

And now all the roads of Central Italy were covered by Goths and
natives who hastened to join Totila on his march to Rome.

Arrived at the latter city, Cethegus had at once taken the necessary
measures for its defence.

For Totila, after this new victory at Mucella, approached rapidly,
scarcely detained by anything but the ovations made to him by the
cities and castles on his way, which rivalled each other in opening
wide their gates to the conqueror.

The few forts which still resisted were invested by small divisions of
Italians, kept in order by a few chosen Gothic troops. Totila was
enabled to do this without weakening his army, as, during his march to
Rome, his power was increased, like a river, by the inflowing of
greater or smaller parties of Goths and Italians. Not only did the
Italian peasants join him by thousands, but even the mercenaries of
Belisarius, who for months had received no pay, now offered their
weapons to the Goths, so that a few days after the arrival of the
Prefect, Totila led a very considerable army before the walls of Rome.

With loud hurrahs the troops in the Gothic encampment greeted the
arrival of the brave Duke Guntharis, Wisand the bandalarius. Earl
Markja, and old Grippa, whose release Totila had procured by exchanging
them for the prisoners taken at the battle of the Padus.

And now the almost impossible task was laid upon Cethegus of manning
effectually his grandly-designed fortifications. The whole army of
Belisarius was missing--besides the greater part of his own soldiers,
who were slowly sailing to the harbour of Portcus from Ravenna.

In order, even insufficiently, to defend the entire circle of the
ramparts, Cethegus was obliged, not only to demand unusual and
unexpected exertions from the Roman legionaries, but also to increase
their numbers by despotic measures.

From boys of sixteen years of age to old men of sixty, he called "all
the sons of Romulus, Camillus, and Caesar to arms; to protect the
sanctuary of their forefathers against the barbarians."

But his appeal was scarcely read or propagated, and was responded to by
very few volunteers; while he saw with mortification that the manifesto
of the Gothic King, which was thrown every night over the walls in many
places, was carried about and read by crowds; so that he angrily
proclaimed that anyone found picking up, pasting on the walls, or
reading this manifesto, or in any way f