And if we have praised Vitiges for his retreat upon Ravenna, how much more must we praise Belisarius for the fortification of Rome.  For if the one had for its result the prolongation of the war for some four years, the other determined what the end of that war should be.

Let us once more consider the military situation.  It is evident that Vitiges evacuated Rome because he was afraid of losing Ravenna, his base, by an outflanking movement on the part of Belisarius and perhaps by a new attack from Dalmatia.[1]

[Footnote 1:  My theory of the strategy of Vitiges and of his purpose is perhaps unorthodox; the orthodox theory being that he was a fool and the abandonment of Rome a mere blunder.  But my theory would seem to be accurate enough, for Vitiges’s first act from Ravenna was to despatch an army into Dalmatia.]

In leaving a garrison within the City of some four thousand men—­say half as many as the whole imperialist army—­he at least hoped to delay the enemy till he had secured himself in the north and to waste him.  I do not think he expected to hold the city for any length of time, for the whole country was spiritually with the enemy.

What he hoped to gain by his retreat was, however, not merely the security of the north.  He hoped also to lure Belisarius thither after him where, in a country less wholly Latin and imperialist, he would have a better chance of annihilating him by mere numbers once and for all.  To this supreme hope and expectation of the Goth’s, the refortification of Rome by Belisarius finally put an end.  It was a countermove worthy of such a master and entirely in keeping with the Roman tradition.

At first it must have appeared to Vitiges that the course he had expected Belisarius to pursue was actually being followed; for presently the imperialists began to move up the Flaminian Way.  But it was soon evident that this was no advance in force, but rather a part of the fortification of the City.  All the places occupied were fortresses and all were with one exception upon the Via Flaminia which they commanded.  The first of these strong places was Narni, which held the great bridge over the Nera at the southern exit of the passes between the valley of Spoleto and the lower Tiber valley, where the two roads over the mountains, one by Todi, the other by Spoleto, met.  The second place occupied was Spoleto at the head, and the third was Perugia at the foot, of the great valley of Spoleto, from which the Via Flaminia rose to cross the central Apennines.  The three places were occupied without much trouble, and it was thus attempted to make the great road from the north impassable.