Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths, appeared before Rimini, and laid
siege to it. He brought towards the walls an enormous tower, at the
top of which was a large drawbridge, to be let down when within reach
of the parapets. The inhabitants were in a terrible fright; but the
commander rendered the tower useless by having the ditch widened during
the night; and by a spirited and unexpected attack upon the enemy’s
camp, he raised as much dread among them as the machine had created in
Rimini. Some of the bravest of the Goths fell in this sortie, and their
leader turned the siege into a blockade. The arrival of Belisarius
compelled him to abandon the enterprise altogether.