Totila laid siege to Naples. To intimidate the garrison, the king of
the Goths caused Demetrius, the Roman general, taken prisoner in a
convoy, to be led close to the walls, loaded with chains and a cord
about his neck, and compelled him to cry aloud to the besieged, that
the emperor was not in a condition to send them any succours. This
speech, but still more the famine which raged in the city, induced the
Neapolitans to surrender.