Such were the fortunes of Belisarius in the Gothic war.

After this, despairing of success, he begged the Emperor to allow him to leave Italy with all speed.

When he heard that his prayer had been granted, he joyfully retired, bidding a long farewell to the Roman army and the Italians.
He left the greater part of Italy in the enemy's power and Perusia in the last agonies of a terrible siege: while he was on his road home, it was taken, and endured all the miseries of a city taken by assault, as I have already related.

In addition to his ill-success abroad, he also had to submit to a domestic misfortune, which came about as follows:--The Empress Theodora was eager to bring about the marriage of her grandson, Anastasius, with Belisarius's daughter, and wearied her parents with frequent letters on the subject; but they, not being desirous of contracting this alliance, put off the marriage until they could appear in person at Byzantium, and when the Empress sent for them, made the excuse that they could not leave Italy.

But she persisted in her determination to make her grandson master of Belisarius's fortune, for she knew that the girl would be his heiress, as he had no other children.