equinox, the emperor commanded the general's ship to anchor off the
point which is before the royal palace. Thither came also Epiphanius,
the chief priest of the city, and after uttering an appropriate prayer,
he put on the ships one of the soldiers who had lately been baptized and
had taken the Christian name. And after this the general Belisarius and
Antonina, his wife, set sail. And there was with them also Procopius,
who wrote this history; now previously he had been exceedingly terrified
at the danger, but later he had seen a vision in his sleep which caused
him to take courage and made him eager to go on the expedition. For it
seemed in the dream that he was in the house of Belisarius, and one of
the servants entering announced that some men had come bearing gifts;
and Belisarius bade him investigate what sort of gifts they were, and he
went out into the court and saw men who carried on their shoulders earth
with the flowers and all. And he bade him bring these men into the house
and deposit the earth they were carrying in the portico; and Belisarius
together with his guardsmen came there, and he himself reclined on that
earth and ate of the flowers, and urged the others to do likewise; and
as they reclined and ate, as if upon a couch, the food seemed to them
exceedingly sweet. Such, then, was the vision of the dream.
And the whole fleet followed the general's ship, and they put in at
Perinthus, which is now called Heracleia,[40] where five days' time was
spent by the army, since at that place the general received as a present
from the emperor an exceedingly great number of horses from the royal
pastures, which are kept for him in the territory of Thrace. And setting
sail from there, they anchored off Abydus, and it came about as they
were delaying there four days on account of the lack of wind that the
following event took place. Two Massagetae killed one of their comrades
who was ridiculing them, in the midst of their intemperate drinking; for
they were intoxicated. For of all men the Massagetae are the most
intemperate drinkers. Belisarius, accordingly, straightway impaled these
two men on the hill which is near Abydus. And since all, and especially
the relatives of these two men, were angry and declared that it was not
in order to be punished nor to be subject to the laws of the Romans that
they had entered into an alliance (for their own laws did not make the
punishment for murder such _as_ this, they said); and since they were
joined in voicing the accusation against the general even by Roman
soldiers, who were anxious that there should be no punishment for their
offences, Belisarius called together both the Massagetae and the rest of
the army and spoke as follows: "If my words were addressed to men now
for the first time entering into war, it would require a long time for
me to convince you by speech how great a help justice is for gaining the
victory. For those who do not understand the fortunes of such struggles
think that the outcome of war lies in strength of arm alone. But you,
who have often conquered an enemy not inferior to you in strength of
body and well endowed with valour, you who have often tried your
strength against your opponents, you, I think, are not ignorant that,
while it is men who always do the fighting in either army, it is God who
judges the contest as seems best to Him and bestows the victory in
battle. Now since this is so, it is fitting to consider good bodily
condition and practice in arms and all the other provision for war of
less account than justice and those things which pertain to God. For
that which may possibly be of greatest advantage to men in need would
naturally be honoured by them above all other things. Now the first
proof of justice would be the punishment of those who have committed
unjust murder. For if it is incumbent upon us to sit in judgment upon
the actions which from time to time are committed by men toward their
neighbours, and to adjudge and to name the just and the unjust action,
we should find that nothing is more precious to a man than his life. And
if any barbarian who has slain his kinsman expects to find indulgence in
his trial on the ground that he was drunk, in all fairness he makes the
charge so much the worse by reason of the very circumstance by which, as
he alleges, his guilt is removed. For it is not right for a man under
any circumstances, and especially when serving in an army, to be so
drunk as readily to kill his dearest friends; nay, the drunkenness
itself, even if the murder is not added at all, is worthy of punishment;
and when a kinsman is wronged, the crime would clearly be of greater
moment as regards punishment than when committed against those who are
not kinsmen, at least in the eyes of men of sense. Now the example is
before you and you may see what sort of an outcome such actions have.
But as for you, it is your duty to avoid laying violent hands upon
anyone without provocation, or carrying off the possessions of others;
for I shall not overlook it, be assured, and I shall not consider anyone
of you a fellow-soldier of mine, no matter how terrible he is reputed to
be to the foe, who is not able to use clean hands against the enemy. For
bravery cannot be victorious unless it be arrayed along with justice."
So spoke Belisarius. And the whole army, hearing what was said and
looking up at the two men impaled, felt an overwhelming fear come over
them and took thought to conduct their lives with moderation, for they
saw that they would not be free from great danger if they should be
caught doing anything unlawful.
XIII
After this Belisarius bethought him how his whole fleet should always
keep together as it sailed and should anchor in the same place. For he
knew that in a large fleet, and especially if rough winds should assail
them, it was inevitable that many of the ships should be left behind and
scattered on the open sea, and that their pilots should not know which
of the ships that put to sea ahead of them it was better to follow. So
after considering the matter, he did as follows. The sails of the three
ships in which he and his following were carried he painted red from the
upper corner for about one third of their length, and he erected upright
poles on the prow of each, and hung lights from them, so that both by
day and by night the general's ships might be distinguishable; then he
commanded all the pilots to follow these ships. Thus with the three
ships leading the whole fleet not a single ship was left behind. And
whenever they were about to put out from a harbour, the trumpets
announced this to them.
And upon setting out from Abydus they met with strong winds which
carried them to Sigeum. And again in calm weather they proceeded more
leisurely to Malea, where the calm proved of the greatest advantage to
them. For since they had a great fleet and exceedingly large ships, as
night came on everything was thrown into confusion by reason of their
being crowded into small space, and they were brought into extreme
peril. At that time both the pilots and the rest of the sailors shewed
themselves skilful and efficient, for while shouting at the top of their
voices and making a great noise they kept pushing the ships apart with
their poles, and cleverly kept the distances between their different
vessels; but if a wind had arisen, whether a following or a head wind,
it seems to me that the sailors would hardly have preserved themselves
and their ships. But as it was, they escaped, as I have said, and put in
at Taenarum, which is now called Caenopolis.[41] Then, pressing on from
there, they touched at Methone, and found Valerian and Martinus with
their men, who had reached the same place a short time before. And since
there were no winds blowing, Belisarius anchored the ships there, and
disembarked the whole army; and after they were on shore he assigned the
commanders their positions and drew up the soldiers. And while he was
thus engaged and no wind at all arose, it came about that many of the
soldiers were destroyed by disease caused in the following manner.
The pretorian prefect, John, was a man of worthless character, and so
skilful at devising ways of bringing money into the public treasury to
the detriment of men that I, for my part, should never be competent to
describe this trait of his. But this has been said in the preceding
pages, when I was brought to this point by my narrative.[42] But I shall
tell in the present case in what manner he destroyed the soldiers. The
bread which soldiers are destined to eat in camp must of necessity be
put twice into the oven, and be cooked so carefully as to last for a
very long period and not spoil in a short time, and loaves cooked in
this way necessarily weigh less; and for this reason, when such bread is
distributed, the soldiers generally received as their portion one-fourth
more than the usual weight.[43] John, therefore, calculating how he
might reduce the amount of firewood used and have less to pay to the
bakers in wages, and also how he might not lose in the weight of the
bread, brought the still uncooked dough to the public baths of Achilles,
in the basement of which the fire is kept burning, and bade his men set
it down there. And when it seemed to be cooked in some fashion or other,
he threw it into bags, put it on the ships, and sent it off. And when
the fleet arrived at Methone, the loaves disintegrated and returned
again to flour, not wholesome flour, however, but rotten and becoming
mouldy and already giving out a sort of oppressive odour. And the loaves
were dispensed by measure[44] to the soldiers by those to whom this
office was assigned, and they were already making the distribution of
the bread by quarts and bushels. And the soldiers, feeding upon this in
the summer time in a place where the climate is very hot, became sick,
and not less than five hundred of them died; and the same thing was
about to happen to more, but Belisarius prevented it by ordering the
bread of the country to be furnished them. And reporting the matter to
the emperor, he himself gained in favour, but he did not at that time
bring any punishment upon John.
These events, then, took place in the manner described. And setting out
from Methone they reached the harbour of Zacynthus, where they took in
enough water to last them in crossing the Adriatic Sea, and after making
all their other preparations, sailed on. But since the wind they had was
very gentle and languid, it was only on the sixteenth day that they came
to land at a deserted place in Sicily near which Mount Aetna rises. And
while they were being delayed in this passage, as has been said, it so
happened that the water of the whole fleet was spoiled, except that
which Belisarius himself and his table-companions were drinking. For
this alone was preserved by the wife of Belisarius in the following
manner. She filled with water jars made of glass and constructed a small
room with planks in the hold of the ship where it was impossible for the
sun to penetrate, and there she sank the jars in sand, and by this means
the water remained unaffected. So much, then, for this.
XIV
And as soon as Belisarius had disembarked upon the island, he began to
feel restless, knowing not how to proceed, and his mind was tormented by
the thought that he did not know what sort of men the Vandals were
against whom he was going, and how strong they were in war, or in what
manner the Romans would have to wage the war, or what place would be
their base of operations. But most of all he was disturbed by the
soldiers, who were in mortal dread of sea-fighting and had no shame in
saying beforehand that, if they should be disembarked on the land, they
would try to show themselves brave men in the battle, but if hostile
ships assailed them, they would turn to flight; for, they said, they
were not able to contend against two enemies at once, both men and
water. Being at a loss, therefore, because of all these things, he sent
Procopius, his adviser, to Syracuse, to find out whether the enemy had
any ships in ambush keeping watch over the passage across the sea,
either on the island or on the continent, and where it would be best for
them to anchor in Libya, and from what point as base it would be
advantageous for them to start in carrying on the war against the
Vandals. And he bade him, when he should have accomplished his commands,
return and meet him at the place called Caucana,[45] about two hundred
stades distant from Syracuse, where both he and the whole fleet were to
anchor. But he let it be understood that he was sending him to buy
provisions, since the Goths were willing to give them a market, this
having been decided upon by the Emperor Justinian and Amalasountha, the
mother of Antalaric,[46] who was at that time a boy being reared under
the care of his mother, Amalasountha, and held sway over both the Goths
and the Italians. For when Theoderic had died and the kingdom came to
his nephew, Antalaric, who had already before this lost his father,
Amalasountha was fearful both for her child and for the kingdom and
cultivated the friendship of Justinian very carefully, and she gave heed
to his commands in all matters and at that time promised to provide a
market for his army and did so.
Now when Procopius reached Syracuse, he unexpectedly met a man who had
been a fellow-citizen and friend of his from childhood, who had been
living in Syracuse for a long time engaged in the shipping business, and
he learned from him what he wanted; for this man showed him a domestic
who had three days before that very day come from Carthage, and he said
that they need not suspect that there would be any ambush set for the
fleet by the Vandals. For from no one in the world had they learned that
an army was coming against them at that time, but all the active men
among the Vandals had actually a little before gone on an expedition
against Godas. And for this reason Gelimer, with no thought of an enemy
in his mind and regardless of Carthage and all the other places on the
sea, was staying in Hermione, which is in Byzacium, four days' journey
distant from the coast; so that it was possible for them to sail without
fearing any difficulty and to anchor wherever the wind should call them.
When Procopius heard this, he took the hand of the domestic and walked
to the harbour of Arethousa where his boat lay at anchor, making many
enquiries of the man and searching out every detail. And going on board
the ship with him, he gave orders to raise the sails and to make all
speed for Caucana. And since the master of the domestic stood on the
shore wondering that he did not give him back the man, Procopius shouted
out, when the ship was already under way, begging him not to be angry
with him; for it was necessary that the domestic should meet the
general, and, after leading the army to Libya, would return after no
long time to Syracuse with much money in his pocket.
But upon coming to Caucana they found all in deep grief. For Dorotheus,
the general of the troops of Armenia, had died there, leaving to the
whole army a great sense of loss. But Belisarius, when the domestic had
come before him and related his whole story, became exceedingly glad,
and after bestowing many praises upon Procopius, he issued orders to
give the signal for departure with the trumpets. And setting sail
quickly they touched at the islands of Gaulus and Melita,[47] which mark
the boundary between the Adriatic and Tuscan Seas. There a strong east
wind arose for them, and on the following day it carried the ships to
the point of Libya, at the place which the Romans call in their own
tongue "Shoal's Head." For its name is "Caputvada," and it is five days'
journey from Carthage for an unencumbered traveller.
XV
And when they came near the shore, the general bade them furl the sails,
throw out anchors from the ships, and make a halt; and calling together
all the commanders to his own ship, he opened a discussion with regard
to the disembarkation. Thereupon many speeches were made inclining to
either side, and Archelaus came forward and spoke as follows:
"I admire, indeed, the virtue of our general, who, while surpassing all
by far in judgment and possessing the greatest wealth of experience, and
at the same time holding the power alone, has proposed an open
discussion and bids each one of us speak, so that we shall be able to
choose whichever course seems best, though it is possible for him to
decide alone on what is needful and at his leisure to put it into
execution as he wishes. But as for you, my fellow officers--I do not
know how I am to say it easily--one might wonder that each one did not
hasten to be the first to oppose the disembarkation. And yet I
understand that the making of suggestions to those who are entering upon
a perilous course brings no personal advantage to him who offers the
advice, but as a general thing results in bringing blame upon him. For
when things go well for men, they attribute their success to their own
judgment or to fortune, but when they fail, they blame only the one who
has advised them. Nevertheless I shall speak out. For it is not right
for those who deliberate about safety to shrink from blame. You are
purposing to disembark on the enemy's land, fellow-officers; but in what
harbour are you planning to place the ships in safety? Or in what city's
wall will you find security for yourselves? Have you not then heard that
this promontory--I mean from Carthage to Iouce--extends, they say, for a
journey of nine days, altogether without harbours and lying open to the
wind from whatever quarter it may blow? And not a single walled town is
left in all Libya except Carthage, thanks to the decision of
Gizeric.[48] And one might add that in this place, they say, water is
entirely lacking. Come now, if you wish, let us suppose that some
adversity befall us, and with this in view make the decision. For that
those who enter into contests of arms should expect no difficulty is not
in keeping with human experience nor with the nature of things. If,
then, after we have disembarked upon the mainland, a storm should fall
upon us, will it not be necessary that one of two things befall the
ships, either that they flee away as far as possible, or perish upon
this promontory? Secondly, what means will there be of supplying us with
necessities? Let no one look to me as the officer charged with the
maintenance of the army. For every official, when deprived of the means
of administering his office, is of necessity reduced to the name and
character of a private person. And where shall we deposit our
superfluous arms or any other part of our necessaries when we are
compelled to receive the attack of the barbarians? Nay, as for this, it
is not well even to say how it will turn out. But I think that we ought
to make straight for Carthage. For they say that there is a harbour
called Stagnum not more than forty stades distant from that city, which
is entirely unguarded and large enough for the whole fleet. And if we
make this the base of our operations, we shall carry on the war without
difficulty. And I, for my part, think it likely that we shall win
Carthage by a sudden attack, especially since the enemy are far away
from it, and that after we have won it we shall have no further trouble.
For it is a way with all men's undertakings that when the chief point
has been captured, they collapse after no long time. It behoves us,
therefore, to bear in mind all these things and to choose the best
course." So spoke Archelaus.
And Belisarius spoke as follows: "Let no one of you, fellow-officers,
think that my words are those of censure, nor that they are spoken in
the last place to the end that it may become necessary for all to follow
them, of whatever sort they may be. For I have heard what seems best to
each one of you, and it is becoming that I too should lay before you
what I think, and then with you should choose the better course. But it
is right to remind you of this fact, that the soldiers said openly a
little earlier that they feared the dangers by sea and would turn to
flight if a hostile ship should attack them, and we prayed God to shew
us the land of Libya and allow us a peaceful disembarkation upon it. And
since this is so, I think it the part of foolish men first to pray to
receive from God the more favourable fortune, then when this is given
them, to reject it and go in the contrary direction. And if we do sail
straight for Carthage and a hostile fleet encounters us, the soldiers
will remain without blame, if they flee with all their might--for a
delinquency announced beforehand carries with it its own defence--but
for us, even if we come through safely, there will be no forgiveness.
Now while there are many difficulties if we remain in the ships, it will
be sufficient, I think, to mention only one thing,--that by which
especially they wish to frighten us when they hold over our heads the
danger of a storm. For if any storm should fall upon us, one of two
things, they say, must necessarily befall the ships, either that they
flee far from Libya or be destroyed upon this headland. What then under
the present circumstances will be more to our advantage to choose? to
have the ships alone destroyed, or to have lost everything, men and all?
But apart from this, at the present time we shall fall upon the enemy
unprepared, and in all probability shall fare as we desire; for in
warfare it is the unexpected which is accustomed to govern the course of
events. But a little later, when the enemy have already made their
preparation, the struggle we shall have will be one of strength evenly
matched. And one might add that it will be necessary perhaps to fight
even for the disembarkation, and to seek for that which now we have
within our grasp but over which we are deliberating as a thing not
necessary. And if at the very time, when we are engaged in conflict, a
storm also comes upon us, as often happens on the sea, then while
struggling both against the waves and against the Vandals, we shall come
to regret our prudence. As for me, then, I say that we must disembark
upon the land with all possible speed, landing horses and arms and
whatever else we consider necessary for our use, and that we must dig a
trench quickly and throw a stockade around us of a kind which can
contribute to our safety no less than any walled town one might mention,
and with that as our base must carry on the war from there if anyone
should attack us. And if we shew ourselves brave men, we shall lack
nothing in the way of provisions. For those who hold the mastery over
their enemy are lords also of the enemy's possessions; and it is the way
of victory, first to invest herself with all the wealth, and then to set
it down again on that side to which she inclines. Therefore, for you
both the chance of safety and of having an abundance of good things lies
in your own hands."
When Belisarius had said this, the whole assembly agreed and adopted his
proposal, and separating from one another, they made the disembarkation
as quickly as possible, about three months later than their departure
from Byzantium. And indicating a certain spot on the shore the general
bade both soldiers and sailors dig the trench and place the stockade
about it. And they did as directed. And since a great throng was working
and fear was stimulating their enthusiasm and the general was urging
them on, not only was the trench dug on the same day, but the stockade
was also completed and the pointed stakes were fixed in place all
around. Then, indeed, while they were digging the trench, something
happened which was altogether amazing. A great abundance of water sprang
forth from the earth, a thing which had not happened before in Byzacium,
and besides this the place where they were was altogether waterless. Now
this water sufficed for all uses of both men and animals. And in
congratulating the general, Procopius said that he rejoiced at the
abundance of water, not so much because of its usefulness, as because it
seemed to him a symbol of an easy victory, and that Heaven was
foretelling a victory to them. This, at any rate, actually came to pass.
So for that night all the soldiers bivouacked in the camp, setting
guards and doing everything else as was customary, except, indeed, that
Belisarius commanded five bowmen to remain in each ship for the purpose
of a guard, and that the ships-of-war should anchor in a circle about
them, taking care that no one should come against them to do them harm.
XVI
But on the following day, when some of the soldiers went out into the
fields and laid hands on the fruit, the general inflicted corporal
punishment of no casual sort upon them, and he called all the army
together and spoke as follows: "This using of violence and the eating of
that which belongs to others seems at other times a wicked thing only on
this account, that injustice is in the deed itself, as the saying is;
but in the present instance so great an element of detriment is added to
the wrongdoing that--if it is not too harsh to say so--we must consider
the question of justice of less account and calculate the magnitude of
the danger that may arise from your act. For I have disembarked you upon
this land basing my confidence on this alone, that the Libyans, being
Romans from of old, are unfaithful and hostile to the Vandals, and for
this reason I thought that no necessaries would fail us and, besides,
that the enemy would not do us any injury by a sudden attack. But now
this your lack of self-control has changed it all and made the opposite
true. For you have doubtless reconciled the Libyans to the Vandals,
bringing their hostility round upon your own selves. For by nature those
who are wronged feel enmity toward those who have done them violence,
and it has come round to this that you have exchanged your own safety
and a bountiful supply of good things for some few pieces of silver,
when it was possible for you, by purchasing provisions from willing
owners, not to appear unjust and at the same time to enjoy their
friendship to the utmost. Now, therefore, the war will be between you
and both Vandals and Libyans, and I, at least, say further that it will
be against God himself, whose aid no one who does wrong can invoke. But
do you cease trespassing wantonly upon the possessions of others, and
reject a gain which is full of dangers. For this is that time in which
above all others moderation is able to save, but lawlessness leads to
death. For if you give heed to these things, you will find God
propitious, the Libyan people well-disposed, and the race of the Vandals
open to your attack."
With these words Belisarius dismissed the assembly. And at that time he
heard that the city of Syllectus was distant one day's journey from the
camp, lying close to the sea on the road leading to Carthage, and that
the wall of this city had been torn down for a long time, but the
inhabitants of the place had made a barrier on all sides by means of the
walls of their houses, on account of the attacks of the Moors, and
guarded a kind of fortified enclosure; he, accordingly, sent one of his
spearmen, Boriades, together with some of the guards, commanding them to
make an attempt oh the city, and, if they captured it, to do no harm in
it, but to promise a thousand good things and to say that they had come
for the sake of the people's freedom, that so the army might be able to
enter into it. And they came near the city about dusk and passed the
night hidden in a ravine. But at early dawn, meeting country folk going
into the city with waggons, they entered quietly with them and with no
trouble took possession of the city. And when day came, no one having
begun any disturbance, they called together the priest and all the other
notables and announced the commands of the general, and receiving the
keys of the entrances from willing hands, they sent them to the general.
On the same day the overseer of the public post deserted, handing over
all the government horses. And they captured also one of those who are
occasionally sent to bear the royal responses, whom they call
"veredarii"[49]; and the general did him no harm but presented him with
much gold and, receiving pledges from him, put into his hand the letter
which the Emperor Justinian had written to the Vandals, that he might
give it to the magistrates of the Vandals. And the writing was as
follows: "Neither have we decided to make war upon the Vandals, nor are
we breaking the treaty of Gizeric, but we are attempting to dethrone
your tyrant, who, making light of the testament of Gizeric, has
imprisoned your king and is keeping him in custody, and those of his
relatives whom he hated exceedingly he put to death at the first, and
the rest, after robbing them of their sight, he keeps under guard, not
allowing them to terminate their misfortunes by death. Do you,
therefore, join forces with us and help us in freeing yourselves from so
wicked a tyranny, in order that you may be able to enjoy both peace and
freedom. For we give you pledges in the name of God that these things
will come to you by our hand." Such was the message of the emperor's
letter. But the man who received this from Belisarius did not dare to
publish it openly, and though he shewed it secretly to his friends, he
accomplished nothing whatever of consequence.
XVII
And Belisarius, having arrayed his army as for battle in the following
manner, began the march to Carthage. He chose out three hundred of his
guards, men who were able warriors, and handed them over to John, who
was in charge of the expenditures of the general's household; such a
person the Romans call "optio."[50] And he was an Armenian by birth, a
man gifted with discretion and courage in the highest degree. This John,
then, he commanded to go ahead of the army, at a distance of not less
than twenty stades, and if he should see anything of the enemy, to
report it with all speed, so that they might not be compelled to enter
into battle unprepared. And the allied Massagetae he commanded to travel
constantly on the left of the army, keeping as many stades away or more;
and he himself marched in the rear with the best troops. For he
suspected that it would not be long before Gelimer, following them from
Hermione, would make an attack upon them. And these precautions were
sufficient, for on the right side there was no fear, since they were
travelling not far from the coast. And he commanded the sailors to
follow along with them always and not to separate themselves far from
the army, but when the wind was favouring to lower the great sails, and
follow with the small sails, which they call "dolones,"[51] and when the
wind dropped altogether to keep the ships under way as well as they
could by rowing.
And when Belisarius reached Syllectus, the soldiers behaved with
moderation, and they neither began any unjust brawls nor did anything
out of the way, and he himself, by displaying great gentleness and
kindness, won the Libyans to his side so completely that thereafter he
made the journey as if in his own land; for neither did the inhabitants
of the land withdraw nor did they wish to conceal anything, but they
both furnished a market and served the soldiers in whatever else they
wished. And accomplishing eighty stades each day, we completed the whole
journey to Carthage, passing the night either in a city, should it so
happen, or in a camp made as thoroughly secure as the circumstances
permitted. Thus we passed through the city of Leptis and Hadrumetum and
reached the place called Grasse, three hundred and fifty stades distant
from Carthage. In that place was a palace of the ruler of the Vandals
and a park the most beautiful of all we know. For it is excellently
watered by springs and has a great wealth of woods. And all the trees
are full of fruit; so that each one of the soldiers pitched his tent
among fruit-trees, and though all of them ate their fill of the fruit,
which was then ripe, there was practically no diminution to be seen in
the fruit.
But Gelimer, as soon as he heard in Hermione that the enemy were at
hand, wrote to his brother Ammatas in Carthage to kill Ilderic and all
the others, connected with him either by birth or otherwise, whom he was
keeping under guard, and commanded him to make ready the Vandals and all
others in the city serviceable for war, in order that, when the enemy
got inside the narrow passage at the suburb of the city which they call
Decimum,[52] they might come together from both sides and surround them
and, catching them as in a net, destroy them. And Ammatas carried this
out, and killed Ilderic, who was a relative of his, and Euagees, and all
the Libyans who were intimate with them. For Hoamer had already departed
from the world.[53] And arming the Vandals, he made them ready,
intending to make his attack at the opportune moment. But Gelimer was
following behind, without letting it be known to us, except, indeed,
that, on that night when we bivouacked in Grasse, scouts coming from
both armies met each other, and after an exchange of blows they each
retired to their own camp, and in this way it became evident to us that
the enemy were not far away. As we proceeded from there it was
impossible to discern the ships. For high rocks extending well into the
sea cause mariners to make a great circuit, and there is a projecting
headland,[54] inside of which lies the town of Hermes. Belisarius
therefore commanded Archelaus, the prefect, and Calonymus, the admiral,
not to put in at Carthage, but to remain about two hundred stades away
until he himself should summon them. And departing from Grasse we came
on the fourth day to Decimum, seventy stades distant from Carthage.
XVIII
And on that day Gelimer commanded his nephew Gibamundus with two
thousand of the Vandals to go ahead of the rest of the army on the left
side, in order that Ammatas coming from Carthage, Gelimer himself from
the rear, and Gibamundus from the country to the left, might unite and
accomplish the task of encircling the enemy with less difficulty and
exertion. But as for me, during this struggle I was moved to wonder at
the ways of Heaven and of men, noting how God, who sees from afar what
will come to pass, traces out the manner in which it seems best to him
that things should come to pass, while men, whether they are deceived or
counsel aright, know not that they have failed, should that be the
issue, or that they have succeeded, God's purpose being that a path
shall be made for Fortune, who presses on inevitably toward that which
has been foreordained. For if Belisarius had not thus arranged his
forces, commanding the men under John to take the lead, and the
Massagetae to march on the left of the army, we should never have been
able to escape the Vandals. And even with this planned so by Belisarius,
if Ammatas had observed the opportune time, and had not anticipated this
by about the fourth part of a day, never would the cause of the Vandals
have fallen as it did; but as it was, Ammatas came to Decimum about
midday, in advance of the time, while both we and the Vandal army were
far away, erring not only in that he did not arrive at the fitting time,
but also in leaving at Carthage the host of the Vandals, commanding them
to come to Decimum as quickly as possible, while he with a few men and
not even the pick of the army came into conflict with John's men. And he
killed twelve of the best men who were fighting in the front rank, and
he himself fell, having shewn himself a brave man in this engagement.
And the rout, after Ammatas fell, became complete, and the Vandals,
fleeing at top speed, swept back all those who were coming from Carthage
to Decimum. For they were advancing in no order and not drawn up as for
battle, but in companies, and small ones at that; for they were coming
in bands of twenty or thirty. And seeing the Vandals under Ammatas
fleeing, and thinking their pursuers were a great multitude, they turned
and joined in the flight. And John and his men, killing all whom they
came upon, advanced as far as the gates of Carthage. And there was so
great a slaughter of Vandals in the course of the seventy stades that
those who beheld it would have supposed that it was the work of an enemy
twenty thousand strong.
At the same time Gibamundus and his two thousand came to Pedion Halon,
which is forty stades distant from Decimum on the left as one goes to
Carthage, and is destitute of human habitation or trees or anything
else, since the salt in the water permits nothing except salt to be
produced there; in that place they encountered the Huns and were all
destroyed. Now there was a certain man among the Massagetae, well gifted
with courage and strength of body, the leader of a few men; this man had
the privilege handed down from his fathers and ancestors to be the first
in all the Hunnic armies to attack the enemy. For it was not lawful for
a man of the Massagetae to strike first in battle and capture one of the
enemy until, indeed, someone from this house began the struggle with the
enemy. So when the two armies had come not far from each other, this man
rode out and stopped alone close to the army of the Vandals. And the
Vandals, either because they were dumbfounded at the courageous spirit
of the man or perhaps because they suspected that the enemy were
contriving something against them, decided neither to move nor to shoot
at the man. And I think that, since they had never had experience of
battle with the Massagetae, but heard that the nation was very warlike,
they were for this reason terrified at the danger. And the man,
returning to his compatriots, said that God had sent them these
strangers as a ready feast. Then at length they made their onset and the
Vandals did not withstand them, but breaking their ranks and never
thinking of resistance, they were all disgracefully destroyed.
XIX
But we, having learned nothing at all of what had happened, were going
on to Decimum. And Belisarius, seeing a place well adapted for a camp,
thirty-five stades distant from Decimum, surrounded it with a stockade
which was very well made, and placing all the infantry there and calling
together the whole army, he spoke as follows: "Fellow-soldiers, the
decisive moment of the struggle is already at hand; for I perceive that
the enemy are advancing upon us; and the ships have been taken far away
from us by the nature of the place; and it has come round to this that
our hope of safety lies in the strength of our hands. For there is not a
friendly city, no, nor any other stronghold, in which we may put our
trust and have confidence concerning ourselves. But if we should show
ourselves brave men, it is probable that we shall still overcome the
enemy in the war; but if we should weaken at all, it will remain for us
to fall under the hand of the Vandals and to be destroyed disgracefully.
And yet there are many advantages on our side to help us on toward
victory; for we have with us both justice, with which we have come
against our enemy (for we are here in order to recover what is our own),
and the hatred of the Vandals toward their own tyrant. For the alliance
of God follows naturally those who put justice forward, and a soldier
who is ill-disposed toward his ruler knows not how to play the part of a
brave man. And apart from this, we have been engaged with Persians and
Scythians all the time, but the Vandals, since the time they conquered
Libya, have seen not a single enemy except naked Moors. And who does not
know that in every work practice leads to skill, while idleness leads to
inefficiency? Now the stockade, from which we shall have to carry on the
war, has been made by us in the best possible manner. And we are able to
deposit here our weapons and everything else which we are not able to
carry when we go forth; and when we return here again, no kind of
provisions can fail us. And I pray that each one of you, calling to mind
his own valour and those whom he has left at home, may so march with
contempt against the enemy."
After speaking these words and uttering a prayer after them, Belisarius
left his wife and the barricaded camp to the infantry, and himself set
forth with all the horsemen. For it did not seem to him advantageous for
the present to risk an engagement with the whole army, but it seemed
wise to skirmish first with the horsemen and make trial of the enemy's
strength, and finally to fight a decisive battle with the whole army.
Sending forward, therefore, the commanders of the foederati,[55] he
himself followed with the rest of the force and his own spearmen and
guards. And when the foederati and their leaders reached Decimum, they
saw the corpses of the fallen--twelve comrades from the forces of John
and near them Ammatas and some of the Vandals. And hearing from the
inhabitants of the place the whole story of the fight, they were vexed,
being at a loss as to where they ought to go. But while they were still
at a loss and from the hills were looking around over the whole country
thereabouts, a dust appeared from the south and a little later a very
large force of Vandal horsemen. And they sent to Belisarius urging him
to come as quickly as possible, since the enemy were bearing down upon
them. And the opinions of the commanders were divided. For some thought
that they ought to close with their assailants, but the others said that
their force was not sufficient for this. And while they were debating
thus among themselves, the barbarians drew near under the leadership of
Gelimer, who was following a road between the one which Belisarius was
travelling and the one by which the Massagetae who had encountered
Gibamundus had come. But since the land was hilly on both sides, it did
not allow him to see either the disaster of Gibamundus or Belisarius'
stockade, nor even the road along which Belisarius' men were advancing.
But when they came near each other, a contest arose between the two
armies as to which should capture the highest of all the hills there.
For it seemed a suitable one to encamp upon, and both sides preferred to
engage with the enemy from there. And the Vandals, coming first, took
possession of the hill by crowding off their assailants and routed the
enemy, having already become an object of terror to them. And the Romans
in flight came to a place seven stades distant from Decimum, where, as
it happened, Uliaris, the personal guard of Belisarius, was, with eight
hundred guardsmen. And all supposed that Uliaris would receive them and
hold his position, and together with them would go against the Vandals;
but when they came together, these troops all unexpectedly fled at top
speed and went on the run to Belisarius.
From then on I am unable to say what happened to Gelimer that, having
the victory in his hands, he willingly gave it up to the enemy, unless
one ought to refer foolish actions also to God, who, whenever He
purposes that some adversity shall befall a man, touches first his
reason and does not permit that which will be to his advantage to come
to his consideration. For if, on the one hand, he had made the pursuit
immediately, I do not think that even Belisarius would have withstood
him, but our cause would have been utterly and completely lost, so
numerous appeared the force of the Vandals and so great the fear they
inspired in the Romans; or if, on the other hand, he had even ridden
straight for Carthage, he would easily have killed all John's men, who,
heedless of everything else, were wandering about the plain one by one
or by twos and stripping the dead. And he would have preserved the city
with its treasures, and captured our ships, which had come rather near,
and he would have withdrawn from us all hope both of sailing away and of
victory. But in fact he did neither of these things. Instead he
descended from the hill at a walk, and when he reached the level ground
and saw the corpse of his brother, he turned to lamentations, and, in
caring for his burial, he blunted the edge of his opportunity--an
opportunity which he was not able to grasp again. Meantime Belisarius,
meeting the fugitives, bade them stop, and arrayed them all in order and
rebuked them at length; then, after hearing of the death of Ammatas and
the pursuit of John, and learning what he wished concerning the place
and the enemy, he proceeded at full speed against Gelimer and the
Vandals. But the barbarians, having already fallen into disorder and
being now unprepared, did not withstand the onset of the Romans, but
fled with all their might, losing many there, and the battle ended at
night. Now the Vandals were in flight, not to Carthage nor to Byzacium,
whence they had come, but to the plain of Boulla and the road leading
into Numidia. So the men with John and the Massagetae returned to us
about dusk, and after learning all that had happened and reporting what
they had done, they passed the night with us in Decimum.
XX
But on the following day the infantry with the wife of Belisarius came
up and we all proceeded together on the road toward Carthage, which we
reached in the late evening; and we passed the night in the open,
although no one hindered us from marching into the city at once. For the
Carthaginians opened the gates and burned lights everywhere and the city
was brilliant with the illumination that whole night, and those of the
Vandals who had been left behind were sitting as suppliants in the
sanctuaries. But Belisarius prevented the entrance in order to guard
against any ambuscade being set for his men by the enemy, and also to
prevent the soldiers from having freedom to turn to plundering, as they
might under the concealment of night. On that day, since an east wind
arose for them, the ships reached the headland, and the Carthaginians,
for they already sighted them, removed the iron chains of the harbour
which they call Mandracium, and made it possible for the fleet to enter.
Now there is in the king's palace a room filled with darkness, which the
Carthaginians call Ancon, where all were cast with whom the tyrant was
angry. In that place, as it happened, many of the eastern merchants had
been confined up to that time. For Gelimer was angry with these men,
charging them with having urged the emperor on to the war, and they were
about to be destroyed, all of them, this having been decided upon by
Gelimer on that day on which Ammatas was killed in Decimum; to such an
extremity of danger did they come. The guard of this prison, upon
hearing what had taken place in Decimum and seeing the fleet inside the
point, entered the room and enquired of the men, who had not yet learned
the good news, but were sitting in the darkness and expecting death,
what among their possessions they would be willing to give up and be
saved. And when they said they desired to give everything he might wish,
he demanded nothing of all their treasures, but required them all to
swear that, if they escaped, they would assist him also with all their
power when he came into danger. And they did this. Then he told them
them the whole story, and tearing off a plank from the side toward the
sea, he pointed out the fleet approaching, and releasing all from the
prison went out with them.
But the men on the ships, having as yet heard nothing of what the army
had done on the land, were completely at a loss, and slackening their
sails they sent to the town of Mercurium; there they learned what had
taken place at Decimum, and becoming exceedingly joyful sailed on. And
when, with a favouring wind blowing, they came to within one hundred and
fifty stades of Carthage, Archelaus and the soldiers bade them anchor
there, fearing the warning of the general, but the sailors would not
obey. For they said that the promontory at that point was without a
harbour and also that the indications were that a well-known storm,
which the natives call Cypriana, would arise immediately. And they
predicted that, if it came upon them in that place, they would not be
able to save even one of the ships. And it was as they said. So they
slackened their sails for a short time and deliberated; and they did not
think they ought to try for Mandracium (for they shrank from violating
the commands of Belisarius, and at the same time they suspected that the
entrance to Mandracium was closed by the chains, and besides they feared
that this harbour was not sufficient for the whole fleet) but Stagnum
seemed to them well situated (for it is forty stades distant from
Carthage), and there was nothing in it to hinder them, and also it was
large enough for the whole fleet. There they arrived about dusk and all
anchored, except, indeed, that Calonymus with some of the sailors,
disregarding the general and all the others, went off secretly to
Mandracium, no one daring to hinder him, and plundered the property of
the merchants dwelling on the sea, both foreigners and Carthaginians.
On the following day Belisarius commanded those on the ships to
disembark, and after marshalling the whole army and drawing it up in
battle formation, he marched into Carthage; for he feared lest he should
encounter some snare set by the enemy. There he reminded the soldiers at
length of how much good fortune had come to them because they had
displayed moderation toward the Libyans, and he exhorted them earnestly
to preserve good order with the greatest care in Carthage. For all the
Libyans had been Romans in earlier times and had come under the Vandals
by no will of their own and had suffered many outrages at the hands of
these barbarians. For this very reason the emperor had entered into war
with the Vandals, and it was not holy that any harm should come from
them to the people whose freedom they had made the ground for taking the
field against the Vandals. [Sept. 15, 533 A.D.] After such words of
exhortation he entered Carthage, and, since no enemy was seen by them,
he went up to the palace and seated himself on Gelimer's throne. There a
crowd of merchants and other Carthaginians came before Belisarius with
much shouting, persons whose homes were on the sea, and they made the
charge that there had been a robbery of their property on the preceding
night by the sailors. And Belisarius bound Calonymus by oaths to bring
without fail all his thefts to the light. And Calonymus, taking the oath
and disregarding what he had sworn, for the moment made the money his
plunder, but not long afterwards he paid his just penalty in Byzantium.
For being taken with the disease called apoplexy, he became insane and
bit off his own tongue and then died. But this happened at a later time.
XXI
But then, since the hour was appropriate, Belisarius commanded that
lunch be prepared for them, in the very place where Gelimer was
accustomed to entertain the leaders of the Vandals. This place the
Romans call "Delphix," not in their own tongue, but using the Greek word
according to the ancient custom. For in the palace at Rome, where the
dining couches of the emperor were placed, a tripod had stood from olden
times, on which the emperor's cupbearers used to place the cups. Now the
Romans call a tripod "Delphix," since they were first made at Delphi,
and from this both in Byzantium and wherever there is a king's dining
couch they call the room "Delphix"; for the Romans follow the Greek also
in calling the emperor's residence "Palatium." For a Greek named Pallas
lived in this place before the capture of Troy and built a noteworthy
house there, and they called this dwelling "Palatium"; and when Augustus
received the imperial power, he decided to take up his first residence
in that house, and from this they call the place wherever the emperor
resides "Palatium." So Belisarius dined in the Delphix and with him all
the notables of the army. And it happened that the lunch made for
Gelimer on the preceding day was in readiness. And we feasted on that
very food and the domestics of Gelimer served it and poured the wine and
waited upon us in every way. And it was possible to see Fortune in her
glory and making a display of the fact that all things are hers and that
nothing is the private possession of any man. And it fell to the lot of
Belisarius on that day to win such fame as no one of the men of his time
ever won nor indeed any of the men of olden times. For though the Roman
soldiers were not accustomed to enter a subject city without confusion,
even if they numbered only five hundred, and especially if they made the
entry unexpectedly, all the soldiers under the command of this general
showed themselves so orderly that there was not a single act of
insolence nor a threat, and indeed nothing happened to hinder the
business of the city; but in a captured city, one which had changed its
government and shifted its allegiance, it came about that no man's
household was excluded from the privileges of the marketplace; on the
contrary, the clerks drew up their lists of the men and conducted the
soldiers to their lodgings, just as usual,[56] and the soldiers
themselves, getting their lunch by purchase from the market, rested as
each one wished.
Afterwards Belisarius gave pledges to those Vandals who had fled into
the sanctuaries, and began to take thought for the fortifications. For
the circuit-wall of Carthage had been so neglected that in many places
it had become accessible to anyone who wished and easy to attack. For no
small part of it had fallen down, and it was for this reason, the
Carthaginians said, that Gelimer had not made his stand in the city. For
he thought that it would be impossible in a short time to restore such a
circuit-wall to a safe condition. And they said that an old oracle had
been uttered by the children in earlier times in Carthage, to the effect
that "gamma shall pursue beta, and again beta itself shall pursue
gamma." And at that time it had been spoken by the children in play and
had been left as an unexplained riddle, but now it was perfectly clear
to all. For formerly Gizeric had driven out Boniface and now Belisarius
was doing the same to Gelimer. This, then, whether it was a rumour or an
oracle, came out as I have stated.
At that time a dream also came to light, which had been seen often
before this by many persons, but without being clear as to how it would
turn out. And the dream was as follows. Cyprian,[57] a holy man, is
reverenced above all others by the Carthaginians. And they have founded
a very noteworthy temple in his honour before the city on the sea-shore,
in which they conduct all other customary services, and also celebrate
there a festival which they call the "Cypriana"; and the sailors are
accustomed to name after Cyprian the storm, which I mentioned
lately,[58] giving it the same name as the festival, since it is wont to
come on at the time at which the Libyans have always been accustomed to
celebrate the festival. This temple the Vandals took from the Christians
by violence in the reign of Honoric. And they straightway drove out
their priests from the temple in great dishonour, and themselves
thereafter attended to the sacred festival which, they said, now
belonged to the Arians. And the Libyans, indeed, were angry on this
account and altogether at a loss, but Cyprian, they say, often sent them
a dream saying that there was not the least need for the Christians to
be concerned about him; for he himself as time went on would be his own
avenger. And when the report of this was passed around and came to all
the Libyans, they were expecting that some vengeance would come upon the
Vandals at some time because of this sacred festival, but were unable to
conjecture how in the world the vision would be realized for them. Now,
therefore, when the emperor's expedition had come to Libya, since the
time had already come round and would bring the celebration of the
festival on the succeeding day, the priests of the Arians, in spite of
the fact that Ammatas had led the Vandals to Decimum, cleansed the whole
sanctuary and were engaged in hanging up the most beautiful of the
votive offerings there, and making ready the lamps and bringing out the
treasures from the store-houses and preparing all things with exactness,
arranging everything according to its appropriate use. But the events in
Decimum turned out in the manner already described. And the priests of
the Arians were off in flight, while the Christians who conform to the
orthodox faith came to the temple of Cyprian, and they burned all the
lamps and attended to the sacred festival just as is customary for them
to perform this service, and thus it was known to all what the vision of
the dream was foretelling. This, then, came about in this way.
XXII
And the Vandals, recalling an ancient saying, marvelled, understanding
clearly thereafter that for a man, at least, no hope could be impossible
nor any possession secure. And what this saying was and in what manner
it was spoken I shall explain. When the Vandals originally, pressed by
hunger, were about to remove from their ancestral abodes, a certain part
of them was left behind who were reluctant to go and not desirous of
following Godigisclus. And as time went on it seemed to those who had
remained that they were well off as regards abundance of provisions, and
Gizeric with his followers gained possession of Libya. And when this was
heard by those who had not followed Godigisclus, they rejoiced, since
thenceforth the country was altogether sufficient for them to live upon.
But fearing lest at some time much later either the very ones who had
conquered Libya, or their descendants, should in some way or other be
driven out of Libya and return to their ancestral homes (for they never
supposed that the Romans would let Libya be held for ever), they sent
ambassadors to them. And these men, upon coming before Gizeric, said
that they rejoiced with their compatriots who had met with such success,
but that they were no longer able to guard the land of which he and his
men had thought so little that they had settled in Libya. They prayed
therefore that, if they laid no claim to their fatherland, they would
bestow it as an unprofitable possession upon themselves, so that their
title to the land might be made as secure as possible, and if anyone
should come to do it harm, they might by no means disdain to die in
behalf of it. Gizeric, accordingly, and all the other Vandals thought
that they spoke fairly and justly, and they were in the act of granting
everything which the envoys desired of them. But a certain old man who
was esteemed among them and had a great reputation for discretion said
that he would by no means permit such a thing. "For in human affairs,"
he said, "not one thing stands secure; nay, nothing which now exists is
stable for all time for men, while as regards that which does not yet
exist, there is nothing which may not come to pass." When Gizeric heard
this, he expressed approval and decided to send the envoys away with
nothing accomplished. Now at that time both he himself and the man who
had given the advice were judged worthy of ridicule by all the Vandals,
as foreseeing the impossible. But when these things which have been told
took place, the Vandals learned to take a different view of the nature
of human affairs and realized that the saying was that of a wise man.
Now as for those Vandals who remained in their native land, neither
remembrance nor any name of them has been preserved to my time.[59] For
since, I suppose, they were a small number, they were either overpowered
by the neighbouring barbarians or they were mingled with them not at all
unwillingly and their name gave way to that of their conquerors. Indeed,
when the Vandals were conquered at that time by Belisarius, no thought
occurred to them to go from there to their ancestral homes. For they
were not able to convey themselves suddenly from Libya to Europe,
especially as they had no ships at hand, but paid the penalty[60] there
for all the wrongs they had done the Romans and especially the
Zacynthians. For at one time Gizeric, falling suddenly upon the towns in
the Peloponnesus, undertook to assault Taenarum. And being repulsed from
there and losing many of his followers he retired in complete disorder.
And while he was still filled with anger on account of this, he touched
at Zacynthus, and having killed many of those he met and enslaved five
hundred of the notables, he sailed away soon afterwards. And when he
reached the middle of the Adriatic Sea, as it is called, he cut into
small pieces the bodies of the five hundred and threw them all about the
sea without the least concern. But this happened in earlier times.
XXIII
But at that time Gelimer, by distributing much money to the farmers
among the Libyans and shewing great friendliness toward them, succeeded
in winning many to his side. These he commanded to kill the Romans who
went out into the country, proclaiming a fixed sum of gold for each man
killed, to be paid to him who did the deed. And they killed many from
the Roman army, not soldiers, however, but slaves and servants, who
because of a desire for money went up into the villages stealthily and
were caught. And the farmers brought their heads before Gelimer and
departed receiving their pay, while he supposed that they had slain
soldiers of the enemy.
At that time Diogenes, the aide of Belisarius, made a display of
valorous deeds. For having been sent, together with twenty-two of the
body-guards, to spy upon their opponents, he came to a place two days'
journey distant from Carthage. And the farmers of the place, being
unable to kill these men, reported to Gelimer that they were there. And
he chose out and sent against them three hundred horsemen of the
Vandals, enjoining upon them to bring all the men alive before him. For
it seemed to him a most remarkable achievement to make captive a
personal aide of Belisarius with twenty-two body-guards. Now Diogenes
and his party had entered a certain house and were sleeping in the upper
storey, having no thought of the enemy in mind, since, indeed, they had
learned that their opponents were far away. But the Vandals, coming
there at early dawn, thought it would not be to their advantage to
destroy the doors of the house or to enter it in the dark, fearing lest,
being involved in a night encounter, they might themselves destroy one
another, and at the same time, if that should happen, provide a way of
escape for a large number of the enemy in the darkness. But they did
this because cowardice had paralyzed their minds, though it would have
been possible for them with no trouble, by carrying torches or even
without these, to catch their enemies in their beds not only without
weapons, but absolutely naked besides. But as it was, they made a
phalanx in a circle about the whole house and especially at the doors,
and all took their stand there. But in the meantime it so happened that
one of the Roman soldiers was roused from sleep, and he, noticing the
noise which the Vandals made as they talked stealthily among themselves
and moved with their weapons, was able to comprehend what was being
done, and rousing each one of his comrades silently, he told them what
was going on. And they, following the opinion of Diogenes, all put on
their clothes quietly and taking up their weapons went below. There they
put the bridles on their horses and leaped upon them unperceived by
anyone. And after standing for a time by the court-yard entrance, they
suddenly opened the door there, and straightway all came out. And then
the Vandals immediately closed with them, but they accomplished nothing.
For the Romans rode hard, covering themselves with their shields and
warding off their assailants with their spears. And in this way Diogenes
escaped the enemy, losing two of his followers, but saving the rest. He
himself, however, received three blows in this encounter on the neck and
the face, from which indeed he came within a little of dying, and one
blow also on the left hand, as a result of which he was thereafter
unable to move his little finger. This, then, took place in this way.
And Belisarius offered great sums of money to the artisans engaged in
the building trade and to the general throng of workmen, and by this
means he dug a trench deserving of great admiration about the
circuit-wall, and setting stakes close together along it he made an
excellent stockade about the fortifications. And not only this, but he
built up in a short time the portions of the wall which had suffered, a
thing which seemed worthy of wonder not only to the Carthaginians, but
also to Gelimer himself at a later time. For when he came as a captive
to Carthage, he marvelled when he saw the wall and said that his own
negligence had proved the cause of all his present troubles. This, then,
was accomplished by Belisarius while in Carthage.
XXIV
But Tzazon, the brother of Gelimer, reached Sardinia with the expedition
which has been mentioned above[61] and disembarked at the harbour of
Caranalis[62]; and at the first onset he captured the city and killed
the tyrant Godas and all the fighting men about him. And when he heard
that the emperor's expedition was in the land of Libya, having as yet
learned nothing of what had been done there, he wrote to Gelimer as
follows: "Know, O King of the Vandals and Alani, that the tyrant Godas
has perished, having fallen into our hands, and that the island is again
under thy kingdom, and celebrate the festival of triumph. And as for the
enemy who have had the daring to march against our land, expect that
their attempt will come to the same fate as that experienced by those
who in former times marched against our ancestors." And those who took
this letter sailed into the harbour of Carthage with no thought of the
enemy in mind. And being brought by the guards before the general, they
put the letter into his hands and gave him information on the matters
about which he enquired, being thunderstruck at what they beheld and
awed at the suddenness of the change; however, they suffered nothing
unpleasant at the hand of Belisarius.
At this same time another event also occurred as follows. A short time
before the emperor's expedition reached Libya, Gelimer had sent envoys
into Spain, among whom were Gothaeus and Fuscias, in order to persuade
Theudis, the ruler of the Visigoths,[63] to establish an alliance with
the Vandals. And these envoys, upon disembarking on the mainland after
crossing the strait at Gadira, found Theudis in a place situated far
from the sea. And when they had come up to the place where he was,
Theudis received them with friendliness and entertained them heartily,
and during the feast he pretended to enquire how matters stood with
Gelimer and the Vandals. Now since these envoys had travelled to him
rather slowly, it happened that he had heard from others everything
which had befallen the Vandals. For one merchant ship sailing for trade
had put out from Carthage on the very same day as the army marched into
the city, and finding a favouring wind, had come to Spain. From those on
this ship Theudis learned all that had happened in Libya, but he forbade
the merchants to reveal it to anyone, in order that this might not
become generally known. And when Gothaeus and his followers replied that
everything was as well as possible for them, he asked them for what
purpose, then, they had come. And when they proposed the alliance,
Theudis bade them go to the sea-coast; "For from there," he said, "you
will learn of the affairs at home with certainty." And the envoys,
supposing that the man was in his cups and his words were not sane,
remained silent. But when on the following day they met him and made
mention of the alliance, and Theudis used the same words a second time,
then at length they understood that some change of fortune had befallen
them in Libya, but never once thinking of Carthage they sailed for the
city. And upon coming to land close by it and happening upon Roman
soldiers, they put themselves in their hands to do with them as they
wished. And from there they were led away to the general, and reporting
the whole story, they suffered no harm at his hand. These things, then,
happened thus. And Cyril,[64] upon coming near to Sardinia and learning
what had happened to Godas, sailed to Carthage, and there, finding the
Roman army and Belisarius victorious, he remained at rest; and
Solomon[65] was sent to the emperor in order to announce what had been
accomplished.
XXV
But Gelimer, upon reaching the plain of Boulla, which is distant from
Carthage a journey of four days for an unencumbered traveller, not far
from the boundaries of Numidia, began to gather there all the Vandals
and as many of the Moors as happened to be friendly to him. Few Moors,
however, joined his alliance, and these were altogether insubordinate.
For all those who ruled over the Moors in Mauretania and Numidia and
Byzacium sent envoys to Belisarius saying that they were slaves of the
emperor and promised to fight with him. There were some also who even
furnished their children as hostages and requested that the symbols of
office be sent them from him according to the ancient custom. For it was
a law among the Moors that no one should be a ruler over them, even if
he was hostile to the Romans, until the emperor of the Romans should
give him the tokens of the office. And though they had already received
them from the Vandals, they did not consider that the Vandals held the
office securely. Now these symbols are a staff of silver covered with
gold, and a silver cap,--not covering the whole head, but like a crown
and held in place on all sides by bands of silver,--a kind of white
cloak gathered by a golden brooch on the right shoulder in the form of a
Thessalian cape, and a white tunic with embroidery, and a gilded boot.
And Belisarius sent these things to them, and presented each one of them
with much money. However, they did not come to fight along with him,
nor, on the other hand, did they dare give their support to the Vandals,
but standing out of the way of both contestants, they waited to see what
would be the outcome of the war. Thus, then, matters stood with the
Romans.
But Gelimer sent one of the Vandals to Sardinia with a letter to his
brother Tzazon. And he went quickly to the coast, and finding by chance
a merchant-ship putting out to sea, he sailed into the harbour of
Caranalis and put the letter into the hands of Tzazon. Now the message
of the letter was as follows:
"It was not, I venture to think, Godas who caused the island to revolt
from us, but some curse of madness sent from Heaven which fell upon the
Vandals. For by depriving us of you and the notables of the Vandals, it
has seized and carried off from the house of Gizeric absolutely all the
blessings which we enjoyed. For it was not to recover the island for us
that you sailed from here, but in order that Justinian might be master
of Libya. For that which Fortune had decided upon previously it is now
possible to know from the outcome. Belisarius, then, has come against us
with a small army, but valour straightway departed and fled from the
Vandals, taking good fortune with her. For Ammatas and Gibamundus have
fallen, because the Vandals lost their courage, and the horses and
shipyards and all Libya and, not least of all, Carthage itself, are held
already by the enemy. And the Vandals are sitting here, having paid with
their children and wives and all their possessions for their failure to
play the part of brave men in battle, and to us is left only the plain
of Boulla, where our hope in you has set us down and still keeps us. But
do you have done with such matters as rebel tyrants and Sardinia and the
cares concerning these things, and come to us with your whole force as
quickly as possible. For when men find the very heart and centre of all
in danger, it is not advisable for them to consider minutely other
matters. And struggling hereafter in common against the enemy, we shall
either recover our previous fortune, or gain the advantage of not
bearing apart from each other the hard fate sent by Heaven."
When this letter had been brought to Tzazon, and he had disclosed its
contents to the Vandals, they turned to wailing and lamentation, not
openly, however, but concealing their feelings as much as possible and
avoiding the notice of the islanders, silently among themselves they
bewailed the fate which was upon them. And straightway setting in order
matters in hand just as chance directed, they manned the ships. And
sailing from there with the whole fleet, on the third day they came to
land at the point of Libya which marks the boundary between the
Numidians and Mauretanians. And they reached the plain of Boulla
travelling on foot, and there joined with the rest of the army. And in
that place there were many most pitiable scenes among the Vandals, which
I, at least, could never relate as they deserve. For I think that even
if one of the enemy themselves had happened to be a spectator at that
time, he would probably have felt pity, in spite of himself, for the
Vandals and for human fortune. For Gelimer and Tzazon threw their arms
about each other's necks, and could not let go, but they spoke not a
word to each other, but kept wringing their hands and weeping, and each
one of the Vandals with Gelimer embraced one of those who had come from
Sardinia, and did the same thing. And they stood for a long time as if
grown together and found such comfort as they could in this, and neither
did the men of Gelimer think fit to ask about Godas (for their present
fortune had prostrated them and caused them to reckon such things as had
previously seemed to them most important with those which were now
utterly negligible), nor could those who came from Sardinia bring
themselves to ask about what had happened in Libya. For the place was
sufficient to permit them to judge of what had come to pass. And indeed
they did not make any mention even of their own wives and children,
knowing well that whoever of theirs was not there had either died or
fallen into the hands of the enemy. Thus, then, did these things happen.
FOOTNOTES:
[1]
Cadiz.
[2]
Sea of Azov.
[3]
Abila.
[4]
Or Septem Fratres.
[5]
Most ancient geographers divided the inhabited world into three
continents, but some made two divisions. It was a debated question with
these latter whether Africa belonged to Asia or to Europe; of. Sallust,
_Jugurtha_, 17.
[6]
Kadi Keui.
[7]
More correctly Hydrous, Lat. Hydruntum (Otranto).
[8]
At Aulon (Avlona).
[9]
Adding these four days to the other items (285, 22, 40), the total is
351 days.
[10]
Calpe (Gibraltar).
[11]
_i.e._, instead of stopping at Otranto, one might also reckon in the
coast-line around the Adriatic to Dyrrachium.
[12]
About twenty-four English miles.
[13]
Iviza.
[14]
"Black-cloaks."
[15]
Belgrade.
[16]
Mitrovitz.
[17]
In Illyricum.
[18]
He ascended the throne at the age of seven.
[19]
That is, the actual occupant could enter a demurrer to the former
owner's action for recovery, citing his own occupancy for thirty years
or more. The new law extended the period during which the ousted
proprietor could recover possession, by admitting no demurrer from the
occupant so far as the years were concerned during which the Vandals
should be in possession of the country.
[20]
This is an error; he really ruled only eighteen months.
[21]
Geiseric, Gaiseric, less properly Genseric.
[22]
Now corrupted to Bona.
[23]
Emperor in Gaul, Britain and Spain 383-388. Aspiring to be Emperor of
the West, he invaded Italy, was defeated by Theodosius, and put to
death.
[24]
This is an error, for Attila died before Aetius.
[25]
Including the famous treasure which Titus had brought from Jerusalem,
cf. IV. ix. 5.
[26]
Domitian had spent 12,000 talents (£2,400,000) on the gilding alone;
Plutarch, _Publ._ 15.
[27]
_i.e._ "leaders of a thousand."
[28]
130,000 Roman pounds; cf. Book I. xxii. 4. The modern equivalent is
unknown.
[29]
Placidia's sister, Eudocia, was wife of Honoric, Gizeric's son.
[30]
See chap. iv. 27.
[31]
_i.e._ "wisdom."
[32]
Jebel Auress.
[33]
_i.e._ to what sect or religion they belonged.
[34]
Cf. Book IV. xi. 17 ff.
[35]