Since I wrote this--a few days ago--new and important tidings have come
from Africa. Great changes have taken place there, which perhaps may
force the vacillating Emperor to go to war. What our statecraft had
striven in the most eager and crafty manner to prevent has already
happened in spite of this effort, perhaps in consequence of it. Gelimer
is King of the Vandals!
The archdeacon Verus--all names can be mentioned now--had really spun
webs against, not for us. He betrayed everything to Gelimer! Pudentius
of Tripolis, who was secretly living in Carthage, was to have been
seized; Verus had betrayed his hiding-place. It is remarkable, by the
way, that Pudentius hastily fled from the city a short time before, on
the priest's swiftest horse.
That same day a mysterious event occurred in the palace, of which
nothing is known definitely except the result--for Gelimer is King of
the Vandals; but the connection, the causes, are very differently told.
Some say that Gelimer wanted to murder the King, others that the King
tried to kill Gelimer. Others again whisper--so Pudentius writes--of a
secret warning which reached the King: a stranger informed him by
letter that Gelimer meant to murder him at their next private
interview. The sovereign, to convince himself, must instantly summon
him to one; the assassin would either refuse to come, from fear
awakened by an evil conscience, or he would appear--contrary to the
strict prohibition of court laws--secretly armed. Hilderic must provide
himself with a coat of mail and a dagger, and have help close at hand.
The King obeyed this counsel.
It is certain that he summoned Gelimer on the evening of that very day
to an interview in his bedroom on the ground-floor of the palace.
Gelimer came. The King embraced him, and in doing so, discovered the
armor under his robe and called for help. The ruler's two nephews,
Hoamer and Euages, rushed with drawn swords from the next room to kill
the assassin. But at the same moment Gelimer's two brothers, whom Verus
had concealed amid the shrubbery in the garden, sprang through the low
windows of the ground-floor. The King and Euages were disarmed and
taken prisoners; Hoamer escaped. Hastening into the courtyard of the
Capitol, he called the Vandals to arms to rescue their King, who had
been murderously attacked by Gelimer. The Barbarians hesitated:
Hilderic was unpopular, Gelimer a great favorite, and the people did
not believe him capable of such a crime. The latter now appeared, gave
the lie to his accuser, and charged Hilderic and his nephews with the
attempt at assassination. To decide the question he challenged Hoamer
to single combat in the presence of the whole populace, and killed him
at the first blow.
The Vandals tumultuously applauded him, at once declared Hilderic
deposed, and proclaimed Gelimer, who was the legal heir, their King. It
was with the utmost difficulty that his intercession saved the lives of
the two captives. Verus is said to have been made prothonotary and
chancellor, Gelimer's chief councillor, since he saved his life! We
know better, we who were betrayed, how this priest earned his reward at
our expense.
But I believe that this change of ruler will compel the war. It is now
a point of honor with Justinian to save or avenge his dethroned and
imprisoned friend. I have already composed a wonderful letter to the
"Tyrant" Gelimer which closes thus: "So, contrary to justice and duty,
you are keeping your cousin, the rightful King of the Vandals, in
chains, and robbing him of the crown. Replace him on the throne, or
know that we will march against you, and in so doing (this sentence the
Emperor of the Pandects dictated word for word)--in so doing we shall
not break the compact of perpetual peace formerly concluded with
Genseric, for we shall not be fighting against Genseric's lawful
successor, but to avenge him." Note the legal subtlety. The Emperor is
more proud of that sentence than Belisarius of his great Persian
victory at Dara. If this Gelimer should actually do what we ask, the
avengers of justice would be most horribly embarrassed. For we _desire_
this war; that is, we wanted Africa long before the occurrence of the
crime which we shall march to avenge--unless we prefer, with wise
economy and caution, to remain at home.
* * * * *
We have received the Vandal's answer. A right royal reply for a
Barbarian and tyrant. "The sovereign Gelimer to the sovereign Justinian
"--he uses the same word, "Basileus," for Emperor and for King, the
bold soldier.
"I did not seize the sceptre by violence, nor have I committed any
crime against my kindred. But the Vandal people deposed Hilderic
because he himself was planning evil against the Asding race, against
the rightful heir to the throne, against our kingdom. The law of
succession summoned me, as the oldest of the Asding family after
Hilderic, to the empty throne.
"He is a praiseworthy ruler, O Justinianus, who wisely governs his own
kingdom and does not interfere with foreign states. If you break the
peace guarded by sacred oaths, and attack us, we shall manfully defend
ourselves, and appeal to God, who punishes perjury and wrong."
Good! I like you. King Gelimer! I am glad to have our Emperor of
lawyers told that he must not blow what is not burning him: a proverb
which to me seems a tolerably fair embodiment of all legal wisdom.
True, I have my own thoughts concerning the divine punishment of all
earthly injustice.
The Barbarian's letter has highly incensed Justinian, another proof
that the Barbarian is right. But I believe we shall put this answer in
our pockets just as quietly as we returned to its sheath the sword we
had already drawn. The Emperor inveighs loudly against the Tyrant, but
the army shouts still more loudly that it will not fight. And the
Empress--is silent.