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having surrendered to the besiegers with his companions, he was led to Belisarius, and he laughed as he was brought in to him, so that to those who saw him he seemed to be out of his mind because of the extremity of his suffering. But what was happening was something different. For considering from what fortune into what fortune he had come, and having judged human affairs to be worthy of laughter, he laughed at these things. Belisarius guarded both him and the leaders of the Vandals with honor, to be brought to the emperor. He had also taken Sicily and Sardinia, which is also an island, and he brought under his control the regions as far as Gades, 164 and so he returned to Byzantium and was deemed worthy of great honor by the emperor, leading Gelimer himself with his wife and children and relatives and his entire household. Then he also celebrated a triumph for the victory, with a horse race being held in the hippodrome, with the ruler himself, as was the custom, presiding, and the senate and all the people being present. And the general-in-chief came forth from the starting-gates of the horses, holding by the hand the purple robe of Gelimer who was following; and with him marched also the generals of the divisions and commanders of regiments and captains and the relatives of Gelimer. And having already arrived before the ruler, Belisarius persuades Gelimer to cast himself to the ground and thus pay obeisance to the emperor. And he did what was commanded, pouring forth tears. And Belisarius himself also prostrated himself, showing Gelimer that he was not required to do this as a captive, but that it was the custom for the emperors of the Romans to be venerated in this way, and as it were lightening his misfortune for him. And when Gelimer had paid equal obeisance 165 to the empress, a splendid lodging and a royal retinue prepared for him received him. And after some days, when a horse race was again held in the hippodrome, the spoils of the war, carried through the middle of the city, were brought into the stadium, javelins and thrones and covered litters for women, all made of gold and adorned with precious stones, and a couch of the same kind and gold-embroidered carpets and vessels that served the tables, some wrought from gold, others made from silver, and drinking-cups of gold and set with jewels and purple garments and similar robes and royal crowns and women's ornaments set with gems and pearls and many other things almost exceeding number, and on top of all, seven chests full of gold and books of the divine gospels, gleaming all over with gold and decorated with all kinds of stones. Such, then, were the things of the triumph. And Belisarius was also deemed worthy of the consulship. And now that the war of the Vandals had been brought to an end, he is sent by the emperor to Rome, to subdue for him both it 166 and all of Italy, which was held by the Goths, of whom Theodatus was the leader. When Theodatus learned this, he sends Agapetus the great high priest of Rome, a divine man, to the emperor as an ambassador. And he, having arrived at Byzantium and met with Justinian, first discusses God and the faith in him and brought under accusation the elevation of Anthimus to the throne of New Rome, both because he had been uncanonically transferred from Trapezus, which happens to be the metropolis of the cities situated on the Polemonian Pontus, to Constantinople, and because he also shared in the heresy of Severus. But the emperor, having deemed Anthimus worthy of the high-priestly see of Constantinople at the empress's urging, held to his own action. But as the divine Agapetus still insisted, he even threatened him, saying he was master to do what he wished. But when the high priest laughed at the threatening emperor and replied that he would gladly receive the slaughter and be blessed, if he should be deemed worthy of such an end, the emperor was ashamed and, 167 having changed his mind, he puts the matter under investigation. And some of the high priests indeed spoke against Agapetus, the pope of Rome, to gratify the empress, from whom also

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παραδοὺς τοῖς πολιορκοῦσι μετὰ τῶν συνόντων ἤχθη πρὸς Βελισάριον, καὶ ἐγέλα πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσαγόμενος, ὡς τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐξεστηκέναι δοκεῖν αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν τοῦ πάθους ὑπερβολήν. ἦν δ' ἑτεροῖόν τι τὸ γινόμενον. ἀναλογιζόμενος γὰρ εἰς οἵαν τύχην ἐξ οἵας κατήντησε καὶ γέλωτος ἄξια κεκρικὼς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, ἐγέλα ταῦτα. Βελισάριος δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς τῶν Οὐανδήλων ἄρχοντας ἐντίμως ἐφύλασσε, κομισθησομένους τῷ βασιλεῖ. παρειλήφει δὲ καὶ Σικελίαν καὶ τὴν Σαρδώ, νῆσος δὲ καὶ αὕτη, καὶ τὰ μέχρι Γαδείρων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο, 164 καὶ οὕτως ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον καὶ τιμῆς μεγάλης παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἠξίωτο, ἄγων αὐτόν τε τὸν Γελίμερα σὺν γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις καὶ συγγενέσι καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν θεραπείαν αὐτοῦ. εἶτα καὶ θρίαμβον ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ κατήγαγε, τελουμένης ἁμίλλης ἵππων ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ κρατοῦντος, ὡς ἔθος, προκαθημένου καὶ τῆς γερουσίας παρούσης καὶ τοῦ δήμου παντός. καὶ προῄει μὲν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἵππων ἀφετηρίας ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς πορφυρίδος τοῦ Γελίμερος παρεπομένου ἐχόμενος τῇ χειρί· συμπαρωμάρτουν δ' αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ τῶν τάξεων στρατηγοὶ καὶ ταγματάρχαι καὶ λοχαγοὶ καὶ οἱ τοῦ Γελίμερος συγγενεῖς. ἤδη δ' ἐφθακὼς ἔναντι τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὁ Βελισάριος πείθει τὸν Γελίμερα εἰς τοὔδαφος καταβαλεῖν ἑαυτὸν καὶ οὕτως ἀπονεῖμαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν προσκύνησιν. ὁ δ' ἐποίει τὸ προσταττόμενον, καταχεόμενος δάκρυσι. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Βελισάριος προσούδισεν ἑαυτόν, ἐνδεικνύμενος τῷ Γελίμερι ὅτι οὐχ ὡς αἰχμάλωτος ἐκεῖνος τοῦτο ποιῆσαι ἀπῄτητο, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὕτω νενόμισται προσκυνεῖσθαι τῶν Ῥωμαίων τοὺς βασιλεῖς, καὶ οἱονεὶ κουφίζων αὐτῷ τὸ δυστύχημα. καὶ τὴν ἴσην δὲ τῇ βασιλίσσῃ προσκύ165 νησιν ἀπονείμαντα τὸν Γελίμερα καταγωγὴ δέχεται λαμπρὰ καὶ θεραπεία βασιλικὴ προετοιμασθεῖσα αὐτῷ. μεθ' ἡμέρας δέ τινας αὖθις ἱππηλασίας ἀγομένης κατὰ τὸ θέατρον, τὰ λάφυρα τοῦ πολέμου διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως κομιζόμενα εἰσήγοντο εἰς τὸ στάδιον, ἀκόντια καὶ θρόνοι καὶ φορεῖα καταστεγῆ γυναικεῖα, χρυσοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποιημένα καὶ λίθοις τιμαλφέσιν ἐπικοσμούμενα, καὶ κλίνη ὁμοία καὶ χρυσόπαστοι τάπητες καὶ σκεύη τὰ ταῖς τραπέζαις ὑπηρετούμενα, τὰ μὲν ἐκ χρυσοῦ εἰργασμένα, τὰ δ' ἐξ ἀργύρου πεποιημένα, καὶ ἐκπώματα χρύσεά τε καὶ λιθοκόλλητα καὶ ἁλουργεῖς ἐσθῆτες καὶ πέπλοι παρόμοιοι καὶ βασίλειοι στέφανοι καὶ κόσμοι γυναικῶν διάλιθοί τε καὶ περιμάργαροι καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα καὶ ἀριθμὸν σχεδὸν ὑπερβαίνοντα, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι λάρνακες ἑπτὰ χρυσίου μεσταὶ καὶ βίβλοι τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων, χρυσῷ περιλαμπόμεναι πάντοθεν καὶ λίθων παντοίοις γένεσι ποικιλλόμεναι. τὰ μὲν οὖν τοῦ θριάμβου ἦσαν ἐν τούτοις. Βελισάριος δὲ καὶ ὑπατείας ἠξίωτο. Ἤδη δὲ τοῦ τῶν Οὐανδήλων πολέμου καταλυθέντος στέλλεται παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς Ῥώμην, ταύτην τε καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῷ 166 τὴν Ἰταλίαν παραστησόμενος, ὑπὸ Γότθων κατεχομένην, ὧν Θευδάτος ἦν ἡγεμών. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Θευδάτος Ἀγαπητὸν τὸν Ῥώμης μέγαν ἀρχιερέα, ἄνδρα θεσπέσιον, στέλλει τῷ βασιλεῖ πρεσβευσόμενον. ὁ δὲ καταλαβὼν τὸ Βυζάντιον καὶ τῷ Ἰουστινιανῷ ἐντυχὼν πρῶτον περὶ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν διαλέγεται πίστεως καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸν θρόνον τῆς νέας Ῥώμης ἀναγωγὴν Ἀνθίμου ὑπ' αἰτίαν πεποίητο, ὅτι τε μὴ κανονικῶς ἐκ Τραπεζοῦντος, ἣ τῶν εἰς τὸν Πολεμωνιακὸν πόντον κειμένων πόλεων τυγχάνει μητρόπολις, εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν μετήνεκτο, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τῆς Σευήρου κακοδοξίας μετέσχηκεν. ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ σπουδῇ τῆς βασιλίδος τὸν Ἄνθιμον τῆς ἀρχιερατικῆς ἀξιώσας καθέδρας τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, τῆς οἰκείας ἀντείχετο πράξεως. ἐνισταμένου δ' ἔτι τοῦ θείου Ἀγαπητοῦ, καὶ ἠπείλει αὐτῷ, κύριος εἶναι λέγων πράττειν ὃ βούλοιτο. ὡς δ' ἐπεγέλα ἀπειλοῦντι τῷ βασιλεῖ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ἡδέως ἂν δέξασθαι τὴν σφαγὴν ἀντεπῆγε καὶ μακάριος εἶναι, εἰ τοιούτου τέλους ἀξιωθείη, ᾐδέσθη ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ μετα167 βαλὼν ὑπὸ ζήτησιν τὴν πρᾶξιν καθίστησι. καὶ ἀντεῖπον μέν τινες τῶν ἀρχιερέων τῷ πάπᾳ Ῥώμης Ἀγαπητῷ, τῇ βασιλίσσῃ χαριζόμενοι, παρ' ἧς καὶ