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Master, we obey your commands and we do not oppose them, but it is just for you to consider both the length of the journey and the expanses of the sea, and the journey over land having a distance of 140 days, and the uncertainty of victory, and the pain of defeat, and the uselessness of regret." And the emperor, accepting the argument, checked his eagerness for the war. But a certain bishop of the East encouraged the emperor, saying that a dream from God had come to him, bidding him to go to the emperor and ask him to rescue the Christians in Libya from the tyrants. "And I will help him, and I will make him lord of Libya." When the emperor heard these things, he was no longer able to restrain his intention, but he armed both the army and the ships, and prepared arms and provisions. And he commanded Belisarius to be in a state of readiness, as one who was to be general in Libya. And Pudentius immediately 189 having set himself up as tyrant, seized Tripolis and wrote to Justinian to send an army and take it over. Likewise also Godas the Goth, having set himself up as tyrant against his own master Gelimer, seized the island of Sardinia and wrote to Justinian, that he might send an army and a general and take over the island; who also sent Cyril with four hundred men to his aid. But Gelimer, sending his brother with a large fleet and a select part of the army of the Vandals, took it over and killed Godas. And Belisarius took over the army and the fleet and the commanders, Solomon the general and Dorotheus of Armenia, and Cyprian and Valerian and Martin and Alphias and John and Marcellus and Cyril, whom I mentioned before, and many others who inhabited Thrace. And Heruli followed them, of whom Pharas was commander, one thousand, and Massagetae horse-archers, whom Sisinnios and Balas led. And there were 500 ships, each holding fifty thousand medimni. And thirty thousand sailors, both Egyptians and Ionians and Cilicians. And one commander over the ships, Calonymus of Alexandria. And there were also ninety dromons for naval battle. And as general with full powers over all, the emperor appointed Belisarius. And Belisarius had set out from Germania, which lies between the lands of the Thracians and the Illyrians. And there was brought along with him also Antonina, his own wife. But Gelimer sent his brother Tzazon with 120 ships and a chosen army to the island of Sardinia against Godas. And it was the seventh year of Justinian when Belisarius was sent to the island. And with him was also Procopius the historian. And setting sail from the queen of cities, they came to Abydus. And Belisarius took care, that the entire fleet might sail together and might come to anchor at the same place. And having reached Sicily, he sent Procopius 190 the historian to Syracuse, if somehow he might find some men who would guide him to Libya to land unexpectedly on the shore and to lead out the people, fearing a naval battle. And he himself, having set the fleet in motion, put in at the place Caucana, two hundred stades distant from Syracuse. And Procopius, having entered Syracuse, both bought provisions from Amalasuntha, the wife of Theoderic, and mother of Atalaric, king of Italy, who were on friendly terms with Justinian; and he unexpectedly also met a man, who was a friend of his from childhood, and experienced in the regions of Libya and its sea, who had arrived from Carthage the third day * before. And he affirmed that they were entirely without concern and did not suspect that anyone was marching against them, so that Gelimer was encamped four stages away from the sea. So Procopius, taking this man, brought him to Belisarius at Caucana. Belisarius, having learned these things, on the third day put in to the coast of Libya at a place which they call Head of the Shoals. And disembarking from the ships, having made both a palisade and a deep trench, they encamped in a single day, where there was also much water

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δέσποτα, τοῖς σοῖς προστάγμασι πειθόμεθα καὶ οὐκ ἀντιτείνομεν ἀλλὰ δίκαιόν ἐστι λογίσασθαί σε τό τε τῆς ὁδοῦ μῆκος καὶ τὰ τῆς θαλάσσης πελάγη, καὶ τὸ διὰ ξηρᾶς ρμʹ ἡμερῶν ὁδοῦ διάστημα ἔχον, καὶ τῆς νίκης τὸ ἄδηλον, καὶ τῆς ἥττης τὸ ἐπώδυνον, καὶ τῆς μεταμελείας τὸ ἀνόνητον." ἀποδεξάμενος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν λόγον τὴν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον προθυμίαν κατέπαυσεν. ἐπίσκοπος δέ τις τῆς ἑώας τὸν βασιλέα ἀνεπτέρωσε λέγων ἐκ θεοῦ ἐπισκῆψαι αὐτῷ ὄναρ κελεῦον αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα γενέσθαι καὶ αἰτήσασθαι αὐτὸν τοὺς ἐν Λιβύῃ Χριστιανοὺς ῥύσασθαι ἐκ τῶν τυράννων. "κἀγὼ αὐτῷ συλλήψομαι, καὶ Λιβύης κύριον θήσομαι." ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας κατέχειν τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκέτι ἠδύνατο, ἀλλὰ τήν τε στρατιὰν καὶ τὰς ναῦς ἐξώπλιζεν, ὅπλα τε καὶ σιτία ἡτοίμαζεν. καὶ Βελισάριον ἐμπαράσκευον ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι ὡς ἐν Λιβύῃ στρατηγήσοντα. Πουδέντιος δὲ εὐθὺς 189 τυραννήσας Τρίπολιν ἐκράτησε καὶ τῷ Ἰουστινιανῷ ἔγραψε πέμψαι στρατὸν καὶ ταύτην παραλαβεῖν. ὁμοίως καὶ Γόδδας ὁ Γότθος τυραννήσας κατὰ τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου Γελίμερος Σαρδανίαν τὴν νῆσον ἐκράτησε καὶ πρὸς Ἰουστινιανὸν ἔγραψεν, ὅπως πέμψῃ στρατὸν καὶ στρατηγὸν καὶ παραλάβῃ τὴν νῆσον· ὃς καὶ ἀπέστειλε Κύριλλον μετὰ τετρακοσίων ἀνδρῶν πρὸς βοήθειαν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Γελίμερ ἀποστείλας τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μετὰ στόλου πολλοῦ καὶ ἐπιλογῆς καὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ τῶν Οὐανδήλων, ταύτην παρέλαβε καὶ τὸν Γόδδαν ἀνεῖλεν. Βελισάριος δὲ παρέλαβε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ τὸν στόλον καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, Σολόμωνά τε τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ ∆ωρόθεον, τὸν τῆς Ἀρμενίας, καὶ Κυπριανὸν καὶ Βαλεριανὸν καὶ Μαρτῖνον καὶ Ἀλφίαν καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Μάρκελλον καὶ Κύριλλον, οὗ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλοὺς τῶν Θρᾴκην οἰκούντων. εἵποντο δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἐλοῦροι, ὧν Φάρας ἦρχεν, χίλιοι, καὶ Μασσαγέται ἱπποτοξόται, ὧν ἡγοῦντο Σισίννιός τε καὶ Βάλας. ναῦς δὲ ὑπῆρχον φʹ ἀνὰ μυριάδας πέντε μεδίμνων χωροῦσαι. ναῦται δὲ τρισμύριοι Αἰγύπτιοί τε καὶ Ἴωνες καὶ Κίλικες. ἀρχηγὸς δὲ εἷς ἐπὶ ταῖς ναυσὶ Καλώνυμος Ἀλεξανδρεύς. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ δρόμωνες διὰ ναυμαχίαν ἐνενήκοντα. στρατηγὸν δὲ αὐτοκράτορα ἐφ' ἅπασι Βελισάριον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔστησεν. ὥρμητο δὲ ὁ Βελισάριος ἐκ Γερμανίας, ἣ Θρᾳκῶν τε καὶ Ἰλλυριῶν μεταξὺ κεῖται. συνεπεφέρετο δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἀντωνῖναν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γαμετήν. ὁ δὲ Γελίμερ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὸν Τζάτζωνα σὺν ρκʹ ναυσὶ καὶ στρατὸν ἐκλελεγμένον ἐν Σάρδῳ τῇ νήσῳ κατὰ Γόδδα ἀπέστειλεν. ἕβδομον δὲ ἦν ἔτος Ἰουστινιανοῦ ὅτε ὁ Βελισάριος ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἐστάλη. συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Προκόπιος ὁ συγγραφεύς. ἀπάραντες δὲ τῆς βασιλίδος πόλεως ἦλθον ἐν Ἀβύδῳ. Βελισάριος δὲ ἐφρόντιζεν, ὅπως ὁ σύμπας στόλος ἅμα πλέοι καὶ εἰς χωρίον τὸ αὐτὸ προσορμίζοιτο. καταλαβὼν δὲ τὴν Σικελίαν ἀπέστειλε Προκόπιον 190 τὸν συγγραφέα εἰς τὴν Συράκουσαν, εἴπως εὕροι τινὰς ὁδηγήσοντας αὐτὸν εἰς Λιβύην ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου προσορμίσασθαι τῇ γῇ καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐξαγαγεῖν δεδιότα τὴν ναυμαχίαν. αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν στόλον ἀράμενος εἰς Καύκανα τὸ χωρίον προσώρμισεν, διακοσίοις σταδίοις τῆς Συρακούσης ἀπέχον. Προκόπιος δὲ ἐν Συρακούσῃ εἰσελθὼν τροφάς τε ὠνήσατο παρὰ Ἀμαλασούνθας, τῆς γυναικὸς Θευδερίχου, μητρὸς δὲ Ἀταλαρίχου, βασιλέως Ἰταλίας, φιλίαν πρὸς Ἰουστινιανὸν ἐχόντων· ἐπέτυχέ τε παραδόξως καὶ ἀνδρός, φίλου μὲν αὐτῷ ὑπάρχοντος ἐκ παιδός, πεπειραμένου δὲ τῶν τῆς Λιβύης τόπων καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, τρίτην * ἔχοντος ἡμέραν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος ἀφικομένου. καὶ διεβεβαιοῦτο πᾶσαν ἀμεριμνίαν ἔχειν αὐτοὺς καὶ μὴ ὑποπτεύειν τινὰ κατ' αὐτῶν στρατεύεσθαι, ὥστε ἀπὸ τεσσάρων μονῶν τῆς θαλάσσης τὸν Γελίμερα αὐλίζεσθαι. τοῦτον οὖν λαβὼν Προκόπιος εἰς Καύκανα πρὸς Βελισάριον ἀπήγαγεν. ταῦτα μαθὼν Βελισάριος τῇ τῆς Λιβύης ἀκτῇ τριταῖος προσώρμισεν εἰς χωρίον, ὃ Κεφαλὴν Βράχους καλοῦσιν. ἀποβάντες δὲ τῶν νηῶν χάρακά τε καὶ τάφρον βαθεῖαν ποιήσαντες ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ, ἔνθα καὶ ὕδατος πολύ