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94

to have been said in Carthage, that the gamma would pursue the beta, and again the beta would pursue the gamma; and now it has been fulfilled. For formerly Gizerich drove out Boniface, but now Belisarius Gelimer. And Gelimer, offering much money to the Libyan farmers, won them over to himself and commanded them to kill the Romans who were going about the countryside. When the farmers did this, Belisarius, having learned of it, sent Diogenes, one of his bodyguards, to punish the farmers. And Diogenes, having entered a house together with those with him, was sleeping, expecting nothing hostile; Gelimer, learning this, selected three hundred men and sent them against him. And when they arrived, they surrounded the house, fearing to enter during the night. But the Romans, perceiving this, arose, armed themselves and mounted their horses, being twenty in number, and suddenly opened the doors, and having fenced themselves with their shields and defending themselves with their spears, they put their adversaries to flight. And Gelimer, having come into 195 Numidia, gathered together all the Vandals and as many of the Maurousians as were friendly to him and prepared for war. And he also sent letters to Tzatzon, his own brother, in Sardinia, making clear the things that had happened to him; who, immediately setting out with all his people from Sardinia, reached the coast of Libya on the third day and found Gelimer. And they, embracing each other's necks, yet spoke nothing to each other; but clasping their hands, they wept; likewise also the army lamented the disaster. And Gelimer, taking both armies, advanced upon Carthage and attempted to besiege it, thinking that those in Carthage would betray the city to him, as well as the Roman soldiers who practiced the doctrine of Arius. And sending also to the leaders of the Huns, he promised to give them many good things, if they would betray the Romans to him. But Belisarius, learning these things from deserters and finding a certain Laurentius in Carthage to be a traitor, had him impaled on a hill before the city, and because of this, great fear fell upon those who had planned treason, so that the Massagetae confessed the things that had been revealed to them by Gelimer. And when Belisarius had won all over to his friendship with persuasive speech and oaths, he immediately commanded John the Armenian to take all the horsemen except for five hundred and to go out and skirmish with the Vandals. And on the next day, he himself followed with the foot soldiers and the five hundred horsemen. And finding the Vandals encamped at Tricamarum, they remained the night near each other. And it happened that a portent occurred in the Roman army; for the tips of the spears were lit up with a great fire. Seeing this, they were astonished; and having formed up their lines at dawn, both sides rushed to battle. And John, selecting a few of those around him, crossed the river and charged the Vandals. But Tzatzon, making a push, pursued 196 him. And the Vandals, pursuing, came as far as the river. And again John, taking more of Belisarius's guards, rushed against Tzatzon with a great shout and clash. Then a fierce battle ensued, and Tzatzon, the brother of Gelimer, fell. Then indeed the entire Roman army, crossing the river, advanced against the enemy, and putting them to flight, pursued them as far as their camp; and turning back, they stripped the dead, especially those who were wearing gold, and withdrew to their own camp. And in this battle fifty Romans died, but eight hundred Vandals. And Belisarius, arriving with the foot soldiers late in the afternoon, set out with all speed with the entire army and went to the camp of the Vandals. And Gelimer, realizing that Belisarius was present with the foot soldiers and the entire army, mounted his horse, and without giving any orders, fled in disorder to Numidia with a few of his kinsmen and servants, being utterly terrified. Since

94

ἐν Καρχηδόνι εἰρῆσθαι, ὡς τὸ γάμμα διώξει τὸ βῆτα, καὶ πάλιν τὸ βῆτα διώξει τὸ γάμμα· νυνὶ δὲ τετέλεσται. πρότερον γὰρ Γιζέριχος Βονιφάτιον ἐξεδίωξεν, νῦν δὲ Βελισάριος Γελίμερα. Γελίμερ δὲ χρήματα πολλὰ τοῖς γεωργοῖς Λιβύων προιέμενος πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὑπηγάγετο καὶ ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς Ῥωμαίων τοὺς εἰς τὰ χωρία περιόντας κτείνειν. τοῦτο δὲ ποιησάντων τῶν γεωργῶν, μαθὼν ὁ Βελισάριος ἀποστέλλει ∆ιογένην, ἕνα τῶν αὐτοῦ δορυφόρων, αἰκίσασθαι τοὺς γεωργούς. ὁ δὲ ∆ιογένης ἅμα τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ εἰς οἰκίαν εἰσελθὼν ἐκάθευδε μηδὲν πολέμιον ἐννοούμενος· τοῦτο μαθὼν Γελίμερ τριακοσίους ἐπιλεξάμενος ἀποστέλλει κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἐλθόντες δὲ περιεκύκλωσαν τὴν οἰκίαν δεδιότες εἰσελθεῖν τὴν νύκτα. οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι αἰσθόμενοι, ἀναστάντες καὶ ὁπλισάμενοι τοῖς ἵπποις τε ἐπιβάντες, εἴκοσι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες ἀνοίγουσιν ἐξαπίνης τὰς θύρας καὶ ταῖς ἀσπίσι περιφραξάμενοι καὶ τοῖς δόρασιν ἀμυνόμενοι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐτρέψαντο. Γελίμερ δὲ ἐν 195 Νουμιδίᾳ γενόμενος Οὐανδήλους πάντας συνήγαγε καὶ ὅσους προσφιλεῖς εἶχε τῶν Μαυρουσίων καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον εὐτρεπίζετο. ἀπέστειλε δὲ καὶ γράμματα ἐν Σαρδανίᾳ πρὸς Τζάτζωνα, τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφόν, τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ δηλοποιῶν· ὃς ἀπάρας εὐθὺς μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ Σαρδανίας εἰς τὴν Λιβύης ἀκτὴν τριταῖος κατέλαβε καὶ εὗρε τὸν Γελίμερα. οἳ καὶ περιπλακέντες ἀλλήλων τῷ τραχήλῳ οὐδὲν μέντοι εἰς ἀλλήλους ἐφθέγγοντο· ἀλλὰ τὼ χεῖρε σφίγγοντες ἔκλαιον· ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ στρατὸς τὴν συμφορὰν ἀπωδύροντο. ὁ δὲ Γελίμερ παραλαβὼν ἀμφοτέρους ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἐχώρει καὶ ταύτην πολιορκεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο, οἰόμενος τοὺς ἐν Καρχηδόνι προδιδόναι αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν, οἷς ἡ τοῦ Ἀρείου δόξα ἤσκητο. πέμψας δὲ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν Οὔννων πολλὰ αὐτοῖς ἀγαθὰ ὑπισχνεῖτο διδόναι, εἰ καταπροδώσουσιν αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίους. ταῦτα δὲ Βελισάριος μαθὼν παρὰ τῶν αὐτομόλων καὶ Λαυρέντιόν τινα ἐν Καρχηδόνι ὄντα προδότην εὑρὼν ἀνεσκολόπισεν ἐπὶ λόφου πρὸ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου εἰς δέος μέγα ἐνέπεσον οἱ προδοσίαν μελετήσαντες, ὥστε τοὺς Μασσαγέτας ὁμολογῆσαι τὰ ὑπὸ Γελίμερος αὐτοῖς δηλωθέντα. τοῦ δὲ Βελισαρίου πάντας λόγῳ πειθικῷ καὶ ὅρκοις πρὸς φιλίαν αὐτοῦ μεταβαλόντος, αὐτὸς ἐκέλευσεν εὐθὺς Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀρμένιον παραλαβεῖν πάντας τοὺς ἱππεῖς πάρεξ πεντακοσίων καὶ ἐξελθόντα πρὸς τοὺς Οὐανδήλους ἀκροβολίσασθαι. αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἅμα τῷ πεζῷ στρατῷ καὶ τοῖς πεντακοσίοις ἱππεῦσιν εἵπετο. καταλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς Οὐανδήλους ἐν Τρικαμάρῳ στρατοπεδεύσαντας, ἔμειναν τὴν νύκτα πλησίον ἀλλήλων. συνέβη δὲ τέρας γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ Ῥωμαϊκῷ στρατῷ· τῶν γὰρ δοράτων τὰ ἄκρα πυρὶ πολλῷ κατελάμπετο. τοῦτο θεασάμενοι κατεπλάγησαν· φραξάμενοι δὲ ἅμα πρωῒ ἀμφότεροι πρὸς πόλεμον ὥρμησαν. Ἰωάννης δὲ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὀλίγους ἀπολεξάμενος τόν τε ποταμὸν διέβη καὶ τοῖς Οὐανδήλοις εἰσέβαλεν. ὁ δὲ Τζάτζων ὠθισμῷ χρησάμενος ἐδίωξεν 196 αὐτόν. οἱ δὲ Οὐανδῆλοι διώκοντες ἄχρι εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἦλθον. αὖθις δὲ Ἰωάννης πλείους τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν Βελισαρίου λαβὼν κατὰ τοῦ Τζάτζωνος εἰσεπήδησε σὺν βοῇ τε καὶ πατάγῳ πολλῷ. γίνεται οὖν καρτερὰ ἡ μάχῃ, καὶ πίπτει Τζάτζων, ὁ τοῦ Γελίμερος ἀδελφός. τότε δὴ πᾶν τὸ στράτευμα Ῥωμαίων τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντες ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐχώρησαν, καὶ τούτους τρεψάμενοι μέχρι τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐδίωξαν· καὶ ὑποστρέψαντες τοὺς νεκροὺς ἀπέδυον, ὅσοι μάλιστα ἐχρυσοφόρουν, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑαυτῶν στρατόπεδον ὑπεχώρησαν. ἀπέθανον δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ Ῥωμαίων πεντήκοντα, Οὐανδήλων δὲ ὀκτακόσιοι. καταλαβὼν δὲ Βελισάριος σὺν τοῖς πεζοῖς τῇ δείλῃ πρὸς ὀψίαν, ἄρας ὡς εἶχε τάχους σὺν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν Οὐανδήλων στρατόπεδον ᾤχετο. Γελίμερ δὲ γνοὺς Βελισάριον παρόντα σὺν τοῖς πεζοῖς καὶ παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ, ἐπιβὰς τῷ ἵππῳ, μηδὲν διαταξάμενος ἀκρατῶς ἐπὶ Νουμιδίαν ἔφυγε μετ' ὀλίγων συγγενῶν καὶ οἰκετῶν αὐτοῦ καταπεπληγμένος. ἐπεὶ