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they were using. But Solomon, having heard these things, falling into great confusion, 203 tried to persuade the army with plausible arguments to cease from the sedition. And having assembled, they insolently abused both Solomon and the commanders. And coming to the palace, they acclaimed Theodore the Cappadocian as their general, and wearing their arms, they killed everyone they met, whether Libyan or Roman, who was known to Solomon, and they plundered their property and, entering their houses, they seized all valuables. But Solomon, taking refuge in the sanctuary of the palace, escaped notice. And when night fell, he went out of the palace with Procopius the historian and Martin, and embarking on a ship, he came to Belisarius in Syracuse of Sicily, having written to Theodore to take care of Carthage and the imperial affairs. And the soldiers, having gathered in the field of Boule, chose Stotzas, Martin's bodyguard, as their tyrant, a spirited and energetic man, on the condition that they would drive out the emperor's commanders and take control of Libya. And Stotzas, coming near Carthage, sent word, ordering Theodore to surrender the city to him very quickly, so that they might remain unharmed by evils. But the Carthaginians and Theodore pledged to the emperor to guard Carthage. And Stotzas, hearing these things, set about the siege of the city. But Belisarius, having selected 100 men from his own bodyguards and shield-bearers, * whom Solomon brought with him, sailed into Carthage with one ship around lamplighting time. And when day had come, the tyrant and the soldiers, learning that Belisarius had arrived, shamefully and in no order rushed to flight. And Belisarius, having gathered about two thousand of the army, undertook the pursuit of the fugitives and overtook them at the city of Membresa. And seeing them having broken rank and moving about in no order, he advanced against them likewise. And they rushed into flight and, arriving in Numidia, 204 they reassembled. And few died in this battle, and most of them were Vandals. But Belisarius spared the Romans. And having plundered their camp, he found much money and the women, on whose account the war had also arisen. Having accomplished these things, Belisarius departed for Carthage. And someone, having come from Sicily, reported that a mutiny had broken out in the camp and was about to stir up trouble, unless he himself arrived quickly; and having arranged affairs in Libya as he was able, entrusting Carthage to Ildiger and Theodore, he went to Sicily. Having heard these things, Justinian sent Germanus, his nephew, a man of patrician rank, to Libya with a few men, along with Domnicus and Symmachus, wise men. And having arrived in Carthage, Germanus counted the soldiers, and having examined the books of the clerks, in which the names of the soldiers were inscribed, he found that a third part of the army in Carthage and in the other cities was for the emperor, but that all the others were allied with the tyrant. For this reason, he did not go out to battle, but cared for the army. And he declared that he had been sent by the emperor to aid the wronged soldiers, and to punish those who had initiated the injustice against them. The soldiers, hearing these words, little by little went over to him. And Germanus received them with much friendliness, and having given them pledges, he held them in honor and provided their pay. And when the report of these things, being carried about, came to all, they renounced the tyrant and came to Carthage. But Stotzas, now aware of the trouble, encouraged those who remained and marched on Carthage. And Germanus, having armed the army, advanced against him. And the army with him, showing much eagerness, persuaded the general of their loyalty to the emperor. Seeing these, those with Stotzas, being seized by cowardice, withdrew to Numidia. And Germanus with the whole army came not long after, and having overtaken them, he found that Moorish barbarians had joined them

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ἐχρῶντο. Σολόμων δὲ ἀκούσας ταῦτα, εἰς θόρυβον πολὺν ἐμπεσὼν πιθανολο203 γίαις πείθειν τὸν στρατὸν ἐπειρᾶτο παύσασθαι τῆς στάσεως. συλλεγέντες δὲ τόν τε Σολόμωνα καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἀναιδῶς ὕβριζον. Θεόδωρον δὲ τὸν Καππάδοκα εἰς τὸ παλάτιον ἐλθόντες στρατηγὸν τοῦτον ἐψηφίσαντο καὶ σιδηροφοροῦντες ἅπαντα τὸν προστυγχάνοντα ἔκτεννον, εἴτε Λίβυν, εἴτε Ῥωμαῖον, Σολόμωνι γνώριμον, τά τε χρήματα ἐληΐσαντο καὶ εἰς τὰς οἰκίας εἰσερχόμενοι ἅπαντα τὰ τίμια ἥρπαζον. Σολόμων δὲ εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ παλατίου προσφυγὼν ἔλαθεν. νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπιγενομένης ἐξελθὼν τοῦ παλατίου σὺν τῷ Προκοπίῳ τῷ συγγραφεῖ καὶ Μαρτίνῳ, καὶ εἰς ναῦν εἰσελθὼν πρὸς Βελισάριον ἐν Συρακούσῃ τῆς Σικελίας ἀφίκετο, γράψας Θεοδώρῳ φροντίζειν τῆς Καρχηδόνος καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν πραγμάτων. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται συλλεγέντες εἰς τὸ Βουλῆς πεδίον Στότζαν, τὸν Μαρτίνου δορυφόρον, τύραννον εἵλοντο, ἄνδρα θυμοειδῆ καὶ δραστήριον, ἐφ' ᾧ τοὺς βασιλέως ἄρχοντας ἐξελάσαντες Λιβύης κρατήσωσιν. Στότζας δὲ ἐλθὼν πλησίον Καρχηδόνος ἔπεμψε κελεύων τάχιστα παραδοῦναι αὐτῷ Θεόδωρον τὴν πόλιν, ὅπως κακῶν ἀπαθεῖς μείνωσιν. οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι καὶ Θεόδωρος τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡμολόγουν Καρχηδόνα φυλάσσειν. Στότζας δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας εἰς πολιορκίαν τῆς πόλεως καθίστατο. Βελισάριος δὲ ἀπολεξάμενος ἄνδρας ρʹ τῶν αὐτοῦ δορυφόρων τε καὶ ὑπασπιστῶν, * οὓς ὁ Σολόμων ἐπαγόμενος μιᾷ νηῒ εἰς Καρχηδόνα κατέπλευσε περὶ λύχνων ἁφάς. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡμέρα ἐγεγόνει, μαθὼν ὁ τύραννος καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται τὸν Βελισάριον ἥκειν αἰσχρῶς τε καὶ κόσμῳ οὐδενὶ εἰς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο. Βελισάριος δὲ τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀμφὶ δισχιλίους ἀγείρας τὴν δίωξιν ἐπὶ τοὺς φεύγοντας ἐποιήσατο καὶ τούτους κατέλαβεν εἰς Μέμβρεσαν τὴν πόλιν. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς τὴν τάξιν λιπόντας καὶ κόσμῳ οὐδενὶ περιϊόντας κατ' αὐτῶν ὁμοίως ἐχώρει. οἱ δὲ εἰς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο εἰς Νουμιδίαν τε 204 ἀφικόμενοι συνελέγοντο. ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τούτῳ ἀπέθανον, καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι Οὐανδῆλοι ἦσαν. ἐφείδετο δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων Βελισάριος. ληϊσάμενος δὲ τὸ στρατόπεδον αὐτῶν εὗρέ τε χρήματα πολλὰ καὶ γυναῖκας, δι' ἃς καὶ ὁ πόλεμος κατέστη. ταῦτα Βελισάριος διαπραξάμενος εἰς Καρχηδόνα ἀπήλαυνεν. ἐλθὼν δέ τις ἐκ Σικελίας ἀπήγγειλεν, ὡς στάσις ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἐπιπεσοῦσα τὰ πράγματα ἀνασοβεῖν μέλλοι, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς διὰ τάχους καταλάβοι· διαθέμενος δὲ τὰ ἐν Λιβύῃ, ὡς ἠδύνατο, Ἰλδίγερι τε καὶ Θεοδώρῳ παραδοὺς Καρχηδόνα εἰς Σικελίαν ᾔει. ταῦτα ἀκούσας Ἰουστινιανὸς Γερμανόν, τὸν ἀνεψιὸν αὐτοῦ, ἄνδρα πατρίκιον, εἰς Λιβύην σὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν ἔπεμψε σὺν ∆ομνίκῳ καὶ Συμμάχῳ, ἀνδράσι σοφοῖς. γενόμενος δὲ ἐν Καρχηδόνι τούς τε στρατιώτας ὁ Γερμανὸς ἠρίθμει, καὶ τῶν γραμματέων τὰ βιβλία, ἐν οἷς τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐνεγέγραπτο, ἀναλεξάμενος εὗρε τὸ μὲν τρίτον μέρος τοῦ στρατοῦ ἔν τε Καρχηδόνι καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως εἶναι, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἅπαντας τῷ τυράννῳ συντεταγμένους. διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς μάχην μὲν οὐχ ὑπεξέβη, τοῦ δὲ στρατοῦ ἐπεμελεῖτο. ἐπεφθέγγετο δὲ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως σταλῆναι, ὅπως τοῖς ἠδικημένοις στρατιώταις ἐπαμύνῃ, κολάσῃ δὲ τοὺς ἀδικίαν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἄρξαντας. τούτων οἱ στρατιῶται ἀκούσαντες τῶν λόγων κατ' ὀλίγον αὐτῷ προσεχώρουν. ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς αὐτοὺς σὺν πολλῇ φιλοφροσύνῃ ἐδέχετο, καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δοὺς ἐν τιμῇ εἶχε καὶ τὰς ῥόγας αὐτῶν παρεῖχεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ τούτων λόγος περιφερόμενος εἰς πάντας ἦλθεν, ἀποταξάμενοι τὸν τύραννον εἰς Καρχηδόνα ἦλθον. ὁ δὲ Στότζας τοῦ κακοῦ ἤδη αἰσθόμενος, τοὺς ἀπομείναντας ἐπιρρώσας ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἤλαυνεν. ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς ἐξοπλίσας τὸ στράτευμα κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐχώρει. ὁ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατὸς προθυμίαν πολλὴν ἐπιδειξάμενος εὐνοεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν στρατηγὸν ἔπειθον. τούτους ἑωρακότες οἱ μετὰ Στότζα καὶ δειλίᾳ κατασχεθέντες ἀνεχώρησαν ἐπὶ Νουμιδίαν. ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἦλθεν, καὶ τούτους καταλαβὼν εὗρεν, ὅτι συνέμιξαν αὐτοῖς Μαυρουσίων βαρβάρων