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of the barbarians and being afraid sent to their leaders, blaming them that, though being in a treaty with the Romans, they had taken up arms against them, and demanding that the peace be strengthened and 209 confirmed by oaths. But the barbarians, mocking what was said, replied: "Since Sergius, having sworn on the Gospels, kept his oaths so well by killing the eighty, how shall we now trust your oaths?" And when the war broke out, the Romans were routed. And when his horse stumbled, Solomon was killed, and his bodyguards, and Sergius, his nephew, was entrusted with the rule of Libya by the emperor. But John, the son of Sisiniolus, and the other leaders stirred up a great hatred for Sergius, so that they were not even willing to take up arms against the enemies. And the barbarians plundered everything without fear. And Antalas wrote to the emperor Justinian, that "all the Maurusians choose your friendship and service, but not enduring the violent imposition of Solomon and his nephews, they have revolted. Remove these men, and peace will be established between the Romans and the Maurusians." But the emperor did not deign to do this; and Antalas and the army of the Maurusians gathered again in Byzacium, and with them Stotzas, having a few soldiers and Vandals. But the Libyans urged John, the son of Sisiniolus, to raise an army and to advance against the enemy with Himerius, the commander of the regiments in Byzacium. And he, taking the army, went against the enemy, having ordered Himerius to lead the advance. But when battle was joined, the Romans were defeated, and the barbarians captured Himerius alive with his army; and putting him in prison, they handed over the soldiers to Stotzas, who agreed to campaign against the Romans. And they took the city of Hadrumetum by treachery through Himerius. And some of the Libyans fled to Sicily, and others to other islands and to Byzantium. And the Maurusians and Stotzas plundered all of Libya with great impunity. And the Libyans who had come to Byzantium begged the emperor to send an army and an excellent general to Libya. But the emperor 210 Areobindus with a few soldiers, a man noble and of good counsel, but by no means experienced in the deeds of war, and with him Athanasius and a few Armenians, whom Artabanes and John, the Arsacids, commanded. However, he did not recall Sergius, but commanded him also, with Areobindus, to be generals of Libya; Sergius was to carry on the war against the barbarians in Numidia, and Areobindus was to fight against the Maurusians in Byzacium. But Areobindus, having reached Libya and taken half the army, sent John, the son of Constantiolus, against Stotzas and the barbarians. But John, seeing the multitudes of the enemy, was compelled to engage them. And he was in great enmity with Stotzas, so that each prayed to become the slayer of the other and so to die. And when the battle took place, both came out from their camps and went against each other. So John, drawing his bow, hit Stotzas in the right groin, who died after a few days. But the barbarians, advancing against the enemy with great fury, being an infinite multitude, killed both John and all the Romans. And they say that he said: "I die a sweet death, since my prayer against Stotzas has been fulfilled;" and Stotzas, learning of John's death, died in joy. John the Armenian also dies. And the emperor, hearing these things, became very sorrowful and, relieving Sergius of his command, recalled him, and entrusted the rule of Libya to Areobindus alone. And after two months, a certain Gontharis, a commander of the regiments in Numidia, plotting deceit against Areobindus, secretly indicated to the Maurusians that they should march against Carthage. Immediately, then, an army of enemies from both Numidia and Byzacium, gathered to the same place, against Carthage

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βαρβάρων καὶ δειλιάσας ἔπεμψε πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν μεμφόμενος αὐτούς, ὅτι ἔνσπονδοι Ῥωμαίων ὄντες ὅπλα κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκίνησαν, ἀξιῶν δὲ τὴν εἰρήνην κρατύνεσθαι καὶ 209 ὅρκοις βεβαιοῦσθαι. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι χλευάσαντες τὰ εἰρημένα ἔφησαν· "ἐπειδὴ Σέργιος εἰς τὰ εὐαγγέλια ὀμόσας καλῶς ἐφύλαξε τοὺς ὅρκους ἀποκτείνας τοὺς ὀγδοήκοντα, πῶς νῦν ὑμῶν πιστεύσομεν τοὺς ὅρκους;" πολέμου δὲ κροτηθέντος, τρέπονται οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι. τοῦ δὲ ἵππου ὀκλάσαντος κτείνεται Σολόμων, καὶ οἱ τούτου δορυφόροι, Σέργιος δέ, ὁ τούτου ἀνεψιός, τὴν τῆς Λιβύης ἀρχὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐνεχειρίσθη. Ἰωάννης δὲ ὁ Σισιννιόλου καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἄρχοντες μῖσος πρὸς τὸν Σέργιον μέγα ἐκίνησαν, ὥστε μηδὲ ὅπλα κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αἴρειν βούλεσθαι. καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἀδεῶς πάντα ἐληΐζοντο. Ἀντάλας δὲ ἔγραψε τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰουστινιανῷ, ὅτι "πάντες Μαυρούσιοι τὴν σὴν φιλίαν καὶ δουλείαν αἱροῦνται, ἀλλὰ τὴν Σολόμωνος καὶ τῶν τούτου ἀνεψιῶν βιαίαν ἐπαγωγὴν οὐχ ὑποφέροντες ἐτυράννησαν. τούτους παράστειλον, καὶ εἰρήνη Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Μαυρουσίοις συνίσταται." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι οὐ κατεδέξατο· ὁ δὲ Ἀντάλας καὶ ὁ τῶν Μαυρουσίων στρατὸς συνήχθησαν αὖθις ἐν Βυζακίῳ, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς Στότζας στρατιώτας ὀλίγους καὶ Οὐανδήλους ἔχων. οἱ δὲ Λίβυες παρεκάλουν Ἰωάννην τὸν Σισιννιόλου στράτευμα ἀγεῖραι καὶ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων χωρῆσαι σὺν Ἱμερίῳ, τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν ἐν Βυζακίῳ καταλόγων. ὁ δὲ λαβὼν τὸν στρατὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ᾔει, Ἱμέριον προάγειν κελεύσας. συμβολῆς δὲ γενομένης ἡττῶνται Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ συλλαμβάνονται οἱ βάρβαροι τὸν Ἱμέριον ζῶντα σὺν τῷ στρατῷ αὐτοῦ· καὶ τοῦτον εἰς φυλακὴν ἀποθέμενοι τοὺς στρατιώτας Στότζᾳ παρέδωκαν ὁμολογοῦντας κατὰ Ῥωμαίων στρατεύεσθαι. παραλαμβάνουσι δὲ δόλῳ διὰ τοῦ Ἱμερίου Ἀδράμυτον τὴν πόλιν. καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν Λιβύων εἰς Σικελίαν κατέφυγον, ἄλλοι δὲ εἰς ἄλλας νήσους καὶ εἰς Βυζάντιον. Μαυρούσιοι δὲ καὶ Στότζας ἐν ἀδείᾳ πολλῇ τὴν Λιβύην πᾶσαν ἐληΐζοντο. οἱ δὲ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ εἰσελθόντες Λίβυες ἐδέοντο τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅπως στράτευμα καὶ στρατηγὸν ἄριστον εἰς Λιβύην ἀποστείλῃ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς 210 Ἀρεόβινδον σὺν στρατιώταις ὀλίγοις, ἄνδρα μὲν εὐγενῆ καὶ εὔβουλον, ἔργων δὲ πολεμίων οὐδαμῶς ἔμπειρον, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Ἀθανάσιον καὶ Ἀρμενίους ὀλίγους, ὧν Ἀρταβάνης τε καὶ Ἰωάννης ἦρχον,οἱ Ἀρσακίδαι. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Σέργιον μετεπέμπετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν σὺν Ἀρεοβίνδῳ Λιβύης στρατηγοὺς εἶναι ἐκέλευσεν· Σέργιον μὲν τὸν πόλεμον διενεγκεῖν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Νουμιδίᾳ βαρβάρους, Ἀρεόβινδον δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Βυζακίῳ Μαυρουσίους διαμάχεσθαι. Ἀρεόβινδος δὲ τὴν Λιβύην καταλαβὼν καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ στρατοῦ παραλαβὼν Ἰωάννην τὸν Κωνσταντιόλου κατὰ Στότζα καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπέστειλεν. Ἰωάννης δὲ τὰ πλήθη τῶν πολεμίων θεασάμενος ἠναγκάσθη χεῖρα αὐτοῖς ἐπιβαλεῖν. ἦν δὲ ἐν ἔχθρᾳ μεγάλῃ μετὰ Στότζα, ὥστε ἑκάτερος ηὔχετο φονεὺς τοῦ ἑτέρου γενέσθαι καὶ οὕτως ἀποθανεῖν. τῆς δὲ μάχης γενομένης, ἀμφότεροι τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐξελθόντες ἐπ' ἀλλήλους ἦλθον. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννης τείνας τὸ τόξον κατὰ τὸν δεξιὸν βουβῶνα τῷ Στότζᾳ ἐπέτυχεν, ὃς μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας τέθνηκεν. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι θυμῷ πολλῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους χωρήσαντες, πλῆθος ἄπειρον ὄντες, τόν τε Ἰωάννην καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἅπαντας ἀπέκτειναν. τοῦτον δέ φασιν εἰρηκέναι· "ἡδύν τινα θάνατον θνήσκω, τῆς εὐχῆς μου εἰς Στότζαν πληρωθείσης·" καὶ ὁ Στότζας μαθὼν τὸν τοῦ Ἰωάννου θάνατον ἐν χαρᾷ ἐτελεύτησεν. θνήσκει δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Ἀρμένιος. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ταῦτα ἀκούσας περίλυπος γέγονε καὶ τὸν Σέργιον τῆς ἀρχῆς παραλύσας μετεπέμψατο, Ἀρεοβίνδῳ δὲ μόνῳ τὴν τῆς Λιβύης ἀρχὴν ἐνεχείρισεν. μετὰ δὲ δύο μῆνας Γονθάριός τις, τῶν ἐν Νουμιδίᾳ καταλόγων ἡγούμενος, δόλον μελετήσας κατὰ Ἀρεοβίνδου λάθρα τοῖς Μαυρουσίοις ἐδήλου, ὅπως κατὰ Καρχηδόνος χωρήσωσιν. αὐτίκα γοῦν ἔκ τε Νουμιδίας καὶ Βυζακίου πολεμίων στρατὸς εἰς ταὐτὸ ἀγηγερμένος ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα