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they went with haste. Cutzinas and Iaudas led the Numidians, and Antalas the Byzacenes. And with them was also John the usurper 211 with his soldiers, in place of Stotzas. When Areobindus learned these things, trusting Guntharic as a friend, he handed over the army to him and sent him with Artabanes and the Armenians against the enemy. But Guntharic sent his own cook, who was a Moor, to the barbarians to say to Antalas that Guntharic wished to take him as a partner in the rule of Libya. And Antalas heard the proposal gladly, but he answered that such matters could not be safely arranged through a cook. When Guntharic heard this, he sent Ulitheus, his bodyguard, as a trustworthy man to Antalas, urging him to approach Carthage, so that he himself might destroy Areobindus. And Ulitheus met with Antalas in secret, and they agreed that Antalas should rule Byzacium and receive half of Areobindus' money and one thousand five hundred Roman soldiers with him, and Guntharic should receive the rank of king and the power over Carthage. After arranging these things, Ulitheus returned to Guntharic. And the barbarians went against Carthage with great haste. And having seized Decimum and having encamped in it, on the next day they advanced on Carthage. And encountering the Roman army unexpectedly, they engaged them and killed many of the Moors, whom Guntharic, berating them, mocked as being reckless and bringing the Roman cause into danger. But Areobindus sent to Cutzinas and urged him to become a traitor to the Moors; and he agreed to do this. For treacherous is the race of the Moors, both towards each other and towards all. Areobindus confided these things to Guntharic. But he advised Areobindus not to trust Cutzinas, and sending Ulitheus, he reported these things 212 to Antalas. But Guntharic was planning to kill Areobindus secretly and persuaded him to go out of Carthage and be present in the war. But Areobindus, being inexperienced in war, and unable to put on his arms, procrastinated; and so the time of the day passed. Therefore, putting off the battle until the morrow, he kept quiet. But Guntharic, suspecting him of delaying on purpose, as if he had perceived what was being done, openly began a tyranny against him. But Areobindus, quickly leaving Carthage and taking to flight, and embarking on a ship, was about to journey to Byzantium, had not a storm arising in the meantime prevented him. And sending Athanasius, he summoned some people in Carthage, among whom was also Artabanes, who urged Areobindus at length, neither to be despondent nor to be cowardly and afraid of Guntharic, but to go against him together with all his followers, before any further evil should happen. But Guntharic slandered Areobindus to the soldiers as both unmanly and cowardly and unwilling to give them their pay. And Areobindus with Artabanes and his followers came against Guntharic. And a battle occurred both on the battlements and at the gates. But most of the soldiers did not know the things plotted by Guntharic, and gathering together they armed themselves against him. But Areobindus, seeing men being killed, being unaccustomed to such a sight, not bearing his cowardice, fled and took refuge in the monastery on the sea-coast, which Solomon had built and walled around as a secure fortress, into it he fled with his wife and his sister. Then Artabanes also took to flight. And Guntharic, winning by force, took the palace. And summoning the city's high priest and Athanasius, he ordered them to give pledges to Areobindus and to bring him to the palace, threatening to besiege him if he disobeyed and no longer to give him pledges for his safety. But he, having received pledges from the bishop Reparatus, came into Guntharic's sight and falling prostrate lay there, as a suppliant 213 holding out the Gospels to him,

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σπουδῇ ᾔεσαν. ἡγεῖτο δὲ Νουμιδῶν μὲν Κουτζίνας καὶ Ἰαύδας, Βυζακίων δὲ Ἀντάλας. συνῆν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ τύραννος 211 σὺν τοῖς στρατιώταις ἀντὶ Στότζα. ταῦτα γνοὺς Ἀρεόβινδος Γονθαρίῳ ὡς φίλῳ θαρρῶν τὸ στράτευμα παραδοὺς σὺν Ἀρταβάνῃ καὶ τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἔστελλεν. ὁ δὲ Γόνθαρις τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μάγειρον ἐκ Μαυρουσίων ὄντα πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπέστειλε πρὸς Ἀντάλαν εἰπεῖν, ὡς αὐτῷ Γόνθαρις βούλεται τῆς Λιβύης ἀρχῆς κοινωνὸν λαβεῖν. ὁ δὲ Ἀντάλας τὸν μὲν λόγον ἀσμένως ἤκουσεν, ἀπεκρίθη δέ, ὡς οὐκ ἀσφαλῶς διὰ μαγείρου τὰ τοιαῦτα διοικεῖσθαι. ταῦτα Γόνθαρις ἀκούσας Οὐλίθεον, τὸν αὐτοῦ δορυφόρον, ὡς πιστὸν πρὸς Ἀντάλαν ἔπεμψεν, παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν πλησιάσαι τῇ Καρχηδόνι, ὅπως αὐτὸς τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον ἀνέλῃ. Οὐλίθεος δὲ κρυφῇ τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ συνέτυχεν, καὶ συνεφώνησαν, ἵνα ὁ μὲν Ἀντάλας τοῦ Βυζακίου ἄρχῃ καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ τῶν Ἀρεοβίνδου χρημάτων λάβῃ καὶ χιλίους πεντακοσίους στρατιώτας Ῥωμαίους σὺν αὐτῷ, Γόνθαρις δὲ τὸ βασιλέως ἀξίωμα λάβῃ καὶ Καρχηδόνος τὸ κράτος. ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος Οὐλίθεος ἐπανῆκε πρὸς Γονθάριδα. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι κατὰ Καρχηδόνος σπουδῇ πολλῇ ᾔεσαν. καταλαβόντες δὲ τὸ ∆έκιμον καὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἐχώρουν. ὑπαντήσαντες δὲ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατεύματος ἀπροσδοκήτως αὐτοῖς συνέβαλον καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν Μαυρουσίων ἔκτειναν, οὓς δὴ ὁ Γόνθαρις κακίζων ἐπέσκωπτεν ὡς θρασυνομένους, καὶ τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πράγματα εἰς κίνδυνον φέρειν. ὁ δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος πέμψας πρὸς Κουτζίναν παρεκάλει προδότην αὐτὸν γενέσθαι Μαυρουσίων· ὁ δὲ ὡμολόγησε τοῦτο ποιεῖν. ἄπιστον γὰρ τὸ τῶν Μαυρουσίων γένος πρός τε ἀλλήλους καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας. ταῦτα Ἀρεόβινδος τῷ Γονθάριδι ἐθάρρησεν. ὁ δὲ παρῄνει τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ τῷ Κουτζίνᾳ μὴ πιστεύειν, Οὐλίθεον δὲ ἀποστείλας τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ ταῦτα 212 ἐμήνυσεν. Γόνθαρις δὲ κτεῖναι τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον λάθρα διενοεῖτο καὶ πείθει τοῦτον ἐξελθεῖν τῆς Καρχηδόνος καὶ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ εὑρεθῆναι. ὁ δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος ἄπειρος τοῦ πολέμου ὤν, τὰ ὅπλα περιβαλέσθαι μὴ δυνάμενος ἀνεβάλετο· καὶ οὕτως ὁ χρόνος προῆλθε τῆς ἡμέρας. διὸ δὴ τὴν παράταξιν εἰς τὴν αὔριον ἀποθέμενος ἡσύχασεν. Γόνθαρις δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξεπίτηδες τὴν μέλλησιν ποιεῖσθαι ὑποπτεύσας, ἅτε τῶν πραττομένων αἰσθόμενον, ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐτυράννησεν. Ἀρεόβινδος δὲ κατὰ τάχος τὴν Καρχηδόνα καταλιπὼν καὶ φυγῇ χρησάμενος, εἰς ναῦν τε εἰσελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον πορεύεσθαι ἤμελλεν, εἰ μὴ χειμὼν μεταξὺ ἐπιγενόμενος διεκώλυσεν. ἀποστείλας δὲ Ἀθανάσιον ἐν Καρχηδόνι μετεπέμψατό τινας, ἐν οἷς καὶ Ἀρταβάνην, ὅστις πολλὰ παρῄνει τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ, μήτε ἀναπεπτωκέναι μήτε δειλιαίνειν καὶ δεδιέναι τὸν Γονθάριδα, ἀλλ' ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὁμοῦ σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς αὐτῷ ἑπομένοις ἰέναι, πρίν τι περαιτέρω γενέσθαι κακόν. ὁ δὲ Γόνθαρις τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον εἰς τοὺς στρατιώτας διέβαλλεν ὡς ἄνανδρόν τε καὶ δειλὸν καὶ τὰς ῥόγας τούτοις μὴ βούλεσθαι διδόναι. ὁ δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος σὺν Ἀρταβάνῃ καὶ τοῖς ἑπομένοις κατὰ Γονθάριδος ἦλθεν. καὶ γίνεται μάχη ἔν τε ταῖς ἐπάλξεσι καὶ ταῖς πύλαις. τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰ ὑπὸ Γονθάριδος μελετηθέντα, καὶ συναγόμενοι κατ' αὐτοῦ ὡπλίζοντο. ὁ δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος ἰδὼν ἀνθρώπους κτεινομένους, ἀήθης ὢν τοῦ τοιούτου θεάματος, τὴν δειλίαν οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν ἔφυγε καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς παραθαλασσίας μοναστήριον, ὅπερ Σολόμων ἐδείματο καὶ περιετείχισεν ὡς φρούριον ἀσφαλές, εἰς αὐτὸ κατέφυγε σὺν τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τῇ ἀδελφῇ. τότε καὶ Ἀρταβάνης φυγῇ ἐχρήσατο. Γόνθαρις δὲ κατὰ κράτος νικήσας τὸ παλάτιον ἔλαβεν. μεταπεμψάμενος δὲ τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀρχιερέα καὶ Ἀθανάσιον τὰ πιστὰ τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ ἐκέλευσε διδόναι καὶ εἰς τὸ παλάτιον αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν, ἀπειλήσας πολιορκήσειν αὐτὸν ἀπειθήσαντα καὶ μηκέτι αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τὰ πιστὰ δώσειν. ὁ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ῥεπαράτου τὰ πιστὰ λαβὼν τῷ Γονθάριδι εἰς ὄψιν ἦλθε καὶ πρηνὴς πεσὼν ἔκειτο τὴν ἱκετηρίαν 213 αὐτῷ τὰ εὐαγγέλια προτεινόμενος,