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on which the priest had given him pledges. But Gontharis raised him up, having sworn to him by everything that he would do him no harm, but on the next day he would be sent to Byzantium with his wife and his money. And having sent the priest away, he took Areobindus and Athanasius to dine with him in the palace. He honored Areobindus and made him recline before himself on the couch, and after he had dined, he ordered him to sleep in a bedroom. And sending Ulitheus with some others, he killed this man as he was wailing and using lamentations. But he spared Athanasius because of his old age. On the next day, he sent his head to Antalas, and having seized his money, he gave him nothing according to the agreements. But Antalas, having learned what had been done to Areobindus and having considered the perjuries of Gontharis, wished to go over to Justinian the emperor. But Artabanes, having received pledges from Gontharis, went up to the palace with the Armenians and confessed himself to be the servant of the tyrant, but secretly he planned to kill him. And having entrusted the plan to Gregorius his nephew and Artaserias his guardsman, Gregorius said to him: "Now, Artabanes, it is possible for you alone to bind on the glory of Belisarius. For he, having received an army and great sums of money from the emperor and accompanying commanders and a fleet such as no one had ever heard of, with much toil made Libya tributary to the Romans; but now that Libya has revolted and has again become as it was from the beginning, in its former state, it lies in you alone to bring it back to the emperor and to save the situation. Consider your lineage, that you are an Arsacid from of old, and that being well-born it is always fitting to act bravely and to display many deeds for the sake of virtue. For when you were young, remember how you killed Acacius, the ruler of the Armenians, and Tzitas, the general of the Romans, in wars, and you campaigned with Chosroes, the king of the Persians. Being such a man, do not overlook the rule of the Romans being held by a drunken dog. And I and Artaserias will assist you in whatever you command, as far as we are able." And Gontharis ordered Artabanes to lead the army and to advance against both Antalas and the Moors in Byzacium. With him was also John, the leader of the rebels, and Ulitheus the guardsman; and the Moors, whom Coutzinas ruled, also followed him. And having engaged with Antalas and the barbarians, he routed them. But Artabanes, feigning cowardice, suddenly turned his standard and rode to the camp. And Ulitheus intended to kill him in the camp. But Artabanes said that he feared that the barbarians, coming out from the city of Adramytum, might help the enemy and commit irreparable deeds against us; but that Gontharis should come with the whole army, and so capture them all. And returning to Carthage, he reported these things to the tyrant. And the tyrant, after consulting with Pasiphilus about everything, intended to arm the army and to campaign with it, leaving only guards in the city. And each day Gontharis killed many out of suspicion. And going out of Carthage into a suburb, where there were three ancient couches, on which he reclined with Artabanes and Athanasius and Peter, the guardsman of Solomon. Artabanes therefore, thinking the moment opportune for the murder of the tyrant, confided the matter to Gregorius and Artaserias and three faithful guardsmen; and he ordered the guardsmen to be inside with their swords; for it was the custom for guardsmen to stand behind commanders while they were feasting. And he ordered them to undertake the deed suddenly, whenever he himself should give them the signal by a nod, ordering Artaserias to be the first to take up the work and he ordered Gregorius to select many of the most daring of the Armenians and to be present at the palace, carrying only their swords, and to tell the plan to no one. And as the drinking went on, and Gontharis

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ἐφ' ἃ τὰ πιστὰ ὁ ἱερεὺς αὐτῷ δέδωκεν. ὁ δὲ Γόνθαρις τοῦτον ἀνέστησεν ὀμωμοκὼς αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πάντων μηδὲν αὐτῷ κακὸν ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ σὺν τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τοῖς χρήμασιν αὐτοῦ εἰς Βυζάντιον στέλλεσθαι. τὸν δὲ ἱερέα ἀποπεμψάμενος Ἀρεόβινδον καὶ Ἀθανάσιον συνδειπνεῖν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ ἔλαβεν. ἐτίμησε δὲ τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον καὶ πρῶτον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς στιβάδος κατέκλινεν, δειπνήσαντα δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν κοιτῶνι καθεύδειν ἐκέλευσεν. ἀποστείλας δὲ Οὐλίθεον σὺν ἑτέροις τισὶ κωκύοντά τε καὶ ὀλολυγμοῖς χρώμενον τοῦτον ἔκτεινεν. Ἀθανασίου δὲ ἐφείσατο διὰ τὸ γῆρας. τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον τὴν τούτου κεφαλὴν τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ ἔπεμψεν, τὰ δὲ χρήματα κατασχὼν οὐδὲν τούτῳ κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας δέδωκεν. Ἀντάλας δὲ μαθὼν τὰ εἰς Ἀρεόβινδον πεπραγμένα καὶ τὰς τοῦ Γονθάριδος ἐπιορκίας λογισάμενος Ἰουστινιανῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρεῖν ἤθελεν. Ἀρταβάνης δὲ τὰ πιστὰ λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ Γονθάριδος εἰς τὸ παλάτιον σὺν τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ἀνέβη καὶ τοῦ τυράννου ὑπηρέτης εἶναι ὡμολόγησεν, λάθρα δὲ τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν ἐβουλεύετο. Γρηγορίῳ δὲ τῷ ἀνεψιῷ καὶ Ἀρτασηρίῳ τῷ δορυφόρῳ θαρρήσας τὸ βούλευμα ἔφη αὐτῷ Γρηγόριος· "νῦν σοί, Ἀρταβάνη, πάρεστι μόνῳ τὸ Βελισαρίου ἀναδήσασθαι κάλλος. ὁ μὲν γὰρ στρατιάν τε καὶ χρήματα μεγάλα παρὰ βασιλέως λαβὼν καὶ ἄρχοντας συνεπομένους καὶ στόλον, οἷον οὐδέποτέ τις ἠκηκόει, πόνῳ πολλῷ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις τὴν Λιβύην ὑπόφορον κατεστήσατο· νῦν δὲ ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς πάλιν γέγονεν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον Λιβύη ἀποστατήσασα, ἐν σοὶ μόνῳ κεῖται ταύτην πάλιν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσενεγκεῖν καὶ τὰ πράγματα διασώσασθαι. λογίζου δὲ τὸ σὸν γένος, ὅτι Ἀρσακίδης ἀνέκαθεν εἶ, καὶ ὅτι εὐγενὴς ὢν ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι ἀεὶ πρέπει καὶ πολλὰ ἔργα ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς ἐπιδεικνύειν. νέου γὰρ σοῦ ὄντος, ἐνθυμήθητι ὡς Ἀκάκιον, τὸν Ἀρμενίων ἄρχοντα, καὶ Τζίταν, τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγόν, ἐν πολέμοις ἔκτεινας Χοσρόῃ τε, τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Περσῶν, 214 συνεστράτευες. τοιοῦτος δὲ ὢν μὴ περιΐδῃς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ὑπὸ κυνὸς μεθύοντος κατεχομένην. ἐγὼ δέ σοι καὶ Ἀρτασήριος ὅσα εἰς δύναμιν ἐπιτάττοντι ὑπουργήσομεν." Γόνθαρις δὲ τὸν Ἀρταβάνην ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐπί τε Ἀντάλαν καὶ Μαυρουσίους τοὺς ἐν Βυζακίῳ ἐκέλευσε χωρεῖν. συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὁ τῶν στασιαστῶν ἄρχων, καὶ Οὐλίθεος ὁ δορυφόρος· εἵποντο δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Μαυρούσιοι, ὧν Κουτζίνας ἦρχεν. συμβαλὼν δὲ τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ καὶ τοῖς βαρβάροις τούτους ἐτρέψατο. ἐθελοκακήσας δὲ Ἀρταβάνης, ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου στρέψας τὸ βάνδον εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἤλαυνεν. Οὐλίθεος δὲ κτεῖναι τοῦτον εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον διενοεῖτο. Ἀρταβάνης δὲ ἔφασκε δεῖσαι, μὴ ἐξ Ἀδραμύτου τῆς πόλεως ἐξελθόντες οἱ βάρβαροι βοηθήσωσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις καὶ ἀνήκεστα ἔργα εἰς ἡμᾶς πράξωσιν· ἀλλὰ Γονθάριδα σὺν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ ἐληλυθέναι, καὶ οὕτως πάντας ἑλεῖν. καὶ ἀναστρέψας εἰς Καρχηδόνα τῷ τυράννῳ ταῦτα ἀπήγγειλεν. ὁ δὲ τύραννος τῷ Πασιφίλῳ βουλευσάμενος ἅπαντα μὲν διενοήθη τὸν στρατὸν ἐξοπλίσαι καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατεύσασθαι, φύλακας δὲ μόνους τῇ πόλει καταλιπεῖν. καθ' ἑκάστην δὲ ἡμέραν πολλοὺς ἀνῄρει ὁ Γόνθαρις ἐξ ὑποψίας. ἐξελθὼν δὲ τῆς Καρχηδόνος ἐν προαστείῳ, οὗ δὴ στιβάδες ἦσαν ἐκ παλαιοῦ τρεῖς, ἐν αἷς κατεκλίθη σὺν Ἀρταβάνῃ καὶ Ἀθανασίῳ καὶ Πέτρῳ, τῷ δορυφόρῳ Σολόμωνος. Ἀρταβάνης τοίνυν τὸν καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἰς τὸν τοῦ τυράννου φόνον οἰόμενος Γρηγορίῳ τε καὶ Ἀρτασηρίῳ καὶ δορυφόροις πιστοῖς τρισὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐθάρρησεν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν δορυφόρους σὺν τοῖς ξίφεσιν ἔνδον ἐκέλευσε γενέσθαι· ἀρχόντων γὰρ ἑστιωμένων ὄπισθεν ἑστάναι δορυφόρους νόμος ἦν. ἐγχειρεῖν δὲ ἄφνω τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐκέλευσεν, ἡνίκα αὐτὸς τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῖς διὰ νεύματος ποιήσῃ, τὸν Ἀρτασῆριν κελεύσας πρῶτον τοῦ ἔργου ἔχεσθαι τῷ δὲ Γρηγορίῳ ἐπέταττε τῶν Ἀρμενίων πολλοὺς τοὺς εὐτολμοτάτους ἀπολεξάμενον εἰς τὸ παλάτιον παρεῖναι τὰ ξίφη μόνα ἐπιφερομένους, καὶ αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν βούλευμα μηδενὶ ἐξειπεῖν. προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ πότου, καὶ τοῦ Γονθάριδος