109

Aspar having established him in this, after Marcian had departed from mankind. 3.5.8 But later Gizeric devised the following. of the cities in Libya, except Carthage, he tore down the walls, so that neither the Libyans themselves, siding with the Romans, would be able to start from a strong base and revolt, nor would those sent by the emperor have any hope of capturing a city and, having placed a garrison in it, 3.5.9 of causing trouble for the Vandals. At that time, then, he seemed to have planned well and to have preserved the prosperity for the Vandals as safely as possible, but at a later time, when indeed these cities, being without walls, were captured by Belisarius more easily and with less effort, Gizeric then incurred much ridicule and what previously seemed 3.5.10 to him good counsel was judged for him to be folly. For indeed men are always accustomed to change their opinions on what was previously decided along with the changes of fortune. 3.5.11 Of the Libyans, whatever happened to be notable and flourishing in wealth, he handed over in the lot of slaves, with their lands and all their property, to his sons Honoric and Genzon. For Theodorus the youngest had already died, completely childless 3.5.12 of both male and female offspring. As for the other Libyans, he took away their lands, which were very numerous and very good, and distributed them among the nation of the Vandals, and from that time these lands are called the "Lots of the Vandals" to this day. 3.5.13 For those who had formerly possessed these estates, it was their lot to be extremely poor and yet to be free; 3.5.14 and it was in their power to depart wherever they wished. And all the estates, which Gizeric had handed over to his sons and the other Vandals, he ordered to be subject to no 3.5.15 payment of tribute. But as much of the land as did not seem good to him, he left to its former owners, having decreed that so much be brought from it to the public treasury that nothing at all was left over for those who possessed their own 3.5.16 estates. And many fled and were killed. For many and harsh accusations were brought against them. 3.5.17 And of all, one seemed to be the greatest indeed, that someone having his own money was hiding it. Thus every form of misfortune beset the Libyans. 3.5.18 And having organized the Vandals and Alans into companies, he set over them no fewer than eighty captains, whom he called "chiliarchs," giving the impression that the host of his fighting 3.5.19 men amounted to eighty thousand. And yet the multitude of the Vandals and Alans was said to be not more than fifty thousand at least 3.5.20 in the former time. Then, however, both by procreation among themselves and by associating with other barbarians they advanced to a very great populousness. 3.5.21 And the names of the Alans and the other barbarians, except the Maurusians, were all merged into that of the Vandals. 3.5.22 At that time Gizeric, having won over the Maurusians, after Valentinian had died, every year at the beginning of spring made invasions into Sicily and Italy, and of the cities, some he enslaved, and others he razed to the ground, and having plundered everything, when the country had become empty of both men and money, he invaded the domain of the eastern emperor. 3.5.23 Therefore he plundered the Illyrians and most of the Peloponnesus and of the rest of Greece and as many islands as lie near it. And again he would cross over to Sicily and Italy, 3.5.24 and he carried off and plundered everything in turn. And once, as he was embarking on his ship in the harbor of Carthage, with the sails already being hoisted, they say the pilot asked him against which men he was bidding him to go. 3.5.25 And he answered, "Evidently against those with whom God is angry." Thus for no cause he would invade whomever he happened upon. 3.6.1 For these reasons the Emperor Leo, wishing to punish the Vandals, gathered an army against them. And they say the number of this army came to about one hundred thousand. And having gathered a fleet of ships from the whole eastern sea he showed great magnanimity toward both soldiers and sailors, fearing lest something arising from stinginess might become an obstacle to him in his eagerness to accomplish against the barbarians the

109

Ἄσπαρος ἐς τοῦτο αὐτὸν καταστησαμένου, ἐπειδὴ Μαρκιανὸς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀπήλλακτο. 3.5.8 Ὕστερον δὲ Γιζέριχος ἐπενόει τοιάδε. τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ πόλεων, πλὴν Καρχηδόνος, τὰ τείχη καθεῖλεν, ὡς ἂν μήτε αὐτοὶ Λίβυες τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἑλόμενοι ἔκ τε ἐχυροῦ ὁρμᾶσθαι καὶ νεωτερίζειν ἱκανοὶ εἶεν μήτε τοῖς ἐκ βασιλέως στελλομένοις ἐν ἐλπίδι ἔσται ὡς καὶ πόλιν καταλήψονται καὶ φρουρὰν ἐν αὐτῇ ποιησάμε3.5.9 νοι πράγματα Βανδίλοις παρέξονται. τότε μὲν οὖν εὖ τε ἔδοξε βεβουλεῦσθαι καὶ τὴν εὐημερίαν Βανδίλοις ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα διασώσασθαι, χρόνῳ δὲ τῷ ὑστέρῳ, ὅτε δὴ ἀτείχιστοι οὖσαι ῥᾷόν τε καὶ ἀπονώτερον πρὸς Βελισαρίου αἱ πόλεις αὗται ἡλίσκοντο, πολύν τε γέλωτα ἤδη Γιζέριχος ὦφλε καὶ ἡ τέως δοκοῦσά 3.5.10 οἱ εὐβουλία ἐς ἄνοιαν αὐτῷ ἀπεκρίθη. ταῖς γὰρ δὴ τύχαις ἀεὶ τὰς δόξας ἐπὶ τοῖς πρότερον βεβουλευμένοις 3.5.11 ξυμμεταβάλλεσθαι φιλοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι. τῶν δὲ Λιβύων εἴ τι μὲν δόκιμον ἐτύγχανεν ὂν καὶ πλούτῳ ἀκμάζον, αὐτοῖς ἀγροῖς τε καὶ πᾶσι χρήμασιν ἐν ἀνδραπόδων μοίρᾳ παρέδωκε τοῖς παισὶν Ὁνωρίχῳ τε καὶ Γένζωνι. Θεόδωρος γὰρ ὁ νεώτατος ἐτελεύτα ἤδη, ἄπαις τὸ 3.5.12 παράπαν ἄρρενός τε καὶ θήλεος γόνου. Λίβυας δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀφείλετο μὲν τοὺς ἀγροὺς, οἳ πλεῖστοί τε ἦσαν καὶ ἄριστοι, ἐς δὲ τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων διένειμεν ἔθνος, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κλῆροι Βανδίλων οἱ ἀγροὶ οὗτοι 3.5.13 ἐς τόδε καλοῦνται τοῦ χρόνου. τοῖς δὲ δὴ πάλαι κεκτημένοις τὰ χωρία ταῦτα πένεσθαί τε ὡς μάλιστα καὶ ἐλευθέροις εἶναι ξυνέβαινεν· ἦν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐν 3.5.14 ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ ὅποι βούλοιντο ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. καὶ τὰ μὲν χωρία ξύμπαντα, ὅσα τοῖς τε παισὶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Βανδίλοις Γιζέριχος παραδεδώκει, οὐδεμιᾶς 3.5.15 φόρου ἀπαγωγῆς ὑποτελῆ ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι. τῆς δὲ γῆς ὅση οἱ οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἔδοξεν εἶναι, ἀφῆκε τοῖς πρότερον ἔχουσι, τοσαῦτα ἐνθένδε τῷ δημοσίῳ φέρεσθαι τάξας ὥστε οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν περιῆν τοῖς τὰ χωρία τὰ σφέτερα 3.5.16 αὐτῶν ἔχουσιν. ἔφευγον δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ ἐκτείνοντο. αἰτίαι γὰρ αὐτοῖς πολλαί τε καὶ χαλεπαὶ προσεφέροντο. 3.5.17 πασῶν δὲ μία μεγίστη δὴ ἐδόκει εἶναι ὅτι χρήματά τις οἰκεῖα ἔχων ἀπέκρυπτεν. οὕτω τοὺς Λίβυας πᾶσα ἰδέα ξυμφορᾶς περιέστη. 3.5.18 Τοὺς δὲ δὴ Βανδίλους τε καὶ Ἀλανοὺς ἐς λόχους καταστησάμενος, λοχαγοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπέστησεν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ ὀγδοήκοντα, οὕσπερ χιλιάρχους ἐκάλεσε, δόκησιν παρέχων ἐς ὀκτώ οἱ μυριάδας συνιέναι τὸν τῶν στρα3.5.19 τευομένων λεών. καίτοι οὐ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐς μυριάδας πέντε τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων τε καὶ Ἀλανῶν πλῆθος ἔν γε 3.5.20 τῷ πρὶν χρόνῳ ἐλέγετο εἶναι. ἔπειτα μέντοι τῇ τε κατὰ σφᾶς παιδοποιίᾳ καὶ ἄλλους βαρβάρους ἑταιρισάμενοι ἐς μεγάλην τινὰ πολυανθρωπίαν ἐχώρησαν. 3.5.21 τὰ δὲ τῶν Ἀλανῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων ὀνόματα, πλὴν Μαυρουσίων, ἐς τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων ἅπαντα 3.5.22 ἀπεκρίθη. τότε δὲ Γιζέριχος Μαυρουσίους προσποιησάμενος, ἐπειδὴ Βαλεντινιανὸς ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ ἔς τε Σικελίαν καὶ Ἰταλίαν ἐσβολὰς ἐποιεῖτο καὶ τῶν πόλεων τὰς μὲν ἀνδραποδίσας, τὰς δὲ καθελὼν ἐς ἔδαφος, ληισάμενός τε ἅπαντα, ἐπεὶ ἀνθρώπων τε ἡ χώρα καὶ χρημάτων ἔρημος ἐγεγόνει, ἐς τὸ τοῦ ἑῴου βασιλέως ἐσέβαλε κράτος. 3.5.23 Ἰλλυριοὺς οὖν ἐληίζετο καὶ τῆς τε Πελοποννήσου τῆς τε ἄλλης Ἑλλάδος τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ ὅσαι αὐτῇ νῆσοι ἐπίκεινται. αὖθις δὲ ἔς τε Σικελίαν καὶ Ἰταλίαν ἀπέ3.5.24 βαινεν, ἦγέ τε καὶ ἔφερεν ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἅπαντα. καί ποτε αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν ναῦν ἐσβάντα ἐν τῷ Καρχηδόνος λιμένι, ἀνατεινομένων ἤδη τῶν ἱστίων, φασὶν ἐρέσθαι τὸν κυβερνήτην ἐπὶ τίνας ποτὲ ἀνθρώπων ἰέναι κε3.5.25 λεύοι. καὶ τὸν ἀποκρινάμενον φάναι, δηλονότι ἐφ' οὓς ὁ θεὸς ὤργισται. οὕτως ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας ἐφ' οὓς ἂν τύχοι ἐσέβαλλε. 3.6.1 Τῶνδε εἵνεκα τίσασθαι Βανδίλους βασιλεὺς Λέων βουλόμενος ξυνήγειρεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς στράτευμα. τοῦδε δὲ τοῦ στρατεύματος λέγουσι τὸ πλῆθος ἐς δέκα μάλιστα μυριάδας γενέσθαι. στόλον δὲ νεῶν ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς πρὸς ἕω θαλάσσης ἀθροίσας πολλὴν ἐπεδείξατο μεγαλοφροσύνην ἔς τε στρατιώτας καὶ ναύτας, δεδιὼς μή τί οἱ ἐκ μικρολογίας ἐμποδὼν γένηται προθυμουμένῳ ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπιτελέσαι τὴν