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they say that the arms, having moved of their own accord, made a clash that was neither moderate nor ordinary, and at that time it seemed to Gizeric that a sort of earthquake had occurred, but when he went outside and inquired about the earthquake, since none of the others agreed with him, great wonder fell upon him, yet he was not able to guess what the event might 3.7.11 mean. Majorian, then, having accomplished what he wished, was conveyed to Liguria, and leading the army, which was marching on foot, he went to the Pillars of Heracles, intending to cross the strait there, and for the rest of the way to proceed by land from there to Carthage. 3.7.12 When Gizeric learned of these things and that he had been deceived by Majorian in the embassy, he fell into a state of terror 3.7.13 and began to prepare for the war. And the Romans, judging by the excellence of Majorian, now became hopeful 3.7.14 of recovering Libya for the empire. But in the meantime Majorian was seized by a disease of dysentery and perished, a man who was moderate toward his subjects, 3.7.15 but terrible to his enemies. And Nepos, having taken over the kingdom, after surviving for a few days, died of a disease, and Glycerius after him, having advanced to this same office, met a similar fate. After him, Augustus took the imperial 3.7.16 power. However, other emperors had also previously reigned in the West, whose names, though I know them well, 3.7.17 I shall not mention at all. For it happened that they survived in their rule only a short time and because of this accomplished nothing worthy of mention. These things, then, took place in the West. 3.7.18 But in Byzantium, Basiliscus (for he was no longer able to suppress his lust for the throne) set up a tyranny and seized power with no trouble, as Zeno, together with his wife, fled to Isauria, from which he had originally 3.7.19 come. And while he held the tyranny for one year and eight months, both everyone else, so to speak, and the soldiers of the court were vexed by his great 3.7.20 avarice. When Zeno became aware of this, he gathered an army and went against him. Basiliscus sent an army and the general Harmatus 3.7.21 to oppose Zeno. And when they had encamped somewhere near each other, Harmatus surrendered his own army to Zeno, on the condition that he would make his son Basiliscus, who was a very young boy, Caesar, and would leave him as successor 3.7.22 to the throne when he died. But Basiliscus, finding himself deserted by all, fled for refuge to the sanctuary where he had been before. And Acacius, the priest of the city, handed him over to Zeno, charging him with impiety and with having greatly disturbed and innovated the dogma of the Christians, by inclining toward the heresy of Eutyches. And so it was. 3.7.23 And Zeno, having taken over the kingdom again, and violating his pledge to Harmatus, after making his son Basiliscus Caesar, not long afterward both stripped him of the honor 3.7.24 and killed Harmatus. And sending Basiliscus together with his children and his wife to Cappadocia in the winter season, he ordered them to be deprived of food and clothing and all other 3.7.25 care. There, oppressed by cold and hunger, they took refuge in one another's arms and, embracing their beloved bodies, they perished. And this was the punishment that overtook Basiliscus for his political actions. But these things happened at a later time. 3.7.26 But Gizeric at that time, having overcome his enemies both by deceit and by force, as has been said before, was plundering and carrying off everything Roman no less, if not even more, until the emperor Zeno came to an agreement with him and an endless truce was concluded between them, that the Vandals should never commit any hostile act against the Romans for all time, nor suffer any from them. And this truce Zeno himself preserved and also Anastasius, who received the empire 3.7.27 after him. And it continued into the reign of the emperor Justin. And Justinian, being the nephew of this Justin, 3.7.28 succeeded to the empire. While this Justinian was reigning, the present war was established, in the manner 3.7.29 which will be told in the following account. And Gizeric, after surviving a short time, died at a great age

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φασι τὰ ὅπλα κινηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ αὐτομάτου πάταγον οὐ μέτριον οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα ἀφεῖναι, καὶ τότε μὲν τῷ Γιζερίχῳ σεισμόν τινα γεγονέναι δοκεῖν, ἔξω δὲ γενομένῳ ἀμφί τε τῷ σεισμῷ ἀναπυνθανομένῳ, ἐπεί οἱ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδεὶς ὡμολόγει, θαῦμα μὲν ἐπιπεσεῖν μέγα, οὐ μέντοι ξυμβαλεῖν τὸ γεγονὸς οἵῳ 3.7.11 τε εἶναι. ὁ μὲν οὖν Μαϊορῖνος διαπεπραγμένος ἅπερ ἐβούλετο ἐπὶ Λιγουρίας ἀπεκομίσθη, καὶ τῷ στρατῷ πεζῇ βαδίζοντι ἐξηγούμενος ἐπὶ στήλας τὰς Ἡρακλείους ᾔει, διαβαίνειν μὲν διανοούμενος τὸν ἐκείνῃ πορθμὸν, ὁδῷ δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα ἐνθένδε ἰέναι. 3.7.12 ὧνπερ ὁ Γιζέριχος αἰσθόμενος καὶ ὅτι δὴ πρὸς Μαϊορίνου ἐν τῇ πρεσβείᾳ φενακισθείη, ἔς τε ὀρρωδίαν ἐμ3.7.13 πέπτωκε καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ἐξηρτύετο. οἵ τε Ῥωμαῖοι τεκμηριούμενοι τῇ Μαϊορίνου ἀρετῇ εὐέλπιδες 3.7.14 ἤδη ἐγένοντο Λιβύην τῇ ἀρχῇ ἀνασώσασθαι. ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ νόσῳ δυσεντερίας ἁλοὺς ὁ Μαϊορῖνος διαφθείρεται, ἀνὴρ τὰ μὲν εἰς τοὺς ὑπηκόους μέτριος 3.7.15 γεγονὼς, φοβερὸς δὲ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους. καὶ Νέπως δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν ὀλίγας τε ἡμέρας ἐπιβιοὺς ἐτελεύτησε νόσῳ, καὶ Γλυκέριος μετ' αὐτὸν ἐς ταύτην δὴ προελθὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν τύχην τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀνέπλησε. μεθ' ὃν δὴ Αὔγουστος τὴν αὐτοκράτορα 3.7.16 ἀρχὴν ἔλαβε. βασιλεῖς μέντοι καὶ ἄλλοι πρότερον ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ γεγόνασιν, ὧνπερ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐξεπιστάμε3.7.17 νος ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιμνήσομαι. χρόνον τε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῇ ἀρχῇ ὀλίγον τινὰ ἐπιβιῶναι καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λόγου ἄξιον οὐδὲν πεπραχέναι ξυνέπεσε. ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ ἐγένετο. 3.7.18 Ἐν δὲ Βυζαντίῳ ὁ Βασιλίσκος (οὐ γὰρ ἔτι οἷός τε ἦν τὸν ἔρωτα τῆς βασιλείας βιάζεσθαι) τυραννίδι ἐπιθέμενος ἐκράτησεν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, Ζήνωνος ὁμοῦ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐς τὴν Ἰσαυρίαν, ἀφ' ἧς δὴ ὡρμᾶτο, διαφυ3.7.19 γόντος. ἔχοντι δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν τυραννίδα ἐνιαυτόν τε καὶ μῆνας ὀκτὼ οἵ τε ἄλλοι ὡς εἰπεῖν ξύμπαντες καὶ οἱ τῆς αὐλῆς στρατιῶται διὰ φιλοχρηματίας μέγεθος 3.7.20 ἤχθοντο. ὧν δὴ Ζήνων αἰσθόμενος στρατιάν τε ἀγείρας ἐπ' αὐτὸν ᾔει. Βασιλίσκος δὲ στρατόν τε καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἁρμάτον ὡς ἀντιταξόμενος Ζήνωνι ἔπεμψεν. 3.7.21 ὡς δὲ πλησίον που ἀλλήλοις ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, παραδίδωσιν Ἁρμάτος Ζήνωνι τὸ αὑτοῦ στράτευμα, ἐφ' ᾧ Βασιλίσκον τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱὸν, κομιδῆ ὄντα παῖδα νέον, Καίσαρά τε καταστήσεσθαι καὶ τελευτῶντι διάδοχον 3.7.22 τῆς βασιλείας ἀπολιπεῖν. Βασιλίσκος δὲ πάντων ἔρημος γεγονὼς ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν καταφεύγει, οὗπερ καὶ πρότερον. καὶ αὐτὸν Ἀκάκιος, ὁ τῆς πόλεως ἱερεὺς, Ζήνωνι ἐνεχείρισεν, ἀσέβειάν τε αὐτῷ ἐπενεγκὼν καὶ ὡς πολλὰ τοῦ Χριστιανῶν δόγματος ξυνετάραξέ τε καὶ ἐνεόχμωσεν, ἐς τὴν Εὐτυχοῦς αἵρεσιν ἀποκλίνας. καὶ ἦν δὲ 3.7.23 οὕτως. Ζήνων δὲ αὖθις τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν καὶ τὴν ἐς Ἁρμάτον πίστιν ἀφοσιούμενος Βασιλίσκον τὸν αὐτοῦ παῖδα Καίσαρα καταστησάμενος, οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον αὐτόν τε ἀφείλετο τὴν τιμὴν καὶ Ἁρμάτον 3.7.24 ἔκτεινε. Βασιλίσκον δὲ ὁμοῦ τοῖς τε παισὶ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ πέμψας ἐς Καππαδοκίαν χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ σιτίων τε καὶ ἱματίων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἐπιμελείας ἐρήμους ἐκέ3.7.25 λευσεν εἶναι. ἔνθα δὴ ψύχει τε καὶ λιμῷ πιεζόμενοι ἔς τε ἀλλήλους καταφεύγουσι καὶ τὰ φίλτατα περιβαλόντες σώματα διεφθάρησαν. αὕτη τε Βασιλίσκον τῶν πεπολιτευμένων κατέλαβε τίσις. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἐγένετο. 3.7.26 Γιζέριχος δὲ τότε ἀπάτῃ τε περιελθὼν καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἐξελάσας, ὡς πρόσθεν εἴρηται, τοὺς πολεμίους, οὐδέν τι ἧσσον, εἰ μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον, ἦγέ τε τὰ Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἔφερε ξύμπαντα, ἕως αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς Ζήνων ἐς ὁμολογίαν ἀφίκετο σπονδαί τε αὐτοῖς ἀπέραντοι ξυνετέθησαν, μήτε Βανδίλους πολέμιόν τι ἐς τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα Ῥωμαίους ἐργάσασθαι μήτε αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἐκείνων ξυμβῆναι. ταύτας τε τὰς σπονδὰς Ζήνων τε αὐτὸς διεσώσατο καὶ ὃς μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλα3.7.27 βεν Ἀναστάσιος. διέμειναν δὲ καὶ ἐς Ἰουστῖνον αὐτοκράτορα. τούτου δὲ Ἰουστίνου ἀδελφιδοῦς ὢν Ἰουστι3.7.28 νιανὸς διεδέξατο τὴν βασιλείαν. ἐπὶ τούτου Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλεύοντος ὁ πόλεμος κατέστη ὅδε, τρόπῳ 3.7.29 ᾧ ἐν τοῖς ὄπισθεν λελέξεται λόγοις. χρόνον δὲ ὀλίγον Γιζέριχος ἐπιβιοὺς ἐτελεύτα πόρρω που