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acting, «into the house of Gizeric he brought down the Vandal «nation; but time has called me to the kingship, according 3.9.22 «to the law, giving me the rights of succession. And the exist»ing dominion it is a fine thing for a ruler to administer himself and not 3.9.23 «to make the cares of others his own. So for you too who hold the king»ship it is not right to be a busybody; but if «you break the treaties and come against us, we shall meet you «with all our power, calling to witness the oaths sworn «to Zeno, whose kingdom you have received and hold.» 3.9.24 When the emperor Justinian received this letter, since he was already angry with Gelimer, he was stirred up still more to 3.9.25 punish him. And he decided, after ending the Persian war as quickly as possible, to march against Libya, and (for he was keen to conceive plans and unhesitating in executing what he had decided) Belisarius, the general of the East, was present, having been summoned by him, not because it had been told to him or anyone else that he was to lead an army to Libya, but ostensibly 3.9.26 he had been relieved of the command which he held. And immediately the treaty with the Persians was made, as was told in the preceding books. 3.10.1 But the emperor Justinian, since his affairs at home and with the Persians were in the best possible state, took the matters in Libya 3.10.2 under consideration. But when he brought it before the magistrates that he was gathering an army against the Vandals and Gelimer, most of them were already discontented and considered it a calamity, renewing and recounting the fleet of the emperor Leo and the disaster of Basiliscus, how many soldiers died, and how much 3.10.3 money the state lost. But most distressed and exceedingly pained by the anxiety were the prefect of the court, whom the Romans call praetor, and the one in charge of the treasury, and whoever else was charged with the collection of public or imperial tax, reckoning that for the needs of the war it would be necessary for them to provide immense sums, 3.10.4 and that they would be considered worthy of neither pardon nor postponement. And of the generals, each one, thinking he would be in command, dreaded and shrank from the magnitude of the danger, if, having been saved from the evils at sea, it should be necessary for him to encamp in enemy territory, and setting out from the ships, to fight against a kingdom both 3.10.5 great and worthy of account. And the soldiers, having just returned from a long and difficult war, and not yet having fully tasted the good things of home, were at a loss, being led into a sea-battle, which they had not even chanced to have heard of before, and being sent from the eastern frontiers to the setting of the sun, in order to face danger against both Vandals and Mau3.10.6rusians. And the rest of the people, indeed, as is wont to happen in a crowd, wished to be spectators of new events through the dangers of others. 3.10.7 However, no one dared to say anything to the Emperor to hinder the expedition, except John the Cappadocian, the prefect of the court, being the most audacious and the most formidable 3.10.8 of all men of his time. For this John, while the others were bewailing in silence the present circumstances, came before the emperor and spoke as follows: «The faithfulness, O «emperor, of your dealings with your subjects opens «up to us freedom of speech for whatever might be advantageous to «your state, even if the things said and done are not to your pleasure. 3.10.9 «For thus does your wisdom temper your power with justice, «so that you do not consider him who serves you in all things to be well-disposed «to your affairs, nor are you harsh» with one who speaks against you, but weighing all things by the sincerity of the thought alone, «you have many times shown us that it is without danger 3.10.10 «to oppose your counsels. Moved by these things, «O Emperor, I have come to this council, «to offend you perhaps for the moment, if it so chances, «but in the future to show my goodwill to be manifest, 3.10.11 «and I shall present you as a witness of this. For if, «disobeying what is said, you carry the war to the Vandals, «as the struggle is prolonged for you, my 3.10.12 «advice will come to win approval. For if you are confident «that you will conquer the enemy, it is not «unreasonable for you the bodies

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πράσσοντα «ἐς οἶκον τὸν Γιζερίχου καθεῖλε τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων «ἔθνος· ἐμὲ δὲ ὁ χρόνος ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκάλεσε, κατά 3.9.22 «γε τὸν νόμον τὰ πρεσβεῖα διδούς. τὴν δὲ ὑπάρχου»σαν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτόν τινα διοικεῖσθαι καλὸν καὶ μὴ 3.9.23 «ἀλλοτρίας οἰκειοῦσθαι φροντίδας. ὥστε καὶ σοὶ βασι»λείαν ἔχοντι τὸ περιέργῳ εἶναι οὐ δίκαιον· λύοντι «δέ σοι τὰς σπονδὰς καὶ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἰόντι ἀπαντήσομεν «ὅση δύναμις, μαρτυρόμενοι τοὺς ὅρκους τοὺς Ζήνωνι «ὀμωμοσμένους, οὗ τὴν βασιλείαν παραλαβὼν ἔχεις.» 3.9.24 ταῦτα λαβὼν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς τὰ γράμματα, ἔχων καὶ πρότερον δι' ὀργῆς Γελίμερα, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐς 3.9.25 τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπῆρτο. καί οἱ ἔδοξε καταλύσαντι ὡς τάχιστα τὸν Μηδικὸν πόλεμον ἐς Λιβύην στρατεῦσαι, καὶ (ἦν γὰρ ἐπινοῆσαί τε ὀξὺς καὶ ἄοκνος τὰ βεβουλευμένα ἐπιτελέσαι) παρῆν μὲν αὐτῷ μετάπεμπτος ὁ τῆς ἑῴας στρατηγὸς Βελισάριος, οὐχ ὅτι ἐς Λιβύην στρατηγήσειν μέλλοι προειρημένον αὐτῷ ἢ ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν, ἀλλὰ τῷ 3.9.26 λόγῳ παραλέλυτο ἧς εἶχεν ἀρχῆς. γεγόνασι δὲ αὐτίκα αἱ πρὸς Πέρσας σπονδαὶ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη. 3.10.1 Βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς, ἐπεί οἱ τά τε οἴκοι καὶ τὰ ἐς τοὺς Πέρσας ὡς ἄριστα εἶχε, τὰ ἐν Λιβύῃ 3.10.2 πράγματα ἐν βουλῇ ἐποιεῖτο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐξήνεγκεν ὡς στρατιὰν ἀγείροι ἐπὶ Βανδίλους τε καὶ Γελίμερα, οἱ πλεῖστοι ἤδη ἐδυσχέραινόν τε καὶ ἐν ξυμφορᾷ ἦσαν, τόν τε Λέοντος τοῦ βασιλέως στόλον καὶ τὸ τοῦ Βασιλίσκου πάθος ἀνανεούμενοί τε καὶ ἀποστοματίζοντες στρατιώτας μὲν ὅσοι ἀπέθανον, χρή3.10.3 ματα δὲ ὅσα τὸ δημόσιον ὦφλε. μάλιστα δὲ ἤλγουν τε καὶ περιώδυνοι τῇ μερίμνῃ ἐγίνοντο ὅ τε τῆς αὐλῆς ἔπαρχος, ὃν δὴ πραίτωρα καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ ὁ τοῦ ταμιείου ἡγούμενος καὶ ὅτῳ ἄλλῳ φόρου ξυλλογὴ δημοσίου ἢ βασιλικοῦ ἐπετέτακτο, λογιζόμενοι ὅτι αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν τοῦ πολέμου χρείαν δεήσει ἄμετρα φέρουσιν 3.10.4 οὔτε ξυγγνώμης τινὸς οὔτε ἀναβολῆς ἀξίοις εἶναι. τῶν δὲ στρατηγῶν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος στρατηγήσειν οἰόμενος κατωρρώδει τε καὶ ἀπώκνει τοῦ κινδύνου τὸ μέγεθος, εἴ οἱ ἀναγκαῖον εἴη διασωθέντι ἐκ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ κακῶν στρατοπεδεύεσθαι μὲν ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ, ἐκ δὲ τῶν νεῶν ὁρμωμένῳ διαμάχεσθαι πρὸς βασιλείαν με3.10.5 γάλην τε καὶ λόγου ἀξίαν. οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται ἄρτι ἐκ πολέμου μακροῦ τε καὶ χαλεποῦ ἐπανήκοντες οὔπω τε ὅλῃ γλώσσῃ ἀγαθῶν τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν γευσάμενοι ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ ἐγίνοντο ἔς τε ναυμαχίαν ἀγόμενοι, ἣν οὐδὲ ἀκοῇ πρότερον παραλαβόντες ἐτύγχανον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑῴων ὁρίων στελλόμενοι ἐς τὰς τοῦ ἡλίου δυσμὰς, ἐφ' ᾧ διακινδυνεύσουσι πρός τε Βανδίλους καὶ Μαυ3.10.6 ρουσίους. οἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλοι, ἅπερ ἐν ὁμίλῳ φιλεῖ γίγνεσθαι, νεωτέρων πραγμάτων ἤθελον διὰ κινδύνων ἀλλοτρίων θεαταὶ γενέσθαι. 3.10.7 Βασιλεῖ μέντοι εἰπεῖν τι ἐπὶ κωλύμῃ τῆς στρατιᾶς οὐδεὶς, ὅτι μὴ ὁ Καππαδόκης Ἰωάννης, ἐτόλμησεν, ὁ τῆς αὐλῆς ἔπαρχος, θρασύτατός τε ὢν καὶ δεινότατος 3.10.8 τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἁπάντων. οὗτος γὰρ Ἰωάννης, τῶν ἄλλων σιωπῇ τὰς παρούσας ὀδυρομένων τύχας, παρελθὼν ἐς βασιλέα ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Τὸ πιστὸν, ὦ «βασιλεῦ, τῆς ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους τοὺς σοὺς ὁμιλίας τὴν «παρρησίαν ἡμῖν ἀναπετάννυσιν ὅ τι ἂν μέλλοι τῇ «πολιτείᾳ τῇ σῇ ξυνοίσειν, ἢν καὶ μὴ πρὸς ἡδονήν 3.10.9 «σοι τὰ λεγόμενά τε καὶ πρασσόμενα ᾖ. οὕτω γάρ «σοι κεράννυσι τῷ δικαίῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἡ σύνεσις, «ὥστε οὐ τὸν ὑπηρετήσαντα πάντως εὔνουν εἶναι «ἡγῇ τοῖς σαυτοῦ πράγμασιν, οὐδὲ τῷ ἀντειπόντι χαλε»πῶς ἔχεις, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ τῆς διανοίας ἀκραιφνεῖ «πάντα σταθμώμενος ἀκίνδυνον ἡμῖν ἀπέδειξας πολλά3.10.10 «κις τὸ τοῖς σοῖς ἀντιστῆναι βουλεύμασι. τούτοις «ἠγμένος, ὦ βασιλεῦ, κατέστην εἰς ξυμβουλὴν τήνδε, «προσκρούσων μὲν τὸ παραυτίκα ἴσως, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, «ἐς δὲ τὸ μέλλον τὴν εὔνοιαν τὴν ἐμὴν καταφανῆ 3.10.11 «δείξων, ταύτης τέ σε μάρτυρα παρεξόμενος. ἢν γὰρ «ἀπειθῶν τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐξοίσεις ἐς Βανδίλους τὸν «πόλεμον, μηκυνομένης σοι τῆς ἀγωνίας τὴν ἐμὴν 3.10.12 «παραίνεσιν εὐδοκιμῆσαι ξυμβήσεται. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὡς «κρατήσεις τῶν πολεμίων τὸ θαρρεῖν ἔχεις, οὐδὲν «ἀπεικός σε τά τε σώματα