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to the Vandals, and that it was not right that anything unpleasant should happen from them to men for whose freedom, making it their pretext, they had marched against the Vandals. Having given such exhortations, he entered Carthage and, since no enemy appeared to them, he went up to the Palace and sat on Gelimer's throne. There, meeting Belisarius with a great outcry, a multitude of merchants and other Carthaginians, all whose houses happened to be on the sea-coast, accused that a plundering of their possessions had been done by the sailors on the previous night. And he put Calonymus under oath surely to bring all the stolen goods to light. But Calonymus, having sworn and having made of no account what he had sworn, for the moment kept the plunder for himself, but not much later he paid the penalty in Byzantium. For being seized by the disease called apoplexy and becoming out of his mind and having bitten off a piece of his own tongue, he then died. But these things happened at a later time. But at that time Belisarius, since the occasion led to it, ordered that luncheon should be served for them, where Gelimer was accustomed to feast the leaders of the Vandals. The Romans call the place Delphica, not in their own tongue, but using the Greek term according to the ancient custom. For in the Palace at Rome, where the emperor's couches happened to be, a tripod had stood from of old, on which the emperor's cup-bearers used to place the cups. And the Romans call the tripod Delphica, since it first came from Delphi, and from it, both in Byzantium and wherever the emperor's couch happens to be, they call this chamber Delphica, just as the Romans, using a Greek term, call the emperor's house Palatium. For since Pallas, a Greek man, had dwelt in this place before the capture of Troy and had built there a noteworthy house, they called this building Palatium, and when Augustus, after taking over the imperial power, first decided to lodge there, from it they call the place where the emperor lodges Palatium. In the Delphica, therefore, Belisarius was eating and whoever was of repute in the army. And it happened that the luncheon which had been prepared for Gelimer on the preceding day was ready. And we feasted on those very foods, and Gelimer's servants both set them before us and poured the wine and performed the other services. And it was possible to see Fortune making a display and putting on a show, how all things are hers and nothing becomes the private possession of man. And it befell Belisarius on that day to win such renown as has never before befallen any of his contemporaries nor any other of the men of old. For though the Roman soldiers were not accustomed to enter a subject city without commotion, not even if they were only about five hundred, and especially if they entered unexpectedly, yet this general rendered all those under his command so orderly that neither any act of insolence nor threat occurred, nor indeed did any hindrance to the work in the city come about, but in a captured city, one that had changed its form of government and exchanged its kingdom, it did not happen that the house of any of those from the marketplace was shut, but the quartermasters, having written out their billets, led the soldiers into the houses, as was customary, and they themselves, taking their luncheon bought from the market, kept quiet as each one wished. Afterwards Belisarius both gave pledges to the Vandals who had fled for refuge to the sanctuaries and attended to the walls. For the circuit-wall of Carthage was so neglected that it was climbable in many places for anyone who wished and had become easy to attack. For no small portion of it had fallen down and for this reason the Carthaginians said Gelimer had not made a stand in the city. For they thought it would never be possible in a short time to restore security to this circuit-wall. And they told of an ancient oracle said to have been uttered by children in Carthage in former times that gamma will pursue beta, and again beta itself will pursue gamma. And at that time it was said by the children at play

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Βανδίλοις, εἶναί τε οὐχ ὅσιον ξυμβῆναί τι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἄχαρι ἐς ἀνθρώπους, ὧν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ὑπό3.20.21 θεσιν ποιησάμενοι ἐπὶ Βανδίλους ἐστράτευσαν. τοσαῦτα παραινέσας ἔς τε Καρχηδόνα εἰσῆλθε καὶ, ἐπεὶ πολέμιον σφίσιν οὐδὲν ἐφαίνετο, ἐς τὸ Παλάτιον 3.20.22 ἀναβὰς ἐν τῷ Γελίμερος θρόνῳ ἐκάθισεν. ἐνταῦθα ἐντυχόντες πολλῇ κραυγῇ Βελισαρίῳ ἐμπόρων τε πλῆθος καὶ ἄλλοι Καρχηδόνιοι, ὅσοις ἐπιθαλάσσια τὰ οἰκία τετύχηκεν εἶναι, ᾐτιῶντο ἁρπαγὴν σφίσι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων τῇ προλαβούσῃ νυκτὶ πρὸς τῶν ναυτῶν ξυμ3.20.23 βῆναι. ὁ δὲ Καλώνυμον ὅρκοις καταλαμβάνει ἦ μὴν 3.20.24 ἅπαντα ἐς τὸ ἐμφανὲς ἐνεγκεῖν τὰ φώρια. Καλώνυμος δὲ ὀμόσας τε καὶ τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα ἐν ἀλογίᾳ ποιησάμενος τὸ μὲν παραυτίκα τὰ χρήματα ἐληίσατο, χρόνῳ δὲ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον τὴν δίκην ἔτισεν ἐς Βυζάντιον. 3.20.25 νόσῳ γὰρ ἁλοὺς τῇ καλουμένῃ ἀποπληξίᾳ καὶ τῶν φρενῶν ἔξω γενόμενος τῆς τε γλώσσης ἀποτραγὼν τῆς αὑτοῦ, εἶτα ἀπέθανεν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἐγένετο. 3.21.1 Τότε δὲ Βελισάριος, ἐπεὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐς τοῦτο ἦγεν, ἄριστον σφίσιν ἐκέλευε γενέσθαι, οὗ δὴ Γελίμερ 3.21.2 τοὺς τῶν Βανδίλων ἡγουμένους ἑστιᾶν εἰώθει. ∆έλφικα τὸν τόπον καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, οὐ τῇ σφετέρᾳ γλώσσῃ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ παλαιὸν ἑλληνίζοντες. ἐν Παλατίῳ γὰρ τῷ ἐπὶ Ῥώμης, ἔνθα ξυνέβαινε στιβάδας τὰς βασιλέως εἶναι, τρίπους ἐκ παλαιοῦ εἱστήκει, ἐφ' οὗ 3.21.3 δὴ τὰς κύλικας οἱ βασιλέως οἰνοχόοι ἐτίθεντο. ∆έλφικα δὲ τὸν τρίποδα καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, ἐπεὶ πρῶτον ἐν ∆ελφοῖς γέγονε, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ ὅπη βασιλέως εἶναι στιβάδα ξυμβαίνει ∆έλφικα τοῦτο καλοῦσι τὸ οἴκημα, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ βασιλέως οἰκία Παλάτιον 3.21.4 ἑλληνίζοντες καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι. Πάλλαντος γὰρ ἀνδρὸς Ἕλληνος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χωρίῳ οἰκήσαντος πρὸ Ἰλίου ἁλώσεως οἰκίαν τε λόγου ἀξίαν ἐνταῦθα δειμαμένου, Παλάτιον μὲν τὸ οἴκημα τοῦτο ἐκάλουν, ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα παραλαβὼν ἀρχὴν Αὔγουστος ἐνταῦθα καταλύειν τὸ πρῶτον ἔγνω, Παλάτιον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κα3.21.5 λοῦσι τὸ χωρίον οὗ ἂν βασιλεὺς καταλύῃ. ἐν ∆έλφικι τοίνυν Βελισάριός τε ἤσθιε καὶ εἴ τι ἐν τῷ στρα3.21.6 τεύματι δόκιμον ἦν. τετύχηκε δὲ τὸ τῇ προτεραίᾳ τῷ Γελίμερι γεγονὸς ἄριστον ἐν παρασκευῇ εἶναι. καὶ ταῖς τε βρώσεσιν αὐταῖς εἱστιάθημεν ἥ τε τοῦ Γελίμερος θεραπεία παρετίθει τε καὶ ᾠνοχόει καὶ τὰ ἄλλα 3.21.7 ὑπούργει. παρῆν τε ἰδεῖν ὡραϊζομένην τὴν τύχην καὶ ποιουμένην ἐπίδειξιν, ὡς ἅπαντά τε αὐτῆς εἴη καὶ 3.21.8 οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπῳ ἴδιον γένοιτο. Βελισαρίῳ δὲ ξυνηνέχθη ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ εὐδοκιμῆσαι ὡς οὔτε τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν οὐδενὶ πώποτε οὔτε τῳ ἄλλῳ τῶν ἐκ παλαιοῦ γεγο3.21.9 νότων τετύχηκε. τῶν γὰρ δὴ Ῥωμαίων στρατιωτῶν οὐκ εἰωθότων θορύβου χωρὶς ἐς πόλιν κατήκοον σφίσιν οὐδ' ἂν κατὰ πεντακοσίους εἶεν ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου ἰέναι, οὕτω δὴ κοσμίους ἅπαντας ὁ στρατηγὸς οὗτος τοὺς ἀρχομένους παρέσχετο ὥστε 3.21.10 οὐδὲ ὕβριν τινὰ ἢ ἀπειλὴν γενέσθαι, οὐ μὴν οὐδέ τι ἐμπόδισμα τῇ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐργασίᾳ ξυνέβη, ἀλλ' ἐν ἁλούσῃ πόλει καὶ πολιτείαν μεταβαλούσῃ καὶ βασιλείαν ἀλλαξαμένῃ οὐδὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ξυνέβη τινὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' οἱ γραμματεῖς τὰ βιβλίδια γράψαντες τοὺς στρατιώτας, ὥσπερ εἰώθει, ἐς τὰς οἰκίας εἰσήγαγον, αὐτοί τε ὤνιον ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγορᾶς τὸ ἄριστον λαβόντες ὡς ἑκάστῳ ἦν βουλομένῳ ἡσύχαζον. 3.21.11 Μετὰ δὲ Βελισάριος Βανδίλοις τε τοῖς ἐς τὰ ἱερὰ καταφυγοῦσι πιστὰ ἐδίδου καὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἐπεμελεῖτο. ἦν γὰρ ὁ Καρχηδόνος περίβολος οὕτω δὴ ἀπημελημένος ὥστε ἐσβατὸς ἐν χώροις πολλοῖς τῷ βουλομένῳ 3.21.12 καὶ εὐέφοδος ἐγεγόνει. μοῖρα γὰρ οὐκ ὀλίγη αὐτοῦ κατεπεπτώκει καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Γελίμερα οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι 3.21.13 ἔφασκον ἐν τῇ πόλει οὐχ ὑποστῆναι. οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε οἴεσθαι χρόνῳ ὀλίγῳ οἷόν τε εἶναι τῷ περιβόλῳ τούτῳ 3.21.14 τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἀνασώσασθαι. ἔλεγον δέ τι καὶ λόγιον παλαιὸν ἐν Καρχηδόνι πρὸς τῶν παιδίων ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις εἰρῆσθαι ὡς τὸ γάμμα διώξει τὸ βῆτα, καὶ 3.21.15 πάλιν αὐτὸ τὸ βῆτα διώξει τὸ γάμμα. καὶ τότε μὲν παίζουσιν αὐτὸ τοῖς παιδίοις εἰρῆσθαι