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he crossed and fell upon the center, where indeed Tzazon, making a charge,4.3.11 pursued them. And they, fleeing, came to their own camp, but the Vandals pursuing came as far as the river, however they did not cross.4.3.12 But again John, leading more of Belisarius' shield-bearers, charged upon those around Tzazon, and again being repulsed from there withdrew to the4.3.13 Roman camp. And for the third time, indeed, taking the general's standard, with almost all of Belisarius' spear-bearers and shield-bearers he made the charge4.3.14 with a great shout and din. And as the barbarians bravely withstood them and used only their swords, the battle became fierce, and many and the best of the Vandals fell,4.3.15 and Tzazon himself, the brother of Gelimer. Then, indeed, the entire Roman army was set in motion, and crossing the river they advanced against the enemy, and the rout, beginning from the center, became brilliant; for4.3.16 each group routed those opposite them with no trouble. And seeing these things, the Massagetae, in accordance with their agreements, made the pursuit with the Roman army, not for4.3.17 long, however, did this pursuit last. For the Vandals, having quickly entered their own camp, kept quiet, and the Romans, not thinking they would be able to fight against them in the stockade, stripped the dead who were wearing gold and withdrew to4.3.18 their own camp. And there died in this battle fewer than fifty of the Romans, but about eight hundred of the Vandals.4.3.19 But Belisarius, when his infantry arrived late in the afternoon, setting out, with all possible speed, with his whole army4.3.20 went against the camp of the Vandals. But Gelimer, knowing that Belisarius with both the infantry and the rest of the army was coming against him at once, saying nothing and giving no orders, leaps upon his horse and4.3.21 fled on the road leading to Numidia. And both his kinsmen and a few of his domestics followed him, panic-stricken and meeting the present circumstances in silence.4.3.22 And for some time, Gelimer escaped the notice of the Vandals in his flight, but when everyone perceived that he had fled and the enemy were already seen, then indeed the men were in a tumult and the children cried out and the women4.3.23 wailed. And they laid no claim to the money at hand nor did they care for their dearest ones who were lamenting, but each one fled without any order wherever he could.4.3.24 And the Romans, coming upon it, captured the camp, deserted of men, with its treasures, and pursuing the whole night, they killed all the men they met, and made the children and women into slaves.4.3.25 And they found so great a quantity of valuables in this camp as has never happened to be, at least in one place.4.3.26 For the Vandals, having long ago plundered the Roman empire, had brought much wealth to Libya, and since the land was exceedingly good for them and abounded to excess in the most necessary produce, it happened that the revenues from this wealth, which were gathered from the good things produced there, were not spent in any other country through trade in necessities, but the landowners themselves always appropriated them for ninety-five years, during which4.3.27 the Vandals ruled Libya. And from this, the wealth having grown to a very great sum, on that day4.3.28 came back again into the hands of the Romans. So this battle and pursuit and the capture of the Vandal camp took place three months after the Roman army came to Carthage, about the middle of the last month, which the Romans call December.4.4.1 But then Belisarius, seeing the Roman army behaving disgracefully and with great disorder, was distressed, fearing the whole night lest the enemy, coming to an understanding and uniting against them,4.4.2 should do them irreparable harm. which if it had happened to occur in any way at that time, I think that no Roman would have escaped this booty
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διέβη καὶ ἐς τοὺς μέσους ἐσέβαλεν, ἔνθα δὴ ὁ Τζάζων ὠθισμῷ χρησά4.3.11 μενος ἐδίωξεν αὐτούς. καὶ οἱ μὲν φεύγοντες ἐς τὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν στρατόπεδον ἧκον, οἱ δὲ Βανδίλοι διώκοντες ἄχρι ἐς τὸν ποταμὸν ἦλθον, οὐ μέντοι διέβη4.3.12 σαν. αὖθις δὲ Ἰωάννης πλείους τῶν Βελισαρίου ὑπασπιστῶν ἐπαγόμενος ἐς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Τζάζωνα ἐσεπήδησε, καὶ αὖθις ἐνθένδε ἀποκρουσθεὶς ἐς τὸ 4.3.13 Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον ἀνεχώρησε. τὸ δὲ δὴ τρίτον ξὺν πᾶσι σχεδὸν τοῖς Βελισαρίου τε δορυφόροις καὶ ὑπασπισταῖς τὸ στρατηγικὸν σημεῖον λαβὼν τὴν ἐσβο4.3.14 λὴν ἐποιήσατο ξὺν βοῇ τε καὶ πατάγῳ πολλῷ. τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ἀνδρείως τε αὐτοὺς ὑφισταμένων καὶ μόνοις χρωμένων τοῖς ξίφεσι, γίνεται μὲν καρτερὰ ἡ μάχη, πίπτουσι δὲ Βανδίλων πολλοί τε καὶ ἄριστοι, 4.3.15 καὶ Τζάζων αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ Γελίμερος ἀδελφός. τότε δὴ ἅπαν τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα ἐκινήθη καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάντες ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐχώρησαν, ἥ τε τροπὴ ἀρξαμένη ἀπὸ τοῦ μέσου λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει· τοὺς γὰρ 4.3.16 κατ' αὐτοὺς οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ἐτρέψαντο ἕκαστοι. ἃ δὴ ὁρῶντες οἱ Μασσαγέται κατὰ τὰ σφίσι ξυγκείμενα ξὺν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ τὴν δίωξιν ἐποιήσαντο, οὐκ ἐπὶ 4.3.17 πολὺ μέντοι ἡ δίωξις ἥδε ἐγεγόνει. οἵ τε γὰρ Βανδίλοι ἐς τὸ σφέτερον στρατόπεδον κατὰ τάχος εἰσελθόντες ἡσύχαζον καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι ἐν τῷ χαρακώματι πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαμάχεσθαι οἷοί τε εἶναι, τούς τε νεκροὺς ὅσοι ἐχρυσοφόρουν ἀπέδυσαν καὶ ἐς 4.3.18 τὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν στρατόπεδον ἀπεχώρησαν. ἀπέθανον δὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ Ῥωμαίων μὲν ἥσσους ἢ πεντήκοντα, Βανδίλων δὲ ὀκτακόσιοι μάλιστα. 4.3.19 Βελισάριος δὲ, τῶν πεζῶν οἱ ἀφικομένων ἀμφὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, ἄρας, ὡς εἶχε τάχους, παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ 4.3.20 ᾔει ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν Βανδίλων στρατόπεδον. Γελίμερ δὲ γνοὺς Βελισάριον ξύν τε τοῖς πεζοῖς καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ ἐπ' αὐτὸν αὐτίκα ἰέναι, οὐδὲν οὔτε εἰπὼν οὔτε ἐντειλάμενος ἐπί τε τὸν ἵππον ἀναθρώσκει καὶ 4.3.21 τὴν ἐπὶ Νουμίδας φέρουσαν ἔφευγε. καὶ αὐτῷ οἵ τε ξυγγενεῖς καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ὀλίγοι τινὲς εἵποντο καταπεπληγμένοι τε καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἐν σιγῇ ἔχοντες. 4.3.22 καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα ἔλαθε Βανδίλους ἀποδρὰς Γελίμερ, ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτόν τε πεφευγέναι ᾔσθοντο ἅπαντες καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι ἤδη καθεωρῶντο, τότε δὴ οἵ τε ἄνδρες ἐθορύβουν καὶ τὰ παιδία ἀνέκραγε καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες 4.3.23 ἐκώκυον. καὶ οὔτε χρημάτων παρόντων μετεποιοῦντο οὔτε τῶν φιλτάτων ὀδυρομένων σφίσιν ἔμελεν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος ἔφευγεν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ὅπη ἐδύνατο. 4.3.24 ἐπελθόντες δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τό τε στρατόπεδον ἀνδρῶν ἔρημον αὐτοῖς χρήμασιν αἱροῦσι καὶ ἐπιδιώξαντες τὴν νύκτα ὅλην ἄνδρας μὲν ὅσοις ἐντύχοιεν ἔκτεινον, παῖδας δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας ἐποιοῦντο ἐν ἀνδραπόδων 4.3.25 λόγῳ. χρήματα δὲ τοσαῦτα τὸ πλῆθος ἐν τούτῳ τῷ στρατοπέδῳ εὗρον ὅσα οὐδεπώποτε ἔν γε χωρίῳ ἑνὶ 4.3.26 τετύχηκεν εἶναι. οἵ τε γὰρ Βανδίλοι ἐκ παλαιοῦ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ληισάμενοι συχνὰ χρήματα ἐς Λιβύην μετήνεγκαν καὶ τῆς χώρας αὐτοῖς ἀγαθῆς ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα οὔσης καρποῖς τε τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἐς ἄγαν εὐθηνούσης, τὰς τῶν χρημάτων προσόδους ξυνέβη, αἵ γε ἐκ τῶν ἐκείνῃ γινομένων ἀγαθῶν ἠγείροντο, οὐκ ἐς ἑτέραν τινὰ δαπανᾶσθαι χώραν ἐμπορίᾳ τῇ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ἀλλ' αὐτὰς ἀεὶ οἱ τὰ χωρία κεκτημένοι προσεποιοῦντο ἐς πέντε καὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἔτη, ἐν οἷς 4.3.27 δὴ Λιβύης οἱ Βανδίλοι ἦρξαν. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐς πάμπολυ χρῆμα ὁ πλοῦτος χωρήσας ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ 4.3.28 ἐς τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὰς χεῖρας ἐπανῆκεν αὖθις. ἡ μὲν οὖν μάχη καὶ δίωξις ἥδε καὶ τοῦ Βανδίλων στρατοπέδου ἡ ἅλωσις τρισὶ μησὶν ὕστερον γέγονεν ἢ ὁ Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἦλθε, μεσοῦντος μάλιστα τοῦ τελευταίου μηνὸς, ὃν ∆εκέμβριον Ῥωμαῖοι καλοῦσι. 4.4.1 Τότε δὲ κατιδὼν Βελισάριος τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα πλημμελῶς τε καὶ ξὺν πολλῇ ἀκοσμίᾳ φερόμενον ἤσχαλλε, δειμαίνων τὴν νύκτα ὅλην μὴ οἱ πολέμιοι, ξυμφρονήσαντές τε καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ξυνιστάμενοι, 4.4.2 τὰ ἀνήκεστα αὐτοὺς δράσωσιν. ὅπερ εἰ γενέσθαι τρόπῳ ὅτῳ δὴ τηνικαῦτα ξυνέπεσεν, οἶμαι ἂν Ῥωμαίων οὐδένα διαφυγόντα ταύτης δὴ τῆς λείας