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And having sent some of his trusted men, he both took the wealth of Gelimer and let Boniface go with his own money, who had plundered a very great amount of Gelimer's wealth. 4.5.1 And when he returned to Carthage, he both made preparations for all the Vandals, so that he might send them to Byzantium at the beginning of spring, and he sent an army for the purpose of recovering for the Romans all things, of which the Vandals 4.5.2 were rulers. So he sent Cyril with a large force to Sardinia, carrying the head of Tzazon, since these islanders were by no means willing to submit to the Romans, both fearing the Vandals and not thinking to be true all that was said to have befallen them at Trica4.5.3marum. And to this Cyril he gave orders, having sent a portion of the army to Corsica, to recover the island for the Roman empire, having previously been subject to the Vandals, which in ancient times 4.5.4 was called Cyrnus, and it is not far from Sardinia. And he, having arrived in Sardinia, both showed the head of Tzazon to the inhabitants there and recovered both islands for the Ro4.5.5man empire for the payment of tribute. And to Caesarea in Mauretania Belisarius sent John with a company of foot-soldiers, which he himself commanded, which is a journey of thirty days for a lightly-equipped man from Carthage, going towards Gadeira and the setting of the sun; and it is situated on the sea, being large and popu4.5.6lous from ancient times. And another John, one of his own guards, he sent to the strait at Gadeira and the other of the Pillars of Heracles, to 4.5.7 seize the fortress there, which they call Septum. And to the islands, which are near the mouth of the Ocean, called locally Ebusa and Majorica and Minorica, he sent Apollinarius, who had set out from Italy, 4.5.8 and while still a youth had arrived in Libya. And having been presented with much money by Ildericus, who was then leader of the Vandals, when Ildericus had been removed from power and was held in prison, as was told in the previous accounts, he came to the Emperor Justinian with the other Libyans, who were supporters of Ildericus, as a suppliant 4.5.9. And having campaigned with the Roman fleet against Gelimer and the Vandals, he proved to be a good man in this war and most of all at Tricamarum. And as a result of this very action Belisarius entrusted these 4.5.10 islands to him. And after this, having sent an army to Tripolis to Pudentius and Tattimuth who were being hard pressed by the Moors there, he strengthened the Roman power in this region. 4.5.11 And having sent some men also to Sicily, in order that they might take the fortress at Lilybaeum as belonging to the Vandal dominion, he was repulsed from there, the Goths being by no means willing to concede any part of Sicily, on the grounds that this 4.5.12 fortress in no way belonged to the Vandals. But he, when he heard these things, wrote the following to the rulers who were there: «Of Lilybaeum, the fortress of the Vandals, of the emperor's «slaves you are depriving us, doing things neither just nor «advantageous to yourselves, and for your ruler, who is not at all «willing and is far removed from what is being done, you wish to make «an enemy of the great emperor, whose 4.5.13 «goodwill he has, having acquired it with great effort. And yet how «would you not seem to be acting contrary to human custom, «if you lately allowed Gelimer to hold the fortress», but have decided to rob», the emperor, the master of Gelimer, of the possessions of his slave? Do not you at least, 4.5.14 «O excellent sirs; but consider, that friendship is by nature wont to cover «many grievances, but enmity does not tolerate even the slightest», wrongs, but it investigates «everything from the beginning, and does not overlook enemies growing rich with what 4.5.15 in «no way belongs to them. Then it fights for «what it says its ancestors were wronged; and if it should «fail in the peril, it has lost «nothing of its own possessions, but if it succeeds, it makes the 4.5.16 «vanquished learn too late what it is to be considerate. You, therefore, neither do «us any further harm nor suffer it yourselves, nor», make an enemy for the Gothic nation of the great 4.5.17 «emperor, whom it is your prayer to have gracious to you. For «know well that of this

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στείλας τε τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς τόν τε Γελίμερος πλοῦτον ἔλαβε καὶ Βονιφάτιον ξὺν τοῖς χρήμασι τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀφῆκε, πάμπολύ τι χρῆμα τοῦ Γελίμερος συλήσαντα πλούτου. 4.5.1 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς Καρχηδόνα ἀνέστρεφε, Βανδίλους τε ἅπαντας ἐν παρασκευῇ ἐποιεῖτο, ὅπως ἅμα ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ ἐς Βυζάντιον πέμψειε, καὶ στράτευμα ἔστελλεν ἐφ' ᾧ ἀνασώσοιντο Ῥωμαίοις ἅπαντα, ὧν Βανδίλοι 4.5.2 ἦρχον. Κύριλλον μὲν οὖν ξὺν πλήθει πολλῷ ἐς Σαρδὼ ἔπεμψε, τὴν Τζάζωνος κεφαλὴν ἔχοντα, ἐπεὶ οἱ νησιῶται οὗτοι ἥκιστα προσχωρεῖν Ῥωμαίοις ἐβούλοντο, δεδιότες τε τοὺς Βανδίλους καὶ οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι ἀληθῆ εἶναι ὅσα σφίσι ξυνενεχθῆναι ἐν Τρικα4.5.3 μάρῳ ἐλέγετο. τούτῳ δὲ τῷ Κυρίλλῳ ἐπήγγελλε μοῖραν τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐς Κουρσικὴν πέμψαντα τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ τὴν νῆσον ἀνακτήσασθαι, Βανδίλων κατήκοον τὰ πρότερα οὖσαν, ἣ Κύρνος μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις 4.5.4 ἐπεκαλεῖτο, οὐ πόρρω δὲ ἀπὸ Σαρδοῦς ἐστιν. ὁ δὲ ἐς Σαρδὼ ἀφικόμενος τήν τε Τζάζωνος κεφαλὴν τοῖς ταύτῃ ᾠκημένοις ἐπέδειξε καὶ ἄμφω τὰ νήσω τῇ Ῥω4.5.5 μαίων βασιλείᾳ ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγὴν ἀνεσώσατο. ἐς δὲ Καισάρειαν τὴν ἐν Μαυριτανοῖς Βελισάριος Ἰωάννην ξὺν λόχῳ πεζικῷ, οὗ δὴ αὐτὸς ἡγεῖτο, ἔπεμψεν, ἣ ὁδῷ μὲν ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα εὐζώνῳ ἀνδρὶ Καρχηδόνος διέχει, ἐς Γάδειρά τε καὶ τὰς ἡλίου δυσμὰς ἰόντι· κεῖται δὲ ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ, μεγάλη τε καὶ πολυάν4.5.6 θρωπος ἐκ παλαιοῦ οὖσα. Ἰωάννην δὲ ἄλλον, τῶν οἰκείων ὑπασπιστῶν ἕνα, ἐς τὸν ἐν Γαδείροις πορθμὸν καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν τῶν Ἡρακλέους στηλῶν ἔπεμψε, τὸ 4.5.7 ἐκείνῃ φρούριον, ὃ Σέπτον καλοῦσι, καθέξοντα. ἐς δὲ τὰς νήσους, αἵπερ ἀγχοῦ εἰσι τῆς ὠκεανοῦ ἐσβολῆς, Ἔβουσά τε καὶ Μαϊορίκα καὶ Μινορίκα ἐπιχωρίως καλούμεναι, Ἀπολλινάριον ἔστειλεν, ὃς ἐξ Ἰταλίας μὲν 4.5.8 ὥρμητο, μειράκιον δὲ ὢν ἔτι ἐς Λιβύην ἀφῖκτο. καὶ πολλοῖς χρήμασι πρὸς Ἰλδερίχου τότε Βανδίλων ἡγουμένου δεδωρημένος, ἐπεὶ παρελέλυτο τῆς ἀρχῆς Ἰλδέριχος καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, εἴχετο, ἐς Ἰουστινιανὸν βασιλέα ξὺν Λίβυσι τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἳ τὰ Ἰλδερίχου ἔπρασσον, ἱκετεύσων 4.5.9 ἦλθε. στρατεύσας τε ξὺν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στόλῳ ἐπὶ Γελίμερα καὶ Βανδίλους, ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τῷδε καὶ πάντων μάλιστα ἐν Τρικαμάρῳ ἐγένετο. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἔργου Βελισάριος τὰς νήσους οἱ τάσδε 4.5.10 ἐπέτρεψε. μετὰ δὲ καὶ ἐς Τρίπολιν Πουδεντίῳ τε καὶ Ταττιμοὺθ πρὸς τῶν ἐκείνῃ Μαυρουσίων πιεζομένοις στράτευμα πέμψας τὴν Ῥωμαίων δύναμιν ταύτῃ ἐπέρρωσε. 4.5.11 Στείλας δὲ καὶ ἐς Σικελίαν τινὰς, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ ἐν Λιλυβαίῳ φρούριον ἅτε τῇ Βανδίλων ἀρχῇ προσῆκον ἕξουσιν, ἀπεκρούσθη ἐνθένδε, Γότθων ἥκιστα ἀξιούντων Σικελίας τινὰ ξυγχωρεῖν μοῖραν, ὡς οὐδὲν τὸ 4.5.12 φρούριον τοῦτο Βανδίλοις προσῆκον. ὁ δὲ, ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἤκουσε, πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας, οἳ ταύτῃ ἦσαν, ἔγραψε τάδε «Λιλύβαιον τὸ Βανδίλων φρούριον τῶν βασιλέως «δούλων ἀποστερεῖτε ἡμᾶς, οὐ δίκαια ποιοῦντες οὐδὲ «ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ξύμφορα, καὶ ἄρχοντι τῷ ὑμετέρῳ οὔτι «ἑκόντι καὶ μακρὰν ἀπολελειμμένῳ τῶν πρασσομένων «ἐκπολεμῶσαι βούλεσθε βασιλέα τὸν μέγαν, οὗ τὴν 4.5.13 «εὔνοιαν πόνῳ πολλῷ κτησάμενος ἔχει. καίτοι πῶς «οὐκ ἂν ἄπο τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου τρόπου ποιεῖν δόξαιτε, «εἰ Γελίμερα μὲν ἔναγχος ἔχειν ξυνεχωρεῖτε τὸ φρού»ριον, βασιλέα δὲ τὸν τοῦ Γελίμερος κύριον ἀφαιρεῖ»σθαι τὰ τοῦ δούλου κτήματα ἔγνωτε; μὴ ὑμεῖς γε, 4.5.14 «ὦ βέλτιστοι· ἀλλ' ἐνθυμεῖσθε, ὡς φιλία μὲν αἰτίας «πολλὰς καλύπτειν πέφυκεν, ἔχθρα δὲ οὐδὲ τῶν σμι»κροτάτων ἀδικημάτων ἀνέχεται, ἀλλὰ διερευνᾶται μὲν «ἅπαντα ἄνωθεν, οὐ περιορᾷ δὲ πλουτοῦντας τοῖς γε 4.5.15 «οὐδὲν προσήκουσι τοὺς πολεμίους. εἶτα μάχεται ὑπὲρ «ὧν τοὺς προγόνους ἠδικῆσθαί φησι· καὶ ἢν μὲν «σφαλῇ ἐν τῷ κινδύνῳ, ἀπώλεσε τῶν ὑπαρχόντων «οὐδὲν, εὐημερήσασα δὲ μεταμανθάνειν ποιεῖ τοὺς 4.5.16 «ἡσσημένους τὸ σύγγνωμον. ὑμεῖς οὖν μήτε δράσητε «ἡμᾶς μηδὲν περαιτέρω κακὸν μήτε αὐτοὶ πάθητε, μή»τε πολέμιον κατεργάσησθε τῷ Γότθων γένει βασιλέα 4.5.17 «τὸν μέγαν, ὃν ὑμῖν ἵλεων εἶναι ἐν εὐχῇ ἐστιν. εὖ «γὰρ ἴστε ὡς τοῦδε