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came from the sea, they were in great fear and were by no means willing to ally with the Vandals, but sending to Belisarius and having ratified the peace, as has been previously shown, they both remained quiet and were waiting to see how the future 4.8.16 would turn out. But when the affairs of the Vandals had already come to an end, they sent to the Roman army, to find out if there was any beardless man 4.8.17 among them in authority. But when they saw that all were full of beards, they thought that the oracle did not signify the present time for them, but many generations later, 4.8.18 interpreting the prophecy in this way, as they themselves wished. So they were immediately eager for the breaking of the treaty, but 4.8.19 the fear of Belisarius prevented them. For they never had any hope of overcoming the Romans in war, at least as long as he was present. 4.8.20 But when they heard that he was making his departure with his own shield-bearers and guards, and learned that the ships were already being filled by them and the Vandals, they suddenly took up arms and displayed every form of evil against the Libyans. 4.8.21 For the soldiers, being few in each frontier region and still unprepared, would not have been able to resist the barbarians as they overran them everywhere, nor to prevent the raids, which were frequent and not made openly. 4.8.22 But men were killed without any order, and women with their children were made slaves, and property was carried off from every frontier, and the whole country was filled with flight. These things 4.8.23 were reported to Belisarius as he was somewhere already setting sail. And he himself could no longer turn back, but he handed over to Solomon the government of Libya, having chosen out the greater part of his own shield-bearers and guards, so that, following Solomon, they might with great 4.8.24 eagerness exact vengeance as quickly as possible from the rebellious Maurusii for their injustice towards the Romans. And the emperor also sent another army to Solomon, with Theodore of Cappadocia and Ildiger; who was the son-in-law of Antonina, the 4.8.25 wife of Belisarius. But since it was no longer possible to find the taxes of the districts of Libya set down in the records, just as the Romans had registered them in former times, since Gizeric had suppressed and destroyed everything at the beginning, Tryphon and Eustratius were sent by the emperor, for the purpose of assessing the taxes for them, for each one according to proportion. who indeed seemed to the Libyans to be neither moderate nor bearable. 4.9.1 But Belisarius, having arrived in Byzantium with both Gelimer and the Vandals, was deemed worthy of honours, which in former times had been appointed for Roman generals who had won the greatest and most noteworthy victories. 4.9.2 And a period of about six hundred years had already passed since anyone had come to these honours, except for Titus and Trajan, and as many other emperors who, having commanded an army against some barbarian nation, 4.9.3 were victorious. For displaying both the spoils and the captives of the war, he marched in a procession in the middle of the city, which the Romans call a triumph, not, however, in the ancient manner, but walking on foot from his own house as far as the hippodrome, and there again from the starting gates until he arrived at the place where the imperial throne 4.9.4 is. And the spoils were all such things as are customarily reserved for the service of the emperor, both golden thrones and carriages, in which it is the custom for the emperor's wife to ride, and much jewelry made of precious stones, and golden drinking cups, and all the other things useful for the imperial 4.9.5 banquet. And there was also silver weighing many thousands of talents and a very great quantity of all the royal treasures (since Gizeric had plundered the Palace in Rome, as was said in the previous account), among which were also the treasures of the Jews, which Titus son of Vespasian, after the capture of Jerusalem, 4.9.6 had brought to Rome along with certain others. And one of the Jews, seeing these things, and standing beside one of the emperor's acquaintances, said "I think it is inexpedient for these treasures to be brought into the Palace 4.9.7 in Byzantium. For "it is not possible for them to be anywhere else than in the place, where "indeed Solomon, the of the Jews, formerly

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ἐκ θαλάσσης ἧκον, ἐν δέει τε μεγάλῳ ἐγένοντο καὶ ξυμμαχεῖν Βανδίλοις ἥκιστα ἤθελον, ἀλλ' ἐς Βελισάριον πέμψαντες καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην, ὡς πρόσθεν δεδήλωται, κρατυνάμενοι ἡσύχαζόν τε καὶ τὸ μέλλον 4.8.16 ὅπη ἐκβήσεται ἐκαραδόκουν. ἐπεὶ δὲ Βανδίλων τὰ πράγματα ἤδη ἐς πέρας ἀφῖκτο, πέμπουσιν ἐς τὸ Ῥωμαίων στράτευμα, διερευνώμενοι εἴ τις αὐτοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ 4.8.17 ἀγένειός ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαντας πώγωνος ἑώρων ἐμπιπλαμένους, οὐ χρόνον τὸν παρόντα τὸ μαντεῖον σημαίνειν σφίσιν ᾤοντο, ἀλλὰ πολλαῖς γενεαῖς ὕστερον, 4.8.18 ταύτῃ τὸ λόγιον ἑρμηνεύοντες, ᾗ αὐτοὶ ἤθελον. αὐτίκα μὲν οὖν ἐς τὴν διάλυσιν τῶν σπονδῶν ὥρμηντο, ἀλλὰ 4.8.19 τὸ ἐκ Βελισαρίου δέος αὐτοὺς διεκώλυεν. οὐ γάρ ποτε πολέμῳ Ῥωμαίων περιέσεσθαι, παρόντος γε αὐτοῦ, ἐν 4.8.20 ἐλπίδι εἶχον. ὡς δὲ τὴν ἄφοδον αὐτοῦ σὺν τοῖς ὑπασπισταῖς τοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ δορυφόροις ποιεῖσθαι ἤκουσαν, ἤδη τε τὰς ναῦς ὑπ' αὐτῶν τε καὶ Βανδίλων πληροῦσθαι ἐπύθοντο, τὰ ὅπλα ἐξαπιναίως ἀράμενοι ἅπασαν κακοῦ ἰδέαν ἐς τοὺς Λίβυας ἐπεδείξαντο. 4.8.21 οἱ γὰρ στρατιῶται ὀλίγοι τε ἐν ἑκάστῃ ἐσχατιᾶς χώρᾳ καὶ ἔτι ἀπαράσκευοι ὄντες, καταθέουσιν οὐκ ἂν εἶχον πανταχόσε τοῖς βαρβάροις ἀνθίστασθαι, οὐδὲ τὰς ἐπεκδρομὰς συχνάς τε καὶ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς γινο4.8.22 μένας διακωλύσειν. ἀλλ' ἄνδρες μὲν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ἐκτείνοντο, γυναῖκες δὲ σὺν παισὶν ἐν ἀνδραπόδων λόγῳ ἐγίνοντο, τά τε χρήματα ἐκ πάσης ἐσχατιᾶς ἤγετο καὶ φυγῆς ἡ χώρα ξύμπασα ὑπεπίμπλατο. ταῦτα Βε4.8.23 λισαρίῳ ἤδη που ἀναγομένῳ ἠγγέλλετο. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀναστρέφειν οὐκέτι εἶχε, Σολόμωνι δὲ διέπειν τὸ Λιβύης κράτος παρείχετο, ἀπολέξας καὶ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν τε καὶ δορυφόρων τῶν αὑτοῦ μέρος τὸ πλεῖστον, ὥστε Σολόμωνι ἑπομένους Μαυρουσίων ὅτι τάχιστα τοὺς ἐπαναστάντας τῆς ἐς Ῥωμαίους ἀδικίας σὺν προ4.8.24 θυμίᾳ πολλῇ τίσασθαι. καὶ βασιλεὺς δὲ στρατιὰν ἄλλην Σολόμωνι ἔπεμψε, ξὺν Θεοδώρῳ τε τῷ ἐκ Καππαδοκίας καὶ Ἰλδίγερι· ὃς δὴ Ἀντωνίνης γαμβρὸς τῆς 4.8.25 Βελισαρίου γυναικὸς ἦν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν ἐπὶ Λιβύης χωρίων τοὺς φόρους οὐκέτι ἦν ἐν γραμματείοις τεταγμένους εὑρεῖν, ᾗπερ αὐτοὺς ἀπεγράψαντο ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις Ῥωμαῖοι, ἅτε Γιζερίχου ἀναχαιτίσαντός τε καὶ διαφθείραντος κατ' ἀρχὰς ἅπαντα, Τρύφων τε καὶ Εὐστράτιος πρὸς βασιλέως ἐστάλησαν, ἐφ' ᾧ τοὺς φόρους αὐτοῖς τάξουσι κατὰ λόγον ἑκάστῳ. οἳ δὴ οὐ μέτριοι Λίβυσιν οὐδὲ φορητοὶ ἔδοξαν εἶναι. 4.9.1 Βελισάριος δὲ ἅμα Γελίμερί τε καὶ Βανδίλοις ἐς Βυζάντιον ἀφικόμενος γερῶν ἠξιώθη, ἃ δὴ ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοῖς τοῖς νίκας τὰς μεγίστας καὶ λόγου πολλοῦ ἀξίας ἀναδησαμένοις διε4.9.2 τετάχατο. χρόνος δὲ ἀμφὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς ἑξακοσίους παρῳχήκει ἤδη ἐξ ὅτου ἐς ταῦτα τὰ γέρα οὐδεὶς ἐληλύθει, ὅτι μὴ Τίτος τε καὶ Τραϊανὸς, καὶ ὅσοι ἄλλοι αὐτοκράτορες στρατηγήσαντες ἐπί τι βαρβαρικὸν ἔθνος 4.9.3 ἐνίκησαν. τά τε γὰρ λάφυρα ἐνδεικνύμενος καὶ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου ἀνδράποδα ἐν μέσῃ πόλει ἐπόμπευσεν, ὃν δὴ θρίαμβον καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι, οὐ τῷ παλαιῷ μέντοι τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ πεζῇ βαδίζων ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τῆς αὑτοῦ ἄχρι ἐς τὸν ἱππόδρομον κἀνταῦθα ἐκ βαλβίδων αὖθις ἕως εἰς τὸν χῶρον ἀφίκετο, οὗ δὴ ὁ θρόνος ὁ βασίλειός 4.9.4 ἐστιν. ἦν δὲ λάφυρα μὲν ὅσα δὴ ὑπουργίᾳ τῇ βασιλέως ἀνεῖσθαι εἰώθει, θρόνοι τε χρυσοῖ καὶ ὀχήματα, οἷς δὴ τὴν βασιλέως γυναῖκα ὀχεῖσθαι νόμος, καὶ κόσμος πολὺς ἐκ λίθων ἐντίμων ξυγκείμενος, ἐκπώματά τε χρυσᾶ, καὶ τἄλλα ξύμπαντα ὅσα ἐς τὴν βασιλέως 4.9.5 θοίνην χρήσιμα. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἄργυρος ἕλκων μυριάδας ταλάντων πολλὰς καὶ πάντων τῶν βασιλικῶν κειμηλίων πάμπολύ τι χρῆμα (ἅτε Γιζερίχου τὸ ἐν Ῥώμῃ σεσυληκότος Παλάτιον, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη), ἐν οἷς καὶ τὰ Ἰουδαίων κειμήλια ἦν, ἅπερ ὁ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ Τίτος μετὰ τὴν Ἱεροσολύμων ἅλωσιν 4.9.6 ἐς Ῥώμην ξὺν ἑτέροις τισὶν ἤνεγκε. καὶ αὐτὰ τῶν τις Ἰουδαίων ἰδὼν καὶ παραστὰς τῶν βασιλέως γνωρίμων τινὶ «ταῦτα» ἔφη «τὰ χρήματα ἐς τὸ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ 4.9.7 «Παλάτιον ἐσκομίζεσθαι ἀξύμφορον οἴομαι εἶναι. οὐ «γὰρ οἷόν τε αὐτὰ ἑτέρωθι εἶναι ἢ ἐν τῷ χώρῳ, οὗ «δὴ Σολομὼν αὐτὰ πρότερον ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων