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they went up the tower, and took from there both the women and the valuables, which were exceedingly great in amount. 4.20.29 And with this money Solomon surrounded many of the cities in Libya with walls. 4.20.30 And when the Moors had withdrawn from Numidia, having been defeated, as was said, he added to the Roman domain for the payment of tribute both the land of Zabe, which is beyond the Aurasian mountain and is called Mauretania Prima, having Sitifis as its metropolis; 4.20.31 for of the other Mauretania, Caesarea happens to be the first city, where Mastigas had established himself with his own Moors, holding all the places there subject and tributary, 4.20.32 with the exception of the city of Caesarea. For Belisarius had previously recovered this for the Romans, as has been set forth by me in the previous books; to which the Romans always send men by ship, but are not able to go by land because Moors are settled in this 4.20.33 country. And from that time all the Libyans who were subjects of the Romans, having obtained a secure peace and the rule of Solomon, which was both temperate and exceedingly moderate, and having for the future no thought of hostility, seemed to be the most fortunate of all men. 4.21.1 But in the fourth year afterwards it came about that all their good fortune was turned to the opposite. For in the seventeenth year that the Emperor Justinian held the imperial power, Cyrus and Sergius, the sons of Bacchus the brother of Solomon, were chosen by the emperor to rule the cities in Libya, Cyrus the elder ruling Pentapolis, and Sergius Tripolis. 4.21.2 And the Moors called the Leuathae came with a great army to the city of Leptimagna to him, repeatedly declaring that they had come for this purpose, that Sergius might give them the customary gifts and tokens and confirm the peace. 4.21.3 But Sergius, being persuaded by Pudentius, a man of Tripolis, whom I mentioned in the preceding books as having served the Emperor Justinian against the Vandals at the beginning of the Vandalic war, received into the city eighty of the barbarians who were most distinguished, promising to fulfil all their requests, and ordered the others to remain in the suburb. 4.21.4 To these eighty he gave pledges concerning the peace, and so invited them to a feast. And they say that these barbarians were in the city with treacherous intent, that they might lay an ambush for Sergius 4.21.5 and kill him. And when they came to conference with him, they brought other charges against the Romans and that they had wrongfully ravaged their crops. 4.21.6 Sergius, making light of this, rose up from the platform on which he 4.21.7 was sitting, and wished to depart. And one of the barbarians took hold of his shoulder and tried to be an obstacle to him. 4.21.8 And from this a tumult arose and the 4.21.9 others now rushed around him. But one of Sergius's bodyguards, drawing his sword, made away with this very 4.21.10 Moor. And as a result, a great disturbance naturally arising in the room, the bodyguards of Sergius killed all the barbarians. 4.21.11 And one of them, when he saw the others being killed, leaped out of the building where these things were being done, escaping everyone's notice, and coming to his tribesmen 4.21.12 revealed what had happened to them. And when they heard this, they betook themselves on the run to their own camp and with all the others took up arms against the 4.21.13 Romans. And when they came near the city of Leptimagna, Sergius and Pudentius met them with the whole 4.21.14 army. And when the battle became hand-to-hand, at first the Romans were victorious and killed many of the enemy, and having plundered their camp they took possession of the money and enslaved a great number of women and children. 4.21.15 But later Pudentius, possessed by a reckless daring, was killed. And Sergius with the Roman army, for it was already growing dark, rode into Leptimagna. 4.21.16 But later the barbarians marched against the Romans with a greater force. And Sergius was sent to his uncle Solomon, in order that he himself might go against the enemy with a larger army; where also Cyrus the

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τὸν πύργον ἀνέβαινον, καὶ τάς τε γυναῖκας τά τε χρήματα, μεγάλα κομιδῆ 4.20.29 ὄντα, ἐνθένδε ἐξεῖλον. ἀφ' ὧν δὴ Σολόμων πολλὰς τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ πόλεων περιέβαλε τείχεσι. 4.20.30 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ Μαυρούσιοι ἀνεχώρησαν ἐκ Νουμιδίας νικηθέντες, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, Ζάβην τε τὴν χώραν, ἣ ὑπὲρ ὄρος τὸ Αὐράσιόν ἐστι Μαυριτανία τε ἡ πρώτη καλεῖται μητρόπολιν Σίτιφιν ἔχουσα, τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ 4.20.31 ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγὴν προσεποίησε· Μαυριτανίας γὰρ τῆς ἑτέρας πρώτη Καισάρεια τυγχάνει οὖσα, οὗ δὴ ὁ Μαστίγας ξὺν Μαυρουσίοις τοῖς αὑτοῦ ἵδρυτο, ξύμπαντα τὰ ἐκείνῃ χωρία κατήκοά τε καὶ φόρου ὑποτελῆ 4.20.32 πλήν γε δὴ πόλεως Καισαρείας ἔχων. ταύτην γὰρ Ῥωμαίοις Βελισάριος τὸ πρότερον ἀνεσώσατο, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθέν μοι δεδήλωται λόγοις· ἐς ἣν Ῥωμαῖοι ναυσὶ μὲν εἰς ἀεὶ στέλλονται, πεζῇ δὲ ἰέναι οὐκ εἰσὶ δυνατοὶ Μαυρουσίων ἐν ταύτῃ ᾠκημένων τῇ 4.20.33 χώρᾳ. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Λίβυες ἅπαντες, οἳ Ῥωμαίων κατήκοοι ἦσαν, εἰρήνης ἀσφαλοῦς τυχόντες καὶ τῆς Σολόμωνος ἀρχῆς σώφρονός τε καὶ λίαν μετρίας, ἔς τε τὸ λοιπὸν πολέμιον ἐν νῷ οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, ἔδοξαν εὐδαιμονέστατοι εἶναι ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. 4.21.1 Τετάρτῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐνιαυτῷ ἅπαντα σφίσιν ἀγαθὰ ἐς τοὐναντίον γενέσθαι ξυνέπεσεν. ἔτος γὰρ ἕβδομόν τε καὶ δέκατον Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος, Κῦρός τε καὶ Σέργιος, οἱ Βάκχου τοῦ Σολόμωνος ἀδελφοῦ παῖδες, πόλεων τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ πρὸς βασιλέως ἄρχειν ἔλαχον, Πενταπόλεως μὲν Κῦρος ὁ πρεσβύτερος, Τριπόλεως δὲ Σέργιος. 4.21.2 Μαυρούσιοι δὲ οἱ Λευάθαι καλούμενοι στρατῷ μεγάλῳ ἐς Λεπτίμαγναν πόλιν παρ' αὐτὸν ἵκοντο, ἐπιθρυλλοῦντες ὅτι δὴ τούτου ἕνεκα ἥκοιεν, ὅπως ὁ Σέργιος δῶρά τε καὶ ξύμβολα σφίσι τὰ νομιζόμενα δοὺς τὴν εἰρήνην 4.21.3 κρατύνηται. Σέργιος δὲ Πουδεντίῳ ἀναπεισθεὶς Τριπολίτῃ ἀνδρὶ, οὗπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐμνήσθην ἅτε κατ' ἀρχὰς τοῦ Βανδιλικοῦ πολέμου Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπὶ Βανδίλους ὑπηρετήσαντος, ὀγδοήκοντα μὲν τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς μάλιστα δοκίμους τῇ πόλει ἐδέξατο, ἅπαντα ἐπιτελέσειν ὑποσχόμενος τὰ αἰτούμενα, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἐν τῷ προαστείῳ μένειν 4.21.4 ἐκέλευσε. τούτοις δὴ τοῖς ὀγδοήκοντα πίστεις ἀμφὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ παρασχόμενος, οὕτω δὴ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ θοίνην ἐκάλεσε. τούτους δὲ λέγουσι τοὺς βαρβάρους νῷ δολερῷ ἐν τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι, ὅπως Σέργιον ἐνεδρεύ4.21.5 σαντες κτείνωσιν. ἐπειδή τε αὐτῷ ἐς λόγους ἦλθον, ἄλλα τε Ῥωμαίοις ἐπεκάλουν ἐγκλήματα καὶ τὰ λήια 4.21.6 σφίσιν οὐ δέον δηϊῶσαι. ἅπερ ὁ Σέργιος ἐν ἀλογίᾳ πεποιημένος, ἐκ τοῦ βάθρου ἐξαναστὰς, ἐφ' οὗπερ 4.21.7 καθῆστο, ἐβούλετο ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. καί τις αὐτοῦ τῶν βαρβάρων τῆς ἐπωμίδος λαβόμενος ἐνεχείρει οἱ ἐμπό4.21.8 διος εἶναι. ἔς τε θόρυβον ἐνθένδε καταστάντες οἱ 4.21.9 ἄλλοι ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἤδη ξυνέρρεον. τῶν δέ τις Σεργίου δορυφόρων τὸ ξίφος σπασάμενος τοῦτον δὴ τὸν 4.21.10 Μαυρούσιον διεχρήσατο. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ταραχῆς, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, γενομένης ἐν τῷ δωματίῳ μεγάλης, οἱ Σεργίου δορυφόροι τοὺς βαρβάρους ἅπαντας ἔκτειναν. 4.21.11 καὶ αὐτῶν εἷς, ἐπειδὴ κτεινομένους τοὺς ἄλλους εἶδε, τοῦ τε οἰκήματος, ἵνα δὴ ταῦτα ἐπράσσετο, ἐκπεπήδηκε, λαθὼν ἅπαντας, ἔς τε τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἀφικό4.21.12 μενος τὰ σφίσι ξυμπεσόντα ἐδήλου. οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες ἔς τε τὸ οἰκεῖον στρατόπεδον κομίζονται δρόμῳ καὶ ξὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἐν ὅπλοις ἐπὶ Ῥω4.21.13 μαίους ἐγένοντο. οἷς δὴ ἀμφὶ πόλιν Λεπτίμαγναν ἀφικομένοις Σέργιός τε καὶ Πουδέντιος παντὶ τῷ 4.21.14 στρατῷ ὑπηντίαζον. τῆς τε μάχης ἐκ χειρὸς γινομένης τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐνίκων Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τῶν πολεμίων πολλοὺς ἔκτειναν, καὶ αὐτῶν τὸ στρατόπεδον ληισάμενοι τῶν τε χρημάτων ἐκράτησαν καὶ γυναικῶν τε καὶ παί4.21.15 δων ἐξηνδραπόδισαν μέγα τι χρῆμα. ὕστερον δὲ Πουδέντιος θράσει ἀπερισκέπτῳ ἐχόμενος θνήσκει. Σέργιος δὲ σὺν τῷ Ῥωμαίων στρατῷ, ἤδη γὰρ καὶ συνεσκόταζεν, ἐς Λεπτίμαγναν ἐσήλασε. 4.21.16 Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον οἱ μὲν βάρβαροι μείζονι παρασκευῇ ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐστράτευσαν. Σέργιος δὲ παρὰ Σολόμωνα τὸν θεῖον ἐστάλη, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ αὐτὸς μείζονι στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἴοι· οὗ δὴ καὶ Κῦρον τὸν