174

the enemy kill, a man who had become great in both reputation and valor. When Stotzas learned this, he died, saying only this, that he would now die most gladly. 4.24.15 In this battle John the Armenian, brother of Artabanes, also dies, after displaying deeds against the enemy 4.24.16 worthy of valor. And the emperor, hearing this, being especially distressed by the valor of John, and thinking it inexpedient for the two generals to administer the command, immediately recalled Sergius and sent him to Italy with an army, and to Areobindus he handed over the entire power of Libya. 4.25.1 But Gontharis, two months after Sergius had departed from there, attempted a tyranny in the following manner. He himself happened to be leading the troops in Numidia and for this reason was staying there, and he was secretly intriguing with the Maurusians that they should advance on Carthage. 4.25.2 Immediately, therefore, an army of the enemy gathered together from both Numidia and Byzacium and marched with great haste against Carthage. The Numidians were led by Cutzinas and Iaudas, and the Byzacenes by Antalas. 4.25.3 And with him was John the tyrant with his followers, whom the mutineers, after Stotzas had died, 4.25.4 had appointed as their own leader. And Areobindus, learning of the attack, summoned to Carthage the other commanders with their followers, and also Gontharis. And Artabanes was present with him, along with the Armenians. 4.25.5 Areobindus, therefore, ordered Gontharis to lead the whole 4.25.6 army against the enemy. But he, after promising eagerly to serve him in matters of war, did the following. He ordered one of his servants, a Maurusian by race and a cook by trade, to go to the enemy's camp, and to give the others the impression that he had run away from his master, but to tell Antalas secretly that Gontharis wished to share with him 4.25.7 the rule of the Libyans. The cook, therefore, did accordingly, and Antalas heard the message gladly, but he answered only this, that noble deeds are not of a nature to come to men through cooks. 4.25.8 When Gontharis heard this, he immediately sent one of his bodyguards, Ulitheus by name, whom he employed as most trustworthy, to Antalas, urging him to come as near as possible to Carthage. 4.25.9 For thus he promised him that he would make Areobindus 4.25.10 disappear from the world. Ulitheus, therefore, secretly from the other barbarians, comes to an agreement with Antalas, on the condition that Antalas should rule Byzacium, taking half of Areobindus' money and bringing with him one thousand five hundred Roman soldiers, and that Gontharis should receive the imperial dignity, holding the power of Carthage and of the rest of Libya. 4.25.11 And having arranged these things, he returned to the Roman camp, which they had made entirely in front of the circuit-wall, having distributed among themselves the guard-posts of each gate. 4.25.12 And the barbarians not long afterwards marched straight for Carthage with great haste, and making camp in the place called Decimum, they waited. And from there 4.25.13 they set out on the next day and advanced forward. But some of the Roman army, meeting them, came to blows with them unexpectedly and killed not a few Maurusians. 4.25.14 These men Gontharis immediately recalled, reproaching them for being recklessly bold and for wishing to throw the Roman cause into manifest danger. 4.25.15 Meanwhile Areobindus, sending secretly to Cutzinas, was negotiating about betrayal. And Cutzinas agreed with him that, whenever they should be in the act, he would turn against both Antalas and the Maurusians in Byzacium. 4.25.16 For the Maurusians keep faith neither with any other men nor with one another. These things 4.25.17 Areobindus reported to Gontharis. But he, wishing to mislead and to postpone the action, advised Areobindus to have as little faith as possible in Cutzinas, unless he should receive his children from him as hostages. 4.25.18 Areobindus and Cutzinas, therefore, constantly sending secretly to one another about the plot against Antalas, 4.25.19 were causing a delay.

174

πολέμιοι κτείνουσιν, ἄνδρα γενόμενον δόξῃ τε καὶ ἀρετῇ μέγαν. ὅπερ ὁ Στότζας μαθὼν ἐτελεύτησε, τοσοῦτον εἰπὼν, ὡς ἥδιστα τὸ λοιπὸν 4.24.15 θνήσκοι. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ καὶ Ἰωάννης Ἀρμένιος Ἀρταβάνου ἀδελφὸς θνήσκει, ἔργα ἐς τοὺς πολεμίους 4.24.16 ἐπιδειξάμενος ἀρετῆς ἄξια. βασιλεὺς δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας περιώδυνός τε τῇ τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀρετῇ γεγονὼς μάλιστα, ἀξύμφορόν τε νομίσας εἶναι τοῖν δυοῖν στρατηγοῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν διέπειν, τὸν μὲν Σέργιον εὐθὺς μεταπεμψάμενος ἐς Ἰταλίαν ξὺν στρατῷ ἔπεμψεν, Ἀρεοβίνδῳ δὲ ἅπαν τὸ Λιβύης παρέδωκε κράτος. 4.25.1 Γόνθαρις δὲ δυοῖν μησὶν ὕστερον ἢ Σέργιος ἐνθένδε ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο, τυραννίδι ἐπέθετο τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ἐτύγχανε μὲν αὐτὸς τῶν ἐν Νουμίδαις καταλόγων ἡγούμενος διατριβήν τε διὰ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα ἔχων, ἔπρασσε δὲ λάθρα ἐς Μαυρουσίους ὅπως ἐπὶ Καρχη4.25.2 δόνα χωρήσωσιν. αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἔκ τε Νουμιδίας καὶ Βυζακίου πολεμίων στρατὸς ἐς ταὐτὸ ἀγηγερμένος ἐπὶ Καρχηδόνα σπουδῇ πολλῇ ᾔεσαν. ἡγεῖτο δὲ Νουμιδῶν μὲν Κουτζίνας τε καὶ Ἰαύδας, Βυζακηνῶν δὲ Ἀντάλας. 4.25.3 ξυνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ τύραννος ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις, ὃν δὴ οἱ στασιῶται, Στότζα τετελευτηκότος, 4.25.4 ἄρχοντα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς κατεστήσαντο. γνοὺς δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος τὴν ἔφοδον ἄλλους τε τῶν ἀρχόντων ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις ἐς Καρχηδόνα καὶ Γόνθαριν μετεπέμπετο. παρῆν δὲ αὐτῷ ξὺν τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις καὶ Ἀρταβάνης. 4.25.5 ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀρεόβινδος Γόνθαριν ἐξηγεῖσθαι παντὶ τῷ 4.25.6 στρατῷ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκέλευεν. ὁ δὲ προθύμως οἱ τὰ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον ὑπηρετήσειν ὑποσχόμενος ἐποίει τάδε. τῶν οἰκετῶν ἕνα, Μαυρούσιον μὲν γένος, τέχνην δὲ μάγειρον, ἐς τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον ἐκέλευσεν ἰέναι, καὶ δόκησιν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις παρέχεσθαι ὅτι δὴ τὸν δεσπότην ἀποδρὰς ᾤχετο, λάθρα δὲ τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ εἰπεῖν ὡς αὐτῷ Γόνθαρις κοινωνεῖν βούλοιτο 4.25.7 τῆς Λιβύων ἀρχῆς. ὁ μὲν οὖν μάγειρος κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει, ὁ δὲ Ἀντάλας τὸν μὲν λόγον ἀσμένως ἤκουσε, τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, ὡς αἱ γενναῖαι τῶν πράξεων οὐ διὰ τῶν μαγείρων ἐπιγίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πεφύκασι. 4.25.8 ταῦτα ἐπεὶ Γόνθαρις ἤκουσε, τῶν δορυφόρων ἕνα, Οὐλίθεον ὄνομα, ᾧ δὴ μάλιστα πιστοτάτῳ ἐχρῆτο, παρὰ τὸν Ἀντάλαν εὐθὺς ἔπεμψεν, ὡς ἀγχοτάτω Καρχη4.25.9 δόνος αὐτὸν παρακαλῶν ἰέναι. οὕτω γάρ οἱ τὸν 4.25.10 Ἀρεόβινδον ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανιεῖν ἐπηγγέλλετο. ὁ μὲν οὖν Οὐλίθεος κρύφα τῶν ἄλλων βαρβάρων Ἀντάλᾳ ξυμβαίνει, ἐφ' ᾧ Βυζακίου μὲν Ἀντάλας ἄρχοι, τό τε ἥμισυ τῶν Ἀρεοβίνδου χρημάτων ἔχων καὶ πεντακοσίους τε καὶ χιλίους στρατιώτας Ῥωμαίους σὺν αὑτῷ ἐπαγόμενος, Γόνθαρις δὲ τὸ βασιλέως ἀξίωμα λάβοι, Καρχηδόνος τε τὸ κράτος καὶ Λιβύης τῆς ἄλλης ἔχων. 4.25.11 ταῦτά τε διαπεπραγμένος ἐπανῆκεν ἐς τὸ Ῥωμαίων στρατόπεδον, ὅπερ ἅπαν πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου πεποίηντο, ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὰ φυλακτήρια πύλης ἑκάστης νει4.25.12 μάμενοι. οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον εὐθὺ Καρχηδόνος σπουδῇ πολλῇ ᾔεσαν, ἔν τε χωρίῳ τῷ ∆εκίμῳ καλουμένῳ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἔμενον. ἐνθένδε 4.25.13 τε ἄραντες τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ πρόσω ἐχώρουν. τινὲς δὲ ὑπαντιάσαντες τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατοῦ, ἐς χεῖράς τε αὐτοῖς ἀπροσδόκητοι ἦλθον καὶ Μαυρουσίους οὐ συχνοὺς 4.25.14 ἔκτειναν. οὓς δὴ ὁ Γόνθαρις εὐθὺς ἀνεκάλει κακίζων ἅτε ἀνεπισκέπτως τε θρασυνομένους καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα ἐθέλοντας ἐς προὖπτόν τινα ἐμβαλεῖν κίνδυνον. 4.25.15 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Ἀρεόβινδος πέμψας παρὰ τὸν Κουτζίναν λάθρα ἔπρασσε προδοσίας πέρι. καί οἱ ὁ Κουτζίνας ὡμολόγησεν, ἐπειδὰν ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ γένωνται, ἐπί τε Ἀντάλαν καὶ Μαυρουσίους τοὺς ἐν Βυζακίῳ τραπέ4.25.16 σθαι. Μαυρούσιοι γὰρ οὔτε πρὸς ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων τινὰς οὔτε πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὸ πιστὸν ἔχουσι. ταῦτα 4.25.17 ἐς Γόνθαριν Ἀρεόβινδος ἐξήνεγκεν. ὁ δὲ παρακρούεσθαί τε καὶ ἀναβάλλεσθαι τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐθέλων παρῄνει τῷ Ἀρεοβίνδῳ τὸ πιστὸν ἐς Κουτζίναν ὡς ἥκιστα ἔχειν, ἢν μὴ τοὺς παῖδας ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ παρ' αὐτοῦ 4.25.18 λάβοι. Ἀρεόβινδος μὲν οὖν καὶ Κουτζίνας λάθρα παρ' ἀλλήλους ἀεὶ πέμποντες ἀμφὶ τῇ ἐς Ἀντάλαν ἐπιβουλῇ 4.25.19 διατριβὴν εἶχον.