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he was carrying it out, he was indignant, and thinking on both the oaths sworn and the deeds done by Gontarith against Areobindus 4.27.3 he was vexed. For it did not seem to him that the man who had violated such oaths would ever be faithful either to him or to anyone else 4.27.4. So, after considering many things in his own mind, he wished to go over to the Emperor Justinian; and for this reason he began to ride back 4.27.5. And learning that Marcentius, who commanded the troops in Byzacium, had fled for refuge to one of the islands lying off the coast there, he sent to him, and explaining the whole situation and giving pledges, he won the man over 4.27.6. And Marcentius for his part remained with Antalas in the camp, but the soldiers, as many as had their station in Byzacium, being loyal to the emperor, were guarding the city of Adrumetum 4.27.7. But the soldiers of Stotzas, being not less than a thousand, perceiving what was being done, with John leading them, went over to Gontarith at a run 4.27.8. And he received them gladly into the city. And they were five hundred Romans, about eighty Huns, and all the rest were Vandals. 4.27.9 And Artabanes, having received pledges, went up to the Palace with the Armenians and agreed to serve the tyrant 4.27.10 when he gave orders. But secretly he was planning to kill Gontarith, having shared this plan with Gregory his nephew and Artasires his guardsman. 4.27.11 And Gregory, urging him to the deed, spoke as follows: "Artabanes, it is now possible for you alone to win the glory of Belisarius, or rather, even to surpass it by far 4.27.12. For he, having received a most notable army and great sums of money from the emperor, came here, having as commanders those who followed him and many counsellors, and a fleet of ships such as we have never yet known by report, and much cavalry and arms and, to put it simply, everything else prepared for him in a manner worthy of the Roman 4.27.13 empire. And thus with great labour he recovered Libya 4.27.14 for the Romans. All of which has now been so completely lost that, if it had not happened at all, the present situation would be the same; except, indeed, that the result for the Romans from the victory of Belisarius is now to have suffered loss in both men and money, and in addition to have been unable even to guard what they had won 4.27.15. But to recover all these things for the emperor now rests in your spirit and mind and right hand alone 4.27.16. Therefore, consider that you are an Arsacid by birth from of old, and reflect that for men of noble birth it is fitting to act bravely always and everywhere 4.27.17. Indeed, many wonderful deeds have been performed by you in the cause of freedom. For, while still a youth, you killed Acacius, the ruler of the Armenians, and Sittas, the general of the Romans, and because of this you became known to King Chosroes and campaigned with him against the Romans 4.27.18. But since you are of such an age that it is your part not to allow the Roman empire to lie under a drunken dog, show now that it was by nobility and virtue of soul, my good friend, that you performed those earlier deeds; and I and this Artasires will assist you in all your commands with all our strength." 4.27.19 Gregory said so much; and he spurred on the mind of Artabanes still more against the tyrant. 4.27.20 But Gontarith, having brought both the wife and the sister of Areobindus out of the fortress, compelled them to stay in a certain house, neither insulting them in any way by word or deed, nor having them supplied with provisions more sparingly than they needed, nor forcing them to say or do anything else, except indeed that Preiecta was compelled to write to her uncle that Gontarith was honouring them exceedingly and was entirely guiltless of her husband's murder, but that the evil deed had been done by Ulitheus, with Gontarith 4.27.21 by no means approving. And Gontarith did these things, having been persuaded by Pasiphilus, a man who had been a leader of the mutineers in Byzacium, and who had assisted him 4.27.22 especially in his attempt on the tyranny. For Pasiphilus maintained that, if he did these things, the emperor would both give him the girl in marriage and bestow a great sum of money as a dowry on account of the relationship 4.27.23. and for Artabanes to lead the army against both Antalas and the Moors 4.27.24 in Byzacium

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ἐπετέλει, δεινὰ ἐποιεῖτο, καὶ τά τε ὀμωμοσμένα τά τε εἰργασμένα τῷ Γονθάριδι ἐς τὸν Ἀρεόβινδον 4.27.3 ἐννοῶν ἤσχαλλεν. οὐ γάρ οἱ ἐδόκει ὁ τοιούτους ὅρκους ἠδικηκὼς οὔτε αὐτῷ ποτε οὔτε ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν 4.27.4 πιστὸς ἔσεσθαι. πολλὰ γοῦν ἐν αὑτῷ λογισάμενος Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρεῖν ἤθελε· διὸ δὴ ὀπίσω 4.27.5 ἀπήλαυνε. γνούς τε Μαρκέντιον, ὃς τῶν ἐν Βυζακίῳ καταλόγων ἦρχεν, ἐς νῆσόν τινα τῶν ταύτῃ ἐπικειμένων καταφυγεῖν, πέμψας παρ' αὐτὸν, φράσας τε τὸν πάντα λόγον καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δοὺς, τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπη4.27.6 γάγετο. καὶ Μαρκέντιος μὲν ἔμενε ξὺν τῷ Ἀντάλᾳ ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, στρατιῶται δὲ, ὅσοι ἐν Βυζακίῳ διατριβὴν εἶχον, εὐνοϊκῶς βασιλεῖ ἔχοντες, Ἀδραμητὸν 4.27.7 πόλιν ἐφύλασσον. οἱ δὲ τοῦ Στότζα στρατιῶται, οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ χίλιοι ὄντες, αἰσθόμενοι τῶν ποιουμένων, Ἰωάννου σφίσιν ἡγουμένου, παρὰ τὸν Γόνθαριν ἐχώ4.27.8 ρησαν δρόμῳ. καὶ ὃς αὐτοὺς ἀσμένως τῇ πόλει ἐδέξατο. ἦσαν δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν πεντακόσιοι, Οὖννοι δὲ ὀγδοήκοντα μάλιστα, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ Βανδίλοι ἅπαντες. 4.27.9 καὶ Ἀρταβάνης τὰ πιστὰ λαβὼν ἔς τε τὸ Παλάτιον ξὺν τοῖς Ἀρμενίοις ἀνέβη καὶ τῷ τυράννῳ ὑπηρετήσειν 4.27.10 ἐπιτάσσοντι ὡμολόγησε. λάθρα δὲ ἀνελεῖν τὸν Γόνθαριν ἐβουλεύετο, Γρηγορίῳ τε τῷ ἀνεψιῷ καὶ Ἀρτασίρῃ τῷ δορυφόρῳ κοινολογησάμενος τὸ βούλευμα τοῦτο. 4.27.11 Γρηγόριος δὲ αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐνάγων ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Ἀρταβάνη, νῦν σοι πάρεστι μόνῳ τὸ Βελισαρίου ἀνα»δήσασθαι κλέος, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ πολλῷ ἔτι ὑπερ4.27.12 «βαλέσθαι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ στρατιὰν ἀξιολογωτάτην καὶ «χρήματα μεγάλα παρὰ βασιλέως λαβὼν ἐνταῦθα ἧκεν, «ἄρχοντας μὲν ἔχων τούς οἱ ἑπομένους καὶ ξυμβούλους «πολλοὺς, στόλον δὲ νηῶν οἷον οὔπω ἡμεῖς ἀκοῇ ἴσ»μεν, ἵππον τε πολλὴν καὶ ὅπλα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁπλῶς «εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα ἐπαξίως οἱ παρεσκευασμένα τῆς Ῥω4.27.13 «μαίων ἀρχῆς. οὕτω τε πόνῳ πολλῷ ἀνεσώσατο Λιβύην 4.27.14 «Ῥωμαίοις. ἅπερ ἅπαντα οὕτως ἀπόλωλεν ὥστε, εἰ «μηδὲ ἀρχὴν ἐγεγόνει, ἔν γε τῷ παρόντι ἐν ἴσῳ εἶναι· «πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι ἀποκέκριται Ῥωμαίοις τανῦν ἐκ τῆς «Βελισαρίου νίκης τοῖς τε σώμασι καὶ τοῖς χρήμασιν «ἐζημιῶσθαι, καὶ πρός γε τὸ μηδὲ φυλάξαι τἀγαθὰ 4.27.15 «δυνατοῖς γεγονέναι. τὸ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα ἀνασώσασθαι «τανῦν βασιλεῖ ἐν τῇ σῇ μόνῃ ψυχῇ τε καὶ γνώμῃ καὶ 4.27.16 «δεξιᾷ κεῖται. οὐκοῦν ἐκλογίζου μὲν ὡς εἶ Ἀρσακίδης «ἀνέκαθεν γένος, ἐνθυμοῦ δὲ ὡς τοῖς εὖ γεγονόσιν 4.27.17 «ἀνδραγαθίζεσθαι ἀεί τε καὶ πανταχῆ πρέπει. πολλὰ «γοῦν σοι ἔργα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας θαυμαστὰ πέ»πρακται. Ἀκάκιον γὰρ, νέος ὢν ἔτι, τὸν Ἀρμενίων «ἄρχοντα, καὶ Σίτταν τὸν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸν ἔκτεινας, «καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Χοσρόῃ βασιλεῖ γνώριμος γεγονὼς 4.27.18 «ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἐστράτευσας. ἐπεὶ δὲ τηλι»κόσδε εἶ, ὡς σὸν εἶναι μὴ περιορᾶν τὴν Ῥωμαίων «ἀρχὴν ὑπὸ κυνὶ μεθύοντι κεῖσθαι, ἐνδείκνυσο τανῦν «ὡς εὐγενείᾳ τε καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ ἐκεῖνα, ὦ 'γαθὲ, τὰ «πρόσθεν εἰργάσω· ἐγὼ δέ σοι καὶ Ἀρτασίρης ὅδε «ἅπαντα ἐπιτάττοντι ὅση δύναμις ὑπουργήσομεν.» 4.27.19 Γρηγόριος μὲν τοσαῦτα εἶπεν· Ἀρταβάνου δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπὶ τὸν τύραννον ἔτι μᾶλλον ὥρμησεν. 4.27.20 Ὁ δὲ Γόνθαρις Ἀρεοβίνδου μὲν τήν τε γυναῖκα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐκ τοῦ φρουρίου ἐξαγαγὼν ἐπί τινος οἰκίας ἠνάγκασε μένειν, οὔτε τι ὑβρίσας λόγῳ ἢ ἔργῳ ὁτῳοῦν ἐς αὐτὰς οὔτε τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐνδεεστέρως ἢ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν ἐχούσας οὔτε τι ἄλλο βιασθείσας εἰπεῖν ἢ πρᾶξαι, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι γράψαι πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἡ Πρεϊέκτα ἠνάγκαστο ὡς Γόνθαρις μὲν αὐτάς τε τιμῴη ἐς ἄγαν καὶ καθαρὸς εἴη παντάπασι τοῦ τἀνδρὸς φόνου, Οὐλιθέῳ δὲ τὸ κακὸν ἐργασθείη, Γον4.27.21 θάριδος οὐδαμῆ ἐπαινοῦντος. ἔπρασσε δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Γόνθαρις Πασιφίλῳ ἀναπεισθεὶς, ἀνδρὶ γεγονότι μὲν τῶν ἐν Βυζακίῳ στασιωτῶν πρώτῳ, ξυναραμένῳ δὲ 4.27.22 αὐτῷ μάλιστα ἐς τὴν τῆς τυραννίδος ἐπίθεσιν. ἰσχυρίζετο γὰρ ὁ Πασίφιλος, ἢν ταῦτα ποιοίη, ξυνοικιεῖν τε αὐτῷ βασιλέα τὴν κόρην καὶ προῖκα κατὰ τὸ ξυγγενὲς 4.27.23 ἐπιδώσειν χρημάτων μεγάλων. Ἀρταβάνην τε τῷ στρατῷ ἐξηγεῖσθαι ἐπί τε Ἀντάλαν καὶ Μαυρουσίους 4.27.24 τοὺς ἐν Βυζακίῳ