239

so that all were astonished and said, "Behold, the stars are falling; what then will be, we do not know."

1.649 In the 6th and 7th year, the campaigns of Belisarius against Libya took place, which Procopius of Caesarea wrote about in 8 books. He, having taken Carthage and many other nations, surrounded Gelimer, who had fled to Mount Pappua in Numidia. And leaving Pharas to besiege him, he entered Constantinople. But Gelimer, suffering wretchedly, wrote to Pharas, asking that bread, a sponge, and a lyre be sent to him; for among those Maurusii neither wine nor oil nor grain is cultivated, but they feed on boiled barley and spelt like irrational animals. And Pharas was perplexed about these things, until the one who brought the letter said that he desired to taste and see bread, the sponge to wipe away his tears, and the lyre so that he might lament his misfortunes. When Pharas heard these things, being greatly grieved and mocking human fortune, he sent everything. And again the emperor sent Belisarius as general with an innumerable multitude and ships and much gold to wage war against the Vandals and to sack Africa; who, plundering everything with sagacity and prudence and courage, and having taken Gelimer captive, brought him into the city with much wealth and triumphed in the Hippodrome, holding a consulship in the city, so that Justinian, approving, engraved himself on one side of the coin, and on the other Belisarius in arms, and inscribed "Belisarius the glory of the Romans." But such things as envy is accustomed to do in the midst of great prosperity, it labored against Belisarius too. 1.650 For having been slandered, he was removed from his command and glory, and Solomon was sent as general in his place, who, being unable to guard what had been acquired by Belisarius, surrendered everything to the Vandals. And a certain saying from ancient times was current among them, that the third will pursue the first and again the second will pursue the third; for Gizeric first put Boniface to flight, and later again Belisarius, Gelimer. In this time the sun, like the moon, was dimmed in its splendor without rays for the entire year, and for the most part it seemed to be in eclipse. In this time neither war nor death inflicted upon men ceased. In his 2nd year, Justinian renewed from its foundations the great church of God to a beauty and size beyond what it was before, also delivering to it a troparion composed by him to be sung, "the only-begotten Son and Word of God." And he also made the clock of the Milion.

In the 8th year, Zabanarzes, the king of the Iberians, came to the emperor Justinian in Constantinople with his wife and his senators, asking to become an ally and a true friend of the Romans. And the emperor, accepting this, bestowed many gifts on both him and his senate. And the Augusta also gave to his wife all sorts of ornaments made of pearls, and sent them away in peace to their own kingdom. 1.651 In the 10th year, Agapetus the bishop of Rome convened a synod in Constantinople against the impious Severus and Julian of Halicarnassus and the rest of the Theopaschites; at which also Anthimus, bishop of Constantinople, who was of their opinion, was deposed, having been bishop for ten months after Epiphanius. And in his place Menas, a presbyter and director of the hospice of Sampson, was ordained by Agapetus, pope of Rome. But the bishop of Rome died in Constantinople, and in his place Sylvester was ordained, having lived for one year. In the 11th year, the dedication of the great church took place, and the procession went out from the church of the Holy Resurrection with the patriarch and the emperor, along with the people. And from the day of its burning until the dedication, 5 years, 11 months, and 10 days had passed; in

239

ὥστε πάντας ἐκπλήττεσθαι καὶ λέγειν ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἀστέρες πίπτουσι· τί ἄρα ἔσται οὐκ οἴδαμεν.

1.649 Τῷ ʹ καὶ ζʹ ἔτει τὰ τοῦ Βελισαρίου στρατηγήματα κατὰ Λιβύην ἐγένοντο, ἅτινα Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεὺς ἐν ηʹ βιβλίοις συνεγράψατο. οὗτος τὴν Καρχηδόνα κρατήσας καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη πολλά, τὸν δὲ Γιλίμερα φυγόντα εἰς Νουμιδίας τὸ ὄρος Παπ πούαν περιεστοίχισε. καταλιπών τε τὸν Φαρὰν εἰς πολιορκίαν ἐκείνου εἰσῆλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει. ὁ δὲ Γιλίμερ ἐλεεινῶς χειμαζόμενος γράφει τῷ Φαράν, ἀξιῶν πεμφθῆναί οἱ ἄρτον καὶ σπόγγον καὶ κιθάραν· παρ' ἐκείνοις γὰρ τοῖς Μαυρουσίοις οὔτε οἶνος οὔτε ἔλαιον οὔτε σῖτος γεωργεῖται, ἀλλὰ κριθὰς καὶ ὀλύρας ὡς ἄλογα ζῷα ἑφθὰ σιτίζονται. ὁ δὲ Φαρὰς διηπόρει περὶ τού των, ἕως ὁ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν κομίσας ἔφη ὅτι ἄρτον μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖ γεύσασθαι καὶ ἰδεῖν, τὸν σπόγγον δὲ διὰ τὸ τὰ δάκρυα ἀπομάτ τεσθαι, τὴν δὲ κιθάραν, ὅπως τὰς συμφορὰς αὐτοῦ ἐκτραγῳδοίη. ταῦτα Φαρὰς ἀκούσας, περιαλγήσας τε καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην τύ χην ἐκμυκτηρίσας, πάντα ἐξέπεμψε. πάλιν δὲ ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Βελισάριον στρατηγὸν μετὰ πλήθους ἀναριθμήτου καὶ πλοίων καὶ χρυσοῦ πολλοῦ καταπολεμῆσαι Οὐανδήλους καὶ Ἀφρικὴν ἐκπορθῆσαι· ὃς ἀγχινοίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ πάντα ληϊσάμενος, καὶ Γιλίμερ ἐγκρατῆ ποιησάμενος, ἀνήγαγεν ἐν τῇ πόλει μετὰ πλούτου πολλοῦ καὶ ἐθριάμβευσεν ἐν τῷ ἱππικῷ, ὑπα τείαν ποιήσας ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὥστε Ἰουστινιανὸν ἀποδεξάμενον ἐν μὲν τῷ ἑνὶ μέρει τοῦ νομίσματος ἑαυτὸν ἐγχαράξαι, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ Βελισάριον ἔνοπλον, καὶ ἐπιγράψαι "Βελισάριος ἡ δόξα τῶν Ῥωμαίων." ἀλλ' οἷα φθόνος ἐν μεγάλῃ εὐδαιμονίᾳ εἴωθε 1.650 ποιεῖν, ὤδινε καὶ ἐς Βελισάριον. διαβληθεὶς γὰρ μετέστη τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς δόξης, καὶ Σολομῶν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ στρατηγὸς ἐπέμ φθη, ὃς τὰ κτηθέντα Βελισαρίῳ φυλάξαι μὴ δυνηθεὶς τοῖς Οὐανδήλοις πάντων παρεχώρησεν. ἐφέρετο δέ τις λόγος ἐκ πα λαιοῦ παρ' αὐτοῖς, ὅτι τὸ τρίτον διώξει τὸ πρότερον καὶ πάλιν τὸ δεύτερον διώξει τὸ τρίτον· Γιζέριχος γὰρ πρῶτος τὸν Βονιφά κιον ἐτρέψατο, ὕστερον δὲ πάλιν Βελισάριος Γιλίμερα. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ ὁ ἥλιος, ὥσπερ ἡ σελήνη, χωρὶς ἀκτίνων τὴν αἴγλην ἐστύγναζεν ἅπαντα τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δὲ ἐκλείποντι ἐῴκει. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ οὔτε πόλεμος οὔτε θάνατος ἐπιφερόμενος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπέλιπε. Τούτου τῷ βʹ ἔτει ἀνεκαίνισεν ἐκ θεμελίων Ἰουστινιανὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν εἰς κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος ὑπὲρ τὸ πρότερον, παραδοὺς καὶ τροπάριον αὐτῇ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μελισθὲν ψάλ λεσθαι "ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς καὶ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ." ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ τὸ ὡρολόγιον τοῦ μιλίου.

Τῷ ηʹ ἔτει ὁ τῶν Ἰβήρων βασιλεὺς Ζαβαναρζὸς πρὸς Ἰουστινιανὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἦλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει μετὰ τῆς γυ ναικὸς καὶ τῶν συγκλητικῶν αὐτοῦ, αἰτούμενος σύμμαχος Ῥωμαίων καὶ φίλος γνήσιος γενέσθαι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο ἀποδεξάμενος πολλὰ αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῇ συγκλήτῳ αὐτοῦ ἐφιλοτιμήσατο. καὶ ἡ Αὐ γοῦστα δὲ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ κόσμια παντοῖα διὰ μαργαριτῶν ἐχα ρίσατο, καὶ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτοὺς ἐν εἰρήνῃ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν βασιλείαν. 1.651 Τῷ ιʹ ἔτει Ἀγαπητὸς ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ῥώμης σύνοδον ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἐκρότησε κατὰ τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς Σεβήρου καὶ Ἰου λιανοῦ τοῦ Ἁλικαρνασέως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν θεοπασχιτῶν· ἐν οἷς καὶ Ἄνθιμος ἐπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ὁμόφρων αὐτῶν καθῃρέθη, ἐπισκοπήσας μετὰ Ἐπιφάνιον μῆνας δέκα. χειροτο νεῖται δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Μηνᾶς πρεσβύτερος καὶ ξενοδόχος τῶν Σαμψὼν ὑπὸ Ἀγαπητοῦ πάπα Ῥώμης. τελευτᾷ δὲ ὁ Ῥώμης ἐ Κωνσταντινουπόλει, καὶ χειροτονεῖται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Σίλβεστρος, ζήσας χρόνον ἕνα. Τῷ ιαʹ ἔτει γέγονε τὰ ἐγκαίνια τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἡ λιτὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας ἀναστάσεως μετὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως σὺν τῷ λαῷ. ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς καύσεως αὐτῆς μέχρι τῶν ἐγκαινίων ἔτη εʹ μῆνες ιαʹ καὶ ἡμέραι ιʹ παρῆλ θον· ἐν