fallen into a dispute with the Emperor Valentinian and
was able to obtain revenge only by injuring the empire.
So he invited them urgently and brought them across the
narrow strait known as the Strait of Gades, scarcely seven
miles wide, which divides Africa from Spain and unites
the mouth of the Tyrrhenian Sea with the waters of
Ocean. Gaiseric, still famous in the City for the disaster 168
of the Romans, was a man of moderate height and lame
in consequence of a fall from his horse. He was a man
of deep thought and few words, holding luxury in disdain,
furious in his anger, greedy for gain, shrewd in
winning over the barbarians and skilled in sowing the
seeds of dissension to arouse enmity. Such was he who, 169
as we have said, came at the solicitous invitation of Boniface
to the country of Africa. There he reigned for a
long time, receiving authority, as they say, from God
Himself. Before his death he summoned the band of his
sons and ordained that there should be no strife among
them because of desire for the kingdom, but that each
should reign in his own rank and order as he survived
the others; that is, the next younger should succeed his
elder brother, and he in turn should be followed by his
junior. By giving heed to this command they ruled their
kingdom in happiness for the space of many years and
were not disgraced by civil war, as is usual among other
nations; one after the other receiving the kingdom and
ruling the people in peace.

[Sidenote: The six kings of the Vandals 427-534]