could and reported to Placidia how Boniface stood in relation to her.
And though the woman was dumbfounded, she did nothing unpleasant to
Aetius nor did she upbraid him for what he had done to the emperor's
house, for he himself wielded great power and the affairs of the empire
were already in an evil plight; but she disclosed to the friends of
Boniface the advice Aetius had given, and, offering oaths and pledges of
safety, entreated them to persuade the man, if they could, to return to
his fatherland and not to permit the empire of the Romans to lie under
the hand of barbarians. And when Boniface heard this, he repented of his
act and of his agreement with the barbarians, and he besought them
incessantly, promising them everything, to remove from Libya. But since
they did not receive his words with favour, but considered that they
were being insulted, he was compelled to fight with them, and being
defeated in the battle, he retired to Hippo[22] Regius, a strong city in
the portion of Numidia that is on the sea. There the Vandals made camp
under the leadership of Gizeric and began a siege; for Gontharis had
already died. And they say that he perished at the hand of his brother.
The Vandals, however, do not agree with those who make this statement,
but say that Gontharis' was captured in battle by Germans in Spain and
impaled, and that Gizeric was already sole ruler when he led the Vandals
into Libya. This, indeed, I have heard from the Vandals, stated in this
way. But after much time had passed by, since they were unable to secure
Hippo Regius either by force or by surrender, and since at the same time
they were being pressed by hunger, they raised the siege. And a little
later Boniface and the Romans in Libya, since a numerous army had come
from both Rome and Byzantium and Aspar with them as general, decided to
renew the struggle, and a fierce battle was fought in which they were
badly beaten by the enemy, and they made haste to flee as each one
could. And Aspar betook himself homeward, and Boniface, coming before
Placidia, acquitted himself of the suspicion, showing that it had arisen