disembark, and after marshalling the whole army and drawing it up in
battle formation, he marched into Carthage; for he feared lest he should
encounter some snare set by the enemy. There he reminded the soldiers at
length of how much good fortune had come to them because they had
displayed moderation toward the Libyans, and he exhorted them earnestly
to preserve good order with the greatest care in Carthage. For all the
Libyans had been Romans in earlier times and had come under the Vandals
by no will of their own and had suffered many outrages at the hands of
these barbarians. For this very reason the emperor had entered into war
with the Vandals, and it was not holy that any harm should come from
them to the people whose freedom they had made the ground for taking the
field against the Vandals. [Sept. 15, 533 A.D.] After such words of
exhortation he entered Carthage, and, since no enemy was seen by them,
he went up to the palace and seated himself on Gelimer's throne. There a
crowd of merchants and other Carthaginians came before Belisarius with
much shouting, persons whose homes were on the sea, and they made the
charge that there had been a robbery of their property on the preceding
night by the sailors. And Belisarius bound Calonymus by oaths to bring
without fail all his thefts to the light. And Calonymus, taking the oath
and disregarding what he had sworn, for the moment made the money his
plunder, but not long afterwards he paid his just penalty in Byzantium.
For being taken with the disease called apoplexy, he became insane and
bit off his own tongue and then died. But this happened at a later time.


XXI

But then, since the hour was appropriate, Belisarius commanded that
lunch be prepared for them, in the very place where Gelimer was
accustomed to entertain the leaders of the Vandals. This place the