totzas and the army with enthusiasm.
And a great throng of slaves also came to him. And when they drew near
Carthage, Stotzas sent orders that the people should surrender the city
to him as quickly as possible, on condition of their remaining free from
harm. But those in Carthage and Theodorus, in reply to this, refused
flatly to obey, and announced that they were guarding Carthage for the
emperor. And they sent to Stotzas Joseph, the secretary of the emperor's
guards, a man of no humble birth and one of the household of Belisarius,
who had recently been sent to Carthage on some mission to them, and they
demanded that Stotzas should go no further in his violence. But Stotzas,
upon hearing this, straightway killed Joseph and commenced a siege. And
those in the city, becoming terrified at the danger, were purposing to
surrender themselves and Carthage to Stotzas under an agreement. Such
was the course of events in the army in Libya.

But Belisarius selected one hundred men from his own spearmen and
guards, and taking Solomon with him, sailed into Carthage with one ship
at about dusk, at the time when the besiegers were expecting that the
city would be surrendered to them on the following day. And since they
were expecting this, they bivouacked that night. But when day had come
and they learned that Belisarius was present, they broke up camp as
quickly as possible and disgracefully and in complete disorder beat a
hasty retreat And Belisarius gathered about two thousand of the army
and, after urging them with words to be loyal to the emperor and
encouraging them with large gifts of money, he began the pursuit of the
fugitives. And he overtook them at the city of Membresa, three hundred
and fifty stades distant from Carthage. There both armies made camp and
prepared themselves for battle, the forces of Belisarius making their
entrenchment at the River Bagradas, and the others in a high and
difficult position. For neither of them saw fit to enter the city, since
it was without walls. And on the day following they joined battle, the
mutineers trusting in their numbers, and the troops of Belisarius
despising their enemy as both without sense and without generals. And
Belisarius, wishing that these thoughts should be firmly lodged in the
minds of his soldiers, called them all together and spoke as follows:--

"The situation, fellow-soldiers, both for the emperor and for the
Romans, falls far short of our hopes and of our prayers