me evident to him
that the man was being led to royal power. He therefore by no means
deemed it right to kill him, reasoning that, if he should remove him
from the world, it would be very clear that the thing which the bird had
done was nothing (for he would not honour with his shadow a king who was
about to die straightway), and he felt, too, that he would be killing
him for no good cause; and if, on the other hand, it was fated that in
later times the man should become king, it would never be within his
power to inflict death upon him; for that which has been decided upon by
God could never be prevented by a man's decision. But he bound Marcian
by oaths that, if it should be in his power, he would never take up arms
against the Vandals at least. [450 A.D.] Thus, then, Marcian was
released and came to Byzantium, and when at a later time Theodosius died
he received the empire. And in all other respects he proved himself a
good emperor, but he paid no attention at all to affairs in Libya. But
this happened in later times.

At that time Gizeric, after conquering Aspar and Boniface in battle,
displayed a foresight worth recounting, whereby he made his good fortune
most thoroughly secure. For fearing lest, if once again an army should
come against him from both Rome and Byzantium, the Vandals might not be
able to use the same strength and enjoy the same fortune, (since human
affairs are wont to be overturned by Heaven and to fail by reason of the
weakness of men's bodies), he was not lifted up by the good fortune he
had enjoyed, but rather became moderate because of what he feared, and
so he made a treaty with the Emperor Valentinian providing that each
year he should pay to the emperor tribute from Libya, and he delivered
over one of his sons, Honoric, as a hostage to make this agreement
binding. So Gizeric both showed himself a brave man in the battle and
guarded the victory as securely as possible, and, since the friendship
between the two peoples increased greatly, he received back his son
Honoric. And at Rome Placidia had died before this time, and after her,
Valentinian, her son, also died, having no male offspring, but two
daughters had been born to him from Eudoxia, the child of Theodosius.
And I shall now relate in what manner Valentinian died.

There was a certain Maximus, a Roman senator, of the house of that
Maximus[23] who, while usurping the imperial power, was overthrown by
the elder Theodosius and put to de