f Tripolis, of
whom I made mention in the preceding narrative[63] as having served the
Emperor Justinian against the Vandals at the beginning of the Vandalic
War, received eighty of the barbarians, their most notable men, into the
city, promising to fulfil all their demands; but he commanded the rest
to remain in the suburb. Then after giving these eighty men pledges
concerning the peace, he invited them to a banquet. But they say that
these barbarians had come into the city with treacherous intent, that
they might lay a trap for Sergius and kill him. And when they came into
conference with him, they called up many charges against the Romans, and
in particular said that their crops had been plundered wrongfully. And
Sergius, paying no heed to these things, rose from the seat on which he
was sitting, with intent to go away. And one of the barbarians, laying
hold upon his shoulder, attempted to prevent him from going. Then the
others began to shout in confusion, and were already rushing together
about him. But one of the body-guards of Sergius, drawing his sword,
despatched that Moor. And as a result of this a great tumult, as was
natural, arose in the room, and the guards of Sergius killed all the
barbarians. But one of them, upon seeing the others being slain, rushed
out of the house where these things were taking place, unnoticed by
anyone, and coming to his tribemates, revealed what had befallen their
fellows. And when they heard this, they betook themselves on the run to
their own camp and together with all the others arrayed themselves in
arms against the Romans. Now when they came near the city of Leptimagna,
Sergius and Pudentius confronted them with their whole army. And the
battle becoming a hand-to-hand fight, at first the Romans were
victorious and slew many of the enemy, and, plundering their camp,
secured their goods and enslaved an exceedingly great number of women
and children. But afterwards Pudentius, being possessed by a spirit of
reckless daring, was killed; and Sergius with the Roman army, since it
was already growing dark, marched into Leptimagna.

At a later time the barbarians took the field against the Romans with a
greater array. And Sergius went to join his uncle Solomon, in order that
he too might go to meet the enemy with a larger army; and he found there
his brother Cyrus also. And the barbarians, coming into Byzacium, made
raids and plundered a great part of the country there; and Antalas (wh