nly a few
days, died of disease, and Glycerius after him entered into this office
and suffered a similar fate. [474-475 A.D.] And after him Augustus
assumed the imperial power. There were, moreover, still other emperors
in the West before this time, but though I know their names well, I
shall make no mention of them whatever. For it so fell out that they
lived only a short time after attaining the office, and as a result of
this accomplished nothing worthy of mention. Such was the course of
events in the West.

But in Byzantium Basiliscus, being no longer able to master his passion
for royal power, made an attempt to usurp the throne, and succeeded
without difficulty, since Zeno, together with his wife, sought refuge in
Isauria, which was his native home. [471 A.D.] And while he was
maintaining his tyranny for a year and eight months he was detested by
practically everyone and in particular by the soldiers of the court on
account of the greatness of his avarice. And Zeno, perceiving this,
collected an army and came against him. And Basiliscus sent an army
under the general Harmatus in order to array himself against Zeno. But
when they had made camp near one another, Harmatus surrendered his army
to Zeno, on the condition that Zeno should appoint as Caesar Harmatus'
son Basiliscus, who was a very young child, and leave him as successor
to the throne upon his death. And Basiliscus, deserted by all, fled for
refuge to the same sanctuary as formerly. And Acacius, the priest of the
city, put him into the hands of Zeno, charging him with impiety and with
having brought great confusion and many innovations into the Christian
doctrine, having inclined toward the heresy of Eutyches. And this was
so. And after Zeno had thus taken over the empire a second time, he
carried out his pledge to Harmatus formally by appointing his son
Basiliscus Caesar, but not long afterwards he both stripped him of the
office and put Harmatus to death. And he sent Basiliscus together with
his children and his wife into Cappadocia in the winter season,
commanding that they should be destitute of food and clothes and every
kind of care. And there, being hard pressed by both cold and hunger,
they took refuge in one another's arms, and embracing their loved ones,
perished. And this punishment overtook Basiliscus for the policy he had
pursued. These things, however, happened in later times.

But at that time Gizeric was plundering the whole Roman domain j