ce of God, brought the Catholic Church
in North Africa into the deepest distress. Genseric's son and successor,
Hunnerich, who reigned from 477 to 484, was at first milder. He had married
Eudoxia, elder daughter of Valentinian III. The emperor Zeno had specially
recommended to him the African Catholics. He allowed them to meet again,
and, after the see of Carthage had been vacant twenty-four years, to have a
new bishop. So the brave confessor Eugenius was chosen in 479. But this
favour was followed by a much severer persecution. Eugenius, accused by the
bitter Arian bishop Cyrila, was severely ill-treated, shut up with 4976 of
the faithful, banished into the barest desert, wherein many died of
exhaustion. Hunnerich stripped the Catholics of their goods, and banished
them chiefly to Sardinia and Corsica. Consecrated virgins were tortured to
extort from them admission that their own clergy had committed sin with
them. A conference held at Carthage in 484 between Catholic and Arian
bishops was made a pretext for fresh acts of violence, which the emperor
Zeno, moved by Pope Felix III. to intercede, was unable to prevent. 348
bishops were banished. Many died of ill usage. Arian baptism was forced
upon not a few, and very many lost limbs. This persecution produced
countless martyrs. The greatest wonders of divine grace were shown in it.
Christians at Tipasa, whose tongues had been cut out at the root, kept the
free use of their speech, and sang songs of praise to Christ, whose godhead
was mocked by the Arians. Many of these came to Constantinople, where the
imperial court was witness of the miracle. The successor of this tyrant
Hunnerich, king Guntamund, who reigned from 485 to 496, treated the
Catholics more fairly, and, though the persecution did not entirely cease,
allowed, in 494, the banished bishops to return. A Roman Council, in 487 or
488, made the requisite regulations with regard to those who had suffered
iteration of baptism, and those who had lapsed. King Trasamund, from 496 to
523, wished again to make Arianism dominant, and tried to gain individual
Catholics by distinctions. When that did not succeed, he went on to
oppression and banishment, took away the churches, and forbade the
consecration of new bishops. As still they did not diminish, he banished
120 to Sardinia, among them a great defender of the Catholic faith, St.
Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe. King Hilderich, who reigned from 523 to 530, a
gentle prince and