A F R . 



deliverers. When the Imperial fleet arrived, the mariners 

 were immediately landed to unite with the military in the 

 triumph of their conqucft ; and they were dirtftcd by Bcli- 

 farius to remember, in their niardi through the city, that the 

 Vandah liad been the tyrants, but thai they were the deli- 

 verers of the Africans, who mull now be rer|)ected as the 

 voluntary and affedioiiate iubjecls of tlieir common fove- 

 rrign. " The voice of menace and complaint was filcnt ; 

 the trade of Carthajje was not interrupted ; while Africa 

 changed her mailer and her frovernmcnt, the (hops continued 

 open and bufy ; and the foljiers, after fufficient guard, had 

 been polled, modcrtiy departed to the houfes which were 

 allotted for their reception. Bclifarius fixed his refidence in 

 the paLice ; fcafed himfelf on the throne of Genferic ; ac- 

 cepted and dillribnted the barbaric fpoil ; granted their lives 

 to the luppliant \'andals ; and laboured to repair the damage 

 which the I'uburb of Mandracium had fuflained in the pre- 

 ceding night. At fuppcr he entertained his principal officers 

 with the form and magnificence of a royal banquet." 



Gehmer, who endeavoured to rally his fcattered forces, 

 encamped within four days' joumey of Carthage, and was 

 joined by his brother Zano, who returned to him, at his 

 earned requell, from the conquell of Sardinia. In their 

 march towards Carthage, their army increafcd, and fur- 

 palfed, in a tenfold proportion, that of the Romans, com- 

 manded by Bclifarius. After a fevere engagement, Zano 

 fell ; and the pufiHanimous flight of Gehmer expoled the 

 vanity of his recent declaration, that, to the vanquilhed, 

 death was a relief, life a burthen, and infamy the only objeft 

 of terror. The Vandals, defeitcd by their king, hailily 

 difperfed ; and the Romans entered the camp without re- 

 lillance, and diigraced themftlves by the maflacre and plun- 

 der which followed their viftoiy. Bclifarius, with the 

 dawn of the next morning, recalled them to order and obe- 

 dience ; and he extended his proteclion to the fuppliant 

 Vandals, exerciling a proper vigilance, that they might nei- 

 ther dillurb the public peace, nor become the viftiins of po- 

 pular revenge. Gehmer had fled to the inaccefllble coun- 

 try of the Moors, and Behfarius, defiiling from the pur- 

 fuit, refolved to fix his winter-quarters at Carthage. From 

 thence he conveyed information to the emperor, that, in the 

 fpace of three months, he had atchieved the conqueft. of 

 Africa. The emperor received the news v;ith devout gra- 

 titude ; and proceeded, without delay, to the full eftablirti- 

 ment of the catholic church. " Her jurifdiftion, wealth, 

 and immunities," fays Mr. Gibbon,'" perhaps the moft eflen- 

 tial part of epifcopal religion, were reftored and amplified 

 with a hberal hand: the Arian worfliip was fuppreffed ; 

 the Donatifl; meetings were profcribed ; and the fynod of 

 Carthage, by the voice of 2 1 7 bifliops, applauded the jufl: 

 meafure of pious retaliation." Gelimer was traced to the 

 mountain of Papua, in the inland countiy of Numidia, 

 where he had ilniggled with the hardfliip and mortification 

 of the moll abjeft condition, and brought captive to Car- 

 thage. When the royal captive accolled his conqueror, 

 he is fad to have burll into a fit of laughter. Some might 

 have inferred from this fingular circumftance, that he had 

 been deprived of his fenfes by extreme grief ; but to more in- 

 telligent obfervers, this unieafonable mirth infinuated, that 

 the vain and tranfitory fcenes of human greatnefs are un- 

 worthy of a ferious thought. Bclifarius returned, A. D. 

 5.H> to Conftantinoplc, and obtained a very fignal and 

 fplendid triumph. Gelimer advanced flowl;' in the train of 

 attendants on this occafion ; and maintained the majeily of 

 a king. Not a tear nor a figh efcaped him ; but he repeat- 

 edly pronounced the words of Solomon, Vanity! Va- 

 nity! ALL IS Vanity! The departure of Bclifarius 



A F R 



from Africa was followed by new troubles, which continued 

 for feveral years, and accelerated the ruin of its moil flou- 

 rifliing provinces. The taxes were multiplied by arbitrary 

 afTcirmcnts ; the crown lands were refumcd, and the Roman 

 ioldiers, who had married the widows and daughters of the 

 Vandals, claimed the eftates which Genferic had afiigned to 

 the vitlorious troops. The diP.atisfadlion and mutiny in- 

 creafcd ; and they were aggrava:cd by foldiers, who hi'.d 

 imbibed tiic doctrines, and were inlligatcd by the clergy 

 of the Arian feet. A confpiracy was formed at Carthage, 

 againft the life of Solomon, the fuccelTor of Bclifarius ; 

 and a furious fedition was kindled in the Circus which de- 

 folated Africa above ten years. The head of the infur- 

 gents was a private foldicr, whofe name was Stoza. When 

 he fell, another perfmi, called Gontharis, promiled to divide 

 Africa with the Moors, and afpired to the throne of Car- 

 thage. His reign, however, killed only 30 days. The re- 

 bellion of the Moors continued for fome time ; but their 

 infolence was checked by a battle, in which 17 of their 

 princes were flain, and the fubmilTiou of their tribes was ce- 

 lebrated with lavifli applaule by the people of Conftanti- 

 noplc. Such, it has been obferved, was the defolation of 

 Africa in the reign of Juftinian, that, in many parts, a 

 flranger might wander whole days without Iccir.g the face 

 either of a friend or an enemy. The nation of the Van- 

 dals, amounting to 160,000 warriors, exchifively of chil- 

 dren, women, and Haves, had difappeared. Their number 

 was much exceeded by that of the Moorifh families, extir- 

 pated in a relentlefs war ; and the fame deftruftion was reta • 

 liated on the Romans and their allies, who perilhed by the 

 climate, their mutual quarrels, and the rage of the barba- 

 rians. Procopius confidently affiiTns, that five millions of 

 Africans were confumed by the wars and government of 

 the emperor Jullinian. Tlie conqueft of Africa, by the 

 Saracens, was firll attempted by the arms of the caliph 

 Othman, A. D. 647 ; and the conduCl of the war was cn- 

 trufted to Abdallah, his fofter-brother. After fome partial 

 fucceffes and very confiderable lofTes, in a campaign of 15 

 months, the Saracens retreated to the confines of Egypt, 

 with the captives and the wealth of their African expe- 

 dition. Their weftern conquefts were fufpended near 20 

 years. At length the fearlefs Akbah plunged into the 

 heart of the country, traverfed the wildernefs, in which his 

 fuccelTors crefted the fplendid capitals of Fez and Morocco, 

 and penetrated farther to the verge of the Atlantic and 

 the Great Defert. The career of Akbah was reftrained by 

 the profpeiil of a boundlefs ocean. Spurring his horfe 

 into the waves, and raifing his eyes to heaven, he exclaimed 

 with die tone of a fanatic — " Great God ! if my courfe 

 were not ftopped by this fea, I would ftill go on, to the 

 unknown kingdoms of the weft, preaching the unity of 

 thy holy name, and putting to the iword the rebellious na- 

 tions who worfliip any other gods than thee." But this 

 ardent conqueror was recalled from the fliores of the At- 

 lantic by the defection of the Africans ; and overpowered 

 by a multitude of infurgents, he had only left the refource 

 of an honourable death. His fate was avenged by his fuc- 

 csflbr Zuheir, who vanquilbed the natives in many battles, 

 and was himfelf overcome by a powerful army, fent from 

 Conftantinoplc to the rehef of Carthage. The conqueft of 

 Africa was refumed by the caliph Abdalmalek ; and after 

 fome progrefs, his farther advances were obilrufted by the 

 forces of the eaftern empire, under the praefeft and patrician 

 John, a general of experience and renown. But in the en- 

 fuing fpring, he was compelled to evacuate the fortifications 

 of Carthage ; and after a fecond battle in the neighbour- 

 hood of Utica, the Greeks and Goths were again defeated, 



and 



