B A R B A R Y. 
Genferip, putting him in mind of the treaty'he had con¬ 
cluded with the Roman empire in'442 ; and threatening, 
if he did not obfervc the articles at that time agreed upon, 
tounake war upon him, not only with his own forces, but 
with thofe of his allies the Viligoths, who were ready to 
pafs over into Africa. To this Genferic was fo far from 
paying any regard, that he immediately put to fea with a 
fleet of fixty (hips; but, being attacked by the Roman fleet 
under Ricimer, he was utterly defeated, and forced to fly 
back into Africa : he returned, however, fqori after, with 
a more powerful fleet, committing great ravages on the 
coaft of Italy : but in a fecond expedition he was not attend¬ 
ed with fo much fuccefs ; the Romans falling unexpectedly 
upon his men, while bufied in plundering the country, put 
great numbers of them to the fword, and among the reft 
the brother-in-law of Genferic. Majorianus, at that time 
emperor, now refolved to pafs over into Africa, and at¬ 
tempt the recovery of that country. For this purpofe he 
made preparations; 'out his fleet being furprifed and de¬ 
feated by the Vandals, through the treachery, it is faid, 
.of fome of his commanders, the enterprife mifearried. 
Majorianus, however, perfilted in his refolution ; and 
would probably have fucceeded, had he not been mur¬ 
dered by Ricimer. After his death, Genferic committed 
what ravages he pleafed, and even made defeents on Pe- 
loponnefus and the iflands belongingto the emperor of C011- 
ftantinople. To revenge this affront, Leo made vaft pre¬ 
parations for the invafion of Barbary, infoniuch, that, ac¬ 
cording to Procopius, he laid out 130,000 pounds weight 
of gold in the equipment of his army and navy. The forces 
employed were diffident for expelling the Vandals, had' 
they been much more powerful than they were ; but the 
command being given to Bafilifcus, a covetous and ambi¬ 
tious man, the fleet was utterly defeated through his trea¬ 
chery, and all thefe vaft preparations came to nothing. 
By this defeat the power of the Vandals in Africa became 
fully eftablifhed, and Genferic made himfelf mafter of 
Sicily, and of all the other iflands between Italy and A- 
frica, without oppofition from the weftern emperors, 
whofe power was entirely abolilhed in the year 476. Thus 
was the Vandalic monarchy in Barbary founded by Gen¬ 
feric, between the years 42S and 468. If we contemplate 
that prince’s government in his new dominions, it prefents 
no very agreeable alped. Being himfelf an abfoiute bar¬ 
barian, and an utter (Ranger to every ufeful art, he did 
not fail to dellroy all the monuments of Roman greatnefs 
which were fo numerous in the country lie had conquered. 
Whatever noble flrb flu res the Romans had been at fuch 
nn immenfe expence to ereit, in order to eternize their 
glory in this country, the Vandals were now at no lefs 
pains to reduce into heaps of ruins. Befides this devas¬ 
tation, Genferic made his dominions a feene of blood and 
daughter, by perfec'uting the orthodox Chriftians ; being 
himfelf a zealous Arian. He died ’111477, after a reign 
of fixty years ; and was fucceeded by his Ion H'unneric. 
The new king proved a greater tyrant than his father, 
perfecuting the orthodox Chriftians with the utmoft fury; 
and, during his (lion reign of feven years and an half, de- 
flroyed more tlian Genferic had done in all his lifetime. 
He is (aid to have died in the fame manner as the iierefi- 
arch Arius ; prior to which his- flefh had been rotting 
upon his bones, and crawling with worms, fo that lie look¬ 
ed more like a dead carcafe than a living man. Concern¬ 
ing his fuccelfors Gutamund, Thrafamuiid, and Hilderic, 
we find nothing remarkable, except that they fometimes 
perRcuted, and fometimes were favourable to, the ortho¬ 
dox ; and by his favour for them the laft king was rie- 
pofed. For, having publifiled, in the beginning of his 
reign, a manifefto, wherein lie repealed all the ads of his 
predeceffors againft the orthodox, a rebellion was the con- 
l'equence. At the head of the malcontents was Gilirper, 
or Gildeinaf, a prince of the blood-royal, who became fo 
powerful as to depofe Hilderic in the feventh year of his 
reign ; after which lie caufed the unhappy monarch with 
Vol. fi. No. 98. 
70.9 
all his family to be clofely confined, and was himfelf 
crowned king of tlie Vandals at Carthage. 
Gilimer proved a greater tyrant than any that had gone 
before him ; infoniuch that he was held in uniyerfal ab¬ 
horrence, when the Greek emperor Juftinian projected an 
invafion of Barbaty. Notwitliftanding lie was at that 
time engaged in a war with Perlia, he fent a powerful 
fleet and army to Africa, under the command of the cele¬ 
brated general Belifarius, who was for that reafbn recall¬ 
ed from Perlia. So much was Gilimer taken up with his 
own pleafures, that he knew little or nothing of the for-' 
midable preparations that were making againft him. On 
the arrival of Belifarius, however, lie was conftrained to 
put himfelf in a pofture of defence. The management of 
iiis army he committed to his two brothers Gundimer and 
Gelamund, who attacked the Romans at the head of a 
numerous army. The engagement was long and bloody ; 
but the Vandals w'ere defeated, and the two princes (lain. 
Gilimer, grown defperate at this news, fallied out at tiic 
head of his corps de referve, refolving to renew the attack 
with the utmoft vigour; but by his own indiferetion he 
loft a fair opportunity of defeating the Romans. For no 
fooner did they perceive Gilimer haftening after them at 
the head of a frelh army, than they betook themfelves to 
flight; and the greateft part were difperfed in fuch a man¬ 
ner, that,- had the king purfued them, they mud have 
been totally cut off. Inftead of this, however, meeting 
with the body of one of his (lain brothers, he fpent Ilia 
time in idle lamentations, and in burying the corpfe with 
pomp and dignity. By this means Belifarius had an op¬ 
portunity of rallying his men ; which lie did fo effedual- 
ly, that, coming unexpeftedly upon Gilimer^ he gained 
a new and complete victory over him. This defeat 
.was followed by the lofs of Carthage, which the barba¬ 
rians had been at no pains to put into a (fate of defence. 
Gilimer, having in vain endeavoured to obtain afliftance 
from the Moors and Goths, was now obliged to recal his 
brother Tzafon from Sardinia. The meeting between 
them was very mournful ; but they foon came to a refo- 
lution of making one defperate attempt to regain the loft: 
kingdom. This brought on another engagement, in'wliich 
Tzafon was killed with 800 of his choiceft men, while the 
Romans loft no more than fifty ; after which Belifarius, 
moving fuddenly forward at the head of his army, fell 
upon the camp of the Vandals. Gilimer, without flaying 
to give any orders to his army, fled towards Numidia, in 
the utmoft confternatipn. His flight was not immediately 
known among his troops; but, when it w>as, they abandon¬ 
ed their camp to the Romans, who plundered it, and maf- 
facred all they found in it, except the women, whom they 
carried away captives. 
Thus a total end w as put to the pow-er of the Vandals in 
Barbary, and tiie Romans once more became mafters of 
this cquntry. The Vandal inhabitants were permitted to' 
remain, on condition of exchanging the herefy of Arius 
for the orthodox faith. As for Gilimer, lie took (belter 
at Medamus, a .town fituated on the top of the Pappuan 
mountain, and almoft: inaccelfible by reafbn of its height 
and ruggednefs. The liege of this place was committed 
to Pharas, an officer of great experience, who having Unit 
up all avenues to the town, the unhappy Gilimer was re¬ 
duced to the greateft (traits. Pharas being apprifed of the 
diftrefs he.was in, wrote him a friendly and pathetic letter, 
earneftly exhorting him to furrender. This Gilimer po- 
fitively declined ; and concluded his anfvver with a re- 
queft, that Pharas would Tend him a loaf of bread, a 
fponge, and a lute. This (Range requelt furprifed Pha¬ 
ras ; but it was.ex plained by the rneffenger, who .told him 
that tlie king had not tailed bread fince his arrival on that 
mountain, and earneftly longed to eat a morfel before he 
died; the fpoiige he wanted to allay a tumour on one of 
his eyes ; and the lute, on which he had learned to play, 
was to ailift him in felting fome elegiac verfes lie had com. 
pofed on the fubjeft of his misfortunes, to a fuitable tune. 
S S Pharas 
