Now many other things too great to be hoped for have before now been experienced in the long course of time, and they will continue as long as the fortunes of men are the same as they now are; for those things which seem to reason impossible are actually accomplished, and many times those things which previously appeared impossible, when they have befallen, have seemed to be worthy of wonder; but whether such events as these ever took place before I am not able to say, wherein the fourth descendant of Gizeric, and his kingdom at the height of its wealth and military strength, were completely undone in so short a time by five thousand men coming in as invaders and having not a place to cast anchor.  For such was the number of the horsemen who followed Belisarius, and carried through the whole war against the Vandals.  For whether this happened by chance or because of some kind of valour, one would justly marvel at it.  But I shall return to the point from which I have strayed.

VIII

So the Vandalic war ended thus.  But envy, as is wont to happen in cases of great good fortune, was already swelling against Belisarius, although he provided no pretext for it.  For some of the officers slandered him to the emperor, charging him, without any grounds whatever, with seeking to set up a kingdom for himself,[23] a statement for which there was no basis whatever.  But the emperor did not disclose these things to the world, either because he paid no heed to the slander, or because this course seemed better to him.  But he sent Solomon and gave Belisarius the opportunity to choose whichever of two things he desired, either to come to Byzantium with Gelimer and the Vandals, or to remain there and send them.  And Belisarius, since it did not escape him that the officers were bringing against him the charge of seeking supreme power, was eager to get to Byzantium, in order that he might clear himself of the charge and be able to proceed against his slanderers.  Now as to the manner in which he learned of the attempt of his accusers, I shall explain.  When those who denounced him wished to present this slander, fearing lest the man who was to carry their letter to the emperor should be lost at sea and thus put a stop to their proceedings, they wrote the aforesaid accusation on two tablets, purposing to send two messengers to the emperor in two ships.  And one of these two sailed away without being detected, but the second, on account of some suspicion or other, was captured in Mandracium, and putting the writing into the hands of his captors, he made known what was being done.  So Belisarius, having learned in this way, was eager to come before the emperor, as has been said.  Such, then, was the course of these events at Carthage.