And after the Moors had retired from Numidia, defeated in the manner described, the land of Zabe, which is beyond Mt.  Aurasium and is called “First Mauretania,” whose metropolis is Sitiphis,[57] was added to the Roman empire by Solomon as a tributary province; for of the other Mauretania Caesarea is the first city, where was settled Mastigas[58] with his Moors, having the whole country there subject and tributary to him, except, indeed, the city of Caesarea.  For this city Belisarius had previously recovered for the Romans, as has been set forth in the previous narrative[59]; and the Romans always journey to this city in ships, but they are not able to go by land, since Moors dwell in that country.  And as a result of this all the Libyans who were subjects of the Romans, coming to enjoy secure peace and finding the rule of Solomon wise and very moderate, and having no longer any thought of hostility in their minds, seemed the most fortunate of all men.

XXI

But in the fourth year after this it came about that all their blessings were turned to the opposite. [543-544 A.D.] For in the seventeenth year of the reign of the Emperor Justinian, Cyrus and Sergius, the sons of Bacchus, Solomon’s brother, were assigned by the emperor to rule over the cities in Libya, Cyrus, the elder, to have Pentapolis,[60] and Sergius Tripolis.  And the Moors who are called Leuathae came to Sergius with a great army at the city of Leptimagna,[61] spreading the report that the reason they had come was this, that Sergius might give them the gifts and insignia of office which were customary[62] and so make the peace secure.  But Sergius, persuaded by Pudentius, a man of Tripolis, of whom I made mention in the preceding narrative[63] as having served the Emperor Justinian against the Vandals at the beginning of the Vandalic War, received eighty of the barbarians, their most notable men, into the city, promising to fulfil all their demands; but he commanded the rest to remain in the suburb.  Then after giving these eighty men pledges concerning the peace, he invited them to a banquet.  But they say that these barbarians had come into the city with treacherous intent, that they might lay a trap for Sergius and kill him.  And when they came into conference with him, they called up many charges against the Romans, and in particular said that their crops had been plundered wrongfully.  And Sergius, paying no heed to these things, rose from the seat on which he was sitting, with intent to go away.  And one of the barbarians, laying hold upon his shoulder, attempted to prevent him from going.  Then the others began to shout in confusion, and were already rushing together about him.  But one of the body-guards of Sergius, drawing his sword, despatched that Moor.  And as a result of this a great tumult, as was natural, arose in the room, and the guards of Sergius killed all the barbarians.  But one of them, upon seeing the others being slain,