a single act of
insolence nor a threat, and indeed nothing happened to hinder the
business of the city; but in a captured city, one which had changed its
government and shifted its allegiance, it came about that no man's
household was excluded from the privileges of the marketplace; on the
contrary, the clerks drew up their lists of the men and conducted the
soldiers to their lodgings, just as usual,[56] and the soldiers
themselves, getting their lunch by purchase from the market, rested as
each one wished.

Afterwards Belisarius gave pledges to those Vandals who had fled into
the sanctuaries, and began to take thought for the fortifications. For
the circuit-wall of Carthage had been so neglected that in many places
it had become accessible to anyone who wished and easy to attack. For no
small part of it had fallen down, and it was for this reason, the
Carthaginians said, that Gelimer had not made his stand in the city. For
he thought that it would be impossible in a short time to restore such a
circuit-wall to a safe condition. And they said that an old oracle had
been uttered by the children in earlier times in Carthage, to the effect
that "gamma shall pursue beta, and again beta itself shall pursue
gamma." And at that time it had been spoken by the children in play and
had been left as an unexplained riddle, but now it was perfectly clear
to all. For formerly Gizeric had driven out Boniface and now Belisarius
was doing the same to Gelimer. This, then, whether it was a rumour or an
oracle, came out as I have stated.

At that time a dream also came to light, which had been seen often
before this by many persons, but without being clear as to how it would
turn out. And the dream was as follows. Cyprian,[57] a holy man, is
reverenced above all others by the Carthaginians. And they have founded
a very noteworthy temple in his honour before the city on the sea-shore,
in which they conduct all other customary services, and also celebrate
there a festival which they call the "Cypriana"; and the sailors are
accustomed to name after Cyprian the storm, which I mentioned
lately,[58] giving it the same name as the festival, since it is wont to
come on at the time at which the Libyans have always been accustomed to
celebrate the festival. This temple the Vandals took from the Christians
by violence in the reign of Honoric. And they straightway drove out
their priests from the temple in great dishonour, and themselves
thereafter