a that it was all for the sake of
her love that he had carried out all that he had done. And since she
felt a repulsion for Maximus even before that time, and had been
desirous of exacting vengeance from him for the wrong done Valentinian,
his words made her swell with rage still more against him, and led her
on to carry out her plot, since she had heard Maximus say that on
account of her the misfortune had befallen her husband. And as soon as
day came, she sent to Carthage entreating Gizeric to avenge Valentinian,
who had been destroyed by an unholy man, in a manner unworthy both of
himself and of his imperial station, and to deliver her, since she was
suffering unholy treatment at the hand of the tyrant. And she impressed
it upon Gizeric that, since he was a friend and ally and so great a
calamity had befallen the imperial house, it was not a holy thing to
fail to become an avenger. For from Byzantium she thought no vengeance
would come, since Theodosius had already departed from the world and
Marcian had taken over the empire. [Mar. 17, 455 A.D.]

V

And Gizeric, for no other reason than that he suspected that much money
would come to him, set sail for Italy with a great fleet. And going up
to Rome, since no one stood in his way, he took possession of the
palace. Now while Maximus was trying to flee, the Romans threw stones at
him and killed him, and they cut off his head and each of his other
members and divided them among themselves. But Gizeric took Eudoxia
captive, together with Eudocia and Placidia, the children of herself and
Valentinian, and placing an exceedingly great amount of gold and other
imperial treasure[25] in his ships sailed to Carthage, having spared
neither bronze nor anything else whatsoever in the palace. He plundered
also the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and tore off half of the roof.
Now this roof was of bronze of the finest quality, and since gold was
laid over it exceedingly thick, it shone as a magnificent and wonderful
spectacle.[26] But of the ships with Gizeric, one, which was bearing the
statues, was lost, they say, but with all the others the Vandals reached
port in the harbour of Carthage. Gizeric then married Eudocia to
Honoric, the elder of his sons; but the other of the two women, being
the wife of Olybrius, a most distinguished man in the Roman senate, he
sent to Byzantium together with her mother, Eudoxia, at the request of
the emperor. Now the power of the East had by now f