r, both because
they were being led into sea-fighting,--a thing which they had not
learned even from tradition before then,--and because they were sent
from the eastern frontier to the West, in order to risk their lives
against Vandals and Moors. But all the rest, as usually happens in a
great throng, wished to be spectators of new adventures while others
faced the dangers.

But as for saying anything to the emperor to prevent the expedition, no
one dared to do this except John the Cappadocian, the pretorian prefect,
a man of the greatest daring and the cleverest of all men of his time.
For this John, while all the others were bewailing in silence the
fortune which was upon them, came before the emperor and spoke as
follows: "O Emperor, the good faith which thou dost shew in dealing with
thy subjects enables us to speak frankly regarding anything which will
be of advantage to thy government, even though what is said and done may
not be agreeable to thee. For thus does thy wisdom temper thy authority
with justice, in that thou dost not consider that man only as loyal to
thy cause who serves thee under any and all conditions, nor art thou
angry with the man who speaks against thee, but by weighing all things
by pure reason alone, thou hast often shewn that it involves us in no
danger to oppose thy purposes. Led by these considerations, O Emperor, I
have come to offer this advice, knowing that, though I shall give
perhaps offence at the moment, if it so chance, yet in the future the
loyalty which I bear you will be made clear, and that for this I shall
be able to shew thee as a witness. For if, through not hearkening to my
words, thou shalt carry out the war against the Vandals, it will come
about, if the struggle is prolonged for thee, that my advice will win
renown. For if thou hast confidence that thou wilt conquer the enemy, it
is not at all unreasonable that thou shouldst sacrifice the lives of men
and expend a vast amount of treasure, and undergo the difficulties of
the struggle; for victory, coming at the end, covers up all the
calamities of war. But if in reality these things lie on the knees of
God, and if it behoves us, taking example from what has happened in the
past, to fear the outcome of war, on what grounds is it not better to
love a state of quiet rather than the dangers of mortal strife? Thou art
purposing to make an expedition against Carthage, to which, if one goes
by land, the journey is one of a hundr