d them to enter the gates of Carthage he exhorted
them, in a discourse worthy of himself and the occasion, not
to disgrace the glory of their arms, and to remember that
the Vandals had been the tyrants, but that _they_ were the
deliverers of the Africans, who must now be respected as the
voluntary and affectionate subjects of their common
sovereign. The Romans marched through the street in close
ranks, prepared for battle if an enemy had appeared; the
strict order maintained by their general imprinted on their
minds the duty of obedience; and in an age in which custom
and impunity almost sanctified the abuse of conquest, the
genius of one man repressed the passions of a victorious
army. The voice of menace and complaint was silent, the
trade of Carthage was not interrupted; while Africa changed
her master and her government, the shops continued open and
busy; and the soldiers, after sufficient guards had been
posted, modestly departed to the houses which had been
allotted for their reception. Belisarius fixed his residence
in the palace, seated himself on the throne of Genseric,
accepted and distributed the barbaric spoil, granted their
lives to the suppliant Vandals, and laboured to restore the
damage which the suburb of Mandracium had sustained in the
preceding night. At supper he entertained his principal
officers with the form and magnificence of a royal banquet.
The victor was respectfully served by the captive officers
of the household, and in the moments of festivity, when the
impartial spectators applauded the fortune and merit of
Belisarius, his envious flatterers secretly shed their venom
on every word and gesture which might alarm the suspicions
of a jealous monarch. One day was given to these pompous
scenes, which may not be despised as useless if they
attracted the popular veneration; but the active mind of
Belisarius, which in the pride of victory could suppose
defeat, had already resolved that the Roman empire in Africa
should not depend on the chance of arms or the favour of the
people. The fortifications of Carthage had alone been
excepted from the general proscription; but in the reign of
ninety-five years they were suffered to decay by the
thoughtless and indolent Vandals. A wiser conqueror restored
with inc