Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/38

 brake his engagements with Photius, and the rest of his friends, he was easily pardoned, be­cause it was not thought so much the charms of his Wife, as the fear of the Empress, that made him violate his oaths. But when the said Em­press was dead, it was observed, that instead of thinking upon Photius, and the rest, he sub­mitted himself intirely to the dictates of his Wife, and her confident Caligonus, he began to be despised, as a man of no courage, and to be laughed at as a fool. And these to speak freely, were the faults of Bellisarius.

What Sergius the Son of Bacchus performed in Africk, I have mentioned elswhere; and it was he who was the cause of the disorders in that Countrey. He passed his Parole to the Len­cathians, and confirmed it by a solemn oath up­on the Evangelists, and yet made no scruple to break it. He caused fourscore of their Commis­sioners, sent to him about their affairs, to be stabbed, when there was not the least suspition of any evil design; yet he invited them to dinner, and caused them all to be slain, without any care or reflection upon his oath: And this was the cause, not only of the death of Salomon, but of the loss of the Africans, and Imperial Forces.

After the death of Salomon, the remaining Generals and Armies shew no great desire to fight, especially John, the son of Sisinius, who appeared not upon any occasion, till Ariobindus arrived in Africk. This was an effect of their hatred to Sergius, for besides that, he was nice, and