The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK IV 215
he also declared this, that although he was ignorant of the God
whom the Christians revere, it was likely, he said, that if He was
strong, as was stated, He would punish those who committed outrages
but defend those who served Him. [165]
And so the spies, on coming to Carthage, remained quietly
while they observed the Vandals’ preparation, but when the
army moved towards Tripolis, they followed it after dressing
themselves in humble clothing. When the Vandals encamped on
the ¢rst day they brought their horses and other animals into the
Christians’ shrines, refrained from no outrage, and themselves
behaved with characteristic lack of restraint; they scourged whatever
priests they captured and, after extensively lacerating their
backs, they ordered them to wait on them. As soon as they had
departed from there, Cabaon’s spies did what he had instructed
them: for they at once cleansed the shrines, removing with great
care the dung and any other impurity that was lying there, they
lit all the lamps, deferred to the priests with great reverence and
greeted them with all other kindness; after giving silver to the
beggars who were sitting round these shrines, they followed the
Vandals’ army in this way. And from this place all along their
route the Vandals committed the same crimes and the spies
ministered.
And when they were about to draw near, the spies went on
ahead and announced to Cabaon all that had been done by the
Vandals and by themselves to the shrines of the Christians, and
that the enemy were somewhere close by. And on hearing this,
he made ready for the encounter. And so most of the Vandals,’
as he says, ‘were destroyed, 40 but there were also some who came
into the enemy’s hands, and very few from this army returned
home. These things it befell Thrasamund to su¡er from the
Moors; and he died later on, after ruling the Vandals for 27
years. 41 [166]
40 The details of Cabaon’s battle array (Procopius, Wars iii.8.25^8) have been omitted;
this is probably a deliberate omission, rather than a lacuna or scribal error, since the gap is
probably signalled by the resumptive ‘as he says’.
41 AD 496^523. Cabaon is not mentioned elsewhere, and the date of this campaign is
unknown.