 Soon after his elevation , Basiliscus had despatched Illus and his brother <unk> against Zeno , who , now in his native fortresses , had resumed the life of an Isaurian chieftain . Basiliscus , however , failed to fulfill the promises he made to the two generals ; furthermore , they received letters from some of the leading ministers at the court , urging them to secure the return of Zeno , for the city now preferred a restored Isaurian to a Miaphysite whose unpopularity increased with the fiscal rapacity of his ministers . 
