Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  [5] Since that man who pays no heed to the disgrace from deeds previously committed and does not shrink from revealing himself to his associates as a loathsome character — for such a man no path of lawlessness is untrodden, but fortified by the effrontery that is never absent from his brow, he advances readily and with no effort to the vilest of actions.

  [6] οὐ μὴν οὐδέ τις ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς τὸ αἶσχος τοῦτο ἀναδουμένην τὴν πολιτείαν ὁρῶν δυσφορεῖσθαί τε καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀπειπεῖν ἔγνω, καίπερ αὐτὴν ἅπαντες ἴσα θεῷ προσκυνήσοντες.

  [6] Nor, in truth, did a single member of the Senate, when he saw the State putting on the crown of this disgrace, see fit to shew his disapprobation by forbidding the deed, though the Senators were all to do obeisance to the woman as though she were a god.

  [7] ἀλλ̓ οὐδέ τις ἱερεὺς δεινοπαθῶν ἔνδηλος γέγονε, καὶ ταῦτα δέσποιναν αὐτὴν προσερεῖν μέλλοντες.

  [7] Nay, not even a single priest shewed himself outraged, and that too, though they were going to address her thereafter as “Mistress.”

  [8] καὶ ὁ πρότερον αὐτῆς θεατὴς δῆμος δοῦλος εὐθὺς οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ αὐτῆς εἶναί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι ὑπτίαις ἐδικαίου χερσίν.

  [8] And the populace which previously had been spectators of her performances straightway demanded with upturned palms, in defiance of all decorum, that they might be in fact and in name her slaves.

  [9] οὐδέ τις στρατιώτης ἠγρίωτο, εἰ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις κινδύνους ὑπὲρ τῶν τῆς Θεοδώρας πραγμάτων ὑφίστασθαι μέλλοι οὐδέ τις αὐτῇ ἄλλος ἀπήντησε τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ πάντες, οἶμαι, τῷ ταῦτα οὕτω δεδόσθαι κεκλιμένοι ἐνεχώρησαν ξυμπεραίνεσθαι τὸ μίασμα τοῦτο, ὥσπερ τῆς τύχης ἐπίδειξιν τῆς δυνάμεως πεποιημένης, ᾗ δὴ ἅπαντα πρυτανευούσῃ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια ὡς ἥκιστα μέλει οὔτε ὅπως ἂν τὰ πραττόμενα εἰκότα εἴη οὔτε ὅπως ἂν ταῦτα κατὰ λόγον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γεγενῆσθαι δοκῇ.

  [9] Nor did a single soldier rise in wrath at the thought that he was destined to undergo the perils of campaigning all in behalf of the interests of Theodora, nor did any other human being oppose her at all, — because, I suppose, they had been made submissive by the thought that these matters were so ordained for them, — but allº allowed this outrage to be brought to fulfilment, as if Fortune had made an exhibition of her power, to whom in truth, as she presides over all the affairs of mankind, it is a matter of no concern whatever either that the things which are done shall be reasonable or that they shall seem to men to have happened in accordance with reason.

  [10] ἐπαίρει γοῦν τινα ἐξαπιναίως ἀλογίστῳ τινὶ ἐξουσίᾳ ἐς ὕψος μέγα, ᾧπερ ἐναντιώματα μὲν πολλὰ ξυμπεπλέχθαι δοκεῖ, ἀντιστατεῖ δὲ παρά τι ἔργον τῶν πάντων οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ ἄγεται μηχανῇ πάσῃ ὅπη ποτὲ αὐτῇ διατέτακται, ἁπάντων ἑτοίμως ἐξισταμένων τε καὶ ὑποχωρούντων προϊούσῃ τῇ τύχῃ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὅπη τῷ θεῷ φίλον, ταύτῃ ἐχέτω τε καὶ λεγέσθω.

  [10] At any rate she suddenly exalts one man to a great eminence by a sort of unreasoning exercise of her authority, though many obstacles seem to have grappled with him, and she opposes him in nothing whatever that he undertakes, nay, the man is carried along by any and every means to whatever post she has ordained for him, while all men without demur stand aside or retire before Fortune as she advances. But as to these matters, let them not only be as is pleasing to God but also be so set forth.

  [11] Ἡ δὲ Θεοδώρα εὐπρόσωπος μὲν ἦν καὶ εὔχαρις ἄλλως, κολοβὸς δὲ καὶ ὡρακιῶσα οὐ παντάπασι μὲν, ἀλλ̓ ὅσον ὑπόχλωρος εἶναι, γοργόν τε καὶ συνεστραμμένον ἀεὶ βλέπουσα.

  [11] Now Theodora was fair of face and in general attractive in appearance, but short of stature and lacking in colour, being, however, not altogether pale but rather sallow, and her glance was always intense and made with contracted brows.

  [12] τῶν δὲ δὴ αὐτῇ βεβιωμένων ἐν τῇ θυμέλῃ τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα λέγοντι οὐκ ἂν ὁ πᾶς αἰὼν ἐπαρκέσαι, ὀλίγα δὲ ἄττα ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἀπολεξάμενος τοῦ τῆς γυναικὸς τρόπου τοῖς ἐπιγενησομένοις ὅλην ἂν πεποιῆσθαι τὴν δήλωσιν ἱκανὸς εἴην.

  [12] Now all time would not suffice for one to tell the most of her experiences in her life in the theatre, but by selecting in the preceding account a few incidents only I may have done enough to give a fair picture of the woman’s character for the benefit of future generations.

  [13] νῦν δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ τἀνδρὸς τὰ πεπραγμένα ἐν ὀλίγῳ δηλωτέον ἡμῖν, ἐπεὶ οὐδέ τι ἀλλήλοιν χωρὶς ἐς τὴν δίαιταν ἐπραξάτην.

  [13] But at the present time we must briefly make known her acts and those of her husband, for they did nothing whatever separately in the course of their life together.

  [14] χρόνον μὲν γὰρ πολὺν ἔδοξαν ἅπασι ταῖς τε γνώμαις ἀεὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι καταντικρὺ ἀλλήλοιν ἰέναι, ὕστερον μέντοι ἐξεπίτηδες αὐτοῖν ξυμπεπλάσθαι ἡ δόκησις αὕτη ἐγνώσθη, τοῦ μὴ ξυμφρονήσαντας τοὺς κατηκόους σφίσιν ἐπαναστῆναι, ἀλλὰ διεστάναι τὰς γνώμας ἐπ̓ αὐτοὺς ἅπασι.

  [14] For a long time, it is true, they were supposed by all to be diametrically opposed to each other at all times in both their opinions and their ways of living, but later it was realized that this impression was purposely worked up by them in order that their subjects might not, by getting together in their views, rise in revolt against them, but that the opinions of all their subjects might be at variance regarding themselves.

  [15] Πρῶτα μὲν οὖν τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς διαναστήσαντε καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἔν γε τοῖς ἀντιλεγομένοις σκηπτομένω ἀλλήλοιν ἰέναι διεσπάσαντο οὕτως ἅπαντας, ὥσπερ μοι λελέξεται οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ἔπειτα δὲ τοὺς στασιώτας διείλοντο.

  [15] Now first of all they set the Christians at variance with one another, and by pretending to go opposite ways from each other in rending them all asunder, as will shortly be related by me. In the second place they kept the Factions divided.

  [16] καὶ ἡ μὲν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ μεταποιεῖσθαι τῶν Βενέτων ἐπλάσσετο καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀντιστασιώτας ἀναπετάσασα ἐνεδίδου κόσμῳ ἐν οὐδενὶ ἐξαμαρτάνειν τε καὶ βιάζεσθαι τὰ ἀνήκεστα.

  [16] And Theodora, on the one hand, would pretend with all her might to be espousing the cause of the Blues, and by extending to them full freedom of action against their opponents, she gave them licence, in a quite irregular way, to commit their crimes and perform their pernicious deeds of violence.


  [17] ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ ἀγανακτοῦντι μὲν καὶ ἀποσκύζοντι λάθρα ἐῴκει, κελεὐθέως δὲ τῇ γυναικὶ ἀντιστατεῖν οὐχ οἵῳ τε ὄντι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μεταμπισχόμενοι τὴν τοῦ δύνασθαι δόξαν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐναντίαν ᾔεσαν.

  [17] But Justinian, on the other hand, had the appearance of one who was vexed and secretly resentful, yet unable to oppose his wife directly, and many times the two even shifted the appearance of authority and pursued the opposite course with reference to one another.

  [18] ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς Βενέτους οἷα ἐξαμαρτάνοντας κολάζειν ἠξίου, ἡ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ χαλεπαίνουσα ἐδυσφορεῖτο ὅτι δὴ οὐχ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὸς ἡσσηθείη.

  [18] For while he would insist on punishing the Blues as offenders, she, with feigned anger, would make a scene because, as she would say, she had been overruled by her husband against her will.

  [19] Τῶν μέντοι Βενέτων οἱ στασιῶται, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, σωφρονέστατοι ἔδοξαν εἶναι. τοὺς γὰρ πέλας βιάζεσθαι ὅσα ἐξῆν οὐδαμῆ ἐδικαίουν, ἔν τε ταῖς περὶ τὰς δίκας φιλονεικίαις ἐδόκει μὲν ἑκάτερος ἑνὶ τῶν διαφόρων ἀμύνειν, νικᾶν δὲ αὐτοῖν τὸν λόγῳ τῷ ἀδίκῳ ξυνιστάμενον ἐπάναγκες ἦν: οὕτω δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα χρημάτων αὐτοὺς τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων ληΐζεσθαι.

  [19] But the partisans of the Blues seemed, as I have said, to be most temperate. For they did not think it right to coërce one’s neighbours to the utmost possible, and in the keen rivalries in connection with the lawsuits, while each side seemed to support one of the disputants, yet it was inevitable that the victory should fall to that one of the two who espoused the unjust cause, and that thus they should win for themselves as plunder most of the property of the disputants.

  [20] πολλοὺς μὲν οὖν ὅδε ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐν τοῖς αὐτῷ καταλέγων ἐπιτηδείοις ἐς τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐνεβίβαζε τοῦ βιάζεσθαί τε καὶ εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν ἐξαμαρτάνειν ἃ βούλοιντο, ἐπειδὰν δὲ πλούτου τι μέγα χρῆμα περιβεβλημένοι φανεῖεν, εὐθύς τι προσκεκρουκότες τῇ γυναικὶ διάφοροι ἦσαν.

  [20] In fact many men who were counted by this Emperor among his intimates were elevated by him to positions where they had authority to act arbitrarily and to wrong the Government as they wished, but when they were seen to be in possession of a large sum of money, straightway they were found to have given some offence to the woman and to be at variance with her.

  [21] ὧν δὴ κατ̓ ἀρχὰς μεταποιεῖσθαι πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ οὐδαμῆ ἀπηξίου, ὕστερον δὲ τὴν ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μεθεὶς εὔνοιαν τὰ ἐς τὴν σπουδὴν τάραχος ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐγίνετο.

  [21] At first, then, he did not hesitate to champion these men whole-heartedly, but later on, forgetting his good-will towards the poor fellows, he all of a sudden began to waver in his enthusiasm.

  [22] καὶ ἡ μὲν αὐτίκα εἰργάζετο αὐτοὺς ἀνήκεστα ἔργα, ὁ δὲ δῆθεν οὐκ ἐπαισθανόμενος τῶν πραττομένων σύμπασαν αὐτῶν τὴν οὐσίαν κτήσει ἀναισχύντῳ ἠσπάζετο.

  [22] And she would then straightway ruin them utterly, while he, pretending not to observe what was passing, would seize their whole property, acquired though it was by a shameless procedure.

  [23] τούτοις τε ἀεὶ τοῖς μηχανήμασιν ἐν σφίσι μὲν αὐτοῖς ξυμφρονοῦντες, ἐς δὲ τὸ ἐμφανὲς στασιάζειν ποιούμενοι, διαστήσασθαί τε τοὺς ὑπηκόους καὶ τὴν τυραννίδα βεβαιότατα κρατύνεσθαι ἔσχον.

  [23] Now in all this trickery they always were in full accord with each other, but openly they pretended to be at variance and thus succeeded in dividing their subjects and in fortifying their tyranny most firmly.

  XI

  Ἐπειδὴ οὖν Ἰουστινιανὸς τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβε, συγχεῖν ἅπαντα εὐθὺς ἴσχυσεν. ἃ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν νόμῳ ἀπορρηθέντα ἐτύγχανεν, ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν εἰσῆγε, τά τε ὄντα καὶ ξυνειθισμένα καθελὼν ξύμπαντα, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τούτῳ κεκομισμένος τὸ τῆς βασιλείας σχῆμα, ἐφ̓ ᾧ ἅπαντα μεταλλάσσοι ἐφ̓ ἕτερον σχῆμα.

  Accordingly, when Justinian took over the Empire he immediately succeeded in bringing confusion upon everything. For things which previously had been forbidden by law he kept introducing into the constitution, and tearing down all existing institutions and those made familiar by custom, as if he had put on the imperial garb on the condition that he should change all things also into another garb.

  [2] ἀρχάς τε γὰρ τὰς μὲν οὔσας ἀνῄρει, τὰς δὲ οὐκ οὔσας ἐφίστη τοῖς πράγμασι: τούς τε νόμους καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοὺς καταλόγους ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίει, οὐ τῷ δικαίῳ εἴκων οὐδὲ τῷ ξυμφόρῳ ἐς τοῦτο ἠγμένος, ἀλλ̓ ὅπως δὴ ἅπαντα νεώτερά τε καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπώνυμα εἴη. ἢν δέ τι καὶ μεταβαλεῖν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἥκιστα ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ τούτῳ γε τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὴν αὑτοῦ ἔθετο.

  [2] For instance, he would depose the existing officials and appoint new ones in control of the State’s business; and he treated the laws and the divisions of the army in the same way, not yielding to demands of justice nor influenced to this course by any public advantage, but simply that everything might be new and might bear the impress of his name. And if there was anything which he was quite unable to transform at the instant, still he would at least put his own name upon it.

  [3] Χρημάτων δὲ ἁρπαγῆς ἢ φόνου ἀνθρώπων κόρος αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἔλαβε πώποτε, ἀλλ̓ οἰκίας μὲν παμπληθεῖς ληϊσάμενος εὐδαιμόνων ἀνδρῶν ἑτέρας ἐζήτει, προέμενος εὐθὺς τῶν βαρβάρων τισὶν, ἢ ἀνοήτοις οἰκοδομίαις λείας τῆς προτέρας τὰ χρήματα.

  [3] As for seizing property and murdering men, he never got his fill of them, but after plundering numerous homes of affluent men he kept seeking new ones, straightway pouring out the proceeds of his earlier robbery in making presents to sundry barbarians or in erecting senseless buildings.

  [4] καὶ μυρίους δὲ ἴσως λόγῳ οὐδενὶ ἀνελὼν ἐς πλειόνων ἄλλων ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτίκα μάλα καθίστατο.

  [4] And after he had slain perhaps myriads for no good reason, he straightway embarked on plans for the ruin of many more.

  [5] εἰρήνης τοίνυν Ῥωμαίοις οὔσης ἐς πάντας ἀνθρώπους οὐκ ἔχων ὅστις γένηται τῶν φόνων ἐπιθυμίᾳ πάντας βαρβάρους πρός τε ἀλλήλους ξυνέκρουε, τῶν δὲ Οὔννων τοὺς ἡγουμένους ἐξ αἰτίας οὐδεμιᾶς μετακαλῶν χρήματα μεγάλα σφίσιν ἀτόπῳ φιλοτιμίᾳ προΐετο, φιλίας ἐνέχυρα δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ ταῦτα ποιούμενο
ς: ὅπερ αὐτὸν ἐρρήθη καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τῆς Ἰουστίνου βασιλείας πεποιηκέναι.

  [5] So then, the Romans being at peace with the whole world, and he by reason of his lust for blood not knowing what to do with himself, Justinian kept bringing all the barbarians into collision with one another, and summoning the leaders of the Huns for no good reason, he handed over to them with amazing prodigality huge donatives, pretending that he was doing this as a pledge of friendship; indeed it was said that he had done this even during the period of Justinus’ reign.

  [6] οἱ δὲ καὶ χρήματα κεκομισμένοι τῶν ξυναρχόντων τινὰς ξὺν τοῖς ἑπομένοις τοῖς αὐτῶν ἔπεμπον, καταθέειν ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς γῆν τὴν βασιλέως κελεύοντες, ὅπως καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ἀπεμπολεῖν τῷ ταύτην ὠνεῖσθαι λόγῳ οὐδενὶ βουλομένῳ δυνατοὶ εἶεν.

  [6] And they, even after having received money, would send some of their fellow-leaders together with their followers, bidding them overrun and ravage the Emperor’s land, so that they too might be able to sell peace to the man who for no good reason wished to purchase it.

  [7] καὶ οἱ μὲν αὐτίκα ἠνδραπόδιζόν τε τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν καὶ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἔμμισθοι πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγίνοντο: ἕτεροι δὲ μετ̓ ἐκείνους εὐθὺς ἐς τὸ ληΐζεσθαι τοὺς ταλαιπώρους Ῥωμαίους καθίσταντο, καὶ μετὰ τὴν λείαν ἆθλα τῆς ἐφόδου τὴν βασιλέως φιλοτιμίαν ἐδέχοντο.

  [7] And these then began straightway to enslave the Roman Empire, and they nevertheless were receiving pay in the meantime from the Emperor; and after these, others promptly took over the business of plundering the hapless Romans, and after the pillage they would receive, as rewards for the attack, the Emperor’s generous gifts.