Delphi Complete Works of Procopius
Page 556
[38] ἐν τοιούτῳ χώρῳ ἐβούλοντο εἶναι. ἔφευγον τοίνυν ἀνθρώπων διηνεκὲς πολὺς ὅμιλος οὐκ ἐς βαρβάρους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς τοὺς μακρὰν ᾠκισμένους Ῥωμαίους, ἦν τε ἰδεῖν ἐν χώρᾳ τε ἀεὶ καὶ πόλει ἑκάστῃ τοὺς πλείστους ξένους.
[38] So a great throng of persons were fleeing constantly, not only to the barbarians, but also to those Romans who lived at a great distance, and it was possible to see both in the country and in every city great numbers of strangers.
[39] τοῦ γὰρ διαλαθεῖν ἕνεκα γῆς τῆς πατρῴας τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἠλλάξαντο εὐπετῶς ἕκαστοι,
[39] For in order to escape detection they readily exchanged their respective native lands for foreign soil, just as if their home-country had been captured by an enemy.
[40] ὥσπερ τῆς πατρίδος αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ πολεμίων ἁλούσης. τὸν μὲν οὖν πλοῦτον τῶν εὐδαιμόνων εἶναι δοκούντων ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ πόλει ἑκάστῃ μετά γε τοὺς ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς, τρόποις οἷσπερ εἴρηται Ἰουστινιανός τε καὶ Θεοδώρα ληϊσάμενοι ἔσχον.
[40] So, then, the wealth of those reputed to be prosperous, both in Byzantium and in every other city, that is, after the members of the Senate, was plundered and seized by Justinian and Theodora in the manner which has been described.
[41] ὅπως δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ βουλῆς ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰ χρήματα ξύμπαντα ἴσχυσαν, αὐτίκα δηλώσω.
[41] But how they succeeded in depriving the Senators also of all their property, I shall now proceed to make known.
XII
Ἦν τις ἐν Βυζαντίῳ Ζήνων ὄνομα, ἐκείνου Ἀνθεμίου υἱωνὸς, ὅσπερ ἐν τῇ ἑσπερίᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν τὰ πρότερα ἔσχε. τοῦτον δὴ ἐξεπίτηδες ἄρχοντα ἐπ̓ Αἰγύπτου καταστησάμενοι ἔστελλον.
There was a certain man in Byzantium named Zeno, grandson of that Anthemius who previously had attained to the royal power in the West. This man they had purposely made a Prefect of Egypt and sent him thither.
[2] ἀλλ̓ ὁ μὲν χρημάτων τὸ πλοῖον τῶν τιμιωτάτων ἐμπλησάμενος τὰ ἐς τὴν ἀναγωγὴν διέθετο: ἦσαν γὰρ αὐτῷ σταθμός τε ἀργύρου ἀναρίθμητος καὶ χρυσώματα μαργάροις τε καὶ σμαράγδοις καλλωπισθέντα καὶ λίθοις ἄλλοις τοιούτοις ἐντίμοις: οἱ δὲ τινας ἀναπείσαντες τῶν οἱ πιστοτάτων εἷναι δοκούντων τὰ μὲν χρήματα ἐνθένδε ὅτι τάχιστα ἐκφορήσαντες, πῦρ δὲ ἐν κοίλῃ νηὶ ἐμβεβλημένοι τῷ Ζήνωνι ἀπαγγέλλειν ἐκέλευον ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου τήν τε φλόγα ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ξυνενηνέχθαι καὶ διολωλέναι τὰ χρήματα.
[2] But he loaded the ship with the most valuable property and made ready to put to sea; for he had an incalculable weight of silver plate and objects of gold adorned with pearls and emeralds and other such precious stones. They thereupon, bribing certain of those who seemed most loyal to them, removed the valuables from the ship with all speed, and casting fire into the hold of the vessel, ordered a message sent to Zeno that the fire had occurred spontaneously in his ship and that his property had been destroyed.
[3] χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον Ζήνωνι μὲν ἐξαπιναίως ἀπογενέσθαι ξυνέπεσεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ κύριοι τῆς οὐσίας εὐθὺς ἅτε κληρονόμοι γεγόνασι.
[3] And at a later time it came to pass that Zeno died suddenly, and they themselves, in the guise of heirs, immediately became owners of the property.
[4] διαθήκην γάρ τινα προὔφερον, ἥνπερ οὐ παῤ ἐκείνου ξυγκεῖσθαι διατεθρύλληται.
[4] For they produced a sort of will, which common gossip said had not been written by him.
[5] Καὶ Τατιανοῦ τε καὶ Δημοσθένους καὶ τῆς Ἱλαρᾶς τρόπῳ τῷ ὁμοίῳ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς κληρονόμους πεποίηνται, οἵπερ τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα πρῶτοι ἔν γε Ῥωμαίων τῇ βουλῇ ἦσαν. τινῶν δὲ οὐ διαθήκας, ἀλλ̓ ἐπιστολὰς διεσκευασμένοι τὴν οὐσίαν ἔσχον.
[5] And by a similar method they made themselves heirs of Tatianus and of Demosthenes and of Hilara, who both in other respects and in rank were foremost members of the Roman Senate. And in some cases they fabricated, not wills, but letters, and so acquired the property.
[6] οὕτω γὰρ Διονυσίου τε κληρονόμοι γεγόνασιν, ὃς ἐν Λιβάνῳ ᾤκει, καὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βασιλείου παιδὸς, ὃς δὴ ἐπιφανέστατος μὲν Ἐδεσσηνῶν ἐγεγόνει πάντων, βίᾳ δὲ πρὸς Βελισαρίου ἐν ὁμήρων λόγῳ ἐκδέδοται τοῖς Πέρσαις, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη.
[6] For it was in this way that they became heirs of Dionysius, who lived in Lebanon, and of John, son of Basilius, who, though he was the most distinguished of all the people of Edessa, was forcibly delivered into the hands of the Persians by Belisarius as a hostage, as has been related by me in the previous narrative.
[7] τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν Ἰωάννην ὁ μὲν Χοσρόης οὐκέτι ἠφίει, ἐπικαλῶν Ῥωμαίοις ἠλογηκέναι τὰ ξυγκείμενα πάντα, ἐφ̓ οἷς αὐτῷ πρὸς Βελισαρίου δοθεὶς ἐτύγχανεν ἀποδίδοσθαι μέντοι ἅτε δορυάλωτον γεγονότα ἠξίου.
[7] For thereafter Chosroes refused to release this John, reproaching the Romans with having disregarded all the conditions on which he had been given over to him by Belisarius, but he did consent to sell him as having become a prisoner of war.
[8] ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μάμμη ῾περιοῦσα γὰρ ἔτι ἐτύγχανἐ τὰ λύτρα παρεχομένη οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ δισχιλίας λίτρας ἀργύρου τὸν υἱωνὸν ὠνήσεσθαι ἐπίδοξος ἦν.
[8] And the man’s grandmother, who happened to be still alive, provided the ransom to an amount not less than two thousand pounds of silver and with this was expecting to buy back her grandson.
[9] ἀλλ̓ ἐπεὶ τὰ λύτρα ταῦτα ἐς Δάρας ἦλθε, μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ συμβόλαιον γενέσθαι οὐκ εἴα, ὡς μὴ ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους,
[9] But after this ransom had come to Daras, the Emperor, learning of it, refused to permit the agreement to be put into effect, in order, as he said, that the wealth of the Romans might not be conveyed to the barbarians.
[10] εἰπὼν, ὁ Ῥωμαίων κομίζηται πλοῦτος. οὐ πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον τῷ μὲν Ἰωάννῃ νοσήσαντι ξυνέβη ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι, ὁ δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτροπεύων ἐπιστολὴν ἀναπλάσας τινὰ ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἅτε φίλον οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν τὸν Ἰωάννην γράψαι ὥς οἱ αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ εἰη εἰς τὸν βασιλέα τὴν οὐσίαν ἐλθεῖν.
[10] And not much later it came to pass that John fell sick and departed this world, and the magistrate in charge of the cit
y, forging some sort of a letter, stated that not long before John had written to him as a friend that it was his will that his estate should go to the Emperor.
[11] πάντων δὲ τῶν ἄλλων τὰ ὀνόματα καταλέγειν οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην ὧνπερ αὐτόματοι κληρονόμοι γεγένηνται.
[11] I could not, however, enumerate the names of all the others whose heirs they have automatically become.
[12] Ἀλλὰ μέχρι μὲν οὖν ἡ τοῦ Νίκα καλουμένη στάσις ἐγένετο, κατὰ μίαν διαλέγεσθαι τὰς τῶν εὐδαιμόνων οὐσίας ἠξίουν: ἐπεὶ δὲ ταύτην, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, γενέσθαι ξυνέβη, τότε δὴ ἀθρόας σχεδόν τι εἰπεῖν ἁπάντων τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς τὰς οὐσίας δημοσιώσαντες, τὰ μὲν ἔπιπλα πάντα καὶ τῶν χωρίων ὅσα κάλλιστα ἦν ᾗπερ ἐβούλοντο διεχείρισαν, ἀπολέξαντες δὲ τὰ φόρου πικροῦ τε καὶ βαρυτάτου ὑποτελῆ ὄντα, φιλανθρωπίας προσχήματι τοῖς πάλαι κεκτημένοις ἀπέδοντο.
[12] Now up to the time when what is known as the Nika insurrection took place, they saw fit to gather in the properties of the wealthy one by one; but when this revolt took place, as described in the previous narrative, they began to confiscate in a body the estates of practically all the members of the Senate, and they dealt as they wished with all the furnishings and the lands that were fairest, but they segregated those properties which were subject to a severe and very heavy tax and, with a pretence of generosity, handed them back to their former owners.
[13] διὸ δὴ πρός τε τῶν φορολόγων ἀγχόμενοι καὶ ἀποκναιόμενοι τόκοις ὀφλημάτων ἀειρρύτοις τισὶ δυσθανατοῦντες ἀκούσιοι διεβίωσαν.
[13] So, being strangled by the tax-collectors and ground down by what we may term the ever-flowing interest on their debts, they unwillingly lived on in a life which was a lingering death.
[14] διὸ δὴ ἐμοί τε καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡμῶν οὐδεπώποτε ἔδοξαν οὗτοι ἄνθρωποι εἶναι, ἀλλὰ δαίμονες παλαμναῖοί τινες καὶ ὥσπερ οἱ ποιηταὶ λέγουσι βροτολοιγὼ ἤστην, οἳ δὴ ἐπὶ κοινῆς βουλευσάμενοι ὅπως ἅπαντα ἀνθρώπεια γένη τε καὶ ἔργα ὡς ῥᾷστα καὶ τάχιστα διαφθείρειν ἱκανοὶ εἶεν, ἀνθρώπειόν τε ἠμπίσχοντο σχῆμα καὶ ἀνθρωποδαίμονες γεγενημένοι τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ξύμπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην κατέσεισαν.
[14] For such reasons, to me and to the most of us these two persons never seemed to be human beings, but rather a kind of avenging demons and, as the poets say, “a twin bane of mortals,” seeing that they purposed together how they might be able most easily and most quickly to destroy all races of men and their works, and, assuming human form and becoming man-demons, they harassed in this fashion the whole world.
[15] τεκμηριώσαι δ̓ ἄν τις τὸ τοιοῦτο πολλοῖς τε καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ τῇ τῶν πεπραγμένων δυνάμει. τὰ γὰρ δαιμόνια τῶν ἀνθρωπείων ξυμβαίνει πολλῷ τῷ διαλλάσσοντι διακεκρίσθαι.
[15] And one might draw such an inference from many indications and particularly from the power their actions revealed.
[16] πολλῶν ἀμέλει γεγονότων ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἀνθρώπων τύχῃ ἢ φύσει φοβερῶν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, οἱ μὲν πόλεις, οἱ δὲ χώρας, ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτο καθ̓ αὑτοὺς ἔσφηλαν, ὄλεθρον δὲ ξυμπάντων ἀνθρώπων ξυμφοράς τε γῆς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης οὐδεὶς ὅτι μὴ οὗτοι ἄνθρωποι ἐργάζεσθαι ἱκανῶς ἔσχον, ὧν δὴ καὶ ἡ τύχη ὑπούργει τῇ γνώμῃ συγκατεργαζομένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφθοράν
[16] For demons are distinguished from human beings by a marked difference. Indeed, he though many men in the long course of time either by accident or by nature have shewn themselves supremely terrible, some ruining by their own sole effort cities or countries or other such things, yet no man, with the exception of these two, has been able to accomplish the destruction of all mankind and to bring about calamities affecting the whole world;
[17] σεισμοῖς τε γὰρ καὶ λοιμοῖς καὶ ὑδάτων ποταμίων ἐπιρροαῖς ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον πλεῖστα διολωλέναι τετύχηκεν, ὥς μοι αὐτίκα λελέξεται. οὕτως οὐκ ἀνθρωπείῳ, ἀλλ̓ ἑτέρῳ σθένει. τὰ δεινὰ ἔπρασσον.
[17] it is true, however, in their case that chance also assisted their purpose, co-operating in the destruction of men, for by earthquakes, by pestilence, and by the overflowing of the waters of rivers very great destruction was wrought at about this time, as will be told by me directly. Thus they performed their fearful acts, not by human strength, but another kind.
[18] Λέγουσι δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα φάναι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τισὶν ὡς οὐ Σαββατίου τοῦ αὐτῆς ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπων τινὸς υἱὸς εἴη.
[18] And they say that Justinian’s mother stated to some of her intimates that he was not the son of her husband Sabbatius nor of any man.
[19] ἡνίκα γὰρ αὐτὸν κύειν ἔμελλεν, ἐπιφοιτᾶν αὐτῇ δαιμόνιον οὐχ ὁρώμενον, ἀλλ̓ αἴσθησίν τινα ὅτι δὴ πάρεστιν αὐτῇ παρασχὸν ἅτε ἄνδρα γυναικὶ πλησιάσαντα, καθάπερ ἐν ὀνείρῳ ἀφανισθῆναι.
[19] For when she was about to conceive him, a demon visited her; he was invisible but affected her with a certain impression that he was there with her as a man having intercourse with a woman and then disappeared as in a dream.
[20] Τινὲς δὲ τῶν αὐτῷ παρόντων τε πόρρω που τῶν νυκτῶν καὶ ξυγγινομένων ἐν Παλατίῳ δηλονότι, οἷσπερ ἐν καθαρῷ ἡ ψυχὴ ἦν, φάντασμά τι θεάσασθαι δαιμόνιον ἄηθες σφίσιν ἀντ̓ αὐτοῦ ἔδοξαν.
[20] And some of those who were present with the Emperor, at very late hours of the night presumably, and held conference with him, obviously in the Palace, men whose souls were pure, seemed to see a sort of phantom spirit unfamiliar to them in place of him.
[21] ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔφασκεν ἄφνω μὲν αὐτὸν θρόνου τοῦ βασιλείου ἐξαναστάντα περιπάτους ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖν: συχνὸν γὰρ καθῆσθαι οὐδαμῆ εἴθιστο: τῆς δὲ κεφαλῆς ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα τῷ Ἰουστινιανῷ ἀφανισθείσης τὸ ἄλλο οἱ σῶμα τούτους δὴ τοὺς μακροὺς διαύλους ποιεῖν δοκεῖν, αὐτόν τε ἅτε οἱ τῶν ὀμμάτων περὶ τὴν θέαν ὡς ἥκιστα ὑγιαινόντων, ἀσχάλλοντα καὶ διαπορούμενον ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστάναι.
[21] For one of these asserted that he would rise suddenly from the imperial throne and walk up and down there (indeed he was never accustomed to remain seated for long), and the head of Justinian would disappear suddenly, but the rest of his body seemed to keep making these same long circuits, while he himself, as if think
ing he must have something the matter with his eyesight, stood there for a very long time distressed and perplexed.
[22] ὕστερον μέντοι τῆς κεφαλῆς τῷ σώματι ἐπανηκούσης τὰ τέως λειπόμενα οἴεσθαι
[22] Later, however, when the head had returned to the body, he thought, to his surprise, that he could fill out that which a moment before had been lacking.
[23] παρὰ δόξαν ἀναπιμπλάναι. ἄλλος δὲ παρεστάναι οἱ καθημένῳ ἔφη, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου τὸ πρόσωπόν οἱ κρέατι ἀσήμῳ ἰδεῖν ἐμφερὲς γεγονός: οὔτε γὰρ ὀφρῦς οὔτε ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπὶ χώρας τῆς αὐτῶν ὄντας οὔτε ἄλλο τι τὸ παράπαν ἔφερε γνώρισμα: χρόνου μέντοι αὐτῷ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ὄψεως ἐπανῆκον ἰδεῖν. ταῦτα οὐκ αὐτὸς θεασάμενος γράφω, ἀλλὰ τῶν τότε θεάσασθαι ἰσχυριζομένων ἀκούσας.
[23] And another person said that he stood beside him when he sat and suddenly saw that his face had become like featureless flesh; for neither eyebrows nor eyes were in their proper place, nor did it shew any other means of identification whatsoever; after a time, however, he saw the features of his face return. These things I write although I did not see them myself, but I do so because I have heard the story from those who declare that they saw the occurrences at the time.
[24] Λέγουσι δὲ καὶ μοναχόν τινα τῷ θεῷ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλον πρὸς τῶν αὐτῷ γῆν τὴν ἔρημον ξυνοικούντων ἀναπεισθέντα σταλῆναι μὲν ἐς Βυζάντιον τοῖς ἄγχιστα σφίσιν ἐνῳκημένοις ἐπαμυνοῦντα, βιαζομένοις τε καὶ ἀδικουμένοις ἀνύποιστα, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀφικόμενον αὐτίκα εἰσόδου τῆς παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα τυχεῖν: