[19] ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς ἃ πείθειν αὐτὸν ἡ γαμετὴ οὐκ εἶχε, χρημάτων αὐτῷ μεγάλων ἐλπίδας ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου ἐσομένων ἐμβαλομένη ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἥνπερ ἐβούλετο οὔτι ἐθελούσιον τὸν ἄνδρα ἐφεῖλκε.
[19] But also in those matters in which his spouse was not able to persuade him, by injecting into the argument the hope of large sums of money to accrue from the transaction she could win over her husband quite against his will to the action she desired.
[20] κέρδους γὰρ οὐκ εὐπρεποῦς ἕνεκα καὶ νόμους τιθέναι καὶ αὖ πάλιν αὐτοὺς καθελεῖν οὐδαμῆ ἀπηξίου.
[20] Indeed for the sake of unseemly gain he never refused either to set up laws or again to tear them down.
[21] Ἐδίκαζέ τε οὐ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, οὓς αὐτὸς ἔγραψεν, ἀλλ̓ ἔνθα ἂν αὐτὸν μείζων τε ὀφθεῖσα καὶ μεγαλοπρεπεστέρα ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ὑπόσχεσις ἄγοι.
[21] And he rendered judgment, not according to the laws which he himself had written, but according as he was influenced by the vision of a greater or more magnificent promise of money.
[22] καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν γὰρ κλέπτοντι ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰς τῶν ὑπηκόων οὐσίας αἰσχύνην αὐτῷ φέρειν τινὰ οὐδαμῆ ᾤετο, ἡνίκα δὴ οὐχ ἁπαξάπαντα ἀφελέσθαι λόγῳ τινὶ εἶχεν ἢ ἔγκλημα ἐπενεγκὼν ἀπροσδόκητον, ἢ διαθήκης οὐ γεγενημένης προσχήματι.
[22] For he even believed that to take away the property of his subjects by small thefts brought no disgrace whatever upon him — in those cases, namely, where he was not able to take everything at once on some pretence, either by advancing an unexpected accusation or by the pretext of a will never made.
[23] ἔμεινέ τε αὐτοῦ Ῥωμαίων ἄρχοντος, οὐ πίστις ἢ δόξα πρὸς θεὸν ἀσφαλὴς, οὐ νόμος ὀχυρὸς, οὐ πρᾶξις βεβαία, οὐ συμβόλαιον οὐδέν.
[23] And while he ruled over the Romans, neither good faith nor belief in God remained secure, no law remained fixed, no transaction safe, no contract valid.
[24] στελλομένων δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων ἐπί τινα πρᾶξιν, εἰ μὲν δὴ αὐτοῖς ἀπολωλεκέναι ξυνέβη τῶν σφίσι παραπεπτωκότων πολλοὺς καὶ χρημάτων τι ληΐσασθαι πλῆθος, οὗτοι δὴ εὐθὺς εὐδόκιμοι τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἐδόκουν τε εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι ἅτε δὴ ἅπαντα ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα ἐπιτελέσαντες: εἰ δὲ φειδοῖ τινι ἐς ἀνθρώπους χρησάμενοι παῤ αὐτὸν ἵκοντο, δύσνους τε αὐτοῖς τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ πολέμιος ἦν.
[24] And when any of his intimates were sent by him on some mission, if they had the fortune to destroy many of those whom they encountered and to plunder a quantity of money, they immediately seemed to the Emperor worthy both to be and to be called men of distinction, as having carried out with exactness all their instructions; but if when they returned to him they had shewn mercy to men in any way, he was offended with them thereafter and hostile.
[25] ἀπογνούς τε, ὥσπερ ἀρχαιότροπόν τινα τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν φύσιν, ἐς τὴν ὑπουργίαν οὐκέτι ἐκάλει. ὥστε καὶ πολλοὶ ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιοῦντο ἐνδείκνυσθαι αὐτῷ ὡς πονηροὶ εἶεν, καίπερ σφίσι τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων οὐ ταύτῃ ἐχόντων.
[25] And despairing of the ability of these men, as being somehow out of date, he no longer called them to service. Consequently many were eager to shew him how base they could be, even though their usual conduct was not of such sort.
[26] ὑποσχόμενος δέ τισι πολλάκις καὶ ὅρκῳ ἢ γράμμασι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὀχυρωτέραν πεποιημένος, εὐθὺς ἐθελούσιος ἐς λήθην ἀφῖκτο, δόξης τι φέρειν αὐτῷ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο οἰόμενος.
[26] And in certain cases, after making a promise many times and making his promise more binding by an oath or by a writing, he straightway became wilfully forgetful, thinking that this conduct brought him some credit.
[27] καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Ἰουστινιανὸς οὐ μόνον ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἔπρασσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς τῶν πολεμίων πολλοὺς, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται ἔμπροσθεν.
[27] And Justinian continued to act thus, not only to his subjects, but also to many of his enemies, as I have stated previously.
[28] Ἦν τε ἄυπνός τε ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον εἰπεῖν καὶ σιτίοις μὲν ἢ ποτῷ κατακορὴς οὐδαμῆ γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ σχεδόν τι ἄκρῳ δακτύλῳ ἀπογευσάμενος ἀπηλλάσσετο.
[28] And he was not given to sleep, as a general thing, and he never filled himself to repletion with either food or drink, but he usually just touched the food with the tips of his fingers and went his way.
[29] ὥσπερ γάρ τι αὐτῷ πάρεργον τῆς φύσεως αὐτὸν ἀγγαρευομένης τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐφαίνετο εἶναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀπόσιτος ἡμέρας τε καὶ νύκτας δύο τὰ πολλὰ ἔμενεν, ἄλλως τε ἡνίκα ὁ πρὸ τῆς Πασχαλίας καλουμένης ἑορτῆς χρόνος ἐνταῦθα ἄγοι.
[29] For such matters seemed to him a kind of side-issue imposed upon him by Nature, for he often actually remained without food two days and nights, especially when the time before the festival called Easter led that way.
[30] τότε γὰρ πολλάκις ἡμέραιν δυοῖν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, γεγονὼς ἄσιτος ὕδατί τε βραχεῖ ἀποζῆν ἐπηξίου καὶ βοτάναις ἀγρίαις τισὶν, ὥραν τε, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, καταδαρθὼν μίαν, εἶτα περιπάτους ἀεὶ
[30] For on that occasion he many times abstained from food for two days, as has been said, and insisted upon living on a little water and certain wild plants,a and after sleeping perhaps one hour he would spend the rest of the time walking about constantly.
[31] ποιούμενος τὸν ἄλλον κατέτριβε χρόνον. καίτοι εἰ τοῦτον αὐτὸν καιρὸν ἐς πράξεις δαπανᾶν ἀγαθὰς ἤθελεν, ἐπὶ μέγα ἄν τι εὐδαιμονίας ἐκεχωρήκει τὰ πράγματα.
[31] And yet, if he had been willing to spend just this Easter-tide on good deeds, affairs would have advanced to a high pitch of prosperity.
[32] νῦν δὲ τῇ φύσεως ἰσχύϊ ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίων πονηρῷ χρώμενος ξύμπασαν αὐτῶν τὴν πολιτείαν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος καθελεῖν ἴσχυσεν. ἐγρηγορέναι τε γὰρ διηνεκὲς καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖν καὶ πονεῖσθαι οὐκ ἄλλου του ἕνεκα ἔργον πεποίηται ἢ ὥστε κομπωδεστέρας ἀεὶ καθ̓ ἑκάστην τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι τὰς συμφοράς.
[32] But as it was, by employing his natural strength for the ruin of the Romans, he succeeded in pulling down to the ground their whole political structure. For he made it his task to be constantly awake and to undergo hardships and to labour for no other purpose than to contrive constantly and ever
y day more grievous calamities for his subjects.
[33] ἦν γὰρ ὅπερ εἴρηται, διαφερόντως ὀξὺς ἐπινοῆσαί τε καὶ ταχὺς ἀποτελέσαι ἀνόσια ἔργα, ὥστε αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἀγαθὰ ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἀποκεκρίσθαι ξυνέβαινε.
[33] For he was, as has been said, particularly keen in devising and swift in executing unholy deeds, so that in the end even his natural good qualities resulted in the undoing of his subjects.
XIV
Πραγμάτων γὰρ ἦν ἀωρία πολλὴ καὶ τῶν εἰωθότων οὐδὲν ἔμεινεν, ὧνπέρ μοι ὀλίγων ἐπιμνησθέντι σιωπῇ δοτέον τὰ λοιπὰ ξύμπαντα, ὡς μὴ ὁ λόγος ἀπέραντος εἴη.
For in the administration of affairs it was a time of the greatest confusion, and none of the customary procedures was maintained, as I shall shew by citing a few examples, while all the rest must be consigned to silence, so that my discourse might not be endless.
[2] πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐς βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα ἐπιτηδείως ἔχον οὔτε αὐτὸς εἶχεν οὔτε ξυμφυλάσσειν ἠξίου, ἀλλὰ τήν τε γλῶτταν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὴν
[2] First of all, he neither himself possessed any quality appropriate to the imperial dignity nor cared to foster any such quality in others, but in speech and in dress and in thinking he played the barbarian.
[3] διάνοιαν ἐβαρβάριζεν. ὅσα τε γράφεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοῦ βούλοιτο, οὐ τῷ τὴν κοιαίστωρος ἔχοντι τιμὴν, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἐπέστελλε διοικεῖσθαι, ἀλλ̓ αὐτός τε τὰ πλεῖστα, καίπερ οὕτω τῆς γλώττης ἔχων, ἐκφέρειν ἠξίου καὶ τῶν παρατυχόντων πολὺς ὅμιλος, ὥστε τοὺς ἐνθένδε ἠδικημένους οὐκ ἔχειν ὅτῳ ἐπικαλοῖεν.
[3] And as to all the rescripts which he wished to have written from himself, he would not send them, as was the custom, to the man holding the office of Quaestor to promulgate, but instead would generally insist upon reading them out himself, although his speech was uncouth, as I have just stated, and that too while a great throng of bystanders . . ., so that those who were wronged thereby had no one against whom they could lay a charge.
[4] τοῖς δὲ ἀσηκρῆτις καλουμένοις οὐκ ἀπεκέκριτο τὸ ἀξίωμα ἐς τὸ τὰ βασιλέως ἀπόρρητα γράφειν, ἐφ̓ ᾧπερ τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ἐτετάχατο, ἀλλὰ τά τε ἄλλα ἔγραφεν αὐτὸς ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα καὶ εἴ που διατάσσειν τοὺς διαιτῶντας ἐν πόλει δεήσειεν, ὅπη ποτὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐς τὴν γνῶσιν ἰτέον εἴη.
[4] And the confidential secretaries, as they are called, were not assigned the function of writing the Emperor’s confidential matters — the purpose for which these secretaries were appointed originally — he not only wrote practically everything himself, but also, whenever it became necessary to give instructions to the public arbitrators in the city, he would tell them in writing what course they must take as regards the judgment they were to render.
[5] οὐ γὰρ εἴα τινὰ ἔν γε τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ γνώμῃ αὐτονόμῳ τὰς ψήφους διδόναι, ἀλλὰ αὐθαδιζόμενος ἀλογίστῳ τινὶ παρρησίᾳ κρίσεις τε αὐτὸς τὰς ἐσομένας ἐρρύθμιζεν ἀκοῆς λόγον πρός του τῶν διαφερομένων λαβὼν καὶ ἀνάδικα εὐθὺς ἀβασανίστως τὰ δεδικασμένα ἐποίει οὐ νόμῳ τινὶ ἢ δικαίῳ ἠγμένος,
[5] For he would not allow anyone within the Roman Empire to give decisions on independent judgment, but with an obstinate determination and with a sort of unreasoning frankness he himself arranged in advance the decisions to be given, accepting hearsay from one of the contestants, and thus straightway, without investigation, he upset cases which had been adjudged, not because he had been influenced by any law or consideration of justice, but manifestly because he was overcome by base greed.
[6] ἀλλ̓ ἀπαρακαλύπτως αἰσχροκερδείᾳ ἡσσώμενος. δωροδοκῶν γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ᾐσχύνετο, πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰδῶ τῆς ἀπληστίας ἀφελομένης.
[6] For the Emperor felt no shame in accepting bribes, since his insatiable greed took away all shame from him.
[7] Πολλάκις δὲ τά τε τῇ συγκλήτῳ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι δεδοκιμασμένα ἐς ἑτέραν τινὰ ἐτελεύτησε κρίσιν.
[7] But often that which had been decided by the Senate and by the Emperor came up for another and final judgment.
[8] ἡ μὲν γὰρ βουλὴ ὥσπερ ἐν εἰκόνι ἐκάθητο, οὔτε τῆς ψήφου οὔτε τοῦ καλοῦ κυρία οὖσα, σχήματος δὲ μόνου καὶ νόμου ξυνειλεγμένη παλαιοῦ εἵνεκα, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ φωνὴν ἀφεῖναί τινα ὁτῳοῦν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ξυνειλεγμένων τὸ παράπαν ἐξῆν, ἀλλ̓ ὅ τε βασιλεὺς καὶ ἡ σύνοικος ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον διαλαγχάνειν μὲν ἀλλήλοιν τῶν διαφερομένων ἐσκήπτοντο, ἐνίκα δὲ τὰ ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ὑπὲρ τούτων ξυγκείμενα.
[8] For the Senate sat as in a picture, having no control over its vote and no influence for good, but only assembled as a matter of form and in obedience to an ancient law, since it was quite impossible for anyone whomsoever of those gathered there even to raise a voice, but the Emperor and his Consort generally pretended to divide between them the matters in dispute, but that side prevailed which had been agreed upon by them in private.
[9] ἢν δέ τῳ δόξειεν οὐκ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ εἶναι παρανενομηκότι νενικηκέναι, ὅδε καὶ ἄλλο τι χρυσίον τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ προέμενος νόμον εὐθὺς διεπράττετο ἀπ̓ ἐναντίας ἁπάντων ἐλθόντα τῶν πρόσθεν κειμένων.
[9] And if it seemed to any man who had broken the law that victory was not certain, such a person flung more gold to this Emperor and straightway secured a law going contrary to all laws which had been previously established.
[10] ἢν δὲ καί τις ἕτερος τοῦτον δὴ τὸν νόμον τὸν ἀπολωλότα ἐπιζητοίη, αὖθις αὐτὸν μετακαλεῖν τε καὶ ἀντικαθιστάναι αὐτοκράτωρ οὐδαμῆ ἀπηξίου, οὐδέν τε ἐν τῷ τῆς δυνάμεως βεβαίῳ εἱστήκει, ἀλλ̓ ἐπλανᾶτο περιφερομένη πανταχόσε ἡ τῆς δίκης ῥοπὴ ὅπη ἂν αὐτὴν βαρήσας ὁ πλείων χρυσὸς ἀνθέλκειν ἰσχύοι ἔκειτό τε ἐν τῷ δημοσίῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ ταῦτα ἐκ Παλατίου καὶ προὐτίθετο οὐ δικαστικῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ νομοθετικῆς πωλητήρια.
[10] And if someone else should miss this cancelled law, the Emperor felt no reluctance about calling it back once more and re-establishing it, and nothing stood firmly in force, but the scales of justice wavered and wandered in every direction according as the larger amount of gold weighing them down availed to pull them in one direction or the other; Justice was established in the market-place, and that too though she had once dwelt in the Palace, and there one could find salesrooms where could be bought for a price not o
nly court decisions but also legislation.
[11] Τοῖς δὲ ῥεφερενδαρίοις καλουμένοις οὐκέτι ἀπέχρη ἀνενεγκεῖν εἰς τὸν βασιλέα τὰς τῶν ἱκετευόντων δεήσεις, ἐς δὲ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀναγγεῖλαι μόνον, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ὅ τι ἂν αὐτῷ ἀμφὶ τῷ ἱκέτῃ δοκῇ, ἀλλὰ ξυμφορήσαντες ἐκ πάντων ἀνθρώπων τὸν ἄδικον λόγον, φενακισμοῖς μὲν τὸν Ἰουστινιανὸν καὶ παραγωγαῖς τισιν ἐξηπάτων, τοῖς ταῦτα ἐπιτηδεύουσιν ὑποκείμενον φύσει.
[11] And the Referendarii, as they were called, were no longer satisfied with merely referring to the Emperor the petitions of suppliants, and then informing the magistrates, in the usual way, what his decisions were concerning the petitioners, but collecting from the whole world the “unjust reason,” they kept deceiving Justinian with sundry sophistries and chicaneries, he being by nature an easy victim for those practising these tricks.
[12] ἔξω δὲ αὐτίκα γενόμενοι καὶ τῶν σφίσιν ὡμιληκότων τοὺς ἀντιδίκους καθείρξαντες χρήματα οὐδενὸς ἀμυνομένου ἀνεξελέγκτως ἐπράσσοντο ὅσα ἂν αὐτοῖς διαρκῆ εἴη.
[12] And as soon as they were outside the Palace and had taken measures to keep the litigants away from those with whom they themselves had talked, they proceeded to extract money — there being nobody to protect the rights of the litigants — in such a way that the business could not be proved against them and in such quantities as seemed to them sufficient.
[13] καὶ στρατιῶται οἱ τὴν ἐν Παλατίῳ φρουρὰν ἔχοντες ἐν τῇ βασιλείῳ στοᾷ παρὰ τοὺς διαιτῶντας γενόμενοι βιαίᾳ χειρὶ τὰς δίκας ἐσῆγον.
Delphi Complete Works of Procopius Page 558