Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  Thus were these matters handled by this Emperor. And by the Praetorian Prefect upward of thirty centenaria were collected each year in addition to the public taxes.

  [2] οἷς δὴ ὄνομα τὸ ἀερικὸν ἐπιτέθεικεν, ἐκεῖνο, οἶμαι, παραδηλῶν, ὅτι δὴ οὐ τεταγμένη τις οὐδὲ ξυνειθισμένη οὖσα ἡ φορὰ ἐτύγχανεν αὕτη, ἀλλὰ τύχῃ τινὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀέρος ἀεὶ αὐτὴν φερομένην ἐλάμβανε, δέον τῆς πονηρίας τῆς αὐτοῦ ταῦτα ἐπικαλεῖν ἔργα.

  [2] To these he gave the name “air-tax,” to suggest, I presume, that this did not happen to be any regular or customary tax, but that he always got it by a stroke of luck, as though it came of itself out of the air, though in reality this sort of thing should be called villainy on his part.

  [3] ὧν δὴ τῷ ὀνόματι οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τεταγμένοι ἀδεέστερον ἀεὶ ταῖς ἐς τοὺς κατηκόους λῃστείαις ἐχρῶντο.

  [3] Under the shield of this name those who successively held this office kept up their brigandage towards their subjects with ever-increasing fearlessness.

  [4] καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἀποφέρειν ἠξίουν, αὐτοὶ δὲ πλοῦτον βασιλικὸν περιεβάλλοντο οὐδενὶ πόνῳ.

  [4] And though they claimed to be delivering this money to the Emperor, they, on their part, found no difficulty in appropriating imperial wealth to themselves.

  [5] ὧνπερ Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐπιστροφὴν οὐδεμίαν ἐδικαίου ποιεῖσθαι, καιροφυλακῶν ὅπως, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα πλούτου τι μέγα περιβάλωνται χρῆμα, ἔγκλημα ὅ τι δὴ αὐτοῖς ἐπενεγκὼν ἀπροφάσιστον ἀθρόον αὐτοῖς ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὴν οὐσίαν ἱκανὸς εἴη. ὅπερ καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Καππαδόκην εἰργάσατο.

  [5] But Justinian saw fit to take note of none of these things, watching for his opportunity with the idea that, as soon as ever they should appropriate some huge piece of wealth, bringing against them some accusation or other which would give no room for excuses, he would thus be able to seize their property all at once. Indeed, this is exactly what he did to John the Cappadocian.

  [6] ἅπαντες οὖν ἀμέλει ὅσοι τῆς τιμῆς ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἐλαμβάνοντο πλούσιοι ἐξαπιναίως οὐδενὶ γεγένηνται μέτρῳ, δυοῖν μέντοι χωρὶς, Φωκᾶ τε, οὗπερ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐμνήσθην ἅτε τοῦ δικαίου ἐς τὸ ἀκρότατον ἐπιμελητοῦ γεγονότος: κέρδους γὰρ ὁτουοῦν οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐν τῷ ἀξιώματι καθαρὸς ἔμεινε, καὶ Βάσσου, ὃς δὴ ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ ὑστέρῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν.

  [6] Now every single man who held this office during this period suddenly became wealthy beyond measure, with only two exceptions, namely Phocas — whom I have mentioned in an earlier Book as being a man who shewed himself a most scrupulous respecter of justice; for this man remained clear of any gain whatsoever while in that office — and Bassus, who assumed the office at a later time.

  [7] ὧνπερ οὐδέτερος ἐνιαυτὸν διασώσασθαι τὴν τιμὴν ἔσχεν, ἀλλ̓ ἅτε ἀχρεῖοί τε καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τὸ παράπαν ἀλλόκοτοι μηνῶν που ὀλίγων τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἔξω γεγένηνται.

  [7] Yet neither one of these two succeeded in holding the position a year, but, on the ground that they were useless and altogether alien to the spirit of the times, they were relieved of their office within some few months.

  [8] ἵνα δὲ μὴ τὸ καθ̓ ἕκαστόν μοι διηγουμένῳ ἀτελεύτητος ὁ λόγος εἴη, ταῦτα κἀν ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐπράσσετο ταῖς ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀρχαῖς.

  [8] But in order that my account may not be interminable, through my relating each separate thing, I might say that the same intrigues were being carried out in all the other magistracies in Byzantium.

  [9] Πανταχόθι μέντοι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ὁ Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐποίει τάδε. τοὺς πονηροτάτους τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπολεξάμενος διεφθάρθαι ἀπεδίδοτο τὰς ἀρχὰς σφίσι χρημάτων μεγάλων.

  [9] In all parts of the Roman Empire, however, Justinian’s method was as follows. Picking out the basest men, he would sell to them at a great price the offices that were to be corrupted by them;

  [10] σώφρονι γὰρ ἀνδρὶ ἢ ξυνέσεως ὁπωστιοῦν μεταλαχόντι ἔννοια οὐδεμία ἐγένετο χρήματα οἰκεῖα προΐεσθαι, ἐφ̓ ᾧ δὴ τοὺς οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότας ληΐζηται.

  [10] for no man of decency or any degree of intelligence would think for a moment of paying out his own money in order to buy the privilege of plundering those who had done no wrong.

  [11] τοῦτό τε τὸ χρυσίον πρὸς τῶν ξυμβαλλόντων κεκομισμένος ἐς τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοὺς ἐνεβίβαζε τοῦ τοὺς κατηκόους πάντα ἐργάζεσθαι.

  [11] Then, after collecting this money from those who were making the bargain with him, he would confer upon them authority to treat their subjects in any way they pleased.

  [12] ἀφ̓ ὧν ἔμελλον τὰς χώρας αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀπολοῦντες ἁπάσας πλούσιοι τὸ λοιπὸν ἔσεσθαι αὐτοί.

  [12] As a result of this, they were destined, after ruining all the districts under their jurisdiction, along with their entire population, to be very rich themselves from that time on.

  [13] οἱ δὲ τὰς τῶν πόλεων τιμὰς ἐπὶ τόκοις ἁδροῖς τισιν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης δεδανεισμένοι καὶ τῷ ἀποδεδομένῳ ἀπαριθμήσαντες, ἐπειδὴ ἐγίνοντο ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι, πᾶσαν κακοῦ ἰδέαν ἐς τοὺς ἀρχομένους ἀεὶ ἐνδεικνύμενοι οὐκ ἄλλου του ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ καθίσταντο ἢ ὅπως τοῖς χρήσταις τὰ ὡμολογημένα τελέσειαν καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐν τοῖς πλουσιωτάτοις τετάξονται, οὐκ ἔχοντος αὐτοῖς κίνδυνόν τινα ἢ ὕβριν τοῦ ἔργου, φέροντος δέ τι καὶ δόξης μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ καὶ πλείους τῶν σφίσι παραπεπτωκότων οὐδενὶ λόγῳ ἀποκτείναντες ληΐζεσθαι ἴσχυον.

  [13] These men, then, borrowed from the bank at a staggering rate of interest the amount of the prices they had paid for the cities, paid it to the man who had made the sale, and then, as soon as they reached their cities, proceeded to inflict upon their subjects every form of misery, having no concern for anything else than how they might meet their obligations to their creditors and themselves be rated thenceforth among the most wealthy, seeing that this business involved neither danger nor disgrace for them, but actually conferred upon them a certain amount of glory, in proportion to the number of those falling into their clutches whom they were able without any justification to kill and to plunder.

  [14] τὸ γὰρ τοῦ φονέως τε καὶ λῃστοῦ ὄνομα ἐς τὸ τοῦ δραστηρίου αὐτοῖς ἀποκεκρίσθαι ξυνέβαινεν.

  [14] For the titles of “murderer” and “brigand” came to be regarded by them as equivalent to “energeti
c”!

  [15] ὅσους μέντοι τῶν ἐχόντων ἀρχὰς ᾔσθετο πλούτῳ ἀκμάζοντας, τούτους δὴ σκήψεσι σαγηνεύσας εὐθὺς ἅπαντα συλλήβδην ἀφῃρεῖτο τὰ χρήματα.

  [15] All these office-holders, however, whom Justinian observed to be abounding in wealth, he bagged on trumped-up charges and straightway wrested from them absolutely all their fortunes.

  [16] Μετὰ δὲ νόμον τοὺς τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔγραψε μετιόντας ὀμνύναι ἦ μὴν καθαροὺς ἀπὸ πάσης κλοπῆς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἔσεσθαι, καὶ μήτε τι δώσειν τῆς ἀρχῆς ἕνεκα

  [16] But later he promulgated a law that all who sought the offices should take an oath that in very truth they would themselves be innocent of all theft, and that they would neither give nor take anything for the sake of the office.

  [17] μήτε λήψεσθαι. ἀράς τε πάσας ἐπέβαλεν, ὅσαι πρὸς τῶν παλαιοτάτων ὠνομασμέναι εἰσὶν, ἤν τις τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐκβαίη.

  [17] And he laid upon them all the curses which have been mentioned by men of most ancient times, in case anyone should depart from the written terms.

  [18] ἀλλὰ τοῦ νόμου τεθέντος οὔπω ἐνιαυτὸν αὐτὸς μὲν τῶν γεγραμμένων καὶ κατηραμένων ὀλιγωρήσας, καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ τούτων αἰσχύνης ἀδεέστερον τὰ τιμήματα τῶν ἀρχῶν οὐκ ἐν παραβύστῳ, ἀλλ̓ ἐς τὸ δημόσιον τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἔπραττεν.

  [18] Yet when the law had been in force not yet a year, he himself, disregarding the written terms and the curses and the disgrace which would ensue, proceeded more fearlessly than before to negotiate the prices of the offices, not in secret, but in the public square of the market-place.

  [19] οἱ δὲ τὰς ἀρχὰς ὠνημένοι διώμοτοι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον πάντα ἐσύλων.

  [19] And those who purchased the offices proceeded, though under oath, to pillage everything still more than before.

  [20] Ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐπετεχνήσατο ἀκοῆς κρεῖσσον. τῶν ἀρχῶν, ἅσπερ ἀξιωτάτας ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ πόλεσι ταῖς ἄλλαις ᾤετο εἶναι, οὐκέτι ἀπεμπολεῖν ἔγνω ᾗπερ τὰ πρότερα, μισθωτοὺς δὲ διερευνώμενος ἐχειροτόνει, τάξας αὐτοῖς ὅ τι δὴ μισθαρνοῦντας ἀποφέρειν αὐτῷ τὰ φώρια πάντα.

  [20] And later on he hit upon still another device, one transcending all report. He decided that he would no longer sell, as formerly, those offices which he considered most valuable both in Byzantium and the other cities, but he sought out hired agents and put them in office, instructing them, for a wage of whatever it was, to deliver to him all their plunder.

  [21] οἱ δὲ τὴν μίσθωσιν κεκομισμένοι ἀδεέστερον ξυμφορήσαντες ἐκ πάσης γῆς ἅπαντα ἔφερον καὶ περιήρχετο μισθοφόρος ἐξουσία τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὀνόματι καταληϊζομένη τοὺς ὑπηκόους.

  [21] And they, having taken their pay, proceeded to collect and carry off everything from the whole country quite fearlessly, and a hireling authority was thus going the rounds and, in the guise of the office, plundering the subjects.

  [22] οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκριβολογούμενος τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἐκείνους ἐφίστη τοῖς πράγμασιν οἳ δὴ πάντων κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον μιαρώτατοι ἦσαν, ἀεί τε τὸ

  [22] Thus the Emperor, making his calculations with nice exactness, kept putting in power constantly those who were in very truth the vilest rascals in the world, and he always succeeded in tracking down the abominable creatures he wanted.

  [23] κακὸν τοῦτο ἰχνηλατῶν κατετύγχανεν. ἡνίκα οὖν ἀμέλει τοὺς πρώτους πονηροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κατεστήσατο ἐς φῶς τε αὐτῶν ἡ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐξουσία τὴν κακοτροπίαν ἐξήνεγκεν, ἐθαυμάζομέν γε ὅπως δὴ κακότητα τοσαύτην ἀνθρώπου φύσις ἐχώρησεν.

  [23] Indeed, when he appointed the first set of rogues to office and the licence of power brought to light their inherent villainy, we were in truth astonished that man’s nature had room for depravity so great.

  [24] ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ χρόνῳ τῳ ἀρχὰς ἐκδεξάμενοι πολλῷ τῷ περιόντι παρελᾶν ἴσχυσαν, διηποροῦντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὅντινα τρόπον οἱ πρόσθεν πονηρότατοι δόξαντες τοσούτῳ παραλόγῳ ἅτε αὐτοὶ καλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ γεγονότες ἐν τοῖς σφετέροις ἐπιτηδεύμασι, πρὸς τῶν ἐπιγενομένων ἡσσήθησαν, αὖθίς τε οἱ τρίτοι τοὺς δευτέρους ὑπερηκόντισαν πονηρίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, καὶ μετ̓ ἐκείνους ἕτεροι τοῖς τῶν ἐγκλημάτων καινοτομήμασιν ὄνομα χρηστὸν τοῖς φθάσασι προσετρίψαντο.

  [24] But when those who at some later time succeeded them in office were able to surpass these men by a very wide margin, men wondered among themselves how it was that those who formerly seemed most base were now outdone by their successors to such a degree that they now seemed to have been men of high character in their dealings, and the third group, in turn, overshot the second in every manner of wickedness, and after them still others, by their innovations in crime, caused an honourable name to be attached to their predecessors.

  [25] μηκυνομένου τε τοῦ κακοῦ πᾶσιν ἐκμεμαθηκέναι τῷ ἔργῳ ξυνέβη ὅτι δὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπ̓ ἄπειρον μὲν ἡ πονηρία φύεσθαι εἴωθε, μαθήσει δὲ τῶν προγεγενημένων ἐκτρεφομένη καὶ τῇ τῆς παρρησίας ἐξουσίᾳ ἐς τὸ λυμαίνεσθαι τοῖς παραπίπτουσιν ἐξαγομένη ἐς τοσόνδε ἀεὶ ἐξικνεῖσθαι δοκεῖ ἐς ὅσον δύναται ἡ τῶν βλαπτομένων σταθμᾶσθαι δόξα.

  [25] And with the long continuance of the evil all men have finally been taught by facts that whereas man’s natural depravity is wont to grow beyond all limits, yet when it is nourished by the instruction of predecessors, and when, through the influence of the licence which complete immunity inspires, it is lured on to wreak foul injuries upon all who fall in its path, then it seems invariably to attain to so great a bulk that not even the imagining of its victims is able to measure it.

  [26] Ῥωμαίοις μὲν οὖν τά γε ἀμφὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι ταύτῃ πη εἶχε. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ Οὔννων πολεμίων στρατῷ ἀνδραποδίσασί τε καὶ ληϊσαμένοις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν οἱ Θρᾳκῶν τε καὶ Ἰλλυριῶν στρατηγοὶ βεβουλευμένοι ἀναχωροῦσιν ἐπιθήσεσθαι ἀπεπήδησαν, ἐπεὶ βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ γράμματα εἶδον, ἀπεροῦντα σφίσι τὴν ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπίθεσιν, ἀναγκαίων αὐτῶν ἐς ξυμμαχίαν Ῥωμαίοις ὄντων ἐπὶ Γότθους ἴσως ἢ ἐπὶ ἄλλους πολεμίων τινάς.

  [26] Such was the state of affairs for the Romans, as touching their magistrates. And many a time, when a hostile army of Huns had enslaved and plundered the
Roman domain, the generals of Thrace and Illyricum, after purposing to attack the retreating enemy, recoiled when they saw a letter from the Emperor Justinian forbidding them to make the attack upon the barbarians, they being necessary to the Romans as allies against the Goths, it might be, or against some other enemy.

  [27] καὶ ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἐληΐζοντο μὲν ὡς πολέμιοι καὶ ἠνδραποδίζοντο τοὺς τῇδε Ῥωμαίους, ξὺν δὲ τῇ ἄλλῃ λείᾳ καὶ τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις ἅτε φίλοι καὶ ξύμμαχοι Ῥωμαίοις ὄντες ἐπ̓ οἴκου ἀπεκομίζοντο.

  [27] As a result of this, these barbarians used to plunder and enslave the Romans in those parts as enemies, and then, taking with them their prisoners and the rest of their plunder, they would retire to their own homes as friends and allies of the Romans.

  [28] πολλάκις δὲ καὶ γεωργῶν τῶν ἐνταῦθά τινες, παίδων τε σφετέρων καὶ γυναικῶν πόθῳ ἐξηνδραποδισμένων ἠγμένοι, ἀθρόοι τε γεγενημένοι ἀναχωροῦσι πολλοὺς ἐτύγχανον κτείναντες, καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἵππους ἴσχυσαν ξὺν πάσῃ ἀφελέσθαι τῇ λείᾳ, πραγμάτων μέντοι ἐς πεῖραν ἦλθον ἐνθένδε δυσκόλων.

  [28] And often some of the farmers of that region, moved by the loss of their children and women, who had been reduced to slavery, gathered in a body, attacked the retreating foe, and succeeded in slaying many of them and in capturing their horses together with all the booty; then, however, they found themselves involved in serious difficulties.

  [29] ἐκ Βυζαντίου γάρ τινες ἐσταλμένοι αἰκίζεσθαί τε αὐτῶν καὶ λωβᾶσθαι τὰ σώματα καὶ χρήμασι ζημιοῦν οὐδεμιᾷ ὀκνήσει ἠξίουν, ἕως τοὺς ἵππους ἅπαντας δοῖεν οὕσπερ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀφείλοντο.