Delphi Complete Works of Procopius

by Procopius of Caesarea

  [66] Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐκκλησίας, ἥνπερ μεγάλην καλεῖν νενομίκασι, συνελόντι τε καὶ ἄκρῳ δακτύλῳ διαριθμησαμένῳ εἰπεῖν, λόγῳ τε βραχυτάτῳ τὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀξιολογώτατα φράσαι, τῇδε Ἰουστινιανῷ δεδημιούργηται βασιλεῖ.

  [66] So the church of Constantinople (which men are accustomed to call the Great Church), speaking concisely and merely running over the details with the finger-tips, as it were, and mentioning with a fleeting word only the most notable features, was constructed in such a manner by the Emperor Justinian.

  [67] οὐ χρήμασι δὲ αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδείματο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πονουμένῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ αὐτίκα δηλώσω.

  [67] But it was not with money alone that the Emperor built it, but also with labour of the mind and with the other powers of the soul, as I shall straightway shew.

  [68] τῶν ἀψῖδων, ὧνπερ ἐπεμνήσθην ἀρτίως (λώρους δὲ αὐτὰς οἱ μηχανοποιοὶ ἐπικαλοῦσι) μία τις, ἣ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιόν ἐστιν, ἐπανειστήκει μὲν ἑκατέρωθεν ἤδη, οὔπω δὲ ὅλη κατὰ τὸ μέσον συντετέλεστο, ἀλλ᾽ ἔμενεν ἔτι.

  [68] One of the arches which I just now mentioned (lôri the master-builders call them), the one which stands toward the east, had already been built up from either side, but it had not yet been wholly completed in the middle, and was still waiting.

  [69] οἱ δὲ πεσσοὶ ὧν δὴ ὕπερθεν ἡ οἰκοδομία ἐγίνετο, τῶν ἐγκειμένων σφίσιν οὐκ ἐνεγκόντες τὸ μέγεθος, ἀμηγέπη ἐξαπιναίως ἀπορρηγνύμενοι, οὐκ ἐς μακρὰν διαλυθησομένοις ἐῴκεσαν.

  [69] And the piers (pessoi), above which the structure was being built, unable to carry the mass which bore down upon them, somehow or other suddenly began to crack, and they seemed on the point of collapsing.

  [70] οἱ μὲν οὐ ἀμφί τε Ἀνθέμιον καὶ Ἰσίδωρον τοῖς συμπεπτωκόσι περίφοβοι ὄντες ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλεία τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦγον, δυσέλπιδες ἐπὶ τῇ τέχνῃ γεγενημένοι.

  [70] So Anthemius and Isidorus, terrified at what had happened, carried the matter to the Emperor, having come to have no hope in their technical skill.

  [71] αὐτίκα δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, ὅτῳ μέν ποτε ἠγμένος οὐκ οἶδα, θεῷ δέ, οἶμαι, οὐ γάρ ἐστι μηχανικός, ἐς τὸ πέρας αὐτοῖς περιελίξαι τὴν ἁψῖδα ταύτην ἐπήγγελλεν. αὔτη γάρ, ἔφη, ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῆς ἀνεχομένη τῶν ἔνερθεν ]πεσσῶν οὐκέτι δεήσει.

  [71] And straightway the Emperor, impelled by I know not what, but I suppose by God (for he is not himself a master-builder), commanded them to carry the curve of this arch to its final completion. “For when it rests upon itself,” he said, “it will no longer need the props (pessoi) beneath it.”

  [72] καὶ εἰ μὲν ὁ λόγος ἀμάρτυρος ἦν, εὖ οἶδα ὅτι κόλαξ τε ἂν ἔδοξεν εἶναι καὶ ἄπιστος ὅλως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπεὶ μάρτυρες πάρεισι τῶν τηνικάδε πεπραγμένων πολλοί, οὐκ ὀκνητέα ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τὰ τοῦ λόγου λειπόμενά ἐστιν.

  [72] And if this story were without witness, I am well aware that it would have seemed a piece of flattery and altogether incredible; but since there are available many witnesses of what then took place, we need not hesitate to proceed to the remainder of the story.

  [73] οἱ μὲν οὖν τεχνῖται τὰ ἐπιτεταγμένα ἐποίουν, ἡ δὲ ἀψὶς ἐπ᾽ ἀσφαλοῦς ᾐώρητο πᾶσα, ἐπισφραγίζουσα τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν τῆς ἐννοίας ἀλήθειαν.

  [73] So the artisans carried out his instructions, and the whole arch then hung secure, sealing by experiment the truth of his idea.

  [74] τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ταύτῃ ἐξείργασται, κατὰ δὲ τὰς ἄλλας ἀψῖδας αἵ τε πρὸς μεσημβρίαν τετραμμέναι εἰσὶ καὶ βορρᾶν ἄνεμον, τοιόνδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι.

  [74] Thus, then, was this arch completed; but in the process of building the other arches, indeed, those namely which are turned toward the south and the north, the following chanced to take place.

  [75] οἱ μὲν λῶροι καλούμενοι τοῦ νεὼ τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ ἐξωγκωμένοι ᾐώρηντο, βαρυνόμενα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπεπονήκει τὰ ἔνερθεν πάντα, κιονές τε οἱ τῇδε ὄντες χάλικας σμικρὰς ὥσπερ ἀποξυσθέντες ἀφίεσαν.

  [75] The so-called lôri had been raised up, carrying the masonry of the church, but everything underneath was labouring under their load, making the columns (kiones) which stood there throw off tiny flakes, as if they had been planed.

  [76] καὶ αὖθις μὲν ἄθυμοι τοῖς συμπεπτωκόσιν οἱ μηχανικοὶ γεγενημένοι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ σφίσι παρόντα ἐσήγγελλον.

  [76] So once more the master-builders were dismayed at what had happened and reported their problem to the Emperor.

  [77] αὖθις δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀντεπετεχνήσατο τάδε. τούτων δὴ τῶν πεπονηκότων τὰ ἄκρα, ὅσα τῶν ἀψῖδων ἐπέψαυε, διελεῖν μὲν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἐκέλευσεν, ἐντιθέναι δὲ πολλῷ ὕστερον, ἐπειδὰν τὸ τῆς οἰκοδομίας ὑγρὸν ἀπολωφήσειεν αὐτοῖς μάλιστα.

  [77] And again the Emperor met the situation with a remedy, as follows. He ordered them immediately to remove the upper parts (akra) of the masonry which were strained, that is, the portions which came into contact with the arches, and to put them back much later, as soon as the dampness of the masonry should abate enough to bear them.

  [78] καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίουν· ἡ δὲ κτίσις διαγέγονε τὸ ]λοιπὸν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ οὖσα. φέρεται δὲ τι καὶ μαρτύριον ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἔργου τοιόνδε.

  [78] These instructions they carried out, and thereafter the structure stood secure. And the Emperor, in this way, enjoys a kind of testimonial from the work.

  [2] [2] [1] Ἀγορά τις πρὸ τοῦ βουλευτηρίου ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα· καλοῦσι δὲ Αὐγουσταῖον τὴν ἀγορὰν οἱ Βυζάντιοι. ἐνταῦθα ξυνθῆκαι λίθων οὐχ ἧσσον ἡ ἑπτὰ ἐν τετραγώνῳ πεποίηνται, κατὰ μὲν ἀπόβασιν ξυγκείμεναι πᾶσαι, τοσοῦτον δὲ ἑκάστη τῆς ἔνερθεν οὔσης ἐλασσουμένη καὶ ἀποδέουσα, ὥστε δὴ τῶν λίθων ἕκαστον τῇ ἐμβολῇ προὔχοντα βαθμὸν γεγονέναι τῶν τε ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἐκείνῃ ἀγειρομένους ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν ὥσπερ ἐπὶ βάθρων καθῆσθαι.

  [1] Before the Senate House there happened to be a sort of market-place, which the people of Byzantium call the Augusteum. In that place there is a structure of stones, which is made up of not less than seven courses, laid in a rectangle, all fitted to each other at their ends, but each course being narrower than that beneath, and set back, with the result that each of the ston
es becomes, from the way it is set, a projecting step, so that people assembled there sit upon them as upon seats.

  [2] ἐν δὲ τῇ τῶν λίθων ὑπερβολῇ κίων ἐπανέστηκεν ἐξαίσιον ὅσον, οὐ μονοειδὴς μέντοι, ἀλλὰ λίθοις ἐν περιδρόμῳ εὐμεγέθεσι σύνθετος, ἐγγωνίοις μὲν τῇ ἐντομῇ οὖσιν, ἐς δὲ ἀλλήλους ἐμπειρίᾳ τῶν λιθοδόμων ἐναρμοσθεῖσι.

  [2] And at the top of the stones there rises a column of extraordinary size, not a monolith, however, but composed of large stones in circular courses, cut so as to form angles on their inner faces, and fitted to one another by the skill of the masons.

  [3] χαλκὸς δὲ ἄριστος ἐν τε πίναξι καὶ στεφάνοις διαχυθεὶς περιβάλλει πανταχόθι τοὺς λίθους, ἐν μὲν τῷ βεβαίῳ συνδέων, ἐν κόσμῳ δὲ αὐτοὺς συγκαλύπτων, καὶ τά τε ἄλλα σχεδόν τι πάντα καὶ διαφερόντως τά τε ἄνω καὶ τὰ κάτω ἐς τοῦ κίονος τὸν τύπον ἀπομιμούμενος.

  [3] And finest brass, cast in panels and garlands, covers the stones on every side, both serving to bind them securely, and covering them with adornment, and giving the shaft throughout, but particularly at the base and the capital, the appearance of a column.

  [4] ὁ δὲ χαλκὸς οὗτος τὸ μὲν χρῶμά ἐστι χρυσοῦ ἀκιβδήλου πρᾳότερος, τὴν δὲ ἀξίαν οὐ παρὰ πολὺ ἀποδέων ἰσοστάσιος ἀργύρῳ εἶναι.

  [4] This brass, in its colour, is softer than pure gold, and its value is not much less than that of an equal weight of silver.

  [5] ἐν δὲ τοῦ κίονος τῇ κορυφῇ ]χαλκοῦς ἕστηκεν ὑπερμεγέθης ἵππος, τετραμμένος πρὸς ἕω, θέαμα λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξιον. ἔοικε δὲ βαδιουμένῳ καὶ τοῦ πρόσω λαμπρῶς ἐχομένῳ.

  [5] And on the summit of the column stands a gigantic bronze horse, facing toward the east, a very noteworthy sight. He seems about to advance, and to be splendidly pressing forward.

  [6] ποδῶν τῶν προσθίων ἀμέλει τὸν μὲν ἀριστερὸν μετεωρίζει, ὡς ἐπιβησόμενον τῆς ἐπίπροσθεν γῆς, ὁ δὲ δὴ ἕτερος ἐπὶ τοῦ λίθου ἠρήρεισται οὗ ὕπερθέν ἐστιν, ὡς τὴν βάσιν ἐκδεξόμενος· τοὺς δὲ ὀπισθίους οὕτω ξυνάγει ὡς, ἐπειδὰν τὸ μὴ ἑστήξειν αὐτοῖς ἐπιβάλλοι, ἐν ἑτοίμῳ εἶεν.

  [6] Indeed he holds his left foot in the air, as though heº were about to take a forward step on the ground before him, while the other is pressed down upon the stone on which he stands, as if ready to take the next step; his hind feet he holds close together, so that they may be ready whenever he decides to move.

  [7] τούτῳ δὴ τῷ ἵππῳ χαλκῆ ἐπιβέβηκε τοῦ βασιλέως εἴκων κολοσσῷ ἐμφερής. ἔσταλται δὲ Ἀχιλλεύς ἡ εἰκών·

  [7] Upon this horse is mounted a colossal bronze figure of the Emperor. And the figure is habited like Achilles,

  [8] οὕτω γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα καλοῦσιν ὅπερ ἀμπέχεται. τάς τε γὰρ ἀρβύλας ὑποδέδεται καὶ τὰ σφυρά ἐστι κνημίδων χωρὶς.

  [8] that is, the costume he wears is known by that name. He wears half-boots and his legs are not covered by greaves.

  [9] εἶτα ἡρωϊκῶς τεθωράκισται καὶ κράνος αὐτῷ τὴν κεφαλὴν σκέπει δόξαν ὡς κατασείοιτο παρεχόμενον, αἴγλη τέ τις ἐνθένδε αὐτοῦ ἀπαστράπτει.

  [9] Also he wears a breastplate in the heroic fashion, and a helmet covers his head and gives the impression that it moves up and down, and a dazzling light flashes forth from it.

  [10] φαίη τις ἂν ποιητικῶς εἶναι τὸν ὀπωρινὸν ἐκεῖνον ἀστέρα. βλέπει δὲ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντά που τὸν ἥλιον, τὴν ἡνιόχησιν ἐπὶ Πέρσας, οἶμαι, ποιούμενος.

  [10] One might say, in poetic speech, that here is that star of Autumn. And he looks toward the rising sun, directing his course, I suppose, against the Persians.

  [11] καὶ φέρει μὲν χειρὶ τῇ λαιᾷ πόλον, παραδηλῶν ὁ πλάστης ὅτι γῆ τε αὐτοῦ καὶ θάλασσα δεδούλωται πᾶσα, ἔχει δὲ οὔτε ξίφος οὔτε δοράτιον οὔτε ἄλλο τῶν ὅπλων οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ σταυρὸς αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ πόλου ἐπίκειται, δι᾽ οὗ δὴ μόνου τήν τε βασιλείαν καὶ τὸ τοῦ πολέμου πεπόρισται κράτος.

  [11] And in his left hand he holds a globe, by which the sculptor signifies that the whole earth and sea are subject to him, yet he has neither sword nor spear nor any other weapon, but a cross stands upon the globe which he carries, the emblem by which alone he has obtained both his Empire and his victory in war.

  [12] προτεινόμενος δὲ χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν ἐς τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους ]διαπετάσας ἐγκελεύεται τοῖς ἐκείνῃ βαρβάροις καθῆσθαι οἴκοι καὶ μὴ πρόσω ἰέναι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὧδέ πη ἔχει.

  [12] And stretching forth his right hand toward the rising sun and spreading out his fingers, he commands the barbarians in that quarter to remain at home and to advance no further. So much, then, for this statue.

  [13] Ἐκκλησίᾳ δὲ τῇ μεγάλῃ ὅμορον οὖσαν καὶ συγκαταφλεχθεῖσαν αὐτῇ πρότερον τὴν τῆς Εἰρήνης ἐπώνυμον Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ὑπερμεγέθη ἐδείματο, ἱερῶν τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ σχεδόν τι ἁπάντων, μετά γε τῆς Σοφίας τὸν νεών, οὐδενὸς δεύτερον.

  [13] The church called after Eirenê, which was next to the Great Church and had been burned down together with it, the Emperor Justinian rebuilt on a large scale, so that it was scarcely second to any of the churches in Byzantium, save that of Sophia.

  [14] ἦν δέ τις μεταξὺ ταύταιν δὴ ταῖν ἐκκλησίαιν ξενών, ἀνθρώποις ἀνειμένος ἀπορουμένοις τε καὶ νοσοῦσι τὰ ἔσχατα, εἰ πρὸς τῇ οὐσίᾳ καὶ τὸ σῶμα νοσοῖεν.

  [14] And between these two churches there was a certain hospice, devoted to those who were at once destitute and suffering from serious illness, those who were, namely, suffering in loss of both property and health.

  [15] τοῦτον ἀνήρ τις θεοσεβὴς ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις ἐδείματο, Σαμψὼν ὄνομα. ἔμεινε δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς τοῖς στασιώταις ἀνεπαφὸς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑκατέρᾳ συγκαταφλεχθεὶς ἀπολώλει.

  [15] This was erected in early times by a certain pious man, Samson by name. And neither did this remain untouched by the rioters, but it caught fire together with the churches on either side of it and was destroyed.

  [16] Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνῳκοδομήσατο βασιλεύς, κάλλει μὲν κατασκευῆς ἀξιώτερον, πλήθει δὲ οἰκιδίων παρὰ πολὺ μείζω· προσόδῳ τε αὐτὸν ἐπετείων δεδώρηται χρημάτων μεγάλων, ὅπως δὴ πλείοσιν ἐς ἀεὶ ταλαιπωρουμένοις ἀνθρώποις ἰῷ�
�ο τὰ πάθη.

  [16] The Emperor Justinian rebuilt it, making it a nobler building in the beauty of its structure, and much larger in the number of its rooms. He has also endowed it with a generous annual income of money, to the end that through all time the ills of more sufferers may be cured.

  [17] κόρον δὲ τῆς εἰς τὸν θεὸν τιμῆς ἢ πλησμονήν τινα ὡς ἥκιστα ἔχων, δύο ξενῶνας ἑτέρους ἀπ᾽ ἐναντίας αὐτῷ ἔθετο ἐν ταῖς Ἰσιδώρου τε καὶ Ἀρκαδίου καλουμέναις οἰκίαις, τῆς βασιλίδος Θεοδώρας αὐτῷ τοῦτο δὴ τῶν ἔργων ξυνεπιλαμβανομένης τὸ ἱερώτατον.

  [17] But by no means feeling either a surfeit or any sort of weariness in shewing honour to God, he established two other hospices opposite to this one in the buildings called respectively the House of Isidorus and the House of Arcadius, the Empress Theodora labouring with him in this most holy undertaking.

  [18] τὰ δὲ δὴ ἀλλὰ ἱερὰ ξύμπαντα, ὅσα τῷ Χριστῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος ἀνέθηκε, τοσαῦτα τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τοιαῦτα τὸ μέγεθός ἐστιν, ὥστε λεπτολογεῖσθαι μὲν ἀμφ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἀμήχανα εἶναι.

  [18] All the other shrines which this Emperor dedicated to Christ are so numerous and so great in size, that it is impossible to write about them in detail.

  [19] οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὐδὲ ὁ λόγος οὐδὲ ὁ πᾶς ἡμῖν αἰὼν ]ἐπαρκέσοι κατάλογον πεποιημένοις ἀποστοματίσαι πρὸς ὄνομα τούτων δὴ ἕκαστον. ἄχρι τοῦδε εἰπεῖν ἡμῖν ἀποχρήσει.

  [19] For neither the power of language, nor the whole span of eternity, would suffice us to make a catalogue and by name descant upon each one of these. It will suffice us to have said thus much.