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Belisarius, persuaded by his wife, kills him. For the affair concerning Praesidius and the daggers happened to take place then, as has been shown by me in the preceding books1.29. For when the man was about to be released, Antonina did not relent, until she had punished him for the matter 1.30 of which I have just now made mention. And from this Belisarius incurred great enmity both from the emperor and from all the notable men among the Romans. 1.31 So these things, then, had transpired in this way. But Theodosius said that he would not be able to come to Italy, where Belisarius and Antonina were then staying, unless 1.32 Photius should get out of the way. For Photius was by nature ready to be vexed if anyone had more influence than he with any person whatsoever; in the matter of Theodosius, however, it happened that he was justly choking with rage, because though he himself was a son he was held in no account, while the other wielded great power and acquired great sums of money 1.33. For they say that he plundered and held from both palaces in Carthage and Ravenna about one hundred centenaria, since it fell to him alone to manage these things with author1.34ity. And when Antonina learned Theodosius's mind, she did not let up, laying snares for the boy and pursuing him with certain murderous plots, until she succeeded in making him, no longer able to bear the intrigues, depart from there and go on his way to Byzantium, and in having Theo1.35dosius come to her in Italy. There, having enjoyed to the full the company of her lover and the simple-mindedness of her husband, she later came with 1.36 both of them to Byzantium. There indeed his conscience terrified Theodosius and tormented his mind. For he thought he could by no means remain completely undetected, since he saw that the woman was no longer able to conceal her passion, nor had it burst forth secretly, but that she by no means disdained 1.37 to be and to be called an adulteress openly. For this reason he went again to Ephesus and after having his head shaved in the customary way, he enrolled himself into 1.38 those called monks. Then indeed she went completely mad and, changing her dress along with her way of life into a mourning fashion, she went about the house wailing frequently, and with loud lamentation she bewailed not the absence of her husband, but what a good thing she had lost, how faithful, how charming, how devoted, how energetic. 1.39 Finally, she also drew her husband into these very lamentations and set him down. So the wretched 1.40 man wept, calling for the yearned-for Theodosius. And later, going to the emperor and supplicating both him and the empress, he persuaded them to recall Theodosius, as being and about to be indispensable to him in his household. 1.41 But Theodosius refused to go from there at all, asserting that he would adhere most securely to the way of life of the monks 1.42. But the statement was in fact a pretence, so that as soon as Belisarius should depart from Byzantium, he might come secretly to Antonina. Which, then, is what happened. 2.1 For immediately Belisarius was sent with Photius to make war on Chosroes, but Antonina remained there 2.2, something which indeed was not her custom before. For in order that the man, being left alone, might not come to his senses and, scorning her enchantments, think some proper thoughts concerning her, it became her concern 2.3 to be sent with him everywhere on earth. And so that Theodosius might again have access to Antonina, she made it her business 2.4 to get Photius out of the way. So she persuades some of Belisarius's followers to continually mock and insult him, letting no opportunity pass; for she herself, writing almost every day, slandered him 2.5 incessantly and stirred up everything against the boy. Forced by these things, the young man decided to treat his mother with hostility, and bringing forward a certain man who had come from Byzantium, who was reporting that Theodosius was secretly spending time with Antonina, he immediately brings him before Belisarius, having instructed him to tell the whole story 2.6. When Belisarius learned these things, becoming exceedingly angry, he falls on his face at the feet of Photius, and he begged him to avenge him for the wrongs he was suffering

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Βελισάριος τῇ γυναικὶ ἀναπεισθεὶς κτείνει. τὰ γὰρ ἀμφὶ τῷ Πραισιδίῳ καὶ τοῖς ξιφιδίοις τηνικάδε ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι ἅπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις δεδή1.29 λωται. μέλλοντος γὰρ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφίεσθαι, οὐ πρότερον ἀνῆκεν ἡἈντωνίνα, ἕως αὐτὸν τοῦ λόγου 1.30 ἐτίσατο, οὗπερ ἐγὼ ἀρτίως ἐμνήσθην. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔχθος μέγα περιεβάλλετο ὁ Βελισάριος ἔκ τε βασιλέως καὶ τῶν ἐνῬωμαίοις λογίμων ἁπάντων. 1.31 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε κεχώρηκε. Θεοδόσιος δὲ οὐκ ἔφη ἐςἸταλίαν ἀφίξεσθαι οἷός τε εἶναι, ἵνα δὴ τότε διατριβὴν εἶχον Βελισάριός τε καὶἈντωνίνα, ἢν μὴ 1.32 Φώτιος ἐκποδὼν γένηται. ὁ γὰρ Φώτιος πρόχειρος μὲν φύσει ἐς τὸ δάκνεσθαι ἦν, ἤν τις αὐτοῦ παρ' ὁτῳοῦν αὐτῆ δύνηται μᾶλλον, ἐν μέντοι τοῖς ἀμφὶ Θεοδοσίῳ καὶ δικαίως ἀποπνίγεσθαί οἱ ξυνέβαινεν, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸς μὲν καίπερ υἱὸς ὢν ἐν οὐδενὶ ἐγίγνετο λόγῳ, ὁ δὲ δυνάμει τε πολλῇ ἐχρῆτο καὶ χρήματα 1.33 μεγάλα περιεβάλλετο. λέγουσι γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος τε καὶῬαβέννης ἐς ἑκατὸν κεντηνάρια ἐξ ἀμφοῖν Παλατίοιν συλήσαντα ἔχειν, ἐπεὶ καὶ μόνῳ κατ' ἐξου1.34 σίαν διαχειρίσαι ταῦτα ξυνέβη. ἡ δὲἈντωνίνα ἐπεὶ τὴν Θεοδοσίου γνώμην ἔμαθεν, οὐ πρότερον ἀνῆκεν ἐνεδρεύουσά τε τὸν παῖδα καὶ φονίοις τισὶν ἐπιβουλαῖς αὐτὸν μετιοῦσα, ἕως καταπράξασθαι ἴσχυσεν αὐτὸν μὲν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγέντα ἐς Βυζάντιον ὁδῷ ἰέναι, οὐκέτι φέρειν τὰς ἐνέδρας οἷόν τε ὄντα, τὸν δὲ Θεο1.35 δόσιον ἐς τὴνἸταλίαν παρ' αὐτὴν ἥκειν. οὗ δὴ κατακόρως τῆς τε τοῦ ἐρωμένου διατριβῆς καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εὐηθείας ἀποναμένη χρόνῳ ὕστερον ξὺν 1.36 ἀμφοῖν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἧκεν. ἔνθα δὴ Θεοδόσιον ἐδεδίσσετο τὸ συνειδέναι καὶ ἔστρεφεν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. λήσειν γὰρ ἐς τὸ παντελὲς οὐδαμῆ ᾤετο, ἐπεὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἑώρα οὐκέτι τὸ πάθος ἐγκρυφιάζειν οἵαν τε οὖσαν, οὐδὲ κεκρυμμένως ἐξερρωγέναι, ἀλλὰ διαρρήδην μοιχαλίδα εἶναί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι ὡς ἥκιστα 1.37 ἀπαξιοῦσαν. διὸ δὴ αὖθις ἐς τὴνἜφεσον ἀφικόμενος καὶ ἀποθριξάμενος ᾗπερ εἴθισται ἐνέγραψεν εἰς 1.38 τοὺς μοναχοὺς καλουμένους αὑτόν. τότε δὴ κατ' ἄκρας ἐμάνη καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα ξὺν τῇ διαίτῃ ἐς τρόπον μεταβαλοῦσα τὸν πένθιμον περιῄει συχνὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν κωκύουσα, ὀλολυγῇ τε κεχρημένη ὠλοφύρετο οὐκ ἀπολελειμμένου τἀνδρὸς, ὁποῖον αὐτῇ ἀγαθὸν ὠλώλει, ὡς πιστὸν, ὡς εὔχαριν, ὡς εὐνοϊκὸν, ὡς δραστήριον. 1.39 τελευτῶσα δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐς ταύτας δὴ ἐπαγαγομένη τὰς ὀλοφύρσεις ἐκάθισεν. ἔκλαε γοῦν ὁ ταλαίπω1.40 ρος τὸν ποθεινὸν ἀνακαλῶν Θεοδόσιον. ὕστερον δὲ καὶ εἰς βασιλέα ἐλθὼν, αὐτόν τε καὶ τὴν βασιλίδα ἱκετεύων, ἀνέπεισε Θεοδόσιον μεταπέμψασθαι ἅτε ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ὄντα τε καὶ ἐσόμενον. 1.41 ἀλλὰ Θεοδόσιος ἀπεῖπε μηδαμῆ ἐνθένδε ἰέναι, ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα ἐμπεδώσειν ἰσχυρισάμενος τὸ τῶν μοναχῶν 1.42 ἐπιτήδευμα. ἦν δὲ ἄρα ὁ λόγος κατάπλαστος, ὅπως ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα Βελισάριος ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἀποδημοίη, αὐτὸς παρὰ τὴνἈντωνίναν ἀφίκηται λάθρα. ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. 2.1 Αὐτίκα γὰρ Βελισάριος μὲν ὡς Χοσρόῃ πολεμήσων ξὺν τῷ Φωτίῳ ἐστέλλετο,Ἀντωνίνα δὲ αὐτοῦ 2.2 ἔμεινεν, οὐκ εἰωθὸς αὐτῇ πρότερον τοῦτό γε. τοῦ γὰρ μὴ κατὰ μόνας τὸν ἄνθρωπον καθιστάμενον ἐν αὑτῷ τε γενέσθαι καὶ τῶν ἐκείνης μαγγανευμάτων ὀλιγωροῦντα φρονῆσαί τι ἀμφ' αὐτῇ τῶν δεόντων, πανταχόσε τῆς γῆς ξὺν αὐτῷ στέλλεσθαι ἐπιμελές οἱ 2.3 ἐγίνετο. ὅπως δὲ καὶ αὖθις Θεοδοσίῳ παρὰἈντωνίναν ἐσιτητὰ εἴη, Φώτιον ἐκποδών οἱ γενέσθαι ἐν 2.4 σπουδῇ ἐποιεῖτο. πείθει τοίνυν τῶν Βελισαρίῳ ἑπομένων τινὰς ἐρεσχελεῖν τε αὐτὸν ἐς ἀεὶ καὶ προπηλακίζειν, οὐδένα ἀνιέντας καιρόν· αὐτή τε γὰρ γράφουσα ἐς ἡμέραν σχεδόν τι ἑκάστην διέβαλλέ τε 2.5 διηνεκὲς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ παιδὶ πάντα ἐκίνει. οἷς δὴ ὁ νεανίας ἀναγκασθεὶς διαβόλως ἔγνω τῇ μητρὶ χρῆσθαι, ἥκοντά τέ τινα ἐκ Βυζαντίου, ὃς δὴ ἀπήγγελλε Θεοδόσιον λάθρα ξὺνἈντωνίνῃ διατριβὴν ἔχειν, παρὰ Βελισάριον εὐθὺς εἰσάγει, φράζειν ἐπιστείλας τὸν 2.6 πάντα λόγον. ἅπερ ἐπεὶ ὁ Βελισάριος ἔγνω, ὀξυθυμωθεὶς ὑπερφυῶς ὡς παρὰ τοὺς Φωτίου πόδας ἐπὶ στόμα πίπτει, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐδεῖτο τιμωρεῖν οἱ αὐτῷ πάσχοντι