they neglected the plot. Therefore, just as in the time of the old and great Socrates, no one of all the Athenians (even though they were a democracy) would have dared an accusation and an indictment, whom indeed all the Athenians thought to be a walking statue of wisdom, had not drunkenness and madness and the license of the festival and all-night revel of the Dionysia, through laughter and contempt and the easy and treacherous passions invented among men, first Aristophanes, introducing laughter upon corrupted souls and stirring up the pantomimic dances of the stage, then persuaded the theatre, mocking the leaps of fleas in the face of such great wisdom, and outlining the forms and figures of clouds and all the other things that comedy is accustomed to trifle about 6.2.5 for the purpose of moving to laughter. And when they saw the theatre inclined toward pleasure, some took up accusations, and they dared the impious indictment against him, and the whole populace was unfortunate in the murder of the man. 6.2.6 For it is possible for one reasoning from the times to comprehend that, after Socrates departed violently, nothing brilliant was any longer achieved by the Athenians, but the city gave way, and because of the city all the affairs of Greece were ruined together; 6.2.7 so also then it was possible to see the plot against Sopater. For Constantinople, ancient Byzantium, in the old times used to provide the grain-convoy for the Athenians, and the cargo from there was a surplus; 6.2.8 but in our times, not even the multitude of cargo ships from Egypt, nor the quantity of grain brought together from all of Asia, both Syria and Phoenicia and the other nations, as a payment of tribute, is able to fill and satisfy the drunken populace, which Constantine, having widowed the other cities of men, transferred to Byzantium, and formed for himself in response to the applause in the theatres of men gushing with hangover, loving the encomiums and the remembrance of his name from erring men, who barely 6.2.9 utter his name out of simple-mindedness; and it has also happened from the position of Byzantium that it is not even suitable for the sailing of the ships being brought down, unless a pure and unmixed south wind blows down. And then indeed, when that which often happens according to the nature of the seasons had happened, the people, worn out by hunger, gathered in the theatre, and there was a scarcity of the drunken praise, and 6.2.10 despondency possessed the emperor. And those who had long been envious, thinking they had found the most opportune moment, said, "But Sopater, the one honored by you, has bound the winds through an excess of wisdom, which you yourself also praise, and on account of which 6.2.11 he still sits on the royal thrones." And Constantine, having heard and been persuaded by these things, commands the man to be cut down, and because of the envious ones this was done more quickly 6.2.12 than it was said. But the cause of all the evils was Ablabius, prefect of the royal court, who was being choked by being surpassed in favor by Sopater. But to me, as has been said before, as one writing down the lives of men educated in every discipline, things preserved in my hearing, it makes no difference if I should also touch briefly on some of the things sinned against them. 6.3.1 Ablabius, the one who worked the murder, was of a most ignoble family, and his paternal origins were lower than the moderate and the mean. And such a story about him is preserved, and no one spoke against the things being said. One of those from Egypt who was intently engaged in the so-called science, having come to the city (for Egyptians are capable also of behaving indecently in public with contempt 6.3.2 on their travels; and it is likely that they are also so educated at home), having come nevertheless, he forces his way into the more expensive of the taverns, and he said that he was dry, having completed a long journey, and that he would very soon be choked by thirst, and he ordered them to pour sweet spiced wine, 6.3.3 and the silver was laid out. The woman in charge of the tavern, seeing the profit, prepared for service, and was running about. The

ἐπιβουλῆς ἠμέλουν. ὥσπερ οὖν ὅτε ἐπὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ καὶ μεγάλου Σωκράτους ἁπάντων Ἀθηναίων (εἰ καὶ δῆμος ἦσαν) οὐκ ἄν τις ἐτόλμησε κατηγορίαν καὶ γραφήν, ὅν γε ᾤοντο πάντες Ἀθηναῖοι περιπατοῦν ἄγαλμα σοφίας τυγχάνειν, εἰ μὴ μέθη καὶ παραφροσύνη καὶ τὸ τῶν ∆ιονυσίων τῆς ἑορτῆς καὶ παννυχίδος ἀνειμένον, ὑπὸ γέλωτος καὶ ὀλιγωρίας καὶ τῶν εὐκόλων καὶ σφαλερῶν παθῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐξευρημένων, πρῶτος Ἀριστοφάνης ἐπὶ διεφθαρμέναις ψυχαῖς τὸν γέλωτα ἐπεισαγαγὼν καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς κινήσας ὑπορχήματα, τότε θέατρον ἀνέπεισεν, ἐπὶ τοσαύτῃ σοφίᾳ ψυλλῶν πηδήματα καταμωκώμενος, καὶ νεφελῶν διαγράφων εἴδη καὶ σχήματα καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα κωμῳδία ληρεῖν 6.2.5 εἴωθεν εἰς γέλωτος κίνησιν. ὡς δὲ εἶδον ἐγκεκλικὸς πρὸς τὴν ἡδονὴν τὸ θέατρον, κατηγορίας ἥψαντό τινες, καὶ τὴν ἀσεβῆ γραφὴν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἐτόλμησαν, καὶ δῆμος ὅλος ἐπ' ἀν6.2.6 δρὸς ἠτύχει φόνῳ. ἔστι γὰρ ἐκ τῶν χρόνων λογιζομένῳ συλλαβεῖν ὅτι, Σωκράτους ἀπελθόντος βιαίως, οὐδὲν ἔτι λαμπρὸν Ἀθηναίοις ἐπράχθη, ἀλλ' ἥ τε πόλις ὑπέδωκεν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πόλιν τὰ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἅπαντα συνεφθάρη· 6.2.7 οὕτω καὶ τότε συνορᾶν ἐξῆν τὸ κατὰ Σώπατρον ἐπιβούλευμα. ἡ μὲν γὰρ Κωνσταντινούπολις, τὸ ἀρχαῖον Βυζάντιον, κατὰ μὲν τοὺς παλαιοὺς χρόνους Ἀθηναίοις παρεῖχε τὴν σιτοπομπίαν, καὶ περιττὸν ἦν τὸ ἐκεῖθεν ἀγώγιμον· 6.2.8 ἐν δὲ τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς καιροῖς, οὐδὲ τὸ ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου πλῆθος τῶν ὁλκάδων, οὐδὲ τὸ ἐξ Ἀσίας ἁπάσης, Συρίας τε καὶ Φοινίκης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν συμφερόμενον πλῆθος σίτου, κατὰ ἀπαγωγὴν φόρου, ἐμπλῆσαι καὶ κορέσαι τὸν μεθύοντα δύναται δῆμον, ὃν Κωνσταντῖνος, τὰς ἄλλας χηρώσας πόλεις ἀνθρώπων, εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον μετέστησε, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις κρότους παραβλυζόντων κραιπάλης ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτῷ συνεστήσατο, σφαλλομένων ἀνθρώπων ἀγαπήσας ἐγκώμια καὶ μνήμην ὀνόματος, τῶν μόλις ὑπὸ 6.2.9 εὐηθείας φθεγγομένων τοὔνομα· συμβέβηκε δὲ καὶ τῇ θέσει τοῦ Βυζαντίου μηδὲ εἰς πλοῦν ἁρμόζειν τῶν καταφερομένων πλοίων, ἂν μὴ καταπνεύσῃ νότος ἀκραὴς καὶ ἄμικτος. καὶ τότε δὴ τοῦ πολλάκις συμβαίνοντος κατὰ τὴν ὡρῶν φύσιν συμβάντος, ὅ τε δῆμος ὑπὸ λιμοῦ παρεθέντες συνῄεσαν εἰς τὸ θέατρον, καὶ σπάνις ἦν τοῦ μεθύοντος ἐπαίνου, καὶ 6.2.10 τὸν βασιλέα κατεῖχεν ἀθυμία. καὶ οἱ πάλαι βασκαίνοντες, εὑρηκέναι καιρὸν ἡγούμενοι κάλλιστον, "ἀλλὰ Σώπατρός γε," ἔφασαν "ὁ παρὰ σοῦ τιμώμενος κατέδησε τοὺς ἀνέμους δι' ὑπερβολὴν σοφίας, ἣν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπαινεῖς, καὶ δι' ἣν 6.2.11 ἔτι τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐγκάθηται θρόνοις." καὶ ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος ταῦτα ἀκούσας καὶ συμπεισθείς, κατακοπῆναι κελεύει τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἐγίνετο διὰ τοὺς βασκαίνοντας ταῦτα θᾶττον 6.2.12 ἢ ἐλέγετο. ὁ δὲ τῶν κακῶν ἁπάντων αἴτιος ἦν Ἀβλάβιος, ἔπαρχος μὲν τῆς βασιλικῆς αὐλῆς, ὑπὸ Σωπάτρου δὲ παρευδοκιμούμενος ἀπήγχετο. ἐμοὶ δέ, ὥσπερ προείρηται, πεπαιδευμένων ἀνδρῶν εἰς πᾶσαν παιδείαν ἀναγράφοντι βίους, τὰ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀκοὴν σωζόμενα, διάφορον οὐδὲν εἰ καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐξημαρτηκότων βραχέα τινὰ ἐπιδράμοιμι. 6.3.1 Ἀβλαβίῳ τῷ τὸν φόνον ἐργασαμένῳ γένος ἦν ἀδοξότατον, καὶ τὰ ἐκ πατέρων τοῦ μετρίου καὶ φαύλου ταπεινότερα. καὶ λόγος τε ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοιοῦτος διασώζεται, καὶ οὐδεὶς τοῖς λεγομένοις ἀντέλεγεν. τῶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τις περὶ τὸ καλούμενον μάθημα συντεταμένων, παρελθὼν εἰς τὴν πόλιν (ἱκανοὶ δέ εἰσιν Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ δημοσίᾳ μετ' ὀλιγω6.3.2 ρίας ἐν ταῖς ἀποδημίαις ἀσχημονεῖν· εἰκὸς δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ οἴκοθεν οὕτω παιδεύεσθαι), παρελθὼν δὲ ὅμως, εἰς τὸ πολυτελέστερον ὠθεῖται τῶν καπηλείων, καὶ ξηρός τε εἶναι, πολλὴν ἀνύσας ὁδόν, ἔφασκεν καὶ ὑπὸ δίψους αὐτίκα μάλα ἀποπεπνίξεσθαι, καὶ γλυκὺν ἠρτυμένον ἐγχεῖν ἐκέ6.3.3 λευσε τὸν οἶνον, καὶ προέκειτο τὸ ἀργύριον. ἡ δὲ προεστῶσα τοῦ καπηλείου τὸ κέρδος ὁρῶσα, πρὸς τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν παρεσκευάζετο, καὶ διετρόχαζεν. ἡ