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5.6 Vexed by these things, he renounced the Roman army, and immediately gave himself up, along with his followers and with 5.7 Totila of Spoletium and the Goths. But how it came about that he and John, the nephew of Vitalian, fell into disagreement, a thing which especially brought ruin to the Roman cause, I shall now declare. 5.8 The empress had come to such a degree of hatred for Germanus, and made her enmity most evident to all, so that no one dared to form a marriage alliance with him, although he was the Emperor's nephew, and his children remained unmarried, until she herself departed from life. And his daughter Justina, 5.9 having been of marriageable age for eighteen years, was still unwedded. For this reason, when John, having been sent by Belisarius, arrived in Byzantium, Germanus was compelled to enter into negotiations with him concerning the marriage alliance, and this with a man far 5.10 beneath his own station. And since the matter pleased both, they decided to bind each other with the most fearsome oaths that they would indeed accomplish the marriage with all their power, since each of them had very little confidence in the other, the one from the consciousness that he was aspiring to things beyond 5.11 his station, the other because he was at a loss for a son-in-law. But she, not knowing what to do, going by every path, did not shrink from pursuing each of them with every device, so that she might prevent what was being 5.12 done. But when, though she had frightened them much, she was unable to persuade either of them, she openly threatened to destroy 5.13 John. And from that time John, being sent again to Italy, did not dare to join Belisarius anywhere, fearing the plot from Antonina, until Antonina 5.14 came to Byzantium. For one might have suspected, not without reason, that the empress had entrusted his murder to her, and for him who weighed the character of Antonina and knew that Belisarius yielded in all things to his wife, 5.15 a great fear arose and possessed him. This, at any rate, dashed to the ground the affairs of the Romans, which were already standing on one leg. 5.16 For Belisarius, then, the Gothic war proceeded in this way. But despairing of the Emperor, he began to beg that it be permitted to him to depart from there 5.17 as quickly as possible. And when the Emperor decided the request was acceptable, he gladly departed at once, bidding a long farewell to both the Roman army and the Italians, and leaving most things subject to the enemy, and Perusia most bitterly pressed by siege, which, while he was still on the way, was utterly captured and came to every form of evil, as has been previously narrated by me. And it also happened that a reverse of fortune of the following sort befell in his house. 5.18 The Empress Theodora, being eager to bring about the betrothal of Belisarius' daughter to her grandson, writing 5.19 often, was annoying the girl's parents. But they, shrinking from the marriage alliance, were putting off the marriage until their own arrival, and when the empress summoned them to Byzantium, they made the excuse that it was impossible for them to depart 5.20 from Italy at that time. But she, eager to make her grandson master of Belisarius' wealth—for she knew the girl would be the heiress, since Belisarius had no other offspring—yet having no confidence at all in Antonina's intention, and fearing that after the end of her own life, Antonina, not proving faithful to her house, although she had found her so benevolent in her most pressing needs, might tear 5.21 up the agreements, she commits an unholy deed. For she unites the girl with the youth according to no law. And they say that she forced the unwilling girl to have intercourse with him in secret, and that in this way the marriage was consummated for the girl after she had been deflowered, so that the Emperor might not prevent what was being 5.22 done. However, once the deed was done, both Anastasius and the girl were seized with a certain fiery love for one another, and a period of no less than eight months was spent by them in this 5.23 way of life. But when Antonina, after the empress had died, came to Byzantium, she willingly forgot what Theodora had recently done for her, and taking not the least account of the fact that, if her daughter were married to any other man, she would previously have been debauched, she dishonors Theodora's descendant as a son-in-law, and forcing her daughter, very much against her will, she separated her from the man she loved. 5.24

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5.6 οἷς δὴ ἐκεῖνος ἀχθόμενος ἀπετάξατο μὲν τῷῬωμαίων στρατῷ, αὑτὸν δὲ εὐθὺς ξύν τε τοῖς ἑπομένοις καὶ τῷ 5.7 Σπολιτίῳ Τουτίλᾳ καὶ Γότθοις ἐνέδωκεν. ὅπως δὲ αὐτῷ τε καὶἸωάννῃ τῷ Βιταλιανοῦ ἀδελφιδῷ διχοστατῆσαι συνέβη, ὅπερ τὰῬωμαίων πράγματα μάλιστα ἔσφηλεν, αὐτίκα δηλώσω. 5.8Ἐς τοῦτο ἀπεχθείας Γερμανῷ ἡ βασιλὶς ἦλθεν ἐπιδηλότατόν τε ἅπασι τὸ ἔχθος ἐποίει, ὥστε αὐτῷ κηδεύειν, καίπερ βασιλέως ἀνεψιῷ ὄντι, ἐτόλμα οὐδεὶς, ἄνυμφοί τε αὐτῷ οἱ παῖδες διαγεγόνασι, μέχρις αὐτὴ ἀπελύθη τοῦ βίου. ἥ τε θυγάτηρ αὐτῷἸουστίνα 5.9 ἐπὶ ὀκτωκαίδεκα ἔτη ἡβήσασα ἔτι ἀνυμέναιος ἦν. διά τοι τοῦτο ἡνίκαἸωάννης πρὸς Βελισαρίου σταλεὶς ἀφίκετο ἐς Βυζάντιον, ἐς λόγους αὐτῷ καταστῆναι ὁ Γερμανὸς ἀμφὶ τῇ κηδείᾳ ἠνάγκαστο, καὶ ταῦτα λίαν 5.10 ἀπὸ τῆς ἀξίας τῆς αὐτοῦ ὄντι. ἐπεί τε τὸ πρᾶγμα ἤρεσκεν ἄμφω, ὅρκοις ἀλλήλους ἔγνωσαν δεινοτάτοις καταλαβεῖν ἦ μὴν τὸ κῆδος ἐπιτελέσειν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ, ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖν ἑκάτερος τὸ θαρσεῖν ἐπὶ θατέρῳ ὡς ἥκιστα εἶχεν, ὁ μὲν τῷ ξυνειδέναι ὅτι δὴ τῶν ὑπὲρ 5.11 τὴν ἀξίαν ὀρέγοιτο, ὁ δὲ κηδεστοῦ ἀπορούμενος. ἡ δὲ οὐκ ἔχουσα τίς γένηται διὰ πάσης ὁδοῦ ἰοῦσα ἑκάτερον μετιέναι μηχανῇ πάσῃ οὐκ ἀπηξίου, ὅπως ἂν τὰ πρατ5.12 τόμενα διακωλύοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτοῖν καίπερ πολλὰ δεδιξαμένη ἀναπείθειν οὐδέτερον ἔσχε, διαρρήδην ἀπολεῖν 5.13 τὸνἸωάννην ἠπείλησε. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦἸωάννης αὖθις ἐςἸταλίαν σταλεὶς οὐδαμῆ ξυμμῖξαι Βελισαρίῳ ἐτόλμησε, τὴν ἐξἈντωνίνης ἐπιβουλὴν δείσας, ἕωςἈν5.14 τωνίνα ἐς Βυζάντιον ἦλθε. τήν τε γὰρ βασιλίδα ταύτῃ ἐπιστεῖλαι τὸν αὐτοῦ φόνον οὐκ ἄπο τοῦ εἰκότος ἄν τις ὑπώπτευσε, καὶ τὸνἈντωνίνης σταθμωμένῳ τρόπον ἅπαντά τε Βελισάριον ἐνδιδόναι τῇ γυναικὶ 5.15 ἐπισταμένῳ δέος ἐγίνετο μέγα καὶ τὸν ἐσῄει. τοῦτο γοῦνῬωμαίοις τὰ πράγματα καὶ πρότερον ἐπὶ θατέρου σκέλους ἑστῶτα προσουδίζει χαμαί. 5.16 Βελισαρίῳ μὲν οὖν ὁ Γοτθικὸς πόλεμος τῇδε ἐχώρησεν. ἀπογνοὺς δὲ βασιλέως ἐδεῖτο ὅπως οἱ ἐξῇ ἐν5.17 θένδε ὅτι τάχιστα ἀπαλλαγῆναι. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐνδεχόμενον βασιλέα τὴν δέησιν ἔγνω, ἄσμενος εὐθὺς ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο, χαίρειν πολλὰ τῷ τεῬωμαίων στρατῷ καὶ τοῖςἸταλοῖς φράσας, καὶ τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα ὑποχείρια τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπολιπὼν, Περυσίαν δὲ πικρότατα πολιορκίᾳ πιεζομένην, ἥπερ ἔτι αὐτοῦ ὁδῷ ἰόντος κατ' ἄκρας ἁλοῦσα ἐς πᾶσαν κακοῦ ἰδέαν ἦλθεν, ᾗπέρ μοι πρότερον δεδιήγηται. ξυνηνέχθη δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν τύχης ἐναντίωμα ξυμπεσεῖν τοιόνδε. 5.18 Θεοδώρα ἡ βασιλὶς τῆς Βελισαρίου παιδὸς ἐξεργάζεσθαι τὴν ἐγγύην ἐπειγομένη τῷ θυγατριδῷ, συχνὰ 5.19 γράφουσα τοὺς γειναμένους τὴν κόρην ἠνώχλει. οἱ δὲ τὸ κῆδος ἀναδυόμενοι ἀπετίθεντο μὲν ἐς παρουσίαν τὴν σφετέραν τὸν γάμον, μεταπεμπομένης δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐς Βυζάντιον τῆς βασιλίδος, ἀδύνατοι εἶναι ἀπαλ5.20 λάσσεσθαι τανῦν ἐξἸταλίας ἐσκήπτοντο. ἡ δὲ γλιχομένη μὲν κύριον τὸν θυγατριδοῦν τοῦ Βελισαρίου καταστήσεσθαι πλούτου, ᾔδει γὰρ ἐπίκληρον ἐσομένην τὴν παῖδα, οὐκ ὄντος Βελισαρίῳ ἑτέρου του γόνου, ἐπὶ μέντοι τῇἈντωνίνης γνώμῃ θαρσεῖν οὐδαμῆ ἔχουσα, δειμαίνουσά τε μὴ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν οὐ φανεῖσα πιστὴ ἐς τὸν αὐτῆς οἶκον, καίπερ αὐτῆς οὕτω φιλανθρώπου ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις τυχοῦσα, δια5.21 σπάσηται τὰ ξυγκείμενα, ἐργάζεται ἀνόσιον ἔργον. τῷ γὰρ μειρακίῳ τὴν παιδίσκην ξυνοικίζει οὐδενὶ νόμῳ. φασὶ δὲ ὡς καὶ πλησιάσαι οὔτι ἑκουσίαν ἠνάγκασε κρύβδην, οὕτω τε διαπεπαρθενευμένῃ τὸν ὑμέναιον τῇ κόρῃ ξυστῆναι, τοῦ μὴ βασιλέα τὰ πρασσόμενα δια5.22 κωλῦσαι. τοῦ μέντοι ἔργου ἐξειργασμένου ἔρωτι ἀλλήλοιν διαπύρῳ τινὶ ὅ τεἈναστάσιος καὶ ἡ παῖς εἴχοντο, καὶ χρόνος σφίσιν οὐχ ἥσσων ἢ ὀκτὼ μηνῶν ἐν ταύτῃ 5.23 τῇ διαίτῃ ἐτρίβη. ἡνίκα δὲἈντωνίνα τῆς βασιλίδος ἀπογενομένης ἐς Βυζάντιον ἦλθεν, ἐπελάθετο μὲν ἐθελουσία ὧν ἐκείνη ἔναγχος εἰς αὐτὴν εἴργαστο, ὡς ἥκιστα δὲ ὑπολογισαμένη ὡς, ἤν τῳ ἑτέρῳ ἡ παῖς αὐτῇ ξυνοικίζοιτο, πεπορνευμένη τὰ πρότερα ἔσται, τὸν Θεοδώρας ἔκγονον κηδεστὴν ἀτιμάζει, τήν τε παῖδα ὡς μάλιστα ἀκουσίαν βιασαμένη ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ἐρωμένου 5.24 ἀπέστησε.