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just as some other calamity from heaven, having fallen upon the whole race, left absolutely no one untouched. 6.24 For some he killed for no reason, while others he left struggling with poverty, making them more miserable than the dead, praying to end their present circumstances by a most pitiful death. Of some, however, along with their property he also 6.25 took their lives. And since it was nothing to him to overthrow the Roman empire by itself, he was strong enough to gain control of both Libya and Italy for no other reason than to destroy the people there 6.26 along with those who were previously under him. For not yet having been ten days in power, he killed Amantius, the chief of the palace eunuchs, along with certain others for no cause, bringing no other charge against the man, except, indeed, that he had spoken some 6.27 rash word against John, the arch-priest of the city. And from this he became the most feared of all men. Immediately he also summoned Vitalian the usurper, to whom he had previously given pledges for his safety, having shared with him in the 6.28 Christian mysteries. And a little later, having come into conflict with him out of suspicion, he did away with him in the Palace for no reason, along with his associates, deigning in no way to keep such terrible oaths. 7.1 The populace having been divided from of old into two factions, as was said by me in the preceding account, he himself, having taken the side of one, the Blues, which happened to have been eagerly supported by him before, was able to confound and throw everything into turmoil. And from this he caused the Roman state to come 7.2 to its knees. But not all the Blues decided to follow the policy of this man, 7.3 but only as many as happened to be partisans. And yet they too, as the trouble now advanced, seemed to be the most moderate 7.4 of all men. For they sinned less than their power allowed. Nor indeed did the partisans of the Greens remain quiet, but they too were always committing crimes as far as was possible for them, even though they were constantly being punished 7.5 alone. a thing which always led them to be much more bold. For men, when wronged, are accustomed to turn 7.6 to desperation. So then, as he was fanning the flames and openly provoking the Blues, the whole Roman empire was utterly shaken, as if by an earthquake or a flood, or as if every city had been captured 7.7 by the enemy. For everything everywhere was thrown into confusion, and nothing thereafter remained in its place, but both the laws and the order of the state, when confusion had come upon them, moved to the complete opposite. 7.8 And first, for the partisans, matters concerning their hair had been changed to a new-fangled style. For they cut 7.9 it in no way similar to the other Romans. For they did not touch their moustache or beard at all, but wished them to grow very long, just as the Persians 7.10 always did. But the hair on their head in front, they cut back to the temples, letting the back hang down to a very great length for no reason, like the Massagetae. For this very reason they called such a style "Hunnic." 7.11Then as to their cloaks, they all demanded to be finely-robed, putting on a garment more pretentious than was fitting for each one's station. 7.12 For it was possible for them to acquire such things from improper means. And the part of the tunic about the hands, for them came together at the wrist very tightly, but from there up to each shoulder it billowed out to an incredible 7.13 width. And whenever they shook their hands while shouting in the theaters and hippodromes, or urging on the performers, as was the custom, this part was simply lifted on high for them, giving the impression to the foolish that their body was so fine and robust that it needed to be covered by such garments, not realizing that by the flimsy and empty fabric the feebleness of their body 7.14 was much more exposed. Their capes and trousers and most of their shoes were styled both in name and in fashion after those of the Huns. 7.15And at night they carried weapons, at first all of them openly

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ὥσπερ τι ἄλλο ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πάθος ὅλῳ τῷ γένει ἐπεισπεσὸν ἀνέπαφον οὐδένα παντελῶς εἴασε. 6.24 τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἔκτεινεν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, τοὺς δὲ πενίᾳ μαχομένους ἀφεὶς ἀθλιωτέρους τῶν τετελευτηκότων εἰργάζετο, εὐχομένους τὰ παρόντα σφίσι διαλῦσαι θανάτῳ οἰκτίστῳ. τινῶν μέντοι ξὺν τοῖς χρήμασι καὶ 6.25 τὰς ψυχὰς εἷλεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐδὲν ἦν αὐτῷ μόνην καταλῦσαι τὴνῬωμαίων ἀρχὴν, Λιβύης τε καὶἸταλίας οὐκ ἄλλου του ἕνεκα πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἐπικράτησιν ἴσχυσεν ἢ ὥστε ξὺν τοῖς πρότερον ὑφ' αὑτῷ οὖσι διολέσαι 6.26 τοὺς ταύτῃ ἀνθρώπους. οὔπω γοῦν δεκαταῖος εἰς τὴν δύναμιν γεγονὼςἈμάντιον τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ εὐνούχων ἄρχοντα ξὺν ἑτέροις τισὶν ἐξ αἰτίας οὐδεμιᾶς ἔκτεινεν, ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπενεγκὼν, πλήν γε δὴ ὅτι ἐςἸωάννην τὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀρχιερέα λόγον 6.27 τινὰ προπετῆ εἴποι. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ φοβερώτατος γέγονεν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. αὐτίκα δὲ καὶ Βιταλιανὸν τὸν τύραννον μετεπέμψατο, ᾧ δὴ τὰ πιστὰ πρότερον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀσφαλείας παρέσχετο, διαλαχὼν αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν 6.28 Χριστιανοῖς μυστηρίων. ὀλίγῳ τε ὕστερον ἐξ ὑποψίας αὐτῷ προσκεκρουκότα ξὺν τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἐν Παλατίῳ λόγῳ οὐδενὶ διεχρήσατο, πίστεις οὕτω δεινοτάτας ἐμπεδῶσαι οὐδαμῆ ἀξιώσας. 7.1 Τοῦ δὲ δήμου ἐκ παλαιοῦ ἐς μοίρας δύο διεστηκότος, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη, μίαν αὐτὸς τὴν Βενέτων ἑταιρισάμενος, ἥ οἱ καὶ τὸ πρότερον κατεσπουδασμένη ἐτύγχανε, ξυγχεῖν τε καὶ ξυνταράξαι ἅπαντα ἴσχυσε. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐς γόνυ 7.2 ἐλθεῖνῬωμαίοις τὴν πολιτείαν πεποίηκεν. οὐχ ἅπαντες δὲ οἱ Βένετοι ἐπισπέσθαι τῇ τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς γνώμῃ 7.3 ἔγνωσαν, ἀλλ' ὅσοι στασιῶται ὄντες ἐτύγχανον. καὶ αὐτοὶ μέντοι προϊόντος ἤδη τοῦ δεινοῦ σωφρονέ7.4 στατοι ἔδοξαν εἶναι ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων. ἐνδεεστέρως γὰρ ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἡμάρτανον. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν Πρασίνων οἱ στασιῶται ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔπρασσον ἀεὶ τὰ ἐγκλήματα ἐς ὅσον σφίσι δυνατὰ ἐγεγόνει, καίπερ κατὰ μόνας διηνεκὲς κολαζόμε7.5 νοι. ὅπερ αὐτοὺς ἐς τὸ θρασύνεσθαι πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐς ἀεὶ ἦγεν. ἀδικούμενοι γὰρ εἰώθασιν ἐς ἀπόνοιαν 7.6 τρέπεσθαι ἄνθρωποι. τότε οὖν τοὺς Βενέτους αὐτοῦ ῥιπίζοντός τε καὶ διαφανῶς ἐρεθίζοντος ἅπασα κατ' ἄκρας ἡῬωμαίων ἀρχὴ ἐκινήθη ὥσπερ σεισμοῦ ἢ κατακλυσμοῦ ἐπιπεσόντος ἢ πόλεως ἑκάστης πρὸς τῶν 7.7 πολεμίων ἁλούσης. πάντα γὰρ ἐν ἅπασι ξυνεταράχθη καὶ οὐδὲν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ λοιπὸν ἔμεινεν, ἀλλ' οἵ τε νόμοι καὶ ὁ τῆς πολιτείας κόσμος ξυγχύσεως ἐπιγενομένης ἐς πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἐχώρησαν. 7.8 Καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τοῖς στασιώταις τὰ ἐς τὴν κόμην ἐς νεώτερόν τινα μετεβέβλητο τρόπον. ἀπεκείροντο γὰρ 7.9 αὐτὴν οὐδὲν ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοιςῬωμαίοις. τοῦ μὲν γὰρ μύστακος καὶ τοῦ γενείου οὐδαμῆ ἥπτοντο, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς κατακομᾶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὥσπερ οἱ Πέρσαι ἐς 7.10 ἀεὶ ἤθελον. τῶν δὲ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τριχῶν τὰ ἔμπροσθεν ἄχρι ἐς τοὺς κροτάφους ἀποτεμόμενοι τὰ ὄπισθεν ἀποκρέμασθαι σφίσιν ἐπὶ μακρότατον λόγῳ οὐδενὶ εἴων, ὥσπερ οἱ Μασσαγέται. διὸ δὴ καὶ Οὐννικὸν τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶδος ἐκάλουν. 7.11Ἔπειτα δὲ τὰ ἐς τὰ ἱμάτια εὐπάρυφοι ἠξίουν ἅπαντες εἶναι, κομπωδεστέραν ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἑκάστου ἀξίαν 7.12 ἐνδιδυσκόμενοι τὴν ἐσθῆτα. κτᾶσθαι γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξ οὐ προσηκόντων παρῆν. τοῦ δὲ χιτῶνος τὸ ἀμφὶ τὼ χεῖρε μέρος αὐτοῖς τὰ μὲν ἐς τὸν καρπὸν ξυνῄει σφίσιν ἐν στενῷ μάλιστα, τὰ δὲ ἐνθένδε ἄχρι ἐς ὦμον ἑκάτερον ἐς ἄφατόν τι εὔρους διεκέχυτο 7.13 χρῆμα. ὁσάκις τε ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῖς σείοιτο ἀναβοῶσιν ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις τε καὶ ἱπποδρομίοις, ἢ ἐγκελευομένοις, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἐς ὕψος αὐτοῖς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀτεχνῶς ᾔρετο, αἴσθησιν παρεχόμενον τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, ὅτι δὴ αὐτοῖς οὕτω καλόν τε τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἁδρὸν εἴη ἂν ὥστε δεῖν γε αὐτοῖς πρὸς τῶν τοιούτων ἱματίων καλύπτεσθαι, οὐκ ἐννοοῦσιν ὅτι δὴ αὐτοῖς τῷ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἠραιωμένῳ τε καὶ κενῷ πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον τὸ τοῦ σώ7.14 ματος ἐξίτηλον διελεγχθείη. αἱ ἐπωμίδες δὲ καὶ ἀναξυρίδες καὶ τῶν ὑποδημάτων τὰ πλεῖστα ἐς τῶν Οὔννων τό τε ὄνομα καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἀπεκέκριτο σφίσιν. 7.15Ἐσιδηροφόρουν δὲ νύκτωρ μὲν τὰ πρῶτα ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἅπαντες