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they would get away, themselves gaining by a harmless favor the fact of having become known to this man, and being able by a most lawless method to secure the condemnation of their opponents. 8.12 And I think it not inopportune to describe the appearance of this very man. In body he was neither tall nor unduly short, but of a medium height, not indeed slender, but slightly fleshy, and his face was round and not uncomely; for he had a good colour, 8.13 even when he had fasted for two days. But to put his whole appearance into a few words, for the most part he was very like Domitian, the son of Vespasian, from whose evil character the Romans reaped such fruits that they did not think they had relieved their anger against him even by cutting him entirely to pieces, but a decree of the Senate was made that the name of this Emperor should not be mentioned in writing, 8.14 nor any statue of him whatsoever be preserved. And so this name, everywhere on the inscriptions of Rome and wherever else it happened to have been written, one may see chiselled out, alone among the others, and no image of him appears anywhere in the Roman empire, except for a single bronze one for the following reason. 8.15 Domitian had a wife who was noble and otherwise discreet, and she herself never did any evil to any person at all, nor was she pleased with any of her husband's 8.16 actions. Therefore the Senate, which loved her greatly, at that time summoned her and bade her ask for whatever she might wish. 8.17 And she supplicated for this alone, to take Domitian's body and bury it, and to set up one bronze statue of him, 8.18 wherever she might wish. And the Senate granted this; and the wife, wishing to leave memorials for a later time of the inhumanity of those who had butchered her husband, 8.19 devised the following. Having collected the flesh of Domitian, and having put it together precisely and fitted it to each other, she stitched the whole body together, and showing it to the sculptors, she bade them reproduce this suffering in a bronze statue. 8.20 So the artists immediately made the statue. And the wife took it and set it up on the ascent leading to the Capitol, on the right as one goes there from the forum, revealing both the appearance of Domitian and his suffering to this present 8.21 time. One might liken the rest of Justinian's body and his very look and all the features of his face as being clearly represented in this statue. 8.22 Such, then, was his appearance; but his character I could not describe with precision. For this man was both villainous and easily led, what they call foolishly malignant, never speaking the truth himself to those he met, but always saying and doing everything with a treacherous mind, and an easy prey for those wishing to deceive him. 8.23 And a strange mixture had grown in him, compounded of both folly and wickedness. And perhaps this was what one of the Peripatetic philosophers in former times declared, that the most contrary qualities happen to be in a man's nature, just as 8.24 in the mixing of colours. I am writing, however, of things which it has not been possible for me to grasp. This emperor, then, was dissembling, crafty, feigned, of a dark temper, two-faced, a terrible man, most perfect at hiding his thoughts, and shedding tears not from any pleasure or suffering, but contriving them for the occasion according to the need of the moment, always lying, not casually, however, but having made written agreements and the most dreadful oaths on the matters agreed upon, and this towards his own 8.25 subjects. But he would immediately withdraw from what was agreed and sworn, like the vilest of slaves who, through fear of the tortures pressing upon them, have been brought to make a confession under repeated 8.26 oath. An unreliable friend, an irreconcilable enemy, a passionate lover of murder and of money, most quarrelsome and an innovator, easily led to evil, but coming to no good counsel, quick to devise and execute base things, and thinking the very hearing of good things to be brackish. 8.27 How could anyone be able to grasp the character of Justinian in words? These and many still greater evils not according to

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ἀπηλλάσσοντο, αὐτοὶ μὲν χάριτι ἀζημίῳ κερδάναντες τὸ γνώριμοι γεγονέναι τῷ ἀνδρὶ τούτῳ, τρόπῳ δὲ παρανομωτάτῳ καταδικάσασθαι τῶν ἀντιδίκων ἰσχύσαντες. 8.12 Οὐκ ἄπο δὲ καιροῦ ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι καὶ τὸ εἶδος τούτου δὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σημῆναι. τὸ μὲν οὖν σῶμα οὔτε μακρὸς οὔτε κολοβὸς ἄγαν, ἀλλὰ μέτριος ἦν, οὐ μέντοι ἰσχνὸς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ βραχὺ εὔσαρκος, τὴν δὲ δὴ ὄψιν στρογγύλος τε καὶ οὐκ ἄμορφος· ἐπυρρία γὰρ 8.13 καὶ δυοῖν ἡμέραιν ἀπόσιτος ὤν. ὅπως δὲ ἅπαν αὐτοῦ τὸ εἶδος συλλήβδην σημήνω, ∆ομετιανῷ τῷ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ παιδὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐμφερέστερος ἦν, οὗπερῬωμαῖοι τῆς κακοτροπίας ἐς τοσόνδε ἀπώναντο ὥστε οὐδὲ κρεουργήσαντες ὅλον ἐκλῦσαι τὴν ἐς αὐτὸν ὀργὴν ἔγνωσαν, ἀλλὰ δόγμα ἐγεγόνει τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς μηδὲ ὄνομα τοῦ βασιλέως τούτου ἐν γράμμασιν 8.14 εἶναι μηδ' εἰκόνα ἡντιναοῦν αὐτοῦ διασώζεσθαι. τό τε γοῦν ὄνομα τοῦτο πανταχόσε ἐπὶ τῶν τῆςῬώμης γραμμάτων καὶ εἴ που ἄλλῃ τοῦτο γεγράφθαι ξυνέβη ἐκκεκολαμμένον ἰδεῖν μεταξὺ τῶν ἄλλων πάρεστι μόνον, καί τις αὐτοῦ εἰκὼν οὐδαμῆ φαίνεται οὖσα τῆςῬωμαίων ἀρχῆς, ὅτι μὴ χαλκῆ μία ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. 8.15 ἦν τῷ ∆ομετιανῷ γυνὴ ἐλευθέριος καὶ ἄλλως κοσμία, καὶ οὔτε αὐτὴ κακόν τι οὐδένα εἰργάσατο πώποτε τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων, οὔτε τις αὐτῇ τῶν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς 8.16 πράξεων ἤρεσκε. διόπερ αὐτὴν ἄγαν ἀγαπωμένην ἡ βουλὴ τότε μεταπεμψαμένη αἰτεῖσθαι ὅ τι ἂν αὐτῇ 8.17 βουλομένῃ εἴη ἐκέλευεν. ἡ δὲ τοῦτο μόνον ἱκέτευε, τό τε ∆ομετιανοῦ σῶμα λαβοῦσα θάψαι καὶ μίαν αὐτῷ 8.18 ἀναθεῖναι εἰκόνα χαλκῆν, ὅποι ἂν ἐθέλοι. καὶ ἡ μὲν βουλὴ ξυνεχώρει ταῦτα· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τῆς ἀπανθρωπίας τῶν τὸν ἄνδρα κρεουργησάντων ἀπολεῖψαι βουλομένη 8.19 μνημεῖα τῷ ὄπισθεν χρόνῳ ἐπενόει τάδε. τὰ ∆ομετιανοῦ ξυλλεξαμένη κρέα, ξυνθεῖσά τε αὐτὰ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς καὶ ἐναρμοσαμένη ἐς ἄλληλα κατέρραψε μὲν τὸ σῶμα ὅλον, τοῖς δὲ πλάσταις ἐνδειξαμένη ἐν εἰκόνι χαλκῇ 8.20 τὸ πάθος ἀπομιμεῖσθαι τοῦτο ἐκέλευεν. οἱ μὲν οὖν τεχνῖται τὴν εἰκόνα εὐθὺς ἐποίουν. λαβοῦσα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ ἔστησεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐς τὸ Καπιτώλιον φερούσης ἀνόδου ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐνταῦθα ἰόντι, εἶδός τε τὸ ∆ομετιανοῦ καὶ τὸ πάθος δηλοῦσαν ἐς τόδε τοῦ 8.21 χρόνου. εἰκάσειεν ἄν τις τό τε ἄλλοἸουστινιανοῦ σῶμα καὶ τὴν ὄψιν αὐτὴν καὶ τὰ τοῦ προσώπου ἅπαντα ἤθη ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ εἰκόνι διαφανῶς εἶναι. 8.22 Τὸ μὲν οὖν εἶδος τοιοῦτός τις ἦν· τὸν δὲ τρόπον ἐς μὲν τὸ ἀκριβὲς οὐκ ἂν φράσαιμι. ἦν γὰρ οὗτος ἀνὴρ κακοῦργός τε καὶ εὐπαράγωγος, ὃν δὴ μωροκακοήθη καλοῦσιν, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἀληθιζόμενος τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ νῷ δολερῷ ἅπαντα ἐς ἀεὶ καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων, καὶ τοῖς ἐξαπατᾶν ἐθέλουσιν ἀποκείμενος 8.23 οὐδενὶ πόνῳ. καί τις ἀήθης κρᾶσις ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπεφύκει ἔκ τε ἀνοίας καὶ κακοτροπίας ξυγκεκραμένη. καὶ τάχα τοῦτο ἦν ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις τῶν τις ἐκ τοῦ περιπάτου φιλοσόφων ἀπεφθέγξατο, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἐναντιώτατα ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει ξυμβαίνει εἶναι, ὥσπερ 8.24 ἐν τῶν χρωμάτων τῇ μίξει. γράφω μέντοι ὧν μοι ἐφικέσθαι οὐ δυνατὸν γέγονεν. ἦν τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὗτος εἴρων, δολερὸς, κατάπλαστος, σκότιος ὀργὴν, διπλοῦς, ἄνθρωπος δεινὸς, ὑποκρίνασθαι γνώμην τελεώτατος, καὶ δάκρυα οὐχ ὑφ' ἡδονῆς τινος ἢ πάθους ἐκφέρων, ἀλλὰ τεχνάζων ἐπὶ καιροῦ κατὰ τὸ τῆς χρείας παρὸν, ψευδόμενος ἐς ἀεὶ, οὐκ εἰκῆ μέντοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ γράμματα καὶ ὅρκους δεινοτάτους ἐπὶ τοῖς ξυγκειμένοις πεποιημένος, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς κατηκόους τοὺς αὑ8.25 τοῦ. ἀνεχώρει δὲ τῶν τε ὡμολογημένων καὶ ὀμωμοσμένων εὐθὺς, ὥσπερ τῶν ἀνδραπόδων τὰ χείριστα, δέει τῶν ἐγκειμένων σφίσι βασάνων διώμοτα εἰς τὴν 8.26 ὁμολογίαν ἠγμένα. φίλος ἀβέβαιος, ἐχθρὸς ἄσπονδος, φόνων τε καὶ χρημάτων διάπυρος ἐραστὴς, δύσερίς τε καὶ νεωτεροποιὸς μάλιστα, ἐς μὲν τὰ κακὰ εὐπαράγωγος, ἐς δὲ τὰ ἀγαθὰ οὐδεμιᾷ ξυμβουλῇ ἥκων, ἐπινοῆσαι μὲν τὰ φαῦλα καὶ ἐπιτελέσαι ὀξὺς, τῶν δὲ δὴ ἀγαθῶν καὶ αὐτήν που τὴν ἀκοὴν ἁλμυρὰν εἶναι οἰόμενος. 8.27 πῶς ἄν τις τῶνἸουστινιανοῦ τρόπων ἐφικέσθαι τῷ λόγῳ δυνατὸς εἴη; ταῦτά τε καὶ πολλὰ ἔτι μείζω κακὰ οὐ κατὰ