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Let it be and be said in whatever way is dear to God. 10.11 Theodora was fair of face and otherwise graceful, but short and of a sallow complexion, not entirely so, but just enough to be pale, and she always had a sharp and tense expression. 10.12 As for the many things she lived through on the stage, all of time would not suffice to tell of most of them, but by selecting a few things in the preceding accounts, I should be able to make a complete disclosure of the woman's character for posterity. 10.13 But now we must set forth in brief the deeds of her and her husband, since they did nothing in their way of life apart from one another. 10.14 For a long time they seemed to everyone to be constantly opposed to each other in both their opinions and their practices, but later it was recognized that this impression had been deliberately fabricated by them, so that their subjects would not conspire and rise up against them, but that opinions about them would be divided among all. 10.15 First, then, by stirring up the Christians and pretending to take opposite sides in the controversies, they so divided them all, as will be told by me not much later. Then they divided 10.16 the partisans. And she, on the one hand, pretended to champion the Blues with all her power, and throwing open to them the authority over their opponents, she permitted them to commit offenses in no orderly manner and to inflict irreparable violence. 10.17 He, on the other hand, seemed to be indignant and secretly angry, but as though unable to oppose his wife openly; and often they would even exchange the appearance of power between themselves and take opposite sides. 10.18 For he would claim to punish the Blues as offenders, while she, angry in word, would be vexed that she was unwillingly defeated by her husband. 10.19 The partisans of the Blues, however, as has been said by me, seemed to be most moderate. For they did not think it right at all to do violence to their neighbors as much as was possible, and in legal disputes each of the two seemed to support one of the litigants, but it was inevitable that the one of them who supported the unjust cause would win; and so they would plunder most of the disputed money. 10.20 This emperor, then, counting many among his favorites, elevated them to a position of power to commit violence and to transgress against the state as they wished, but whenever they were seen to have acquired some great sum of wealth, they would immediately come into conflict with the empress for some offense. 10.21 At first she in no way refused to champion them with all zeal, but later, her goodwill towards the men being abandoned, their business was suddenly thrown into confusion. 10.22 And she would at once inflict irreparable harm upon them, while he, pretending not to notice what was being done, would seize all their property with shameless acquisition. 10.23 And by these schemes they were always in agreement with each other, but feigned to be at variance in public, and so managed to divide their subjects and to strengthen their tyranny most securely. 11.1 When, therefore, Justinian took over the empire, he immediately had the power to throw everything into confusion. For things which had previously been forbidden by law, he introduced into the state, and he abolished all existing and customary things, as if he had received the guise of empire for this very purpose, that he might change everything to another form. 11.2 For he both abolished existing offices and established non-existent ones over affairs; and he did this same thing to the laws and the military rolls, not yielding to justice nor moved by expediency in this, but so that all things might be newer and named after himself. And if there was anything that he was quite unable to change at the moment, he at least attached his own name to it. 11.3 He was never seized by any satiety for the plunder of money or the murder of men, but having plundered a great many houses of wealthy men, he sought others, immediately handing over the money from his previous spoils to some of the barbarians, or for senseless building projects. 11.4 And having killed perhaps ten thousand men for no reason, he immediately set about plotting against many others. 11.5 of peace

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μὲν ὅπη τῷ θεῷ φίλον, ταύτῃ ἐχέτω τε καὶ λεγέσθω. 10.11Ἡ δὲ Θεοδώρα εὐπρόσωπος μὲν ἦν καὶ εὔχαρις ἄλλως, κολοβὸς δὲ καὶ ὡρακιῶσα οὐ παντάπασι μὲν, ἀλλ' ὅσον ὑπόχλωρος εἶναι, γοργόν τε καὶ συνεστραμ10.12 μένον ἀεὶ βλέπουσα. τῶν δὲ δὴ αὐτῇ βεβιωμένων ἐν τῇ θυμέλῃ τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα λέγοντι οὐκ ἂν ὁ πᾶς αἰὼν ἐπαρκέσαι, ὀλίγα δὲ ἄττα ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἀπολεξάμενος τοῦ τῆς γυναικὸς τρόπου τοῖς ἐπιγενησομένοις ὅλην ἂν πεποιῆσθαι τὴν δήλωσιν 10.13 ἱκανὸς εἴην. νῦν δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ τἀνδρὸς τὰ πεπραγμένα ἐν ὀλίγῳ δηλωτέον ἡμῖν, ἐπεὶ οὐδέ τι ἀλλήλοιν 10.14 χωρὶς ἐς τὴν δίαιταν ἐπραξάτην. χρόνον μὲν γὰρ πολὺν ἔδοξαν ἅπασι ταῖς τε γνώμαις ἀεὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι καταντικρὺ ἀλλήλοιν ἰέναι, ὕστερον μέντοι ἐξεπίτηδες αὐτοῖν ξυμπεπλάσθαι ἡ δόκησις αὕτη ἐγνώσθη, τοῦ μὴ ξυμφρονήσαντας τοὺς κατηκόους σφίσιν ἐπαναστῆναι, ἀλλὰ διεστάναι τὰς γνώμας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἅπασι. 10.15 Πρῶτα μὲν οὖν τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς διαναστήσαντε καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἔν γε τοῖς ἀντιλεγομένοις σκηπτομένω ἀλλήλοιν ἰέναι διεσπάσαντο οὕτως ἅπαντας, ὥσπερ μοι λελέξεται οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον. ἔπειτα δὲ 10.16 τοὺς στασιώτας διείλοντο. καὶ ἡ μὲν δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ μεταποιεῖσθαι τῶν Βενέτων ἐπλάσσετο καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀντιστασιώτας ἀναπετάσασα ἐνεδίδου κόσμῳ ἐν οὐδενὶ ἐξαμαρτάνειν τε καὶ βιάζε10.17 σθαι τὰ ἀνήκεστα. ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ ἀγανακτοῦντι μὲν καὶ ἀποσκύζοντι λάθρα ἐῴκει, κελεὐθέως δὲ τῇ γυναικὶ ἀντιστατεῖν οὐχ οἵῳ τε ὄντι· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μεταμπισχόμενοι τὴν τοῦ δύνασθαι δόξαν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς 10.18 τὴν ἐναντίαν ᾔεσαν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς Βενέτους οἷα ἐξαμαρτάνοντας κολάζειν ἠξίου, ἡ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ χαλεπαίνουσα ἐδυσφορεῖτο ὅτι δὴ οὐχ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὸς ἡσσηθείη. 10.19 Τῶν μέντοι Βενέτων οἱ στασιῶται, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται, σωφρονέστατοι ἔδοξαν εἶναι. τοὺς γὰρ πέλας βιάζεσθαι ὅσα ἐξῆν οὐδαμῆ ἐδικαίουν, ἔν τε ταῖς περὶ τὰς δίκας φιλονεικίαις ἐδόκει μὲν ἑκάτερος ἑνὶ τῶν διαφόρων ἀμύνειν, νικᾶν δὲ αὐτοῖν τὸν λόγῳ τῷ ἀδίκῳ ξυνιστάμενον ἐπάναγκες ἦν· οὕτω δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα 10.20 χρημάτων αὐτοὺς τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων ληΐζεσθαι. πολλοὺς μὲν οὖν ὅδε ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐν τοῖς αὐτῷ καταλέγων ἐπιτηδείοις ἐς τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐνεβίβαζε τοῦ βιάζεσθαί τε καὶ εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν ἐξαμαρτάνειν ἃ βούλοιντο, ἐπειδὰν δὲ πλούτου τι μέγα χρῆμα περιβεβλημένοι φανεῖεν, εὐθύς τι προσκεκρουκότες τῇ 10.21 γυναικὶ διάφοροι ἦσαν. ὧν δὴ κατ' ἀρχὰς μεταποιεῖσθαι πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ οὐδαμῆ ἀπηξίου, ὕστερον δὲ τὴν ἐς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μεθεὶς εὔνοιαν τὰ ἐς τὴν 10.22 σπουδὴν τάραχος ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου ἐγίνετο. καὶ ἡ μὲν αὐτίκα εἰργάζετο αὐτοὺς ἀνήκεστα ἔργα, ὁ δὲ δῆθεν οὐκ ἐπαισθανόμενος τῶν πραττομένων σύμπασαν αὐτῶν τὴν οὐσίαν κτήσει ἀναισχύντῳ ἠσπάζετο. 10.23 τούτοις τε ἀεὶ τοῖς μηχανήμασιν ἐν σφίσι μὲν αὐτοῖς ξυμφρονοῦντες, ἐς δὲ τὸ ἐμφανὲς στασιάζειν ποιούμενοι, διαστήσασθαί τε τοὺς ὑπηκόους καὶ τὴν τυραννίδα βεβαιότατα κρατύνεσθαι ἔσχον. 11.1Ἐπειδὴ οὖνἸουστινιανὸς τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβε, συγχεῖν ἅπαντα εὐθὺς ἴσχυσεν. ἃ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν νόμῳ ἀπορρηθέντα ἐτύγχανεν, ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν εἰσῆγε, τά τε ὄντα καὶ ξυνειθισμένα καθελὼν ξύμπαντα, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τούτῳ κεκομισμένος τὸ τῆς βασιλείας σχῆμα, ἐφ' 11.2 ᾧ ἅπαντα μεταλλάσσοι ἐφ' ἕτερον σχῆμα. ἀρχάς τε γὰρ τὰς μὲν οὔσας ἀνῄρει, τὰς δὲ οὐκ οὔσας ἐφίστη τοῖς πράγμασι· τούς τε νόμους καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοὺς καταλόγους ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐποίει, οὐ τῷ δικαίῳ εἴκων οὐδὲ τῷ ξυμφόρῳ ἐς τοῦτο ἠγμένος, ἀλλ' ὅπως δὴ ἅπαντα νεώτερά τε καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπώνυμα εἴη. ἢν δέ τι καὶ μεταβαλεῖν ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα ἥκιστα ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ τούτῳ γε τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν τὴν αὑτοῦ ἔθετο. 11.3 Χρημάτων δὲ ἁρπαγῆς ἢ φόνου ἀνθρώπων κόρος 11.3 αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἔλαβε πώποτε, ἀλλ' οἰκίας μὲν παμπληθεῖς ληϊσάμενος εὐδαιμόνων ἀνδρῶν ἑτέρας ἐζήτει, προέμενος εὐθὺς τῶν βαρβάρων τισὶν, ἢ ἀνοήτοις 11.4 οἰκοδομίαις λείας τῆς προτέρας τὰ χρήματα. καὶ μυρίους δὲ ἴσως λόγῳ οὐδενὶ ἀνελὼν ἐς πλειόνων ἄλλων 11.5 ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτίκα μάλα καθίστατο. εἰρήνης