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and fortune was subservient to his will, working with him for the destruction of men 12.17 for by earthquakes and plagues and floods of river waters at this time it happened that very many things were destroyed, as will be told by me presently. Thus not by human, but by some other power they accomplished these terrible things. 12.18 And they say that his mother too told some of her intimates that he was not the son of her husband Sabbatius 12.19 nor of any man. For when she was about to conceive him, a demon visited her, not seen, but giving her some sensation that he was present, having approached her as a man approaches a woman, and then vanished as in a dream. 12.20 And some of those who were with him late at night and associated with him in the Palace, of course, whose souls were pure, thought they saw a certain strange demonic 12.21 phantom in his place. For one said that he suddenly rose from the royal throne and would walk about there; for he was never accustomed to sitting for long; and at that very moment Justinian's head disappeared, while the rest of his body seemed to make these long circuits, and he himself, since his eyes were hardly sound for the sight, stood for a very long time distressed and perplexed. 12.22 Later, however, when the head returned to the body, he thought that what had been missing before 12.23 was unexpectedly filled in. Another said that he stood by him as he was seated, and suddenly his face became like a formless piece of flesh; for neither eyebrows nor eyes were in their proper place, nor did it bear any other feature at all; but in time he saw the form of his face return. I write these things not having seen them myself, but having heard them from those who at that time insisted they had seen them. 12.24 And they say that a certain monk, very dear to God, persuaded by those who inhabited the desert with him, was sent to Byzantium to defend their nearest neighbors, who were being violently and unbearably wronged, and arriving there he at once 12.25 gained an audience with the emperor; but as he was about to go inside 12.25 to him, he crossed the threshold there with one of his feet, but suddenly drawing back he went backwards. 12.26 The eunuch usher, then, and those present there begged the man repeatedly to step forward, but he answered nothing, but, like one panic-stricken, departed from there to the chamber where he was staying; and when his followers asked why he did these things, they say he stated plainly that he saw the prince of demons sitting on the throne in the Palace, with whom he would not deign 12.27 to associate or to ask anything of him. And how was this man not destined to be some wicked demon, who never came to satiety of drink or food or sleep, but merely tasting the things set before him, he would wander about the palace at unseasonable hours of the night, even though he was demonically devoted to the pleasures of love. 12.28 And some of Theodora's lovers also say that when she was on the stage, some demon appearing to them at night would drive them out of the chamber, where they were spending the night with her. And a certain dancing-girl, Macedonia by name, belonged to the Blues in Antioch, invested with 12.29 great power. For by writing letters to Justinian while Justin was still administering the empire, she would destroy whomever she wished of the notables in the East with no trouble, and caused their property to be registered 12.30 into the public treasury. They say that this Macedonia, when Theodora once came from Egypt and Libya, greeted her, and when she saw that she was exceedingly distressed and vexed at the insults she had received from Hecebolius and the money she had lost on this journey, she greatly consoled and encouraged the woman, since fortune was able and again to become a provider of great wealth for her. 12.31 Then they say Theodora said that a dream had also visited her that night and commanded her to take no 12.32 thought for the sake of wealth. For when she should come to Byzantium, to the ruler of the demons into

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καὶ ἡ τύχη ὑπούργει τῇ γνώμῃ συγκατεργαζομένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφθορὰν 12.17 σεισμοῖς τε γὰρ καὶ λοιμοῖς καὶ ὑδάτων ποταμίων ἐπιρροαῖς ὑπὸ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον πλεῖστα διολωλέναι τετύχηκεν, ὥς μοι αὐτίκα λελέξεται. οὕτως οὐκ ἀνθρωπείῳ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ σθένει τὰ δεινὰ ἔπρασσον. 12.18 Λέγουσι δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα φάναι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τισὶν ὡς οὐ Σαββατίου τοῦ αὐτῆς ἀνδρὸς 12.19 οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπων τινὸς υἱὸς εἴη. ἡνίκα γὰρ αὐτὸν κύειν ἔμελλεν, ἐπιφοιτᾶν αὐτῇ δαιμόνιον οὐχ ὁρώμενον, ἀλλ' αἴσθησίν τινα ὅτι δὴ πάρεστιν αὐτῇ παρασχὸν ἅτε ἄνδρα γυναικὶ πλησιάσαντα, καθάπερ ἐν ὀνείρῳ ἀφανισθῆναι. 12.20 Τινὲς δὲ τῶν αὐτῷ παρόντων τε πόρρω που τῶν νυκτῶν καὶ ξυγγινομένων ἐν Παλατίῳ δηλονότι, οἷσπερ ἐν καθαρῷ ἡ ψυχὴ ἦν, φάντασμά τι θεάσασθαι δαι12.21 μόνιον ἄηθες σφίσιν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔδοξαν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔφασκεν ἄφνω μὲν αὐτὸν θρόνου τοῦ βασιλείου ἐξαναστάντα περιπάτους ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖν· συχνὸν γὰρ καθῆσθαι οὐδαμῆ εἴθιστο· τῆς δὲ κεφαλῆς ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα τῷἸουστινιανῷ ἀφανισθείσης τὸ ἄλλο οἱ σῶμα τούτους δὴ τοὺς μακροὺς διαύλους ποιεῖν δοκεῖν, αὐτόν τε ἅτε οἱ τῶν ὀμμάτων περὶ τὴν θέαν ὡς ἥκιστα ὑγιαινόντων, ἀσχάλλοντα καὶ διαπορούμενον 12.22 ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑστάναι. ὕστερον μέντοι τῆς κεφαλῆς τῷ σώματι ἐπανηκούσης τὰ τέως λειπόμενα οἴεσθαι 12.23 παρὰ δόξαν ἀναπιμπλάναι. ἄλλος δὲ παρεστάναι οἱ καθημένῳ ἔφη, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου τὸ πρόσωπόν οἱ κρέατι ἀσήμῳ ἰδεῖν ἐμφερὲς γεγονός· οὔτε γὰρ ὀφρῦς οὔτε ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπὶ χώρας τῆς αὐτῶν ὄντας οὔτε ἄλλο τι τὸ παράπαν ἔφερε γνώρισμα· χρόνου μέντοι αὐτῷ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ὄψεως ἐπανῆκον ἰδεῖν. ταῦτα οὐκ αὐτὸς θεασάμενος γράφω, ἀλλὰ τῶν τότε θεάσασθαι ἰσχυριζομένων ἀκούσας. 12.24 Λέγουσι δὲ καὶ μοναχόν τινα τῷ θεῷ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλον πρὸς τῶν αὐτῷ γῆν τὴν ἔρημον ξυνοικούντων ἀναπεισθέντα σταλῆναι μὲν ἐς Βυζάντιον τοῖς ἄγχιστα σφίσιν ἐνῳκημένοις ἐπαμυνοῦντα, βιαζομένοις τε καὶ ἀδικουμένοις ἀνύποιστα, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀφικόμενον αὐτίκα 12.25 εἰσόδου τῆς παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα τυχεῖν· μέλλοντα δὲ εἴσω 12.25 παρ' αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, ἀμεῖψαι μὲν τὸν ἐκείνῃ οὐδὸν θατέρῳ τοῖν ποδοῖν, ἐξαπιναίως δὲ ἀναποδίζοντα ὀπίσω 12.26 ἰέναι. εὐνοῦχον μὲν οὖν τὸν εἰσαγωγέα καὶ τοὺς τῇδε παρόντας πολλὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον λιπαρεῖν ἐπίπροσθεν βαίνειν, τὸν δὲ οὐδέν τι ἀποκρινάμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραπλῆγι ἐοικότα ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγῆναι ἐς τὸ δωμάτιον, οὗ δὴ κατέλυε, γεγονότα· τῶν τέ οἱ ἑπομένων ἀναπυνθανομένων ὅτου ἕνεκα ταῦτα ποιοίη, φάναι λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ἄντικρυς ὡς τῶν δαιμόνων τὸν ἄρχοντα ἐν τῷ Παλατίῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθήμενον ἴδοι, ᾧ δὴ ξυγγενέσθαι ἤ τι παρ' αὐτοῦ αἰτεῖσθαι οὐκ ἂν 12.27 ἀξιοίη. πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλεν ὅδε ὁ ἀνὴρ δαίμων τις ἀλιτήριος εἶναι, ὅς γε ποτοῦ ἢ σιτίων ἢ ὕπνου εἰς κόρον οὐδέποτε ἦλθεν, ἀλλ' ἀμηγέπη τῶν παρατεθέντων ἀπογευσάμενος ἀωρὶ νύκτωρ περιήρχετο τὰ βασίλεια, καίπερ ἐς τὰ ἀφροδίσια δαιμονίως ἐσπουδακώς. 12.28 Λέγουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν Θεοδώρας ἐραστῶν τινες, ἡνίκα ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς ἦν, νύκτωρ τι αὐτοῖς ἐπισκῆψαν δαιμόνιον ἐξελάσαι τοῦ δωματίου, ἵνα δὴ σὺν αὐτῇ ἐνυκτέρευον. ὀρχηστρὶς δέ τις Μακεδονία ὄνομα ἐγεγόνει τοῖς ἐνἈντιοχεῦσι Βενέτοις, δύναμιν περιβε12.29 βλημένη πολλήν. γράμματα γὰρἸουστινιανῷ γράφουσα ἔτι τοῦἸουστίνου διοικουμένῳ τὴν βασιλείαν, οὓς ἂν βούλοιτο τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἑῴοις λογίμων ἀνῄρει οὐδενὶ πόνῳ, καὶ αὐτῶν τὰ χρήματα ἐποίει ἀνάγραπτα 12.30 ἐς τὸ δημόσιον γίνεσθαι. ταύτην τὴν Μακεδονίαν φασὶν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τε καὶ Λιβύης ποτὲ ἥκουσαν τὴν Θεοδώραν ἀσπαζομένην, ἐπειδὴ λίαν δυσφορουμένην τε αὐτὴν καὶ ἀσχάλλουσαν εἶδεν οἷς δὴ περιύβριστό τε πρὸς τοῦἙκηβολίου καὶ χρήματά οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ταύτῃ ἀπολώλει, πολλὰ παρηγορεῖν τε καὶ παραθρασύνειν τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἅτε τῆς τύχης οἵας τε οὔσης καὶ αὖθις αὐτῇ χορηγοῦ γενέσθαι χρημάτων μεγάλων. 12.31 τότε λέγουσι τὴν Θεοδώραν εἰπεῖν ὡς καὶ ὄναρ αὐτῇ ἐπισκῆψαν τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην πλούτου ἕνεκα μηδεμίαν 12.32 κελεύσαι ποιεῖσθαι φροντίδα. ἐπειδὰν γὰρ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἵκοιτο, τῷ τῶν δαιμόνων ἄρχοντι ἐς