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alone. For he was untrustworthy in all things, except indeed for his inhumanity and his love of money, in which he was conspicuous. For it has been possible for no one to make him desist from this. 13.19 But even in matters where his wife could not persuade him, by instilling in him hopes of great sums of money resulting from the deed, she would draw her not at all willing husband to the action which she wanted. 13.20 For for the sake of disreputable gain he by no means disdained both to establish laws and again to repeal them. 13.21 And he judged not according to the laws, which he himself had written, but wherever the promise of money, appearing both greater and more magnificent, might lead him. 13.22 for to take away the property of his subjects by stealing it bit by bit he thought brought him no shame at all, whenever he could not take it all at once on some pretext, either by bringing an unexpected charge, or on the pretense of a will that had not been made. 13.23 And while he was ruler of the Romans, there remained no secure faith or belief toward God, no strong law, no firm action, no contract whatsoever. 13.24 But when his associates were sent by him on some mission, if it happened that they destroyed many of those who fell into their hands and plundered a great quantity of money, these men immediately seemed to be and were called reputable by the emperor, on the grounds that they had carried out to the letter all that had been commanded; but if, having shown some mercy toward men, they came before him, for the future he was both hostile and an enemy to them. 13.25 And despairing of the nature of the men as somehow old-fashioned, he no longer summoned them to his service. So that many even made it their business to show him that they were wicked, although their own practices were not of this sort. 13.26 And though he often made a promise to certain persons and had made the promise stronger by an oath or by written documents, he would immediately and willingly arrive at forgetfulness, thinking that this action brought him some glory. 13.27 And Justinian did these things not only to his subjects, but also to many of his enemies, as has been said by me before. 13.28 He was sleepless, for the most part, and was never sated with food or drink, but tasting it, so to say, with the tip of his finger, he would depart. 13.29 For such things seemed to be for him a sort of side-issue, with nature compelling him to it, since he would often remain without food for two days and nights, especially when the time before the feast called Easter brought him to it. 13.30 For then, often having been without food for two days, as has been said, he would content himself to live on a little water and some wild plants, and having slept, if it so happened, for one hour, he then would spend the rest of the time always walking about. 13.31 And yet if he had been willing to spend this very time on good deeds, affairs would have advanced to some great measure of prosperity. 13.32 But as it was, using the strength of his nature for the evil of the Romans, he was strong enough to tear down their entire state to its foundations. For he made it his business to be continually awake and to endure hardship and toil for no other reason than so that he could devise ever more outrageous misfortunes for his subjects each day. 13.33 For he was, as has been said, exceptionally sharp at devising and quick at accomplishing unholy deeds, so that it happened that even the good things of his nature were set apart for the ruin of his subjects. 14.1 For there was great unseasonableness in affairs and nothing of the customary things remained, of which, having mentioned a few, I must give all the rest to silence, so that my account may not be endless. 14.2 For in the first place, he neither had in himself nor deigned to maintain anything suitable to the imperial dignity, but he barbarized his speech, his dress, and his thought. 14.3 And whatever he wanted written by him, he did not entrust its handling to the one holding the office of quaestor, as was customary, but he himself deigned to utter most of it, although his speech was such, and a large crowd of whomever happened to be present, so that those wronged thereby had no one to whom they might appeal. 14.4 And for those called secretaries the office was not reserved for writing the emperor's secrets, for which purpose the

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μόνης. ἄπιστος γὰρ ἐν πᾶσι πλήν γε δὴ τῆς τε ἀπανθρωπίας καὶ φιλοχρηματίας διαφανῶς ἦν. ταύτης γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀποστῆσαι δυνατὸν οὐδενὶ γέγονεν. 13.19 ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς ἃ πείθειν αὐτὸν ἡ γαμετὴ οὐκ εἶχε, χρημάτων αὐτῷ μεγάλων ἐλπίδας ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου ἐσομένων ἐμβαλομένη ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ἥνπερ ἐβούλετο οὔτι ἐθε13.20 λούσιον τὸν ἄνδρα ἐφεῖλκε. κέρδους γὰρ οὐκ εὐπρεποῦς ἕνεκα καὶ νόμους τιθέναι καὶ αὖ πάλιν αὐτοὺς καθελεῖν οὐδαμῆ ἀπηξίου. 13.21Ἐδίκαζέ τε οὐ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, οὓς αὐτὸς ἔγραψεν, ἀλλ' ἔνθα ἂν αὐτὸν μείζων τε ὀφθεῖσα καὶ με13.22 γαλοπρεπεστέρα ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ὑπόσχεσις ἄγοι. καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν γὰρ κλέπτοντι ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰς τῶν ὑπηκόων οὐσίας αἰσχύνην αὐτῷ φέρειν τινὰ οὐδαμῆ ᾤετο, ἡνίκα δὴ οὐχ ἁπαξάπαντα ἀφελέσθαι λόγῳ τινὶ εἶχεν ἢ ἔγκλημα ἐπενεγκὼν ἀπροσδόκητον, ἢ διαθήκης οὐ 13.23 γεγενημένης προσχήματι. ἔμεινέ τε αὐτοῦῬωμαίων ἄρχοντος, οὐ πίστις ἢ δόξα πρὸς θεὸν ἀσφαλὴς, οὐ νόμος 13.24 ὀχυρὸς, οὐ πρᾶξις βεβαία, οὐ συμβόλαιον οὐδέν. στελλομένων δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων ἐπί τινα πρᾶξιν, εἰ μὲν δὴ αὐτοῖς ἀπολωλεκέναι ξυνέβη τῶν σφίσι παραπεπτωκότων πολλοὺς καὶ χρημάτων τι ληΐσασθαι πλῆθος, οὗτοι δὴ εὐθὺς εὐδόκιμοι τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἐδόκουν τε εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι ἅτε δὴ ἅπαντα ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα ἐπιτελέσαντες· εἰ δὲ φειδοῖ τινι ἐς ἀνθρώπους χρησάμενοι παρ' αὐτὸν ἵκοντο, δύσνους τε αὐτοῖς τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ πολέμιος ἦν. 13.25 ἀπογνούς τε, ὥσπερ ἀρχαιότροπόν τινα τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν φύσιν, ἐς τὴν ὑπουργίαν οὐκέτι ἐκάλει. ὥστε καὶ πολλοὶ ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιοῦντο ἐνδείκνυσθαι αὐτῷ ὡς πονηροὶ εἶεν, καίπερ σφίσι τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων οὐ 13.26 ταύτῃ ἐχόντων. ὑποσχόμενος δέ τισι πολλάκις καὶ ὅρκῳ ἢ γράμμασι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ὀχυρωτέραν πεποιημένος, εὐθὺς ἐθελούσιος ἐς λήθην ἀφῖκτο, δόξης τι 13.27 φέρειν αὐτῷ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο οἰόμενος. καὶ ταῦτα ὁἸουστινιανὸς οὐ μόνον ἐς τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἔπρασσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς τῶν πολεμίων πολλοὺς, ὥσπερ μοι εἴρηται ἔμπροσθεν. 13.28Ἦν τε ἄυπνός τε ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον εἰπεῖν καὶ σιτίοις μὲν ἢ ποτῷ κατακορὴς οὐδαμῆ γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ σχεδόν 13.29 τι ἄκρῳ δακτύλῳ ἀπογευσάμενος ἀπηλλάσσετο. ὥσπερ γάρ τι αὐτῷ πάρεργον τῆς φύσεως αὐτὸν ἀγγαρευομένης τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐφαίνετο εἶναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀπόσιτος ἡμέρας τε καὶ νύκτας δύο τὰ πολλὰ ἔμενεν, ἄλλως τε ἡνίκα ὁ πρὸ τῆς Πασχαλίας καλουμένης ἑορτῆς χρόνος 13.30 ἐνταῦθα ἄγοι. τότε γὰρ πολλάκις ἡμέραιν δυοῖν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, γεγονὼς ἄσιτος ὕδατί τε βραχεῖ ἀποζῆν ἐπηξίου καὶ βοτάναις ἀγρίαις τισὶν, ὥραν τε, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, καταδαρθὼν μίαν, εἶτα περιπάτους ἀεὶ 13.31 ποιούμενος τὸν ἄλλον κατέτριβε χρόνον. καίτοι εἰ τοῦτον αὐτὸν καιρὸν ἐς πράξεις δαπανᾶν ἀγαθὰς ἤθελεν, ἐπὶ μέγα ἄν τι εὐδαιμονίας ἐκεχωρήκει τὰ πράγ13.32 ματα. νῦν δὲ τῇ φύσεως ἰσχύϊ ἐπὶ τῷῬωμαίων πονηρῷ χρώμενος ξύμπασαν αὐτῶν τὴν πολιτείαν ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος καθελεῖν ἴσχυσεν. ἐγρηγορέναι τε γὰρ διηνεκὲς καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖν καὶ πονεῖσθαι οὐκ ἄλλου τοῦ ἕνεκα ἔργον πεποίηται ἢ ὥστε κομπωδεστέρας ἀεὶ καθ' ἑκά13.33 στην τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι τὰς συμφοράς. ἦν γὰρ ὅπερ εἴρηται, διαφερόντως ὀξὺς ἐπινοῆσαί τε καὶ ταχὺς ἀποτελέσαι ἀνόσια ἔργα, ὥστε αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἀγαθὰ ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἀποκεκρίσθαι ξυνέβαινε. 14.1 Πραγμάτων γὰρ ἦν ἀωρία πολλὴ καὶ τῶν εἰωθότων οὐδὲν ἔμεινεν, ὧνπέρ μοι ὀλίγων ἐπιμνησθέντι σιωπῇ δοτέον τὰ λοιπὰ ξύμπαντα, ὡς μὴ ὁ λόγος ἀπέ14.2 ραντος εἴη. πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐς βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα ἐπιτηδείως ἔχον οὔτε αὐτὸς εἶχεν οὔτε ξυμφυλάσσειν ἠξίου, ἀλλὰ τήν τε γλῶτταν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὴν 14.3 διάνοιαν ἐβαρβάριζεν. ὅσα τε γράφεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοῦ βούλοιτο, οὐ τῷ τὴν κοιαίστωρος ἔχοντι τιμὴν, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἐπέστελλε διοικεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτός τε τὰ πλεῖστα, καίπερ οὕτω τῆς γλώττης ἔχων, ἐκφέρειν ἠξίου καὶ τῶν παρατυχόντων πολὺς ὅμιλος, ὥστε τοὺς ἐν14.4 θένδε ἠδικημένους οὐκ ἔχειν ὅτῳ ἐπικαλοῖεν. τοῖς δὲ ἀσηκρῆτις καλουμένοις οὐκ ἀπεκέκριτο τὸ ἀξίωμα ἐς τὸ τὰ βασιλέως ἀπόρρητα γράφειν, ἐφ' ᾧπερ τὸ