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nothing, except to advance money to Leo and the empe14.21 ror. Yet not even this remained fixed in Leo’s opinion, but he thought it right to be for 14.22 hire also to the opposition. For by always cheating 14.22 on both sides of those who had put their trust in him, he did not suspect that to slight them and go over to the opposition was in any way a disgrace 14.23. For he himself, playing both sides, thought nothing would be shameful, if only there was profit in it. 15.1 Justinian, then, was someone of this sort. But Theodora had most persistently 15.2 fixed her mind in a firm state of inhumanity. 15.2 For she never did anything persuaded or compelled by another, but she accomplished her purposes stubbornly with all her might, with no 15.3 one daring to intercede for the one who had fallen into error. For neither length of time, nor satiety of punishment, nor any device of supplication, nor the threat of death, though she seemed likely to fall from heaven upon the whole race, persuaded her to lay aside 15.4 any of her anger. And, in short, no one ever saw Theodora reconciled to one who had offended her, not even when he had vanished from among men, but the son of the deceased, inheriting the empress's hatred just like any other paternal legacy, would pass it on to the third generation. 15.5 For her temper was most ready to be stirred up for the destruction of men, but incapable of being abated. 15.6 She cared for her body, however, more than was necessary, but less than was her own desire. 15.7 For she would go into the bath very early, and having left very late and finished bathing, she would proceed from there 15.8 to breakfast. And after breakfasting she would rest. But at lunch and dinner she would partake of every kind of food and drink, and very long sleeps always claimed her, by day until the first part of the night, and by night until sunrise. 15.9 And having thus fallen into every path of intemperance, for so great a period of the day she demanded that the entire 15.10 Roman empire be administered. And if the emperor enjoined some action upon someone without her approval, this man’s affairs came to such a pass of fortune, that not long afterwards he was both stripped of his office with great insult and perished by a most shameful death. 15.11 For Justinian, then, it was easy to do everything, not so much because of his pliant mind, but because he was sleepless for the most part, as has been said, and the most 15.12 accessible of all men. For great opportunity was given to men, even though they were obscure and altogether unknown, not only to meet with this tyrant, but also to 15.13 converse and associate with him in private. But to the empress not even any of the magistrates had access except with much time and effort, but they all attended upon her always in a kind of slavish attendance in a narrow and stifling little room for the whole time. For the danger of any of the magistrates being left behind was unbear15.14 able. And they stood continuously on tiptoe, each one stretching his face higher than his neighbors, so that the eu15.15 nuchs coming out from within might see him. And some of them were summoned with difficulty and many days later, and when they went in to her with great fear, they departed as quickly as possible, having only done obeisance and having touched the tip of each of her feet with their 15.16 lips. For there was no freedom to speak or to ask for anything unless she bade it. For the state had come to a servile condition, having her as its 15.17 teacher of slavery. And so the affairs of the Romans were being corrupted, by the tyrant’s seeming to be too simple-minded, 15.18 and by Theodora’s being harsh and very difficult. For in the simple-mindedness was instability, and in the difficultness was inactivity. 15.19 In their disposition, then, and their way of life, the difference was apparent, but common to them were both avarice and the desire for murders and not 15.20 speaking the truth to anyone. For both were exceedingly prone to lying, and if anyone of those who had offended Theodora was said to have committed some small and in no way significant offense, she, immediately fabricating unrelated charges against the man, to some great

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οὐδὲν, ὅτι μὴ Λέοντι καὶ βασι14.21 λεῖ χρήματα προέσθαι. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ βεβαίῳ τῆς γνώμης τῆς τοῦ Λέοντος ἔμενεν, ἀλλὰ μισθ14.22 αρνεῖν καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων ἠξίου. κλέπτων γὰρ 14.22 ἀεὶ ἐφ' ἑκάτερα τῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ προστεθαρρηκότων ὀλιγωρεῖν τε καὶ ἀπ' ἐναντίας ἰέναι οὐδαμῆ αἰσχύνην 14.23 ὑπώπτευεν εἶναι. οὐδὲν γὰρ αἰσχρὸν, εἰ μόνον τὸ κερδαίνειν προσῇ, ἐδόξαζέν οἱ αὐτῷ ἐπαμφοτερίζοντι ἔσεσθαι. 15.1Ὁ μὲν οὖνἸουστινιανὸς τοιοῦτός τις ἦν. Θεοδώρα δὲ ἐν τῷ βεβαίῳ τῆς ἀπανθρωπίας ἐνδελεχέστατα 15.2 ἐπεπήγει τὴν γνώμην. ἄλλῳ μὲν γὰρ ἀναπεισθεῖσα ἢ ἀναγκασθεῖσα εἰργάζετο οὐδὲν πώποτε, αὐτὴ δὲ τὰ δόξαντα ἐπετέλει αὐθαδιαζομένη δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ, οὐδε15.3 νὸς ἐξαιτεῖσθαι τὸν παραπεπτωκότα τολμῶντος. οὐδὲ γὰρ χρόνου μῆκος, οὐ κολάσεως πλησμονὴ, οὐχ ἱκετείας τις μηχανὴ, οὐ θανάτου ἀπειλὴ, ὅτι δὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πεσεῖται τῷ παντὶ γένει ἐπίδοξος οὖσα, καταθέσθαι 15.4 αὐτήν τι τῆς ὀργῆς ἔπειθε. καὶ συλλήβδην Θεοδώραν τῷ προσκεκρουκότι καταλλαγεῖσαν οὐδείς ποτε εἶδεν οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθέντι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος ὁ παῖς διαδεξάμενος τὸ τῆς βασιλίδος ἔχθος ὥσπερ ἄλλο τι τοῦ πατρὸς ἐς τριγένειαν παρέπεμπεν. 15.5 ὁ γὰρ θυμὸς αὐτῇ κινεῖσθαι μὲν εἰς ἀνθρώπων φθορὰν ἑτοιμότατος ἦν, ἐς δὲ τὸ λωφῆσαι ἀμήχανος. 15.6 Τὸ μέντοι σῶμα ἐθεράπευε μειζόνως μὲν ἢ κατὰ τὴν χρείαν, ἐλασσόνως δὲ ἢ κατὰ τὴν αὐτῆς ἐπιθυμίαν. 15.7 ταχύτατα μὲν γὰρ ἐς τὸ βαλανεῖον εἰσῄει, ὀψιαίτατα δὲ ἀπαλλαγεῖσα καὶ καταλουσαμένη, ἐς τὸ ἀκρατίζεσθαι 15.8 ἐνθένδε ἐχώρει. ἀκρατισαμένη δὲ ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν. ἀριστῶσα μέντοι καὶ δεῖπνον αἱρουμένη ἐς πᾶσαν ἰδέαν ἐδωδίμων τε καὶ ποτῶν ἤρχετο, ὕπνοι τε αὐτῆς ἀεὶ μακρότατοι ἀντελαμβάνοντο, ἡμερινοὶ μὲν ἄχρι πρώτων νυκτῶν, νυκτερινοὶ δὲ ἄχρις ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος. 15.9 εἰς πᾶσάν τε οὕτως ἀκρασίας ἐκπεπτωκυῖα τρίβον ἐς τόσον ἡμέρας καιρὸν ἅπασαν διοικεῖσθαι ἠξίου τὴν 15.10Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν. καὶ ἤν τῳ ἐπιστείλειε πρᾶξίν τινα ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ αὐτῆς γνώμῃ, ἐς τοῦτο τύχης περιειστήκει τούτῳ δὴ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὰ πράγματα, ὥστε οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον τῆς τε τιμῆς παραλυθῆναι ξὺν ὕβρει μεγάλῃ καὶ ἀπολωλέναι θανάτῳ αἰσχίστῳ. 15.11 Τῷ μὲν οὖνἸουστινιανῷ ἅπαντα πράσσειν ῥᾴδιον ἦν, οὐχ ὅσον τῷ τῆς διανοίας εὐκόλῳ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἄυπνος ἦν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, καὶ εὐπρόσο15.12 δος πάντων μάλιστα. πολλὴ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἐξουσία ἐγίνετο, καίτοι ἀδόξοις τε καὶ ἀφανέσι παντάπασιν οὖσιν, οὐχ ὅτι ἐντυχεῖν τῷ τυράννῳ τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ 15.13 κοινολογεῖσθαι καὶ ἐξ ἀπορρήτων συγγίνεσθαι. παρὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλίδα οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τινὶ ὅτι μὴ χρόνῳ τε καὶ πόνῳ πολλῷ εἰσιτητὰ ἦν, ἀλλὰ προσήδρευον μὲν ἐς ἀεὶ ἅπαντες ἀνδραποδώδη τινὰ προσεδρείαν ἐν δωματίῳ στενῷ τε καὶ πνιγηρῷ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον. κίνδυνος γὰρ ἀπολελεῖφθαι τῶν ἀρχόντων τινὶ ἀνύπ15.14 οιστος ἦν. ἵσταντο δὲ διηνεκὲς ἐπ' ἄκρων δακτύλων, αὐτὸς καθυπέρτερον ἕκαστος τῶν πέλας διατεινόμενος τὸ πρόσωπον ἔχειν, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἔνδοθεν ἐξιόντες εὐνοῦ15.15 χοι ὁρῷεν. ἐκαλοῦντο δὲ αὐτῶν τινες μόλις τε καὶ ἡμέραις πολλαῖς ὕστερον, ἐσιόντες δὲ παρ' αὐτὴν ξὺν δέει πολλῷ ὅτι τάχιστα ἀπηλλάσσοντο, προσκυνήσαντες μόνον καὶ ταρσοῦ ἑκατέρου ποδὸς ἄκρῳ χείλει ἁψά15.16 μενοι. φθέγγεσθαι γὰρ ἢ αἰτεῖσθαί τι μὴ ἐκείνης ἐγκελευομένης οὐδεμία παρρησία ἐγίνετο. ἐς δουλοπρέπειαν γὰρ ἡ πολιτεία ἦλθε, δουλοδιδάσκαλον αὐτὴν 15.17 ἔχουσα. οὕτω τεῬωμαίοις τὰ πράγματα διεφθείρετο τοῦ μὲν τυράννου τῷ ἄγαν εὐήθει δοκοῦντι εἶναι, 15.18 Θεοδώρας δὲ τῷ χαλεπῷ καὶ λίαν δυσκόλῳ. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ εὐήθει τὸ ἀβέβαιον ἦν, ἐν δὲ τῷ δυσκόλῳ τὸ ἄπρακτον. 15.19Ἐν τοῖς μὲν οὖν τῆς τε γνώμης αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς διαίτης τὸ διαλλάσσον ἐφαίνετο, κοινὰ δὲ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἥ τε φιλοχρηματία καὶ ἡ τῶν φόνων ἐπιθυμία καὶ τὸ 15.20 μηδενὶ ἀληθίζεσθαι. ἄμφω γὰρ ἐπιτηδείως ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ψεύδεσθαι εἶχον, καὶ ἢν μέν τις τῶν Θεοδώρᾳ προσκεκρουκότων ἁμαρτάνειν λέγοιτό τι βραχύ τε καὶ λόγου οὐδαμῆ ἄξιον, αἰτίας εὐθὺς ἀναπλάσσουσα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐδὲν προσηκούσας, ἐς μέγα τι