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she promoted the cause 15.21 of evil. A multitude of accusations was heard and, concerning the overthrow of the established order, it was a court of plunder, and judges were gathered, having been assembled by her, who were indeed about to contend with one another, as to which of them would be more able than the others to please the empress in her will 15.22 by the inhumanity of his investigation. And so, of the one who had fallen into error, she immediately had his property registered for the public treasury, and after torturing him most bitterly, even though perhaps he was a man of noble birth from of old, she by no means 15.23 disdained to punish him either with exile or with death. But if it happened that one of those favored by her was convicted of unjust murders or some other of the greatest crimes, by reviling and mocking the eagerness of the accusers she forced them, by no means willingly, to be silent about the charges. 15.24But she also made it her business to turn the most serious of matters into buffoonery whenever it seemed good to her, as if on 15.25 a stage and in a theater. And once there was a certain man of the patricians, both old and having been in office for a long time, whose name, although I know it well, I shall refrain from mentioning, so that I might not make the outrage against him endless; being unable to collect a large sum of money owed to him by one of her attendants, he came to her, both to accuse the man who had incurred the debt and to beg 15.26 her to help him in his just cause. When Theodora learned of this beforehand, she gave instructions to the eunuchs, that when the patrician came to her, they should all encircle him, and listen to her speaking, having instructed 15.27 them what they must say in reply. And when the patrician came into the women's quarters, he made obeisance just as it was customary to make obeisance to her, and looking as if he were in tears he said, "O mistress, it is a hard thing for a patrician to be in need 15.28 of money. For the things which bring pardon and pity to others, these happen to be set apart for insult in the case of this 15.29 rank. For any other man who is in extreme poverty can, by saying this very thing to his creditors, be immediately rid of the trouble from them, but a patrician, having no means from which he could be able to pay his debts to his creditors, would especially be ashamed to say this, and if he did say it he would never persuade them, since it is not possible for poverty to dwell with this order. 15.30 And if he should persuade them, it will be his lot to have suffered the most shameful and 15.31 most grievous of all things. Therefore, O mistress, I have creditors, some who have lent what is their 15.32 own, and others who have borrowed from me. And those who have lent, pressing me most persistently, I am not able, out of respect for my rank, to put them off, while those who owe me, since they do not happen to be patricians, resort to 15.33 certain inhuman pretexts. I therefore implore and beseech and beg you to help me in my just 15.34 cause and to deliver me from my present troubles." So he said these things. And the woman replied rhythmically, "Patrician so-and-so," and the chorus of eunuchs, taking it up, responded, 15.35 "you have a great hernia." And again when the man had supplicated and spoken a speech similar to what he had said before, in the same way again both the woman replied and the chorus responded, until the wretched man, having given up, both made obeisance as was his custom and 15.36 went away home. And in the seaside suburbs she spent the greater part of the year, and not least in the one called Herion, and because of this the great crowd of her followers was held in much misery. 15.37 For they were in want of necessities and consorted with dangers of the sea, especially if, as might happen, winter set in, or the sea-monster attacked somewhere there. 15.38 But they themselves considered the troubles of all men to be of no account, so long as it was only permitted for them to live in luxury. 15.39 And what sort of manner Theodora displayed toward those who had offended her, I shall immediately reveal, mentioning, of course, only a few things, so that I may not seem to be undertaking an endless labour. 16.1When Amalasuntha, wishing to be rid of her life among the Goths, decided to change her way of living, and was planning to journey to Byzantium, as was told by me in the previous books,

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κακοῦ τὸ 15.21 πρᾶγμα ᾖρεν. ἐγκλημάτων τε ἠκούετο πλῆθος καὶ καταλύσεως πέρι τῶν καθεστώτων ληΐζεσθαι δικαστήριον ἦν, καὶ δικασταὶ ξυνελέγοντο πρὸς αὐτῆς ἀγειρόμενοι, οἳ δὴ ἔμελλον διαμαχέσασθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὅστις ἂν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἀρέσκειν τῇ ἐς τὴν γνῶσιν ἀπανθρωπίᾳ τῇ βασιλίδι τὸ βούλημα 15.22 ἱκανὸς γένοιτο. οὕτω τε τοῦ παραπεπτωκότος τὴν μὲν οὐσίαν αὐτίκα ἐς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνάγραπτον ἐποίει, πικρότατα δὲ αὐτὸν αἰκισαμένη, καίπερ ἴσως εὐπατρίδην τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ὄντα, ἢ φυγῇ ζημιοῦν ἢ θανάτῳ οὐδαμῆ 15.23 ἀπηξίου. ἢν δέ γε τῶν αὐτῇ ἐσπουδασμένων τινὶ ἐπὶ φόνοις ἀδίκοις ἢ ἑτέρῳ τῳ τῶν μεγίστων ἀδικημάτων ἁλῶναι ξυμβαίνῃ, διασύρουσα καὶ χλευάζουσα τὴν τῶν κατηγόρων ὁρμὴν σιωπᾶν τὰ προσπεσόντα οὔτι ἐθελουσίους ἠνάγκαζεν. 15.24Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τὰ σπουδαιότατα εἰς γελωτοποιίαν μεταβάλλειν, ὅταν αὐτῇ δοκῇ, ὥσπερ ἐν 15.25 σκηνῇ καὶ θεάτρῳ ἔργον πεποίηται. καί ποτε ἦν τις τῶν πατρικίων γέρων τε καὶ χρόνον πολὺν ἐν ἀρχῇ γεγονὼς, οὗπερ ἐγὼ τὸ ὄνομα ἐξεπιστάμενος ὡς ἥκιστα ἐπιμνήσομαι, ὡς μὴ ἀπέραντον τὴν ἐς αὐτὸν ὕβριν ποιήσωμαι, τῶν αὐτῇ ὑπηρετούντων τινὰ ὀφείλοντά οἱ χρήματα μεγάλα εἰσπράξασθαι οὐχ οἷός τε ὢν ἐσῆλθε παρ' αὐτὴν, τόν τε συμβαλόντα αἰτιασόμενος καὶ δεη15.26 θησόμενος αὐτῷ βοηθῆσαι τὰ δίκαια. ὅπερ ἡ Θεοδώρα προμαθοῦσα τοῖς εὐνούχοις ἐπέστελλεν, ἐπειδὰν ὁ πατρίκιος πρὸς αὐτὴν ἵκοιτο, κυκλώσασθαι μὲν αὐτὸν ἅπαντας, ἐπακούειν δὲ αὐτῇ φθεγγομένῃ, ὑπει15.27 ποῦσα ὅ τι αὐτοὺς ἀντιφθέγγεσθαι δεῖ. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ πατρίκιος ἐς τὴν γυναικωνῖτιν ἦλθε, προσεκύνησε μὲν ὥσπερ αὐτὴν προσκυνεῖν εἴθιστο, δεδακρυμένῳ δὲ ἐοικὼς «ὦ δέσποινα», ἔφη, «χαλεπὸν πατρικίῳ ἀνδρὶ χρη15.28 «μάτων δεῖσθαι. ἃ γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις συγγνώμην τε καὶ «ἔλεον φέρει, ταῦτα ἐς ὕβριν τῷδε ξυμβαίνει τῷ ἀξιώ15.29 «ματι ἀποκεκρίσθαι. ἄλλῳ μὲν γὰρ ὁτῳοῦν ἀπορου»μένῳ τὰ ἔσχατα πάρεστιν αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰπόντι τοῖς «χρήσταις ὄχλου τοῦ ἐνθένδε εὐθὺς ἀπηλλάχθαι, πα»τρίκιος δὲ ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἔχων ὅθεν ἂν ἐκτῖσαι τοῖς χρή»σταις τὰ ὀφλήματα ἱκανὸς εἴη μάλιστα μὲν τοῦτο ἂν «εἰπεῖν αἰσχυνθείη, εἰπὼν δὲ οὐκ ἄν ποτε πείσαι ὡς «οὐχ οἷόν τε ὂν τῷδε πενίαν τῷ τάγματι ξυνοικίζεσθαι. 15.30 «ἢν δέ γε καὶ πείσῃ, τὰ πάντων αὐτῷ αἴσχιστά τε καὶ 15.31 «ἀνιαρότατα πεπονθέναι ξυμβήσεται. οὐκοῦν, ὦ δέ»σποινα, εἰσί μοι χρῆσται, οἱ μὲν δανείσαντες τὰ σφέ15.32 «τερα αὐτῶν, οἱ δὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ δεδανεισμένοι. καὶ τοὺς «μὲν δανείσαντας ἐνδελεχέστατα ἐγκειμένους οὐχ οἷός «τέ εἰμι αἰδοῖ τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἀποκρούσασθαι, οἱ δέ γε «ὀφείλοντες, οὐ γὰρ πατρίκιοι τυγχάνουσιν ὄντες, εἰς 15.33 «σκήψεις τινὰς ἀπανθρώπους χωροῦσιν. ἀντιβολῶ τοί»νυν καὶ ἱκετεύω καὶ δέομαι βοηθῆσαί τέ μοι τὰ δί15.34 «καια καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπαλλάξαι κακῶν.» ὁ μὲν ταῦτα εἶπεν. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀπεκρίνατο ἐμμελῶς, «πατρίκιε ὁ δεῖνα», καὶ ὁ τῶν εὐνούχων χορὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἀντε15.35 φθέγξατο, «μεγάλην κήλην ἔχεις». αὖθις δὲ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἱκετεύσαντός τε καὶ ῥῆσίν τινα ἐμφερῆ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένοις εἰπόντος κατὰ ταὐτὰ πάλιν ἥ τε γυνὴ ἀπεκρίνατο καὶ ὁ χορὸς ἀντεφθέγξατο, ἕως ἂν ἀπειπὼν ὁ ταλαίπωρος προσεκύνησέ τε ᾗπερ εἰώθει καὶ 15.36 ἀπιὼν οἴκαδε ᾤχετο. ἐν προαστείοις δὲ τοῖς ἐπιθαλαττίοις τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ ἔτους καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐν τῷ ἐπικαλουμένῳἩρίῳ διατριβὴν εἶχε, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τῶν ἑπομένων ὁ πολὺς ὅμιλος κακοπαθείᾳ πολλῇ εἴχετο. 15.37 τῶν τε ἀναγκαίων γὰρ ἐσπάνιζον καὶ θαλαττίοις ὡμίλουν κινδύνοις, ἄλλως τε καὶ χειμῶνος, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, ἐπιπεσόντος, ἢ τοῦ κήτους ἐνταῦθά ποι ἐπισκήψαντος. 15.38 ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ τὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων κακὰ οὐδὲν πρᾶγμα ᾤοντο εἶναι, ὅσον ἤν γε μόνον αὐτοῖς τρυφᾶν ἐξείη. 15.39 ὁποῖος δὲ ὁ Θεοδώρας πρὸς τοὺς προσκεκρουκότας ἐφαίνετο τρόπος, αὐτίκα δηλώσω, ὀλίγων δηλονότι ἐπιμνησθεὶς, ὡς μὴ ἀτελεύτητα πονεῖν δόξαιμι. 16.1ἩνίκαἈμαλασοῦνθα τῆς ἐν Γότθοις ἀπαλλαξείουσα διατριβῆς μεταμπίσχεσθαί τε τὸν βίον ἔγνω, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον διενοεῖτο πορεύεσθαι, ὥσπερ μοι ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐρρήθη,