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(for he had not been unaware of this anger of hers 16.19) flees into the church of the archangel. But she at once set upon him the authority presiding over the populace, having given instructions to charge him with none of the slander, but 16.20 bringing the charge that he was a pederast. And the authorities, having dragged the man from the sanctuary, tortured him with some unbearable punishment, and the entire populace, when they saw in such misfortunes a body of a free man and one reared in a luxurious lifestyle from an early age, immediately grieved at his suffering and with wailing cried out to high heaven, begging for the 16.21 young man. But she, punishing him still more and having cut off his private parts, destroyed him without trial, and 16.22 confiscated his property for the state. Thus whenever this little woman was enraged, neither was a sanctuary a stronghold, nor a prohibition of any law, nor the supplication of the city seen to be sufficient to rescue the one who had fallen into her disfavor, nor did anything else at all stand in her way. 16.23 And she bore a grudge against a certain Diogenes because he was of the Green faction, a man who was witty and beloved by all, and even by the emperor himself; she was no less eager to slander him with charges of sodomy. 16.24 At any rate, having persuaded two of his servants to be both accusers and witnesses, she set them against their master. 16.25 And when he was not being examined secretly and most surreptitiously, as was her custom, but in public, with many and not undistinguished judges chosen on account of the reputation of Diogenes, since the words of the servants did not seem to the carefully examining judges to be credible enough for the judgment, especially as they were mere boys, she imprisoned Theodorus, one of Diogenes's relatives, in the customary cells. 16.26 There she assailed the man with many flatteries and many tortures. And when she was making no progress, she ordered them to wind a bull's sinew around the man's head about the ears and to twist and tighten the sinew. 16.27 And Theodorus suspected that his eyes had leapt out, leaving their proper place, but he resolved to fabricate nothing of what had not happened. 16.28 For which reason the judges, since the case was without witness, acquitted Diogenes, and the city celebrated it with a public festival. 17.1But this matter turned out in this way. And it was said by me at the beginning of this account also what she did to Belisarius and 17.2 Photius and Bouzes. And two partisans of the Blue faction, Cilicians by birth, having set upon Callinicus, the governor of Cilicia Secunda, with a great tumult, laid unjust hands on him, and they killed his groom who was standing very near and trying to defend his master, while the governor and all the people were watching. 17.3 And he, by legal process, executed the partisans who were convicted of many other crimes and also of this murder, but she, when she learned this, and showing that she favoured the Blues, impaled him, while he still held his office, on the tomb of the 17.4 murderers, for no reason at all. But the emperor sat grumbling, pretending to weep and lament for the man who had perished, and though he threatened many things to those who had assisted in the deed, he did nothing, but he by no means scorned to plunder the property of the deceased. 17.5But also concerning sins of the body it was Theodora's care to devise punishments. Indeed, having gathered more than five hundred prostitutes from the central marketplace, who were hiring themselves out for a three-obol piece, just enough to live on, and having sent them to the opposite continent, she confined them in the monastery called "Repentance," forcing them to change their way of life. 17.6 Of whom some would throw themselves from a height at night, and in this way were freed from their unwilling change. 17.7 There were two sisters in Byzantium, young women, not only from a father and grandfather of consular rank, but from of old born of the first blood in the senate. 17.8 It happened that these women, having already entered into marriage, became widows when their husbands perished. Immediately Theodora, having selected two common and despicable men, was eager to have them marry these women, accusing 17.9 them of not living chastely. Fearing that this might happen, they flee to the sanctuary of Sophia, and having gone into the sacred baptistery they clung firmly to the font there. 17.10 But so great for them

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(οὐ γὰρ ἀνήκοος ταύτης δὴ τῆς ὀργῆς 16.19 ἐγεγόνει) ἐς τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου τὸν νεὼν φεύγει. ἡ δέ οἱ ἐπέστησεν αὐτίκα τὴν τῷ δήμῳ ἐφεστῶσαν ἀρχὴν, οὐδὲν μὲν τῆς λοιδορίας ἐπικαλεῖν ἐπαγγείλασα, ὅτι 16.20 δὲ παιδεραστοίη ἐπενεγκοῦσα. καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀρχὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀναστήσασα ᾐκίζετο ἀνυποίστῳ τινὶ κολάσει, ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἅπας ἐπεὶ ἐν τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς εἶδε σῶμα ἐλευθέριόν τε καὶ ἀνειμένῃ ἄνωθεν διαίτῃ ἐντραφὲν, ἀπήλγησάν τε τὸ πάθος εὐθὺς καὶ ξὺν οἰμωγῇ ἀνέκραγον οὐράνιον ὅσον ἐξαιτούμενοι τὸν 16.21 νεανίαν. ἡ δὲ αὐτὸν ἔτι μᾶλλον κολάσασα καὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον ἀποτεμομένη διέφθειρεν ἀνεξελέγκτως, καὶ τὴν 16.22 οὐσίαν ἐς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνεγράψατο. οὕτως ἡνίκα ὀργῴη τὸ γύναιον τοῦτο, οὔτε ἱερὸν ὀχυρὸν ἐγεγόνει οὔτε νόμου του ἀπαγόρευσις οὔτε πόλεως ἀντιβόλησις ἐξελέσθαι τὸν παραπεπτωκότα ἱκανὴ ἐφαίνετο οὖσα, οὔτε ἄλλο αὐτῇ ἀπήντα τῶν πάντων οὐδέν. 16.23 καὶ ∆ιογένην δέ τινα οἷα Πράσινον ὄντα δι' ὀργῆς ἔχουσα, ἄνδρα ἀστεῖον καὶ ποθεινὸν ἅπασί τε καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ, οὐδέν τι ἧσσον γάμων ἀνδρείων συκο16.24 φαντεῖν ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχε. δύο γοῦν ἀναπείσασα τῶν αὐτοῦ οἰκετῶν κατηγόρους τε καὶ μάρτυρας τῷ κεκτη16.25 μένῳ ἐπέστησε. τοῦ δὲ οὐ κρύβδην ἐξεταζομένου καὶ λαθραιότατα, ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἀλλ' ἐν δημοσίῳ, δικαστῶν ᾑρημένων πολλῶν τε καὶ οὐκ ἀδόξων, διὰ τὴν ∆ιογένους δόξαν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐδόκουν ἀκριβολογουμένοις τοῖς δικασταῖς οἱ τῶν οἰκετῶν λόγοι ἀξιόχρεῳ ἐς τὴν κρίσιν εἶναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ παιδαρίων ὄντων, Θεόδωρον τῶν ∆ιογένει ἀναγκαίων τινὰ ἐν τοῖς εἰωθόσιν οἰκι16.26 δίοις καθεῖρξεν. ἐνταῦθα πολλαῖς μὲν θωπείαις, πολλοῖς δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον αἰκισμοῖς περιῆλθεν. ἐπεί τέ οἱ οὐδὲν προὐχώρει, νευρὰν βοείαν ἐς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀμφὶ τὰ ὦτα περιελίξαντας τὴν νευρὰν 16.27 στρέφειν τε καὶ σφίγγειν ἐκέλευε. καὶ τοὺς μέν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὺς Θεόδωρος ἐκπεπηδηκέναι τὴν οἰκείαν λιπόντας χώραν ὑπώπτευεν, οὐδὲν μέντοι τῶν οὐ γεγο16.28 νότων ἀναπλάσσειν ἔγνω. διὸ δὴ οἱ μὲν δικασταὶ ἅτε ἀμαρτυρήτου δίκης ∆ιογένους ἀπέγνωσαν, ἡ δὲ πόλις ἑορτὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ πανδημεὶ ἦγεν. 17.1Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν τῇδε ἐχώρησεν. ἐρρήθη δὲ ἀρχομένῳ μοι τοῦδε τοῦ λόγου καὶ ὅσα Βελισάριόν τε 17.2 καὶ Φώτιον καὶ Βούζην αὐτῇ ἐργασθείη. στασιῶται δὲ Βένετοι δύο Κίλικες γένος Καλλινίκῳ τῷ Κιλικίας ∆ευτέρας ἄρχοντι σὺν θορύβῳ πολλῷ ἐπιστάντες χειρῶν ἀδίκων ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἦρξαν, τόν τε αὐτοῦ ἱπποκόμον ἄγχιστά που ἑστῶτα καὶ ἀμύνειν τῷ κεκτημένῳ πειρώμενον ἔκτειναν, τοῦ τε ἄρχοντος καὶ τοῦ δήμου θεω17.3 μένου παντός. καὶ ὁ μὲν τοὺς στασιώτας ἄλλων τε πολλῶν καὶ τοῦδε ἁλόντας τοῦ φόνου ἐν δίκῃ ἀνεῖλεν, ἡ δὲ μαθοῦσα καὶ ὅτι τοὺς Βενέτους προσποιεῖται ἐνδεικνυμένη, ἔτι αὐτὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχοντα ἐν τῷ τῶν 17.4 φονέων τάφῳ ἀνεσκολόπισεν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ. βασιλεὺς δὲ κλάειν τε καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι τὸν ἀπολωλότα σκηπτόμενος καθῆστο γρυλλίζων, πολλά τε τοῖς ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν ὑπουργηκόσιν ἀνατεινάμενος οὐδὲν ἔδρασε, τὰ μέντοι χρήματα τοῦ τετελευτηκότος ληΐζεσθαι ὡς ἥκιστα ἀπηξίωσεν. 17.5Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτάδων τῶν ἐς τὸ σῶμα κολάσεις τῇ Θεοδώρᾳ ἐπινοεῖν ἐπιμελὲς ἦν. πόρνας ἀμέλει πλέον ἢ πεντακοσίας ἀγείρασα ἐν ἀγορᾷ μέσῃ ἐς τριώβολον, ὅσον ἀποζῆν μισθαρνούσας, ἔς τε τὴν ἀντιπέρας ἤπειρον στείλασα ἐν τῷ καλουμένῳ Μετανοίᾳ μοναστηρίῳ καθεῖρξε τὸν βίον μεταμφιέσασθαι ἀναγ17.6 κάζουσα. ὧν δή τινες ἐρρίπτουν αὑτὰς ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ νύκτωρ, ταύτῃ τε τῆς ἀκουσίου μεταβολῆς ἀπηλλάσσοντο. 17.7 ∆ύο δὲ κόραι ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀδελφαὶ ἤτην, οὐκ ἐκ πατρός τε καὶ τριγονίας ὑπάτων μόνον, ἀλλ' ἀνέκαθεν αἵματος τοῦ πρώτου ἔν γε τῇ συγκλήτῳ βουλῇ γεγο17.8 νυῖαι. ταύταις ἤδη ἐς γάμον ἐλθούσαις ἀπολωλότων τῶν ἀνδρῶν χήραις γεγονέναι ξυνέπεσεν. αὐτίκα δὲ ἄνδρας ἡ Θεοδώρα δύο ἀγελαίους τε καὶ βδελυροὺς ἀπολέξασα συνοικίζειν αὐταῖς ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχεν, ἐπικα17.9 λοῦσα μὴ σωφρόνως βιοῦν. ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ γένηται δείσασαι, ἐς τὸ τῆς Σοφίας ἱερὸν φεύγουσιν, ἔς τε τὸν θεῖον λουτρῶνα ἐλθοῦσαι τῆς ἐνταῦθα κολυμβήθρας 17.10 ἀπρὶξ εἴχοντο. ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην αὐταῖς