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He collected these things by impious means and was grateful to those who invented pretexts for him to collect money. And not only was he so disposed, but the empress was in no way inferior to the emperor either in respect to power or to the acquisition of money by every means. For she was able far beyond her consort, and was also most resourceful in finding newer and manifold devices. From this, the calamities for the subjects were from two sources; for both the annual taxes were raised to a greater amount and new ones were additionally devised. And some were punished and had their property confiscated as not being correctly disposed in their opinion towards the divine, others as living licentiously, others on account of disputes with one another, and others in other ways and still others in yet others. For to enumerate them all would require a long account. In the fifth year of his reign, 153 the appearance of a comet was seen, which is called lampadias, as sending its rays upwards, which lasted, shining, for twenty days. And he also made treaties with the Persians. And matters in the East were at peace, but civil wars were afflicting the city, and they had destroyed its beauty and splendor, as much as had been left over from the conflagration that occurred in the reign of Leo. For since hatred had grown in the demes against the emperor and the empress for the reasons that have been stated, both factions, the Blues and the Greens, came to an agreement, although they were always opposed to each other, and they began a revolt. But the ruler, unleashing upon them a certain portion of the barbarians called Heruli, thus attempted to stop the revolt. But it was inflamed the more; for when a battle broke out between the demes and the barbarians at the so-called Milion, and many were falling on both sides, the men of the church, hastening to stop the revolt and the war, took up the all-holy books of the divine gospels and the revered images of our savior and pushed themselves into the midst of the combatants, thinking that they, revering the holy things, would lay down their arms and refrain from fighting; but 154 the barbarians, having no concern whatsoever for the holy things, were cutting down the demes and spared neither the sacred objects nor those carrying them. This became a provocation for the revolt to the people of the city, and as if defending the divine itself they were kindled to greater desperation, and not only men, but also women were fighting from the upper stories, throwing stones and tiles and anything that came to hand from above at that barbarian multitude. But they, seized with madness and wanting to defend themselves against the women, set fire to the houses from which they were being pelted. And since a strong wind was blowing at that time, the flame was quickly raised high into the air and reduced to ashes many very great and beautiful buildings and burned up statues of ancient men renowned for wisdom and for courage and for brave deeds of hand and wise counsels, and on top of everything the sacred precinct of the great church itself, which the emperor Constantius had built, and that of Saint Eirene, and the hospice of Eubulus and the Bronze Roof of the Palace, which was what is now called the Chalke, and the one that served as a prison and the bath of Severus called the Zeuxippon and many other things that provided 155 ornament and wonder to the city and the empire. Then, therefore, the emperor intended to quell the revolt in another way; and having gone up to the Hippodrome he had planned to address the demes, and having sent there he summoned the populace. But it did not consent to approach, but they even urged one another to beware of the Hippodrome, lest they be shut up in it as in a prison and become a victim of the rulers' anger. From there, running through to the forum, they resolved to appoint another emperor for themselves and surrounding a certain relative of the emperor Anastasius, Hypatius, partly unwilling, and partly even persuaded, they led him to the Forum of the great Constantine, and raising him aloft on a shield they proclaimed him emperor and from there the horse-racing stadium

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ἐξελέγετο ταῦτα ἐκ τρόπων οὐκ εὐαγῶν καὶ χάριτας ᾔδει τοῖς προφάσεις αὐτῷ τοῦ ἀργυρολογεῖν ἐφευρίσκουσι. καὶ οὐχ ὁ μὲν οὕτω διέκειτο, ἡ δὲ βασιλὶς ἠλαττοῦτο κατά τι τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἢ πρὸς ἐξουσίαν ἢ πρὸς χρημάτων κτῆσιν ἐκ τρόπου παντός. ἠδύνατο μὲν γὰρ πολλῷ τῷ μέσῳ τοῦ ξυνευνέτου ἐπέκεινα, ἦν δὲ καὶ ποριμωτάτη πρὸς εὕρεσιν καινοτέρων καὶ πολυτρόπων ἐπινοιῶν. ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις διχόθεν αἱ συμφοραί· οἵ τε γὰρ ἐτήσιοι δασμοὶ ἐπὶ μεῖζον ἐξῄροντο καὶ καινοὶ προσεπινενόηντο. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡς μὴ περὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ θεῖον δόξαν ὀρθῶς διακείμενοι, οἱ δὲ ὡς ἀκολάστως βιοῦντες ἐκολάζοντο καὶ τὰς περιουσίας ἀφῄρηντο, οἱ δὲ διὰ τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφοράς, καὶ ἄλλοι ἐξ ἄλλων τρόπων καὶ ἕτεροι ἐξ ἑτέρων. πάντας γὰρ ἀπαριθμεῖν μακρᾶς ἂν δέοιτο συγγραφῆς. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ πέμπτον ἔτος τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἀστέρος 153 ὤφθη φαῦσις κομήτου, ὃς λαμπαδίας ὠνόμασται, ὡς ἄνω τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἱείς, ὃς ἐφ' ἡμέρας εἴκοσι φαίνων διήρκεσεν. ἔθετο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Πέρσας σπονδάς. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν εἰρήνευον, τὴν δὲ πόλιν κατέτρυχον ἐμφύλιοι πόλεμοι, καὶ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ἀγλαΐαν, ὅση περιελέλειπτο ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Λέοντος γεγονότος ἐμπρησμοῦ, διεφθάρκασι. μίσους γὰρ ἐμφύντος τοῖς δήμοις κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος καὶ τῆς βασιλίσσης δι' ἅπερ εἴρηται, ὡμονόησαν ἄμφω τὰ μέρη, τό τε Βένετον καὶ τὸ Πράσινον, καίτοι ἀεὶ ἀλλήλοις ἐναντιούμενα, καὶ στάσεως ἤρξαντο. ὁ δέ γε κρατῶν μοῖράν τινα βαρβάρων τῶν καλουμένων Αἰλούρων αὐτοῖς ἐπαφεὶς στῆσαι τὴν στάσιν οὕτως ἐπικεχείρηκεν. ἡ δ' ἀνῆπτο μᾶλλον· μάχης γὰρ συρραγείσης μέσον τῶν δήμων καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον Μίλιον, καὶ πιπτόντων πολλῶν ἑκατέρωθεν, οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καταπαῦσαι τὴν στάσιν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον σπεύδοντες τὰς παναγεῖς τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων βίβλους ἀράμενοι καὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν σεβάσμια ἐκτυπώματα εἰς μέσους τοὺς μαχομένους συνώθησαν ἑαυτούς, οἰόμενοι αἰδεσθέντας ἐκείνους τὰ ἅγια καταθέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ μάχεσθαι· ἀλλ' 154 οἱ βάρβαροι τῶν ἁγίων φροντίσαντες οὐδ' ὁπωστιοῦν τούς τε δήμους συνέκοπτον καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἱερῶν ἢ τῶν ταῦτα φερόντων ἐφείδοντο. τοῦτο τοῖς τῆς πόλεως εἰς ἐρεθισμὸν τῆς στάσεως γέγονε, καὶ ὥσπερ αὐτῷ τῷ θείῳ ἀμύνοντες εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐξήφθησαν πλείονα, καὶ οὐκ ἄνδρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες ἐκ τῶν ὑπερῴων ἐμάχοντο, λίθοις καὶ κεράμοις καὶ παντὶ τῷ προστυχόντι βάλλουσαι ἄνωθεν τὴν βάρβαρον ἐκείνην πληθύν. οἱ δὲ μανίᾳ ληφθέντες καὶ ἀμύνασθαι τὰ γύναια θέλοντες, πῦρ ἐνιᾶσι τοῖς οἴκοις, ἐξ ὧνπερ ἐβάλλοντο. πνεύματος δὲ σφοδροῦ πνέοντος τηνικαῦτα, ἡ φλὸξ ἦρτο ταχέως ἀέριος καὶ πολλὰς μεγίστας τε καὶ καλλίστας οἰκοδομὰς κατῃθάλωσε καὶ ἀγάλματα κατέφλεξεν ἀρχαίων ἀνδρῶν ἐπισήμων ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ τοῖς διὰ χειρῶν καὶ συνετῶν βουλευμάτων ἀνδραγαθήμασι, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν αὐτὸ τὸ θεῖον τέμενος τοῦ μεγάλου ναοῦ, ὃν βασιλεὺς Κωνστάντιος ἐδομήσατο, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἁγίας Εἰρήνης, καὶ τὸν τοῦ Εὐβούλου ξενῶνα καὶ τὴν τοῦ Παλατίου Χαλκόστεγον, ἥτις ἦν ἡ νῦν καλουμένη Χαλκῆ, καὶ εἱρκτὴν χρηματίζουσαν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Σευήρου λουτρὸν τὸ λεγόμενον Ζεύξιππον καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ κόσμον καὶ θαῦμα τῇ πόλει καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ 155 περιποιούμενα. τότε τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑτέρως καταστορέσαι τὴν στάσιν διανενόητο· καὶ ἀνελθὼν εἰς τὸ θέατρον διαλεχθῆναι τοῖς δήμοις βεβούλευτο, καὶ πέμψας ἐκεῖ τὸ δημοτικὸν μετεστέλλετο. τὸ δ' οὐκ ἠνείχετο προσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλήλοις παρεκελεύοντο φυλάξασθαι τὸ ἱππήλατον θέατρον, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ἐν εἱρκτῇ συγκλεισθεῖεν αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ τῶν κρατούντων γέγονε παρανάλωμα. ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν διαθέοντες, ἕτερον βασιλέα ἑαυτοῖς ἐβουλεύσαντο προχειρίσασθαι καί τινα συγγενῆ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀναστασίου περισχόντες Ὑπάτιον, πῇ μὲν ἄκοντα, πῇ δέ γε καὶ πεπεισμένον, εἰς τὸν τοῦ μεγάλου Κωνσταντίνου Φόρον ἀπάγουσι, καὶ ἐπὶ ἀσπίδος αὐτὸν μετάρσιον ἄραντες ἀναγορεύουσι βασιλέα καὶ τὸ τῶν ἵππων ἐκεῖθεν ἁμιλλητήριον