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1.24.16 who he was. Tribonian was a man of natural ability and had reached the pinnacle of education, second to none of his contemporaries, but being marvelously devoted to avarice, he was always able to sell justice for gain, and for the most part every day he would both abolish and write laws, selling either action to those who requested it according to their need. 1.24.17 So as long as the populace was carrying on the war against each other over the names of the colours, no account was taken of the wrongs these men committed against the state; but when they came to an agreement, as has been said, and entered into the sedition, they both openly reviled them throughout the whole city and went about seeking to kill them. For which reason the emperor, wishing to conciliate the populace, 1.24.18 immediately removed them both from office. And he appointed Phocas, a patrician, prefect of the court, a most intelligent man and well-suited by nature to care for justice; and he ordered Basilides to hold the office of quaestor, a man known among the patricians for his fairness 1.24.19 and otherwise esteemed. The sedition, however, flourished against them no less. But on the fifth day of the sedition, late in the afternoon, the Emperor Justinian commanded Hypatius and Pompeius, the nephews of the former emperor Anastasius, to go home as quickly as possible, either suspecting that they were plotting some revolution against his own person, or because 1.24.20 fate was leading them to this. But they, fearing that the populace would force them into the imperial office, which is what happened, said they would not be doing right if they abandoned their emperor 1.24.21 when he had come into so great a danger. When the Emperor Justinian heard this, he fell still more into suspicion, and he ordered them to depart at once. Thus, at any rate, these two men were brought home and, as long as it happened to be night, they remained quiet there. 1.24.22 But on the next day at sunrise, it became known to the populace that both had departed from their stay in the palace. So the entire populace ran to them, proclaimed Hypatius emperor, and led him to the forum as one who was about to 1.24.23 take over the government. But Hypatius's wife Maria, being intelligent and having the greatest reputation for prudence, clung to her husband and would not let him go, crying out with loud wails and urging all her household that the people were leading him 1.24.24 to his death. But since the crowd overpowered her, she unwillingly let her husband go, and the populace, when he had come by no means willingly to the Forum of Constantine, acclaimed him to the imperial office, and (for they had neither a diadem nor anything else with which it is customary to invest an emperor) they placed a golden necklace on his 1.24.25 head and proclaimed him Emperor of the Romans. And already some of the senators were gathering, as many as had not happened to be left behind in the emperor's court, and many opinions were being expressed that they should go to the palace to fight. 1.24.26 But Origenes, a member of the senate, came forward and spoke as follows: "Our present situation, O men of Rome, cannot be decided otherwise than by war. But war and sovereignty are acknowledged to be the greatest of all things among men. 1.24.27 And great deeds wish not to be accomplished by a brief moment of opportunity, but by wisdom of counsel and by labors of the body, which 1.24.28 men display over a length of time. If, then, we go against the enemy, our fortunes will stand on a razor's edge, and we shall risk everything in a short space of time, and on account of what is to come, we shall either worship Fortune or 1.24.29 blame her utterly. For the swiftest of actions for the most part devolve upon the power of fortune. But if we manage the present situation more deliberately, it will not be possible for us, even if we wished, to capture Justinian in the palace, but he will be very glad to flee as quickly as possible, if anyone should let him. 1.24.30 For a government that is disregarded is accustomed to collapse, as its strength fails day by day. There are, then, other palaces for us, both the Placidia and that named after Helen, from where

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1.24.16 τις ἦν. Τριβουνιανὸς δὲ φύσεως μὲν δυνάμει ἐχρῆτο καὶ παιδείας ἐς ἄκρον ἀφίκετο τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν οὐδενὸς ἧσσον, ἐς δὲ φιλοχρηματίαν δαιμονίως ἐσπουδακὼς οἷός τε ἦν κέρδους ἀεὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἀποδίδοσθαι, τῶν τε νόμων ἡμέρᾳ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἑκάστῃ τοὺς μὲν ἀνῄρει, τοὺς δὲ ἔγραφεν, ἀπεμπολῶν τοῖς δεομένοις κατὰ τὴν χρείαν ἑκάτερον. 1.24.17 Ἕως μὲν οὖν ὁ δῆμος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν τοῖς χρώμασιν ὀνομάτων τὸν πόλεμον πρὸς ἀλλήλους διέφερον, λόγος οὐδεὶς ἦν ὧν οὗτοι ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν ἡμάρτανον· ἐπεὶ δὲ ξυμφρονήσαντες, ὥσπερ ἐρρήθη, ἐς τὴν στάσιν κατέστησαν, ἔκ τε τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἐς αὐτοὺς ὕβριζον καὶ περιιόντες ἐζήτουν ἐφ' ᾧ κτείνωσι. διὸ δὴ βασιλεὺς ἑταιρίζεσθαι τὸν δῆμον ἐθέλων 1.24.18 ἄμφω τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ παραυτίκα παρέλυσε. καὶ Φωκᾶν μὲν, ἄνδρα πατρίκιον, ἔπαρχον τῆς αὐλῆς κατεστήσατο, ξυνετώτατόν τε καὶ τοῦ δικαίου ἐπιμελεῖσθαι ἱκανῶς πεφυκότα· Βασιλείδην δὲ τὴν τοῦ κοιαίστωρος ἀρχὴν ἔχειν ἐκέλευεν, ἔκ τε ἐπιεικείας 1.24.19 γνώριμον ἐν πατρικίοις ὄντα καὶ ἄλλως δόκιμον. οὐδὲν μέντοι ἧσσον ἡ στάσις ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἤκμαζε. πέμπτῃ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς στάσεως ἡμέρᾳ περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς Ὑπατίῳ τε καὶ Πομπηίῳ τοῖς Ἀναστασίου τοῦ βεβασιλευκότος ἀδελφιδοῖς οἴκαδε ὡς τάχιστα ἐπέσκηπτεν ἰέναι, εἴτε τι νεώτερον πράσσεσθαι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἐς σῶμα τὸ οἰκεῖον ὑποτοπήσας εἴτε καὶ αὐτοὺς 1.24.20 ἡ πεπρωμένη ἐς τοῦτο ἦγεν. οἱ δὲ, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, δείσαντες μὴ σφᾶς ὁ δῆμος ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν βιάζοιτο, ἔφασαν οὐ δίκαια ποιήσειν εἰ σφῶν τὸν βασιλέα παρή1.24.21 σουσιν ἐς τοσόνδε κίνδυνον ἥκοντα. ταῦτα ἀκούσας Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐς τὴν ὑποψίαν ἐνέπιπτε, καὶ αὐτοὺς αὐτίκα μάλα ἐκέλευεν ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι. οὕτω γοῦν οἴκαδε τὼ ἄνδρε τούτω ἐκομιζέσθην καὶ, τέως μὲν νὺξ ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐνταῦθα ἡσυχαζέτην. 1.24.22 Τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ ἅμα ἡλίῳ ἀνίσχοντι ἔκπυστα ἐς τὸν δῆμον ἐγένετο ὡς ἀμφοτέρω ἀπηλλαγήτην τῆς ἐν παλατίῳ διατριβῆς. ἔτρεχον οὖν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὁ λεὼς ἅπας, βασιλέα τε Ὑπάτιον ἀνηγόρευον, καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς 1.24.23 παραληψόμενον τὰ πράγματα ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἦγον. ἡ δὲ Ὑπατίου γυνὴ Μαρία, ξυνετή τε οὖσα καὶ δόξαν ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ μεγίστην ἔχουσα, εἴχετο μὲν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ οὐ μεθίει, ἐβόα δὲ ὀλολυγῇ τε χρωμένη καὶ τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἅπασιν ἐγκελευομένη, ὡς αὐτὸν τὴν 1.24.24 ἐπὶ θανάτῳ οἱ δῆμοι ἄγοιεν. ὑπερβιαζομένου μέντοι τοῦ ὁμίλου, αὐτή τε οὐχ ἑκοῦσα μεθῆκε τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ αὐτὸν ὁ λεὼς οὔτι ἑκούσιον ἐς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἀγορὰν ἥκοντα ἐς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐκάλουν, καὶ (οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς οὔτε διάδημα οὔτε τι ἄλλο ὧν δὴ βασιλέα περιβάλλεσθαι νόμος) στρεπτόν τινα χρυσοῦν ἐπὶ τῇ 1.24.25 κεφαλῇ θέμενοι βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀνεῖπον. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκ βουλῆς ξυνιόντων, ὅσοι οὐκ ἀπολειφθέντες ἐτύγχανον ἐν τῇ βασιλέως αὐλῇ, πολλαὶ μὲν ἐλέγοντο γνῶμαι ὡς αὐτοῖς ἰτέον ἀγωνιουμένοις ἐς παλάτιον· 1.24.26 Ὠριγένης δὲ, ἀνὴρ ἐκ βουλῆς, παρελθὼν ἔλεξε τοιάδε «Τὰ μὲν παρόντα ἡμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, πράγματα «μὴ οὐχὶ πολέμῳ διακριθῆναι οὐχ οἷόν τε. πόλεμος «δὲ καὶ βασιλεία τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁπάν1.24.27 «των ὡμολόγηται εἶναι. τῶν δὲ δὴ πράξεων αἱ με»γάλαι οὐ βραχύτητι καιροῦ κατορθοῦσθαι θέλουσιν, «ἀλλ' εὐβουλίᾳ τε λογισμῶν καὶ πόνοις σωμάτων, ἅπερ 1.24.28 «ἄνθρωποι ἐς χρόνου μῆκος ἐνδείκνυνται. ἢν μὲν «οὖν ἐπὶ τὸν πολέμιον ἴοιμεν, ἐπὶ ξυροῦ μὲν ἀκμῆς «τὰ πράγματα ἡμῖν στήσεται, περὶ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ἐν «βραχεῖ διακινδυνεύσομεν χρόνῳ, τῶν δὲ ἀποβήσεσθαι «μελλόντων ἕνεκα τὴν τύχην ἢ προσκυνήσομεν ἢ 1.24.29 «μεμψόμεθα πάντως. τὰ γὰρ τῶν πραγμάτων ὀξύτατα «ἐς τὸ τῆς τύχης ὡς τὰ πολλὰ περιίσταται κράτος. «ἢν δὲ σχολαίτερον τὰ παρόντα διοικησώμεθα, οὐδὲ «βουλομένοις παρέσται ἡμῖν Ἰουστινιανὸν ἐν παλατίῳ «λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀγαπήσει ὡς τάχιστα ἤν τις αὐτὸν ἐῴη 1.24.30 «φυγεῖν. ἀρχὴ γὰρ περιορωμένη καταρρεῖν εἴωθεν, «ἀποληγούσης αὐτῇ τῆς ἰσχύος ἐς ἡμέραν ἑκάστην. «ἔστι τοίνυν ἡμῖν βασίλεια ἕτερα, Πλακιλλιαναί τε «καὶ τὰ Ἑλένης ἐπώνυμα, ὅθεν