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to work mischief on those who chanced upon it, seems always to go to the length to which the endurance of its victims can be estimated. 21.26For the Romans, then, the situation regarding their officials was something like this. And often, when a hostile army of Huns had enslaved and plundered the Roman domain, the generals of Thrace and Illyricum, having decided to attack them on their withdrawal, held back when they saw letters from the Emperor Justinian forbidding them to attack the barbarians, since these were needed by the Romans for an alliance, perhaps against the Goths or against 21.27 some other enemies. And as a result, these barbarians plundered like enemies and enslaved the local Romans, but departed for home with the rest of the booty and the captives as if they were friends and allies of the Romans. 21.28 And often some of the local farmers, driven by longing for their own children and wives who had been enslaved, gathered in a body and succeeded in killing many of the enemy as they withdrew, and they managed to take away their horses along with all the booty; however, they came to experience difficult consequences from this. 21.29 For some men sent from Byzantium saw fit, without any hesitation, to torture them and mutilate their bodies and penalize them with fines, until they should give up all the horses which they had taken from the barbarians. 22.1And when the Emperor and Theodora removed John the Cappadocian, they wished to replace him in his office, and they earnestly made it their public business to find a more wicked man, looking around for such an instrument of their tyranny and scrutinizing the character of all men, so that they might be able to ruin their subjects even more quickly. 22.2 So for the moment they appointed Theodotus to the office in his place, a man not of good character, to be sure, but who did not prove sufficiently capable of pleasing them. 22.3 But later they went about scrutinizing everyone. And they found unexpectedly a certain money-changer named Peter, a Syrian by race, whom they called by the nickname Barsymes; who long ago, while sitting at the bronze-dealer's table, used to make most shameful profits from this very business, being very artful in the theft of small coins and always cheating those who dealt with him by the quickness of his fingers. 22.4 For he was skilled at stealing openly from those who fell in his way, and, if caught, at swearing an oath and covering up the crime of his hands with the audacity of his tongue. 22.5 But having been enrolled among the soldiers of the prefects, he had advanced to such a degree of outrageousness that he pleased Theodora exceedingly and most easily ministered to her impossible and unjust desires. 22.6 For this very reason they immediately removed from office Theodotus, whom they had appointed after the Cappadocian, and they placed Peter in charge of it, 22.7 who carried out everything for them according to their mind. For in depriving the soldiers of all their pay, he was never seen to feel either shame or fear, but he also put the offices up for sale even more than before, and having made them more dishonorable sold them to those who did not shrink from engaging in this unholy traffic, expressly permitting those who had bought the offices to deal with the lives and property of their subjects as they wished. 22.8 For it was agreed that both he himself at once and the one who had paid the price for the office should have the power to plunder and otherwise seize property. And so the sale of men's lives proceeded from the capital of the state, 22.9 and the contract for the ruin of the cities was enacted among the chief men of the courts, and a lawful robber went about in the public market-place, giving to his practice the name of the collection of the monies paid for the prices of the offices, while there was no hope of redress for the wrongs being committed. 22.10 And of all who served the office, and they were many and of good repute, he always drew to himself the most wicked. 22.11 And in this he was not the only one to sin, but so also were all who held this office both before and after him. 22.12And such a sin was also committed both in the office of the so-called magister and in the

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λυμαίνεσθαι τοῖς παραπίπτουσιν ἐξαγομένη ἐς τοσόνδε ἀεὶ ἐξικνεῖσθαι δοκεῖ ἐς ὅσον δύναται ἡ τῶν βλαπτομένων σταθμᾶσθαι δόξα. 21.26Ῥωμαίοις μὲν οὖν τά γε ἀμφὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι ταύτῃ πη εἶχε. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ Οὔννων πολεμίων στρατῷ ἀνδραποδίσασί τε καὶ ληϊσαμένοις τὴνῬωμαίων ἀρχὴν οἱ Θρᾳκῶν τε καὶἸλλυριῶν στρατηγοὶ βεβουλευμένοι ἀναχωροῦσιν ἐπιθήσεσθαι ἀπεπήδησαν, ἐπεὶ βασιλέωςἸουστινιανοῦ γράμματα εἶδον, ἀπεροῦντα σφίσι τὴν ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπίθεσιν, ἀναγκαίων αὐτῶν ἐς ξυμμαχίανῬωμαίοις ὄντων ἐπὶ Γότθους ἴσως ἢ ἐπὶ 21.27 ἄλλους πολεμίων τινάς. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οἱ βάρβαροι οὗτοι ἐληΐζοντο μὲν ὡς πολέμιοι καὶ ἠνδραποδίζοντο τοὺς τῇδεῬωμαίους, ξὺν δὲ τῇ ἄλλῃ λείᾳ καὶ τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις ἅτε φίλοι καὶ ξύμμαχοιῬωμαίοις ὄντες 21.28 ἐπ' οἴκου ἀπεκομίζοντο. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ γεωργῶν τῶν ἐνταῦθά τινες, παίδων τε σφετέρων καὶ γυναικῶν πόθῳ ἐξηνδραποδισμένων ἠγμένοι, ἀθρόοι τε γεγενημένοι ἀναχωροῦσι πολλοὺς ἐτύγχανον κτείναντες, καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἵππους ἴσχυσαν ξὺν πάσῃ ἀφελέσθαι τῇ λείᾳ, πραγμάτων μέντοι ἐς πεῖραν ἦλθον ἐνθένδε 21.29 δυσκόλων. ἐκ Βυζαντίου γάρ τινες ἐσταλμένοι αἰκίζεσθαί τε αὐτῶν καὶ λωβᾶσθαι τὰ σώματα καὶ χρήμασι ζημιοῦν οὐδεμιᾷ ὀκνήσει ἠξίουν, ἕως τοὺς ἵππους ἅπαντας δοῖεν οὕσπερ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀφείλοντο. 22.1Ἡνίκα δὲ βασιλεύς τε καὶ Θεοδώρα τὸν ΚαππαδόκηνἸωάννην ἀνεῖλον, ἀντικαθιστάναι μὲν ἐς τιμὴν τὴν αὐτοῦ ἤθελον, ἄνδρα δέ τινα πονηρότερον εὑρεῖν ἐπὶ κοινῆς ἐν σπουδῇ ἐποιοῦντο, περισκοπούμενοί τε τὸ τοιοῦτο τῆς τυραννίδος ὄργανον καὶ πάσας διερευνῶντες τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γνώμας, ὅπως ἔτι θᾶσσον 22.2 τοὺς ὑπηκόους ἀπολεῖν δύνωνται. ἐν μὲν οὖν τῷ παραυτίκα Θεόδοτον ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κατεστήσαντο, ἄνδρα οὐ καλοήθη μὲν, οὐ σφόδρα δὲ 22.3 ἀρέσκειν αὐτοῖς ἱκανὸν γεγονότα. ὕστερον δὲ ἅπαν διερευνώμενοι περιήρχοντο. εὗρον δὲ παρὰ δόξαν ἀργυραμοιβόν τινα Πέτρον ὀνόματι, Σύρον γένος, ὅνπερ ἐπίκλησιν Βαρσύμην ἐκάλουν· ὃς πάλαι μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ χαλκοῦ τραπέζης καθήμενος κέρδη αἰσχρότατα ἐκ ταύτης δὴ ἐπορίζετο τῆς ἐργασίας, τὴν περὶ τοὺς ὀβολοὺς κλοπὴν εὖ μάλα τεχνάζων καὶ τοὺς αὐτῷ ξυμβάλλοντας ἀεὶ τῷ τῶν δακτύλων τάχει ἐκκρούων. 22.4 δεξιὸς γὰρ ἦν κλέψαι μὲν τὰ τῶν αὐτῷ περιπεπτωκότων ἀνέδην, ἁλοὺς δὲ ὀμόσαι καὶ τῶν χειρῶν τὸ ἁμάρ22.5 τημα τῷ τῆς γλώττης περικαλύψαι θράσει. ἐν δὲ τοῖς τῶν ὑπάρχων στρατιώταις καταλεχθεὶς ἐς τοσοῦτον ἀτοπίας ἐλήλακεν ὥστε Θεοδώρᾳ ἀρέσκειν τε ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα καὶ ἐς τῶν ἀδίκων αὐτῇ βουλημάτων ῥᾷστα 22.6 ὑπουργεῖν τὰ ἀμήχανα. διὸ δὴ Θεόδοτον μὲν, ὅνπερ μετὰ τὸν Καππαδόκην καταστησάμενοι ἔτυχον, τῆς τιμῆς αὐτίκα παρέλυσαν, Πέτρον δὲ ταύτῃ ἐπέστησαν, 22.7 ὅσπερ αὐτοῖν διεπράξατο κατὰ νοῦν ἅπαντα. τούς τε γὰρ στρατευομένους ἀποστερῶν τὰς συντάξεις ἁπάσας οὔτε αἰσχυνθεὶς οὔτε δείσας πώποτε ὤφθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠνίους τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔτι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον προὔθηκεν, ἀτιμοτέρας τε αὐτὰς καταστησάμενος ἀπεδίδοτο τοῖς ταύτην δὴ οὐκ ἀποκνοῦσι τὴν ἀνοσίαν ἐμπορίαν ἐργάζεσθαι, ἐφιεὶς διαρρήδην τοῖς τὰς ἀρχὰς ὠνησαμένοις ταῖς τῶν ἀρχομένων ψυχαῖς τε καὶ οὐσίαις ᾗ 22.8 βούλοιντο χρήσασθαι. αὐτῷ τε γὰρ εὐθὺς καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς καταβεβληκότι τὸ τίμημα ἡ τοῦ συλᾶν τε καὶ ἄλλως ἁρπάζειν ἐξουσία ξυνέκειτο. καὶ προῄει μὲν ἐκ τοῦ κεφαλαίου τῆς πολιτείας ἡ τῶν βίων ὠνὴ, 22.9 ἐπράττετό τε τὸ συμβόλαιον τῆς τῶν πόλεων διαφθορᾶς ἔν τε τῶν δικαστηρίων τοῖς προὔχουσι καὶ τῷ δημοσίῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς περιήρχετο λῃστὴς ἔννομος, ὄνομα τῇ πράξει τιθεὶς τὴν συλλογὴν τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς τιμήμασι τῆς ἀρχῆς καταβεβλημένων χρημάτων, οὐκ ἐχούσης 22.10 τινὰ ἐλπίδα τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων ἐπιστροφῆς. καὶ πάντων δὲ τῶν τῇ ἀρχῇ ὑπηρετούντων, πολλῶν τε καὶ δοκίμων ὄντων, τοὺς πονηροτάτους ἀεὶ ἐς αὑτὸν 22.11 εἷλκε. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐξήμαρτε μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι ταύτην πρότερόν τε καὶ ὕστερον τὴν τιμὴν ἔσχον. 22.12Ἡμαρτάνετο δὲ τοιοῦτο κἀν τῇ τοῦ μαγίστρου καλουμένου ἀρχῇ κἀν τοῖς