43

was guarded by soldiers, he became terrified lest the populace, joining in the attack while he was hard-pressed in a narrow space, might destroy both him and all his followers and so proceed against the emperor more easily and with less trouble. 1.24.50 Therefore, concluding that he must go against the people, who were standing in the hippodrome, immeasurable in number and pushing one another in great disorder, he drew his sword from its sheath, and after commanding the others to do the same, he went against 1.24.51 them on the run and with a shout. But the people, since they were standing in a crowd and not in order, when they saw soldiers who were armed with breastplates and had a great reputation for both bravery and experience in wars, and striking with their swords without any mercy, 1.24.52 rushed into flight. And when a great shout had arisen, as was to be expected, Mundus, who was standing somewhere nearby and wishing to get to work (for he was a daring and energetic man), but was at a loss as to how he should deal with the present situation, when he inferred that Belisarius was in the struggle, he immediately charged into the hippodrome through the entrance, 1.24.53 which is called the Gate of the Dead. Then indeed the partisans of Hypatius, being struck with full force from both sides, were being destroyed. And when the rout had become complete and the slaughter of the people was already great, Boraides and Justus, nephews of the Emperor Justinian, since no one dared to raise a hand against them, pulled Hypatius down from the throne and, leading him in, they handed him over to the emperor along with Pompeius. 1.24.54 More than thirty thousand of the people died on that day. The emperor ordered them to be kept in close confinement. 1.24.55 Thereupon Pompeius wept and uttered things worthy of pity; for the man was utterly inexperienced in such affairs and evils; but Hypatius, after reproaching him at length, said that those who were about to be killed unjustly ought not to be lamenting. 1.24.56 For they had been forced into power by the people against their will and had not later come to the hippodrome to the harm of the emperor. But on the next day the soldiers killed them both and threw their bodies into 1.24.57 the sea. And the emperor confiscated their property for the public treasury, as well as that of all the other members of the senate who had sided with them. 1.24.58 Afterwards, however, he restored to all the others 1.24.58 and to the children of Hypatius and Pompeius both the titles which they had formerly held and as much of their property as he had not happened to have bestowed upon any of his friends. Thus the insurrection in Byzantium came to an end. 1.25.1 But Tribonianus and John, having thus been removed from their office, were later both restored to the same positions. 1.25.2 But Tribonianus, having survived for many years in his office, died of an illness, having suffered no other unpleasant thing from anyone. For he was both persuasive and otherwise charming, and most capable of overshadowing the disease of his avarice by the abundance of his learning. 1.25.3 But John (for he was equally burdensome and harsh to all men, both inflicting blows upon those who came before him and plundering all their money for no reason) in the tenth year of his office paid the penalty rightly and justly for his lawlessness in his manner of life in the following way. 1.25.4 The empress Theodora was vexed with him more than anyone. And he, having offended the woman by his wrongdoings, had not the least thought of winning her over by flattery or favor, but openly set himself to plotting against her and slandered her to the emperor, neither blushing at her fortune nor being ashamed of the extraordinary affection which the emperor had for her. 1.25.5 But the empress, perceiving what was being done, intended to kill the man, but had no way to do it, since the Emperor Justinian held him in high esteem. 1.25.6 And John, knowing the empress's mind towards him, was in great fear. 1.25.7 And whenever he went to his bedchamber to sleep, he suspected each night that one of the barbarians would be set upon him to destroy him, and peering out of his room and looking around at the entrances, he remained sleepless, although he had surrounded himself with many thousands of bodyguards and shield-bearers, something which indeed had not happened to anyone 1.25.8 before. But

43

στρατιωτῶν ἐφυλάσσετο, κατωρρώδησε μή οἱ ἐν στενῷ πονουμένῳ ὁ δῆμος ξυνεπιθέμενος αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἑπομένους ἅπαντας διαφθείραντες ῥᾷόν τε καὶ ἀπονώτερον ἐπὶ βασιλέα χωρήσωσι. 1.24.50 λογισάμενος οὖν ὥς οἱ ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον ἰτέον ἐστὶν, οἳ ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρόμῳ ἑστήκεσαν, πλήθει τε ἄμετροι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀκοσμίας ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ὠθούμενοι, ἀπὸ τοῦ κολεοῦ τὸ ξίφος ἀράμενος τοῖς τε ἄλλοις κατὰ ταὐτὰ ποιεῖν ἐπαγγείλας, δρόμῳ τε καὶ κραυγῇ ἐπ' 1.24.51 αὐτοὺς ᾔει. ὁ δὲ δῆμος, ἅτε δὴ ἐν ὁμίλῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐν τάξει ἱστάμενοι, ἐπειδὴ στρατιώτας εἶδον τεθωρακισμένους τε καὶ δόξαν πολλὴν ἐπί τε ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ πολέμων ἐμπειρίᾳ ἔχοντας, καὶ τοῖς ξίφεσιν οὐδεμιᾷ φειδοῖ 1.24.52 παίοντας, ἐς φυγὴν ὥρμηντο. κραυγῆς δὲ πολλῆς, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, γεγενημένης, πλησίον που ἑστηκὼς Μοῦνδος καὶ βουλόμενος ἔργου ἔχεσθαι (ἦν γάρ τις τολμητὴς καὶ δραστήριος), ἀπορούμενος δὲ ᾗ χρήσεται τοῖς παροῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ ἐτεκμήρατο ὡς Βελισάριος ἐν τῷ πόνῳ εἴη, εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὸ ἱπποδρόμιον διὰ τῆς εἰσό1.24.53 δου, ἣ Νεκρὰ καλεῖται, εἰσβάλλει. τότε δὴ ἑκατέρωθεν οἱ Ὑπατίου στασιῶται κατὰ κράτος πλησσόμενοι διεφθείροντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τροπὴ λαμπρὰ ἐγεγόνει καὶ φόνος ἦν ἤδη τοῦ δήμου πολὺς, Βοραΐδης τε καὶ Ἰοῦστος, Ἰουστινιανοῦ βασιλέως ἀνεψιοὶ, χεῖρας αὐτοῖς οὐδενὸς ἀνταίρειν τολμῶντος, καθεῖλόν τε ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου Ὑπάτιον καὶ αὐτὸν ἐσαγαγόντες βασιλεῖ ἅμα Πομπηίῳ παρέδωκαν. 1.24.54 θνήσκουσί τε τοῦ δήμου πλέον ἢ τρισμύριοι ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐν φυλακῇ χαλεπῇ 1.24.55 ἐκέλευεν εἶναι. ἐνταῦθα Πομπήιος μὲν ἐδάκρυέ τε καὶ ἄξια ἐλέου ἐφθέγγετο· ἦν γὰρ δὴ ὁ ἀνὴρ πραγμάτων τε καὶ κακῶν τοιούτων ἥκιστα ἔμπειρος· Ὑπάτιος δὲ αὐτὸν πολλὰ ὀνειδίσας οὐκ ἔφη χρῆναι τοὺς 1.24.56 οὐκ ἐν δίκῃ ἀπολουμένους ὀδύρεσθαι. ἀρχήν τε γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου ἄκοντας βιασθῆναι καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ κακῷ τοῦ βασιλέως ὕστερον ἐς τὸ ἱπποδρόμιον ἀφικέσθαι. κτείναντες δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἑκάτερον, ἐς 1.24.57 θάλασσαν καθῆκαν τὰ σώματα. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τε τὰ χρήματα ἐς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνάγραπτα ἐποιήσατο καὶ ἄλλων τῶν ἐκ βουλῆς ἁπάντων, οἳ δὴ τὴν γνώμην 1.24.58 ξὺν αὐτοῖς ἔθεντο. ἔπειτα μέντοι τοῖς τε ἄλλοις 1.24.58 ἅπασι καὶ τοῖς Ὑπατίου καὶ Πομπηίου παισὶ τά τε ἀξιώματα, οἷς πρότερον ἐχρῶντο, ἀπέδωκε καὶ τῶν χρημάτων ὅσοις τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς οὐκ ἔτυχε δωρησάμενος. ἐς τόδε μὲν Βυζαντίῳ ἡ στάσις ἐτελεύτα. 1.25.1 Τριβουνιανὸς δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης τῆς τιμῆς οὕτω παραλυθέντες χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐς ἀρχὰς τὰς αὐτὰς 1.25.2 κατέστησαν ἄμφω. ἀλλὰ Τριβουνιανὸς μὲν ἔτη πολλὰ ἐπιβιοὺς τῇ τιμῇ ἐτελεύτησε νόσῳ, ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἄχαρι πρὸς οὐδενὸς παθών. ἦν γὰρ αἱμύλος τε καὶ τἄλλα ἡδὺς καὶ τῆς φιλοχρηματίας τὸ νόσημα ἐπισκιάσαι 1.25.3 ἱκανώτατος τῆς παιδείας περιουσίᾳ. Ἰωάννης δὲ (πᾶσι γὰρ ἀνθρώποις βαρύς τε ὁμοίως καὶ χαλεπὸς ἦν, πληγάς τε τοῖς προσπίπτουσιν ἐντεινόμενος καὶ τὰ χρήματα ἁπαξάπαντα λόγῳ οὐδενὶ ληιζόμενος) δέκατον ἔτος τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχων τὴν δίκην ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως τῆς ἐς τὴν δίαιταν παρανομίας ἐξέτισε τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. 1.25.4 Θεοδώρα ἡ βασιλὶς ἤχθετο αὐτῷ πάντων μάλιστα. καὶ ὃς τῇ γυναικὶ προσκεκρουκὼς οἷς ἡμάρτανε, θωπείᾳ μὲν αὐτὴν ἢ χάριτι μετελθεῖν ὡς ἥκιστα ἔγνω, ἐς ἐπιβουλὴν δὲ αὐτῇ ἐκ τοῦ ἐμφανοῦς καθιστάμενος ἐς τὸν βασιλέα διέβαλλεν, οὔτε τὴν τύχην ἐρυθριῶν οὔτε τὴν στοργὴν αἰσχυνόμενος, ἥνπερ ἐς αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς 1.25.5 εἶχεν ἐξαισίαν οἵαν. αἰσθομένη δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς τῶν ποιουμένων κτεῖναι μὲν διενοεῖτο τὸν ἄνθρωπον, μηχανῇ δὲ οὐδεμιᾷ εἶχεν, ἐπεὶ λόγον αὐτοῦ Ἰουστινιανὸς 1.25.6 βασιλεὺς ἐποιεῖτο πολύν. γνοὺς δὲ Ἰωάννης τὴν τῆς βασιλίδος ἐς αὑτὸν γνώμην ἐν δείμασι μεγάλοις ἐγί1.25.7 νετο. ἐπειδάν τε ὡς καθευδήσων ἐς τὸν κοιτῶνα ἴοι, τῶν τινα βαρβάρων ἐπιστήσεσθαί οἱ ὡς ἀπολοῦντα ὑπώπτευεν ἐς νύκτα ἑκάστην, ὑπερκύπτων τε ἀεὶ ἐκ τοῦ δωματίου καὶ τὰς εἰσόδους περισκοπῶν ἄϋπνος ἔμενε, καίπερ ἑταιρισάμενος δορυφόρων τε καὶ ὑπασπιστῶν χιλιάδας πολλὰς, οὐ γεγονὸς ὑπάρχων τινὶ 1.25.8 πρότερον τοῦτό γε. ἀλλ'