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Forgetting at the same time by day all fears, both divine and human, he became again a cause of ruin both publicly and privately for all the Romans. And he conversed for the most part with sorcerers, and, by constantly using unholy divinations which prophesied for him the imperial power, he was seen to walk on air and 1.25.9 was raised aloft by the hopes of the kingdom. However, his wickedness and the lawlessness 1.25.10 in his way of life neither abated nor ceased at all. And he had no word of God at all, but even if he ever went into a sacred place as if to pray and spend the night there, he did nothing in accordance with the customs of the Christians, but putting on a worn cloak befitting a priest of the old belief, which they are now accustomed to call Hellenic, he would recite from memory certain unholy words, which he had practiced, throughout that entire night, so that both the mind of the emperor might be even more under his control and he himself might become immune to evils from all men. 1.25.11 In the meantime Belisarius, having subdued Italy, was summoned by the emperor and came to Byzantium with Antonina his wife, 1.25.12 in order that he might campaign against the Persians. And while to all others he was honored and worthy of much account, as was natural, John alone was hostile to him and was engaged in a great plot against him, for no other reason than that he himself drew upon himself the hatred of all, while Belisarius happened to be especially esteemed by all; and with the hope of the Romans resting upon him, he again campaigned against the Persians, leaving his wife 1.25.13 in Byzantium. But Antonina, the wife of Belisarius (for she was the most capable of all people at contriving the impossible), having decided to do a favor for the empress, devised the following plan. John had a daughter, Euphemia, who had a great reputation for modesty, but was quite young, and for that very reason very impressionable, whom her father 1.25.14 loved exceedingly, since he was the father of her alone. Antonina, taming her over many days, was able to pretend to be a most constant friend and did not shrink from sharing 1.25.15 her secrets with her. And once when she was alone with her in her chamber, she pretended to lament her present fortunes, because Belisarius, having made the Roman empire broader by a greater measure than it had been before, and having brought two captive kings and such a great amount of wealth to Byzantium, had met with an ungrateful Justinian; and in other respects she slandered the government as not 1.25.16 being just. Euphemia, becoming overjoyed at her words (for through fear of the empress she too was vexed with the present regime), said, “And for this, however, dearest, you are to blame, because though it is possible 1.25.17 for you, you are not willing to use your power.” Antonina replied, “For we are not able, my daughter,” she said, “to attempt revolutionary matters in an army camp, unless some of those within take part in the work with us; but if your father were willing, we would most easily undertake this action and accomplish whatever was God’s 1.25.18 will.” Hearing this, Euphemia eagerly promised that it would be accomplished, and departing from there she immediately brought the matter to her father. 1.25.19 And he, delighted with the proposal (for he suspected that this action would lead him on the path both to the oracles and to the kingship), immediately agreed with no delay, and he instructed his daughter to arrange it so that on the next day he himself might meet with 1.25.20 Antonina for a discussion and give his pledge. But Antonina, learning John's intention and wanting to lead the man as far as possible from the true state of affairs, said that it was now inexpedient for him to meet with her, lest some suspicion arising in the meantime might be sufficient to hinder what was being done; and that she was about to 1.25.21 be sent very soon to the East to Belisarius. Therefore, when she had departed from Byzantium and was in the suburb (which is called Rufinianae, and happened to be the private property of Belisarius), John should come there as if to greet and escort her, and they should both have their discussion about the whole matter and receive and give their pledges. Having said these things and to speak well to John

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ἐπιλελησμένος ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ θείων τε καὶ ἀνθρωπείων δειμάτων ἁπάντων ὄλεθρος αὖθις κοινῇ τε καὶ ἰδίᾳ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις ἐγίνετο. καὶ φαρμακεῦσι μὲν τὰ πολλὰ ὡμίλει, μαντείαις δὲ ἀσεβέσιν ἐς ἀεὶ χρώμενος τὴν αὐτοκράτορα αὐτῷ τερατευομέναις ἀρχὴν, ἀεροβατῶν τε καταφανὴς ἦν καὶ 1.25.9 μετέωρος ἀρθεὶς ταῖς τῆς βασιλείας ἐλπίσι. τῆς μέντοι πονηρίας αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς ἐς τὴν δίαιταν παρανομίας 1.25.10 οὐδὲν οὔτε ἐλώφα οὔτε ὑπέληγε. καί τις αὐτῷ θεοῦ λόγος τὸ παράπαν οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ, εἴ που εἰς ἱερὸν ὡς εὐξόμενός τε καὶ διανυκτερεύσων ἐνταῦθα ἴοι, οὐδὲν ὁμοίως τοῖς Χριστιανῶν ἤθεσιν ἔπραττεν, ἀλλὰ τριβώνιον ἐνδιδυσκόμενος ἱερεῖ πρέπον τῆς παλαιᾶς δόξης, ἣν νῦν Ἑλληνικὴν καλεῖν νενομίκασι, λόγους οὐχ ὁσίους τινὰς, οὕσπερ ἐμεμελετήκει, ἀπεστομάτιζεν ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην, ὅπως οἱ ἥ τε βασιλέως διάνοια ἔτι μᾶλλον ὑποχειρία εἴη καὶ αὐτὸς κακῶν γένοιτο ἀπαθὴς πρὸς πάντων ἀνθρώπων. 1.25.11 Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ Βελισάριος Ἰταλίαν καταστρεψάμενος βασιλεῖ ἐς Βυζάντιον ξὺν Ἀντωνίνῃ τῇ γυναικὶ μετά1.25.12 πεμπτος ἦλθεν, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπὶ Πέρσας στρατεύσειε. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἔντιμός τε καὶ λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξιος, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἦν, μόνος δὲ Ἰωάννης αὐτῷ χαλεπῶς εἶχε καὶ πολλῇ ἐπιβουλῇ ἐς αὐτὸν εἴχετο, κατ' ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν, ὅτι δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν τὸ ἐκ πάντων ἔχθος ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν εἷλκε, Βελισάριος δὲ πάντων εὐδοκιμῶν μάλιστα ἔτυχεν· ἐπ' αὐτῷ τε γενομένης τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐλπίδος αὖθις ἐπὶ Πέρσας ἐστράτευσε, τὴν γυναῖκα 1.25.13 ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀπολιπών. Ἀντωνίνα δὲ ἡ Βελισαρίου γυνὴ (ἦν γὰρ ἱκανωτάτη ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων μηχανᾶσθαι τὰ ἀμήχανα) χαριεῖσθαι τῇ βασιλίδι βουλευσαμένη ἐπενόει τοιάδε. ἦν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ θυγάτηρ Εὐφημία, δόξαν μὲν ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ πολλὴν ἔχουσα, νέα δὲ κομιδῆ, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λίαν εὐάλωτος, ἣν δὴ ὁ πατὴρ ὑπερη1.25.14 γάπα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μόνης αὐτῆς ἐγεγόνει πατήρ. ταύτην ἡ Ἀντωνίνα τιθασσεύουσα ἐς ἡμέρας συχνὰς προσποιήσασθαί τε ἅτε φίλην ἐνδελεχέστατα ἴσχυσε καὶ τῶν αὐτῇ 1.25.15 ἀπορρήτων μεταδιδόναι οὐκ ἀπηξίου. καί ποτε αὐτῆς οἱ μόνης ἐν τῷ δωματίῳ παρούσης ὀδύρεσθαι τύχας τὰς παρούσας ἐπλάσσετο, ὅτι δὴ Βελισάριος εὐρυτέραν ποιησάμενος τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν πλείονι μέτρῳ ἢ πρότερον οὖσα ἐτύγχανε, βασιλεῖς τε δορυαλώτους δύο καὶ πλούτου τοσοῦτόν τι χρῆμα ἐς Βυζάντιον ἀγαγὼν, ἀχαρίστου Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἔτυχε· τά τε ἄλλα ὡς οὐ 1.25.16 δικαίαν οὖσαν τὴν πολιτείαν διέβαλλε. περιχαρὴς δὲ τῷ λόγῳ γενομένη ἡ Εὐφημία (δέει γὰρ τῷ ἐκ τῆς βασιλίδος καὶ αὐτὴ τῇ παρούσῃ ἀρχῇ ἤχθετο) «Καὶ τοῦδε «μέντοι, ὦ φιλτάτη,» ἔφη, «ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι, ὅτι δὴ παρὸν 1.25.17 «ὑμῖν τῇ δυνάμει οὐ βούλεσθε χρῆσθαι». ὑπολαβοῦσα δὲ ἡ Ἀντωνίνα «Οὐ γὰρ οἷοί τέ ἐσμεν, ὦ θύγατερ,» εἶπεν, «ἐν στρατοπέδῳ νεωτέροις ἐγχειρεῖν πράγμα»σιν, ἢν μὴ τοῦ ἔργου ξυνεπιλάβωνται ἡμῖν τῶν ἔνδον «τινές· ἀλλ' εἴπερ ὁ σὸς πατὴρ ἤθελε, ῥᾷστα ἂν ἐς «τήνδε τὴν πρᾶξιν καθιστάμενοι ὅσα ἦν τῷ θεῷ βου1.25.18 λομένῳ ἐπράσσομεν». ἀκούσασα ταῦτα Εὐφημία προθύμως μὲν ὑπέσχετο ἐπιτελῆ ἔσεσθαι, ἀπαλλαγεῖσα δὲ ἐνθένδε τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπὶ τὸν πατέρα εὐθὺς ἤνεγκε. 1.25.19 καὶ ὃς τῷ λόγῳ ἡσθεὶς (ταύτην γάρ οἱ ὁδὸν ἔς τε τὰ μαντεῖα καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ὑπετόπαζε φέρειν τὴν πρᾶξιν) εὐθὺς μελλήσει οὐδεμιᾷ ὡμολόγησε, πράσσειν τε τὴν παῖδα ἐκέλευεν ὅπως τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐς λόγους τῇ 1.25.20 Ἀντωνίνῃ αὐτὸς ξυμμίξῃ καὶ τὰ πιστὰ δοίη. μαθοῦσα δὲ Ἀντωνίνα τὴν Ἰωάννου γνώμην καὶ ὡς ἀπωτάτω τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῆς τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἀπαγαγεῖν ἐννοίας ἐθέλουσα νῦν μὲν ἔφη οἱ ξυγγενέσθαι αὐτὸν ἀξύμφορον εἶναι, μή τις ὑποψία μεταξὺ ἐπιγενομένη διακωλῦσαι τὰ πρασσόμενα ἱκανὴ εἴη· μέλλειν δὲ αὐτίκα 1.25.21 δὴ μάλα ἐς τὴν ἕω παρὰ Βελισάριον στέλλεσθαι. ἐπειδὰν οὖν ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἀπαλλαγεῖσα ἐν τῷ προαστείῳ γένηται (ὃ δὴ Ῥουφινιαναὶ μὲν ὀνομάζεται, Βελισαρίου δὲ ἴδιον ἐτύγχανεν ὂν), ἐνταῦθα τὸν Ἰωάννην ὡς ἀσπασόμενόν τε καὶ προπέμψοντα ἥκειν, καὶ τούς τε λόγους περὶ τῶν ὅλων ποιήσασθαι καὶ τὰ πιστὰ λαβεῖν τε καὶ δοῦναι. ταῦτα εἰποῦσα εὖ τε τῷ Ἰωάννῃ εἰπεῖν