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they named after Dourrachos, who was then king of the Cretans, as the Roman Lucan says in the second book of the Civil Wars, or the Corcyraeans, colonists of the Corinthians, according to the Historian; and there was much talk accusing Anastasius of insatiability, so that some elegies were even put up in the hippodrome by the people against him, when an iron statue of him was set up in the hippodrome. The verses of what is called a lampoon by the Romans, but by us a blasphemy, are as follows: “This image of iron we set up to you, O world-destroying king, as being cheaper than one of bronze, in return for the slaughter, the destructive poverty, the famine, and the wrath, which destroys all things through your love of money. And next to Scylla they set up a destructive Charybdis, this savage, flesh-eating Anastasius. Fear even you, Scylla, in your heart, lest he devour you too, after melting down the bronze demon for coin.” 206 For nearly all the inhabitants of Europe are slandered by the ancients for their love of money, at the same time gaining and at the same time spending what comes to them, but the Epirotes most of all, being colonists of the Syrians, as Polemon declared in the fifth book of the Explanations of the Civil History according to the Roman Lucan. Whence also it is called Palestine by the ancients, in which Herod once, in honor of Augustus, built the city of Nicopolis near Leucate and the Actian gulf, where he overcame Cleopatra with Antony. 47 Such, then, was the emperor, but in other respects intelligent and educated, at once lenient and energetic, generous and superior to anger, blushing at speeches, so that, having wished to grant a full term and rank to the teachers of rhetoric, he was prevented by their own dissensions; for it is the nature of the rational faculty, out of inactivity, to be at variance with itself. He was, therefore, good, as I said, and sent away no one who asked with a sad face, so that no city, no fortress, no custom-house or harbor or any place at all of the entire Roman state was without his necessary gifts. But that he alone after Constantine lightened the tribute on souls, even if not all of it—for he did not have time—may he have God merciful for whatever sins were committed by him; for he was a man. And though there were many things that Anastasius did for the common good, the city of Dara, built by him beyond the Euphrates, will alone suffice for proof (the natives call it so, but in our time they call it the city of Anastasius, after him), which if God had not, by his agency, thrust into the jaws of the Persians, the Persians would long ago have seized the Roman territories, since it is near them. 208 48 And it is not difficult to mention one of his obscure and still hidden deeds; for it is necessary also to record in the account one of the man's private virtues. Paulus, a man of noble birth from a most distinguished father, Vivianus, lived under him, who also eclipsed with his munificence the consuls of former times who were ever admired for their magnanimity. This man, for the sake of private needs that were advantageous to him, became indebted to Zenodotus, who was himself also added to the consuls, having obtained only the title, an inalienable sum of gold amounting to one thousand pounds of gold. And as Paulus was despondent about the payment, Zenodotus, appealing to Anastasius, begged him to help him. But he, seeing that Paulus was not able to pay nor Zenodotus able to yield, gave him two thousand pounds of gold, granting the one thousand to the creditor, and the remaining amount—for there was that much—to Paulus. 49 But I return in my account to Marinus. Having taken over the taxes, then, a Syrian man and wicked as could be, he paralyzed the senates of all the cities, selling off the subjects to anyone, as it happened, if only he promised him the greater amount, and in place of the senators who from of old supported the commands, he appoints the so-called vindices (for so it is the custom for the Italians to call the avengers of the gods), who, having taken charge of the taxpayers, treated the cities no less than enemies. And so the emperor becomes very rich, if anyone else, and after him Marinus and all who were simply followers of Marinus,

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προσηγόρευσαν ἀπὸ ∆ουρράχου τότε βασιλεύοντος Κρητῶν, ὡς ὁ Ῥωμαῖος Λουκανὸς ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Ἐμφυλίων φησίν, ἢ Κορκυραῖοι, Κορινθίων ἄποικοι κατὰ τὸν Συγγραφέα· καὶ πολὺς ἦν λόγος ἀπληστίας κατηγορῶν τοῦ Ἀναστασίου, ὡς καὶ ἐλεγείας τινὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου ἀνατεθῆναι πρὸς τοῦ δήμου κατ' αὐτοῦ, εἰκόνος αὐτῷ σιδηρᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου ἀνατεθείσης. οἱ δὲ στίχοι τοῦ λεγομένου παρὰ μὲν Ῥωμαίοις φαμώσου, καθ' ἡμᾶς δὲ βλασφημίας, ὧδε· «Εἰκόνα σοι, βασιλεῦ κοσμοφθόρε, τήνδε σιδήρου στήσαμεν, ὡς χαλκῆς οὖσαν ἀτιμοτέραν, ἀντὶ φόνου πενίης τ' ὀλοῆς λιμοῦ τε καὶ ὀργῆς, ἣ πάντα φθείρει σῇ φιλοχρημοσύνῃ. γείτονα δὲ Σκύλλης ὀλοὴν ἀνέθεντο Χάρυβδιν, ἄγριον ὠμηστὴν τοῦτον Ἀναστάσιον. δείδιθι καὶ σύ, Σκύλλα, τεαῖς φρεσί, μή σε καὶ αὐτὴν βρώξῃ, χαλκείην δαίμονα κερματίσας.» 206 διαβάλλονται γὰρ πρὸς τῶν ἀρχαίων οἱ τὴν Εὐρώπην οἰκοῦντες σχεδὸν ἅπαντες ἐπὶ φιλαργυρίᾳ, ἅμα κερδαίνοντες ἅμα δαπανῶντες τὰ περιγινόμενα αὐτοῖς, οἱ δ' Ἠπειρῶται μάλιστα, Σύρων ὄντες ἄποικοι, ὡς ὁ Πολέμων ἐν πέμπτῃ Ἐξηγήσεων τῆς κατὰ Λουκανὸν τὸν Ῥωμαῖον Ἐμφυλίου Συγγραφῆς ἀπεφήνατο. ὅθενκαὶ Παλαιστήνη πρὸς τῶν ἀρχαίων καλεῖται, ἐν ᾗ Ἡρώδης ποτὲ πρὸς τιμῆς Αὐγούστου Νικόπολιν ἐδείματο τὴν πόλιν παρὰ Λευκάτην καὶ τὸν Ἄκτιον κόλπον, ὅπου Κλεοπάτραν μετ' Ἀντωνίου παρεστήσατο. 47 Ἦν μὲν οὖν τοιοῦτος ὁ βασιλεύς, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα συνετὸς καὶ πεπαιδευμένος, ἐπιεικής τε ἅμα καὶ δραστήριος, μεγαλόδωρός τε καὶ κρείττων ὀργῆς, ἐρυθριῶν τε τοὺς λόγους, ὡς καὶ πλήρωμα χρόνου καὶ βαθμὸν τοῖς τῶν λόγων διδασκάλοις βουληθέντα παρασχεῖν ταῖς αὐτῶν διχονοίαις ἐμποδισθῆναι· πέφυκε γὰρ ἐξ ἀπραγμοσύνης τὸ λογικὸν πρὸς ἑαυτὸ διαφωνεῖν. ἦν οὖν ἀγαθός, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ μηδένα τῶν δεομένων σκυθρωπὸν ἀποπέμπων, ὡς μὴ πόλιν, μὴ φρούριον, μὴ ἐλευσίνιον ἢ λιμένα ἢ τόπον οὖν τινα τῆς πάσης Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας ἀμοιρεῖν τῶν ἐκείνου κατὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον δωρεῶν. ὅτι δὲ μόνος αὐτὸς μετὰ Κωνσταντῖνον τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐκούφισε δασμολογίαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πᾶσαν οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔφθασεν, θεὸν ἐχέτω ἵλεων τῶν ὅπως δή ποτε πλημμεληθέντων αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἦν. πολλῶν δὲ ὄντων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν ὧν Ἀναστάσιος ἔπραξεν, ἀρκέσει μόνη πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν ἡ παρ' αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ Εὐφράτην κατασκευασθεῖσα πόλις ∆άραν αὐτὴν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, Ἀναστασίου δὲ πόλιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσαγορεύουσι καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἣν εἰ μὴ θεὸς πρὸς ἐκείνου ταῖς φάρυγξι Περσῶν ἐπέβρισεν, ἔκπαλαι ἂν τὰ Ῥωμαίων Πέρσαι, οἷον προσεχῆ αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, κατεσχήκεσαν. 208 48 Χαλεπὸν δὲ οὐδὲν καὶ μιᾶς αὐτοῦ σκοτίας καὶ λανθανούσης ἔτι ἐπιμνησθῆναι πράξεως· δεῖ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἰδικῶν τἀνδρὸς ἀρετῶν μίαν ἐναποθέσθαι τῷ λόγῳ. Παῦλος ἀνὴρ εὐπατρίδης ἐκ Βιβιανοῦ πατρὸς ἐπισημοτάτου γέγονεν ὑπ' αὐτῷ, ὃς καὶ τοὺς πώποτε τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐπὶ μεγαλοφροσύνῃ θαυμασθέντων ὑπάτων ταῖς φιλοτιμίαις ἀπέκρυψεν. οὗτος χρειῶν ἰδιωτικῶν ἕνεκα λυσιτελῶν αὐτῷ ἐπωφείλησε Ζηνοδότῳ, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ὑπάτοις προσετέθη, τοῦ ἀξιώματος καὶ μόνου τυχών, ἀναφαίρετον χρυσίον εἰς χιλίας χρυσίου λίτρας συναγόμενον. τοῦ δὲ Παύλου πρὸς τὴν ἔκτισιν ἀθυμοῦντος, ὁ Ζηνόδοτος ποτνιώμενος τὸν Ἀναστάσιον ἀντεβόλει ἀμύνειν αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ συνορῶν μηδὲ τὸν Παῦλον ἀρκεῖν πρὸς ἀπόδοσιν μηδὲ Ζηνόδοτον πρὸς ἔνδοσιν, δύο χιλιάδας χρυσίου δέδωκε λιτρῶν αὐτῷ, τὰς μὲν χιλίας τῷ χρήστῃ, τὰς δὲ λειπομένας τοσαῦται δὲ ἦσαν τῷ Παύλῳ χαρισάμενος. 49 Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀναστρέφω τῷ λόγῳ πρὸς Μαρῖνον. ἐκλαβὼν τοίνυν Σύρος ἀνὴρ καὶ πονηρὸς ὡς ἐπιεικὲς τοὺς φόρους, τὰ μὲν βουλευτήρια πασῶν παρέλυσε τῶν πόλεων, ἀπεμπολῶν τοὺς ὑπηκόους παντί, ὡς ἔτυχεν, εἰ μόνον αὐτῷ τὸ πλέον ὑπόσχοιτο, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν στηριζόντων τὰ προστάγματα βουλευτῶν προχειρίζεται τοὺς λεγομένους βίνδικας οὕτως γὰρ ἔθος Ἰταλοῖς νεμέτορας θεῶν ἀποκαλεῖν, οἳ παραλαβόντες τοὺς συντελεῖς οὐδὲν πολεμίων ἧσσον τὰς πόλεις διέθηκαν. καὶ γίνεται μὲν πολύχρυσος, εἴπερ τις ἄλλος, ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν ὁ Μαρῖνος καὶ ὅσοι Μαρινιῶντες ἁπλῶς,