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he transferred to the public treasury on this pretext, on the condition that these soldiers should be fed from this source, and from this cause both in all the rest of Greece and not least in Athens itself no public building was restored nor was it possible for any other good thing to be done. 26.34 Justinian, however, confirmed the arrangements made in these matters by Psalidius without any delay. 26.35 So these things have proceeded in this way. But I must go on to the poor of Alexandria. A certain Hephaestus had been among the lawyers there, who, having taken over the government of the Alexandrians, stopped the populace from sedition, appearing fearsome to the seditious, but he inflicted the worst of all evils upon all who lived there. 26.36 For immediately having established all the markets of the city into what is called a monopoly, he allowed no other merchant to carry on this business, but having become the sole retailer of all things, he offered for sale all the goods, clearly setting their prices by the authority of his office, and the city of the Alexandrians was being choked by the scarcity of necessities, where even for those in extreme poverty previously all things had been sufficiently cheap. But he especially oppressed them concerning bread. 26.37 For he alone bought grain from the Egyptians, not allowing another to buy so much as a single medimnus, and in this way he set the loaves of bread and the prices of the bread 26.38 just as he wished. And so, in a short time he himself acquired untold wealth and 26.39 he satisfied the emperor's desire in this matter. And the people of the Alexandrians, for fear of Hephaestus, bore their present circumstances quietly, but the emperor, out of respect for the money continually being brought to him, exceedingly admired the man. 26.40 And this Hephaestus, having planned how he might be able to win over the emperor's mind still more, 26.41 contrived the following in addition. Diocletian, having become emperor of the Romans, decreed that a great amount of grain be given from the public treasury of the Alexandrians to the needy every 26.42 year. The people at that time, having distributed this among themselves, passed it down to their descendants up to the present day. 26.43 But Hephaestus, having taken away from this source two hundred thousand medimni annually from those who lacked the necessities, put it into the public treasury, having written to the emperor that neither justly nor in a way that benefits the state 26.44 had these men been receiving this up until now. And from this, the emperor, having confirmed the deed, held him in greater esteem, but as many of the Alexandrians who had this hope for their livelihood, enjoyed the fruits of this inhumanity in their most pressing needs. 27.1 The things done by Justinian, then, are so many, that not even all eternity could suffice for the account of them. 27.2 But it will be sufficient for me to select a few things from them all to speak of, through which his entire character will be clearly manifest even to those who will come after, and how he was a dissembler and cared neither for God, nor for priests, nor for laws, nor for a populace that seemed devoted to him, nor indeed for any shame at all, or for the advantage of the state, or of what might be of service to it, or how what was being done might find some excuse, nor did anything else enter his mind, except only the seizure of the money lying in the whole world. I will begin from this point. 27.3 He himself appointed as archbishop for the Alexandrians a man named Paul. And a certain Rhodon, a Phoenician by birth, happened at that time to hold the government of Alexandria. 27.4 To whom he wrote, instructing him to assist Paul in all things with all zeal, so that nothing of the things proclaimed by him might remain unaccomplished. 27.5 For in this way he thought it would be possible for him to win over the heretics of the Alexandrians to the Synod of Chalcedon. 27.6 There was a certain Arsenius, a Palestinian by birth, who had become a most indispensable intimate of the empress Theodora, and from this, acquiring both great power and vast sums of money, 27.7 he came to the rank of senator, although he was most abominable. This man was a Samaritan, but so as not to lose his existing power, he decided to take on the name of Christian. 27.8 His father and brother, however, by his

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δημόσιον ἐπὶ τῷ προσχήματι τούτῳ μετήνεγκεν, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐνθένδε οἱ στρατιῶται οὗτοι σιτίζοιντο, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔν τε τῇ ἄλλῃ πάσῃἙλλάδι καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐνἈθήναις αὐταῖς οὔτε τις ἐν δημοσίῳ οἰκοδομία ἀνενεώθη οὔτε ἄλλο ἀγαθὸν οἷόν τε ἦν γίνεσθαι. 26.34Ἰουστινιανὸς μέντοι τὰ τῇδε διῳκημένα τῷ Ψαλιδίῳ οὐδεμιᾷ μελλήσει ἐπέρρωσε. 26.35 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε κεχώρηκεν. ἰτέον δὲ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἐνἈλεξανδρείᾳ πτωχούς.Ἥφαιστός τις ἐν τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ῥήτορσιν ἐγεγόνει, ὅσπερ παραλαβὼν τὴνἈλεξανδρέων ἀρχὴν τὸν μὲν δῆμον τοῦ στασιάζειν κατέπαυσε, φοβερὸς τοῖς στασιώταις φανεὶς, ἔσχατα δὲ ἐσχάτων κακὰ τοῖς τῇδε ᾠκημένοις ἐνδέδεικται πᾶσι. 26.36 πάντα γὰρ εὐθὺς τὰ τῆς πόλεως πωλητήρια ἐς τὸ καλούμενον μονοπώλιον καταστησάμενος ἄλλον μὲν ἐμπόρων οὐδένα ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἐργασίαν ἐργάζεσθαι εἴα, μόνος δὲ ἁπάντων αὐτὸς γεγονὼς κάπηλος παρεδίδοτο τὰ ὤνια πάντα, δηλονότι τὰς τούτων τιμὰς τῇ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐξουσίᾳ σταθμώμενος, ἀπεπνίγετό τε τῇ τῶν ἀναγκαίων σπάνει ἡ τῶνἈλεξανδρέων πόλις, οὗ δὴ καὶ τοῖς τὰ ἔσχατα πενομένοις τὰ πρότερα εὔωνα διαρκῶς ἐγεγόνει πάντα. μάλιστα δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀμφὶ τῷ ἄρτῳ 26.37 ἐπίεζε. τὸν γὰρ σῖτον αὐτὸς ἐξ Αἰγυπτίων ὠνεῖτο μόνος, οὐδὲ ὅσον ἐς μέδιμνον ἕνα ἑτέρῳ ἐνδιδοὺς πρίασθαι, ταύτῃ τε τοὺς ἄρτους καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄρτων 26.38 τιμήματα διετίθετο ᾗπερ ἐβούλετο. πλοῦτον τοίνυν καὶ ἀμύθητον αὐτός τε δι' ὀλίγου περιεβάλετο καὶ 26.39 βασιλεῖ τὴν ἀμφὶ τούτῳ ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνεπλήσατο. καὶ τῶν μὲνἈλεξανδρέων ὁ δῆμος δέει τοῦἩφαίστου τὰ παρόντα σφίσιν ἡσυχῇ ἔφερον, ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ αἰδοῖ τῶν οἱ ἐς ἀεὶ ἐσκομιζομένων χρημάτων ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ὑπερηγάπα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. 26.40 Βουλεύσας δὲἭφαιστος οὗτος ὅπως τὴν βασιλέως διάνοιαν πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐξελεῖν δύνηται, προσε26.41 πετεχνήσατο τάδε. ∆ιοκλητιανὸςῬωμαίων γεγονὼς αὐτοκράτωρ σίτου μέγα τι χρῆμα δίδοσθαι παρὰ τοῦ δημοσίου τῶνἈλεξανδρέων τοῖς δεομένοις ἀνὰ πᾶν 26.42 ἔτος διώρισε. ταῦτα ὁ δῆμος τηνικάδε διαδασάμενοι ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐς ἀπογόνους τοὺς ἄχρι δεῦρο παρέ26.43 πεμψαν. ἀλλ'Ἥφαιστος ἐνθένδε μυριάδας ἐς διακοσίας ἐπετείους μεδίμνων τοὺς τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὑποσπανίζοντας ἀφελόμενος τῷ δημοσίῳ ἐντέθεικε, βασιλεῖ γράψας ὡς οὐ δικαίως οὐδὲ ᾗ ξυμφέρει τοῖς πράγμασι 26.44 μέχρι νῦν ταῦτα οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι κομίζοιντο. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς μὲν ἐμπεδώσας τὴν πρᾶξιν διὰ σπουδῆς αὐτὸν μείζονος ἔσχεν,Ἀλεξανδρέων δὲ ὅσοι ταύτην εἶχον τοῦ βίου ἐλπίδα, ταύτης δὴ ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις τῆς ἀπανθρωπίας ἀπώναντο. 27.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖνἸουστινιανῷ εἰργασμένα τοσαῦτά ἐστιν, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα τῷ περὶ αὐτῶν 27.2 λόγῳ ἐπαρκεῖν δύνασθαι. ὀλίγα δέ μοι ἄττα ἐκ πάντων ἀπολεξαμένῳ εἰπεῖν ἀποχρήσει, δι' ὧν αὐτοῦ ἔνδηλον καὶ τοῖς ὄπισθεν γενησομένοις τὸ ἦθος ἅπαν διαφανῶς ἔσται, καὶ ὡς εἴρων τε ἦν καὶ οὔτε θεοῦ οὔτε ἱερέων οὔτε νόμων αὐτῷ ἔμελεν, οὔτε δήμου κατεσπουδασμένου αὐτῷ δοκοῦντος εἶναι, οὐ μὴν οὔτε τινὸς τὸ παράπαν αἰδοῦς ἢ τοῦ τῆς πολιτείας ξυμφόρου ἢ ὅτου τι προὔργου ἐς αὐτὴν γένοιτο, ἢ ὅπως σκήψεώς τινος τὰ πρασσόμενα τυχεῖν δύναιτο, οὔτε ἄλλο τι αὐτὸν ἐσῄει, ὅτι μὴ μόνη ἀφαίρεσις τῶν ἐν πάσῃ γῇ κειμένων χρημάτων. ἄρξομαι δὲ ἐνθένδε. 27.3Ἀρχιερέα κατεστήσατοἈλεξανδρεῦσιν αὐτὸς Παῦλον ὄνομα. ἐτύγχανε δὲῬόδων τις, Φοῖνιξ γένος, ἔχων 27.4 τηνικάδε τὴνἈλεξανδρείας ἀρχήν. ᾧ δὴ ἐπέστελλεν ἐς ἅπαντα Παύλῳ ὑπηρετεῖν προθυμίᾳ τῇ πάσῃ, ὅπως δὴ ἀτελεύτητον μένοι τῶν πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγελλομένων 27.5 μηδέν. ταύτῃ γὰρ τῶνἈλεξανδρέων τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἑταιρίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν ἐν Καλχηδόνι σύνοδον ᾤετο 27.6 δυνατὸν ἔσεσθαι. ἦν δέ τιςἈρσένιος, Παλαιστῖνος γένος, ὅσπερ Θεοδώρᾳ τῇ βασιλίδι ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἐπιτήδειος γεγονὼς, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δύναμίν τε πολλὴν μεγάλα τε περιβαλλόμενος χρήματα 27.7 ἐς βουλῆς ἀξίωμα ἦλθε, καίπερ μιαρώτατος ὤν. οὗτος Σαμαρείτης μὲν ἦν, τοῦ δὲ μὴ τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν προέσθαι δύναμιν ὀνόματος ἀντιλαβέσθαι τοῦ Χριστιανῶν 27.8 ἔγνω. ὁ μέντοι πατήρ τε καὶ ἀδελφὸς τῇ τούτου