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since it was already affecting most of the citizens, a certain providence of God happened to occur as follows. Longinus ordered Priscus, the one who had indeed perpetrated this villainy, to bring him all the documents together, and when he was trying to evade the matter, struck him with all his might. And he, by no means able to withstand the blow of a very strong man, fell on his back, and now trembling and having become terrified, and suspecting that Longinus had perceived what had been done, he confessed, and so, with the whole villainy brought to light, it came about that the blackmail ceased. But he was always working these things not only against the laws of the Romans on every occasion, but this emperor was also eager to destroy those which the Hebrews honor. For if ever the recurring season should happen to bring their Passover festival before that of the Christians, he would not allow the Jews to celebrate this at its proper time, nor to perform any sacred rites to God in it or to carry out any of their own customs. And many of them, because they had tasted the flesh of lambs at this time, those set over the offices, prosecuting them for breaking the state's law, fined them large sums of money. So then, though I know countless other such deeds of Justinian, I would not include any, since an end must be given to my account. For it will be sufficient even through these to indicate the man's character. And that he was dissembling and hypocritical, I will now show. This Liberius, whom I just mentioned, he removed from the office which he held, and appointed in his place John, an Egyptian by birth, surnamed Laxarion. When Pelagius, who was a very great friend to Liberius, learned this, he enquired of the emperor whether the story about Laxarion was true. And he immediately denied it, insisting that he had done no such thing, and he handed him a letter for Liberius, instructing him to hold on to his office most firmly, and to yield it to no one in any way. For he did not wish to remove him from it at the present time. Now John had an uncle in Byzantium, Eudaemon by name, who had attained the rank of consul and possessed great wealth, being at that time curator of the emperor's private property. When this Eudaemon heard what has been said, he himself enquired of the emperor whether the matter of the office was secure for his nephew. But he, denying what he had written to Liberius, wrote a letter to John and instructed him to take possession of the office with all his might. For he had not decided anything new concerning it. Persuaded by this, John ordered Liberius to withdraw from the headquarters of the office, since he had been removed from it. But Liberius said he would by no means obey him, being guided, clearly, himself also by the emperor's letter. So John, having armed his followers, went against Liberius, and he, with those around him, prepared to resist. And when a battle occurred, many others fell, and John himself who held the office. Therefore, with Eudaemon pressing the case most strongly, Liberius was immediately summoned to Byzantium, and the senate council, making an inquiry into what had happened, acquitted the man, since the abomination had happened not when he was attacking, but defending himself. The emperor, however, did not desist until he had secretly fined him. Thus, then, Justinian knew how to be truthful and was straight-tongued. But I think it not inopportune to say something as a digression from this account. For this Eudaemon died not long afterward, though many relatives of his were left behind, having made no will nor said anything else at all. And at about the same time a certain man who had become head of the eunuchs in the Palace, Euphratas by name, was released from life, leaving behind a nephew, but having made no disposition for his own property, which was exceedingly large. The emperor took away the properties of both, having made himself heir automatically and not yielding even a three-obol piece to any of the legal heirs. With such respect for both the laws and the relatives of his associates

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ἐς τοὺς πλείστους ἤδη τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπιρρέοντος προμήθειάν τινα τοῦ θεοῦ ξυνη28.14 νέχθη γενέσθαι τοιάνδε. Πρίσκον ὁ Λογγῖνος τὸν τοῦτο δὴ τὸ σκαιώρημα ἐργασάμενον ἅπαντα ὁμοῦ κομίζειν οἱ τὰ γράμματα ἐκέλευσεν, ἀναδυόμενόν τε 28.15 τὴν πρᾶξιν ἐρράπισε δυνάμει τῇ πάσῃ. ὁ δὲ ἀνδρὸς ἰσχυροῦ λίαν τὴν πληγὴν οὐδαμῆ ἐνεγκὼν ἔπεσεν ὕπτιος, τρέμων δὲ ἤδη καὶ περιδεὴς γεγονὼς, ὅλως τε Λογγῖνον ᾐσθῆσθαι τὰ πεπραγμένα ὑπονοῶν ὡμολόγει, οὕτω τε τῆς σκαιωρίας ἁπάσης ἐς φῶς ἐνεχθείσης τὴν συκοφαντίαν πεπαῦσθαι ξυνέβη. 28.16 Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ μόνον ἐς τοὺς νόμους ἀεὶ καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην εἰργάζετο τοὺςῬωμαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὓςἙβραῖοι τιμῶσι καταλύειν ὅδε βασιλεὺς ἐν σπουδῇ εἶχεν. 28.17 ἢν γάρ ποτε αὐτοῖς ἐπανιὼν ὁ χρόνος τὴν Πασχαλίαν ἑορτὴν πρὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀγαγὼν τύχοι, οὐκ εἴα ταύτην τοὺςἸουδαίους καιροῖς τοῖς καθήκουσιν ἄγειν, οὐδέ τι ἐν ταύτῃ ἐξοσιοῦσθαι τῷ θεῷ ἢ ἐπιτελεῖν τῶν 28.18 ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς νομίμων. πολλούς τε αὐτῶν οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρχῶν τεταγμένοι ἅτε προβατείων κρεῶν ἐν τούτῳ γευσαμένους τῷ χρόνῳ, τῆς ἐς τὴν πολιτείαν παρανο28.19 μίας ὑπάγοντες χρήμασιν ἐζημίουν πολλοῖς. ἔργα μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦταἸουστινιανοῦ ἀνάριθμα ἐξεπιστάμενος οὐκ ἄν τι ἐνθείην, ἐπεὶ πέρας δοτέον τῷ λόγῳ. ἀποχρήσει γὰρ καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἦθος σημῆναι. 29.1Ὅτι δὲ εἴρων τε καὶ κατάπλαστος ἦν, αὐτίκα δηλώσω. τὸν Λιβέριον τοῦτον, οὗπερ ἐμνήσθην ἀρτίως, παραλύσας ἧς εἶχεν ἀρχῆς,Ἰωάννην ἀντ' αὐτοῦ κατεστήσατο Αἰγύπτιον γένος, ἐπίκλησιν Λαξαρίωνα. 29.2 ὅπερ ἐπεὶ Πελάγιος ἔγνω Λιβερίῳ φίλος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ὢν, τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀνεπυνθάνετο εἴπερ ὁ 29.3 ἀμφὶ Λαξαρίωνα λόγος ἀληθὴς εἴη. καὶ ὃς εὐθὺς ἀπηρνήσατο μηδὲν πεπραγέναι τοιοῦτο ἀπισχυρισάμενος, γράμματά τε αὐτῷ πρὸς Λιβέριον ἐνεχείρισεν, ἐντελλόμενος βεβαιότατα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔχεσθαι, καὶ μηδενὶ αὐ29.4 τῆς τρόπῳ μεθίεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ταύτης ἐθέλειν ἐν τῷ παρόντι αὐτὸν παραλῦσαι. ἦν δέ τις τῷἸωάννῃ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ θεῖος, Εὐδαίμων ὄνομα, ἔς τε τὸ τῶν ὑπάτων ἀξίωμα ἥκων καὶ χρήματα περιβεβλημένος πολλὰ 29.5 ἐπίτροπος τέως τῆς βασιλέως οὐσίας ἰδίας. οὗτος Εὐδαίμων ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἠκηκόει ἅπερ ἐρρήθη, καὶ αὐτὸς βασιλέως ἀνεπυνθάνετο εἰ ἐν βεβαίῳ τῷ ἀδελφιδῷ τὰ 29.6 τῆς ἀρχῆς εἴη. ὁ δὲ ὅσα οἱ πρὸς Λιβέριον ἐγέγραπτο ἀρνησάμενος, πρὸς τὸνἸωάννην γράμματα γράψας ἀν29.7 τιλαβέσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς δυνάμει πάσῃ ἐπέστελλεν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' αὐτῷ νεώτερον ἀμφ' αὐτῇ βεβουλεῦσθαι. οἷσπερ ὁἸωάννης ἀναπεισθεὶς Λιβέριον ἀναχωρεῖν τοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς καταγωγίου ἅτε αὐτῆς παραλελυμένον 29.8 ἐκέλευε. Λιβέριος δὲ αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι οὐδαμῆ ἔφασκεν, ἠγμένος δηλονότι τοῖς βασιλέως καὶ αὐτὸς γράμμασιν. 29.9 ὁ μὲν οὖνἸωάννης τούς οἱ ἑπομένους ὁπλίσας ἐπὶ τὸν Λιβέριον ᾔει, ὁ δὲ ξὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' αὑτὸν εἰς ἀντίστασιν εἶδε. μάχης τε γενομένης, ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ 29.10 πίπτουσι καὶἸωάννης αὐτὸς ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχων. Εὐδαίμονος οὖν ἰσχυρότατα ἐγκειμένου, μετάπεμπτος εὐθὺς ἐς Βυζάντιον ὁ Λιβέριος ἦν, ἥ τε σύγκλητος βουλὴ τὴν διάγνωσιν ποιουμένη τῶν πεπραγμένων, ἀπεψηφίσατο τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐπεὶ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπελθόντος, ἀλλ' 29.11 ἀμυνομένου τὸ μίασμα ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. βασιλεὺς μέντοι οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη ἕως αὐτὸν ἐζημίωσε χρήμασι λάθρα. 29.12 Οὕτω μὲν οὖνἸουστινιανὸς ἀληθίζεσθαί τε ἠπίστατο καὶ εὐθύγλωσσος ἦν. ἐγὼ δὲ πάρεργόν τι τοῦδε τοῦ λόγου εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἄπο τοῦ καιροῦ οἴομαι εἶναι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Εὐδαίμων οὗτος ἐτελεύτησεν οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον, ξυγγενῶν μέν οἱ ἀπολελειμμένων πολλῶν, οὔτε διαθήκην τινὰ διαθέμενος οὔτε τι ἄλλο τὸ παράπαν 29.13 εἰπών. ὑπὸ χρόνον τε τὸν αὐτὸν καί τις ἄρχων γεγονὼς τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ εὐνούχων ὄνομα Εὐφρατᾶς ἀπελύθη τοῦ βίου, ἀδελφιδοῦν μὲν ἀπολιπὼν, οὐδὲν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ οὐσίᾳ διαθέμενος τῇ αὑτοῦ πολλῇ ἐς ἄγαν 29.14 οὔσῃ. ἄμφω δὲ βασιλεὺς τὰς οὐσίας ἀφείλετο, κληρονόμος γεγενημένος αὐτόματος καὶ οὐδὲ τριώβολόν τινι 29.15 τῶν νομίμων κληρονόμων προέμενος. τοσαύτῃ αἰδοῖ ἔς τε τοὺς νόμους καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τοὺς ξυγγενεῖς