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they made known to the emperor what had been done; who, having given thanks to God, was considering whom of the westerners he would appoint emperor. 196 Exc. Salm.: Placidia had two generals, to one of whom, Boniface, she entrusted Libya, but she kept Aetius with her. Aetius was jealous and wrote to Boniface that "the empress is against you, and a sign of this is that she will summon you for no reason. If, therefore, she writes for you to come, do not obey; for she will kill you." Then he went down to the empress, saying that Boniface was planning a rebellion. "And you will know this clearly; for if you summon him," he said, "he will not come." And when the empress wrote for him to come, he, believing the things reported to him by Aetius to be true, handed Libya over to the Goths, and he was not persuaded to come. But later, when some men were sent to him, and an agreement was made, the lie was exposed. And the empress loved him more, but she loathed Aetius for contriving such things, though she was not able to do him any harm. From that time on, she was never able to recover Libya. 197 Ibid.: Valentinian the younger, not the son of Valentinian the Great, who was his son by his second wife, whom he married while his own wife was still alive, but the son of Constantius the Count, who had been honored with the imperial rule of Rome by the emperor Honorius, and of Placidia, the sister of the emperors Honorius and Arcadius. 198 Exc. De ins.: That in the time of Theodosius the Younger, Chrysaphius managed everything, seizing the property of all, and being hated by all. At that time, then, Attila, putting forward as a pretext the request of Constantius, which he had asked him concerning marriage to the daughter of Saturnilus, rose up against the Roman empire, and he demanded that the eunuch Chrysaphius be handed over to him, as having been caught in the plot against him. Thereupon Anatolius and Nomus went again to Attila, and with gifts they persuaded him to desist from his anger against the eunuch. 199 Ibid.: That Theodosius the Younger was angry with Zeno; for he feared that he might someday attempt a usurpation, since the seizure would be without risk * for him. This especially disturbed him. And while he readily granted pardon for all offenses, he was harsh and unyielding not only against those who plotted usurpation, but also against those thought worthy of imperial rule, and he proceeded to get them out of the way by every means. And in addition to the aforementioned persons, he also banished Baudon and Daniel, as having attempted usurpation. From the same resolve, therefore, and being eager to punish Zeno, he held to his previous plan, so that Maximinus should cross into Isauropolis and seize the places there in advance, and that a force should be sent by sea to the east that would subdue Zeno; and he did not desist from what he had decided; but when a greater fear disturbed him, he postponed the preparation. 2. For someone came announcing that Attila had attacked the imperial domains around Rome, after Honoria, the sister of Valentinian, had summoned him to her aid. For Honoria, herself also holding the imperial scepter, was caught coming to a secret bed with a certain Eugenius, who had the care of her affairs, and for this offense he was executed, while she, being driven from the palace, was betrothed to Herculanus, a man of consular rank and of good character, so that he would be suspected neither of aiming at imperial power nor of revolution. But considering the matter a misfortune and a terrible grief, she sends a certain eunuch, Hyacinthus, to Attila, so that for a sum of money he might avenge her for the marriage; and in addition to this she also sent a ring, pledging herself to the barbarian. And he was preparing himself to march against the western empire. But he wished to take Aetius by surprise; for he would not otherwise attain his hope, unless he got him out of the way. Theodosius, therefore, having learned these things, writes to Valentinian to send Honoria to Attila. And he, having seized Hyacinthus, all
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γνώριμα τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ πεπραγμένα ἐποιήσαντο· ὃς εὐχαριστήσας τῷ Θεῷ ἐσκόπει τίνα τῶν ἑσπερίων ἀναδείξει βασιλέα. 196 Exc. Salm.: Πλακιδία εἶχε δύο στρατηγοὺς, ὧν τῷ μὲν ἑνὶ Βονιφατίῳ τὴν Λιβύην ἐπέτρεψεν, Ἀέτιον δὲ παρακατέσχεν. Ἐφθόνησεν Ἀέτιος καὶἔγραψε Βονιφατίῳ, ὅτι «ἡ βασίλισσα ἔχει κατὰ σοῦ, καὶ τούτου σημεῖον, ὅτι μετακαλέσεταί σε ὑπ' οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας. Ἐὰν οὖν γράψῃ σοι ἐλθεῖν, μὴ ὑπακούσῃς· ἀναιρήσει γάρ σε.» Εἶτα κατῆλθε τὴν βασίλισσαν λέγων, ὡς ἀποστασίαν μελετᾷ ὁ Βονιφάτιος. «Καὶ τοῦτο γνώσῃ σαφῶς· ἐὰν γὰρ μετακαλέσῃ, φησὶν, αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἐλεύσεται.» Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἔγραψεν αὐτῷ ἐλθεῖν ἡ βασίλισσα, ἀληθῆ νομίσας ἐκεῖνος τὰ ὑπὸ Ἀετίου αὐτῷ μηνυθέντα, τὴν Λιβύην ἐνεχείρισε Γότθοις, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐλθεῖν ἐπείθετο. Ὕστερον δὲ σταλέντων τινῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ συμβάσεως γενομένης, τὸ ψεῦδος ἠλέγχθη. Κἀκεῖνον μὲν πλέον ἠγάπησεν ἡ βασίλισσα, τὸν δ' Ἀέτιον ἐμυσάττετο μὲν τοιαῦτα ῥᾳδιουργήσαντα, οὐ μέντοι δράσαι τι κακὸν ἠδυνήθη. Τὴν Λιβύην οὔποτ' ἴσχυσεν ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐπανασώσασθαι. 197 Ibid.: Οὐαλεντινιανὸς μικρὸς, οὐχ ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ υἱὸς, ὃς ἦν αὐτῷ ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας γαμετῆς, ἣν ἐπέγημεν ἔτι ζώσης τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ υἱὸς Κωνσταντίου Κόμητος, τοῦ τιμηθέντος εἰς βασιλείαν Ῥώμης παρὰ Ὀνωρίου τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ Πλακιδίας ἀδελφῆς Ὀνωρίου καὶ Ἀρκαδίου τῶν βασιλέων. 198 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι ἐπὶ Θεοδοσίου τοῦ νέου, Χρυσάφιος διῴκει τὰ πάντα, τὰ πάντων ἁρπάζων, καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων μισούμενος. Τότε μὲν οὖν Ἀττήλας, πρόφασιν τὴν Κωνσταντίου προβαλλόμενος αἴτησιν, ἣν αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ γάμου τῆς Σατορνίλου θυγατρὸς ᾔτει, ἐπανίσταται τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ, καὶ τὸν εὐνοῦχον Χρυσάφιον ἐκδοθῆναί οἱ παρεκελεύετο, ὡς φωραθέντα τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβουλῆς. Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν Ἀνατόλιος καὶ Νόμος πρὸς τὸν Ἀττήλαν παραγίνονται, καὶ πείθουσιν αὐτὸν δώροις ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς κατὰ τοῦ εὐνούχου ὀργῆς. 199 Ibid.: Ὅτι Θεοδόσιος ὁ νέος πρὸς τὸν Ζήνωνα ἐχαλέπαινεν· ἐδεδίει γὰρ μή ποτε καὶ τυραννίδι ἐπιθῆται, ἀκινδύνου αὐτῷ γενέσθαι * τῆς ἁρπαγῆς. Ὅπερ ἔτι μάλιστα ἐξετάραττεν αὐτόν. Καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι ῥᾳδίως νέμων συγγνώμην, χαλεπός τε καὶ ἀμετάτρεπτος ἦν οὐ μόνον κατὰ τῶν τυραννίδα μελετησάντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν βασιλείας ἀξίων νομισθέντων, καὶ σφὰς ἐκποδὼν ποιεῖν διὰ παντὸς ἐχώρει τρόπου. Καὶ πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσώποις καὶ Βαύδωνα καὶ ∆ανίηλον, ὡς τυραννίδι ἐπιθεμένους, ἐξέβαλεν. Ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς τοίνυν προαιρέσεως καὶ τὸν Ζήνωνα ἀμύνασθαι ἐσπουδακὼς, τῆς προτέρας εἴχετο βουλῆς, ὥστε διαβῆναι μὲν τὸν Μαξιμῖνον εἰς τὴν Ἰσαυρόπολιν, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ χωρία προκαταλαβεῖν, στεῖλαι δὲ διὰ θαλάσσης ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω δύναμιν τὴν τὸν Ζήνωνα παραστησομένην· καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ δεδογμένων οὐκ ἀφίστατο· μείζονος δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκταράξαντος φόβον, τὴν παρασκευὴν ἀνεβάλετο. 2. Ἧκε γάρ τις ἀγγέλλων, τὸν Ἀττήλαν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐπιθέσθαι βασιλείοις, Ὀνωρίας τῆς Βαλεντινιανοῦ ἀδελφῆς ἐς ἐπικουρίαν ἐπικαλεσαμένης αὐτόν. Ἡ γὰρ Ὀνωρία τῶν βασιλικῶν καὶ αὐτὴ ἐχομένη σκήπτρων, Εὐγενίῳ τινὶ, τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν αὐτῆς ἔχοντι πραγμάτων, ἥλω ἐς λαθραῖον ἐρχομένη λέχος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ἁμαρτήματι ἀνῃρέθη μὲν ἐκεῖνος, ἡ δὲ τῶν βασιλείων ἐλαθεῖσα, Ἑρκουλάνῳ κατεγγυᾶται, ἀνδρὶ ὑπατικῷ καὶ τρόπων εὖ ἔχοντι, ὡς μήτε πρὸς βασιλείαν μήτε πρὸς νεωτερισμὸν ὑποτοπεῖσθαι. Ἐν συμφορᾷ δὲ καὶ ἀνίᾳ δεινῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιουμένη, παρὰ τὸν Ἀττήλαν Ὑάκινθον εὐνοῦχον ἐκπέμπει τινὰ, ὥστε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν αὐτῇ τιμωρήσει τῷ γάμῳ· ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοι καὶ δακτύλιον ἔπεμψε, πιστουμένη τὸν βάρβαρον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν παρεσκεύαζεν ἑαυτὸν χωρεῖν κατὰ τῆς τῶν ἑσπερίων βασιλείας. Ἐβούλετο δὲ ὅπως τὸν Ἀέτιον προκαταλάβοι· μὴ γὰρ ἄλλως τεύξεσθαι τῆς ἐλπίδος, εἰ μήγε ἐκεῖνον ποιήσοιτο ἐκποδών. Ταῦτα τοίνυν Θεοδόσιος μεμαθηκὼς, ἐπιστέλλει τῷ Βαλεντινιανῷ τὴν Ὀνωρίαν ἐκπέμπειν τῷ Ἀττήλᾳ. Καὶ ὁ μὲν συλλαβὼν τὸν Ὑάκινθον ἅπαντα