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pressed by hunger, or throwing their bodies down from 2.22.27 a height. But for as many as were not afflicted by either coma or delirium, for these the bubo would mortify, and they themselves, no longer able to withstand the pains, 2.22.28 would die. And one might infer that the same thing happened to all the others, but since they were not at all in their right minds, they were unable to comprehend the pain, because the affliction of their minds deprived them of sensation. 2.22.29 At any rate, some of the physicians, at a loss because of their ignorance of the symptoms, and thinking that the essence of the disease was secreted in the buboes, decided to examine the bodies of the dead. And dissecting some of the buboes, they found a terrible kind of carbuncle 2.22.30 that had grown inside. Some died immediately, others many days later; and for some the body broke out with black pustules, about the size of a lentil, and these did not survive even a single day, but all died straightaway. 2.22.31 And for many a spontaneous vomiting of blood that came upon them 2.22.32 immediately dispatched them. This, however, I can declare, that the most experienced of the physicians predicted that many would die, who indeed, contrary to expectation, were free from ills a little later, while they insisted that many would be saved, who indeed were about to perish 2.22.33 very soon. Thus there was no cause in this disease that could be brought to human reasoning; for an irrational outcome came upon almost all, and the baths helped some, but harmed others 2.22.34 no less. And many died neglected, while many were saved contrary to reason. And again the treatments went both ways for those who used them, and, to put it simply, no means for salvation was found by man, neither to guard against contracting it nor, when the evil had fallen upon one, to overcome it, but both contracting it was without discernible cause and surviving it was a matter of chance. 2.22.35 And for as many women as were pregnant, death was certain when they were seized by the disease. For some died miscarrying, while others perished immediately along with the very infants 2.22.36 they were bearing. They say, however, that three women in childbirth survived when their children had perished, and that it happened that one, having already died in childbirth, both gave birth and the child 2.22.37 survived. For those, then, whose bubo both swelled larger and came to suppuration, it happened that they survived, being rid of the disease, since it was clear that the crisis of the carbuncle had abated for them to this point, and this for the most part became a sign of health; but for those whose bubo remained in its original state, the evils which I just 2.22.38 mentioned befell them. And for some of them it happened that the thigh withered, on which the bubo, having arisen, had not at all suppurated. 2.22.39 And others happened to survive not with an unimpaired tongue, but lived on either lisping, or speaking with difficulty and indistinctly. 2.23.1 So the disease in Byzantium lasted for four 2.23.2 months, but was at its height for about three. And at first a few more than the usual number were dying, then the evil grew still more, and afterwards the count of the dead reached five thousand each day, and again it came to ten thousand and even more than that. 2.23.3 At first, then, each man himself took care of the burial of the dead in his household, whom they indeed would cast into the tombs of others, either secretly or by force; but then everything was thrown into confusion in every way. 2.23.4 For slaves were left desolate of masters, and men formerly very prosperous were deprived of the service of their domestics, who were either sick or dead, and many 2.23.5 houses became completely deserted of people. For this reason it happened that some of the notable men, due to the lack of help, were unburied for many days. And the care of the matter came to the emperor, 2.23.6 as was likely. Therefore, having assigned soldiers from the palace and money, he ordered Theodore to take charge of this task, who indeed was in charge of the imperial responses, always reporting to the emperor the petitions of the suppliants, and indicating in turn whatever might be his will. The Romans call this office a 'referendarius' in the Latin tongue. 2.23.7 For some

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λιμῷ πιεζόμενοι, ἢ ἀφ' 2.22.27 ὑψηλοῦ καθιέντες τὸ σῶμα. ὅσοις δὲ οὔτε κῶμα οὔτε παραφροσύνη ἐνέπεσε, τούτοις δὴ ὅ τε βουβὼν ἐσφακέλιζε καὶ αὐτοὶ ταῖς ὀδύναις οὐκέτι ἀντέχοντες 2.22.28 ἔθνησκον. τεκμηριώσειε δ' ἄν τις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι κατὰ ταὐτὰ ξυμβῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἐν αὑτοῖς ὡς ἥκιστα ἦσαν, ξυνεῖναι τῆς ὀδύνης οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἀμφὶ τὰς φρένας παραιρουμένου τὴν αἴσθησιν. 2.22.29 Ἀπορούμενοι γοῦν τῶν τινες ἰατρῶν τῇ τῶν ξυμπιπτόντων ἀγνοίᾳ τό τε τῆς νόσου κεφάλαιον ἐν τοῖς βουβῶσιν ἀποκεκρίσθαι οἰόμενοι, διερευνᾶσθαι τῶν τετελευτηκότων τὰ σώματα ἔγνωσαν. καὶ διελόντες τῶν βουβώνων τινὰς ἄνθρακος δεινόν τι χρῆμα 2.22.30 ἐμπεφυκὸς εὗρον. ἔθνησκον δὲ οἱ μὲν αὐτίκα, οἱ δὲ ἡμέραις πολλαῖς ὕστερον, τισί τε φλυκταίναις μελαίναις, ὅσον φακοῦ μέγεθος, ἐξήνθει τὸ σῶμα, οἳ οὐδὲ μίαν ἐπεβίων ἡμέραν, ἀλλ' εὐθυωρὸν ἅπαντες ἔθνησκον. 2.22.31 πολλοὺς δὲ καί τις αὐτόματος αἵματος ἐπιγινόμενος 2.22.32 ἔμετος εὐθὺς διεχρήσατο. ἐκεῖνο μέντοι ἀποφήνασθαι ἔχω, ὡς τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ δοκιμώτατοι πολλοὺς μὲν τεθνήξεσθαι προηγόρευον, οἳ δὴ κακῶν ἀπαθεῖς ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον παρὰ δόξαν ἐγίνοντο, πολλοὺς δὲ ὅτι σωθήσονται ἰσχυρίζοντο, οἳ δὴ διαφθαρήσεσθαι ἔμελλον 2.22.33 αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα. οὕτως αἰτία τις ἦν οὐδεμία ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νόσῳ ἐς ἀνθρώπου λογισμὸν φέρουσα· πᾶσι γάρ τις ἀλόγιστος ἀπόβασις ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐφέρετο, καὶ τὰ λουτρὰ τοὺς μὲν ὤνησε, τοὺς δὲ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον 2.22.34 κατέβλαψεν. ἀμελούμενοί τε πολλοὶ ἔθνησκον, πολλοὶ δὲ παρὰ λόγον ἐσώζοντο. καὶ πάλιν αὖ τὰ τῆς θεραπείας ἐφ' ἑκάτερα τοῖς χρωμένοις ἐχώρει, καὶ τὸ ξύμπαν εἰπεῖν οὐδεμία μηχανὴ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐς τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐξεύρητο, οὔτε προφυλαξαμένῳ μὴ πεπονθέναι οὔτε τοῦ κακοῦ ἐπιπεσόντος περιγενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ παθεῖν ἀπροφάσιστον ἦν καὶ τὸ περιεῖναι αὐτόματον. 2.22.35 καὶ γυναιξὶ δὲ ὅσαι ἐκύουν προὖπτος ἐγίνετο τῇ νόσῳ ἁλισκομέναις ὁ θάνατος. αἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀμβλίσκουσαι ἔθνησκον, αἱ δὲ τίκτουσαι ξὺν αὐτοῖς εὐθὺς τοῖς τι2.22.36 κτομένοις ἐφθείροντο. τρεῖς μέντοι λεχοῦς λέγουσι τῶν παίδων σφίσιν ἀπολομένων περιγενέσθαι, καὶ μιᾶς ἤδη ἐν τῷ τοκετῷ ἀποθανούσης τετέχθαι τε καὶ 2.22.37 περιεῖναι τῷ παιδίῳ ξυμβῆναι. ὅσοις μὲν οὖν μείζων τε ὁ βουβὼν ᾔρετο καὶ ἐς πῦον ἀφῖκτο, τούτοις δὴ περιεῖναι τῆς νόσου ἀπαλλασσομένοις ξυνέβαινεν, ἐπεὶ δῆλον ὅτι αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀκμὴ ἐς τοῦτο ἐλελωφήκει τοῦ ἄνθρακος, γνώρισμά τε τῆς ὑγείας τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐγίνετο· οἷς δὲ ὁ βουβὼν ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἰδέας διέμεινε, τούτοις περιειστήκει τὰ κακὰ ὧν ἄρτι 2.22.38 ἐμνήσθην. τισὶ δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν μηρὸν ἀποξηρανθῆναι ξυνέβη, ἐφ' οὗ ὁ βουβὼν ἐπαρθεὶς ὡς ἥκιστα ἔμπυος 2.22.39 γέγονεν. ἄλλοις τε οὐκ ἐπ' ἀκεραίῳ τῇ γλώσσῃ περιγενέσθαι τετύχηκεν, ἀλλ' ἢ τραυλίζουσιν, ἢ μόλις τε καὶ ἄσημα φθεγγομένοις βιῶναι. 2.23.1 Ἡ μὲν οὖν νόσος ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἐς τέσσαρας 2.23.2 διῆλθε μῆνας, ἤκμασε δὲ ἐν τρισὶ μάλιστα. καὶ κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν ἔθνησκον τῶν εἰωθότων ὀλίγῳ πλείους, εἶτα ἔτι μᾶλλον τὸ κακὸν ᾔρετο, μετὰ δὲ ἐς πεντακισχιλίους ἡμέρᾳ ἑκάστῃ ἐξικνεῖτο τὸ τῶν νεκρῶν μέτρον, καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἐς μυρίους τε καὶ τούτων ἔτι 2.23.3 πλείους ἦλθε. τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα τῆς ταφῆς αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἐπεμελεῖτο τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν νεκρῶν, οὓς δὴ καὶ ἐς ἀλλοτρίας θήκας ἐρρίπτουν ἢ λανθάνοντες ἢ βιαζόμενοι· ἔπειτα δὲ πάντα ἐν ἅπασι ξυνεταράχθη. 2.23.4 δοῦλοί τε γὰρ ἔμειναν δεσποτῶν ἔρημοι, ἄνδρες τε τὰ πρότερα λίαν εὐδαίμονες τῆς τῶν οἰκετῶν ὑπουργίας ἢ νοσούντων ἢ τετελευτηκότων ἐστέρηντο, πολλαί τε 2.23.5 οἰκίαι παντάπασιν ἔρημοι ἀνθρώπων ἐγένοντο. διὸ δὴ ξυνέβη τισὶ τῶν γνωρίμων τῇ ἀπορίᾳ ἡμέρας πολλὰς ἀτάφοις εἶναι. ἔς τε βασιλέα ἡ τοῦ πράγματος πρόνοια, 2.23.6 ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἦλθε. στρατιώτας οὖν ἐκ παλατίου καὶ χρήματα νείμας Θεόδωρον ἐκέλευε τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, ὃς δὴ ἀποκρίσεσι ταῖς βασιλικαῖς ἐφειστήκει, ἀεὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰς τῶν ἱκετῶν δεήσεις ἀγγέλλων, σημαίνων τε αὖθις ὅσα ἂν αὐτῷ βουλομένῳ εἴη. ῥεφερενδάριον τῇ Λατίνων φωνῇ τὴν τιμὴν ταύτην καλοῦ2.23.7 σι Ῥωμαῖοι. οἷς μὲν