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Therefore, since the affairs of the household had not yet fallen into complete desolation, each one 2.23.8 carried out the funerals of their own relatives. But Theodore, giving the emperor's money and also spending his own, buried the neglected among the dead. 2.23.9 But when it happened that all the tombs which had existed previously were filled with the dead, they began digging up all the places around the city one after another, and there they deposited the dead, as each was able, and went away; then those making these pits, no longer able to keep up with the number of the dying, went up into the towers of the rampart 2.23.10 which is in Sycae; and taking off the roofs, they threw the bodies in there in no order, and having piled them up, however it happened for each one, and having filled, so to speak, all of them with the dead, then they covered them again with the 2.23.11 roofs. And from there a foul odor, going into the city, troubled the people there still more, especially if some wind should blow from that direction. 2.23.12 And at that time all the customs regarding funerals were disregarded. For the dead were neither carried out with the customary escort nor with the usual singing of psalms, but it was enough if someone, carrying one of the dead on his shoulders, came to the seashore of the city and threw it down, where indeed, being loaded in heaps onto skiffs, 2.23.13 they were to be carried wherever it might happen. At that time also, as many of the populace as were formerly partisans, letting go of their hatred for one another, took care of the holy rites for the dead together, and they themselves carried and buried the dead who were not related 2.23.14 to them. But also all who formerly had engaged in and delighted in shameful and wicked matters, these, having shaken off the lawlessness in their way of life, practiced piety strictly, not having learned moderation nor suddenly having become lovers of virtue; 2.23.15 since for men, whatever has been fixed by nature or by the teaching of a long time, it is impossible to be changed so easily, unless some divine good has breathed upon it; but then, so to speak, everyone was terrified by what was happening, and thinking they would die at that very moment, out of all necessity, as was likely, learned piety for the time being. 2.23.16 So it was that as soon as they were delivered from the disease and saved, and supposed they were now in safety, since the evil had passed on to some other men, they again made a quick change of mind for the worse, and displayed a perversity of conduct greater than before, having surpassed themselves especially in wickedness and all other lawlessness; indeed, someone might assert without falsehood that this disease, whether by some chance or by providence, after selecting out the most wicked with precision, had left them behind. But these things were demonstrated at a later time. 2.23.17 But at that time it did not seem easy to see anyone in the market in Byzantium, but everyone who happened to be healthy sat at home, and either tended the sick 2.23.18 or mourned the dead. And if one did manage to meet someone going out, he was carrying one of the dead. All work was idle, and the craftsmen abandoned all their crafts, and whatever other tasks 2.23.19 each had in hand. At least in a city absolutely abounding in all good things, a severe famine came on. To have sufficient bread or anything else, to be sure, seemed both difficult and a matter of great importance; so that it seemed for some of the sick that the end of their life came prematurely from a lack of necessities. 2.23.20 And to sum up, it was not possible to see anyone at all in Byzantium wearing a chlamys, 2.23.20 especially when it happened that the emperor fell ill (for it befell him also that a bubo appeared), but in a city which held the sovereignty of the whole Roman empire, all remained quietly, dressed in the garments of private citizens. 2.23.21 So then, the things concerning the plague, both in the rest of the Roman land and in Byzantium, were in this wise. And it attacked also the land of the Persians and all the other barbarians. 2.24.1 Now Chosroes happened

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οὖν οὔπω παντάπασιν ἐς ἐρημίαν ἐμπεπτωκότα τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐτύγχανεν, αὐτοὶ 2.23.8 ἕκαστοι τὰς τῶν προσηκόντων ἐποιοῦντο ταφάς. Θεόδωρος δὲ τά τε βασιλέως διδοὺς χρήματα καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα προσαναλίσκων τοὺς ἀπημελημένους τῶν νεκρῶν 2.23.9 ἔθαπτεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς θήκας ἁπάσας, αἳ πρότερον ἦσαν, ἐμπίπλασθαι τῶν νεκρῶν ἔτυχεν, οἱ δὲ ὀρύσσοντες ἅπαντα ἐφεξῆς τὰ ἀμφὶ τὴν πόλιν χωρία, ἐνταῦθά τε τοὺς θνήσκοντας κατατιθέμενοι, ὡς ἕκαστός πη ἐδύνατο, ἀπηλλάσσοντο, ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ τὰς κατώρυχας ταύτας ποιούμενοι πρὸς τῶν ἀποθνησκόντων τὸ μέτρον οὐκέτι ἀντέχοντες ἐς τοὺς πύργους τοῦ περιβόλου 2.23.10 ἀνέβαινον, ὃς ἐν Συκαῖς ἐστί· τάς τε ὀροφὰς περιελόντες ἐνταῦθα ἐρρίπτουν τὰ σώματα οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ, καὶ ξυννήσαντες, ὥς πη ἑκάστῳ παρέτυχεν, ἐμπλησάμενοί τε τῶν νεκρῶν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντας, εἶτα ταῖς 2.23.11 ὀροφαῖς αὖθις ἐκάλυπτον. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα δυσῶδες ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἰὸν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐλύπει τοὺς ταύτῃ ἀνθρώπους, ἄλλως τε ἢν καὶ ἄνεμός τις ἐκεῖθεν ἐπίφορος ἐπιπνεύσειε. 2.23.12 Πάντα τε ὑπερώφθη τότε τὰ περὶ τὰς ταφὰς νόμιμα. οὔτε γὰρ παραπεμπόμενοι ᾗ νενόμισται οἱ νεκροὶ ἐκομίζοντο οὔτε καταψαλλόμενοι ᾗπερ εἰώθει, ἀλλ' ἱκανὸν ἦν, εἰ φέρων τις ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τῶν τετελευτηκότων τινὰ ἔς τε τῆς πόλεως τὰ ἐπιθαλάσσια ἐλθὼν ἔρριψεν, οὗ δὴ ταῖς ἀκάτοις ἐμβαλλόμενοι σωρηδὸν 2.23.13 ἔμελλον ὅπη παρατύχοι κομίζεσθαι. τότε καὶ τοῦ δήμου ὅσοι στασιῶται πρότερον ἦσαν, ἔχθους τοῦ ἐς ἀλλήλους ἀφέμενοι τῆς τε ὁσίας τῶν τετελευτηκότων κοινῇ ἐπεμέλοντο καὶ φέροντες αὐτοὶ τοὺς οὐ προσή2.23.14 κοντας σφίσι νεκροὺς ἔθαπτον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι πράγμασι τὰ πρότερα παριστάμενοι αἰσχροῖς τε καὶ πονηροῖς ἔχαιρον, οἵδε τὴν ἐς τὴν δίαιταν ἀποσεισάμενοι παρανομίαν τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀκριβῶς ἤσκουν, οὐ τὴν σωφροσύνην μεταμαθόντες οὐδὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταί 2.23.15 τινες ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου γεγενημένοι· ἐπεὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὅσα ἐμπέπηγε φύσει ἢ χρόνου μακροῦ διδασκαλίᾳ ῥᾷστα δὴ οὕτω μεταβάλλεσθαι ἀδύνατά ἐστιν, ὅτι μὴ θείου τινὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἐπιπνεύσαντος· ἀλλὰ τότε ὡς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντες καταπεπληγμένοι μὲν τοῖς ξυμπίπτουσι, τεθνήξεσθαι δὲ αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα οἰόμενοι, ἀνάγκῃ, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, πάσῃ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἐπὶ καιροῦ μετεμάνθανον. 2.23.16 ταῦτά τοι, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα τῆς νόσου ἀπαλλαγέντες ἐσώθησαν ἔν τε τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ γεγενῆσθαι ἤδη ὑπετόπασαν, ἅτε τοῦ κακοῦ ἐπ' ἄλλους ἀνθρώπων τινὰς κεχωρηκότος, ἀγχίστροφον αὖθις τῆς γνώμης τὴν μεταβολὴν ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω πεποιημένοι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον τὴν τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἀτοπίαν ἐνδείκνυνται, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς μάλιστα τῇ τε πονηρίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ παρανομίᾳ νενικηκότες· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀπισχυρισάμενος ἄν τις οὐ τὰ ψευδῆ εἴποι ὡς ἡ νόσος ἥδε εἴτε τύχῃ τινὶ εἴτε προνοίᾳ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἀπολεξαμένη τοὺς πονηροτάτους ἀφῆκεν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἀποδέδεικται χρόνῳ. 2.23.17 Τότε δὲ ἀγοράζοντά τινα οὐκ εὐπετὲς ἐδόκει εἶναι ἔν γε Βυζαντίῳ ἰδεῖν, ἀλλ' οἴκοι καθήμενοι ἅπαντες, ὅσοις ξυνέβαινε τὸ σῶμα ἐρρῶσθαι, ἢ τοὺς νοσοῦντας 2.23.18 ἐθεράπευον, ἢ τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἐθρήνουν. ἢν δέ τις καὶ προϊόντι τινὶ ἐντυχεῖν ἴσχυσεν, ὅδε τῶν τινα νεκρῶν ἔφερεν. ἐργασία τε ξύμπασα ἤργει καὶ τὰς τέχνας οἱ τεχνῖται μεθῆκαν ἁπάσας, ἔργα τε ἄλλα ὅσα 2.23.19 δὴ ἕκαστοι ἐν χερσὶν εἶχον. ἐν πόλει γοῦν ἀγαθοῖς ἅπασιν ἀτεχνῶς εὐθηνούσῃ λιμός τις ἀκριβὴς ἐπεκώμαζεν. ἄρτον ἀμέλει ἢ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν διαρκῶς ἔχειν χαλεπόν τε ἐδόκει καὶ λόγου πολλοῦ ἄξιον εἶναι· ὥστε καὶ τῶν νοσούντων τισὶν ἄωρον ξυμβῆναι δοκεῖν ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν. 2.23.20 καὶ τὸ ξύμπαν εἰπεῖν, χλαμύδα οὐκ ἦν ἐνδιδυσκόμενόν 2.23.20 τινα ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τὸ παράπαν ἰδεῖν, ἄλλως τε ἡνίκα βασιλεῖ νοσῆσαι ξυνέβη (καὶ αὐτῷ γὰρ ξυνέπεσε βουβῶνα ἐπῆρθαι), ἀλλ' ἐν πόλει βασιλείαν ἐχούσῃ ξυμπάσης τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ἱμάτια ἐν ἰδιωτῶν λόγῳ 2.23.21 ἅπαντες ἀμπεχόμενοι ἡσυχῆ ἔμενον. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τῷ λοιμῷ ἔν τε τῇ ἄλλῃ Ῥωμαίων γῇ καὶ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ταύτῃ πη ἔσχεν. ἐπέσκηψε δὲ καὶ ἐς τὴν Περσῶν γῆν καὶ ἐς βαρβάρους τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας. 2.24.1 Ἐτύγχανε δὲ ὁ Χοσρόης