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turning every design, so that he might become a cause of some good to all those under him, and so that matters might manifestly change for the better and undergo a great transformation. And first, he selected and appointed to the magistracies, without bribery, the best of all men, for whom it was, both from their own stock, being the best men, and from the precise scrutiny of the emperor, their first 258 task and earnest care, before all else, to keep their own hands clean from every kind of gain, then, in this way, to honor justice more than all the virtues, and to prepare equality to prevail everywhere, and for the poor not to be oppressed by the rich, nor for anyone to be unjustly subjected to a penalty, but to rescue the needy and poor from the hand of those stronger than them, and gradually to revive the people whom he knew were disheartened and failing from what had gone before, and, having restored them to health, to be zealous to reestablish them all in their former prosperity. And since these men, both on account of their inclination from the beginning toward better things (for such were certainly the ones selected) and on account of the ruler’s zeal in these matters and his watchful and all-seeing circumspection, vied with one another to eagerly surpass each other in all that was necessary, all injustice was immediately driven from all, and justice spoke freely, and the hands that before, more numerous than those of Briareus, were stretched out for others’ property, seemed as if benumbed and paralyzed, and the limbs of the poor, which were previously weak, were strengthened because each could fearlessly work his own plot of land and enjoy the fruit of his own vineyard, and there was no one who dared to bring the ancestral olive and fig tree under his own authority, but each could rest in their customary and ancestral shade. And so the pious emperor was disposed 259 toward all the people under his hand, of the countries and places and cities of his dominion. But if some branch of wickedness, as it were, gathered very firmly together in someone, could not be changed or completely cut out by the local magistrates, it was either changed by the emperor himself or received its cure in some other way. For this most excellent man, striving to completely remove injustice from everywhere, both set forth edicts everywhere and sent them out to every region, by which every gift that until then seemed to have reason on its side due to wicked custom over time was abolished and cut out, and all equality and justice seemed, as if from some exile beyond the borders, to come down to life and to dwell among men. 31 But also those suitable for judging, who were testified to have sufficient learning, and from their judgment and principles to be both pious and incorruptible, he established in nearly every street and every sacred dwelling, raising them above and elevating them from the dignities of a lower rank, and welcoming them with the allocation of annual salaries and other allowances and the provision of honors. And especially the building called Chalke, formerly most splendid and admirable, which had fallen into ruin in many parts and had a damaged roof due to time and the negligence of rulers, and perhaps also from some fires, he himself, with both labor and frequent expenses, cleaned and repaired and 260 established as a public court, more venerable than the Areopagus and the Heliaia. And not only through the selection and appointment of judges did he provide for those who claimed to be wronged to obtain their rights, but also through the provision of daily sustenance for those forced on each occasion to come to the imperial city because of violence from the more powerful. For, fearing lest some, through lack of necessities, might often depart from here before their case received a conclusion, he set aside a sufficient revenue from which those bringing charges against someone were fed until they received the verdict from the judge. And not these things only for the complete

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πᾶν στρέφων βούλευμα, οπως ἀγαθοῦ τινὸς αιτιος τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν απασι γένοιτο καὶ οπως ἐπὶ τὸ αμεινον ἐμφανῇ καὶ μεγάλην μεταβολὴν τὰ πράγματα δέξηται. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀδωρότατα τοὺς πάντων ἀρίστους ἐκλεγόμενος προεβάλλετο, οις ην καὶ οικοθεν, ατε ἀρίστοις ουσι, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἐπισκέψεως πρῶτον 258 εργον καὶ σπούδασμα τὸ πρὸ τῶν αλλων τὰς ἰδίας χεῖρας καθαρὰς ἀπὸ παντοίου διαφυλάξαι λήμματος, ειθ' ουτως πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν πλέον τιμῆσαι δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἰσότητα παρασκευά- σαι ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι πανταχοῦ, καὶ τὸ μὴ καταδυναστεύεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν πλουτούντων τοὺς πένητας, μηδὲ ἀδίκως ζημίᾳ τινὰ ὑποβάλ- λεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ῥύεσθαι πένητα καὶ πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς στερεωτέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἀναλαβεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ουσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν φθασάντων ῃδει λειποψυχοῦντάς τε καὶ ἐκλείποντας, καὶ ἀναρρωννύντας ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας απαντας εὐετηρίας σπουδάζειν ἀποκαθιστᾶν. ων καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρὸς τὰ βελτίω ῥοπήν (τοιοῦτοι γὰρ πάντως οἱ ἐκλεγόμενοι) καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ κρατοῦντος περὶ ταῦτα σπουδὴν καὶ ἐγρηγορυῖαν πανταχόσε περίβλεψιν εἰς πᾶν τὸ δέον προθύμως ἀλλήλους ὑπερβαλέσθαι ἁμιλλωμένων, απασα μὲν ἀδικία εὐθὺς ἀπὸ πάντων ἠλαύνετο, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἐπαρρη- σιάζετο, καὶ αἱ πρὶν ὑπὲρ τὰς Βριάρεω χεῖρες πρὸς τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐκτεινόμεναι ἐκνεναρκωμέναις ωσπερ καὶ παρειμέναις ἐῴκεισαν, καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ πρὸ τούτου τῶν πενήτων μέλη ἐρρώννυτο διὰ τὸ ἀδεῶς εκαστον τὴν οἰκείαν βῶλον ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ τὸν ιδιον ἀμπε- λῶνα καρποῦσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐλαίαν καὶ τὴν συκῆν τὴν πατρῴαν μηδένα ειναι τὸν τολμῶντα ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ' εκαστον ἐν τῇ συνήθει καὶ πατρῴᾳ τούτων σκιᾷ ἀναπαύεσθαι. καὶ ουτω μὲν περὶ τὸν ὑπὸ χεῖρα πάντα λαὸν τῶν τε χωρῶν καὶ τόπων καὶ πόλεων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπικρατείας ὁ εὐσεβὴς διε259 γίνετο βασιλεύς. εἰ δέ τις οιον οζος κακίας εν τινι στερεῶς ευ μάλα συναθροισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἀρχόντων μεταβληθῆναι η τέλεον ἐκκοπῆναι οὐχ οιός τε ην, δι' αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ βασι- λεύοντος η μετεβάλλετο η ἀλλοίως πως τὴν ἰατρείαν ἐδέχετο. τέλεον γὰρ ἐξᾶραι πάντοθεν τὴν ἀδικίαν ὁ κράτιστος ουτος φιλονεικῶν πανταχοῦ τε διατάγματα ἐξέθετο καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν χώραν ἐξέπεμ- ψεν, δι' ων πᾶσα δόσις μέχρι τότε τὸ ευλογον εχειν δοκοῦσα διὰ τὴν πονηρὰν ἀπὸ χρόνου συνήθειαν ἀνῃρεῖτο καὶ ἐξεκόπτετο, καὶ ἰσονομία πᾶσα καὶ δικαιοσύνη ωσπερ ἀπό τινος ὑπερορίου φυγῆς ἐδόκει κατιέναι πρὸς τὸν βίον καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐμπολιτεύε- σθαι. 31 ̓Αλλὰ καὶ τοὺς εἰς τὸ κρίνειν ἐπιτηδείους, ἀπὸ μὲν μαθημάτων εχειν τὸ ἱκανὸν μαρτυρουμένους, ἀπὸ δὲ γνώμης καὶ προαιρέσεως τὸ εὐσεβές τε καὶ ἀδωρόληπτον, ἀξιώμασί τε τῆς ταπεινοτέρας βαθμίδος ὑπεραίρων καὶ ἀνυψῶν καὶ ῥογῶν ἐνιαυ- σίων ἐκθέσεσι καὶ σιτηρεσίων αλλων καὶ φιλοτιμιῶν παροχαῖς δεξιούμενος κατὰ πᾶσαν σχεδὸν ἀγυιὰν καὶ πᾶν εὐαγὲς ἐνδιαίτημα ἐγκατέστησεν. ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τὸ λεγόμενον τῆς Χαλκῆς λαμπρό- τατον τὸ πάλαι καὶ ἀξιάγαστον οικημα, τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ τῶν κρατούντων ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, ισως δὲ καὶ ἀπό τινων ἐμπρησμῶν, κατὰ μέρη πολλὰ διαρρυὲν καὶ τὴν ὀροφὴν πονήσασαν ἐσχηκός, αὐτὸς καὶ πόνῳ καὶ δαπάναις συχναῖς ἀπεκάθηρέ τε καὶ περιεποιήσατο καὶ 260 κοινὸν κατέστησε δικαστήριον, ̓Αρείου τε πάγου καὶ ̔Ηλιαίας σεμνό-τερον. οὐ μόνον δὲ διὰ τῆς τῶν κριτῶν ἐκλογῆς τε καὶ προβολῆς τοὺς ἀδικεῖσθαι λέγοντας τῶν δικαίων τυγχάνειν προενοήσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῆς παροχῆς τῆς καθ' ἡμέραν τροφῆς τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ παρὰ τῶν ἰσχυροτέρων βίᾳ ἑκάστοτε πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἀναγκαζομένων εἰσέρχεσθαι. δείσας γὰρ μὴ ἀπορίᾳ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πολλάκις τινὲς πρὸ τοῦ πέρας τὴν κατ' αὐτοὺς ὑπόθεσιν δέξασθαι τῶν τῇδε ἀναχωρήσωσι, πρόσοδον ἀρκοῦσαν ἀφώρισεν ἀφ' ης οἱ ἐγκαλοῦντες κατά τινων ἀπετρέφοντο, εως τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαστοῦ ἀπόφασιν ελαβον. οὐ ταῦτα δὲ μόνα πρὸς τὴν παντελῆ