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you in no way feel sympathy for one who has suffered incurable deeds; but I pity you for your fortune with both women, o best of men, both the one of whom you were wrongly deprived and the one with whom you were forced to live. 7.32.9 And yet it is likely that no one, who has even a small share of spirit, would shrink from the murder of Justinian either from hesitation or any fear, he who indeed sits unguarded always in some public hall at an unseasonable hour of the night, together with the most aged of the priests, being zealous to study the Christian 7.32.10 oracles. But indeed,” he said, “not one of Justinian's kinsmen will stand against you. Germanus, however, who is the most powerful of all, will, I think, readily assist you with his sons, who are young men and boiling with both age and spirit against him, and I have hope that they will even undertake the deed spontaneously. 7.32.11 For they have already been wronged by him as much as neither we nor any other of the Armenians.” With such words Arsaces was always bewitching Artabanes, and when he once saw that he was yielding, he brought the matter to another Persarmenian, Chanaranges by name. 7.32.12 And this Chanaranges was a young man, handsome in body, not however serious, but for the most part boyish. 7.32.13 So when Arsaces had united both him and Artabanes in opinion and in words, he departed, having promised that he would make both Germanus and his 7.32.14 sons of one mind with them for the deed. And Justin, the elder of Germanus' sons, was a young man and just growing a beard, energetic 7.32.15 and rather keen in action; so that he had not long before ascended the consular chair. And Arsaces, coming to him, said that he wished to meet with him secretly 7.32.16 in a certain holy place. And when both were in the temple, Arsaces first asked Justin to affirm with oaths that he would never report the words to any person at all except to his father alone. 7.32.17 And when the man had sworn these things, he reproached him that, being a very close relative of the emperor, he saw certain low and common men who had no claim to them holding the offices of state, while he himself, being now of such an age that it was his to manage affairs, was overlooking not only himself, but also his father, though he had reached the height of virtue, and his brother Justinian, sitting in the lot of a private citizen for all time. 7.32.18 And it had not even happened that he entered upon his uncle's property, of which he himself had become heir, at least in so far as Boraides had willed, and then had been wrongly deprived of the greatest part of it. 7.32.19 And yet it is likely that they will be overlooked much more very soon, as soon as Belisarius arrives from Italy. For he was reported to be already somewhere in the middle of Illyricum. 7.32.20 By suggesting these things Arsaces urged the young man to the plot against the emperor, revealing what had been agreed upon by himself and Artabanes and Chanaranges 7.32.21 concerning this deed. When Justin heard this, he was confounded and grew dizzy and told Arsaces outright that these things must never be done either by him or by his father Germanus. 7.32.22 And Arsaces reported what had happened to Artabanes, but Justin reported the whole conversation to his father. And he, having conferred with Marcellus, who was commander of the palace guards, took counsel concerning the matter, whether it would be expedient for them to report these things to the emperor. 7.32.23 And this Marcellus was most grave in character and for the most part given to silence, neither doing anything for the sake of money nor tolerating jests in word or deed nor otherwise delighting in a relaxed way of life, but always having a life that was somewhat hard and alien to pleasure, yet an accurate guardian of justice and a most ardent 7.32.24 lover of truth. He, indeed, at that time did not allow the report to be brought to the emperor. “For it is inexpedient,” he said, “for you to become the informant of this. For if you wish to say anything secretly to the emperor, Artabanes' party will at once suspect that it has been reported, and if Arsaces should somehow escape and 7.32.25 be able to hide, the charge will remain unproven. I

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πεπονθότι ἀνή»κεστα ἔργα οὐδαμῆ συναλγεῖς· ἐγὼ δέ σε οἰκτείρω «τῆς ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν ταῖν γυναικοῖν, ὦ βέλτιστε, τύχης, «ἧς τε οὐ δέον ἐστέρησαι καὶ ᾗ ξυνοικεῖν ἠναγκάσθης. 7.32.9 «καίτοι οὐδένα εἰκὸς, ὅτῳ φρονήματος καὶ κατὰ βραχύ «τινος μέτεστι, τὸν Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἀναδύεσθαι φόνον «οὔτε ὀκνήσει οὔτε ὀρρωδίᾳ τινὶ, ὃς δὴ κάθηται ἀφύ»λακτος ἐς ἀεὶ ἐπὶ λέσχης τινὸς ἀωρὶ νύκτωρ, ὁμοῦ «τοῖς τῶν ἱερέων ἐσχατογέρουσιν ἀνακυκλεῖν τὰ Χριστια7.32.10 «νῶν λόγια σπουδὴν ἔχων. ἀλλὰ γὰρ» ἔφη «οὐδέ τίς «σοι ἀντιστήσεται τῶν Ἰουστινιανοῦ ξυγγενῶν. ὁ μέν»τοι γε πάντων δυνατώτατος Γερμανὸς, οἶμαι, ξυλλή»ψεταί σοι προθυμούμενος ξὺν τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ, «νεανίαις τε οὖσι καὶ τῇ τε ἡλικίᾳ καὶ τῷ θυμῷ ἐπ' «αὐτὸν ζέουσιν, οὕς γε καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοματίσειν 7.32.11 «ἐλπίδα ἔχω. ἠδικημένοι γὰρ πρὸς ἐκείνου τυγχάνουσιν «ἤδη ὅσα οὔτε ἡμεῖς οὔτε τις ἄλλος Ἀρμενίων οὐδείς.» τοιούτοις Ἀρσάκης ἀεὶ καταγοητεύων τὸν Ἀρταβάνην, ἐπειδή ποτε αὐτὸν ἐνδόντα εἶδεν, ἐπί τινα Περσαρμένιον ἕτερον, Χαναράγγην ὄνομα, τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦγεν. 7.32.12 ἦν δὲ οὗτος ὁ Χαναράγγης νεανίας μὲν, καλὸς δὲ τὸ σῶμα, οὐ μέντοι κατεσπουδασμένος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πλεῖστον παιδαριώδης. 7.32.13 Ἐπεὶ οὖν Ἀρσάκης αὐτόν τε καὶ Ἀρταβάνην τά τεἐς τὴν γνώμην καὶ ἐς τοὺς λόγους ξυνέμιξεν, ἀπηλλάσσετο ἐπαγγειλάμενος Γερμανόν τε καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ 7.32.14 παῖδας ὁμογνώμονας ἐς τὸ ἔργον θήσεσθαι σφίσι. καὶ ἦν γὰρ Ἰουστῖνος ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῶν Γερμανοῦ παίδων νεανίας μὲν καὶ πρῶτον ὑπηνήτης, δραστήριος 7.32.15 δὲ καὶ ἐς τὰς πράξεις ὀξύτερος· ὥστε καὶ ἐς τῶν ὑπάτων τὸν δίφρον οὐ πολλῷ ἔμπροσθεν ἀναβεβήκει. ἀφικόμενός τε παρ' αὐτὸν Ἀρσάκης ἔφασκέν οἱ λάθρα 7.32.16 ἐν ἱερῷ τινι ἐντυχεῖν βούλεσθαι. ἐπεί τε ἐν τῷ ναῷ ἐγενέσθην ἄμφω, ἠξίου πρῶτον Ἀρσάκης τὸν Ἰουστῖνον δι' ὅρκων ἰσχυρίσασθαι μή ποτε τοὺς λόγους ἔς τινα τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ὅτι μὴ ἐς τὸν πατέρα μόνον 7.32.17 ἐξοίσειν. ταῦτά τε ὀμωμοκότι τῷ ἀνδρὶ ὠνείδιζεν εἰ βασιλεῖ ξυγγενὴς πλησιαίτατος ὢν ἀγοραίους μὲν καὶ ἀγελαίους ἀνθρώπους τινὰς ἔχοντας οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς προσῆκον ὁρῶν τὰς τῆς πολιτείας ἀρχὰς, αὐτὸς δὲ τηλίκος ὢν ἤδη ὡς αὐτοῦ εἶναι διοικεῖσθαι τὰ πράγματα, οὐχ αὑτὸν μόνον περιορῴη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πατέρα, καίπερ ἐπ' ἄκρον ἀρετῆς ἥκοντα, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰουστινιανὸν ἐν ἰδιώτου μοίρᾳ καθημένους τὸν πάντα αἰῶνα. 7.32.18 καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ θείου τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτὸν εἰσιέναι ξυνέβη, ἧς δὴ κληρονόμος τά γε ὅσα βεβουλῆσθαι Βοραΐδην αὐτὸς γεγονὼς, εἶτα οὐ δέον ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον 7.32.19 ἀφῄρηται. καίτοι πολλῷ ἔτι μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς περιοφθήσεσθαι εἰκὸς αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα Βελισάριος ἐξ Ἰταλίας ἀφίκηται. ἠγγέλλετο γὰρ ὢν ἐν 7.32.20 Ἰλλυριοῖς ἤδη που μέσοις. τοσαῦτα ὑπειπὼν Ἀρσάκης ἐς τὴν ἐς βασιλέα ἐπιβουλὴν τὸν νεανίαν ὥρμα, τά τέ οἱ αὐτῷ καὶ Ἀρταβάνῃ ξυγκείμενα καὶ τῷ Χαναράγγῃ 7.32.21 ἀμφὶ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ἀποκαλύψας. ταῦτα Ἰουστῖνος ἀκούσας ξυνεταράχθη τε καὶ ἰλιγγιάσας ἄντικρυς τῷ Ἀρσάκῃ ἀπεῖπε μήτ' ἄν οἱ αὐτῷ μήτε Γερμανῷ τῷ πατρὶ ταῦτά ποτε ποιητέα εἶναι. 7.32.22 Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀρσάκης τὰ ξυμπεσόντα τῷ Ἀρταβάνῃ ἀπήγγειλεν, ὁ δὲ Ἰουστῖνος ἐς τὸν πατέρα τὸν πάντα λόγον ἀνήνεγκε. καὶ ὃς Μαρκέλλῳ κοινολογησάμενος, ὃς τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ φυλάκων ἦρχεν, ἀμφὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ξυμβουλὴν ἐποιεῖτο, εἴπερ σφίσι ταῦτα ἐς βασιλέα 7.32.23 ἐξενεγκεῖν ξύμφορον εἴη. ἦν δὲ οὗτος ὁ Μάρκελλος ἐμβριθέστατός τε τὸ ἦθος καὶ τῇ σιωπῇ τὰ πολλὰ νέμων, οὔτε χρημάτων τι ἕνεκα πράσσων οὔτε λόγων ἢ πράξεων γελωτοποιῶν ἀνεχόμενος οὔτε ἄλλως ἀνειμένῃ διαίτῃ χαίρων, ἀλλὰ βίον σκληρόν τέ τινα καὶ ἡδονῆς ἀλλότριον ἐς ἀεὶ ἔχων, τοῦ μέντοι δικαίου ἐπιμελητὴς ἀκριβὴς καὶ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς διαπυρώτατος 7.32.24 ἐραστής. ὃς δὴ τότε οὐκ εἴα τὸν λόγον ἐς βασιλέα φέρεσθαι. «Σὲ μὲν γὰρ τούτου» ἔφη «μηνυτὴν γενέ»σθαι ἀξύμφορον. ἢν γάρ τι λάθρα ἐρεῖν βασιλεῖ «βούλοιο, ὑποτοπήσουσί τε εὐθὺς οἱ ἀμφὶ Ἀρταβάνην «αὐτὸ μεμηνύσθαι, καὶ ἤν που Ἀρσάκης διαφυγὼν 7.32.25 «λαθεῖν δύνηται, ἀνεξέλεγκτον τὸ ἔγκλημα μενεῖ. ἐγὼ