The Secret History

by

Procopius of Caesarea

translated by Richard Atwater

(Chicago: P. Covici, 1927 New York Covici Friede 1927)

Reprinted, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1961, with indication
that copyright had expired on the text of the translation.

29. OTHER INCIDENTS REVEALING HIM AS A LIAR AND A HYPOCRITE

I will now show what a liar and hypocrite he was. This Liberius, whom I recently
mentioned, he removed from office and in his stead appointed John, an Egyptian,
surnamed Laxarion. When Pelagius, a particular friend of Liberius’s, heard of this,
he asked the Emperor if the report about Laxarion’s appointment were true. And he
immediately denied it, assuring him he had done nothing of the sort; and gave him
a letter to take to Liberius charging him to stick tight to his office and give
it over to nobody, as he, Justinian, had not the slightest idea of removing him
from it at this time.

Now John had an uncle in Constantinople named Eudemon, of consular rank and great
wealth, who was at the time Count of the imperial estates. This Eudemon, when he
heard the rumor, also went to the Emperor to inquire if the office were really going
to his nephew. And Justinian, in contradiction of what he had written to Liberius,
now wrote a document to John, telling him to take over the office by all means,
as his intentions were unchanged. John, trusting in this instruction, ordered Liberius
to retire from his office as he had been officially removed. But Liberius, with
equal confidence, of course, in the letter he had had from the Emperor, refused.
So John went after Liberius with an armed guard, and Liberius with his own guard
defended himself. During the fight many were killed, including John himself, the
new Governor.

Now at Eudemon’s instigation, Liberius was summoned to Constantinople; the Senate
investigated the affair, and acquitted Liberius, since what he did had been in self-defense.
The Emperor, however, did not let him off until he had privately paid him a fine.
This shows Justinian’s love of truth and how he kept his word.

It might not be out of the way for me to tell a sequel of this incident. This
Eudemon died a little later, leaving many relatives but no will of any kind. About
the same time the chief eunuch of the palace, Euphrates, was released from life,
leaving a nephew but no will disposing of his considerable property. The Emperor
seized both estates, making himself the arbitrary heir, and did not give as much
as a three-obol piece to the legal inheritors. Such was the respect for law and
the kinsmen of his friends that this Emperor had. So, also ‘ he seized the estate
of Ireneus, who had died some time before, without any proper claim to it of any
kind.

Another thing that happened at this time I must also not fail to tell. One Anatolius
was foremost in the Senate of Ascalon. His daughter was married to a citizen of
Caesarea by the name of Mamilian, of illustrious family. This girl was Anatolius’s
legal heir, since she was his only child. Now there was an ancient law that when
a Senator of any of the cities departed this world, leaving no male issue, one fourth
of his estate should go to the Senate of his city, and all the rest to his heirs.
Here again the tyrant had showed his true character. He made a new law reversing
the rule, decreeing that when a Senator died without male issue, his heirs should
get one fourth of his estate, and all the rest should go to the imperial treasury
and the local Senate. Never in the memory of man had the treasury or the Emperor
shared the estate of a Senator.

While this new law was in force, Anatolius reached the final day of his life.
His daughter was about to divide her inheritance with the treasury and the city
Senate according to the law, when she received letters from both the Emperor and
the Ascalon Senate, dismissing all their claims to the property, on the ground they
had already all that was properly their just due.

Later Mamillan also died, Anatolius’s son-in-law, leaving one daughter, who of
course inherited his estate. While her mother was still living, this daughter too
died, after marrying a man of distinction by whom she had no children, male or female.
Justinian immediately seized the whole estate, on the remarkable ground that it
would be an unholy thing for the daughter of Anatolius, an old woman, to become
rich on the property of both her father and her husband. But that the woman might
not be reduced to beggary, he ordered her to be given one gold stater a day so long
as she lived: writing in the decree by which he robbed her of these properties that
he was granting her this stater for the sake of religion, “for it is my custom to
do what is holy and pious.”

This will have to suffice, in order that my book may not be overfilled with such
anecdotes; and indeed, no one man could recall everything he did.

I will show how he cared nothing for even the Blues, who were devoted to him,
when money was at stake. There was a Cilician named Malthanes, son-in-law of that
Leo who was, as I have said, a Referendar. Justinian sent this Malthanes to restore
order among the Cilicians. On this pretext Malthanes inflicted intolerable sufferings
on most of his fellow citizens, and robbed them of their money, some of which he
sent to the tyrant, enriching himself unjustly with the rest.

Now some bore their sufferings in silence; but those of the inhabitants of Tarsus
who were Blues, trusting in the favor of the Empress, assembled in their Forum to
insult Malthanes, who was not present. When Malthanes heard of this, he assembled
a body of soldiers and arrived in Tarsus by night; and sending his soldiers into
the private houses, ordered them to put the inhabitants to death. Thinking this
was an invasion by an enemy, the Blues defended themselves. And among other evils
that took place in the darkness, it happened that Damian, a Senator, was killed
by an arrow wound.

This Damian was president of the local Blues; and when the news came to Constantinople,
the indignant Blues there made a great uproar throughout the city, and gathered
in crowds to complain violently to the Emperor, while they uttered terrible threats
against Leo and Malthanes. The Emperor pretended to be no less outraged at the affair,
and immediately wrote to order an investigation and punishment of Malthanes by his
citizens. But Leo gave him a large sum of money, so he stopped inquiry and his interest
in the Blues.

With the affair thus unsettled, the Emperor received Malthanes at Constantinople
with all favor and esteem. As he was leaving the imperial presence, the Blues, who
had been on the lookout for him, attacked him in the very palace and would have
killed him, if some of their party, who had been bribed by Leo, had not stopped
them. Who would not call that state most miserable, in which the Emperor accepts
bribes to leave an inquiry unfinished, and in which factionists, while the Emperor
is in the palace, dare to mutiny against one of their own magistrates and lift violent
hands against him? However, no punishment for this was ever brought on either Malthanes
or those who attacked him. And from this alone, if you pleased, you could prove
the character of Justinian.