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.

7. OUTRAGES OF THE BLUES

The people had since long previous time been divided, as I have explained elsewhere,
into two factions, the Blues and the Greens. Justinian, by joining the former party,
which had already shown favor to him, was able to bring everything into confusion
and turmoil, and by its power to sink the Roman state to its knees before him. Not
all the Blues were willing to follow his leadership, but there were plenty who were
eager for civil war. Yet even these, as the trouble spread, seemed the most prudent
of men, for their crimes were less awful than was in their power to commit. Nor
did the Green partisans remain quiet, but showed their resentment as violently as
they could, though one by one they were continually punished; which, indeed, urged
them each time to further recklessness. For men who are wronged are likely to become
desperate.

Then it was that Justinian, fanning the flame and openly inciting the Blues to
fight, made the whole Roman Empire shake on its foundation, as if an earthquake
or a cataclysm had stricken it, or every city within its confines had been taken
by the foe. Everything everywhere was uprooted: nothing was left undisturbed by
him. Law and order, throughout the State, overwhelmed by distraction, were turned
upside down.

First the rebels revolutionized the style of wearing their hair. For they had
it cut differently from the rest of the Romans: not molesting the mustache or beard,
which they allowed to keep on growing as long as it would, as the Persians do, but
clipping the hair short on the front of the head down to the temples, and letting
it hang down in great length and disorder in the back, as the Massageti do. This
weird combination they called the Hun haircut.

Next they decided to wear the purple stripe on their togas, and swaggered about
in a dress indicating a rank above their station: for it was only by ill-gotten
money they were able to buy this finery. And the sleeves of their tunics were cut
tight about the wrists, while from there to the shoulders they were of an ineffable
fullness; thus, whenever they moved their hands, as when applauding at the theater
or encouraging a driver in the hippodrome, these immense sleeves fluttered conspicuously,
displaying to the simple public what beautiful and well-developed physiques were
these that required such large garments to cover them. They did not consider that
by the exaggeration of this dress the meagerness of their stunted bodies appeared
all the more noticeable. Their cloaks, trousers, and boots were also different:
and these too were called the Hun style, which they imitated.

Almost all of them carried steel openly from the first, while by day they concealed
their two-edged daggers along the thigh under their cloaks. Collecting in gangs
as soon as dusk fell, they robbed their betters in the open Forum and in the narrow
alleys, snatching from passersby their mantles, belts, gold brooches, and whatever
they had in their hands. Some they killed after robbing them, so they could not
inform anyone of the assault.

These outrages brought the enmity of everybody on them, especially that of the
Blue partisans who had not taken active part in the discord. When even the latter
were molested, they began to wear brass belts and brooches and cheaper cloaks than
most of them were privileged to display, lest their elegance should lead to their
deaths; and even before the sun went down they went home to hide. But the evil progressed;
and as no punishment came to the criminals from those in charge of the public peace,
their boldness increased more and more. For when crime finds itself licensed, there
are no limits to its abuses; since even when it is punished, it is never quite suppressed,
most men being by nature easily turned to error. Such, then, was the conduct of
the Blues.

Some of the opposite party joined this faction so as to get even with the people
of their original side who had ill-treated them; others fled in secret to other
lands, but many were captured before they could get away, and perished either at
the hands of their foes or by sentence of the State. And many other young men offered
themselves to this society who had never before taken any interest in the quarrel,
but were now induced by the power and possibility of insolence they could thus acquire.
For there is no villainy to which men give a name that was not committed during
this time, and remained unpunished.

Now at first they killed only their opponents. But as matters progressed, they
also murdered men who had done nothing against them. And there were many who bribed
them with money, pointing out personal enemies, whom the Blues straightway dispatched,
declaring these victims were Greens, when as a matter of fact they were utter strangers.
And all this went on not any longer at dark and by stealth, but in every hour of
the day, everywhere in the city: before the eyes of the most notable men of the
government, if they happened to be bystanders. For they did not need to conceal
their crimes, having no fear of punishment, but considered it rather to the advantage
of their reputation, as proving their strength and manhood, to kill with one stroke
of the dagger any unarmed man who happened to be passing by.

No one could hope to live very long under this state of affairs, for everybody
suspected he would be the next to be killed. No place was safe, no time of day offered
any pledge of security, since these murders went on in the holiest of sanctuaries
even during divine services. No confidence was left in one’s friends or relatives,
for many died by conspiracy of members of their own households. Nor was there any
investigation after these deeds, but the blow would fall unexpectedly, and none
avenged the victim. No longer was there left any force in law or contract, because,of
this disorder, but everything was settled by violence. The State might as well have
been a tyranny: not one, however, that had been established, but one that was being
overturned daily and ever recommencing.

The magistrates seemed to have been driven from their senses, and their wits
enslaved by the fear of one man. The judges, when deciding cases that came up before
them, cast their votes not according to what they thought right or lawful, but according
as either of the disputants was an enemy or friend of the faction in power. For
a judge who disregarded its instruction was sentencing himself to death. And many
creditors were forced to receipt the bills they had sent to their debtors without
being paid what was due them; and many thus against their will had to free their
slaves.

And they say that certain ladies were forced by their own slaves to do what they
did not want to do; and the sons of notable men, getting mixed up with these young
bandits, compelled their fathers, among other acts against their will, to hand over
their properties to them. Many boys were constrained, with their fathers’ knowledge,
to serve the unnatural desires of the Blues; and happily married women met the same
misfortune.

It is told that a woman of no undue beauty was ferrying with her husband to the
suburb opposite the mainland; when some men of this party met them on the water,
and jumping into her boat, dragged her abusively from her husband and made her enter
their vessel. She had whispered to her spouse to trust her and have no fear of any
reproach, for she would not allow herself to be dishonored. Then, as he looked at
her in great grief, she threw her body into the Bosphorus and forthwith vanished
from the world of men. Such were the deeds this party dared to commit at that time
in Constantinople.

Yet all of this disturbed people less than Justinian’s offenses against the State.
For those who suffer the most grievously from evildoers are relieved of the greater
part of their anguish by the expectation they will sometime be avenged by law and
authority. Men who are confident of the future can bear more easily and less painfully
their present troubles; but when they are outraged even by the government what befalls
them is naturally all the more grievous, and by the failing of all hope of redress
they are turned to utter despair. And Justinian’s crime was that he was not only
unwilling to protect the injured, but saw no reason why he should not be the open
head of the guilty faction; he gave great sums of money to these young men, and
surrounded himself with them: and some he even went so far as to appoint to high
office and other posts of honor.