As for Justinian’s wife, I shall now describe her birth, how she was brought up, how she married him, and how in conjunction with him she utterly4 ruined the Roman Empire.
There was one Acacius at Byzantium, of the Green faction5, who was keeper of the wild beasts used in the amphitheatre, and was called the Bear-keeper. This man died of some malady6 during the reign7 of Anastasius, and left three daughters, Comito, Theodora and Anastasia, the eldest8 of whom was not yet seven years of age. His widow married her husband’s successor in his house and profession; but the chief dancer of the Green faction, named Asterius, was easily bribed9 into taking away the office from this man and giving it to one who paid him for it: for the dancers had the power to manage these matters as they pleased.
When Theodora’s mother saw the whole populace assembled in the amphitheatre to see the show of the wild beasts, she placed fillets on her daughters’ heads and hands, and made them sit in the attitude of suppliants10. The Greens regarded their appeal with indifference11, but the Blues, who had lately lost their own bear-keeper, bestowed12 the office upon them. As the children grew up, their mother straightway sent them on the stage, for they were handsome girls. She did not send them on all at once, but as each one arrived at a fit age so to do. The eldest girl, Comito, had already become one of the most celebrated13 prostitutes of her time.
Theodora, the next eldest, was dressed in a little sleeved tunic14, such as a slave-girl would wear, and waited on her sister, carrying on her shoulders the stool in which she was wont15 to sit in public. Theodora was still too young to have intercourse with a man after the manner of women, but she satisfied the unnatural16 passions of certain wretches17, even the vilest18 slaves, who followed their masters to the theatre and amused their leisure by this infamy19. She remained for some time also in a brothel, where she practised this hateful form of vice20.
As soon, however, as she reached the age of puberty, as she was handsome, her mother sent her into the theatrical21 troupe22, and she straightway became a simple harlot, as old-fashioned people called it; for she was neither a musician nor a dancer, but merely prostituted herself to everyone whom she met, giving up every part of her body to debauchery. She associated chiefly with the theatrical “pantomimes,” and took part in their performances, playing in comic scenes, for she was exceedingly witty23 and amusing; so that she soon became well known by her acting24. She had no shame whatever, and no one ever saw her put out of countenance25, but she lent herself to scandalous purposes without the least hesitation26.
She excelled in raising a laugh by being slapped on her puffed-out cheeks, and used to uncover herself so far as to show the spectators everything before and behind which decency27 forbids to be shown to men. She stimulated28 her lovers by lascivious29 jests, and continually invented new postures30 of coition, by which means she completely won the hearts of all libertines31; for she did not wait to be solicited32 by anyone whom she met, but herself, with joke and gestures, invited everyone whom she fell in with, especially beardless boys.
She never succumbed33 to these transports; for she often went to a supper at which each one paid his share, with ten or more young men, in the full vigour34 of their age and practised in debauchery, and would pass the whole night with all of them. When they were all exhausted35, she would go to their servants, thirty in number, it may be, and fornicate with each one of them; and yet not even so did she quench36 her lust37. Once she went to the house of some great man, and while the guests were drinking pulled up her clothes on the edge of the couch and did not blush to exhibit her wantonness without reserve. Though she received the male in three orifices she nevertheless complained of Nature for not having made the passage of her breasts wider, that she might contrive38 a new form of coition in that part of her person also.
She frequently became pregnant, but as she employed all known remedies without delay, she promptly39 procured40 abortion41. Often, even on the stage, she stripped before the eyes of all the people, and stood naked in their midst, wearing only a girdle about her private parts and groin; not because she had any modesty42 about showing that also to the people, but because no one was allowed to go on the stage without a girdle about those parts. In this attitude she would throw herself down on the floor, and lie on her back. Slaves, whose duty it was, would then pour grains of barley43 upon her girdle, which trained geese would then pick up with their beaks44 one by one and eat. She did not blush or rise up, but appeared to glory in this performance; for she was not only without shame, but especially fond of encouraging others to be shameless, and often would strip naked in the midst of the actors, and swing herself backwards45 and forwards, explaining to those who had already enjoyed her and those who had not, the peculiar46 excellences47 of that exercise.
She proceeded to such extremities48 of abuse as to make her face become what most women’s private parts are: wherefore her lovers became known at once by their unnatural tastes, and any respectable man who met her in the public streets turned away, and made haste to avoid her, lest his clothes should be soiled by contact with such an abandoned creature, for she was a bird of ill-omen, especially for those who saw her early in the day. As for her fellow-actresses, she always abused them most savagely49, for she was exceedingly jealous.
Afterwards she accompanied Hecebolus, who had received the appointment of Governor of Pentapolis, to that country, to serve his basest passions, but quarrelled with him, and was straightway sent out of the country. In consequence of this she fell into want of common necessaries, with which she hereafter provided herself by prostitution, as she had been accustomed to do. She first went to Alexandria, and afterwards wandered all through the East, until she reached Byzantium, plying50 her trade in every city on her way—a trade which, I imagine, Heaven will not pardon a man for calling by its right name—as if the powers of evil would not allow any place on earth to be free from the debaucheries of Theodora. Such was the birth, and such the training of this woman, and her name became better known than that of any other prostitute of her time.
On her return to Byzantium, Justinian became excessively enamoured of her. At first he had intercourse with her merely as her lover, although he raised her to the position of a patrician51. By this means Theodora was straightway enabled to gain very great influence and to amass52 considerable sums of money. She charmed Justinian beyond all the world, and, like most infatuated lovers, he delighted to show her all the favour and give her all the money that he could. This lavishness53 added fuel to the flame of passion. In concert with her he plundered54 the people more than ever, not only in the capital, but throughout the Roman Empire; for, as both of them had for a long time been members of the Blue faction, they had placed unlimited55 power in its hands, although the evil was subsequently somewhat checked, in the manner which I will now relate.
Justinian had for some time suffered from a dangerous illness; in fact, it was even reported that he was dead. The Blue faction were committing the crimes of which I have spoken, and slew56 Hypatius, a person of consequence, in the Church of St. Sophia, in broad daylight. When the murderer had accomplished57 his work, clamour was raised which reached the Emperor’s ears, and all his courtiers seized upon the opportunity of pointing out the outrageous58 character of the offence which, owing to Justinian’s absence from public affairs, the murderer had been enabled to perpetrate, and enumerated59 all the crimes that had been committed from the outset. Hereupon the Emperor gave orders to the prefect of the city to punish these crimes. This man was named Theodotus, nick-named Colocynthius.11 He instituted an inquiry60 into the whole matter, and had the courage to seize and put to death, according to the law, many of the malefactors, several of whom, however, hid themselves and so escaped, being destined61 to perish afterwards together with the Roman Empire. Justinian, who miraculously62 recovered, straightway began to plan the destruction of Theodotus, on the pretext63 that he was a magician and used philtres. However, as he found no proofs on which the man could be condemned64, he flogged and tortured some of his intimates until he forced them to make most unfounded accusations65 against him. When no one dared to oppose Justinian, but silently bewailed the plot against Theodotus, Proclus, the Quaestor, alone declared that the man was innocent and did not deserve to die. Theodotus was therefore sentenced by the Emperor to banishment66 to Jerusalem. But, learning that certain men had been sent thither67 to assassinate68 him, he took sanctuary69 in the temple, where he spent the rest of his life in concealment70 until he died. Such was the end of Theodotus.
From this time forth71, however, the Blue party behaved with the greatest moderation; they did not venture to perpetrate such crimes, although they had it in their power to abuse their authority more outrageously72 and with greater impunity73 than before. Here is a proof of this; when a few of them afterwards showed the same audacity74 in evil-doing, they were not punished in any way; for those who had the power to punish always gave malefactors an opportunity to escape, and by this indulgence encouraged them to trample75 upon the laws.
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1 blues | |
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐 | |
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2 precocious | |
adj.早熟的;较早显出的 | |
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3 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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4 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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5 faction | |
n.宗派,小集团;派别;派系斗争 | |
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6 malady | |
n.病,疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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7 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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8 eldest | |
adj.最年长的,最年老的 | |
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9 bribed | |
v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂 | |
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10 suppliants | |
n.恳求者,哀求者( suppliant的名词复数 ) | |
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11 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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12 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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14 tunic | |
n.束腰外衣 | |
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15 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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16 unnatural | |
adj.不自然的;反常的 | |
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17 wretches | |
n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 );可怜的人;恶棍;坏蛋 | |
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18 vilest | |
adj.卑鄙的( vile的最高级 );可耻的;极坏的;非常讨厌的 | |
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19 infamy | |
n.声名狼藉,出丑,恶行 | |
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20 vice | |
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的 | |
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21 theatrical | |
adj.剧场的,演戏的;做戏似的,做作的 | |
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22 troupe | |
n.剧团,戏班;杂技团;马戏团 | |
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23 witty | |
adj.机智的,风趣的 | |
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24 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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25 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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26 hesitation | |
n.犹豫,踌躇 | |
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27 decency | |
n.体面,得体,合宜,正派,庄重 | |
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28 stimulated | |
a.刺激的 | |
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29 lascivious | |
adj.淫荡的,好色的 | |
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30 postures | |
姿势( posture的名词复数 ); 看法; 态度; 立场 | |
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31 libertines | |
n.放荡不羁的人,淫荡的人( libertine的名词复数 ) | |
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32 solicited | |
v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 );(指娼妇)拉客;索求;征求 | |
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33 succumbed | |
不再抵抗(诱惑、疾病、攻击等)( succumb的过去式和过去分词 ); 屈从; 被压垮; 死 | |
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34 vigour | |
(=vigor)n.智力,体力,精力 | |
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35 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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36 quench | |
vt.熄灭,扑灭;压制 | |
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37 lust | |
n.性(淫)欲;渴(欲)望;vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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38 contrive | |
vt.谋划,策划;设法做到;设计,想出 | |
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39 promptly | |
adv.及时地,敏捷地 | |
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40 procured | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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41 abortion | |
n.流产,堕胎 | |
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42 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
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43 barley | |
n.大麦,大麦粒 | |
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44 beaks | |
n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 );鹰钩嘴;尖鼻子;掌权者 | |
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45 backwards | |
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地 | |
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46 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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47 excellences | |
n.卓越( excellence的名词复数 );(只用于所修饰的名词后)杰出的;卓越的;出类拔萃的 | |
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48 extremities | |
n.端点( extremity的名词复数 );尽头;手和足;极窘迫的境地 | |
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49 savagely | |
adv. 野蛮地,残酷地 | |
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50 plying | |
v.使用(工具)( ply的现在分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意 | |
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51 patrician | |
adj.贵族的,显贵的;n.贵族;有教养的人;罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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52 amass | |
vt.积累,积聚 | |
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53 lavishness | |
n.浪费,过度 | |
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54 plundered | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55 unlimited | |
adj.无限的,不受控制的,无条件的 | |
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56 slew | |
v.(使)旋转;n.大量,许多 | |
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57 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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58 outrageous | |
adj.无理的,令人不能容忍的 | |
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59 enumerated | |
v.列举,枚举,数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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61 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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62 miraculously | |
ad.奇迹般地 | |
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63 pretext | |
n.借口,托词 | |
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64 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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65 accusations | |
n.指责( accusation的名词复数 );指控;控告;(被告发、控告的)罪名 | |
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66 banishment | |
n.放逐,驱逐 | |
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67 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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68 assassinate | |
vt.暗杀,行刺,中伤 | |
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69 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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70 concealment | |
n.隐藏, 掩盖,隐瞒 | |
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71 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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72 outrageously | |
凶残地; 肆无忌惮地; 令人不能容忍地; 不寻常地 | |
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73 impunity | |
n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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74 audacity | |
n.大胆,卤莽,无礼 | |
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75 trample | |
vt.踩,践踏;无视,伤害,侵犯 | |
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