As for the manner in which she treated Belisarius, Photius, and Buzes, I have already spoken of it at the commencement of this work.
Two Cilicians, belonging to the Blue faction4, during a mutiny, laid violent hands upon Callinicus, governor of the second Cilicia, and slew5 his groom6, who was standing7 near him, and endeavoured to defend his master, in the presence of the governor and all the people. Callinicus condemned8 them to death, since they had been convicted of several other murders besides this. When Theodora heard of this, in order to show her devotion to the party of the Blues9, she ordered that the governor, while he still held office, should be crucified in the place where the two offenders10 had been executed, although he had committed no crime. The Emperor, pretending that he bitterly lamented11 his loss, remained at home, grumbling12 and threatening all kinds of vengeance13 upon the perpetrators of the deed. He did nothing, however; but, without scruple14, appropriated the property of the dead man to his own use. Theodora likewise devoted15 her attention to punishing those women who prostituted their persons. She collected more than five hundred harlots, who sold themselves for three obols in the market-place, thereby16 securing a bare subsistence, and transported them to the other side of the Bosphorus, where she shut them up in the Monastery17 of Repentance18, with the object of forcing them to change their manner of life. Some of them, however, threw themselves from the walls during the night, and in this manner escaped a change of life so contrary to their inclinations19.
There were at Byzantium two young sisters, illustrious not only by the consulships of their father and grandfather, but by a long descent of nobility, and belonging to one of the chief families of the Senate. They had married early and lost their husbands. Theodora, charging them with living an immoral20 life, selected two debauchees from the common people and designed to make them their husbands. The young widows, fearing that they might be forced to obey, took refuge in the church of St. Sophia, and, approaching the sacred bath, clung closely to the font. But the Empress inflicted21 such privations and cruel treatment upon them, that they preferred marriage in order to escape from their immediate22 distress23. In this manner Theodora showed that she regarded no sanctuary25 as inviolable, no spot as sacred. Although suitors of noble birth were ready to espouse26 these ladies, they were married against their will to two men, poor and outcast, and far below them in rank. Their mother, who was a widow like themselves, was present at the marriage, but did not venture to cry out or express her sorrow at this atrocious act. Afterwards, Theodora, repenting27 of what she had done, endeavoured to console them by promoting their husbands to high offices to the public detriment28. But even this was no consolation29 to these young women, for their husbands inflicted incurable30 and insupportable woes31 upon almost all their subjects, as I will describe later; for Theodora paid no heed32 to the dignity of the office, the interests of the State, or any other consideration, provided only she could accomplish her wishes.
While still on the stage, she became with child by one of her friends, but did not perceive her misfortune until it was too late. She tried all the means she had formerly33 employed to procure34 abortion2, but she was unable prematurely35 to destroy the living creature by any means whatsoever36, since it had nearly assumed the form of a human being. Therefore, finding her remedies unsuccessful, she abandoned the attempt, and was obliged to bring forth37 the child. Its father, seeing that Theodora was at a loss what to do, and was indignant because, now that she had become a mother, she was no longer able to traffic with her person as before, and being with good reason in fear for the child’s life, took it up, named it John, and carried it away with him to Arabia, whither he had resolved to retire. The father, just before his death, gave John, who was now grown up, full information concerning his mother.
John, having performed the last offices for his dead father, some time afterwards repaired to Byzantium, and explained the state of affairs to those who were charged with the duty of arranging admission to an audience with the Empress. They, not suspecting that she would conceive any inhuman38 designs against him, announced to the mother the arrival of her son. She, fearing that the report might reach the ears of the Emperor, ordered her son to be brought to her. When she saw him approaching, she went to meet him and handed him over to one of her confidants, whom she always intrusted with commissions of this kind. In what manner the unfortunate youth disappeared I cannot say. He has never been seen to this day—not even after his mother’s death.
At that time the morals of women were almost without exception corrupt. They were faithless to their husbands with absolute licence, since the crime of adultery brought neither danger nor harm upon them. When convicted of the offence, they escaped punishment, thanks to the Empress, to whom they immediately applied39. Then, getting the verdict quashed on the ground that the charges were not proved, they in turn accused their husbands, who, although not convicted, were condemned to refund40 twice the amount of the dower, and, for the most part, were flogged and led away to prison, where they were permitted to look upon their adulterous wives again, decked out in fine garments and in the act of committing adultery without the slightest shame with their lovers, many of whom, by way of recompense, received offices and rewards. This was the reason why most husbands afterwards put up with unholy outrages41 on the part of their wives, and gladly endured them in silence in order to escape the lash42. They even afforded them every opportunity to avoid being surprised.
Theodora claimed complete control of the State at her sole discretion43. She appointed magistrates44 and ecclesiastical dignitaries. Her only care and anxiety was—and as to this she made the most careful investigation—to prevent any office being given to a good and honourable45 man, who might be prevented by his conscience from assisting her in her nefarious46 designs.
She ordered all marriages as it were by a kind of divine authority; men never made a voluntary agreement before marriage. A wife was found for each without any previous notice, not because she pleased him (as is generally the case even amongst the barbarians) but because Theodora so desired it. Brides also had to put up with the same treatment, and were obliged to marry husbands whom they did not desire. She often turned the bride out of bed herself, and, without any reason, dismissed the bridegroom before the marriage had been consummated47, merely saying, in great anger, that she disapproved48 of her. Amongst others whom she treated in this manner was Leontius the “referendary,” and Saturninus, the son of Hermogenes the late Master of Offices, whom she deprived of their wives. This Saturninus had a young maiden49 cousin of an age to marry, free-born and modest, whom Cyrillus, her father, had betrothed50 to him after the death of Hermogenes. After the bridal chamber51 had been made ready and everything prepared, Theodora imprisoned52 the youthful bridegroom, who was afterwards conducted to another chamber, and forced, in spite of his violent lamentations and tears, to wed24 the daughter of Chrysomallo. This Chrysomallo had formerly been a dancer and a common prostitute, and at that time lived with another woman like her, and with Indaro, in the palace, where, instead of devoting themselves to phallic worship and theatrical53 amusements, they occupied themselves with affairs of State together with Theodora.
Saturninus, having lain with his new wife and discovered that she had already lost her maidenhead, informed one of his friends that his wife was no virgin54. When this reached the ears of Theodora, she ordered the servants to hoist55 him up, like a boy at school, upbraiding56 him with having behaved too saucily57 and having taken an unbecoming oath. She then had him severely58 flogged on the bare back, and advised him to restrain his talkative tongue for the future.
In my former writings I have already related her treatment of John of Cappadocia, which was due to a desire to avenge59 personal injuries, not to punish him for offences against the State, as is proved by the fact that she did nothing of the kind in the case of those who committed far greater cruelties against their subjects. The real cause of her hatred60 was, that he ventured to oppose her designs and accused her to the Emperor, so that they nearly came to open hostilities61. I mention this here because, as I have already stated, in this work I am bound to state the real causes of events. When, after having inflicted upon him the sufferings I have related, she had confined him in Egypt, she was not even then satisfied with his punishment, but was incessantly62 on the look out to find false witnesses against him. Four years afterwards, she succeeded in finding two of the Green faction who had taken part in the sedition63 at Cyzicus, and were accused of having been accessory to the assault upon the Bishop64. These she attacked with flattery, promises, and threats. One of them, alarmed and inveigled65 by her promises, accused John of the foul66 crime of murder, but the other refused to utter falsehoods, although he was so cruelly tortured that he seemed likely to die on the spot. She was, therefore, unable to compass the death of John on this pretext67, but she caused the young men’s right hands to be chopped off—that of the one because he refused to bear false witness; that of the other, to prevent her intrigue68 becoming universally known, for she endeavoured to keep secret from others those things which were done in the open market-place.
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1
confiscated
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| 没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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abortion
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| n.流产，堕胎 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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condemned
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| 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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9
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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offenders
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| n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物） | |
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11
lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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espouse
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| v.支持，赞成，嫁娶 | |
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repenting
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的现在分词 ) | |
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28
detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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30
incurable
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| adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人 | |
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31
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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36
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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40
refund
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| v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款 | |
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41
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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42
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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43
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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44
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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45
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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46
nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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47
consummated
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| v.使结束( consummate的过去式和过去分词 )；使完美；完婚；（婚礼后的）圆房 | |
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48
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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50
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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51
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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52
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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54
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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55
hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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56
upbraiding
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| adj.& n.谴责（的）v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的现在分词 ) | |
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57
saucily
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| adv.傲慢地，莽撞地 | |
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58
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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59
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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60
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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61
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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62
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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63
sedition
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| n.煽动叛乱 | |
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64
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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65
inveigled
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| v.诱骗，引诱( inveigle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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67
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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68
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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