Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/10

 my self against some exemplary punishment, if my Book should have been published; and I judged it very dangerous, to commit such a se­cret to any Friend whatsoever: So that in my first History of all, I was obliged to omit the Motives and Causes of such Actions and Events as I related there. Most people do easily, and without consideration, give themselves to imi­tate the Actions of their Ancestors, and do fol­low their ill examples, without any care or re­morse: For my own part, nothing excited me so strongly to this work, as that such persons who are desirous to govern in an Arbitrary way, might discover, by the misfortune of those whom I mention, the destiny that attends them, and the just recompence they are to expect of their crimes. Besides, it is not impossible, but the fear of leaving the History of an infamous life behind them to posterity, may restrain them in some measure, and occasion a greater aversion to such detestable actions. And indeed, who would have abhorred the debauches of Semira­mis, the effeminacy of Sardanapalus, and the cruelties of Nero, had not great Men under­taken the History of their times, and transmit­ted it to posterity. For the same reason I shall begin with the exorbitancies of Bellisarius, after which, I shall represent the Impieties of Theo­dora and ''Justinian. Antonina'' began to lead her life with more dissoluteness and liberty, and to transgress publickly without any shame or re­gret. There was, at that time, in the Family of Bellisarius, a young Thracian called Theodosius, whose