Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/12

 what was become of them. With which sudden pretence, she excused her self to Bellisarius, who, good Man, was not hard to be perswaded (though he observed the point of Theodisius his Codpeece was untied;) but sussering himself to be deluded by the caresses of his wife, he chose rather to su‹s›pect the testimony of his own senses, then be obliged to have any differ­ence with her.

In short, the exorbitancies of Antonina in­creasing daily, and the scandal of them grow­ing hourly more publick all the servants and friends of Bellisarius beheld him with much trouble, but none of them had the courage to give him any advertisement. There was one Woman (called the Macedonian) only, who waited upon her in her Chamber, and had the holdness to give him notice. This Macedonian, after Bellisarius had conquered Sicily, and was Resident in Syracuse, came to him, and having drawn from him several great and indispensible oaths, That he would never discover to Antonina, what she should tell him; the told him the whole intrigue, and brought two of the Maids of her Chamber to attest it. Bellisarius being convinced of the disloyalty of his wife, commanded some of his Guards to stab Theodosius; but the young Gentleman having notice of their orders, got away, and escaped to Ephesus: For the instru­ments which Bellisarius imployed, understand­ing his temper, and that he was naturally un­constant, thought it more wisdom to oblige his Lady with the discovery, then to trust their fortunes