Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/17

 her Son; which, by degrees, put him upon a necessity of discovering the impieties of his Mo­ther, to Bellisarius; he sent a person instructed from Constantinople, and obliged him to tell Bel­lisarius, how the Court rung there with the de­bauches of his Wife and ''Theodosius. Bellisarius being sinartly touched, suffered himself to be transported to what ever Indignation and Fury could suggest: He threw himself at Photius'' Feet, and entreated him to revenge himself, be­ing so highly offended by persons, who by all Natural Obligations ought to have used him otherwise. Dear childe (said he to him) ''you are not sensible who was your Father, for you sucked when he died; his estate was no great advantage to you, for it was small, and inconsiderable: You have been brought up ever since with me, though I was but your Father in Law; and you are now at an age, in which you have power to assist me in vin­dication of the injury has been done me. I have preferred you to the dignity of a Consul, I have heaped wealth on you; so that I have served you for a Father, a Mother, and for all that is of near Relati­on; for which reason, yon may call me by those titles very justly: For Men are not used to limit their Friendship according to the degrees of consan­guinity, but rather according to merit and obligations. You have now a fair occasion presented, if you have any respect for a Person, whose honor, estate, and fa­mily, is in evident danger; and if you disdain not to concern your self for your Mother, who by her ill conduct, runs a great hazard of making her self the Scandal and Reproach of all intelligent Men.'' You