Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/26

 of thankfulness to the Empress, called her excellent Mistress, incomparable Benefactress, and the Preserver of her happiness in this World. Theodora kept Theodosius in her Palace, and used all means possible to re-establish him, and put him at the head of the Emperors Army, and in the mean time entertained him with all kind of delights; but Divine Justice (which sooner or later, overtakes all such criminals) ordered it otherwise, for he died not long after of a fit of the Cholick.

Theodora had her Dungeons so deep, so pri­vate, so remote, and so horribly dark, the night, and the day were not possibly to be dis­tinguished in them. In one of those dismal places, the poor Photius was kept close along time, though (I know not by what good for­tune) twice he had escaped. The first time he got into the Church of our Lady (which is of prin­cipal veneration in Constantinople) and threw himself before the Altar; but the Empress ha­ving notice, fetched him out by violence, and recommitted him to his Dungeon. The second time he hid himself in a Vault belonging to Sancta Sophia, a place of no less esteem among the Christians; but she made no scruple to force him from thence, there being no place so sacred, that she was fearful to violate, nay rather, she boasted and insulted in her Sacriledges, were the places never so holy. The People and the Clergy abominated her impieties, and made a thousand Imprecations against her that committed them; but neither the one, nor the other, had the rage