Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/57

 Being educated in this manner, and her con­versation being agreeable, she became the most famous of all Women that ever were debauched. She had not been long at Constantinople, before Justinian fell most desperately in love with her. At first he entertained her only as a Miss, though he preferred her to the dignity of a Patrician: The fondness of Justinian (to whose pleasures she devoted her self wholly) made her way easie to a most eminent degree of authority, and to the amassing and heaping up immense riches in a very short time; for (according to the custom of those Lovers, whose Passion is extravagant) he gave her what ever she desired, and she de­sired what ever was to be given, and the redun­dancy of her wealth added new fewel to his flames.

This was the Theodora, which was Justinians colleague in the destruction of the State, and the ruine of the People, not in Constantinople a­lone, but in all places under the Roman Domi­nion, and the rather, because being both of the party of the Venetes, they had put the Govern­ment into the hands of that faction, though indeed the evil was delayed for some time by this following accident.

Justinian was surprised with a long, and te­dious sickness, and it was reported in many pla­ces he was dead. During his indisposition, that faction committed all the exorbitancies afore­said, and they proceeded so far as to kill a per­son of quality, called Hypatius, in the very Church of S. Sophia: The wickedness of that Rh