Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/90

 thing to the divertisement of their Mistress, and enjoy the delights and pleasures of her Court. I shall now conclude my Relation of her practises, to destroy such as she had any prejudice against, that I may not seem to have undertaken a work without end.

After Amalasontha had laid down, and re­nounced the Government of the Gothish Affairs, and had (as I have said in my other Books) ex­pressed an inclination to another kind of life, and to come, and live privately at ''Constantinople. Theodora'' considering the great extraction of that Princess, her quality as Queen, her singular Beauty, her excellent Wit, and above all, her admirable Wisdom; she did not question, but such extraordinary qualifications, would have some effect (to her diminution) upon the uncon­stant nature of her Husband; but she discover­ed nothing of her apprehension, till she had taken her measures aright.

Being assured of one of her Creatures called Peter, she perswaded Justinian to send him Am­bassador to Amalasontha; the Emperor, when the said Ambassador took his leave, in order to his passage into Italy, gave him such Orders, as I have mentioned in my other Books; but the Empress (of whom, at that time, I durst not speak what I knew to be true) gave him particularly in charge, That above all things, he should contrive, and procure the death of Amalasontha, and promised him great re­wards, if he compassed the business. The Am­bassador, with all diligence pursued his voyage into