Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/94

 she resolved upon the destruction of any Man, neither the Sanctuary of the Church, the inter­cession of the people, nor any other contrivance in the World, was sufficient to preserve him. She took a pique against another called Diogenes, born in Constantinople; and in no less favor with the Emperor, then with the rest of mankind; being of the Prasinian party, she determined his ruine, and having suborned two of his ser­vants, she caused them to accuse him of So­domy. But that being an affair which could not be clandestinely punished, and he a person of dignity and imployment, several considerable men being deputed to the examination of the business, they rejected the testimony of his ser­vants as uncapable of giving evidence, both in respect of their condition, and the minority of their age. The Empress offended with their proceedings, caused one of Diogenes Confidents, called Theodorus, to be committed to one of her Dungeons, and would have perswaded him to have deposed against his friend; to which end, she made use of flatteries, prayers, threats, and tortures but finding none of them succeeded, she commanded his head to be bound hard about with a Cord, not doubting therewith but to have twisted out his eyes, but the poor Gentle­man chose rather to endure whatever could be inflicted, then to tell a lie; which though it might have saved himself, must have ruined his friend. Hereupon the Judges acquitted him, as not finding any proof sufficient to condemn him.

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