the Romans against the Goths and other enemies of the Empire.

Making use of this opportunity, these barbarians plundered the country
like enemies, and carried away the inhabitants into slavery; and in
this manner these pretended friends and allies of the Romans returned
home with their plunder and a number of prisoners. Frequently, some of
the peasants in those parts, urged on by a longing for their wives and
children who had been carried away into slavery, formed themselves
into bands, marched against the barbarians, slew a number of them, and
succeeded in capturing their horses together with their plunder. This
success, however, proved very unfortunate for them; for agents were
sent from Byzantium, who had no hesitation in beating and wounding
them and seizing their property, until they had restored all the
horses that they had taken from the barbarians.




CHAPTER XXII


After the Emperor and Empress had destroyed John of Cappadocia, they
were desirous of appointing someone else to his office, and agreed to
search for a man even more vicious than he. They looked around to find
this instrument of tyranny, and examined the dispositions of all, in
order that they might the more speedily be able to ruin their
subjects. They temporarily conferred the office upon Theodotus, who,
though certainly not an honourable man, was not sufficiently wicked to
satisfy them. They continued their search in all directions, and at
last by accident found a banker named Peter, a Syrian by birth,