- sarius entered fortuitously a remote chamber of the palace,
where he surprised his wife in company with Theodosius, whose dress was disordered in a manner which indicated unmistakably the nature of their commerce. The general was about to express himself indignantly, when Antonina, with perfect assurance, explained: "I have just come here with this young man in order to hide the most precious objects in our share of the booty from the cupidity of the Emperor." Her husband stifled his suspicions and, blind to the evidence of his senses, retired submissively, leaving the youth in the act of adjusting his clothing so as to accord with the requirements of decency.[1]
This intrigue went on, therefore, indefinitely, but at Syracuse a slave-girl, named Macedonia, vengeful or indignant, revealed it in precise terms to Belisarius, and produced two of her fellow-slaves to corroborate her evidence. The general was convinced, and swore not to betray his informants; and thereupon charged some of his military intimates to make away with Theodosius. They, however, more solicitous as to the favour of his wife, gave the paramour a warning in consequence of which he fled to Ephesus.[2] At
- ↑ Procopius, Anecd., 1. Except where indicated, nearly the whole of this chapter depends on the first four sections of this work.
- ↑ On this occasion Constantine, a sub-general, who has been mentioned (pp. 564, 567), remarked: "I should rather have got rid of the woman than of the young man." During the siege of Rome by the Goths this Constantine was summoned before Belisarius on a charge of appropriating some valuable spoils. An altercation ensued, and the offender, concluding rather hastily that he was about to be condemned to death, made a rush at the Master of Soldiers with his drawn sword. He was immediately seized and slaughtered in the antechamber at the command of Belisarius, or, at least, with his acquiescence. This somewhat arbitrary execution was attributed to the vengeance of Antonina, to whom the above remark had been reported; Anecd., 1; De Bel. Goth., ii, 8.
