themselves from the
walls during the night, and in this manner escaped a change of life so
contrary to their inclinations.

There were at Byzantium two young sisters, illustrious not only by the
consulships of their father and grandfather, but by a long descent of
nobility, and belonging to one of the chief families of the Senate.
They had married early and lost their husbands. Theodora, charging
them with living an immoral life, selected two debauchees from the
common people and designed to make them their husbands. The young
widows, fearing that they might be forced to obey, took refuge in the
church of St. Sophia, and, approaching the sacred bath, clung closely
to the font. But the Empress inflicted such privations and cruel
treatment upon them, that they preferred marriage in order to escape
from their immediate distress. In this manner Theodora showed that she
regarded no sanctuary as inviolable, no spot as sacred. Although
suitors of noble birth were ready to espouse these ladies, they were
married against their will to two men, poor and outcast, and far below
them in rank. Their mother, who was a widow like themselves, was
present at the marriage, but did not venture to cry out or express her
sorrow at this atrocious act. Afterwards, Theodora, repenting of what
she had done, endeavoured to console them by promoting their husbands
to high offices to the public detriment. But even this was no
consolation to these young women, for their husbands inflicted
incurable and insupportable woes upon almost all their subjects, as I
will describe later; for Theodora paid no heed to the dignity of the
office, the interests of the State, or any other consideration,
provided only she could accomplish her wishes.

While still on the stage, she became with child by one of her friends,
but did not perceive her misfortune until it was too late. She tried
all the means she had formerly employed to procure abortion, but she
was unable prematurely to destroy the living creature by any means
whatsoever, since it had nearly assumed the form of a human being.
Therefore, finding her remedies unsuccessful, she abandoned the
attempt, and was obliged to bring forth the child. Its father, seeing
that Theodora was at a loss what to do, and was indignant because, now
that she had become a mother, she was no longer able to traffic with
her person as before, and being with good reason in fear for the
child's life, took it up, named it John, and