secuted the Christians
in that city. Whereupon the citizens rose up against them, and put
them to death most cruelly, which afterwards proved the cause of much
misery to the inhabitants of Palestine. On that occasion neither
Justinian nor the Empress inflicted any punishment upon Arsenius,
although he was the principal cause of all those troubles. They
contented themselves with forbidding him to appear at court, in order
to satisfy the continued complaints that were preferred against him by
the Christians.

This Arsenius, thinking to gratify the Emperor, set out with Paul to
Alexandria to assist him generally, and, above all, to do his utmost
to aid him in securing the favour of the inhabitants; for, during the
time of his exclusion from the palace, he affirmed that he had made
himself thoroughly acquainted with all the doctrines of Christianity.
This displeased Theodora, who pretended to hold a different opinion to
the Emperor in religious matters, as I have already stated.

When they arrived at Alexandria, Paul delivered over the deacon Psoes
to the governor to be put to death, asserting that he was the only
obstacle in the way of the realisation of the Emperor's desires. The
governor, urged on by despatches from the Emperor, which frequently
arrived and were couched in pressing terms, ordered Psoes to be
flogged, and he died under the torture. When the news of this reached
the Emperor, at the earnest entreaty of Theodora, he expressed great
indignation against Paul, Rhodon, and Arsenius, as if he had forgotten
the orders he himself had given them. He appointed Liberius, a Roman
patrician, governor of Alexandria, and sent some priests of high
repute to investigate the matter. Amongst them was Pelagius,
archdeacon of Rome, who was commissioned by Pope Vigilius to act as
his agent. Paul, being convicted of murder, was deprived of his
bishopric; Rhodon, who had fled to Byzantium, was executed by order of
Justinian, and his estate confiscated, although he produced thirteen
despatches, in which the Emperor expressly ordered and insisted that
he should in everything act in accordance with Paul's orders, and
never oppose him, that he might have liberty to act as he pleased in
matters of religion. Arsenius was crucified by Liberius, in accordance
with instructions from Theodora; his estate was confiscated by the
Emperor, although he had no cause of complaint against him except his
intimacy with Paul. Whether in this he acte