The Secret History Author:Procopius, G.A. Williamson (Translator), Peter Sarris (Translator) Portrays the "great lawgiver" Justinian as a rampant king of corruption and tyranny, the Empress Theodora as a sorceress and whore, and the general Belisarius as the pliable dupe of his scheming wife Antonina. This book depicts holy Byzantium as a hell of murder and misrule.