my hut seemed to protect me from calumny. Innocence reigned in my soul, I was comfortable with my lot, and I sought only they acquisition of knowledge and wisdom. My only desire was to learn the good and put it into practice, this was my source of pleasure and pastime. 
       It is not Léontias's daughter who is being accused, but the unfortunate Empress of the East. I am now the spouse of a great emperor, a person exposed to the eyes of a prestigious court, a person to whom nature has given certain advantages, to whom destiny has bestowed the first crown of the world and the love of the greatest prince on earth.
       All these circumstances make my misfortune more plausible. Great tragedies occur only in the palaces of great princes. Lightning strikes more often on the vain palaces of kings than on the huts of shepherds, and the sea causes more shipwrecks than rivers. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise if the empress is more miserable than the Athenian girl, even if I am just as innocent and deserving under the glorious title I carry as Empress of the East as I was under the name my parents gave me. If fate had taken from me the things over which it has power, if it had snatched the scepter I carry, having received it from your hand, if it had taken the crown that rests on my head, if your subjects had revolted against me and had deposed me from the throne, having judged me unworthy of remaining there, I could endure these events without lamenting.
      Yes, Theodosius, this blind fate, accustomed to protecting evil at the expense of good, that gives presents only to take them back, that consolidates empires only to destroy them, that overturns everything it establishes, this fate could not crush my patience. I would give up without regret the scepter, the crown, the throne, the court, and the empire, as well as all those brilliant things that accompany royalty if I could return to my solitude with your esteem and affection. These two elements should not be subject to the decision of fate. It can take away your power and empire, it can even reduce you to slavery, but it cannot make you unjust. You alone have control over your will, your hatred, your esteem, and your affection.
      A human being has the privilege of being free in the midst of chains and of being the absolute master of his feelings. This means that you must answer accurately for yours. However, the respect I have for you keeps me from hating you for what you feel towards me, even though certainly my innocence makes these feelings illegitimate. It is out of respect that I consider myself as unworthy rather than thinking of you as guilty. But fate is unjustly blamed for something one is solely responsible for. In reality, it is not fate that handed me the scepter from his hand. It is not he who placed the crown on my head. His will did not propel me onto the throne. His whims did not make me your wife.
      All these things, Theodosius, are the result of my merit, your kindness, or your blindness. If it was kindness, my father taught me a long time ago that only a good act justifies the benevolence with which it is received. 

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