I will now proceed to mention another mode in which he plundered4 his subjects. Those who, at Byzantium, serve the Emperor or magistrates5, either as secretaries, or in a military or any other capacity, are placed last upon the list of officials. As time goes on, they are gradually promoted to the place of those who have died or retired6, until they reach the highest rank and supreme7 dignity. Those who had attained8 to this honour, in accordance with an ancient institution, had the right to the enjoyment9 of a fund of not less than 100 centenars of gold yearly, so that they might have a comfortable means of subsistence for their old age, and might be able to assist others as much as possible; and this was of great influence in bringing about a successful administration of the affairs of state. But Justinian deprived them of all their privileges, and did great harm, not only to them, but to many others besides, for the poverty which attacked them extended to all those who formerly10 shared their prosperity. If anyone were to calculate the sums of which they were thus deprived during these thirty-two years, he would find that the amount was very considerable. Such was the shameful11 manner in which the tyrant12 treated his soldiers.
I will now relate how he behaved towards merchants, mariners, artisans, shopkeepers and others. There are two narrow straits on either side of Byzantium, the one in the Hellespont, between Sestos and Abydos, the other at the mouth of the Euxine Sea, close to the chapel13 of the Holy Mother. In the strait upon the Hellespont, there was no public custom-house, but an officer was sent by the Emperor to Abydos, to see that no ship loaded with arms should pass on the way to Byzantium without the Emperor’s leave, and also that no person should put out to sea from Byzantium without letters of licence signed by the proper official, no ship being allowed to leave the city without the permission of the secretaries of the Master of Offices. The amount which the praetor exacted from the shipmasters under the name of toll14 was so insignificant15 that it was disregarded. A praetor was also sent to the other strait, who received his salary regularly from the Emperor, and whose duties were the same—to take care that no one transported to the barbarians16 on the Euxine any wares17, the export of which to hostile countries was forbidden; but he was not allowed to exact any duties from these navigators. But, from the day that Justinian succeeded to the government of affairs, he established a custom-house on both straits, and sent thither18 two officials to collect the dues at a fixed19 salary, who were ordered to get in as much money as they could. These officials, who desired nothing better than to show their devotion to him, extorted20 duty upon all kinds of merchandise. In regard to the port of Byzantium, he made the following arrangement:—He put it in charge of one of his confidants, a Syrian by birth, named Addeus, whom he ordered to exact duty from all vessels22 which put in there. This Addeus would not allow those ships which had been any length of time in the harbour to leave it, until the masters had paid a sum of money to free them, or else he compelled them to take on board a freight for Libya or Italy. Some, resolved not to take in a return cargo23 or to remain at sea any longer, burned their ships and thus escaped all anxiety, to their great rejoicing. But all those who were obliged to continue their profession in order to live, for the future demanded three times the usual amount from merchants for the hire of the ships, and thus the merchants had no means of covering their losses except by requiring a higher price from purchasers; and thus, by every possible contrivance, the Romans were reduced to the danger of starvation. Such was the general state of affairs. I must not, however, omit to state the manner in which the rulers dealt with the small coinage. The money-changers had formerly been accustomed to give 210 obols (called Pholes) for a single gold stater. Justinian and Theodora, for their own private gain, ordered that only 180 obols should be given for the stater, and by this means deprived the public of a sixth part of each piece of gold. Having established “monopolies” upon most wares, they incessantly24 harassed25 would-be purchasers. The only thing left free from duty was clothes, but, in regard to these also, the imperial pair contrived26 to extort21 money. Silken garments had for a long time been made in Berytus and Tyre, cities of Phoenicia. The merchants and workmen connected with the trade had been settled there from very early times, and from thence the business had spread throughout the world. During the reign27 of Justinian, those who lived in Byzantium and other cities raised the price of their silks, on the plea that at the present time they were dearer in Persia, and that the import tithes28 were higher. The Emperor pretended to be exceedingly indignant at this, and subsequently published an edict forbidding a pound of silk to be sold for more than eight gold pieces; anyone who disobeyed the edict was to be punished by the confiscation29 of his property. This measure appeared altogether impracticable and absurd. For it was not possible for the merchants, who had bought their wares at a much higher price, to sell it to customers at a lower rate. They accordingly resolved to give up this business, and secretly and without delay disposed of their remaining wares to certain well-known persons, who took delight in wasting their money upon such adornments, and to whom it had become in a manner an absolute necessity. Theodora heard of this from certain persons who whispered it confidentially30, and, without taking the trouble to verify the report, she immediately deprived these persons of their wares, and, in addition, inflicted31 upon them a fine of a centenar of gold. At the present time, the imperial treasurer32 is charged with the superintendence of this trade. When Peter Barsyames held the office, they soon allowed him all manner of licence in carrying out his nefarious33 practices. He demanded that all the rest should carefully observe the law, and compelled those who were engaged in the silk factories to work for himself alone. Without taking any trouble to conceal34 it, he sold an ounce of any ordinary coloured silk in the public market-place for six pieces of gold, but if it was of the royal dye, called Holovere, he asked more than four-and-twenty for it. In this manner he procured35 vast sums of money for the Emperor, and even larger sums, which he kept privately36 for himself; and this practice, begun by him, continued. The grand treasurer is at this moment avowedly37 the only silk merchant and sole controller of the market. All those who formerly carried on this business, either in Byzantium or any other city, workers on sea or land, felt the loss severely38. Nearly the whole population of the cities which existed by such manufactories were reduced to begging. Artisans and mechanics were forced to struggle against hunger, and many of them, quitting their country, fled to Persia. None but the chief treasurer was allowed to have anything to do with that branch of industry, and, while he handed over part of his gains to the Emperor, he kept the greater part for himself, and thus grew wealthy at the expense of the unfortunate public.
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1
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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levied
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| 征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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plundered
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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extorted
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| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
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extort
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| v.勒索，敲诈，强要 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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28
tithes
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| n.（宗教捐税）什一税，什一的教区税，小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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29
confiscation
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| n. 没收, 充公, 征收 | |
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confidentially
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| ad.秘密地，悄悄地 | |
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31
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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33
nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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34
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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35
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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36
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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avowedly
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| adv.公然地 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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