I must now relate how he robbed Byzantium and other cities of their ornaments. In the first place he resolved to humiliate7 the lawyers. He deprived them of all the fees, which, after they had finished their case, were considerable, and enriched them and increased their distinction. He ordered that litigants8 should come to an agreement upon oath, which brought the lawyers into contempt and insignificance9. After he had seized the estates of the Senators and other families reputed wealthy, in Byzantium and throughout the Empire, the profession had little to do, for the citizens no longer possessed10 property worth disputing about. Thus, of the numerous and famous orators11 who once composed this order there remained only a few, who were everywhere despised and lived in the greatest poverty, finding that their profession brought them nothing but insult. He also caused physicians and professors of the liberal arts to be deprived of the necessaries of life. He cut off from them all the supplies which former emperors had attached to these professions, and which were paid out of the State funds. Further, he had no scruple12 about transferring to the public funds all the revenues which the inhabitants of the cities had devoted13 either to public purposes or for providing entertainments. From that time no attention was paid to physicians or professors; no one ventured to trouble himself about the public buildings; there were no public lights in the cities, or any enjoyments14 for the inhabitants; the performances in the theatres and hippodromes and the combats of wild beasts, in which Theodora had been bred and brought up, were entirely15 discontinued. He afterwards suppressed public exhibitions in Byzantium, to save the usual State contribution, to the ruin of an almost countless16 multitude who found their means of support in these entertainments. Their life, both in public and private, became sad and dejected and utterly17 joyless, as if some misfortune had fallen upon them from Heaven. Nothing was spoken of in conversation at home, in the streets, or in the churches, except misfortune and suffering. Such was the state of the cities.
I have still something important to mention. Every year two consuls4 were appointed—one at Rome, the other at Byzantium. Whoever was advanced to that dignity was expected to expend18 more than twenty centenars of gold upon the public. This sum was to a small extent furnished by the consuls themselves, while the greater part was due to the liberality of the Emperor. This money was distributed amongst those whom I have mentioned, above all to the most necessitous, and principally to those employed upon the stage, which materially increased the comfort of the citizens. But, since the accession of Justinian, the elections never took place at the proper time; sometimes one consul2 remained in office for several years, and at last people never even dreamed of a fresh appointment. This reduced all to the greatest distress19; since the Emperor no longer granted the usual assistance to his subjects, and at the same time deprived them of what they had by every means in his power.
I think I have given a sufficient account of the manner in which this destroyer swallowed up the property of the members of the Senate and deprived them all of their substance, whether publicly or privately20. I also think that I have said enough concerning the fraudulent accusations21 which he made use of, in order to get possession of the property of other families which were reputed to be wealthy. Lastly, I have described the wrongs he inflicted22 upon the soldiers and servants of those in authority and the militia23 in the palace; upon countrymen, the possessors and proprietors24 of estates, and professors of the arts and sciences; upon merchants, shipmasters and sailors; mechanics, artisans, and retail25 dealers26; those who gained their livelihood27 by performing upon the stage; in a word, upon all who were affected28 by the misery29 of these. I must now speak of his treatment of the poor, the lower classes, the indigent30, and the sick and infirm. I will then go on to speak of his treatment of the priests.
At first, as has been said, he got all the shops into his own hands, and having established monopolies of all the most necessary articles of life, exacted from his subjects more than three times their value. But if I were to enter into the details of all these monopolies, I should never finish my narrative31, for they are innumerable.
He imposed a perpetual and most severe tax upon bread, which the artisans, the poor, and infirm were compelled to purchase. He demanded from this commodity a revenue of three centenars of gold every year, and those poor wretches32 were obliged to support themselves upon bread full of dust, for the Emperor did not blush to carry his avarice33 to this extent. Seizing upon this as an excuse, the superintendents34 of the markets, eager to fill their own pockets, in a short time acquired great wealth, and, in spite of the cheapness of food, reduced the poor to a state of artificial and unexpected famine; for they were not allowed to import corn from any other parts, but were obliged to eat bread purchased in the city.
One of the city aqueducts had broken, and a considerable portion of the water destined35 for the use of the inhabitants was lost. Justinian, however, took no notice of it, being unwilling36 to incur37 any expense for repairs, although a great crowd continually thronged38 round the fountains, and all the baths had been shut. Nevertheless, he expended39 vast sums without any reason or sense upon buildings on the seashore, and also built everywhere throughout the suburbs, as if the palaces, in which their predecessors40 had always been content to live, were no longer suitable for himself and Theodora; so that it was not merely parsimony41, but a desire for the destruction of human life, that prevented him from repairing the aqueduct, for no one, from most ancient times, had ever shown himself more eager than Justinian to amass42 wealth, and at the same time to spend it in a most wasteful43 and extravagant44 manner. Thus this Emperor struck at the poorest and most miserable45 of his subjects through two most necessary articles of food—bread and water, by making the one difficult to procure46, and the other too dear for them to buy.
It was not only the poor of Byzantium, however, that he harassed47 in this manner, but, as I will presently mention, the inhabitants of several other cities. When Theodoric had made himself master of Italy, in order to preserve some trace of the old constitution, he permitted the praetorian guards to remain in the palace and continued their daily allowance. These soldiers were very numerous. There were the Silentiarii, the Domestici, and the Scholares, about whom there was nothing military except the name, and their salary was hardly sufficient to live upon. Theodoric also ordered that their children and descendants should have the reversion of this. To the poor, who lived near the church of Peter the Apostle, he distributed every year 3,000 bushels of corn out of the public stores. All continued to receive these donations until the arrival of Alexander Forficula18 in Italy. He resolved to deprive them of it immediately; and, when the Emperor was informed of this, he approved of his conduct, and treated Alexander with still greater honour. During his journey, Alexander treated the Greeks in the following manner:—The peasants of the district near the pass of Thermopylae had long manned the fortress48, and, each in turn, mounted guard over the wall which blocks the pass, whenever there seemed any likelihood of an invasion of the barbarians49. But Alexander, on his arrival, pretended that it was to the interest of the Peloponnesians not to leave the protection of the pass to the peasants. He established a garrison of about 2,000 soldiers, who were not paid out of the public funds, but by each of the cities in Greece. On this pretext50, he transferred to the public treasury51 all the revenues of these towns which were intended for public purposes or to cover the expenses of shows and entertainments. He pretended that it was to be employed for the support of the soldiers, and in consequence, from that time, no public buildings or other objects of utility were erected52 or promoted either in Athens or throughout Greece. Justinian, however, hastened to give his sanction to all the acts of Forficula.
We must now speak of the poor of Alexandria. Amongst the lawyers of that city was one Hephaestus, who, having been appointed governor, suppressed popular disturbances53 by the terror he inspired, but at the same time reduced the citizens to the greatest distress. He immediately established a monopoly of all wares54, which he forbade other merchants to sell. He reserved everything for himself alone, sold everything himself, and fixed55 the price by the capricious exercise of his authority. Consequently, the city was in the greatest distress from want of provisions; the poor no longer had a sufficient supply of what was formerly56 sold at a low rate, and especially felt the difficulty of obtaining bread; for the governor alone bought up all the corn that came from Egypt, and did not allow anyone else to purchase even so much as a bushel; and in this manner, he taxed the loaves and put upon them what price he pleased. By this means he amassed57 an enormous fortune, and was likewise careful to satisfy the greed of the Emperor. So great was the terror inspired by Hephaestus, that the people of Alexandria endured their ill-treatment in silence; and the Emperor, out of gratitude58 for the money which flowed into his exchequer59 from that quarter, conceived a great affection for Hephaestus. The latter, in order to secure in a still greater degree the favour of the Emperor, carried out the following plan. When Diocletian became Emperor of the Romans, he ordered a yearly distribution of corn to be made to the necessitous poor of Alexandria; and the people, settling its distribution amongst themselves, transmitted the right to their descendants. Hephaestus deprived the necessitous of 2,000,000 bushels yearly, and deposited it in the imperial granaries, declaring, in his despatch60 to the Emperor, that this grant of corn had previously61 been made in a manner that was neither just nor in conformity62 with the interests of the state. The Emperor approved of his conduct and became more attached to him than ever. The Alexandrians, whose hopes of existence depended upon this distribution, felt the cruelty bitterly, especially at the time of their distress.
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1
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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consul
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| n.领事；执政官 | |
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consulship
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| 领事的职位或任期 | |
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consuls
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| 领事( consul的名词复数 )； （古罗马共和国时期）执政官 （古罗马共和国及其军队的最高首长，同时共有两位，每年选举一次） | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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humiliate
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| v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace | |
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litigants
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| n.诉讼当事人( litigant的名词复数 ) | |
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insignificance
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| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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expend
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| vt.花费，消费，消耗 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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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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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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dealers
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| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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indigent
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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superintendents
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| 警长( superintendent的名词复数 )； （大楼的）管理人； 监管人； （美国）警察局长 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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40
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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41
parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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42
amass
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| vt.积累，积聚 | |
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43
wasteful
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| adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的 | |
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44
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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45
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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46
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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47
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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48
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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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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50
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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51
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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52
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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53
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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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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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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exchequer
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| n.财政部；国库 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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