where she had suffered so many indignities and been so barbarously treatted The so trariety of their demands obliged the Emperor to make Ballisarius Master of his Horse and send him the second time General into Italy but with this condition That he should defray the whole charge of that War himself without any expectation from the Emperor Some there were who supposed Bellisarius had come to this agreement with his Wife and the Emperor with design when he was out of Constantinople to put himself into a posture of acting against Antonina and the rest who had used him so cruelly But the event manifested the contrary for he forgot all that had passed and instead of reflecting upon what he had solemnly promised to Photius and the rest of his friends he became a very slave to his Wife and was mod desperately enamored though she was already threescore years of age and upwards Having deserved the indignation of Heaven he was no sooner in Italy but he began to find his fortune adverse In his first War against Theodat and Vitiges though the designs he undertook in that juncture seemed rash and unreasonable yet they hapned generally to succeed well and had a very good effect In his second he was judged a Man of good conduct and one who understood how to take his measures aright for he had been well acquainted with the strength and the weakness both of the Goths and of Italy but when things declined and failed of the success that was expected the World began to quarrel with him and his conduct and he was so unhappy as to confirm them by his future miscarriage Certainly the affairs of Man are not regulated by their own Reason whose bounds are too narrow and contracted but by the Wisdom and Providence of God who governs them as he pleases though some who are spectators of events but know nothing of their causes would attribute all to Fortune but of that let every one argue as he pleases After his second expedition into Italy Bellisarius was forced to return with dishonor having been rive years as I have said elswhere in distress not knowing where to be secure or retire with his Troops Jotila how desirous so ever he shewed himself to come to an engagement could never bring him to a Battle so great was the terror as well in himself as his Army So that instead of re-establishing the Emperors Affairs in Italy which were in an ill condition he lost Rome and several other places before his face In all this War the Emperor supplied him not with one farthing of Money which put him upon great exactions in Italy insomuch that his thoughts were wholly applied to the raising of Money He flead as a man may say all the Sicilians the Inhabitants of Ravenna and indeed all Italy besides For of all who had the misfortune to fall under his power there was scarce one that escaped the tyranny of his extortion but he made him pay and sometimes for things done before he was born At this rate he would have dealt with Herodian he pressed him for Money and pressed him with all manner of threats but Herodian chose rather to deliver up Spoletto where he was Governor to the Goths not regarding the Fidelity which he had sworn to the Emperor I think it not improper in this place to give an account of the difference which broke out about this time betwixt Bellisarius and his Nephew John the son of Vitalian which difference was the cause of great losses to the Empire of Rome The Empress had so great an aversion for Germanus and dissembled it so little that nobody durst ally themselves with him though he was the Emperors Brothers Son In short he had several Sons but none of them could marry whilest Theodora was living He had a Daughter likewise called Justina which was already eighteen years of age and unmarried whereupon Germanus was constrained to propose a match betwixt the said Daughter and John whom Bellisarius had sent to Constantinople though indeed in condition Bellisarius was much inferior to Germanus The overture being accepted it was thought necessary by matual and inviolable Oaths to oblige one another to use all possible means to consummate the match for they were jealous on both sides John because the Lady was above his quality and Germanus because if he lost him he despaired of another The Empress imaged at this alliance plaid them a hundred tricks to have broke it off but finding all of them fail and that her menaces were not able to divert them she signified to John that his life was in danger Whereupon having order to return into Italy he had no farther communication with Bellisarius whilest Antinona was with him in Italy apprehending with good reason the designs of that wicked Woman for it was too probable and not irrational for him to suspect that the Empress had given her order to make him away and it was the more credible considering the nature of Antonina and the fondness of Bellisarius who indulged his Wife in what ever she desired so much was his love beyond all limits or reason This fear being grounded upon so many appearances of truth made a deep impression in the mind of John From that time the affairs of the Emperor went utterly to wreck as wanting a person that was able to buoy them for Bellisarius finding the Goths extreamly successful and advance in all their undertakings he desired liberty to return out of Italy which being granted by the Emperor betook his leave of the Roman Troops without any trouble and indeed of all Italy the greatest part of which he left in the hands of the Goths Perusia was at that time distressed by a long siege and being taken whilest he was in his journey to Constantinople it endured all the miseries to which Towns that arc taken by Assault are usually exposed But the State was not unhappy alone Bellisarius had his private misfortunes in his own family The Empress Theodora employed the utmost of her power to accomplish the match betwixt her Grandson Anastasius and the Daughter of Bellisarius obliging him to write continually to her Parents to expedite the business The Parents to gain him desired it might be protracted till they returned to Constantinople The Empress suspecting their design commanded them back hut they desired to be excused and wrote word they could not stur out of Italy She perceived their cunning immediately and seeing Bellisarius had na other children and that his daughter would infallibly be heir to his estate she resolved Anastasius should have her let it cost what it would for me began now to be jealous of Antonina and not to place that confidence in her as formerly apprehending That as soon as she was dead Antonina would forget the friendship she had shown her in all her exigences and abandoning the Interests of her family break off all the leagues and engagements betwixt them These considerations put
then Men for during all their time there was not one Moments intermission of War or other Calamities but a general and deplorable desolation like a Flood overwhelmed the whole Empire at one time But because by accident I have mentioned the word Quarters I will not forget to say that there was at Constantinople 70000 Barbarians and Forreigners which the House Keepers were obliged to Quarter and to suffer mâ—ny other Incommodities besides what they received by Lodging them And now I shall declare how Justinian behaved himself with his Armies He sent Commissaries call'd Logothetes among them with directions to pinch and abate as much of their Pay as was possible giving those Miscreants a Twelfth part of what by their develish Arts they could retrench of their pay By the Establishment in the Roman Army all Soldiers had not equal pay Those who were new had less then the rest those who had any thing of Experience had more especially if they had been Listed any time but the greatest and most considerable Pensions were to the Veterans who had served too long to be dismissed without allowance for not being looked upon as under Ingagement but as private persons belonging to the Establishment they were able to subsist with more Ease and leave to their Families out of their Wages and Pay what would keep them when they themselves were dead The Establishment running thus When any of the Veterans dyed or were to be dismissed those who were next under were commonly preserred according tu the Antiquity of their Services and receive Pay with the highest But these detestable Commissaries would not permit the Names of such as were slain to be expung'd nor the Rolls to be called over but in a very long time by which it came to pass that the Troops were very thin and those sew Souldiers which were left remained in spight of their Merits in ranks beneath what was their due and by consequence their pay was so much less then it ought to have been whilst in the mean time the Commissaries conveyed to Justinian all the Money that they purloind from the Army which suffered besides that a thousand other injustices in recompence of the dangers they had run and the Wounds they had received in their almost daily Rencounters and Engagements For example some were despised for being Greeks if Greece never had produced any one person that was worthy of the Name of a Souldier some were cashierd as being in service without the Emperors Order The Certificates of others were with great difficulty allow'd and others disbanded for having been absent some small time from their Quarters After all this certain of the Pretorian Bands were chosen to take an exact review quite through the Roman Empire of all the Souldiers which were capable of bearing Armes Some who had been a long time in the Service were cashiered as unfit for the War and were to be seen begging about the Streets as having nothing to sustain them but the Charity of the people which to good Men was a sad object and well worthy of Compassion Others to defend themselves against those Extremities gave great sums of Money to the Commissaries by way of Redemption So that the Army being grown feeble and weak by a hundred such practices and destitute of necessaries began to conceive such a hatred against the service that the affairs of the Empire went very ill on all sides and especially in Italy For Alexander who was sent thither in the Quality of Commissarie brought a thousand Mischiefs and Incommodities upon the Souldiers reproaching them impudently by the smalness of their Numbers which was not their fault but the Emperors and causing large sums of Money to be payd to the Italians under pretence of vindicating the Emp. from the violences of Theodoric and his Goths Nay this business was carryed on yet farther for the ravenous Commissaries having ruined the Common Souldiers reduced the Officers to the greatest poverty imaginable insomuch as they had nothing left to subsist upon though their Services had been extraordinary and the Laurels wherewith they had been Crowned a long time ought to have sheltred them against so unreasonable a Storm And seeing I am speaking of the Army I shall add That formerly the Roman Emperors had a Custom to maintain several small Armies upon the Frontiers of the Empire to secure them against Incursions and particularly in the Eastern Provinces to resist the Inroads of the Persians and Sarazins and these Troops were called the Troops of the Frontiers In the first place Justinian took so little care of these Armies that he deferred the payment of them from four years to four years and sometimes to five and when the Truce was concluded betwixt the Romans and the Persians supposing it would drain his Coffers unnecessarily to maintain those poor Troops in time of Peace he disbanded them all in one day and leaving the Frontiers unfurnished he brought those Troops to such indigence that they had nothing to subsist upon but the benevolence of good people The Emperors Guard consisted formerly of 3500 men whose pay was greater than the rest of the Army and sutable to the dignity of the place as being intended for the choice Souldiers of Armenia and a select number to be cull'd out of the whole Army no other being capable thereof But from the time that Zeno was Emperor all sorts ot people were entertained and no body so lewd or inexperienced but might be admitted for his money In the Reign of Justin Justinian received several into the Guards upon the same termes paying him considerably for it and finding his number compleat he entertained near 2000 more and called them Supernumeraries but he cashired them as soon as he came himself to the Throne without any reimbursment But the best of his Exploits was That pretending a designe to send Armies into Persia and Affrick and Italy he gave orders for 3500 of the oldest Souldiers to be picked out and prepared for that Expedition as persons of more then ordinary experience when to speak truth they were utterly unfit for the Warr and had not the least thought or inclination thereunto whereupon apprehending that journey exceedingly they chose rather to remit their arrears to the Emperor than to undertake the Expedition and this was not the first time that trick had been practised These troops of the Guards were often or rather daily exposed to the derisions and contempt of Peter who was Master of the Offices who though he was naturally Gentle and loved not to do any man hurt was nevertheless the last man who by his exactions and immoderate desire of Wealth put the Emperor upon those things and made him as I said before conspire the destruction of Amalalazonte the Daughter of Theodorick King of the Goths There are belonging to the Emperors houshold a sort of Souldiers of much higher quality than the rest who buying their places at a dearer rate have better pay than any of their
eyes of their Emperor In short Malthanes and his assasins remained equally unpunished which may easily insinuate the temper of Justinian Yet for further eviction and to show how much he applied himself to the good of the Commonwealth I shall only add his behavior towards the Posts and the Spies The Emperors which had Reigned before him had Established ways of Intelligence for the speedier understanding the Motions and Attempts of their Enemies upon the Frontiers and particularly they had setled a Correspondency in every City and Village in those Provinces that thereby they might be advertised of any Sedition or other accident that might happen as also of the Deportment of their Governors and Lieutenant Generals and for the safer and more speedy Conveyance of such sums of Money as should be raised in the Provinces more immediately under the Jurisdiction of the Empire or in such as were only tributary To this purpose in every days journey they had setled a Man who was to Post Eight Stages a day but in some places their Stages were not so many though five were the fewest In these several Stages there were about forty layd Horses and a just proportion of Grooms Those therefore who had any important Affairs made use of this way and by frequent change of Horses which were always in Breath they would make as much way easily in one day as in ten any other way This was not only convenient to such as had business of importance but was likewise of great advantage to those whose Lands lay in the middle of the Provinces and yielded them a considerable Revenue by giving them opportunity of putting off their Grain and other Commodities to such as had the Charge of those Horses and were to provide for the Passengers These Post Masters likewise conveying into the Emperors Treasurie the Moneys which were returned had the liberty to difalke what Wages was due to them for their pains so that all was very well ordered for the good of the State and this was the Method which had been Established of old But Justinian having ruined the Post betwixt Calcedonia and Dacibile all who had business that way were constrained to pass betwixt Constantinople and Helenopolis in the little Boats which were used before only to waft them over the Streight whereby they were perpetually obnoxious to the Tempests which are very frequent in that passage for when a Man is pressed by the Necessity of his Affairs he stands not to consider whether it be fair or fowl or what danger there is of the Weather The Road to Persia Justinian left as he found it established but for all the rest either into the East or Egypt in every days journey he would not suffer those stables of Horses to be continued for the convenience of Travellers but the passage was made upon Asses and those very few By which means it came to pass that Advertisements were very slow from the Provinces and most commonly too late for any Remedy to be applyed Those whose Estates lay upon the Roads were exceedingly impoverished having no vent nor utterance for their Commodities and so much for the Messengers or Posts I shall speak now of the Spyes There were great numbers of them entertained by the State who under pretence of Trading or some other Invention went every day among the Enemies and some of them into the very Court of the King of Persiae where having discovered the Intrigues of the Barbarians they returned with all diligence to make Report to the Emperors who thereby had time not only to foresee but to prevent most of their Designs as having Advertisement a long time before T is now many years since the Persians have taken this Custome from us but Cosroes made better use of it then any of his Predecessors having given more then ordinary Wages to his Spyes and great and magnificent Rewards when any thing did happily succeed never employing any that was born a Subject of Rome But Justinian having cut off this Entercourse was the occasion of very great Losses and particularly of the Country of the Laziens which was Conquered by the Enemy because Justinian could never get Intelligence of the place against which the King of the Persians designed It had been likewise a Custome of old to keep a great number of Cammels at the Charges of the State which were to follow the Army upon its March in time of War to carry the Baggage that the Country people might not be disturbed in their Business and that nothing might be wanting to the Souldiers But Justinian Retrenched them likewise for the greatest part so that at present when one has any accasion more then ordinary and desires to make more then ordinary Expedition he wants every thing that is necessary as having no convenience to carry his Baggage And this was the great care he took of things which were of the greatest consequence for the Conservation of the State and to which he ought to have applied himself with particular diligence Though this that has been said has been sufficient I cannot contain from adding another story of him which in my judgment is very ridiculous There was in Cesarea an Advocate called Evangelus who having had very good fortune was grown so rich that he bought for Three hundred Livers of Gold a great Town called Porphyrion which is scituate upon the Sea-shore The news of his purchase being brought to Justinian he took it from him returning but a very inconsiderable part of what it cost and alledging only That it was not a decent thing to see so great and so beautiful a Town in the hands of such a Lawyer as Evangelus But enough of this subject what remains to be spoken of is only of some things which were innovated by Justinian and Theodora When the Senators went to salute the Emperor they did it as follows Every one who was of a Patrician family kissed the Emperors right Cheek when he came in and when he went out the Emperor kissed his Head All the rest that were of inferior rank retired after they had clapped their right knee upon the ground and for the Empress the Men never made any compliments to her But those who came to salute Justinian and Theodora whether Senators or of inferior degree prostrated themselves upon their face stretched out their hands and their feet kissed both his feet one after another and then retired Theodora suffered the same honors to be done to her receiving at her own Palace the Ambassadors from Persia and other Foreign Nations and which was never practiced before at least since History has presented us with the occurences of passed ages giving them rich and magnificent presents to let them fee that she was absolute Mistress and governed the whole Empire Formerly when the Emperor was spoken of he was called Caesar and his Wife Augusta and other Princes had their Titles according to their qualities But when any Address was made to Theodora or Justinian if they were called only Emperor and Empress without the addition of Soveraign Lord or Soveraign Princess the person was not only looked upon as ill-bred and a Clown but he was sure to be ill received and turned out us one that was guilty of some hainous offence Formerly few persons went to Court and those few who did go went very rarely but since the Government of Justinian and Theodora all the Magistrates and all other persons were continually in the Palace and the reason of it was because heretofore the Magistrates might freely administer Justice and execute their Sentences and Decrees among themselves according to Custom and the parties never troubled the Emperor with their importunities â—eing perswaded within themselves that no injustice would be done them But Justinian having ingrossed all business that thereby he might more easily ruine his subjects he brought them to a condition that was little better then slavery The Courts of Justice were always empty and scarce a Man to be seen whereas in the Palace infinite multitudes were continually to be seen pressing and crouding to out-do one another in the servility of their obedience Those who were in most favor with them and seemed to have the greatest interest in their affection waited whole days and a great part of the night but they got nothing but their labor for their pains having no other compensation for all their assiduity and attendance then a vain image of felicity and good fortune Others who were not intangled in those cares and formalities had yet their troubles to think what was become of all the Treasure and Riches of the Empire Some said the Barbarians had divided it among them others that the Emperor had hid it in several places which very few knew For my part I will not speak my sentiment only this I will say That when Justinian dies for he is but a Man and mortal as we or when he has ruined and confounded every thing if he be a Devil as many imagine those who are then living will be able to judge of the truth FINIS
permitted to elect a new Emperor they should run a great risque of being continued in the Army as long as they lived and never see their Countrey again Not long after the Emperor recovering the Officers of the Army began to impeach one another and Peter and John Helâ—â—o affirmed That Bellisarius and Busez were the Authors of that discourse The Empress having heard the accusation was so highly incensed that in a great passion she sent for the cheif Officers to come back to Constantinople Having inquired into the business and discovered the Authors she sent for Busez into her Closet pretending to speak with him about some business of importance There was a private prison in her Palace not to be come at but by several turnings Into that prison she caused Busez to be put where the poor Man though he had been Consul was kept prisoner a long time before it was known what was become of him The Dungeon was so perpetually dark he could not perceive when it was day and there was no body to inform him but a poor mute appointed to carry him his victuals as if he had been a wilde beast the whole World thought he was dead and no one durst mention either him or his memory When he had been in this manner as it were buried alive two years and four moneths and in meer pitty was inlarged he looked like a man come out of another World lost his eye-sight immediately and began to suffer great infirmities in all parts of his body Bellisarius could not be charged with any crime yet the Empress prevailed with her Husband to have him cashiered and put Martin over his head to command the Army in the East Besides she divided the Command of the Targetters and the Pikemen and the Guards which belonged formerly to Bellisarius and were the readiest and best Disciplined Troops in the whole Army among certain of her Eunuchs and other favorites of the Court who drew Lots for the command of the bravest Soldiers in the Empire and by degrees she proceeded so far as to forbid all the friends of Bellisarius to have any future correspondence with him It was an object well worthy compassion and indeed not easily to be believed to see the Great Bellisarius who had commanded the whole Force of the Roman Empire and signalized his Conduct and Valor in Asia Europe and Africa creeping about the streets of Constantinople alone without authority or attendance melancholly dejected and expecting every step to be knocked on the head The Empress deputed one of her Eunuchs to seise and bring to her Court a vast sum of Money which Bellisarius had hoarded in the East All which Theodora did in kindness to Antonina who was then at a distance with her Husband for she loved Antonina exceedingly upon account of the service which she had done her in the destruction of John of Gappadocia So that if ever Bellisarius was to be eased of his misery or readmitted into favor the poor man was not only to desist from doing ill to Antonina but to own his life to her and make himself a perfect engine and property of her triumph Bellisarius going to Court one morning according to his custom to pay his devoirs to the Emperor and the Empress though his equipage was but thin dirty and in very ordinary Liveries he found them very sower and severe upon him and the Buffoons and Rascallity of the Court began to despise him At night he went home but in great fear and looking behind him every step expecting some body would have stabbed him When he was got to his house he went up to his chamber and in great pensiveness he sate down upon his Bed Those brave masculine thoughts which do usually present themselves to great Men upon such occasions were far from his mind on the contrary his fear had put him into a sweat his terror into a trance and he was in as great confusion as the meanest caitiff in the World Antonina knew nothing of the matter and not imagining it in the least was walking up and down the room pretending indisposition to take off her Husband from greater suspitions when after Sun set Quadratus came from the Palace to the house of Bellisarius and running up the stairs presented himself suddenly at his chamber door and sent in word he was come to him from the Empress At the very naming of the Empress Bellisarius fell down backward upon the Bed with his arms and his legs stretched out and ready to receive his doom without any defence so strangely had his antient courage forsaken him But Quadratus presented him a Letter from the Empress which was almost in these very terms YOu cannot be ignorant Bellisarius what you have done against me and how highly you have offended but my obligations to your Wife prevailed with me to pardon your crimes erant you your life and give you hopes of enjoying your old fortune for the future But you must know it is your behavior to Antonina that must give me assurance of your intentions Bellisarius was transported with joy at the reading of the Letter and being desirous that Quadratus should be a witness in what manner he received it he threw himself down in his presence before his Wife and embracing her knees and kissing her feet he called her his safety and preservation protesting that for the future he would own himself not only her Husband but her Vassal and Slave Moreover the Empress having detained Three thousand Livers of Gold out of the sum which had been taken from Bellisarius she returned him the rest which was the same measure had been used with Gilimere and Vitiges whom he had conquered not long before The Emperor and Empress had call an ill eye for a long time upon the immense riches or Bellisarius looking upon them as worthy to be added to their own Royal Revenue They complained that he had kept to himself great part of Gilimeres and Vitiges estate not bringing it into the Coffers of the Emperor as a thing of little or no value or concernment However they thought it not fit to discover their resentment because of the many great things he had performed and least their methods should be blamed in confiscating the estate of a person against whom there was no accusation nor any appearance of offence that might give any lawful occasion against him But the Empress knowing that he suspected it and had lost his antient constancy she found out a way to secure that estate by an alliance and that was by promising her Grand-child Anastasius to Jane the only Daughter of Bellisarius In the mean time Bellisarius requested that he might be restored to his charges and return at the head of the Army into the East to make War upon the King of Persia Antonina on the other side clamored in the ears of the Empress That she would never consent her Husband should return into those Provinces