The Praefect of the supreme tribunals, besides the public tax,
annually paid to the Emperor more than thirty centenars of gold. This
sum was called the "aerial tribute," doubtless because it was no
regular or usual one, but seemed to have fallen as it were by chance
from Heaven, whereas it ought rather to have been called "the impost
of his wickedness," for it served as a pretext to those functionaries,
who were invested with high power, to plunder their subjects
incessantly without fear of punishment. They pretended that they had
to hand over the tribute to the Emperor, and they themselves, without
any difficulty, acquired sufficient sums to secure regal affluence for
themselves. Justinian allowed them to go on unchecked and unheeded,
waiting until they had amassed great wealth, when it was his practice
to bring against them some charge from which they could not readily
clear themselves, and to confiscate the whole of their property, as he
had treated John of Cappadocia. All those who held this office during
his reign became wealthy to an extraordinary degree, and suddenly,
with two exceptions. One of these was Phocas, of whom I have spoken in
my previous writings--a man in the highest degree observant of
integrity and honesty; who, during his tenure of office, was free from
all suspicion of illegal gain. The other was Bassus, who was appointed
later. Neither of them enjoyed their dignity for a year. At the end of
a few months they were deprived of it as being incapable and unsuited
to the times. But, not to go into details in every case, which would
be endless, I will merely say that it was the same with all the other
magistrates of Byzantium.
In all the cities throughout the Empire, Justinian selected for the
highest offices the most abandoned persons he could find, and sold to
them for vast sums the positions which they degraded. In fact, no
honest man, possessed of the least common sense, would ever have
thought of risking his own fortune in order to plunder those who had
committed no offence. When Justinian had received the money from those
with whom he made the bargain, he gave them full authority to deal
with their subjects as they pleased, so that, by the destruction of
provinces and populations, they might enrich themselves in the future;
for, since they had borrowed large sums from the bankers at heavy
rates of interest to purchase their magistracies, and had paid the sum
due to him who sold them, when they arrived in the cities, they
treated their subjects with every kind of tyranny, paying heed to
nothing save how they might fulfil their engagements with their
creditors and lay up great wealth for themselves. They had no
apprehension that their conduct would bring upon them the risk of
punishment; on the contrary, they expected that the greater number of
those whom they plundered put to death without cause, the greater the
reputation they would attain, for the name of murderer and robber was
regarded as a proof of activity. But when Justinian learned that they
had amassed considerable wealth during office, he entangled them in
his net, and on some pretence or other deprived them of all their
riches in a moment.
He had published an edict that candidates for offices should swear
that they would keep themselves free from extortion, that they would
neither give nor receive anything for their offices, and uttered
against those who transgressed the law the most violent curses of
ancient times. The law had not been in force a year when, forgetting
its terms and the malediction which had been pronounced, he
shamelessly put up these offices for sale, not secretly, but publicly
in the market-place, and those who purchased them, in spite of their
oaths to the contrary plundered and ravaged with greater audacity than
before.
He afterwards thought of another contrivance, which may seem
incredible. He resolved no longer to put up for sale, as before, the
offices which he believed to be of greatest repute in Byzantium and
other cities, but sought out a number of hired persons, whom he
appointed at a fixed salary, and ordered to bring all the revenues to
himself. These men, having received their salary, shamelessly got
together from every country and carried off everything that they
could. The stipendiary commission went from one place to another,
plundering the subjects of the Empire in the name of their office.
Thus the Emperor exercised in every case the greatest care in the
selection of these agents of his, who were truly the greatest
scoundrels in the world; nor were his efforts and industry in this
detestable business unsuccessful. When he advanced the first of his
wicked agents to high offices, and the licence of authority revealed
their corruption, we were astounded to think how the nature of man
could be capable of such enormity. But when those who succeeded them
far outdid them, men were at a loss to understand how their
predecessors could have appeared the most wicked of mankind, since, in
comparison with their successors, who had surpassed them in
evil-doing, they might be considered good and honest men. But the
third set and their successors so far outstripped the second in every
kind of villainy, and in their cleverness in inventing new
accusations, that they secured for their predecessors a certain
reputation and a good name. As the misfortunes of the State increased,
all learned by experience that there is no limit to the innate
wickedness of man, and that, when it is supported by the knowledge of
precedents, and encouraged by the power in its hands to torment its
victims, no man can tell how far it will extend, but only the thoughts
of the oppressed are capable of estimating it. Such was the state of
affairs in regard to the magistrates.
The hostile armies of the Huns had often reduced to slavery and
plundered the inhabitants of the Empire. The Thracian and Illyrian
generals resolved to attack them on their retreat, but turned back
when they were shown letters from the Emperor forbidding them to
attack the barbarians, on pretence that their help was necessary to
the Romans against the Goths and other enemies of the Empire.
Making use of this opportunity, these barbarians plundered the country
like enemies, and carried away the inhabitants into slavery; and in
this manner these pretended friends and allies of the Romans returned
home with their plunder and a number of prisoners. Frequently, some of
the peasants in those parts, urged on by a longing for their wives and
children who had been carried away into slavery, formed themselves
into bands, marched against the barbarians, slew a number of them, and
succeeded in capturing their horses together with their plunder. This
success, however, proved very unfortunate for them; for agents were
sent from Byzantium, who had no hesitation in beating and wounding
them and seizing their property, until they had restored all the
horses that they had taken from the barbarians.