Page:Constantinople by Brodribb.djvu/136

114

F Justinian has suffered at the hands of a spiteful writer, Basil has gained by the partiality of his biographers. The groom, stable boy, peasant, who rose to be the companion of an emperor, who married the emperor's mistress, and corrupted the emperor's sister, who murdered his benefactor, who was a bad general, who finally destroyed the ancient Roman constitution and established an arbitrary despotism, appears as the illustrious scion of a royal though fallen race, as able in war as in administration, and as eminent for religious as for political qualities.

We have already sketched his youth and the manner of his rise to power. The incidents of his reign have but little to do with the city, and may be briefly touched upon.

At his coronation he made haste to display his piety by kneeling before the altar and proclaiming that he dedicated his crown and himself to the service of God, who had raised him to the empire. He called a general council of the Church, at which small concessions were