Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/287

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 2G9 was soon doubled by the division of the east and west; CHAP, and as separate generals of the same rank and title ^^^^' were appointed on the four important frontiers of the Rhine, of the Upper and the Lower Danul)e, and of the Euphrates, the defence of the Roman empire was at length committed to eight masters general of the cavalry and infantry. Uncler~ their orders, thirty-five military commanders were stationed in the provinces: three in Britain, six in Gaul, one in Spain, one in Italy, five on the Upper and four on the Lower Danube; in Asia eight, three in Egypt, and four in Africa. The titles of * counts' and ' dukes' "', by which they were properly distinguished, have obtained in modern lan- guages so very different a sense, that the use of them may occasion some surprise. But it should be recol- lected, that the second of those appellations is only a corruption of the Latin word, which was indiscrimin- ately applied to any military chief. All these pro- vincial generals were therefore ' dukes ;' but no more than ten amoncc them were dicrnified with the rank of ' counts' or companions, a title of honour, or rather of favour, which had been recently invented in the court of Constantine. A gold belt was the ensign which dis- tinguished the office of the counts and dukes ; and be- sides their pay, they received a liberal allowance, suffi- cient to maintain one hundred and ninety servants, and one hundred and fifty-eight horses. They were strictly proliibited from interfering in any matter which related to the administration of justice or the revenue; but the command which they exercised over the troops of their department, was independent of the authority of the magistrates. About the same time that Constantine gave a legal sanction to the ecclesiastical order, he in- stituted in the Roman empire the nice balance of the civil and the military powers. The emulation, and " Though the military counts and dukes are frequently mentioned, both in history and the codes, we must have recourse to the Notitia for the exact knowledge of their number and stations. For the institution, rank, privi- leges, etc. of the counts in general, see Cod. Theod. 1. vi. tit. xii. — xx. with the commentary of Godefroy.