Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 6 (1897).djvu/98

 78 THE DECLINE AND FALL looked and roared like their brethren of the forest. The suc- cessors of Theophilus, of the Basilian and Comnenian dynasties, were not less ambitious of leaving some memorial of their re- sidence ; and the portion of the palace most splendid and august was dignified with the title of the golden iriclinium.-^^ With becoming modesty, the rich and noble Greeks aspired to imitate their sovereign, and, when they passed through the streets on horseback, in their robes of silk and embroidery, they were mistaken by the children for kings. ^" A matron of Pelo- ponnesus,^^ who had cherished the infant fortunes of Basil the iMacedonian, was excited by tenderness or vanity to visit the greatness of her adopted son. In a journey of five hundred miles from Patras to Constantinople, her age or indolence de- clined the fatigue of an horse or carriage ; the soft litter or bed of Danielis was transported on the shoulders of ten robust slaves ; and, as they were relieved at easy distances, a band of three hundred was selected for the performance of this service. She was entertained in the Byzantine palace with filial reverence and the honours of a queen ; and, whatever might be the origin of her wealth, her gifts were not unworthy of the regal dignity. I have already described the fine and curious manufactures of Peloponnesus, of linen, silk, and woollen ; but the most accept- able of her presents consisted in three hundred beautiful youths, of whom one hundred were eunuchs ;^'-' "for she was not •'*'' In aureo triclinio qure prrestantior est pars potentissime (/^(? usurper Romanus) degens cceteras partes (yf/?'w)distribuerat(Liutprand. Hist. 1. v. c. 9[ = c. 21], p. 469). For this lax signification of Triclinium (cedificium tria vel plura kAu'tj scilicet <T^iy^^ complectens) see Ducange (Gloss. Grnsc. et Observations siir Joinville, p. 240) and Reiske (ad C^onstantinum de Cerenioniis, p. 7). [The Gold Room (XpiitroTpiVXiros-), being near the imperial chambers, was more convenient for ordinary ceremonies than the more distant throne-rooms which were used only on specially solemn occasions. It was built by Justin II., and was probably modelled on the design of the Church of St. .Sergius and Bacchus built by Justinian. (For the plan of this chtirch see plate 5 in the atlas to Salzenberg's Altchristliche Baudenkmale von Cpel. ; cp. Labarte, op. cit. p. 161 ; Bieliaiev, op. cit. p. 12.) Ducange, Constant. Christ. II. p. 94-95, confounds the Chrysotriklinos with the Augusteus, another throne-room which was in the Daphne palace. The Chrysotriklinos was domed and had eight fandpai or recesses off the central room. ] ■'" In equis vecti (says Benjamin of Tudela) regum filiis videntur persimiles. I prefer the Latin version of Constantine I'Empereur (p. 46) to the French of Baratier (tom. i. p. 49). •'s See the account of her journey, munificence, and testament in the Life of Basil, by his grandson Constantine (c. 74, 75, 76, p. 195-197). '^'^ Carsamafitim [leg. carzimasium] (Kapfi^aiSt?, Ducange, Gloss. ) Gra'ci vocant, amputatis viril ibus et virga, puerum eunuchum quos [/r". quod] Verdunenses mer- catores ob immensuni lucrum facere solent et in Hispaniam ducere (Liutprand, 1. vi. c. -3, p. 470). — The last abomination of the abominable slave-trade ! Yet I am surprised to find in the xth century such active speculations of commerce in Lorraine.