Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/105

 done there before; but neither the Persians themsselves, the Huns, the Sclavonians, nor other of the Barbarous Nations which invaded the Roman Empire, could ever carry back their Armies whole and intire. They lost many Men in their Conquests, in their Rencounters, Sieges, and pitched Battles, in which, Fortune was not always favorable to their side; so as they be­came sensible of Justinians fury, as well as his own Subjects. Cosroes also (as I have said els­where) was a man of turbulent spirit, yet Justinian was always the aggressor, and served as a Bonte-feu to the conflagrations which brake out; and in the consequence, consumed most of his Countrey. To be short, in the affairs which he mannaged, he never conducted them accord­ing to the times and conjunctures, but did every thing improperly, during the whole War; and in times of Peace or Cessation, his thoughts were wholly taken up in contriving which way he might trouble his Neighbors. He invaded them bluntly, without declaring of War, but his preparations were always so backward (by reason of his extream covetousness) he seldom succeeded; and instead of applying himself to the prosecution of his designs, he was for the most part taken up in Metaphisical Notions about the Nature and existence of God: Never­theless, he kept his Armies constantly on foot to execute his cruel and tyrannical commands, never suffering them to come to any engagement with their Enemies, his avarice not permitting him to allow them what was necessary to Rh