Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/130

 or the idle and trivial pretences, upon which they were Imposed; for the Miseries of the Peo­ple increased daily, and though the Inhabitants in the Country were most of them dead of the Plague, (which the Roman Empire was no less afflicted at that time, then the other parts of the World) and though the Contagion was so uni­versal, the Fields and the Farms lay uninha­bited and untilled, Justinian never made the least Abatement in his Duties, and Imposts that he had Established; on the contrary, he constrained with great severity, those who were alive, to pay the proportions of such of their Neighbors, as were Dead of the Infection.

In short, their finest and richest Apartments they gave for Quarters to the Souldiers, trea­ting them with all possible liberality and civi­lity, whilst they were glad to make shift with any by place or stinking hole to lye in themselves. In this manner things passed in the Reign of Justinian and Theodora, who though they were but Mortal as other Men are, acted more like Furies then Men; for during all their time, there was not one Moments intermission of War, or other Calamities, but a general and deplorable desolation, like a Flood, óverwhelmed the whole Empire at one time.

But because by accident I have mentioned the word Quarters, I will not forget to say, that there was at Const antinople 70000 Barbari­ans and Foreigners, which the House Keepers were obliged to Quarter, and to suffer many other Incommodities, besides what they ­ved