Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/149

 all that Forticula did, being positively confirmed. We will now speak of the Calami­ties which were suffered by the poor Alexan­drians.

There was in Alexandria one Ephestus, an Advocate by profession, who being advanced to the Supream Magistracy in that Town, ap­peased all the Tumults and Factions that arose in it: But he himself was more pernicious to the Citizens, then the greatest Sedition that could have been, for he reduced them to an extremity of Distress.

In short, having appointed Offices for all Commodities, which he had forbidden other Merchants to sell, reserving them wholly for himself, he sold all things at his own rates, and put great prices upon them, which the Autho­rity of his Office would make good. Hereupon the people wanted the necessaries of life, not being able to supply themselves with such things as were to be bought at an easie and indifferent rate, before Ephestus was made Governor: For having ingrossed all the Corn that came out of Egypt, not permitting any man to buy so much as one bushel, he put what price upon it he pleased; so that, in a short time, having acqui­red a vast wealth himself, he endeavored like­wise to content the insatiable avarice of the Emperor: And the people of Alexandria en­dured all this ill treatment without complaint, for fear of provoking their Governor to use them worse: And the Emperor taking singular delight to see Money flowing into his Exchequer from