Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/41

 then formerly, and told him, That when time served, there would be great use of the prisoner, and his friends, and so commanded him to dis­charge him, or he would make him sensible of his displeasure; and by this means Justin was preserved. In process of time, the said Justin came into great credit with the Emperor Anasta­sius, who gave him the command of his Guards, by whom after the death of Anastasius, he was chosen Emperor of Rome, though he was so old he was quite grey, and (which never hapned to the Romans before) so ignorant, he knew not one Letter of the Book; insomuch, That it be­ing the custom for the Emperors to write all their Warrants under their own hands, he could neither write, nor subscribe them, but left it to Prochus his Questor, who was continually with him, and gave out what Orders he pleased. That the Emperors hand might appear to every thing that was ordered, one of his Officers found out this invention; He took a piece of a Board, and shaving it very thin, he caused the Letters of the Emperors name to be cut tho­row in Latine Characters; and when it was finished, clapped it upon the Paper, where the Order was written, and giving the Pen to the Emperor, another took him by the hand, and guided it in the cuts, till his name was sub­scribed; after which they retired, and their Or­ders were compleat, and in this manner Justin governed the Empire. His Wife (called Lupi­cina) had been a slave, was born a Barbarian, and having been bought by Justin, and served Rh