Page:Secret History of the Court of the Emperor Justinian 1674.djvu/43

 Roman Empire, he imployed his Armies for the Conquest of Italy and Africk, to involve those two brave Countreys in the same cala­mities which he had brought upon the other Provinces that had submitted to his Dominion. He was scarce ten days in Authority, before he put Amantius to death (who was the cheif of the Court Eunuchs) and many others, upon no other grounds, but because they had spoke too liberally against John, the Patriarch of Constan­tinople, which made him afterwards the most terrible Man in the World. About the same time he sent for the Tyrant Vitalian, promised him (in the Emperors name) sincere amity, obliged him to embrace the Christian Religion; but growing jealous of him afterwards, and sus­pecting he was not true to his interests, he caused him, and all his Relations and Friends to be stabbed in the middle of the Court without the least compunction for the breach of his Faith, which is a sacred thing among all Men.

As I have said before, there were at that time two contrary factions among the people; of which, having gained the Venetes, and man­aged them along while, he had all the liberty he could desire to molest and disorder every thing as he pleased; so that having found the Roman Empire declining, he easily finished its destruction, though the most seditious of that party, who served him in the execution of his tyrannical designs, have passed since for the most moderate of all Men, because they did not Rh