Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/131

 DYNASTIC TROUBLES. 113 The troubles of the empire were now crowding upon it, and Alexis was not the man to meet them with Demoraliza- tt i i i i • • • ^ • t tioii of the success, lie had be^^un his reign amid a consider- able amount of popularity, lie had promised to maintain that which was good in the policy of his predecessor, to remove the restrictions in the way of trade, and especially to appoint the most capable men to govern instead of selling public offices. But he was surrounded by creatures who had placed him upon the throne, and who intended to be rewarded for their trouble. These men acquired immense wealth by selling their influence and the favor of the sovereign. We have already seen how they induced him to grant monopolies. They publicly sold the highest dignities and the governor- ships of the provinces. Not only nobles, but money lenders and changers, Scythians and Syrians, were able to buy the title of ca^sar. The empress herself was at the head of the avaricious gang which traded on the weakness of the emperor. Her brother-in-law, Michael Stryphnos, the admiral of the imperial fleet, used his office solely to enrich himself, and sold the stores from the arsenal, confident that his influence with the empress would save him from punishment. The emperor made a feeble protest against her conduct, and was supported by some of the nobles, who openly charged her with unfaith- fulness. Notwithstanding that she claimed a public trial, she was shut up in a monastery, and remained thus banished from the court for six months, after which she returned again to the palace to become a centre of evil influence. An incident is mentioned by Nicetas which is strikingly like what has happened in Constantinople in our time, and what is happen- ing continually thronghout the Turkish empire at the present day. From the manner, however, in which Nicetas makes mention of the fact, it was evidently of rare and exceptional occurrence, even among the worst days of the Byzantine em- pire. A jailer, who had probably bonght his appointment, allowed his prisoners to leave the jail at night, and shared with them the proceeds of their plunder. He was accused of the offence, and, although the emperor promised to pun- ish him, was set at liberty. Popular feeling, however, was 8