Page:The age of Justinian and Theodora (Volume 2).djvu/212

 *tion of the moon among the constellations. In the reign of Valentinian I an epidemic of poisoning became rife, and all inconvenient relatives were got rid of by the administration of deleterious drugs. These excesses were rigorously repressed by that irascible emperor, who even executed some men of senatorial rank for being concerned in magical practices. At the same time adultery and seduction were dealt with by capital punishment, and both men and women of noble rank perished for these crimes. As for the common people, they were indolent and dissolute, spent their time in wine-shops and brothels, were addicted to gambling, and in their lower sphere imitated the pride of their masters by pretending to high-sounding names and descent from illustrious families, even though without shoes to their feet. Their devotion to the games of the Circus was as intense as that of the Constantinopolitans, but the factions of the Blues and Greens were not of such political weight or such breeders of riot as their fellows of the Byzantine capital. But the Roman populace were more expectant of public gratifications in the way of amusements, largess, and bread, and broke into violent seditions when there was any prospect of their being limited or withheld. If the corn-fleet were delayed their animosity was directed against the Praefect of the City; if the public spectacles were parsimoniously provided for, against the Praetor of the Games; and, unless those officials found means to assuage the tumult, their