Page:The age of Justinian and Theodora (Volume 2).djvu/276

 CHAPTER XIII

THE FINAL CONQUEST OF ITALY AND ITS ANNEXATION TO THE EMPIRE

Notwithstanding the signal success of Belisarius in his Italian campaign, the Gothic Kingdom was even further from being actually subjugated to the Byzantine power than was Africa after the capture of Gelimer. The first care of Justinian was to appoint Alexander, an eminent Logothete, popularly known as "the Scissors," to supervise the financial administration of the country. His distinguishing sobriquet had been acquired through his remarkable dexterity in clipping round the gold coin according to an ingenious method of his own, which left the margin apparently intact. This noted extortioner descended on the Italians and sacked them mercilessly for suppositious debts, so that in a short time the public allegiance was wholly alienated from the victors. Even the army of occupation was defrauded of its pay to such an extent that the soldiers began to view the hostile operations of the enemy with complete indifference.

After the departure of Belisarius, Ildibad applied himself to revive the spirit of the remnants of the Gothic forces, and