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has happened to cease in time. And since we have mentioned lodgings, we must not pass over this either, that those who owned houses in Byzantium, providing lodging there for barbarians who were at least seventy thousand in number, not only had no benefit from their property, but were also afflicted with other difficulties. 24.1 Moreover, what was done by him to the soldiers must not be passed over in silence; he set over them the most rascally of all men, ordering them to collect as much money as possible from them, knowing well that a twelfth share of what was procured would be laid aside for them. 24.2 And he gave them the name of Logothetes. And every year they devised the following. The law is that military pensions are not granted equally to all in succession, but for those who are still young and have just enlisted the provision is less, while for those who have toiled and are now somewhere in the middle of the muster-roll it proceeds to a greater amount. 24.3 To those who have grown old, however, and are about to be discharged from service, the pension is much more handsome, so that they may have enough to live on for the rest of their lives in private, and so that when it happens that their life is measured out, they may be able to leave some comfort to their household members. 24.4 So then, time, by always promoting the lower-ranking soldiers to the grades of those who have died or been discharged from service, determines for each the pensions from the public treasury according to seniority. 24.5 But the so-called Logothetes did not allow the names of the dead to be removed from the rolls, even though most of them were perishing together, especially as wars were frequent. Nor indeed did they fill the muster-rolls any more, and this for a long time. 24.6 And from this it resulted that for the state, the number of serving soldiers was always deficient, while for the surviving soldiers, being pushed aside by the long-dead, it was left for them to be in a share of a lower rank contrary to their worth, and to receive their pensions less than according to the proper order, while the Logothetes were dividing with Justinian the military funds all this time. 24.7 Furthermore, they also wore down the soldiers with many other forms of penalties, as if taking vengeance for the dangers of the wars, accusing some of being Greeks, as if it were not at all possible for anyone from Greece to be noble, and others that they were serving not under orders from the emperor, even though they showed the emperor's letters about this, which the Logothetes dared to discredit without any hesitation; and others, because it happened that some days of service with their comrades were missing for them. 24.8 Later, some of the Palace Guards, being sent throughout the entire Roman empire, were supposedly investigating on the muster-rolls those who were least fit for service, and they dared to take away the belts of some of them on the grounds that they were useless or had grown old, who for the rest of their lives, begging for food from the pious in the public market, became constant causes of tears and lamentation for all who met them, while from the rest, so that they might not suffer the same fate, they exacted great sums of money, so that it came about that all the soldiers, being enervated in many ways, became poorer and in no way eager for war. 24.9 For which reason it came to pass that the Roman affairs in Italy were undone. And thither Alexander the Logothete was sent, who dared without any hesitation to bring these charges against the soldiers, while he exacted money from the Italians, claiming to be avenging their political conduct toward Theoderic and the Goths. 24.10 Not only were the soldiers oppressed with poverty and want by the Logothetes, but also all those who served the generals, being very numerous and previously of great reputation, were afflicted with dreadful hunger and poverty. 24.11 For they did not have the means to procure their customary provisions. 24.12 I will add to this also another thing, since the account of the soldiers leads me to it. The Roman emperors in former times

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χρόνῳ λελωφηκέναι τετύχηκεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ δωματίων ἐμνήσθημεν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο παριτέον ἡμῖν, ὅτι δὴ οἱ κεκτημένοι τὰς ἐν Βυζαντίῳ οἰκίας βαρβάροις ἐνταῦθα καταλύειν παρεχόμενοι ἑπτακισμυρίοις μάλιστα οὖσιν, οὐχ ὅπως τῶν σφετέρων ὀνίνασθαι οὐδαμῆ εἶχον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσετρίβοντο δυσκόλοις ἑτέροις. 24.1 Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ ἐς τοὺς στρατιώτας αὐτῷ εἰργασμένα σιωπῇ δοτέον, οἷς δὴ τοὺς πονηροτάτους ἐπέστησεν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων χρήματα σφᾶς ὅτι πλεῖστα ξυλλέγειν ἐνθένδε κελεύσας, εὖ εἰδότας ὡς μοῖρα τῶν πορισθησομένων ἡ δωδεκάτη αὐτοῖς κείσε24.2 ται. ὄνομα δὲ λογοθέτας αὐτοῖς ἔθετο. οἱ δὲ ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος ἐπενόουν τάδε. τὰς στρατιωτικὰς συντάξεις οὐχ ὁμοίως νόμος χορηγεῖσθαι ἐφεξῆς ἅπασιν, ἀλλὰ νέοις μὲν ἔτι αὐτοῖς οὖσι καὶ στρατευσαμένοις ἀρτίως ἐλάσσων ὁ πόρος, πεπονηκόσι δὲ καὶ μέσοις που ἤδη 24.3 καταλόγου γεγενημένοις ἐπὶ μεῖζον χωρεῖ. γεγηρακόσι μέντοι καὶ μέλλουσι τῆς στρατείας ἀφίεσθαι πολλῷ ἔτι κομπωδεστέρα ἡ σύνταξις, ὅπως αὐτοί τε τὸ λοιπὸν ἰδίᾳ βιοῦντες ἐς τὸ ἀποζῆν διαρκῶς ἔχοιεν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν αὐτοῖς ξυμμετρήσασθαι τὸν βίον ξυμβαίη, παραψυχήν τινα τῶν οἰκείων ἀπολιπεῖν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν 24.4 οἰκίαν δυνατοὶ εἶεν. ὁ τοίνυν χρόνος τῶν στρατιωτῶν τοὺς καταδεεστέρους ἐς τῶν τετελευτηκότων ἢ τῆς στρατείας ἀφειμένων τοὺς βαθμοὺς ἀεὶ ἀναβιβάζων πρυτανεύει κατὰ πρεσβεῖα τὰς ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου συν24.5 τάξεις ἑκάστῳ. ἀλλ' οἱ λογοθέται καλούμενοι οὐκ εἴων ἐκ τῶν καταλόγων ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰ τῶν τετελευτηκότων ὀνόματα, καίπερ ὁμοῦ διαφθειρομένων, ἄλλως τε καὶ κατὰ τοὺς πολέμους συχνοὺς γινομένους, τῶν πλείστων. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοὺς καταλόγους ἔτι ἐπλήρουν, καὶ ταῦτα 24.6 χρόνου συχνοῦ. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ περιειστήκει τῇ μὲν πολιτείᾳ τὸν τῶν στρατευομένων ἀριθμὸν ἐνδεέστερον ἀεὶ εἶναι, τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν τοῖς περιοῦσι πρὸς τῶν πάλαι τετελευτηκότων διωθουμένοις ἐπὶ μοίρας παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς καταδεεστέρας ἀπολελεῖφθαι, τάς τε ξυντάξεις ἐλαττόνως ἢ κατὰ τὴν προσήκουσαν κομίζεσθαι τάξιν, τοῖς δὲ λογοθέταις διαλαγχάνεινἸουστινιανῷ τῶν στρατιωτικῶν χρημάτων πάντα τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον. 24.7Ἔτι μέντοι καὶ ἄλλαις ζημιῶν ἰδέαις πολλαῖς τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀπέκναιον, ὥσπερ ἀμειβόμενοι τῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις κινδύνων, ἐπικαλοῦντες τοῖς μὲν ὡς Γραικοὶ εἶεν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἐξὸν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος τὸ παράπαν τινὶ γενναίῳ γενέσθαι, τοῖς δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἐπιτεταγμένον πρὸς βασιλέως σφίσι στρατεύοιντο, καίπερ ἀμφὶ τούτῳ γράμματα βασιλέως ἐνδεικνυμένοις, ἅπερ οἱ λογοθέται διαβάλλειν οὐδεμιᾷ ὀκνήσει ἐτόλμων· ἄλλοις δὲ, ὅτι δὴ τῶν ἑταίρων ἡμέρας σφίσιν ἀπολε24.8 λεῖφθαί τινας ξυμβαίη. ὕστερον καὶ τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ φυλάκων τινὲς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν στελλόμενοι τὴνῬωμαίων ἀρχὴν διηρευνῶντο δῆθεν τῷ λόγῳ ἐν τοῖς καταλόγοις τοὺς ἐς τὸ στρατεύεσθαι ἐπιτηδείους ὄντας ὡς ἥκιστα, καὶ αὐτῶν τινὰς μὲν ἅτε ἀχρείους ὄντας ἢ γεγηρακότας ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰς ζώνας ἐτόλμων, οἵπερ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἐν τῷ δημοσίῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς προσαιτοῦντες τροφὴν δακρύων τε καὶ ὀλοφύρσεως ἀεὶ προφάσεις τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἐγίνοντο πᾶσι, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς, ὅπως δὴ μὴ ταὐτὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ πείσωνται, χρήματα μεγάλα ἐπράττοντο, ὥστε πάντων τοὺς στρατιώτας ἅτε τρόποις ἐκνενευρισμένους πολλοῖς πτωχοτέρους τε γεγονέναι καὶ οὐδαμῆ ἐς τὸ πολεμεῖν προθυ24.9 μεῖσθαι ξυνέβη. ὅθενῬωμαίοις καὶ τὰ ἐνἸταλίᾳ πράγματα λελύσθαι ξυνέπεσεν. οὗ δὴἈλέξανδρος ὁ λογοθέτης σταλεὶς τοῖς μὲν στρατιώταις ταῦτα ἐπικαλεῖν οὐδεμιᾷ ὀκνήσει ἐθάρρει, τοὺς δὲἸταλοὺς χρήματα ἔπραττε, τῶν ἐς Θευδέριχον καὶ Γότθους 24.10 πεπολιτευμένων ἀμύνεσθαι φάσκων. οὐ μόνοι δὲ οἱ στρατιῶται πενίᾳ τε καὶ ἀπορίᾳ πρὸς τῶν λογοθετῶν ἐπιέζοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πᾶσιν ὑπηρετοῦντες τοῖς στρατηγοῖς παμπληθεῖς τε καὶ δόξῃ μεγάλοι τὰ πρότερα 24.11 ὄντες, λιμῷ καὶ πενίᾳ δεινῇ ἤχθοντο. οὐ γὰρ εἶχον ὅθεν τὰ εἰωθότα σφίσι πορίσονται. 24.12 Προσθήσω δέ τι τούτοις καὶ ἕτερον, ἐπεί με ὁ τῶν στρατιωτῶν λόγος ἐς τοῦτο ἄγει. οἱῬωμαίων βεβασιλευκότες ἐν τοῖς ἄνω χρόνοις