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they had established a very great multitude of soldiers everywhere on the frontiers of the state for the guarding of the borders of the Roman empire, and especially in the eastern portion, thereby checking the raids of the Persians and Saracens, 24.13 whom they called limitanei. Emperor Justinian at first treated these so negligently and poorly, that the paymasters were in arrears of their pay for four or five years, and whenever peace came about for both the Romans and the Persians, these wretched men were forced, on the pretext that they themselves would enjoy the benefits of peace for a specified time, to remit to the treasury the pay owed to them; but later he took away from them the very name of soldier 24.14 for no reason. From then on the borders of the Roman empire remained without guards, and the soldiers suddenly had to look to the hands of the pious for charity. 24.15 Other soldiers, not less than three thousand five hundred, were established from the beginning for the guard of the Palace, 24.16 whom they call scholarii. and to them the state was always accustomed from of old to provide greater pay than to all the others. Previous emperors, selecting the best from the Armenians, appointed them to this 24.17 post of honor. But since Zeno received the imperial power, everyone had the opportunity, even if they were completely unmanly and unwarlike, to lay claim to this 24.18 title. and as time went on, even slaves, by paying a price, would buy this military post. Therefore, when Justin received the imperial power, this Justinian appointed many to this post of honor, 24.19 amassing great sums of money. But when he perceived that thereafter there was no one lacking in these rolls, he added to them another two thousand, whom they called supernumerarii. 24.20 But when he himself held the imperial power, he immediately discharged these supernumerarii, returning to them none of their money whatsoever. 24.21 However, against those who were within the number of the scholarii, he devised the following. Whenever it was expected that an army would be sent to Libya or Italy or against the Persians, he would order them also to pack up as if they were going to campaign with them, although he knew full well that they were not in the least fit for campaigning, and they, fearing that this would happen, would remit their pay for a specified time. Indeed, the scholarii happened to suffer these things many times. 24.22 And Peter, too, for the entire time that he held the office of the so-called magister, daily wore them down with unspeakable thefts. 24.23 For he was gentle and knew not in the least how to be insolent, but he was the greatest thief of all men and simply full of shameful filth. I have mentioned this Peter also in the previous books as the one who brought about the murder of Amalasuntha, the daughter of Theoderic. 24.24 There are also others in the Palace of much higher rank, since the state is accustomed to provide them with more pay, inasmuch as they pay greater sums for the title of soldier, who are called domestici and protectores, and from of old are unpracticed in the deeds 24.25 of war. For only for the sake of rank and prestige are they accustomed to be enrolled in the Palace. And of these, some are stationed in Byzantium, while others have been established since ancient times in Galatia 24.26 and other regions. But Justinian also, by always terrifying them in the aforementioned manner, forced these men to give up the pay that was due to them. 24.27 And in summary, this will be said. It was a custom every five years for the emperor to make a gift to each of the soldiers 24.28 of a specified amount of gold. And sending every five years to every part of the Roman empire, they would provide 24.29 five gold staters to each soldier. And this could by no means ever fail to be done. But from the time this man administered the state, he has neither done nor intended to do anything of the sort, although a period of thirty-two years has now passed, so that a certain forgetfulness of this practice has come upon men. 24.30 And I am coming to speak of another method of plundering his subjects. The

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πανταχόσε τῶν τῆς πολιτείας ἐσχατιῶν πάμπολυ κατεστήσαντο στρατιωτῶν πλῆθος ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τῶν ὁρίων τῆςῬωμαίων ἀρχῆς, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν μάλιστα μοῖραν ταύτῃ τὰς ἐφόδους Περσῶν τε καὶ Σαρακηνῶν ἀναστέλλοντες, 24.13 οὕσπερ λιμιταναίους ἐκάλουν. τούτοις Ἰουστινιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς κατ' ἀρχὰς μὲν οὕτω δὴ παρέργως τε καὶ φαύλως ἐχρῆτο, ὥστε τεσσάρων ἢ πέντε αὐτοῖς ἐνιαυτῶν τῶν συντάξεων τοὺς χορηγοὺς ὑπερημέρους εἶναι, καὶ ἐπειδὰνῬωμαίοις τε καὶ Πέρσαις εἰρήνη γένοιτο, ἠναγκάζοντο οἱ ταλαίπωροι οὗτοι ἅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσοντες χρόνου ῥητοῦ τὰς ὀφειλομένας σφίσι ξυντάξεις τῷ δημοσίῳ χαρίζεσθαι· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς στρατείας ὄνομα 24.14 αὐτοὺς ἀφείλετο οὐδενὶ λόγῳ. τὸ λοιπὸν τὰ μὲν ὅρια τῆςῬωμαίων ἀρχῆς φυλακτηρίων ἐκτὸς ἔμεινεν, οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται ἐξαπιναίως ἔβλεπον εἰς τῶν εὐσεβεῖν εἰωθότων τὰς χεῖρας. 24.15Ἕτεροι στρατιῶται οὐχ ἥσσους ἢ πεντακόσιοι καὶ τρισχίλιοι τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπὶ φυλακῇ τοῦ Παλατίου 24.16 κατέστησαν, οὕσπερ σχολαρίους καλοῦσι. καὶ αὐτοῖς συντάξεις ἀνέκαθεν πλείους ἢ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι τὸ δημόσιον ἀεὶ χορηγεῖν εἴωθε. τούτους οἱ πρότεροι μὲν ἀριστίνδην ἀπολέξαντες ἐξἈρμενίων ἐς ταύτην 24.17 δὴ τὴν τιμὴν ἦγον. ἐξ οὗ δὲ Ζήνων τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβε, πᾶσιν ἐξουσία ἐγένετο καὶ ἀνάνδροις καὶ ἀπολέμοις οὖσι παντάπασι τούτου δὴ τοῦ ὀνόματος 24.18 ἐπιβατεύειν. προϊόντος δὲ τοῦ χρόνου καὶ ἀνδράποδα κατατιθέντες τίμημα τὴν στρατείαν ὠνοῦντο ταύτην. ἡνίκα τοίνυνἸουστῖνος τὴν βασιλείαν παρέλαβεν, οὗτοςἸουστινιανὸς πολλοὺς ἐς τὴν τιμὴν κατεστήσατο 24.19 ταύτην, χρήματα μεγάλα περιβαλόμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τούτοις τοῖς καταλόγοις οὐδένα ἐνδεῖν τὸ λοιπὸν ᾔσθετο, ἑτέρους αὐτοῖς ἐς δισχιλίους ἐντέθεικεν, οὕσπερ ὑπερ24.20 αρίθμους ἐκάλουν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτὸς τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχε, τούτους δὴ τοὺς ὑπεραρίθμους ἀπεσείσατο αὐτίκα μάλα, τῶν χρημάτων οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἀποδοὺς σφίσιν. 24.21Ἐς μέντοι τοὺς ἐντὸς τοῦ τῶν σχολαρίων ἀριθμοῦ ὄντας ἐπενόει τάδε. ἡνίκα στράτευμα ἐπὶ Λιβύην ἢἸταλίαν ἢ ἐπὶ Πέρσας ὡς σταλήσεται ἐπίδοξον εἴη, καὶ αὐτοῖς ὡς ξυστρατεύσουσιν ἐπήγγελλε συσκευάζεσθαι, καίπερ ἐξεπιστάμενος ἐπιτηδείως αὐτοὺς ἐς τὸ στρατεύεσθαι ὡς ἥκιστα ἔχειν, οἱ δὲ τοῦτο ἵνα μὴ γένηται δείσαντες χρόνου οἱ ῥητοῦ τὰς ξυντάξεις ἀφίεσαν. ταῦτα μὲν τοῖς σχολαρίοις πολλάκις ξυνη24.22 νέχθη παθεῖν. καὶ Πέτρος δὲ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ἡνίκα τὴν τοῦ μαγίστρου καλουμένου εἶχεν ἀρχὴν, ἀεὶ καθ' ἡμέραν αὐτοὺς κλοπαῖς ἀμυθήτοις ἀπέκναιε. 24.23 πρᾷος μὲν γὰρ ἦν καὶ ὡς ἥκιστα ὑβρίζειν εἰδὼς, κλεπτίστατος δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων καὶ ῥύπου αἰσχροῦ ἀτεχνῶς ἔμπλεως. τούτου τοῦ Πέτρου κἀν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λόγοις ἐμνήσθην ἅτε τὸνἈμαλασούνθης φόνον τῆς Θευδερίχου παιδὸς εἰργασμένου. 24.24 Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν ἐν Παλατίῳ πολὺ ἀξιώτεροι, ἐπεὶ καὶ πλείω τὸ δημόσιον αὐτοῖς χορηγεῖν εἴωθεν ἅτε καὶ μείζω κατατιθεῖσι τοῦ τῆς στρατείας ὀνόματος τὰ τιμήματα, οἳ δὴ δομέστικοί τε καὶ προτίκτωρες ἐπικαλοῦνται καὶ ἀνέκαθεν ἀμελέτητοί εἰσι 24.25 πολεμίων ἔργων. τάξεως γὰρ καὶ προσώπου ἕνεκα μόνον ἐν Παλατίῳ εἰώθασι καταλέγεσθαι. καὶ αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ, οἱ δὲ ἐπί τε Γαλατίας ἐκ παλαιοῦ 24.26 καὶ χωρίων ἑτέρων ἵδρυνται. ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτουςἸουστινιανὸς τρόπῳ ἀεὶ δεδισσόμενος τῷ εἰρημένῳ μεθίεσθαι ἠνάγκαζε τῶν προσηκουσῶν σφίσι συντάξεων. 24.27 ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ τοῦτο εἰρήσεται. νόμος ἦν ἀνὰ πενταετηρίδα ἑκάστην τὸν βασιλέα τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἕκα24.28 στον δωρεῖσθαι χρυσίῳ τακτῷ. πέμποντες δὲ ἀνὰ πεντάετες πανταχόσε τῆςῬωμαίων ἀρχῆς παρείχοντο 24.29 στατῆρας χρυσοῦς στρατιώτῃ ἑκάστῳ πέντε. καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν μὴ πράσσεσθαι ἀεὶ μηχανῇ πάσῃ. ἐξ ὅτου δὲ ἀνὴρ ὅδε διῳκήσατο τὴν πολιτείαν, τοιοῦτο οὐδὲν οὔτε διεπράξατο οὔτε ἐμέλλησε, καίπερ χρόνου δύο καὶ τριάκοντα ἐνιαυτῶν τριβέντος ἤδη, ὥστε καὶ λήθην τοῦ ἔργου τούτου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γενέσθαι τινά. 24.30 Τρόπον δὲ καὶ ἄλλον τῆς ἐς τοὺς κατηκόους λεηλασίας ἐρῶν ἔρχομαι. οἱ