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As for the small change that has been manipulated by the emperors, I 25.12 think I must not pass this over. For whereas the money-changers were formerly accustomed to give to those who made exchanges two hundred and ten obols, which they call folles, for one gold stater, they themselves, contriving their own profit, ordained that only one hundred and eighty obols should be given for the stater. And in this way they cut off a seventh part of each gold coin ** of all men. 25.13And since these rulers, having turned most of the wares into so-called monopolies, were daily oppressing those who wished to buy anything, and only the markets for clothing remained untouched by them, 25.14 they also contrived the following concerning these. Garments of silk were customarily made from of old in Berytus and Tyre, cities 25.15 of Phoenicia. And the merchants, manufacturers, and artisans of these lived there from ancient times, and from there it happened that this merchandise was carried to the whole 25.16 world. And since, during the reign of Justinian, those in this trade, both in Byzantium and in the other cities, were selling this clothing at a higher price, alleging that at the present time they had to pay a greater price for it to the Persians than before, and that the customs-duties in the land of the Romans were now higher, the emperor, giving everyone the impression that he was indignant at this, by law forbade everyone that the pound of such clothing should be more than eight gold 25.17 pieces. And a penalty was set for those who should transgress the law, that they be deprived of their property. These things seemed to the people to be altogether impossible and impracticable. For it was not possible for the merchants, having bought these cargoes at a greater price, to sell them to their customers 25.18 for less. For this reason, then, they no longer thought it worthwhile to engage in this trade, but rather secretly made their sales little by little from the cargoes left to them, clearly to some of their acquaintances, for whom it was a pleasure to spend freely to adorn themselves with such things 25.19 or for whom it in some way became necessary. The empress, having learned of these things from some who whispered it, although she had not investigated the rumors, immediately took away all the cargoes from the men, and fined them a centenarium of gold. ** And now the one who is set over the imperial treasures is in charge of this business among the Romans. 25.20 Therefore, having appointed Peter, surnamed Barsymes, to this office not long afterwards, 25.21 they allowed him to do unholy deeds. For he required all others to observe the law strictly, but forcing the artisans of this work to work for him alone, he sold their products, no longer hiding it, but in the public market, an ounce of the ordinary dye for no less than six gold pieces, and of the imperial dye, which they are accustomed to call holoveron, for more than twenty-four 25.22 gold pieces. And from this he brought great sums of money to the emperor, but he secretly kept more for himself, 25.23 a practice which, having begun from him, has remained forever. For he alone to this day is openly established as both 25.24 merchant and retailer of this merchandise. So all the merchants who formerly pursued this business, both in Byzantium and in every city, both those who worked on sea and on land, naturally suffered the evils from this business. 25.25 And in the said cities almost the entire populace suddenly became beggars. For artisans and manual laborers were naturally forced to struggle with hunger, and many as a result, changing their way of life, fled and went over to the Persians. 25.26 But always only the prefect of the treasuries, monopolizing this trade, saw fit to bring a portion of the revenues from it to the emperor, as has been said, but taking the greater part for himself, he grew rich from public calamities. These things, then, have proceeded in this way. 26.1And in what manner he was able to destroy all the ornaments and decorations of the cities, both in Byzantium and 26.2 in every city, we shall immediately say. First, then, to abolish the

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κέρματα τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν εἴργασται, οὔ 25.12 μοι παριτέον οἴομαι εἶναι. τῶν γὰρ ἀργυραμοιβῶν πρότερον δέκα καὶ διακοσίους ὀβολοὺς, οὓς φόλλεις καλοῦσιν, ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς στατῆρος χρυσοῦ προΐεσθαι τοῖς ξυμβάλλουσιν εἰωθότων, αὐτοὶ ἐπιτεχνώμενοι κέρδη οἰκεῖα ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν μόνους ὑπὲρ τοῦ στατῆρος δίδοσθαι τοὺς ὀβολοὺς διετάξαντο. ταύτῃ δὲ νομίσματος ἑκάστου χρυσοῦ ἑβδόμην ἀπέτεμον μοῖραν ** πάντων ἀνθρώπων. 25.13Ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς οὗτοι τῶν ὠνίων τὰ πλεῖστα εἰς τὰ καλούμενα περιστήσαντες μονοπώλια, τούς τι ὠνήσασθαι βουλομένους ἀεὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπέπνιγον, μόνα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀνέφαπτα τὰ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἐλέλειπτο 25.14 πωλητήρια, μηχανῶνται καὶ ἀμφ' αὐτοῖς τάδε. ἱμάτια τὰ ἐκ μετάξης ἐν Βηρυτῷ μὲν καὶ Τύρῳ πόλεσι 25.15 ταῖς ἐπὶ Φοινίκης ἐργάζεσθαι ἐκ παλαιοῦ εἰώθει. οἵ τε τούτων ἔμποροί τε καὶ ἐπιδημιουργοὶ καὶ τεχνῖται ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ᾤκουν, ἐνθένδε τε ἐς γῆν ἅπα25.16 σαν φέρεσθαι τὸ ἐμπόλημα τοῦτο ξυνέβαινεν. ἐπεὶ δὲἸουστινιανοῦ βασιλεύοντος οἱ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ ἐργασίᾳ ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ πόλεσι ταῖς ἄλλαις ὄντες ἀξιωτέραν ἀπεδίδοντο τὴν ἐσθῆτα ταύτην, αἰτιώμενοι μεῖζον μὲν ἢ πρότερον ἐν χρόνῳ τῷ παρόντι ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς καταβάλλεσθαι τὸ τίμημα Πέρσαις, πλείω δὲ νῦν τὰ δεκατευτήρια εἶναι ἐν γῇ τῇῬωμαίων, δόκησιν ἅπασιν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ παρεχόμενος ὅτι δὴ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀγανακτοίη, νόμῳ ἅπασιν ἀπεῖπε μὴ πλέον ἢ ὀκτὼ χρυσῶν 25.17 τῆς τοιαύτης ἐσθῆτος τὴν λίτραν εἶναι. καὶ προστίμημα ἔκειτο τοῖς παραβησομένοις τὸν νόμον τῶν ὑπαρχόντων στερεῖσθαι χρημάτων. ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀμήχανά τε καὶ ἄπορα ἐδόκει παντάπασιν εἶναι. οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν τοὺς ἐμπόρους μείζονος τιμῆς τὰ φορτία ταῦτα ἐωνημένους ἐλάσσονος αὐτὰ τοῖς ξυμβάλ25.18 λουσιν ἀποδίδοσθαι. διὸ δὴ ταύτην μὲν τὴν ἐμπορίαν ἐργολαβεῖν οὐκέτι ἠξίουν, ἐπικλοπώτερον δὲ φορτίων τῶν σφίσιν ἀπολελειμμένων ἐποιοῦντο κατὰ βραχὺ τὰς πράσεις, δηλονότι τῶν γνωρίμων τισὶν, οἷσπερ τὰ τοιαῦτα καλλωπίζειν τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν προϊεμένοις 25.19 ἐν ἡδονῇ ἦν ἢ τρόπῳ τῳ ἀναγκαῖον ἐγίνετο. ὧν δὴ ἡ βασιλὶς ἐπιψιθυριζόντων τινῶν αἰσθομένη, καίπερ οὐ βασανίσασα τὰ θρυλλούμενα, ξύμπαντα εὐθὺς τὰ φορτία τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀφείλετο, καὶ χρυσίον αὐτοὺς ἐς κεντηνάριον ἐπιτιμησαμένη. ** ἄρχει δὲ ταύτης ἔν γεῬωμαίοις τῆς ἐργασίας ὁ τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἐφεστὼς 25.20 θησαυροῖς. Πέτρον οὖν τὸν Βαρσύμην ἐπίκλησιν ἐπὶ ταύτης καταστησάμενοι τῆς τιμῆς οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον 25.21 ἐπεχώρουν αὐτῷ πράσσειν ἀνόσια ἔργα. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλους ἅπαντας τὸν νόμον ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐδικαίου τηρεῖν, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ ἔργου τούτου τεχνίτας αὑτῷ μόνῳ ἀναγκάζων ἐργάζεσθαι ἀπεδίδοτο, οὐκέτι ἐπικρυπτόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ δημοσίῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς βαφῆς μὲν τῆς προστυχούσης τὴν οὐγκίαν οὐχ ἧσσον ἢ κατὰ ἓξ χρυσῶν, βάμματος δὲ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, ὅπερ καλεῖν ὁλόβηρον νενομίκασι, πλέον ἢ τεσσάρων καὶ εἴκοσι 25.22 χρυσῶν. καὶ βασιλεῖ μὲν ἐνθένδε μεγάλα χρήματα ἔφερεν, αὐτὸς δὲ περιβαλλόμενος πλείω ἐλάνθανεν, 25.23 ὅπερ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀρξάμενον ἐς ἀεὶ ἔμεινε. μόνος γὰρ ἐς τόδε τοῦ χρόνου ἔμπορός τε ἀπαρακαλύπτως καὶ 25.24 κάπηλος τοῦ ἐμπολήματος τοῦδε καθίσταται. ἔμποροι μὲν οὖν ὅσοι πρότερον τὴν ἐργασίαν ταύτην μετῄεσαν ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ πόλει ἑκάστῃ θαλαττουργοί τε καὶ ἔγγειοι ἐφέροντο ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἐργασίας 25.25 κακά. ἐν δὲ πόλεσιν ὁ δῆμος σχεδόν τι ὅλος ταῖς εἰρημέναις προσαιτητὴς ἐξαπιναίως ἐγένετο. βάναυσοι γὰρ ἄνθρωποι καὶ χειρώνακτες λιμῷ παλαίειν, ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς, ἠναγκάζοντο, πολλοί τε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν πολιτείαν μεταβαλλόμενοι φεύγοντες ᾤχοντο ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη. 25.26 μόνος δὲ ἀεὶ ὁ τῶν θησαυρῶν ἄρχων ἐνεργολαβῶν τὸ ἐμπόλημα τοῦτο μοῖραν μὲν βασιλεῖ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, πόρων τῶν ἐνθένδε ἀποφέρειν ἠξίου, αὐτὸς δὲ τὰ πλείω φερόμενος δημοσίαις συμφοραῖς ἐπλούτει. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τῇδε κεχώρηκεν. 26.1Ὅντινα δὲ τρόπον τῶν πόλεων τοὺς κόσμους καὶ τὰ ἐγκαλλωπίσματα πάντα ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ 26.2 πόλει ἑκάστῃ καθελεῖν ἴσχυσεν αὐτίκα ἐροῦμεν. πρῶτα μὲν καταλύειν τὸ τῶν