Romans, either by the donations which they received from the Emperor,
their pillaging of the Empire, the ransom of their prisoners, or their
trafficking in truces. This was the signification of the dream which I
have mentioned above.




CHAPTER XX


Besides this, Justinian found other means of contriving to plunder his
subjects, not _en masse_ and at once, but by degrees and individually.
These methods I will now proceed to describe as well as I am able.
First of all he appointed a new magistrate, who had the right of
conferring upon all those who kept shops the privilege of selling
their wares at whatever price they pleased, on payment of a yearly
rent to the Emperor. The citizens were compelled to make their
purchases in the market, where they paid three times as much as
elsewhere; nor, although he suffered severe loss, was the purchaser
allowed to claim damages from anyone, for part of the profit went to
the Emperor, and part to increase the salary of these officials.
Purchasers were equally cheated by the magistrates' servants, who took
part in these disgraceful transactions, while the shopkeepers, who
were allowed to put themselves beyond reach of the law, inflicted
great hardships upon their customers--not merely by raising their
prices many times over, but by being guilty of unheard-of frauds in
regard to their wares. Afterwards, Justinian instituted several
"monopolies," as they were called, and sold the liberty of the subject
to any who were willing to undertake this disgraceful traffic, after