to hand over the tribute to the Emperor, and they themselves, without
any difficulty, acquired sufficient sums to secure regal affluence for
themselves. Justinian allowed them to go on unchecked and unheeded,
waiting until they had amassed great wealth, when it was his practice
to bring against them some charge from which they could not readily
clear themselves, and to confiscate the whole of their property, as he
had treated John of Cappadocia. All those who held this office during
his reign became wealthy to an extraordinary degree, and suddenly,
with two exceptions. One of these was Phocas, of whom I have spoken in
my previous writings--a man in the highest degree observant of
integrity and honesty; who, during his tenure of office, was free from
all suspicion of illegal gain. The other was Bassus, who was appointed
later. Neither of them enjoyed their dignity for a year. At the end of
a few months they were deprived of it as being incapable and unsuited
to the times. But, not to go into details in every case, which would
be endless, I will merely say that it was the same with all the other
magistrates of Byzantium.

In all the cities throughout the Empire, Justinian selected for the
highest offices the most abandoned persons he could find, and sold to
them for vast sums the positions which they degraded. In fact, no
honest man, possessed of the least common sense, would ever have
thought of risking his own fortune in order to plunder those who had
committed no offence. When Justinian had received the money from those
with whom he made the bargain, he gave them full authority to deal
with their subjects as they pleased, so that, by the destruction of
provinces and populations, they might enrich themselves in the future;
for, since they had borrowed large sums from the bankers at heavy
rates of interest to purchase their magistracies, and had paid the sum
due to him who sold them, when they arrived in the cities, they