A few words will suffice for the impost called "Diagraph[=e]." At this
time especially, the cities were afflicted with heavy losses, the
causes and extent of which I will say nothing about, for it would be
an endless tale. These losses had to be repaired by the landed
proprietors in proportion to the rate at which they were assessed.
Their misery, however, did not stop there, but, although pestilence
had attacked the whole world, and, especially, the Roman Empire;
although most of the farmers had fallen victims, and their properties
had become deserted, Justinian did not show the least clemency towards
the owners. He continued to exact the yearly tribute from them, not
only their own proportion, but that of their neighbours who had died
of the plague.[16] Further, they were obliged to treat the soldiers
with the greatest civility, and to allow them to take up their
quarters in their finest and richest apartments, while they themselves
all the time had to content themselves with the poorest and meanest
rooms. Such were the calamities that without intermission befell
mankind during the reign of Justinian and Theodora, for there was no
cessation of war or any other most terrible calamities. Since I have
mentioned the word "quarters," I must not forget to say that at one
time there were 70,000 barbarians at Constantinople, whom house owners
were obliged to quarter, being thus shut out from all enjoyment of
their own, and in many other ways inconvenienced.




CHAPTER XXIV