[Footnote58:Sozomen,l。ii。c。3。Philostorg。l。ii。c。9。
Codin。Antiquitat。Const。p。8。ItappearsbySocrates,l。ii。
c。13,thatthedailyallowanceofthecityconsistedofeightmyriadsofwhichwemayeithertranslate,withValesius,bythewordsmodiiofcorn,orconsiderusexpressiveofthenumberofloavesofbread。
Note:AtRomethepoorercitizenswhoreceivedthesegratuitieswereinscribedinaregister;theyhadonlyapersonalright。Constantineattachedtherighttothehousesinhisnewcapital,toengagethelowerclassesofthepeopletobuildtheirhouseswithexpedition。CodexTherodos。l。xiv。—G。]
[Footnote59:SeeCod。Theodos。l。xiii。andxiv。,andCod。
Justinian。Edict。xii。tom。ii。p。648,edit。Genev。SeethebeautifulcomplaintofRomeinthepoemofClaudiandeBell。
Gildonico,ver。46—64。
CumsubiitparRomamihi,divisaquesumsitAequalesauroratogas;AegyptiaruraInpartemcesserenovam。]
[Footnote*:ThiswasalsoattheexpenseofRome。TheemperororderedthatthefleetofAlexandriashouldtransporttoConstantinoplethegrainofEgyptwhichitcarriedbeforetoRome:thisgrainsuppliedRomeduringfourmonthsoftheyear。
Claudianhasdescribedwithforcethefamineoccasionedbythismeasure:—
Haecnobis,haecantedabas;nuncpabulatantumRomaprecor:misereretuae;pateroptime,gentis:
Extremamdefendefamem。
Claud。deBell。Gildon。v。34。
—G。
Itwasscarcelythismeasure。GildohadcutofftheAfricanaswellastheEgyptiansupplies。—M。]
[Footnote60:TheregionsofConstantinoplearementionedinthecodeofJustinian,andparticularlydescribedintheNotitiaoftheyoungerTheodosius;butasthefourlastofthemarenotincludedwithinthewallofConstantine,itmaybedoubtedwhetherthisdivisionofthecityshouldbereferredtothefounder。]
[Footnote61:Senatumconstituitsecundiordinis;Clarosvocavit。
AnonymValesian。p。715。ThesenatorsofoldRomewerestyledClarissimi。SeeacuriousnoteofValesiusadAmmian。
Marcellin。xxii。9。FromtheeleventhepistleofJulian,itshouldseemthattheplaceofsenatorwasconsideredasaburden,ratherthanasanhonor;buttheAbbedelaBleterieViedeJovien,tom。ii。p。371hasshownthatthisepistlecouldnotrelatetoConstantinople。Mightwenotread,insteadofthecelebratednameoftheobscurebutmoreprobablewordBisantheorRhoedestus,nowRhodosto,wasasmallmaritimecityofThrace。
SeeStephan。Byz。deUrbibus,p。225,andCellar。Geograph。tom。
i。p。849。]
[Footnote62:Cod。Theodos。l。xiv。13。ThecommentaryofGodefroytom。v。p。220islong,butperplexed;norindeedisiteasytoascertaininwhattheJusItalicumcouldconsist,afterthefreedomofthecityhadbeencommunicatedtothewholeempire。
Note:\"Thisright,theJusItalicum,whichbymostwritersisreferredwithoutfoundationtothepersonalconditionofthecitizens,properlyrelatedtothecityasawhole,andcontainedtwoparts。First,theRomanorquiritarianpropertyinthesoil,commercium,anditscapabilityofmancipation,usucaption,andvindication;moreover,asaninseparableconsequenceofthis,exemptionfromland—tax。Then,secondly,afreeconstitutionintheItalianform,withDuumvirs,Quinquennales。andAediles,andespeciallywithJurisdiction。\"Savigny,GeschichtedesRom。
Rechtsi。p。51—M。]
[Footnote63:JulianOrat。i。p。8celebratesConstantinopleasnotlesssuperiortoallothercitiesthanshewasinferiortoRomeitself。HislearnedcommentatorSpanheim,p。75,76
justifiesthislanguagebyseveralparallelandcontemporaryinstances。Zosimus,aswellasSocratesandSozomen,flourishedafterthedivisionoftheempirebetweenthetwosonsofTheodosius,whichestablishedaperfectequalitybetweentheoldandthenewcapital。]
AsConstantineurgedtheprogressoftheworkwiththeimpatienceofalover,thewalls,theporticos,andtheprincipaledificeswerecompletedinafewyears,or,accordingtoanotheraccount,inafewmonths;^64butthisextraordinarydiligenceshouldexcitethelessadmiration,sincemanyofthebuildingswerefinishedinsohastyandimperfectamanner,thatunderthesucceedingreign,theywerepreservedwithdifficultyfromimpendingruin。^65Butwhiletheydisplayedthevigorandfreshnessofyouth,thefounderpreparedtocelebratethededicationofhiscity。^66Thegamesandlargesseswhichcrownedthepompofthismemorablefestivalmayeasilybesupposed;butthereisonecircumstanceofamoresingularandpermanentnature,whichoughtnotentirelytobeoverlooked。Asoftenasthebirthdayofthecityreturned,thestatuteofConstantine,framedbyhisorder,ofgiltwood,andbearinginhisrighthandasmallimageofthegeniusoftheplace,waserectedonatriumphalcar。Theguards,carryingwhitetapers,andclothedintheirrichestapparel,accompaniedthesolemnprocessionasitmovedthroughtheHippodrome。Whenitwasoppositetothethroneofthereigningemperor,herosefromhisseat,andwithgratefulreverenceadoredthememoryofhispredecessor。^67Atthefestivalofthededication,anedict,engravedonacolumnofmarble,bestowedthetitleofSecondorNewRomeonthecityofConstantine。^68ButthenameofConstantinople^69hasprevailedoverthathonorableepithet;andaftertherevolutionoffourteencenturies,stillperpetuatesthefameofitsauthor。^70
[Footnote64:CodinusAntiquitat。p。8affirms,thatthefoundationsofConstantinoplewerelaidintheyearoftheworld5837,A。D。329,onthe26thofSeptember,andthatthecitywasdedicatedthe11thofMay,5838,A。D。330。Heconnectsthosedateswithseveralcharacteristicepochs,buttheycontradicteachother;theauthorityofCodinusisoflittleweight,andthespacewhichheassignsmustappearinsufficient。
ThetermoftenyearsisgivenusbyJulian,Orat。i。p。8;andSpanheimlaborstoestablishthetruthofit,p。69—75,bythehelpoftwopassagesfromThemistius,Orat。iv。p。58,andofPhilostorgius,l。ii。c。9,whichformaperiodfromtheyear324totheyear334。ModerncriticsaredividedconcerningthispointofchronologyandtheirdifferentsentimentsareveryaccuratelydescribedbyTillemont,Hist。desEmpereurs,tom。iv。
p。619—625。]
[Footnote65:Themistius。Orat。iii。p。47。Zosim。l。ii。p。
108。Constantinehimself,inoneofhislaws,Cod。Theod。l。xv。
tit。i。,betrayshisimpatience。]
[Footnote66:CedrenusandZonaras,faithfultothemodeofsuperstitionwhichprevailedintheirowntimes,assureusthatConstantinoplewasconsecratedtothevirginMotherofGod。]
[Footnote67:TheearliestandmostcompleteaccountofthisextraordinaryceremonymaybefoundintheAlexandrianChronicle,p。285。Tillemont,andtheotherfriendsofConstantine,whoareoffendedwiththeairofPaganismwhichseemsunworthyofaChristianprince,hadarighttoconsideritasdoubtful,buttheywerenotauthorizedtoomitthementionofit。]
[Footnote68:Sozomen,l。ii。c。2。DucangeC。P。l。i。c。6。
VelutipsiusRomaefiliam,istheexpressionofAugustin。deCivitat。Dei,l。v。c。25。]
[Footnote69:Eutropius,l。x。c。8。Julian。Orat。i。p。8。
DucangeC。P。l。i。c。5。ThenameofConstantinopleisextantonthemedalsofConstantine。]
[Footnote70:ThelivelyFontenelleDialoguesdesMorts,xii。
affectstoderidethevanityofhumanambition,andseemstotriumphinthedisappointmentofConstantine,whoseimmortalnameisnowlostinthevulgarappellationofIstambol,aTurkishcorruptionof。Yettheoriginalnameisstillpreserved,1。BythenationsofEurope。2。BythemodernGreeks。3。BytheArabs,whosewritingsarediffusedoverthewideextentoftheirconquestsinAsiaandAfrica。SeeD\'Herbelot,BibliothequeOrientale,p。275。4。BythemorelearnedTurks,andbytheemperorhimselfinhispublicmandatesCantemir\'sHistoryoftheOthmanEmpire,p。51。]
Thefoundationofanewcapitalisnaturallyconnectedwiththeestablishmentofanewformofcivilandmilitaryadministration。Thedistinctviewofthecomplicatedsystemofpolicy,introducedbyDiocletian,improvedbyConstantine,andcompletedbyhisimmediatesuccessors,maynotonlyamusethefancybythesingularpictureofagreatempire,butwilltendtoillustratethesecretandinternalcausesofitsrapiddecay。Inthepursuitofanyremarkableinstitution,wemaybefrequentlyledintothemoreearlyorthemorerecenttimesoftheRomanhistory;buttheproperlimitsofthisinquirywillbeincludedwithinaperiodofaboutonehundredandthirtyyears,fromtheaccessionofConstantinetothepublicationoftheTheodosiancode;^71fromwhich,aswellasfromtheNotitiaoftheEastandWest,^72wederivethemostcopiousandauthenticinformationofthestateoftheempire。Thisvarietyofobjectswillsuspend,forsometime,thecourseofthenarrative;buttheinterruptionwillbecensuredonlybythosereaderswhoareinsensibletotheimportanceoflawsandmanners,whiletheyperuse,witheagercuriosity,thetransientintriguesofacourt,ortheaccidentaleventofabattle。
[Footnote71:TheTheodosiancodewaspromulgatedA。D。438。SeetheProlegomenaofGodefroy,c。i。p。185。]
[Footnote*:TheNotitiaDignitatumImperiiisadescriptionofalltheofficesinthecourtandthestate,ofthelegions,&c。
Itresemblesourcourtalmanacs,RedBooks,withthissingledifference,thatouralmanacsnamethepersonsinoffice,theNotitiaonlytheoffices。ItisofthetimeoftheemperorTheodosiusII。,thatistosay,ofthefifthcentury,whentheempirewasdividedintotheEasternandWestern。Itisprobablethatitwasnotmadeforthefirsttime,andthatdescriptionsofthesamekindexistedbefore。—G。]
[Footnote72:Pancirolus,inhiselaborateCommentary,assignstotheNotitiaadatealmostsimilartothatoftheTheodosianCode;
buthisproofs,orratherconjectures,areextremelyfeeble。I
shouldberatherinclinedtoplacethisusefulworkbetweenthefinaldivisionoftheempireA。D。395andthesuccessfulinvasionofGaulbythebarbarians,A。D。407。SeeHistoiredesAnciensPeuplesdel\'Europe,tom。vii。p。40。]
ChapterXVII:FoundationOfConstantinople。
PartIII。
ThemanlyprideoftheRomans,contentwithsubstantialpower,hadlefttothevanityoftheEasttheformsandceremoniesofostentatiousgreatness。^73Butwhentheylosteventhesemblanceofthosevirtueswhichwerederivedfromtheirancientfreedom,thesimplicityofRomanmannerswasinsensiblycorruptedbythestatelyaffectationofthecourtsofAsia。Thedistinctionsofpersonalmeritandinfluence,soconspicuousinarepublic,sofeebleandobscureunderamonarchy,wereabolishedbythedespotismoftheemperors;whosubstitutedintheirroomaseveresubordinationofrankandofficefromthetitledslaveswhowereseatedonthestepsofthethrone,tothemeanestinstrumentsofarbitrarypower。Thismultitudeofabjectdependantswasinterestedinthesupportoftheactualgovernmentfromthedreadofarevolution,whichmightatonceconfoundtheirhopesandintercepttherewardoftheirservices。Inthisdivinehierarchyforsuchitisfrequentlystyledeveryrankwasmarkedwiththemostscrupulousexactness,anditsdignitywasdisplayedinavarietyoftriflingandsolemnceremonies,whichitwasastudytolearn,andasacrilegetoneglect。^74
ThepurityoftheLatinlanguagewasdebased,byadopting,intheintercourseofprideandflattery,aprofusionofepithets,whichTullywouldscarcelyhaveunderstood,andwhichAugustuswouldhaverejectedwithindignation。Theprincipalofficersoftheempireweresaluted,evenbythesovereignhimself,withthedeceitfultitlesofyourSincerity,yourGravity,yourExcellency,yourEminence,yoursublimeandwonderfulMagnitude,yourillustriousandmagnificentHighness。^75Thecodicilsorpatentsoftheirofficewerecuriouslyemblazonedwithsuchemblemsaswerebestadaptedtoexplainitsnatureandhighdignity;theimageorportraitofthereigningemperors;atriumphalcar;thebookofmandatesplacedonatable,coveredwitharichcarpet,andilluminatedbyfourtapers;theallegoricalfiguresoftheprovinceswhichtheygoverned;ortheappellationsandstandardsofthetroopswhomtheycommandedSomeoftheseofficialensignswerereallyexhibitedintheirhallofaudience;othersprecededtheirpompousmarchwhenevertheyappearedinpublic;andeverycircumstanceoftheirdemeanor,theirdress,theirornaments,andtheirtrain,wascalculatedtoinspireadeepreverencefortherepresentativesofsuprememajesty。Byaphilosophicobserver,thesystemoftheRomangovernmentmighthavebeenmistakenforasplendidtheatre,filledwithplayersofeverycharacteranddegree,whorepeatedthelanguage,andimitatedthepassions,oftheiroriginalmodel。
^76
[Footnote73:Scilicetexternaesuperbiaesueto,nonineratnotitianostri,perhapsnostroe;apudquosvisImperiivalet,inaniatransmittuntur。Tacit。Annal。xv。31。Thegradationfromthestyleoffreedomandsimplicity,tothatofformandservitude,maybetracedintheEpistlesofCicero,ofPliny,andofSymmachus。]
[Footnote74:TheemperorGratian,afterconfirmingalawofprecedencypublishedbyValentinian,thefatherofhisDivinity,thuscontinues:Siquisigiturindebitumsibilocumusurpaverit,nullaseignorationedefendat;sitqueplanesacrilegiireus,quidivinapraeceptaneglexerit。Cod。Theod。l。vi。tit。v。leg。2。]
[Footnote75:ConsulttheNotitiaDignitatumattheendoftheTheodosiancode,tom。vi。p。316。
Note:Constantin,quiremplacalegrandPatriciatparunenoblessetitreeetquichangeaavecd\'autresinstitutionslanaturedelasocieteLatine,estleveritablefondateurdelaroyautemoderne,danscequelleconservadeRomain。
Chateaubriand,Etud。Histor。Preface,i。151。Manso,LebenConstantinsdesGrossen,p。153,&c。,hasgivenalucidviewofthedignitiesanddutiesoftheofficersintheImperialcourt。—
M。]
[Footnote76:PancirolusadNotitiamutriusqueImperii,p。39。
Buthisexplanationsareobscure,andhedoesnotsufficientlydistinguishthepaintedemblemsfromtheeffectiveensignsofoffice。]
Allthemagistratesofsufficientimportancetofindaplaceinthegeneralstateoftheempire,wereaccuratelydividedintothreeclasses。1。TheIllustrious。2。TheSpectabiles,orRespectable。And,3。theClarissimi;whomwemaytranslatebythewordHonorable。InthetimesofRomansimplicity,thelast—mentionedepithetwasusedonlyasavagueexpressionofdeference,tillitbecameatlengththepeculiarandappropriatedtitleofallwhoweremembersofthesenate,^77andconsequentlyofallwho,fromthatvenerablebody,wereselectedtogoverntheprovinces。Thevanityofthosewho,fromtheirrankandoffice,mightclaimasuperiordistinctionabovetherestofthesenatorialorder,waslongafterwardsindulgedwiththenewappellationofRespectable;butthetitleofIllustriouswasalwaysreservedtosomeeminentpersonageswhowereobeyedorreverencedbythetwosubordinateclasses。Itwascommunicatedonly,I。Totheconsulsandpatricians;II。TothePraetorianpraefects,withthepraefectsofRomeandConstantinople;III。Tothemasters—generalofthecavalryandtheinfantry;andIV。Tothesevenministersofthepalace,whoexercisedtheirsacredfunctionsaboutthepersonoftheemperor。^78Amongthoseillustriousmagistrateswhowereesteemedcoordinatewitheachother,theseniorityofappointmentgaveplacetotheunionofdignities。^79Bytheexpedientofhonorarycodicils,theemperors,whowerefondofmultiplyingtheirfavors,mightsometimesgratifythevanity,thoughnottheambition,ofimpatientcourtiers。^80
[Footnote77:InthePandects,whichmaybereferredtothereignsoftheAntonines,Clarissimusistheordinaryandlegaltitleofasenator。]
[Footnote78:Pancirol。p。12—17。Ihavenottakenanynoticeofthetwoinferiorranks,PrefectissimusandEgregius,whichweregiventomanypersonswhowerenotraisedtothesenatorialdignity。]
[Footnote79:Cod。Theodos。l。vi。tit。vi。Therulesofprecedencyareascertainedwiththemostminuteaccuracybytheemperors,andillustratedwithequalprolixitybytheirlearnedinterpreter。]
[Footnote80:Cod。Theodos。l。vi。tit。xxii。]
I。AslongastheRomanconsulswerethefirstmagistratesofafreestate,theyderivedtheirrighttopowerfromthechoiceofthepeople。Aslongastheemperorscondescendedtodisguisetheservitudewhichtheyimposed,theconsulswerestillelectedbytherealorapparentsuffrageofthesenate。FromthereignofDiocletian,eventhesevestigesoflibertywereabolished,andthesuccessfulcandidateswhowereinvestedwiththeannualhonorsoftheconsulship,affectedtodeplorethehumiliatingconditionoftheirpredecessors。TheScipiosandtheCatoshadbeenreducedtosolicitthevotesofplebeians,topassthroughthetediousandexpensiveformsofapopularelection,andtoexposetheirdignitytotheshameofapublicrefusal;
whiletheirownhappierfatehadreservedthemforanageandgovernmentinwhichtherewardsofvirtuewereassignedbytheunerringwisdomofagracioussovereign。^81Intheepistleswhichtheemperoraddressedtothetwoconsulselect,itwasdeclared,thattheywerecreatedbyhissoleauthority。^82Theirnamesandportraits,engravedongilttablesofivory,weredispersedovertheempireaspresentstotheprovinces,thecities,themagistrates,thesenate,andthepeople。^83TheirsolemninaugurationwasperformedattheplaceoftheImperialresidence;andduringaperiodofonehundredandtwentyyears,Romewasconstantlydeprivedofthepresenceofherancientmagistrates。^84
[Footnote81:AusoniusinGratiarumActionebaselyexpatiatesonthisunworthytopic,whichismanagedbyMamertinusPanegyr。
Vet。xi。[x。]16,19withsomewhatmorefreedomandingenuity。]
[Footnote82:CumdeConsulibusinannumcreandis,solusmecumvolutarem……teConsulemetdesignavi,etdeclaravi,etprioremnuncupavi;aresomeoftheexpressionsemployedbytheemperorGratiantohispreceptor,thepoetAusonius。]
[Footnote83:Immanesque……dentesQuisectiferrointabulasauroquemicantes,InscriptirutilumcoelatoConsulenomenPerproceresetvulguseant。