William Jackson Brodribb and Walter Besant

“ The long wall had been partly thrown down by an earthquake, and the citizens of Constantinople awoke to their danger when they heard that the enemy was within twenty miles of the city, and when they saw the crowd of rustics who pressed in for refuge lamenting the loss of their flocks, the destruction of their homesteads, and the outrages of barbarian hordes who respected nothing—not even monks. ”

“ Justinian ordered the removal of all the gold and silver vessels from the churches in the suburbs of the city, and then sent for Belisarius. Not even the immediate proximity of the danger would induce this most unwarlike of emperors to take the command himself. Some sovereigns, like Louis XIV., love to assume the credit of others' ability; some even venture their own reputation on a campaign; others, like Justinian, openly make use of the best officers and repay them with ingratitude. Belisarius came, and speedily sallied forth with such troops as he could get together. ”

“ Suffice it to say that, unless the historian lies, no more abandoned woman ever stood among the ranks of those who live as the servants and ministers of sin. This woman, deserted by her lover at Alexandria, and reduced to the most abject distress, found her way back to her native city, and there—perhaps repentant, though that is doubtful—earned for a time, and until she attracted the attention of the Patrician Justinian, a precarious living as a sempstress. ”

“ The courage of Theodora saved Justinian, who proposed to fly with the imperial treasures. She found means to communicate with the leaders of the blues and to sow the seeds of jealousy, which soon revived the animosity of the factions. The blues were easily persuaded to turn their weapons against their old foes, and the greens were left deserted in the hippodrome with their unfortunate emperor. Then Justinian took his revenge in a slaughter which assured the greens that their cause was hopeless. Thirty thousand of them were murdered almost in cold blood. ”

“ CONSTANTINOPLE UNDER JUSTINIAN.
OME time In the second quarter of the first century there were born, in an obscure village—now the city of Sophia—in Bulgaria, three boys of peasant origin. They grew up to be strong, active, and well-proportioned lads, and, like many of their fellows, they became discontented with their village and its surroundings, and marched off together to Constantinople, where they were enrolled in the emperor's guard. ”

“ In the morning the cavalry of the Bulgarians advanced to the attack. Belisarius, knowing the weakness of his civic troops, placed them in ambuscade on either flank, while with the guards he received the charge of the enemy. But when the Bulgarians dashed headlong upon the assault, they were met in front by a compact body of disciplined soldiers, through whose lines they could not break, and were assailed on either flank by showers of arrows from the troops in ambush. They turned and fled. ”

“ The people naturally took opposite sides at the circus, and then confusing their partisanship in the games with their sides in politics, gradually joined one or other of the two great factions which perpetually troubled and menaced the tranquillity of the city, the green and the blue—one hears nothing more of red and white. ”

“ Phocas led his army to the capital, where he found a strong body of discontents ready to receive him. Maurice, deserted by all his followers, fled with his children. He was captured, and after witnessing the execution of his boys, was himself beheaded. It is related of him that when the child of a nurse was substituted for his own he revealed the deceit, choosing rather that his own son should die than that an innocent person, or rather a child innocent of being his offspring, should suffer. ”

“ These threatened a massacre of the greens such as would have effaced the memory of their three thousand. It was averted by the lucky incident of the appearance of seven criminals being led to the place of execution. Four were beheaded; one was hanged; the ropes broke by which the other two were hanging, and they were carried off by monks to the sanctuary of the church. It was discovered that they belonged respectively to the blue and the green factions. Were, then, religion and the circus thus to be insulted? ”

“ The great things that were done for him rather than by him have illustrated his reign, and given it the splendour which belongs to that of a strong emperor. Under him Belisarius reduced the Vandals, added Africa to the empire, seized Italy, raised the siege of Rome, and rescued Constantinople from the Bulgarians. Under him Narses reduced the Goths, defeated the Franks and Alemanni, and governed Italy as exarch. Under Justinian, too, the capital was enriched by the great church of St. ”

“ It was carefully and deliberately planned by Heraclius, exarch of Africa, in conjunction with the leading men of Constantinople, who implored him to save the empire from ruin. He sent his nephew with an army to occupy Egypt and Syria, and his son Heraclius with a fleet to attack the city. Phocas hazarded and lost a single naval battle, fought within sight of the palace. ”