The Secret History

by

Procopius of Caesarea

translated by Richard Atwater

(Chicago: P. Covici, 1927 New York Covici Friede 1927)

Reprinted, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1961, with indication
that copyright had expired on the text of the translation.

21. THE SKY TAX, AND HOW BORDER ARMIES WERE FORBIDDEN TO PUNISH INVADING BARBARIANS

The Prefect in charge of the praetors each year handed over to the Emperor more
than thirty centenaries in addition to the public taxes; this tribute was called
the sky tax, to show, I suppose, that it was not a regular duty or assessment, but
as it were fell into his hands by chance out of the sky: it should have been called
the villainy tax, for in its name the magistrates robbed their subjects worse than
ever, on the ground they had to hand it over to the autocrat, while they themselves
acquired a king’s fortune in no time. For this Justinian left them unpunished, awaiting
the time when they should have gained immense riches; as soon as this happened,
he brought some charge against them for which there was no defense, and confiscated
their entire property all at once, as he had done to John of Cappadocia.

Everyone appointed to office during this period of course became immensely wealthy
at once, with two exceptions: Phocas, whom I have mentioned elsewhere as an utterly
honest man, who remained uncorrupted by gain during his office; and Bassus, who
was appointed later. Neither of these gentlemen held their office for a year, but
were removed after a few months as useless and unsuited to the times. But if I went
into all the details, this book would never end: suffice it to say that all the
rest of the magistrates in Constantinople were equally guilty.

Also everywhere else in the Roman Empire Justinian did the same. Picking out
the worst scoundrels he could find, he sold them the offices they were to corrupt,
for large sums of money. Indeed, an honest man or one with any sense at all, would
never think of throwing away his own money on the chance of getting it back by robbing
the innocent. When Justinian had collected this money from such bargainers, he gave
them complete power over their subjects, by which, pillaging the country and the
inhabitants, they were to become rich. And since they had borrowed money at heavy
interest to pay the Emperor for their magistracies, as soon as they arrived in the
cities of their jurisdiction, they treated their subjects with every kind of evil,
caring for nothing but how they might fulfill their agreements with their creditors
and themselves thereafter be listed among the super-wealthy. They saw no peril and
felt no shame in this conduct; rather, they anticipated that the more they wrongfully
killed and plundered, the higher would be their reputation; for the name of murderer
and robber would prove the energy of their service. However, as soon as he heard
these officials had become adequately wealthy, Justinian snared them with a fitting
pretext, and straightway seized their fortunes in one swoop.

He passed a law that candidates for offices must swear they would keep themselves
clean of all graft and never give or receive any bribe as officials; and all the
curses that were named by the ancients he invoked on any who should violate this
agreement. But the law was not over a year old before he himself, disregarding its
words and maledictions, shamelessly put these offices up for sale; and not secretly,
but in the public Forum. And the buyers of the offices, breaking their oaths also,
plundered more than ever.

Later he contrived another unheard-of scheme. The offices which he believed to
be the most powerful in Constantinople and the other large cities, he decided not
to sell any longer as he had been doing, but put them in the hands of picked men
on a fixed salary, who were commanded to turn over all revenues to himself. And
these men, after receiving their pay, worked fearlessly and carried off everything
on earth, going around tin the name of their office to rob the subjects. . The Emperor
was always very careful to choose for his agents men who were truly of all people
the worst scoundrels; and he had no trouble finding those who were bad enough. When,
indeed he appointed the first rascals to office, and their power brought to light
their corruption, we were astonished that nature had produced such evil in human
form. But when the successors to these offices later went far beyond the first occupants
in villainy, men were at a loss to see how their predecessors could have been thought
to be wicked, since in comparison to the new officials the former had – And the
third been noble gentlemen in their actions set, and those who followed them, out-Heroded
the second lot in every kind of depravity; and by their ingenuity in inventing new
methods of bringing false charges, gave all their predecessors the name of being
virtuous and honest. As the evil progressed, it was eventually demonstrated that
the wickedness of man has no natural limit, but when it feeds on the experience
of the past, and is given the opportunity to mistreat its victims, it is encouraged
to such a degree that only those who are oppressed by it can measure it. And thus
were the Romans treated by their magistrates.

After armies of the hostile Huns had several times enslaved and plundered inhabitants
of the Roman Empire, the Thracian and Illyrian generals planned to attack them on
their retreat, but gave up the idea when they were shown letters from the Emperor
Justinian forbidding them to attack the barbarians on the ground that alliance with
them was necessary to the Romans against the Goths, forsooth, or some other foe.

And after this, these barbarians ravaged the country as if they were the foe,
and enslaved the Romans there; and, laden with booty and captives, these friends
and allies of the Romans returned to their homes. Often some of the farmers of these
regions, induced by longing for their children and wives who had been carried off
to slavery, formed into bands and attacked the Huns, kill’ capturing their horses
ladening many, and with spoils; but the consequence of their success was unfortunate.
For agents were sent from Constantinople to beat and torture them and seize their
property, until they had given up all the horses they had taken from the barbarians.