.
The people had since long previous time been divided, as I have
explained elsewhere, into two factions, the Blues and the Greens.
Justinian, by joining the former party, which had already shown favor to
him, was able to bring everything into confusion and turmoil, and by
its power to sink the Roman state to its knees before him. Not all the
Blues were willing to follow his leadership, but there were plenty who
were eager for civil war. Yet even these, as the trouble spread, seemed
the most prudent of men, for their crimes were less awful than was in
their power to commit. Nor did the Green partisans remain quiet, but
showed their resentment as violently as they could, though one by one
they were continually punished; which, indeed, urged them each time to
further recklessness. For men who are wronged are likely to become
desperate.
Then it was that Justinian, fanning the flame and openly inciting the
Blues to fight, made the whole Roman Empire shake on its foundation, as
if an earthquake or a cataclysm had stricken it, or every city within
its confines had been taken by the foe. Everything everywhere was
uprooted: nothing was left undisturbed by him. Law and order, throughout
the State, overwhelmed by distraction, were turned upside down.
First the rebels revolutionized the style of wearing their hair. For
they had it cut differently from the rest of the Romans: not molesting
the mustache or beard, which they allowed to keep on growing as long as
it would, as the Persians do, but clipping the hair short on the front
of the head down to the temples, and letting it hang down in great
length and disorder in the back, as the Massageti do. This weird
combination they called the Hun haircut.
Next they decided to wear the purple stripe on their togas, and
swaggered about in a dress indicating a rank above their station: for it
was only by ill-gotten money they were able to buy this finery. And the
sleeves of their tunics were cut tight about the wrists, while from
there to the shoulders they were of an ineffable fullness; thus,
whenever they moved their hands, as when applauding at the theater or
encouraging a driver in the hippodrome, these immense sleeves fluttered
conspicuously, displaying to the simple public what beautiful and
well-developed physiques were these that required such large garments to
cover them. They did not consider that by the exaggeration of this
dress the meagerness of their stunted bodies appeared all the more
noticeable. Their cloaks, trousers, and boots were also different: and
these too were called the Hun style, which they imitated.
Almost all of them carried steel openly from the first, while by day
they concealed their two-edged daggers along the thigh under their
cloaks. Collecting in gangs as soon as dusk fell, they robbed their
betters in the open Forum and in the narrow alleys, snatching from
passersby their mantles, belts, gold brooches, and whatever they had in
their hands. Some they killed after robbing them, so they could not
inform anyone of the assault.
These outrages brought the enmity of everybody on them, especially that
of the Blue partisans who had not taken active part in the discord. When
even the latter were molested, they began to wear brass belts and
brooches and cheaper cloaks than most of them were privileged to
display, lest their elegance should lead to their deaths; and even
before the sun went down they went home to hide. But the evil
progressed; and as no punishment came to the criminals from those in
charge of the public peace, their boldness increased more and more. For
when crime finds itself licensed, there are no limits to its abuses;
since even when it is punished, it is never quite suppressed, most men
being by nature easily turned to error. Such, then, was the conduct of
the Blues.
Some of the opposite party joined this faction so as to get even with
the people of their original side who had ill-treated them; others fled
in secret to other lands, but many were captured before they could get
away, and perished either at the hands of their foes or by sentence of
the State. And many other young men offered themselves to this society
who had never before taken any interest in the quarrel, but were now
induced by the power and possibility of insolence they could thus
acquire. For there is no villainy to which men give a name that was not
committed during this time, and remained unpunished.
Now at first they killed only their opponents. But as matters
progressed, they also murdered men who had done nothing against them.
And there were many who bribed them with money, pointing out personal
enemies, whom the Blues straightway dispatched, declaring these victims
were Greens, when as a matter of fact they were utter strangers. And all
this went on not any longer at dark and by stealth, but in every hour
of the day, everywhere in the city: before the eyes of the most notable
men of the government, if they happened to be bystanders. For they did
not need to conceal their crimes, having no fear of punishment, but
considered it rather to the advantage of their reputation, as proving
their strength and manhood, to kill with one stroke of the dagger any
unarmed man who happened to be passing by.
No one could hope to live very long under this state of affairs, for
everybody suspected he would be the next to be killed. No place was
safe, no time of day offered any pledge of security, since these murders
went on in the holiest of sanctuaries even during divine services. No
confidence was left in one's friends or relatives, for many died by
conspiracy of members of their own households. Nor was there any
investigation after these deeds, but the blow would fall unexpectedly,
and none avenged the victim. No longer was there left any force in law
or contract, because,of this disorder, but everything was settled by
violence. The State might as well have been a tyranny: not one, however,
that had been established, but one that was being overturned daily and
ever recommencing.
The magistrates seemed to have been driven from their senses, and their
wits enslaved by the fear of one man. The judges, when deciding cases
that came up before them, cast their votes not according to what they
thought right or lawful, but according as either of the disputants was
an enemy or friend of the faction in power. For a judge who disregarded
its instruction was sentencing himself to death. And many creditors were
forced to receipt the bills they had sent to their debtors without
being paid what was due them; and many thus against their will had to
free their slaves.
And they say that certain ladies were forced by their own slaves to do
what they did not want to do; and the sons of notable men, getting mixed
up with these young bandits, compelled their fathers, among other acts
against their will, to hand over their properties to them. Many boys
were constrained, with their fathers' knowledge, to serve the unnatural
desires of the Blues; and happily married women met the same misfortune.
It is told that a woman of no undue beauty was ferrying with her husband
to the suburb opposite the mainland; when some men of this party met
them on the water, and jumping into her boat, dragged her abusively from
her husband and made her enter their vessel. She had whispered to her
spouse to trust her and have no fear of any reproach, for she would not
allow herself to be dishonored. Then, as he looked at her in great
grief, she threw her body into the Bosphorus and forthwith vanished from
the world of men. Such were the deeds this party dared to commit at
that time in Constantinople.
Yet all of this disturbed people less than Justinian's offenses against
the State. For those who suffer the most grievously from evildoers are
relieved of the greater part of their anguish by the expectation they
will sometime be avenged by law and authority. Men who are confident of
the future can bear more easily and less painfully their present
troubles; but when they are outraged even by the government what befalls
them is naturally all the more grievous, and by the failing of all hope
of redress they are turned to utter despair. And Justinian's crime was
that he was not only unwilling to protect the injured, but saw no reason
why he should not be the open head of the guilty faction; he gave great
sums of money to these young men, and surrounded himself with them: and
some he even went so far as to appoint to high office and other posts
of honor.
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