most splendid of all buildings, and for
having the whole body of Roman laws thoroughly overlooked and put into
order. Many even of the old heathen laws were very good ones, but there
were others connected with idolatry that needed to be done away with;
and in the course of years so many laws and alterations had been made,
that it was the study of a lifetime even to know what they were, or how
to act on them. Justinian set his best lawyers to put them all in order,
so that it might be more easy to work by them. The Roman citizens in
Greece, Italy, and all the lands overrun by the Teutonic nations were
still judged by their own laws, so that this was a very useful work; and
it was so well done that the conquerors took them up in time, and the
Roman law was the great model studied everywhere by those who wished to
understand the rules of jurisprudence, that is, of law and justice. Thus
in another way Rome conquered her conquerors.

Justinian died in 563, and was succeeded by his nephew Justin, whose
wife Sophia behaved almost as ill to Narses as Theodora had done to
Belisarius, for while he was doing his best to defend Italy from the
savage tribes who were ready at any moment to come over the Alps, she
sent him a distaff, and ordered him back to his old slavery in the
palace.

CHAPTER XLVI.

POPE GREGORY THE GREAT.

563--800.

No sooner was Narses called home than another terrible nation of
Teutones, who had hitherto dwelt in the North, began to come over the
Alps. These were the Longbeards, or Lombards, as they were more commonly
called; fierce and still heathen. Their king, Alboin, had carried off
Rosamond, the daughter of Kunimund, king of the Gepids, another Teutonic
tribe. There was a most terrible war, in which Kunimund was killed and
all his tribe broken up and joined with the Lombards. With the two
united, Alboin invaded Italy and conquered all the North. Ravenna,
Verona, Milan, and all the large towns held out bravely against them,
but were taken at last, except Venice, which still owned the Emperor at
Constantinople. Alboin had kept the skull of Kunimund as a trophy, and
had had it set in gold for a drinking-cup, as his wild faith made him
believe that the reward of the brave in the other world would be to
drink mead from the skulls of their fallen enemies. In a drunken fit at
Verona, he sent for Rosamond and made her pledge him in this horrible
cup. She had always hated him, and this made her reven