e the same--to take care that no one
transported to the barbarians on the Euxine any wares, the export of
which to hostile countries was forbidden; but he was not allowed to
exact any duties from these navigators. But, from the day that
Justinian succeeded to the government of affairs, he established a
custom-house on both straits, and sent thither two officials to
collect the dues at a fixed salary, who were ordered to get in as much
money as they could. These officials, who desired nothing better than
to show their devotion to him, extorted duty upon all kinds of
merchandise. In regard to the port of Byzantium, he made the following
arrangement:--He put it in charge of one of his confidants, a Syrian
by birth, named Addeus, whom he ordered to exact duty from all vessels
which put in there. This Addeus would not allow those ships which had
been any length of time in the harbour to leave it, until the masters
had paid a sum of money to free them, or else he compelled them to
take on board a freight for Libya or Italy. Some, resolved not to take
in a return cargo or to remain at sea any longer, burned their ships
and thus escaped all anxiety, to their great rejoicing. But all those
who were obliged to continue their profession in order to live, for
the future demanded three times the usual amount from merchants for
the hire of the ships, and thus the merchants had no means of covering
their losses except by requiring a higher price from purchasers; and
thus, by every possible contrivance, the Romans were reduced to the
danger of starvation. Such was the general state of affairs. I must
not, however, omit to state the manner in which the rulers dealt with
the small coinage. The money-changers had formerly been accustomed to
give 210 obols (called Pholes) for a single gold stater. Justinian and
Theodora, for their own private gain, ordered that only 180 obols
should be given for the stater, and by this means deprived the public
of a sixth part of each piece of gold. Having established "monopolies"
upon most wares, they incessantly harassed would-be purchasers. The
only thing left free from duty was clothes, but, in regard to these
also, the imperial pair contrived to extort money. Silken garments had
for a long time been made in Berytus and Tyre, cities of Phoenicia.
The merchants and workmen connected with the trade had been settled
there from very early times, and from thence the business had spread
throughout the world.