hunting out every kind of source of gain, even at the cost
of other people's lives, raged in this emperor to a most excessive
degree, and never flagged. Some, indeed, attempted to excuse it by
pleading the example of the Emperor Aurelian; affirming that as he,
after the death of Gallienus and the lamentable disasters which the
republic suffered at that time, finding his treasury totally exhausted,
fell upon the rich like a torrent, so Valentinian also, after the losses
which he sustained in his Parthian campaign, being reduced to want by
the greatness of his expenses, in order to procure reinforcements for
his army and pay for his troops, mingled with his severity a desire of
collecting excessive wealth. Pretending not to know that there are some
things which, although strictly speaking lawful, still ought not to be
done. In this he was very unlike the celebrated Themistocles of old
times, who, when strolling carelessly about after he had destroyed the
Persian host in the battle of Salamis, and seeing a number of golden
armlets and chains lying on the ground, said to one of his companions
who was by--"You may take up these things because you are not
Themistocles," thinking it became a magnanimous general to spurn any
idea of personal gain.

9. Many examples of similar moderation abound in the Roman generals;
and without stopping to enumerate them, since such acts are not
indications of perfect virtue (for indeed it is no great glory to
abstain from carrying off other persons' property), I will just mention
one single instance of the forbearance of people in general in this
respect in ancient times:--When Marius and Cinna had given the Roman
populace leave to plunder the wealthy houses of certain persons whom
they had proscribed, the minds of the mob, who, however uncivilized they
might be, were accustomed to respect the rights of men, refused to touch
the produce of other men's labours; so that in fact no one could be
found so needy or so base as to be willing to profit by the miseries of
the state.

10. Besides these things the aforesaid emperor was a prey in his inmost
heart to a devouring envy; and as he knew that most vices put on a
semblance of virtue, he used to be fond of repeating, that severity is
the inseparable companion of lawful power. And as magistrates of the
highest rank are in the habit of thinking everything permitted to them,
and are always inclined to depress those who oppose them, and to
humiliate