Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 5 (1897).djvu/237

OF THE EOMAN EMPIEE 215 titles of saviour of the empire and conqueror of the East.^^ In his last return from Syria^ he observed that the most fruitfid hinds of his new provinces were possessed by the eunuchs.-" " And is it for them," he exclaimed, with honest indignation, " that we have fought and conquered ? Is it for them that we shed our blood and exhaust the treasures of our people ? " ^" The complaint was re-echoed to the palace, and the death of Zimisces is strongly marked with the suspicion of poison. Under this usurpation, or regency, of twelve years, the two Bacu n. and lawful emperors, Basil and Constantine, had silently grown ix. ad. 973 to the age of manhood. Their tender years had been in- capable of dominion ; the respectful modesty of their attend- ance and salutation was due to the age and merit of their guardians ; the childless ambition of those guai'dians had no temptation to violate their right of succession ; their patrimony was ably and faithfully administered ; and the premature death of Zimisces was a loss, rather than a benefit, to the sons of Romanus. Their want of experience detained them twelve years longer the obscure and voluntary pupils of a minister, who [Bam] extended his reign by persuading them to indulge the pleasures of youth and to disdain the labours of government. In this silken web, the weakness of Constantine was for ever en- tangled ; but his elder brother felt the impulse of genius and the desire of action ; he frowned, and the minister was no more. Basil was the acknowledged sovereign of Constanti- nople and the provinces of Europe ; but Asia was oppressed by two veteran genei'als, Phocas and Scleras, who, alternately 55 [For the great Russian triumph of Tzimisces, which gave Bulgaria into his hands, see chap. Iv. ; for his Saracen campaigns, chap. Hi.] 5 [The chamberlain Basil, to whom Tzimisces had entrusted the conduct of the military administration, and who practically ruled the empire after the death of Tzimisces, before Basil II. reached maturity. This eunuch was a bastard son of Romanus Lecapenus, and was a man of majestic and imposing presence, and great ability. His father had made him commander of the foreign guard, and grand chamberlain (Parakoemomenos) ; and he had won a victory over the Saracens in A.D. 958. He played a leading part in the revolution which placed Nicephorus on the throne, and had been appointed by him " President of the Senate," an office established for the first time. But he did not like Nicephorus, who gave him perhaps too little voice in the administration. An opportune indisposition confined him to his bed at the time of that Emperor's assassination, but when he heard the news he lost no time in joining Tzimisces, who seems to have placed him- self in the hands of the experienced statesman.] ^" [This incident illustrates an evil already mentioned above, n. 46, and more fully discussed in Appendix 11, the growth in the Asiatic provinces of enormous estates devoted to pasturage, which were ruining the small farmers and the agriculture, and transforming the provinces into feudal domains of a few powerful magnates. Both Nicephorus and Tzimisces were fully alive to the evil.]