lege of selling
their wares at whatever price they pleased, on payment of a yearly
rent to the Emperor. The citizens were compelled to make their
purchases in the market, where they paid three times as much as
elsewhere; nor, although he suffered severe loss, was the purchaser
allowed to claim damages from anyone, for part of the profit went to
the Emperor, and part to increase the salary of these officials.
Purchasers were equally cheated by the magistrates' servants, who took
part in these disgraceful transactions, while the shopkeepers, who
were allowed to put themselves beyond reach of the law, inflicted
great hardships upon their customers--not merely by raising their
prices many times over, but by being guilty of unheard-of frauds in
regard to their wares. Afterwards, Justinian instituted several
"monopolies," as they were called, and sold the liberty of the subject
to any who were willing to undertake this disgraceful traffic, after
having settled with them the price that was to be paid. This done, he
allowed those with whom he had made the bargain to carry out the
management of the affair in whatever way they thought fit. He made
these disgraceful arrangements, without any attempt at concealment,
with all the other magistrates, who plundered their subjects with less
apprehension, either themselves or through their agents, since some
part of the profits of the plunder always fell to the share of the
Emperor. Under the pretence that the former magistrates were
insufficient to carry out these arrangements (although the city
prefect had previously been able to deal with all criminal charges) he
created two new ones. His object in this was, that he might have at
his disposal a larger number of informers, and that he might the more
easily inflict punishment and torture upon the innocent. One of these
was called Praetor of the People, whose nominal duty it was to deal
with thieves; the second was called the Commissioner, whose function
it was to punish all cases of paederasty, buggery, superstition and
heresy. If the Praetor found any articles of value amongst stolen
goods, he handed them over to the Emperor, declaring that no owner
could be found for them, and in this manner Justinian every day got
possession of something of very great value. The Commissioner, after
he had condemned offenders, confiscated what he pleased out of their
estates and bestowed it upon the Emperor, who thus, in defiance of the
law, enriched