gratitude for the money which flowed into his
exchequer from that quarter, conceived a great affection for
Hephaestus. The latter, in order to secure in a still greater degree
the favour of the Emperor, carried out the following plan. When
Diocletian became Emperor of the Romans, he ordered a yearly
distribution of corn to be made to the necessitous poor of Alexandria;
and the people, settling its distribution amongst themselves,
transmitted the right to their descendants. Hephaestus deprived the
necessitous of 2,000,000 bushels yearly, and deposited it in the
imperial granaries, declaring, in his despatch to the Emperor, that
this grant of corn had previously been made in a manner that was
neither just nor in conformity with the interests of the state. The
Emperor approved of his conduct and became more attached to him than
ever. The Alexandrians, whose hopes of existence depended upon this
distribution, felt the cruelty bitterly, especially at the time of
their distress.

CHAPTER XXVII

The evil deeds of Justinian were so numerous, that time would fail me
if I were to attempt to relate them all. It will therefore be
sufficient, if I select some of those which will exhibit his whole
character to posterity, and which clearly show his dissimulation, his
neglect of God, the priesthood, the laws, and the people which showed
itself devoted to him. He was utterly without shame; he had no care
for the interests or advantage of the state, and did not trouble
himself about excusing his misdeeds, or, in fact, about anything else
but how he might plunder and appropriate the wealth of the whole
world.

To begin with, he appointed Paul bishop of Alexandria, at the time
when Rhodon, a Phoenician by birth, was governor of the city. He
ordered him to show the greatest deference to the bishop, and to
execute all his instructions; for by this means he hoped to prevail
upon the chief persons of the city to support the council of
Chalcedon. There was also a certain Arsenius, a native of Palestine,
who had made himself most necessary to the Empress, and, in
consequence of her favour and the great wealth he had amassed, had
attained the rank of a senator, although he was a man of most
abandoned character. He belonged to the Samaritan sect, but, in order
to preserve his authority, he assumed the name of Christian. His
father and brother, who lived in Scythopolis, relying upon his
authority and following his advice, bitterly per