XIV. papers and orders of a miscellaneous kind. CHAP. XIV. THE DECLINE AND FALL CHAP. of the republic. Whilst Augustus affected to maintain the freedom of election, he consented to accept the annual privilege of recommending, or rather indeed of nominating, a certain proportion of candidates; and it was his custom to select one of these distinguished youths, to read his orations or epistles in the assemblies of the senate. The practice of Augustus was imitated by succeeding princes; the occasional commission was established as a permanent office; and the favoured quæstor, assuming a new and more illustrious character, alone survived the suppression of his ancient and useless colleagues. As the orations, which he composed in the name of the emperor, acquired the force, and, at length, the form of absolute edicts, he was considered as the representative of the legislative power, the oracle of the council, and the original source of the civil jurisprudence. He was sometimes invited to take his seat in the supreme judicature of the Imperial consistory, with the Prætorian præfects, and the master of the offices; and he was frequently requested to resolve the doubts of inferior judges: but as he was not oppressed with a variety of subordinate business, his leisure and talents were employed to cultivate that dignified style of eloquence, which, in the corruption of taste and language, still preserves the majesty of the Roman laws. In some respects, the office of the Imperial quæstor may be compared with that of a modern chancellor; but the use of a great seal, which seems to have been adopted by the illiterate Barbarians, was never introduced to attest The public the public acts of the emperors. 4. The extraordinary title of count of the sacred largesses was bestowed on the treasurer-general of the revenue, with the intention perhaps of inculcating, that every payment flowed from the voluntary bounty of the monarch. To conceive the almost infinite detail of treasurer. XIV. al and daily expense of the civil and military CHAP. ation in every part of a great empire, would e powers of the most vigorous imagination. al account employed several hundred peributed into eleven different offices, which lly contrived to examine and control their operations. The multitude of these agents ural tendency to increase; and it was more thought expedient to dismiss to their native e useless supernumeraries, who, deserting est labours, had pressed with too much into the lucrative profession of the finances *. ne provincial receivers, of whom eighteen red with the title of count, corresponded easurer; and he extended his jurisdiction ines from whence the precious metals were over the mints, in which they were cono the current coin, and over the public of the most important cities, where they sited for the service of the state. The de of the empire was regulated by this who directed likewise all the linen and nufactures, in which the successive operaning, weaving, and dying were executed, vomen of a servile condition, for the use e and army. Twenty-six of these instienumerated in the west, where the arts ore recently introduced, and a still larger may be allowed for the industrious pro e east. treasurer. 5. Besides the public revenue, The private solute monarch might levy and expend o his pleasure, the emperors, in the capaent citizens, possessed a very extensive hich was administered by the count, or the private estate. Some part had per Theod. 1. vi. tit. 30. Cod. Justinian. 1. xii. tit. 24. e ancient demesnes of kings and repub- service of the palace and the Im- 1. vi. tit. xxx. leg. 2. and Godefroy ad loc. 1. vi. tit. xxx. leg. 4, &c. domestics. The whole number cthousand five hundred men, divided or troops, of five hundred each; an honourable service was almost ent to the Armenians. Whenever, on p they were drawn up in the courts am palace, their lofty stature, silent ord arms of silver and gold, displayed a unworthy of the Roman majesty. schools two companies of horse and f of the protectors, whose advantage the hope and reward of the most de They mounted guard in the interior were occasionally despatched into th execute with celerity and vigour the master. The counts of the domestic to the office of the Prætorian præfect fects, they aspired from the servic to the command of armies. The perpetual intercourse between the provinces was facilitated by the roads and the institution of posts. ficial establishments were accidentally a pernicious and intolerable abuse. hundred agents or messengers were en the jurisdiction of the master of the nounce the names of the annual coz edicts or victories of the emperors. assumed the licence of reporting whate T observe of the conduct either of mag private citizens; and were soon cons eyes of the monarch, and the scourge Under the warm influence of a feeb multiplied to the incredible number of disdained the mild though frequent the laws, and exercised in the profit ment of the posts a rapacious and insole a The whole number consisted of three ve hundred men, divided into seven schools, of five hundred each; and in the east, this service was almost entirely appropriated enians. Whenever, on public ceremonies, rawn up in the courts and porticoes of the r lofty stature, silent order, and splendid er and gold, displayed a martial pomp, not of the Roman majesty. From the seven companies of horse and foot were selected, ectors, whose advantageous station was ad reward of the most deserving soldiers. ted guard in the interior apartments, and nally despatched into the provinces, to celerity and vigour the orders of their he counts of the domestics had succeeded of the Prætorian præfects; like the præaspired from the service of the palace and of armies. tual intercourse between the court and s was facilitated by the construction of CHAP. XIV. Agents or official spies. |