A. D. 538. 229 



the adjacent Tea. Upon this occafion the fovereign of the Franks ac- 

 cepted from Juftinian a refignation of the right, which he, as emperor 

 of Rome, might claim to thofe territories, and to the allegiance of the 

 fubjeds. The Roman, or rather Grecian, hiftorian adds, that the kings 

 of the Franks were permitted to coin money made of Gallic gold, and to 

 mark it with their own portrait inftead of the emperor's ; a privilege 

 denied even to the kings of Perlia, who could put their own heads only 

 upon filver coins, as gold coins with any other head than the emperor's 

 would not be accepted even among the barbarous nations, that is to fay, 

 nations not fubjed to the Roman, or Conftantinopolitan, empire *. 

 {Procop. Gothic. L. iii, c 33.] 



539 The folly of Juftinian, who now flattered himfelf, that he was 



mafter of the Roman empire in its antient greateft extent, while he was 

 in fa(5l, in fpite of his long wall and other vain fortifications, a tributary 

 to all the nations bordering on the Danube, to the Perfians, and to the 

 Turks (who in his reign firft: appear in European hiflory) accelerated 

 the ruin of his own empire by calling off the Goths from the Danube 

 to the defence of Italy, and plunged that country again into the mifery 

 and oppreffion from which it had been refcued by the prudent and be- 

 neficent government of Theodoric. 



546 — From the oppreffion and mifcondu6l of Juftinian's officers and 

 tax-gatherers Italy was delivered by the valour and virtue of Totila the 

 king of the Goths, who punifhed the defedion of Rome by banifhing 

 the fenators, and giving the city to be plundered by his army ; after 

 which he abandoned the antient capital of the world, as unworthy of 

 his attention. It was immediately taken pofTeflion of by Belifarius. 

 But that great general was drawn off by the imprudence, or the envy, of 

 Jufi:inian (a°. 548) ; and the fluduating dominion of Italy and the adjacent 

 iflands was refiored to the Goths, and foon torn from them again (ao. 553) 

 by the military condud of Narfes, who, though an eunuch, was more 

 worthy than any other fubjed of Jufiinian to be the fucceflor of Belifarius. 

 The Gothic empire in Italy was now finally ex tinguiflied : and Narfes 

 was appointed, with the title of exarch, to govern the miferable coun- 

 try, depopulated and ravaged by a war of twenty years. The feat of 

 government was hereupon fixed at Ravenna ; and Rome became they^-- 

 cond city of Italy (a°. 554). 



* How the powerful fovereigns of Perfia, to fomely engraved ; whereas the Perfian was oi.ly 



whom the emperors of Conftantinople were fie- of filver, and of inferior execution. — ^Was there 



qutntly tributary, fliould be prohibited from coin- really a general confent of nations to prefer the 



iiig whatever kind of money they might think pro- gold coins bearing the heads of the Roman era- 



per, it is not veiy eafy to conceive. Yet there perors, and has it efcaped the attention of the 



is a (lory told by Cofnias Indlcopleuftes, of a con- learned ? — Or are we to undcrftand the emperor's 



left for the dignity of the Perfian and Roman em- permiflion to fignify a ftipulation, that the Frank- 



pires, in the prefcnce of the king of Siele-div, be- idi gold coins Ihould be received as current money 



ing decided by the fuperiority of the Roman coin, in the dominions of the emperor ? 

 which was of gold, with the emperor's head hand- 



