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CHAP. distinguished from the multitude of plebeian habi

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Popula

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tations 52.

The populousness of this favoured city was the next and most ferious object of the attention of its founder. In the dark ages which fucceeded the tranflation of the empire, the remote and the immediate confequences of that memorable event were ftrangely confounded by the vanity of the Greeks, and the credulity of the Latins 53. It was afferted and believed, that all the noble families of Rome, the fenate, and the equeftrian order, with their innumerable attendants, had followed their emperor to the banks of the Propontis; that a fpurious race of ftrangers and plebeians was left to poffefs the folitude of the ancient capital ; and that the lands of Italy, long fince converted into gardens, were at once deprived of cultivation and inhabitants 54. In the courfe of this history, fuch exaggerations will be reduced to their just

32 See the Notitia. Rome only reckoned 1780 large houses, domus; but the word must have had a more dignified fignification. No infula are mentioned at Conftantinople. The old capital con. fifted of 424 streets, the new of 322.

53 Liutprand Legatio ad Imp. Nicephorum, p, 153. The mo. dern Greeks have ftrangely disfigured the antiquities of Conftanti nople. We might excuse the errors of the Turkish or Arabian writers; but it is fomewhat aftonishing, that the Greeks, who had access to the authentic materials preferved in their own language, fhould prefer fiction to truth, and loose tradition to genuine history. In a fingle page of Codinus we may detect twelve unpardonable mif takes; the reconciliation of Severus and Niger, the marriage of their fon and daughter, the fiege of Byzantium by the Macedonians, the invafion of the Gauls, which recalled Severus to Rome, the fixty years which elapfed from his death to the foundation of Conftantinople, &c.

$4 Montefquieu, Grandeur et Decadence des Romains, c. 17.

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value: yet, fince the growth of Conftantinople C HA P. cannot be afcribed to the general increase of mankind and of industry, it must be admitted, that this artificial colony was raised at the expence of the ancient cities of the empire. Many opulent fenators of Rome, and of the Eastern provinces, were probably invited by Conftantine to adopt for their country the fortunate spot which he had chofen for his own refidence. The invitations of a mafter are scarcely to be diftinguished from commands; and the liberality of the emperor obtained a ready and cheerful obedience. He bestowed on his favourites the palaces which he had built in the feveral quarters of the city, affigned them lands and penfions for the fupport of their dignity, and alienated the demefnes of Pontus and Afia, to grant hereditary estates by the easy tenure of maintaining a houfe in the capital s But these encouragements and obligations foon became fuperfluous, and were gradually abolished. Wherever the feat of government is fixed, a

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55 Themift. Orat. iii. p. 48. edit. Hardouin. Sozomen, 1. ii, c. 3. Zofim. 1. ii. p. 107. Anonym. Valesian. p. 715. If we could credit Codinus (p. 10.) Conftantine built houfes for the fe nators on the exact model of their Roman palaces, and gratified them, as well as himself, with the pleature of an agreeable furprise; but. the whole story is full of fictions and inconfistencies.

56 The law by which the younger Theodofius, in the year 438, abolished this tenure, may be found among the Novellæ of that emperor at the head of the Theodofian Code, tom. vi. nov. 12. M. de Tillemont (Hift. des Empereurs, tom.iv. p. 371.) has evidently mistaken the nature of these estates. With a grant from the Imperial demefnes, the fame condition was accepted as a favour which would justly have been deemed a hardship, if it had been imposed upon private property.

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CH A P. confiderable part of the public revenue will be XVII. expended by the prince himself, by his ministers, by the officers of justice, and by the domestics of the palace. The most wealthy of the provincials will be attracted by the powerful motives of intereft and duty, of amufement and curiofity. A third and more numerous clafs of inhabitants will infenfibly be formed, of fervants, of artificers, and of merchants, who derive their fubfiftence from their own labour, and from the wants or luxury of the fuperior ranks. In less than a cen-, tury, Conftantinople difputed with Rome itself the pre-eminence of riches and numbers. New piles of buildings, crowded together with too little regard to health or convenience, scarcely allowed the intervals of narrow streets for the perpetual throng of men, of horses, and of carriages. The allotted space of ground was infufficient to contain the increafing people; and the additional foundations, which, on either fide, were advanced into the fea, might alone have compofed a very confiderable city 57.

Privileges.

The frequent and regular diftributions of wine and oil, of corn or bread, of money or provifions, had almost exempted the poorest citizens of Rome from the neceffity of labour. The magnificence of the firft Cæfars was in fome measure imitated

$7 The paffages of Zofimus, of Eunapius, of Sozomen, and of Agathius, which relate to the increase of buildings and inhabitants at Conftantinople, are collected and connected by Gyllius de Byzant. 1. i. c. 3. Sidonius Apollinaris (in Panegyr. Anthem. 56. p. 290. edit. Sirmond) defcribes the moles that were pushed forwards into the fea; they consisted of the famous Puzzelan fand, which hardens

in the water.

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by the founder of Conftantinople 5: but his libe- c H A P, rality, however it might excite the applause of the people, has incurred the cenfure of posterity. A nation of legislators and conquerors might affert their claim to the harvests of Africa, which had been purchased with their blood; and it was artfully contrived by Auguftus, that, in the enjoyment of plenty, the Romans fhould lofe the memory of freedom. But the prodigality of Constantine could not be excufed by any confideration either of public or private intereft; and the annual tribute of corn impofed upon Egypt for the benefit of his new capital, was applied to feed a lazy and indolent populace, at the expence of the husbandmen of an induftrious province ". Some other regulations of this emperor are lefs liable to blame, but they are lefs deferving of notice. He divided Conftantinople into fourteen regions or quarters, dignified the public council with

58 Sozomen, 1. ii. c. 3. Philoftorg. 1. ii. c. 9. Codin. Antiqui tat. Conft. p. 8. It appears by Socrates, I. ii. c. 13. that the daily allowances of the city confifted of eight myriads of or, which we may either tranflate with Valefius by the words modii of corn, or confider as expreffive of the number of loaves of bread.

59 See Cod. Theodof. 1. xiii, and xiv. and Cod. Juftinian. Edi&. xii. tom. 11. p. 648. edit. Genev. See the beautiful complaint of Rome in the poem of Claudian de Bell. Gildonico, ver. 46–64. Cum fubiit par Roma mihi, divifaque fumfit

Equales aurora togas; Ægyptia rura

In partem ceffere novam.

60 l'he regions of Conftantinople are mentioned in the code of Justinian, and particularly defcribed in the Notitia of the younger Theodofius; but as the four last of them are not included within the wall of Conitantine, it may be doubted whether this divifion of the city fhould be referred to the founder.

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CHAP. the appellation of Senate ", communicated to the citizens the privileges of Italy, and bestowed on the rifing city the title of Colony, the firft and most favoured daughter of ancient Rome. The venerable parent ftill maintained the legal and acknowledged fupremacy, which was due to her age, to her dignity, and to the remembrance of her former greatness "3.

Dedica

330 or 334.

63

As Conftantine urged the progress of the work tion, A.D. with the impatience of a lover, the walls, the porticoes, and the principal edifices were completed in a few years, or, according to another account, in a few months 64: but this extraordinary dili

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61 Senatum conftituit fecundi ordinis; Claros vocavit. Anonym. Valefian. p. 715. The fenators of old Rome were ftyled Clariffimi. See a curious note of Valefius and Ammian. Marcellin. xxii. 9. From the eleventh epiftle of Julian, it should seem that the place of fenator was confidered as a burthen, rather than as an honour; but the Abbé de la Bleterie (Vie de Jovien, tom. ii. p. 371 ) has fhewn that this epiftle could not relate to Conftantinople. Might we not read, instead of the celebrated name of Bugarios, the obscure but more probable word Boavenous? Bifanthe or Rhodeftus, now Rhodosto, was a finall maritime city of Thrace. See Stephan. Byz. de Urbibus, p. 225. and Cellar. Geograph. tom. i, p. 849.

62 Cod. Theodof, 1. xiv. 13. The commentary of Godefroy (tom. v. p. 220.) is long, but perplexed; nor indeed is it eafy to afcertain in what the Jus Italicum could confift, after the freedoin of the city had been communicated to the whole empire.

63 Julian (Orat. i. p. 8.) celebrates Conftantinople as not lefs fuperior to all other cities, than fhe was inferior to Rome itself. His learned commentator (Spanheim, p. 75, 76.) juftifies this language by feveral parallel and contemporary inftances. Zofimus, as well as Socrates and Sozomen, flourished after the divifion of the empire between the two fons of Theodofius, which established a perfect equality between the old and the new capital.

64 Codinus (Antiquitat. p. 8.) affirms, that the foundations of Conftantinople were laid in the year of the world 5837 (A. D. 329, on the 26th of September, and that the city was dedicated the irth

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