The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-28

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The Byzantine Empire.
OF the many volumes included in the "sto.
ries OF the Nations" series tPutnamsl. the
most important is the latest. entitled The Bv.
ssntins Empire. by c. W. c. OMAN This is the
FIRST attempt to %popularize tho right concep-
tion Of the part played by Constantinople in
the history OF European civilization IA concep-
ton which materially differs from tho picture
Of unbroken corruption and decay presented
in the Decline and FALL" With the facts. and
with tho true deductions from them. students
have boon mado familiar by Finlay's history.
published noarly forty years age. and by the
moro recent work Of Mr.. Dury which appeared
In 1889. Hitherto. however. all the handbooks
ON the subject have continued to circulate o
commodity which AIR. Oman aptly describes as
"0ibbon and water" 1t is. on the contrary.
tho matter and the spirit OF Finlay and Of
Dury which are reproduced In tho present vol
ume. Its readers will be enabled to under.
stand how It came to pass that the eastern Ro.
man empire survived by noarly q thousand
years the disruption OF tho empire in tho West
"a phenomenon inexplicable upon tho theory
countenanced BY Gibbon that tho rulers OF
Constantinople were q succession OF weak
lings aud that It's subject-peoples were desti-
tuts OF all the virile virtues and had sunk to
the lowest depths Of social and moral doca.
dence. The truth is that the Cloths. Huns.
Avars. Slavs. and Northmen. who wrought
such havoc In central or western Europe. mado
no fatal impression on the Byzantine realm.
which, also. repulsod from the Bosporus tho
same Saracsns who conquered Spain and pono-
trated to Poitiers In France-which. moreover.
blocked the westward advance Of the Seliuk
Turks. and would have kept the Ottoman
Turks out OF Europe had not the Latin Chris.
tisps committed tho blunder OF shattering
their strongest bulwark against Islam by
selling Constantinople and dealing q blow to
thu Greek empire from which 1t was unable
to recover
Mr.. Oman begins his narrative with an &C.
count Of the foundation Of Byzantium b. a
colony from Megara In tho seventh century
B. c.. and outlines the history OF the Greek
city during the ensuing thousand years up to
A. D. 1928. when tho Emperor Constantine be-
gan to erect q New Rome on the incompatible
site. We need not dwell upon the well-known
acts recited in this Introduction. nor on the
four succeeding chapters. which set forth the
fortunes OF the Now Rome In the two CEN
turtles which elapsed between its foundation
and the accession OF Justinian. A. D. 527. So
far as regards this part Of Mr.. Omun's book.
we shall only note his explanation OF tho fact
that. while the Western Roman Empire came
to an end with tho deposition Of Au-
gustulus. A. D. 476. the Eastern realm.
Of which Justinian became the ruler
half a century later. had withstood cx-
ternal assault and internal disintegration and
was actually stronger than it had been a hun
dred years before. Mr.. Oman shows that the
main secret Of the success OF the Eastern en-
perors OF the nth century in holding their
own. lag In tho fact that they had dispensed
with foreign auxiliaries to u large extent, had
reorganized their armies and filled them up
with native troops. Leo l.. who assembled the
throne A. d. 457. was the first ruler who
turned to account the military virtues Of the
Isaurians. or mountain populations OF south
ern Asia Minor. He added several regiments
OF them to the army OF the East. but it was his
son-in-law and successor. Zeno t474-40l)
himself an ~Isaurinn born. who developed the
scheme. Zeno raised an Imperial guard from
his countrymsn and enlisted as many
corps OF them as could he raised: more
over. he formed regiments Of Armenians and
other inhabitants Of the highland frontier Of
the East. and handed over to his successor.
Anxstasius. an army in which the barbarian
suxiliarles-now composed Of Teutons and
Hunsin about equal numbers-wore decidedly
W ~ = CAiSh ~ "a "a
to these ~salutary reforms. which restored the
lsgions to something like their old trustwor-
thinsss. that the Eastern empire. in spite OF
rebellions. was never Ia serious danger OF
sinking into disorder or breaking UP as the
Western realm had done into new un-;toman
Kingdoms. So far was 1t from encountering
this fate that Anastasius. whom he died in A.
D.. 51S. left his successor dustin. the uncle OF
Justinian) a loyal army OF 10000 men. u
treasure OF 32O.00O pounds OF gold. and an un-
broken frontier to east and west.
In tho history Of the Byzantine empire.
which covers upward OF a thousand years.
there are certain epochs which should DO dis
tinguished even in the most cursory review.
These are associated with the names OF JUS
tlnian. Of Heraclius. OF Loo tho Isaurian. OF
the Macedonian dynasty. and OF Alexius Com
menus. Then one must glance at the abortive
attempt OF the Latin nations to found an en-
pire at Constantinopls and at the restoration
OF u Greek dynasty which. although 1t man
aged to maintain tho semblancs OF dominion.
was during nearly half OF that period only a
vassal OF the Ottoman Turks. So far as its de-
fensive services to Christendom wero con-
cerned. Constantinople might as well have
fallen In 1861 as in 1853. 1t Is true. however.
that western Europe was less prepared for the
renaissance at tho former period than at the
latter.
~.
At tho present time Justinian is remembered
for the Institutes and Pandects. that coditica-
tion OF the Roman law which bears his namo
and was executed at his order. But there had
been revisions Of the law before and his
contemporaries were justified by tho event
in surprising there would be others in
tho future. In his own day Justinian was
most widely and honorably known as a
builder and o conaueror. The Mosque OF
1t. Sophia at Constantinople and the church
Of San Vitale at Ravenna are only two OF the
many hundred specimens OF his achievements
in ecclesiastical architecture. Procopius de-
voted n considerable treatise to tho dcscrip-
tion Of Justinian's buildings. and numbers OF
tlom kuryiYa to testify to the accuracy Of tho