The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius Scholasticus - Coptic ...

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY: BOOK V 273
Tiberius was indeed very tall in body and most exceptionally goodlooking,
quite beyond compare not only with emperors but with
everyone even: thus from the start his appearance was worthy of sovereignty.
But in spirit he was both gentle and merciful, welcoming everyone
at once at ¢rst sight, considering wealth to be a su⁄ciency for everyone as
regards donations, not just with regard to need but also for super£uity.
For he did not consider what those in need ought to receive, but what it
be¢tted a Roman emperor to give, and he regarded as adulterated the
gold which had come in as a result of tears. Consequently, for example,
he remitted for the contributors the tax assessment of one entire year,
and the properties that Adarmaanes had ravaged he freed from the
imposed dues, not with regard to a measurement of the damage but
much more besides. He also excused the o⁄cials the illegal gifts by
which previously emperors had sold their subjects; and concerning these
matters he also wrote constitutions, and thereby made the future
secure. 51
14 Accordingly, employing for essential purposes the monies that had
been wickedly collected, he made preparations for the war; and he
collected such an army of heroic men, by recruiting the best men both
from the tribes beyond the Alps in the vicinity of the Rhine, and those
on this side of the Alps, the Massagetae and other Scythian nations, and
those near Paeonia, and Mysians, Illyrians and Isaurians, that [210] he
established squadrons of excellent horsemen almost 150,000 in
The ceremony and speech are recorded at greatest length by John of Ephesus (EH iii.5),
who states that notaries made records of what occurred, as well as by Theophylact (iii.11.7^
13); the themes of the speech, which overlap with Evagrius’ own assessments of rulers (e.g.
Maurice: v.19; vi.1), were the need to avoid Justin’s own errors, to disregard the seductive
pomp and ceremony of imperial power, and to administer a¡airs diligently. See further
Averil Cameron, ‘Abdication’.
51 Tiberius’ generosity was famous, even notorious: see Averil Cameron, ‘Kaiserkritik’
12^14; John of Ephesus (EH iii.11) records that Sophia became so concerned about the depletion
of the public ¢nances that she removed from Tiberius the keys to the treasuries and
¢xed an allowance for his liberality. In April 575 Tiberius issued a law which reduced tax
payments in gold by one quarter for each of the next four years (i.e. cumulatively a remission
of one whole year), but maintained payments in kind (Novel 163). He had already legislated
in December 574 against the practice of demanding payments from o⁄cials for entry to
their posts (Novel 161). In each case the preface to the law brie£y outlined the emperor’s
reasons for his decision. Cf. ii.1, p. 38:10^13, for praise of Marcian’s generosity; see also
Whitby, ‘Patriarchs’.