should have done, though the powers of destruction were greater than those of recovery, yet it did not for many centuries sensibly decrease. The people who occupied the provinces of Basil or Alexius were widely different from those who held them under Constantine; but they still were subjects of the emperor, and paid him tribute. Bulgarians, Slavonians, Russians, occupied the provinces of the Greek; but the lands were tilled, and the revenue maintained.
As for the imperial palace, it was a miracle of splendour. Situated between the hippodrome, the church of St. Sophia, and the gardens, it gradually grew in extent and magnificence during eleven centuries. Every emperor who was a builder, added something or replaced something to show his taste; the long suite of chambers was decorated with paintings, statues, and mosaics of precious stones and marbles. The palace contained five churches; it was crowned with three domes, the roof, of gilt brass, rested on pillars of Italian marble, and the walls were encrusted with marbles of different colours. The costumes of those who walked in the courts and corridors were as splendid and as various as the rooms themselves of the palace. The emperor himself wore a tiara like that of the Persians, consisting of a high cap of cloth or silk covered with a profusion of pearls and jewels. The cap itself was within a horizontal circle of gold, over which rose two vertical arches: at the summit was a cross or globe, and two lappets of pearl hung down at either side. He was distinguished by purple buskins, the outward sign of rank. The costume, or rather the
