THE BYZANTINES. 97 effeminacy. It is true for a time a herd of eu- nuchs dishonored the imperial palaces, and alto- gether many crimes were committed within their walls; on the other hand, however, manly virtue was never long lacking to the Byzantine throne, and the majority of the sovereigns who occupied it showed themselves worthy of their exalted station. This can be proved by the fol- lowing extract from history : In the sixth century Justinian I. reigned for over forty years. As a conqueror he restored to the Roman army its ancient fame ; as a sover- eign he adorned with great buildings not only his capital, but cities located in his remotest provinces ; as a legislator he took a place in the history of jurisprudence which has made his name immortal. The seventh century is filled by the great name of Heraclius, who, in his victorious wars against the Persians, resumed and continued the work of Alexander the Great. His great-grand- son, Constantine IV., was faithful to the glorious traditions of his progenitor, and by his brave re- sistance to the repeated expeditions of the Arabs against Constantinople stemmed the tide of Mohammedan conquest and earned the title of Deliverer of Europe. 7
