11 The king’s real name was Baduila, as shown on his coins, and recorded by some historians, but Imperialist writers always call him Totila, which seems to have been a nickname. 12 Bury’s “Later Roman Empire,” i. 402. 13 Agathias. 14 It is comforting to know that the popular legend which tells how the great general lived in poverty and disgrace, begging the passer-by “dare obolum Belisario,” and dying in the streets, is untrue. But the suspicious emperor’s conduct was quite unpardonable. 15 Calabria is here used in its old sense, meaning South Apulia, and not the extreme point of Italy down by Reggio and Squillace. 16 From them the Albanians descend: the Albanian tongue is the only relic of ancient Illyria. 17 To be carefully distinguished from his homonym in Justinian’s time. 18 “History of European Morals,” ii. p. 13. 19 Mr. Lecky speaks of the “perpetual fratricide” of the Byzantine emperors. It may be interesting to point out that from 340 to 1453 there was not a single emperor murdered by a brother, and only one dethroned by a brother. Two were dethroned by sons, but not murdered. 20 To the credit of Amrou and his Saracens it must be recorded that the great Alexandrian Library was not burnt by them in sheer fanatical wantonness as the legends tell. It had perished long before. 21 Mr. Bury’s excellent chapter on “Themes,” in vol. ii. of his “Later Roman Empire,” is most convincing as to these very puzzling provinces and their origin. 22 “Slaves to images”; a term of contempt not unfairly applied to the image-worshippers. 23 See p. 116. 24 It is said to have been either his birth-place or that of his mother. 25 This name was given him because he was born in the Purple Chamber, the room in the palace set aside for the Empress. Emperors born in their father’s reign had been scarce of late. Constantine VI. and Michael the Drunkard were the only two in the 110 years before Constantine VII. 26 There is a splendid copy of this book in the Bodleian Library, made as late as 1560, where all the prophecies are applied to the Turks and Venetians. 27 There were two palace intrigues against him, both headed by members of his own family. Neither of them won any support from people or army. 28 He pierced himself by misadventure with one of his own poisoned arrows, and died of the wound. 29 Nicetas, “Isaac Angelus,” book iii. ch. 8, § 6. 30 See page 289. 31 Sometimes known as John Vatatzes. 32 See Bertrandon de la Broquière quoted in Finlay, vol. iii. p. 493, a very interesting passage. 33 See pp. 24, 25.