The (48 greatest ruler of the century is Jus tinian 3-565) surnamed he Great, the illy zantine emperor (527-565). His reign was stormy partly from internal dissensions, but mainly because of the incursions of the Per sians who had to be bought off at first (531). His generals surpressed the rebellion at home, though not before Constantinople had suffered severely, and then conquered the Vandal and Ostrogoth kingdoms in Africa and Italy, re storing these countries as provinces of the empire. Belisarius saved the empire by his thorough defeat of the °Green° party,— the name was adopted from a horse racing faction — at Constantinople in 532, overthrew the African Vandals (534), conquered Sicily (535), southern Italy (537), recaptured Ravenna (540), defeated the Persians (541-542), rescued Constantinople from the Bulgars (549. His victories aroused the jealousy of Justinian and Belisarius was imprisoned for a time, though the story that in old age he was obliged to beg his bread is false. Freeman declared him the greatest of military commanders in history, with Hannibal as his only rival. Belisarius was thoughtful of others in his hour of triumph for his name is connected with the foundation of a hospital at Rome about the middle of this century. Pope Symmachus had set the fashion for such foundations by establishing a hospital in connection with the three most important churches of Rome, Saint Peter's, Saint Paul's and Saint Lawrence's; as all three were situ ated well out of the city proper they presented ideal locations for hospitals. The example thus set was followed in many cities in France and in various places in England, after Saint Au gustine's missionary work began to have its effect.
Even more than as a great ruler Justinian is forever famous as the promulgator of the code of law since usually called by his name. The (Corpus Juris Civilis' (Body of the civil law of Rome) published by him comprised all the law knowledge of the ancient Romans and as we realize now was the most precious legacy of Rome to the world. Justinian deserves be cause of it the title of slaw giver of civilization .° Justinian's worthy monument and a striking symbol of the creative artistry of the time is the church of Santa Sophia in Constantinople, still standing as unimpeachable evidence of con structive genius and love of the beautiful. The church is almost a square (250 by 230 feet), above which there is an enormous dome over 100 feet in diameter. This central dome repre sents the solution of an architectural problem of the greatest difficulty. The church was com pleted under Justinian (537) and Procopius a contemporary declared that the dome had the appearance of being suspended in the air °by a golden chain from heaven rather than of rest ing upon solid masonry.° The interior decora tion was in richly carved colored marbles, while mosaics covered the wall space left free and adorned the vaulting above. The pavement com posed of jaspar, alabaster, porphyry and serpen tine formed a veritable carpet of many colors. The effect according to a contemporary was that of °a garden, its lawns enameled with flowers° . . . °The altar was a marvel in itself. The mensa was entirely of gold, sparkling with jewels and glowing with enamels. It rested on columns also made of gold, while over it, four columns of silver supported a domed canopy surmounted by a great golden cross. Around the altar hung curtains of wonderful tapestry of silk and gold wherein were depicted Justinian and Theodora venerating Christ and His Mother. At the end of the apse, rose up the patriarchal throne of silver and gold.° The architect of Santa Sophia was An themios of Tralles, sometimes said to have been brother of Alexander of Tralles, the author of a well-known treatise on the pathology and therapeutics of internal diseases which was evidently a compilation of material gathered for teaching purposes. It is one of the landmarks of medical history. Alexander says °The
physician should be an inventor and think out new ways and means by which the cure of the patient's affection and the relief of his symptoms may be brought about.° He took strong ground against the use of many drugs and the rage for operating. The prevention of disease is for him the important part of the physician's duty. Diet, air and water were his great remedies; for consumption he recommended milk, strong nu tritious diet and a sea voyage or a stay at a watering place.
Pope Saint Gregory I the Great (540-604) is one of the important characters in this try ing time around whom the forces of the new life that was to come for Europe gathered, Among his close friends were Saint Augustine whom he sent on a mission to England, though the story of the English boy captives in Rome, non Angles who looked more like angels—is dubious; and Saint Benedict and his sister, Saint Scholastica, who were destined to a very great work, the influence of which was to be felt for many centuries, even down to our own time. Gregory had been in the Roman civil service as preetor urbanus, but turned to the ecclesiastical state and employed the fortune left him at his father's death to establish a series of monasteries. As Pope (590-604) he restored discipline among the monks and clergy, arranged the Gregorian chant in church music which is still used and was zealous in the spread of Christianity. He wanted to go as a missionary to Britain in earlier life, but was prevented by the Pope who foresaw his higher destiny; later he inspired Augustine with his own zeal. He and Pope Leo I (circa 460) are the great popes of the transition from ancient to medieval Church. Gregory's friend Benedict, known as Nursia from the place of his birth, is the founder of monasticism in the West. He was the son of a Roman noble whose boyhood was spent in Rome where he attended school until he reached the higher studies. At the age of 20, about the year 500, disgusted with the loose life around him, he withdrew from Rome to find a place of peace and recollection. At first he took a servant with him, but he found after a while, that he needed manual labor to keep him in good health. Attracted by his gentleness and by the refuge from the madding crowd around them which his little retreat offered, many others came to join him, until Benedict found that his own peace of mind and heart was sacrificed, so that he fled further to live alone. He learned enough in three years of solitude to make him appreciate how much this retired mode of life might mean to others, for their personal development, and so (when the fame of his gentle saintliness having gone abroad) he was asked to be the head of a monastery, he consented. Here he drew up his famous Rule, which has served as the constitu tion of the Benedictine houses ever since, and which authorities in the history of law hail as a great foundation-stone of modern jurisprudence. His monasteries were arranged to provide op portunities for prayer, recollection, study, be sides such labor as would keep the body in good condition. Men of all classes, even of the nobility and of reigning families, joined his communities and gave the example of laboring with their own hands. They restored the dignity of manual labor which had been under mined by the slave labor which had absorbed all manual work at the end of the Roman Em pire. The monks gave themselves assiduously to the copying of manuscripts of the ancient authors and the exchange of these copies led to the formation of a number of monastic libra ries through which the classics have been pre served for us. Each monastery had a school attached to it where the boys of the neighbor hood and sometimes even from a distance were taught; and sons of the nobility often spent i some years in these monastic schools. The so lution of the social problems of the country places became the special task of the monas teries.