When Alaric the Goth sacked Rome in 410 AD, he demanded tribute from emperor Honorius equivalent to an agreed amount of gold. When Honorius laid out the balance and put the amount of gold equal to the agreed weight of the balance (ie. when the balance balanced the one side being weights and the other the equivelent weight in Gold) Alaric threw his sword on the balance, tipping the balance on the one side and requiring more gold on the other side in order to reach equilibrium.
Honorius replied that Alaric had broken his word since the sword added extra weight thus requiring more gold.
Alaric responded : “Woe to the defeated!”.
