23. By whom was Gratian deposed and slain? 24. On what conditions did Theodosius make peace with Maximus. 25. Were these conditions observed? 26. How did the war between Theodosius and Maximus terminate? 27. Did Valentinian long survive his restoration ? 28. How did Theodosius act on the news of Valentinian's murder? 29. What caused the death of Theodosius? CHAPTER XXVI. SECT. I. FROM THE DEATH OF THEODOSIUS TO THE SUBVERSION OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE. "Woe to the lands!" the minstrel sang, 1. Nom'inal, a. existing only in name. ANON. 10. Sub'sidy, s. a grant of money. 15. Noto'riety, s. the being publicly 21. Rack'ed, part. tortured on the rack. 1. THE memory of their father's virtues protected the feeble youth of Arca'dius and Honorius, the sons of Theodo'sius; by the unanimous consent of mankind, they were saluted emperors of the East and West, and between them was made the final and permanent division of the Roman empire. Though both parts were never reunited under a single ruler, they continued for several centuries to be considered as one empire, and this opinion produced important consequences even in a late period of the middle ages. The dominions of Arca'dius extended from the lower Danube to the confines of Æthiopia and Persia; including Thrace', Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. Honorius, a youth in his eleventh year, received the nominal sovereignty of Italy, Africa, Gaul, Spain, and Britain, with the provinces of Noricum, Panno'nia, and Dalmatia, See Introduction, Chapter X. The great and martial prefecture of Illyricum was divided equally between the two princes; the boundary line of whose dominions consequently nearly coincided with that which separates the Austrian states from the Turkish provinces. 2. The Western empire, to the history of which we must now confine ourselves, though equal to the Eastern in extent, wealth, and population, was incomparably weaker, and already appeared rapidly tending to decay. The Caledonians in Britain, and the German tribes on the northern frontiers, harassed the imperial troops by frequent incursions; on the east the Goths were hourly becoming more formidable, and the African provinces were threatened by the Moors. 3. The internal state of the empire furnished little ground for hope that these various enemies could be subdued; the principle of union no longer existed; the proud title of Roman citizen was an empty name; Rome itself had ceased to be the metropolis, and was now only protected by the memory of her former greatness. 4. Stil'icho, a general of superior abilities, and a statesman of profound wisdom, acted as the guardian of Hono'rius. He was descended from the perfidious race of the Vandals, and unfortunately possessed, in an eminent degree, the cunning, treachery, and cruelty that characterized his nation. The administration of the Eastern empire was entrusted by Arca'dius to Rufi'nus, who possessed all the bad qualities of Stil'icho, without his redeeming virtues. The ministers of the two empires hated each other most cordially, and each secretly sought to remove his powerful r val; but the superior craft of Stil'icho, and his great influence over the soldiers, made him conquer. 5. He was ordered to lead into the East a fair proportion of the army which Theodo'sius had assembled, and in obedience to the requisition, he marched towards Constantinople, at the head of the Gothic legions. The approach of his great rival with a powerful army alarmed the timid Rufi'nus; he obtained a peremptory edict from Arca'dius, commanding Stil'icho to return to Italy, and the promptitude with which the order was obeyed, lulled the Eastern minister into fatal negligence. The troops arrived near Constantinople, under the guidance of Gai'nas, a Gothic leader, and the emperor, accompanied by his minister, came out to welcome and review the soldiers. As Rufi'nus rode along the ranks, endeavouring to conciliate favour by studied courtesy, the wings gradually advanced, and enclosed the devoted victim within the fatal circle of their arms. Before he was aware of his danger, Gai'nas gave the signal of death, a soldier rushing forward plunged his sword into his breast, and the bleeding corpse fell at the very feet of the alarmed emperor. 6. His mangled body was treated with shocking indignity, and his wife and daughter would have shared his fate, had they not placed themselves under the protection of religion, and sought refuge in the sanctuary. 7. Stil'icho derived no advantage from this crime, which he had planned, but not executed; Arca'dius chose for his new minister Eutropius, one of his servants, and Gai'nas declared himself the deternined enemy of his former general. 8. The national hatred between the Greeks and the Romans was excited by the rival ministers, and thus at a moment when union alone would delay ruin, the subjects of Arca'dius and Honorius were induced to regard each other not only as foreigners, but as enemies. 9. The revolt of Gil'do, in Africa, under the pretence of transferring his allegiance from the Western to the Eastern empire, was sanctioned by the court of Constantinople. Such an event was peculiarly alarming, as Italy at the time imported most of the corn necessary to the subsistence of the people from the African provinces. The vigour of Stil'icho warded off the danger; he sent a small but veteran army into Africa, before which Gil'do's hosts of unarmed and undisciplined barbarians fled almost without a blow. The usurper was taken and executed; his partisans were persecuted with merciless impolicy. 10. The Goths, who had remained quiet during the reign of the great Theodo'sius, disdained submission to his unwarlike successors; under the pretence that the subsidy prudently paid them by the late emperor was withheld, they raised the standard of revolt, and chose for their leader Alaric, the most formidable enemy that the Romans had hitherto encountered. Instead of confining his depredations to the northern provinces, already wasted by frequent incursions, Alaric resolved to invade Greece, where the din of arms had not been heard for centuries. 11. The barbarian encountered little or no resistance; the memorable pass of Thermop'yla' was abandoned by its garrison; Athens purchased inglorious safety by the sacrifice of the greater part of its wealth; the Corinthian isthmus was un See Pinnock's Grecian History. defended, and the Goths ravaged without opposition the entire Peloponne'sus. Unable to protect themselves, the Greeks sought the aid of Stil'icho, and that great leader soon sailed to their assistance: he inflicted a severe defeat on the Goths, but neglected to improve his advantages, and before he could retrieve his error, news arrived that the faithless court of Constantinople had concluded a treaty of peace with Alaric. Stil'icho, of course, returned to Italy; while the Eastern emperor, with incomprehensible folly, nominated the Gothic leader master-general of eastern Illyricum. 12. Italy soon excited the ambition and cupidity of Alaric; he determined to invade that country, and after surmounting all impediments, appeared with his forces before the imperial city of Milan. The feeble Hono'rius would have fled with his effeminate court into some remote corner of Gaul, had not the indignant remonstrances of Stil'icho induced him to remain, until he could assemble forces sufficient to protect the empire. For this purpose the brave general hurried into Gaul, assembled the garrisons from the frontier towns, recalled a legion from Britain, and strengthened his forces by taking several German tribes into pay. 13. But before Stil'icho could return, the empire had been brought to the very brink of ruin; Hono'rius, affrighted by the approach of the Goths, fled from Milan to As'ta, and was there closely besieged. When the town was on the point of capitulating, the emperor was saved by the opportune arrival of Stil'icho, before whom Alaric retired. was closely pursued, and the armies of the Romans and Barbarians came to an engagement nearly on the same ground where Marius had so many years before defeated the Cimbri. 14. The Goths were completely beaten, and a second victory obtained over them near Vero'na seemed to ensure the deliverance of Italy; but Al'aric was still formidable, and the favourable terms granted him by Stil'icho proved, that in the opinion of that general, the Gothic king, though defeated, was unconquered 1. He 15. The late invasion so alarmed the timid Hono'rius, that he resolved to fix his residence in some remote and strong fortress, and for this purpose he selected Raven'na 2, 1 See Chapter XXVII. 2 Raven'na is a town in Italy, on the Adriatic Sea; and though but a poor place, it was formerly remarkable for its strength and beauty; but particularly for its noble harbour, which was capable of containing an ancient city, but which had not previously obtained notoriety. 16. Before Italy had recovered from the terrors of the Gothic invasion, a new host of Barbarians rushed from the shores of the Baltic, bore down before them all opposition in Germany and Gaul; and had passed the Alps, the Po, and the Apennines, ere an army could be assembled to resist them. 17. Radagai'sus, the leader of these hordes, was a more formidable enemy even than Al'aric; the Goths had embraced Christianity, and their fierce passions were in some degree moderated by the mild precepts of the Gospel; but Radagai'sus was a stranger to any religion but the cruel creed of his fathers, which taught that the favour of the gods could only be propitiated by human sacrifices. 18. The wealthy city of Florence was besieged by the Barbarians; but its bishop, St. Ambrose, by his zealous exhortations, and by holding out the hope of divine assistance, prevented the garrison from yielding to despair. Stil'icho a second time earned the title of the Deliverer of Italy: Radagai'sus was defeated and slain ; but the remains of his forces escaped into Gaul, and spread desolation over that entire province, from which the garrisons had been withdrawn for the defence of Italy. 19. An usurper, named Constantine, about this time appeared in Britain, and soon established his authority both in Gaul and Spain, which had been virtually deserted by the emperor. Al'aric offered his services to repress the rebellion, and to purchase either his assistance or his forbearance; a large subsidy was voted to him by the senate, through the influence of Stil'icho. 20. But the reign of this great man was drawing fast to a close: Olym'pius, a miserable favourite, who owed his first elevation to Stil'icho, filled the emperor's mind with suspicion, and a secret resolution to destroy the minister was adopted. 21. By exciting the jealousy of the legions against the auxiliary forces that Stil'icho employed, Olym'pius was enabled to gain the army to his side, and the last great supporter of the Roman name fell by the swords of those soldiers whom he had so often led to victory. His friends, including the best and bravest generals of the army, shared his fate; many of them were racked, to extort from them a confession of a conspiracy which never existed; and their 250 ships. The sea appears to have gradually retreated, as Raven'na is now four miles from it, and surrounded with swamps and marshes. |