FALL OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE.
A.D. 451-476.
The empire of the west was now fast sinking. One weak prince was at the
head of it after another, and the spirit of the old Romans, who had
conquered the world, had quite died out. Immense hosts of barbarous
nations poured in from the north. The Goths, under Alaric, who took Rome
by siege, in the reign of Honorius, have been already mentioned.[41]
Forty years later, Attila, King of the Huns, who was called "The scourge
of God," kept both the east and the west in terror. In the year 451, he
advanced as far as Orleans, and, after having for some time besieged it,
he made a breach in the wall of the city. The soldiers of the garrison,
and such of the citizens as could fight, had done their best in the
defence of the walls; those who could not bear arms betook themselves to
the churches, and were occupied in anxious prayer. The bishop, Anianus,
had before earnestly begged that troops might be sent to the relief of
the place; and he had posted a man on a tower, with orders to look out
in the direction from which succour might be hoped for. The watchman
twice returned to the bishop without any tidings of comfort; but the
third time he said that he had noticed a little cloud of dust as far off
as he could see. "It is the aid of God!" said the bishop; and the
people who heard him took up the words, and shouted, "It is the aid of
God!" The little cloud, from being "like a man's hand" (1 _Kings_ xviii.
44), grew larger and drew nearer; the dust was cleared away by the wind,
and the glitter of spears and armour was seen; and just as the Huns had
broken through the wall, and were rushing into the city, greedy of
plunder and bloodshed, an army of Romans and allies arrived and forced
them to retreat. After having been thus driven from Orleans, Attila was
defeated in a great battle near Chalons, on the river Marne, and
withdrew into Germany.
[41] Page 93.
In the following year (452), Attila invaded Italy, where he caused great
consternation. But when the bishop of Rome, Leo the Great, went to his
camp near Mantua, and entreated him to spare the country, Attila was so
much struck by the bishop's venerable appearance and his powerful words,
that he agreed to withdraw on receiving a large sum of money. A few
months later he suddenly died, and his kingdom soon fell to pieces.
By degrees, the Romans lost Britain, Gaul, Spain, and Africa; and Italy
was all that was left of the western empire.
Genseric, who, as has been mentioned,[42] had led the Vandals into
Africa, long kept the Mediterranean in constant dread of his fleets.
Three years after the invasion of Italy by Attila, he appeared at the
mouth of the Tiber (A.D. 455), having been invited by the empress
Eudoxia, who wished to be revenged on her husband, in consequence of his
having told her that he had been the cause of her former husband's
death. As the Vandals approached the walls of Rome, the bishop, Leo,
went forth at the head of his clergy. He pleaded with Genseric as he had
before pleaded with Attila, and he brought him to promise that the city
should not be burnt, and that the lives of the inhabitants should be
spared; but Genseric gave up the place for fourteen days to plunder,
and the sufferings of the people were frightful. The Vandal king
returned to Africa with a vast quantity of booty, and with a great
number of captives, among whom were the unfortunate empress and her two
daughters. On this occasion the bishop of Carthage, Deogratias, behaved
with noble charity;--he sold the gold and silver plate of the church,
and with the price he redeemed some of the captives, and relieved the
sufferings of others. Two of the churches were turned into hospitals.
The sick were comfortably lodged, and were plentifully supplied with
food and medicines; and the good bishop, old and infirm as he was,
visited them often, by night as well as by day, and spoke words of
kindness and of Christian consolation to them.
[42] Page 127.
This behaviour of Deogratias was the more to his honour, because his own
flock was suffering severely from the oppression of the Vandals, who, as
we have already seen,[43] were Arians. Genseric treated the Catholics of
Africa very tyrannically; his son and successor, Hunneric, was still
more cruel to them; and, as long as the Vandals held possession of
Africa, the persecution, in one shape or another, was carried on almost
without ceasing.
[43] Page 127.
The last emperor of the west, Augustulus, was put down in the year 476,
and a barbarian prince named Odoacer became king of Italy.