ARGUMENT.
I. The Allemanni having defeated the Romans, put the counts
Charietto and Severianus to death.--II. Jovinus, the commander of
the cavalry in Gaul, surprises and routs two divisions of the
Allemanni; defeats a third army in the country of the Catalauni,
the enemy losing six thousand killed and four thousand
wounded.--III. About the three prefects of the city, Symmachus,
Lampadius, and Juventius--The quarrels of Damasus and Ursinus about
the bishopric of Rome.--IV. The people and the six provinces of
Thrace are described, and the chief cities in each province.--V.
The emperor Valens attacks the Goths, who had sent Procopius'
auxiliary troops to be employed against him, and after three years
makes peace with them.--VI. Valentinian, with the consent of the
army, makes his son Gratian emperor; and, after investing the boy
with the purple, exhorts him to behave bravely, and recommends him
to the soldiers.--VII. The passionate temper, ferocity, and cruelty
of the emperor Valentinian.--VIII. Count Theodosius defeats the
Picts, Attacotti, and Scots, who were ravaging Britain with
impunity, after having slain the duke and count of that province,
and makes them restore their plunder.--IX. The Moorish tribes
ravage Africa--Valens checks the predatory incursions of the
Isaurians--Concerning the office of city prefect.--X. The emperor
Valentinian crosses the Rhine, and in a battle, attended with heavy
loss to both sides, defeats and routs the Allemanni, who had taken
refuge in their highest mountains.--XI. On the high family, wealth,
dignity, and character of Probus.--XII. The Romans and Persians
quarrel about the possession of Armenia and Iberia.
I.
A.D. 367.
§ 1. While these events which we have related were taking place with
various consequences in the east, the Allemanni, after the many
disasters and defeats which they had received in their frequent contests
with the emperor Julian, at length, having recruited their strength,
though not to a degree equal to their former condition, for the reason
which has been already set forth, crossed the frontier of Gaul in
formidable numbers. And immediately after the beginning of the year,
while winter was still in its greatest severity in those frozen
districts, a vast multitude poured forth in a solid column, plundering
all the places around in the most licentious manner.
2. Their first division was met by Charietto, who at that time had the
authority of count in both the German provinces, and who marched against
them with his most active troops, having with him as a colleague count
Severianus, a man of great age and feeble health, who had the legions
Divitenses and Tungricana under his command, near Cabillonum
(Châlons).[160]
3. Then having formed the whole force into one solid body, and having
with great rapidity thrown a bridge over a small stream, the Romans
assailed the barbarians from a distance with arrows and light javelins,
which they shot back at us with great vigour.
4. But when the battalions met and fought with drawn swords, our line
was shaken by the vehement onset of the enemy, and could neither resist
nor do any valorous deeds by way of attack, but were all put to flight
as soon as they saw Severianus struck down from his horse and severely
wounded by an arrow.
5. Charietto, too, while labouring by the exposure of his own person,
and with bitter reproaches, to encourage his men, who were giving way,
and while by the gallantry with which he maintained his own position he
strove to efface the disgrace they were incurring, was slain by a mortal
wound from a javelin.
6. And after his death the standard of the Eruli and of the Batavi was
lost, and the barbarians raised it on high, insulting it, dancing round
it, but after a fierce struggle it was recovered.
II.
A.D. 367.
§ 1. The news of this disaster was received with great sorrow, and
Dagalaiphus was sent from Paris to restore affairs to order. But as he
delayed some time, and made excuses, alleging that he was unable to
attack the barbarians, who were dispersed over various districts, and as
he was soon after sent for to receive the consulship with Gratian, who
was still only a private individual, Jovinus was appointed commander of
the cavalry; and he being well provided and fully prepared, attacked the
fortress of Churpeigne, protecting both his wings and flanks with great
care. And at this place he fell on the barbarians unexpectedly, before
they could arm themselves, and in a very short time utterly destroyed
them.
2. Then leading on the soldiers while exulting in the glory of this easy
victory, to defeat the other divisions, and advancing slowly, he learnt
from the faithful report of his scouts that a band of ravagers, after
having plundered the villages around, were resting on the bank of the
river. And as he approached, while his army was concealed by the lowness
of the ground and the thickness of the trees, he saw some of them
bathing, some adorning their hair after their fashion, and some
carousing.
3. And seizing this favourable opportunity, he suddenly bade the trumpet
give the signal, and burst into the camp of the marauders. On the other
hand, the Germans could do nothing but pour forth useless threats and
shouts, not being allowed time to collect their scattered arms, or to
form in any strength, so vigorously were they pressed by the conquerors.
Thus numbers of them fell pierced with javelins and swords, and many
took to flight, and were saved by the winding and narrow paths.
4. After this success, which was won by valour and good fortune, Jovinus
struck his camp without delay, and led on his soldiers with increased
confidence (sending out a body of careful scouts in advance) against the
third division. And arriving at Châlons by forced marches, he there
formed the whole body ready for battle.
5. And having constructed a rampart with seasonable haste, and refreshed
his men with food and sleep as well as the time permitted, at daybreak
he arranged his army in an open plain, extending his line with admirable
skill, in order that by occupying an extensive space of ground the
Romans might appear to be equal in number to the enemy: being in fact
inferior in that respect though equal in strength.
6. Accordingly, when the trumpet gave the signal and the battle began to
rage at close quarters, the Germans stood amazed, alarmed at the
well-known appearance of the shining standards. But though they were
checked for a moment, they presently recovered themselves, and the
conflict was protracted till the close of the day, when our valorous
troops would have reaped the fruit of their gallantry without any loss
if it had not been for Balchobaudes, a tribune of the legions, who being
as sluggish as he was boastful, at the approach of evening retreated in
disorder to the camp. And if the rest of the cohorts had followed his
example and had also retired, the affair would have turned out so
ruinous that not one of our men would have been left alive to tell what
had happened.
7. But our soldiers, persisting with energy and courage, showed such a
superiority in personal strength that they wounded four thousand of the
enemy and slew six thousand, while they did not themselves lose more
than twelve hundred killed and two hundred wounded.
8. At the approach of night the battle terminated, and our weary men
having recruited their strength, a little before dawn our skilful
general led forth his army in a square, and found that the barbarians
had availed themselves of the darkness to escape. And having no fear
there of ambuscade, he pursued them over the open plain, trampling on
the dying and the dead, many of whom had perished from the effect of the
severity of the cold on their wounds.
9. After he had advanced some way further, without finding any of the
enemy he returned, and then he learnt that the king of the hostile army
had been taken prisoner, with a few followers, by the Ascarii,[161] whom
he himself had sent by another road to plunder the tents of the
Allemanni, and they had hanged him. But the general being angry at this,
ordered the punishment of the tribune who had ventured on such an act
without consulting his superior officer, and he would have condemned him
if he had not been able to establish by manifest proof that the
atrocious act had been committed by the violent impulse of the soldiers.
10. After this, when he returned to Paris with the glory of this
success, the emperor met him with joy, and appointed him to be consul
the next year, being additionally rejoiced because at the very same time
he received the head of Procopius, which had been sent to him by Valens.
11. Besides these events, many other battles of inferior interest and
importance took place in Gaul, which it would be superfluous to recount,
since they brought no results worth mentioning, and it is not fit to
spin out history with petty details.
III.
§ 1. At this time, or a little before, a new kind of prodigy appeared in
the corn district of Tuscany; those who were skilful in interpreting
such things being wholly ignorant of what it portended. For in the town
of Pistoja, at about the third hour of the day, in the sight of many
persons, an ass mounted the tribunal, where he was heard to bray loudly.
All the bystanders were amazed, as were all those who heard of the
occurrence from the report of others, as no one could conjecture what
was to happen.
2. But soon afterwards the events showed what was portended, for a man
of the name of Terence, a person of low birth and a baker by trade, as a
reward for having given information against Orsitus, who had formerly
been prefect, which led to his being convicted of peculation, was
intrusted with the government of this same province. And becoming elated
and confident, he threw affairs into great disorder, till he was
convicted of fraud on transactions relating to some ship-masters, as was
reported, and was executed while Claudius was prefect of Rome.
3. But some time before this happened Symmachus succeeded Apronianus; a
man deserving to be named among the most eminent examples of learning
and moderation; under whose government the most sacred city enjoyed
peace and plenty in an unusual degree; being also adorned with a
magnificent and solid bridge which he constructed, and opened amid the
great joy of his ungrateful fellow-citizens, as the result very plainly
showed.
4. For they some years afterwards burnt his beautiful house on the other
side of the Tiber, being enraged because some worthless plebeian had
invented a story, which there was no evidence or witness to support,
that he had said that he would prefer putting out the limekilns with his
own wine, to selling the lime at the price expected of him.
5. After him the prefect of the city was Lampadius, who had been
prefect of the prætorium, a man of such boundless arrogance, that he
grew very indignant if he were not praised even when he spat, as if he
did that with more grace than any one else; but still a man of justice,
virtue, and economy.
6. When as prætor he was celebrating some splendid games, and giving
abundant largesses, being unable to bear the tumult of the populace,
which was often urgent to have gifts distributed to those who were
unworthy, in order to show his liberality and his contempt for the
multitude, he sent for a crowd of beggars from the Vatican, and enriched
them with great presents.
7. But, not to digress too much, it will be sufficient to record one
instance of his vanity, which, though of no great importance, may serve
as a warning to judges. In every quarter of the city which had been
adorned at the expense of different emperors he inscribed his own name,
and that, not as if he were the restorer of old works, but their
founder. This same fault is said to have characterized the emperor
Trajan, from which the people in jest named him "The Pellitory of the
wall."
8. While he was prefect he was disturbed by frequent commotions, the
most formidable being when a vast mob of the lowest of the people
collected, and with firebrands and torches would have burnt his house
near the baths of Constantine, if they had not been driven away by the
prompt assistance of his friends and neighbours, who pelted them with
stones and tiles from the tops of the houses.
9. And he himself, being alarmed at a sedition, which on this occasion
had become so violent, retired to the Mulvian bridge (which the elder
Scaurus is said to have built), and waited there till the discontent
subsided, which indeed had been excited by a substantial grievance.
10. For when he began to construct some new buildings, he ordered the
cost to be defrayed, not from the customary sources of revenue, but if
iron, or lead, or copper, or anything of that kind was required, he sent
officers who, pretending to try the different articles, did in fact
seize them without paying any price for them. This so enraged the poor,
since they suffered repealed losses from such a practice, that it was
all he could do to escape from them by a rapid retreat.
11. His successor had formerly been a quæstor of the palace, his name
was Juventius, a man of integrity and prudence, a Pannonian by birth.
His administration was tranquil and undisturbed, and the people enjoyed
plenty under it. Yet he also was alarmed by fierce seditions raised by
the discontented populace, which arose from the following occurrence.
12. Damasus and Ursinus, being both immoderately eager to obtain the
bishopric, formed parties and carried on the conflict with great
asperity, the partisans of each carrying their violence to actual
battle, in which men were wounded and killed. And as Juventius was
unable to put an end to, or even to soften these disorders, he was at
last by their violence compelled to withdraw to the suburbs.
13. Ultimately Damasus got the best of the strife by the strenuous
efforts of his partisans. It is certain that on one day one hundred and
thirty-seven dead bodies were found in the Basilica of Sicininus, which
is a Christian church.[162] And the populace who had been thus roused to
a state of ferocity were with great difficulty restored to order.
14. I do not deny, when I consider the ostentation that reigns at Rome,
that those who desire such rank and power may be justified in labouring
with all possible exertion and vehemence to obtain their wishes; since
after they have succeeded, they will be secure for the future, being
enriched by offerings from matrons, riding in carriages, dressing
splendidly, and feasting luxuriously, so that their entertainments
surpass even royal banquets.
15. And they might be really happy if, despising the vastness of the
city, which they excite against themselves by their vices, they were to
live in imitation of some of the priests in the provinces, whom the most
rigid abstinence in eating and drinking, and plainness of apparel, and
eyes always cast on the ground, recommend to the everlasting Deity and
his true worshippers as pure and sober-minded men. This is a sufficient
digression on this subject: let us now return to our narrative.
IV.
§1. While the events above mentioned were taking place in Gaul and
Italy, a new campaign was being prepared in Thrace. For Valens, acting
on the decision of his brother, by whose will he was entirely governed,
marched against the Goths, having a just cause of complaint against
them, because at the beginning of the late civil war they had sent
assistance to Procopius. It will here be desirable to say a few words of
the origin of this people, and the situation of their country.
2. The description of Thrace would be easy if the pens of ancient
authors agreed on the subject; but as the obscurity and variety of their
accounts is of but little assistance to a work which professes to tell
the truth, it will be sufficient for us to record what we remember to
have seen ourselves.
3. The undying authority of Homer informs us that these countries were
formerly extended over an immense space of tranquil plains and high
rising grounds; since that poet represents both the north and the west
wind as blowing from thence;[163] a statement which is either fabulous,
or else which shows that the extensive district inhabited by all those
savage tribes was formerly included under the single name of Thrace.
4. Part of this region was inhabited by the Scordisci, who now live at a
great distance from these provinces; a race formerly savage and
uncivilized, as ancient history proves, sacrificing their prisoners to
Bellona and Mars, and drinking with eagerness human blood out of skulls.
Their ferocity engaged the Roman republic in many wars; and on one
occasion led to the destruction of an entire army with its general.[164]
5. But we see that the country now, the district being in the form of a
crescent, resembles a splendid theatre; it is bounded on the west by
mountains, on the abrupt summit of which are the thickly wooded passes
of the Succi, which separate Thrace from Dacia.
6. On the left, or northern side, the heights of the Balkan form the
boundary, as in one part does the Danube also, where it touches the
Roman territory: a river with many cities, fortresses, and castles on
its banks.
7. On the right, or southern side, lies Mount Rhodope; on the east, the
country is bounded by a strait, which becomes more rapid from being
swollen by the waters of the Euxine sea, and proceeds onwards with its
tides towards the Ægean, separating the continents of Europe and Asia by
a narrow space.
8. At a confined corner on the eastward it joins the frontier of
Macedonia by a strait and precipitous defile named Acontisma; near to
which are the valley and station of Arethusa, where one may see the tomb
of Euripides, illustrious for his sublime tragedies; and Stagira, where
we are told that Aristotle, who as Cicero says pours from his mouth a
golden stream, was born.
9. In ancient times, tribes of barbarians occupied these countries,
differing from each other in customs and language. The most formidable
of which, from their exceeding ferocity, were the Odrysæans, men so
accustomed to shed human blood, that when they could not find enemies
enough, they would, at their feasts, when they had eaten and drunk to
satiety, stab their own bodies as if they belonged to others.
10. But as the republic grew in strength while the authority of the
consular form of government prevailed, Marcus Didius, with great
perseverance, attacked these tribes which had previously been deemed
invincible, and had roved about without any regard either to divine or
human laws. Drusus compelled them to confine themselves to their own
territories; Minucius defeated them in a great battle on the river
Maritza, which flows down from the lofty mountains of the Odrysæans; and
after those exploits, the rest of the tribes were almost destroyed in a
terrible battle by Appius Claudius the proconsul. And the Roman fleets
made themselves masters of the towns on the Bosporus, and on the coast
of the Sea of Marmora.
11. After these generals came Lucullus; who was the first of all our
commanders who fought with the warlike nation of the Bessi: and with
similar vigour he crushed the mountaineers of the district of the
Balkan, in spite of their obstinate resistance. And while he was in that
country the whole of Thrace was brought under the power of our
ancestors, and in this way, after many doubtful campaigns, six provinces
were added to the republic.
12. Of these provinces the first one comes to, that which borders on the
Illyrians, is called by the especial name of Thrace; its chief cities
are Philippopolis, the ancient Eumolpias, and Beræa; both splendid
cities. Next to this the province of the Balkan boasts of Hadrianople,
which used to be called Uscudama, and Anchialos, both great cities. Nest
comes Mysia, in which is Marcianopolis, so named from the sister of the
emperor Trajan, also Dorostorus, and Nicopolis, Odyssus.
13. Next comes Scythia, in which the chief towns are Dionysiopolis,
Tomis, and Calatis. The last of all is Europa; which besides many
municipal towns has two principal cities, Apri and Perinthus, which in
later times has received the name of Heraclea. Beyond this is Rhodope,
in which are the cities of Maximianopolis, Maronea, and Ænus, after
founding and leaving which, it was thought Æneas proceeded onwards to
Italy, of which, after long wanderings, he became master, expecting by
the auspices to enjoy there perpetual prosperity.
14. But it is certain, as the invariable accounts of all writers
represent, that these tribes were nearly all agricultural, and, that
living on the high mountains in these regions above mentioned, they are
superior to us in health, vigour, and length of life; and they believe
that this superiority arises from the fact, that in their food they for
the most part abstain from all that is hot; also that the constant dews
besprinkle their persons with a cold and bracing moisture, and that
they enjoy the freshness of a purer atmosphere; and that they are the
first of all tribes to feel the rays of the morning sun, which are
instinct with life, before they become tainted with any of the foulness
arising from human things. Having discussed this matter let us now
return to our original narrative.
V.
§ 1. After Procopius had been overpowered in Phrygia, and all material
for domestic discords had thus been removed, Victor, the commander of
the cavalry, was sent to the Goths to inquire, without disguise, why a
nation friendly to the Romans, and bound to it by treaties of equitable
peace, had given the support of its arms to a man who was waging war
against their lawful emperor. And they, to excuse their conduct by a
valid defence, produced the letters from the above-mentioned Procopius,
in which he alleged that he had assumed the sovereignty as his due, as
the nearest relation to Constantine's family; and they asserted that
this was a fair excuse for their error.
2. When Victor reported this allegation of theirs, Valens disregarding
it as a frivolous excuse, marched against them, they having already got
information of his approach. And at the beginning of spring he assembled
his army in a great body, and pitched his camp near a fortress named
Daphne, where having made a bridge of boats he crossed the Danube
without meeting any resistance.
3. And being now full of elation and confidence, as while traversing the
country in every direction he met with no enemy to be either defeated or
even alarmed by his advance; they having all been so terrified at the
approach of so formidable a host, that they had fled to the high
mountains of the Serri, which were inaccessible to all except those who
knew the country.
4. Therefore, that he might not waste the whole summer, and return
without having effected anything, he sent forward Arinthæus, the captain
of the infantry, with some light forces, who seized on a portion of
their families, which were overtaken as they were wandering over the
plains before coming to the steep and winding defiles of the mountains.
And having obtained this advantage, which chance put in his way, he
returned with his men without having suffered any loss, and indeed
without having inflicted any.
5. The next year he attempted with equal vigour again to invade the
country of the enemy; but being checked in his advance by the
inundations of the Danube, which covered a wide extent of country, he
remained near the town of Capri, where he pitched a camp in which he
remained till the autumn. And from thence, as he was prevented from
undertaking any operations on account of the magnitude of the floods, he
retired to Marcianopolis into winter quarters.
6. With similar perseverance he again invaded the land of the barbarians
a third year, having crossed the river by a bridge of boats at Nivors;
and by a rapid march he attacked the Gruthungi, a warlike and very
remote tribe, and after some trivial skirmishes, he defeated Athanaric,
at that time the most powerful man of the tribe, who dared to resist him
with what he fancied an adequate force, but was compelled to flee for
his life. And then he returned himself with his army to Marcianopolis to
spend the winter there, as the cold was but slight in that district.
7. After many various events in the campaigns of three years, there
arose at last some very strong reasons in the minds of the barbarians
for terminating the war. In the first place, because the fear of the
enemy was increased by the continued stay made by the emperor in that
country. Secondly, because as all their commerce was cut off they began
to feel great want of necessaries. So that they sent several embassies
with submissive entreaties for pardon and peace.
8. The emperor was as yet inexperienced, but still he was a very just
observer of events, till having been captivated by the pernicious
allurements of flattery, he subsequently involved the republic in an
ever-to-be-lamented disaster; and now taking counsel for the common
good, he determined that it was right to grant them peace.
9. And in his turn he sent to them Victor and Arinthæus, who at that
time were the commanders of his infantry and cavalry; and when they sent
him letters truly stating that the Goths were willing to agree to the
conditions which they had proposed, he appointed a suitable place for
finally settling the terms of the peace. And since Athanaric alleged
that he was bound by a most dreadful oath, and also forbidden by the
strict commands of his father ever to set foot on the Roman territory,
and as he could not be brought to do so, while, on the other hand, it
would be unbecoming and degrading for the emperor to cross over to him,
it was decided by negotiation that some boats should be rowed into the
middle of the river, on which the emperor should embark with an armed
guard, and that there also the chief of the enemy should meet him with
his people, and conclude a peace as had been arranged.
10. When this had been arranged, and hostages had been given, Valens
returned to Constantinople, whither afterwards Athanaric fled, when he
was driven from his native land by a faction among his kinsmen; and he
died in that city, and was buried with splendid ceremony according to
the Roman fashion.
VI.
§ 1. In the mean time, Valentinian being attacked with a violent
sickness and at the point of death, at a secret entertainment of the
Gauls who were present in the emperor's army, Rusticus Julianus, at that
time master of the records, was proposed as the future emperor; a man as
greedy of human blood as a wild beast, seeming to be smitten with some
frenzy, as had been shown while governing Africa as proconsul.
2. For in his prefecture of the city, a post which he was filling when
he died, fearing a change in the tyranny through the exercise of which
he, as if in a dearth of worthy men, had been raised to that dignity, he
was compelled to appear more gentle and merciful.
3. Against his partisans others with higher aims were exerting
themselves in favour of Severus, who at that time was captain of the
infantry, as a man very fit for such a dignity, who, although rough and
unpopular, seemed yet more tolerable than the other, and worthy of being
preferred to him by any means that could be devised.
4. But all these plans were formed to no purpose; for in the meantime,
the emperor, through the variety of remedies applied, recovered, and
would scarcely believe that his life had been saved with difficulty.
And he proposed to invest his son Gratian, who was now on the point of
arriving at manhood, with the ensigns of the imperial authority.
5. And when everything was prepared, and the consent of the soldiers
secured, in order that all men might willingly accept the new emperor,
immediately upon the arrival of Gratian, Valentinian advancing into the
open space, mounted the tribune, and surrounded by a splendid circle of
nobles and princes, and holding the boy by his right hand, showed him to
them all, and in the following formal harangue recommended their
intended sovereign to the army.
6. "This imperial robe which I wear is a happy indication of your good
will towards me when you adjudged me superior to many illustrious men.
Now, with you as the partners of my counsels and the favourers of my
wishes, I will proceed to a seasonable work of affection, relying on the
protecting promises of God, to whose eternal assistance it is owing that
the Roman state stands and ever shall stand unshaken.
7. "Listen, I beseech you, O most gallant men, with willing minds to my
desire, recollecting that these things which the laws of natural
affection sanction, we have in this instance not only wished to
accomplish with your perfect cognizance, but we have also desired to
have them confirmed by you as what is proper for us and likely to prove
beneficial.
8. This, my grown-up son Gratian, to whom all of you bear affection as a
common pledge, who has long lived among your own children, I am, for the
sake of securing the public tranquillity on all sides, about to take as
my colleague in the imperial authority, if the propitious will of the
ruler of heaven and of your dignity, shall co-operate with a parent's
affection. He has not been trained by a rigid education from his very
cradle as we ourselves have; nor has he been equally taught to endure
hardships; nor is he as yet, as you see, able to endure the toils of
war; but in his disposition he is not unworthy of the glorious
reputation of his family, or the mighty deeds of his ancestors, and, I
venture to say, he is likely to grow up equal to still greater actions.
9. "For as I often think when contemplating, as I am wont to do, his
manners and passions though not yet come to maturity, he is so furnished
with the liberal sciences, and in all accomplishments and graces, that
even now, while only entering on manhood, he will be able to form an
accurate judgment of virtuous and vicious actions. He will so conduct
himself that virtuous men may see that they are appreciated; he will be
eager in the performance of noble actions; he will never desert the
military standards and eagles; he will cheerfully bear heat, snow,
frost, and thirst; he will, if necessity should arise, never shrink from
fighting in defence of his country; he will expose his life to save his
comrades from danger, and (and this is the highest and greatest work of
piety) he will love the republic as his own paternal and ancestral
home."
10. Before he had finished his speech, every soldier hastened to
anticipate his comrades as well as his position permitted him, in
showing that these words of the emperor met with their cheerful assent.
And so, as partakers in his joy, and as convinced of the advantage of
his proposal, they declared Gratian emperor, mingling the propitious
clashing of their arms with the loud roar of the trumpets.
11. When Valentinian saw this, his confidence increased; he adorned his
son with a crown and with the robes befitting his now supreme rank, and
kissed him; and then thus addressed him, brilliant as he appeared, and
giving careful attention to all his words:--
12. "You wear now," said he, "my Gratian, the imperial robe, as we have
all desired, which has been conferred on you with favourable auspices by
my will and that of our comrades. Therefore now, considering the weight
of the affairs which press upon us, gird yourself up as the colleague of
your father and your uncle; and accustom yourself to pass fearlessly
with the infantry over the Danube and the Rhine, which are made passable
by the frost, to keep close to your soldiers, to devote your blood and
your very life with all skill and deliberation for the safety of those
under your command; to think nothing unworthy of your attention which
concerns any portion of the Roman empire.
13. "This is enough by way of admonition to you at the present moment,
at other times I will not fail to give further advice. Now you who
remain, the defenders of the state, I entreat, I beseech you to preserve
with a steady affection and loyalty your youthful emperor thus intrusted
to your fidelity."
14. These words of the emperor were accepted and ratified with all
possible solemnity; Eupraxius, a native of Mauritania Cæsariensis, at
that time master of the records, led the way by the exclamation, "The
family of Gratian deserves this." And being at once promoted to be
quæstor, he set an example of judicious confidence worthy of being
imitated by all wise men; especially as he in no wise departed from the
habits of his fearless nature, but was at all times a man of consistency
and obedient to the laws, which, as we have remarked, speak to all men
with one and the same voice under the most varied circumstances. He at
this time was the more steady in adhering to the side of justice which
he always espoused, because on one occasion when he had given good
advice, the emperor had attacked him with violence and threats.
15. After this, the whole assembly broke out into praises of both
emperors, the elder and the new one; and especially of the boy, whose
brilliant eyes, engaging countenance and person, and apparent sweetness
of disposition, recommended him to their favour. And these qualities
would have rendered him an emperor worthy to be compared to the most
excellent princes of former times, if fate had permitted, and his
relations who even then began to overshadow his virtue, before it was
firmly rooted, with their own wicked actions.
16. But in this affair, Valentinian went beyond the custom which had
been established for several generations, in making his brother and his
son, not Cæsar, but emperors; acting indeed in this respect with great
kindness. Nor had any one yet ever created a colleague with powers equal
to his own, except the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who made his adopted
brother Verus his colleague in the empire without any inferiority of
power.
VII.
A.D. 368.
§ 1. After these transactions had been thus settled to the delight both
of the prince and of the soldiers, but a few days intervened; and then
Avitianus, who had been deputy, accused Mamertinus, the prefect of the
prætorium, of peculation, on his return from the city whither he had
gone to correct some abuses.
2. And in consequence of this accusation he was replaced by Rufinus, a
man accomplished in every respect, who had attained the dignity of an
honourable old age, though it is true that he never let slip any
opportunity of making money when he thought he could do so secretly.
3. He now availed himself of his access to the emperor to obtain
permission for Orfitus, who had been prefect of the city, but who was
now banished, to receive back his property which had been confiscated,
and return home.
4. And although Valentinian was a man of undisguised ferocity, he
nevertheless, at the beginning of his reign, in order to lessen the
opinion of his cruelty, took all possible pains to restrain the fierce
impetuosity of his disposition. But this defect increasing gradually,
from having been checked for some time, presently broke out more
unrestrained to the ruin of many persons; and his severity was increased
by the vehemence of his anger. For wise men define passion as a lasting
ulcer of the mind, and sometimes an incurable one, usually engendered
from a weakness of the intellect; and they have a plausible argument for
asserting this in the fact that people in bad health are more passionate
than those who are well; women, than men; old men, than youths; and
people in bad circumstances than the prosperous.
5. About this time, among the deaths of many persons of low degree, that
of Diocles, who had previously been a treasurer of Illyricum, was
especially remarked; the emperor having had him burnt alive for some
very slight offence, as was also the execution of Diodorus, who had
previously had an honourable employment in the provinces, and also that
of three officers of the vicar prefect of Italy, who were all put to
death with great cruelty because the count of Italy had complained to
the emperor that Diodorus had, though in a constitutional manner,
implored the aid of the law against him; and that the officers, by
command of the judge, served a summons on him as he was setting out on a
journey, commanding him to answer to the action according to law. And
the Christians at Milan to this day cherish their memory, and call the
place where they were buried, the tomb of the innocents.
6. Afterwards, in the affair of a certain Pannonian, named Maxentius, on
account of the execution of a sentence very properly commanded by the
judge to be carried out immediately, he ordered all the magistrates of
these towns to be put to death, when Eupraxius, who at that time was
quæstor, interposed, saying, "Be more sparing, O most pious of emperors,
for those whom you command to be put to death as criminals, the
Christian religion honours as martyrs, that is as persons acceptable to
the deity."
7. And the prefect Florentius, imitating the salutary boldness of
Eupraxius, when he heard that the emperor was in a similar manner very
angry about some trifling and pardonable matter, and that he had ordered
the execution of three of the magistrates in each of several cities,
said to him, "And what is to be done if any town has not got so many
magistrates? It will be necessary to suspend the execution there till
there are a sufficient number for the purpose."
8. And besides this cruel conduct there was another circumstance
horrible even to speak of, that if any one came before him protesting
against being judged by a powerful enemy, and requiring that some other
judge might hear his case, he always refused it; and however just the
arguments of the man might be, he remitted his cause to the decision of
the very judge whom he feared. And there was another very bad thing much
spoken of; namely, that when it was urged that any debtor was in such
absolute want as to be unable to pay anything, he used to pronounce
sentence of death on him.
9. But some princes do these and other similar actions with the more
lofty arrogance, because they never allow their friends any opportunity
of setting them right in any mistake they make, either in a plan or in
its execution; while they terrify their enemies by the greatness of
their power. There can be no question of mistake or error raised before
men who consider whatever they choose to do to be in itself the greatest
of virtues.
VIII.
§ 1. Valentinian having left Amiens, and being on his way to Treves in
great haste, received the disastrous intelligence that Britain was
reduced by the ravages of the united barbarians to the lowest extremity
of distress; that Nectaridus, the count of the sea-coast, had been slain
in battle, and the duke Fullofaudes had been taken prisoner by the enemy
in an ambuscade.
2. This news struck him with great consternation, and he immediately
sent Severus, the count of the domestic guards, to put an end to all
these disasters if he could find a desirable opportunity. Severus was
soon recalled, and Jovinus, who then went to that country, sent forward
Provertuides with great expedition to ask for the aid of a powerful
army; for they both affirmed that the imminence of the danger required
such a reinforcement.
3. Last of all, on account of the many formidable reports which a
continual stream of messengers brought from that island, Theodosius was
appointed to proceed thither, and ordered to make great haste. He was an
officer already distinguished for his prowess in war, and having
collected a numerous force of cavalry and infantry, he proceeded to
assume the command in full confidence.
4. And since when I was compiling my account of the acts of the emperor
Constantine, I explained as well as I could the movement of the sea in
those parts at its ebb and flow, and the situation of Britain, I look
upon it as superfluous to return to what has been once described; as the
Ulysses of Homer when among the Phæacians hesitated to repeat his
adventures by reason of the sufferings they brought to mind.
5. It will be sufficient here to mention that at that time the Picts,
who were divided into two nations, the Dicalidones and the Vecturiones,
and likewise the Attacotti, a very warlike people, and the Scots were
all roving over different parts of the country and committing great
ravages. While the Franks and the Saxons who are on the frontiers of the
Gauls were ravaging their country wherever they could effect an entrance
by sea or land, plundering and burning, and murdering all the prisoners
they could take.
6. To put a stop to these evils, if a favourable fortune should afford
an opportunity, the new and energetic general repaired to that island
situated at the extreme corner of the earth; and when he had reached the
coast of Boulogne, which is separated from the opposite coast by a very
narrow strait of the sea, which there rises and falls in a strange
manner, being raised by violent tides, and then again sinking to a
perfect level like a plain, without doing any injury to the sailors.
From Boulogne he crossed the strait in a leisurely manner, and reached
Richborough, a very tranquil station on the opposite coast.
7. And when the Batavi, and Heruli, and the Jovian and Victorian legions
who followed from the same place, had also arrived, he then, relying on
their number and power, landed and marched towards Londinium, an ancient
town which has since been named Augusta; and dividing his army into
several detachments, he attacked the predatory and straggling bands of
the enemy who were loaded with the weight of their plunder, and having
speedily routed them while driving prisoners in chains and cattle before
them, he deprived them of their booty which they had carried off from
these miserable tributaries of Rome.
8. To whom he restored the whole except a small portion which he
allotted to his own weary soldiers; and then joyful and triumphant he
made his entry into the city which had just before been overwhelmed by
disasters, but was now suddenly re-established almost before it could
have hoped for deliverance.
9. This success encouraged him to deeds of greater daring, and after
considering what counsels might be the safest, he hesitated, being full
of doubts as to the future, and convinced by the confession of his
prisoners and the information given him by deserters, that so vast a
multitude, composed of various nations, all incredibly savage, could
only be vanquished by secret stratagems and unexpected attacks.
10. Then, by the publication of several edicts, in which he promised
them impunity, he invited deserters and others who were straggling about
the country on furlough, to repair to his camp. At this summons numbers
came in, and he, though eager to advance, being detained by anxious
cares, requested to have Civilis sent to him, to govern Britain, with
the rank of proprefect, a man of quick temper, but just and upright; and
he asked at the same time for Dulcitius, a general eminent for his
military skill.
IX.
§ 1. These were the events which occurred in Britain. But in another
quarter, from the very beginning of Valentinian's reign, Africa had been
overrun by the fury of the barbarians, intent on bloodshed and rapine,
which they sought to carry on by audacious incursions. Their
licentiousness was encouraged by the indolence and general covetousness
of the soldiers, and especially by the conduct of Count Romanus.
2. Who, foreseeing what was likely to happen, and being very skilful in
transferring to others the odium which he himself deserved, was detested
by men in general for the savageness of his temper, and also because it
seemed as if his object was to outrun even our enemies in ravaging the
provinces. He greatly relied on his relationship to Remigius, at that
time master of the offices, who sent all kinds of false and confused
statements of the condition of the country, so that the emperor,
cautious and wary as he plumed himself on being, was long kept in
ignorance of the terrible sufferings of the Africans.
3. I will explain with great diligence the complete series of all the
transactions which took place in those regions, the death of Ruricius
the governor, and of his lieutenants, and all the other mournful events
which took place, when the proper opportunity arrives.
4. And since we are able here to speak freely, let us openly say what we
think, that this emperor was the first of all our princes who raised the
arrogance of the soldiers to so great a height, to the great injury of
the state, by increasing their rank, dignity, and riches. And (which was
a lamentable thing, both on public and private accounts) while he
punished the errors of the common soldiers with unrelenting severity, he
spared the officers, who, as if complete licence were given to their
misconduct, proceeded to all possible lengths of rapacity and cruelty
for the acquisition of riches, and acting as if they thought that the
fortunes of all persons depended directly on their nod.
5. The framers of our ancient laws had sought to repress their pride and
power, sometimes even condemning the innocent to death, as is often done
in cases when, from the multitude concerned in some atrocity, some
innocent men, owing to their ill luck, suffer for the whole. And this
has occasionally extended even to the case of private persons.
6. But in Isauria the banditti formed into bodies and roamed through the
villages, laying waste and plundering the towns and wealthy country
houses; and by the magnitude of their ravages they also greatly
distressed Pamphylia and Cilicia. And when Musonius, who at that time
was the deputy of Asia Minor, having previously been a master of
rhetoric at Athens, had heard that they were spreading massacre and
rapine in every direction, being filled with grief at the evil of which
he had just heard, and perceiving that the soldiers were rusting in
luxury and inactivity, he took with him a few light-armed troops, called
Diogmitæ, and resolved to attack the first body of plunderers he could
find. His way led through a narrow and most difficult defile, and thus
he fell into an ambuscade, which he had no chance of escaping, and was
slain, with all the men under his command.
7. The robber bands became elated at this advantage, and roamed over the
whole country with increased boldness, slaying many, till at last our
army was aroused, and drove them to take refuge amid the recesses of the
rocks and mountains they inhabit. And then, as they were not allowed to
rest, and were cut off from all means of obtaining necessary supplies,
they at last begged for a truce, as a prelude to peace, being led to
this step by the advice of the people of Germanicopolis, whose opinions
always had as much weight with them as standard-bearers have with an
army. And after giving hostages as they were desired, they remained for
a long time quiet, without venturing on any hostilities.
8. While these events were taking place, Prætextatus was administering
the prefecture of the city in a noble manner, exhibiting numerous
instances of integrity and probity, virtues for which he had been
eminent from his earliest youth; and thus he obtained what rarely
happens to any one, that while he was feared, he did not at the same
time lose the affection of his fellow-citizens, which is seldom strongly
felt for those whom they fear as judges.
9. By his authority, impartiality, and just decisions, a tumult was
appeased, which the quarrels of the Christians had excited, and after
Ursinus was expelled complete tranquillity was restored, which best
corresponded to the wishes of the Roman people; while the glory of their
illustrious governor, who performed so many useful actions, continually
increased.
10. For he also removed all the balconies, which the ancient laws of
Rome had forbidden to be constructed, and separated from the sacred
temples the walls of private houses which had been improperly joined to
them; and established one uniform and proper weight in every quarter,
for by no other means could he check the covetousness of those who made
their scales after their own pleasure. And in the adjudication of
lawsuits he exceeded all men in obtaining that praise which Cicero
mentions in his panegyric of Brutus, that while he did nothing with a
view to please anybody, everything which he did pleased everybody.
X.
§ 1. About the same time, when Valentinian had gone forth on an
expedition very cautiously as he fancied, a prince of the Allemanni, by
name Rando, who had been for some time preparing for the execution of a
plan which he had conceived, with a body of light-armed troops equipped
only for a predatory expedition, surprised and stormed Mayence, which
was wholly destitute of a garrison.
2. And as he arrived at the time when a great solemnity of the Christian
religion was being celebrated, he found no obstacle whatever in
carrying off a vast multitude of both men and women as prisoners, with
no small quantity of goods as booty.
3. After this, for a short interval a sudden hope of brighter fortune
shone upon the affairs of Rome. For as king Vithicabius, the son of
Vadomarius, a bold and warlike man, though in appearance effeminate and
diseased, was continually raising up the troubles of war against us,
great pains were taken to have him removed by some means or other.
4. And because after many attempts it was found impossible to defeat him
or to procure his betrayal, his most confidential servant was tampered
with by one of our men, and by his hand he lost his life; and after his
death, all hostile attacks upon us were laid aside for a while. But his
murderer, fearing punishment if the truth should get abroad, without
delay took refuge in the Roman territory.
5. After this an expedition on a larger scale than usual was projected
with great care and diligence against the Allemanni, to consist of a
great variety of troops: the public safety imperatively required such a
measure, since the treacherous movements of that easily recruited nation
were regarded with continual apprehension, while our soldiers were the
more irritated, because, on account of the constant suspicion which
their character awakened, at one time abject and suppliant, at another
arrogant and threatening, they were never allowed to rest in peace.
6. Accordingly, a vast force was collected from all quarters, well
furnished with arms and supplies of provisions, and the count Sebastian
having been sent for with the Illyrian and Italian legions which he
commanded, as soon as the weather got warm, Valentinian, accompanied by
Gratian, crossed the Rhine without resistance. Having divided the whole
army into four divisions, he himself marched with the centre, while
Jovinus and Severus, the two captains of the camp, commanded the
divisions on each side, thus protecting the army from any sudden attack.
7. And immediately under the guidance of men who knew the roads, all the
approaches having been reconnoitred, the army advanced slowly through a
most extensive district, the soldiers by the slowness of their march
being all the more excited to wish for battle, and gnashing their teeth
in a threatening manner, as if they had already found the barbarians.
And as, after many days had passed, no one could be found who offered
any resistance, the troops applied the devouring flame to all the houses
and all the crops which were standing, with the exception of such
supplies for their own magazines as the doubtful events of war compelled
them to collect and store up.
8. After this the emperor advanced further, with no great speed, till he
arrived at a place called Solicinium, where he halted, as if he had
suddenly come upon some barrier, being informed by the accurate report
of his advanced guard that the barbarians were seen at a distance.
9. They, seeing no way of preserving their safety unless they defended
themselves by a speedy battle, trusting in their acquaintance with the
country, with one consent occupied a lofty hill, abrupt and inaccessible
in its rugged heights on every side except the north, where the ascent
was gentle and easy. Our standards were fixed in the usual manner, and
the cry, "To arms!" was raised; and the soldiers, by the command of the
emperor and his generals, rested in quiet obedience, waiting for the
raising of the emperor's banner as the signal for engaging in battle.
10. And because little or no time could be spared for deliberation,
since on one side the impatience of the soldiers was formidable, and on
the other the Allemanni were shouting out their horrid yells all around,
the necessity for rapid operations led to the plan that Sebastian with
his division should seize the northern side of the hill, where we have
said the ascent was gentle, in which position it was expected that, if
fortune favoured him, he would be able easily to destroy the flying
barbarians. And when he, as had been arranged, had moved forward first,
while Gratian was kept behind with the Jovian legion, that young prince
being as yet of an age unfit for battle or for hard toil, Valentinian,
like a deliberate and prudent general, took off his helmet, and reviewed
his centuries and maniples, and not having informed any of the nobles
of his secret intentions, and having sent back his numerous body of
guards, went forward himself with a very small escort, whose courage and
fidelity he could trust, to reconnoitre the foot of the hill, declaring
(as he was always apt to think highly of his own skill) that it must be
possible to find another path which led to the summit besides that which
the advanced guard had reported.
11. He then, as he advanced by a devious track over ground strange to
him, and across pathless swamps, was very nearly being killed by the
sudden attack of a band placed in an ambuscade on his flank, and being
driven to extremities, only escaped by spurring his horse to a gallop in
a different direction over a deep swamp, so at last, after being in the
most imminent danger, he rejoined his legions. But so great had been his
peril that his chamberlain, who was carrying his helmet, which was
adorned with gold and precious stones, disappeared, helmet and all,
while the man's body could never be found, so that it could be known
positively whether he were alive or dead.
12. Then, when the men had been refreshed by rest, and the signal for
battle was raised, and the clang of warlike trumpets roused their
courage, two youths of prominent valour, eager to be the first to
encounter the danger, dashed on with fearless impetuosity before the
line of their comrades. One was of the band of Scutarii, by name
Salvius, the other, Lupicinus, belonging to the Gentiles. They raised a
terrible shout, brandished their spears, and when they reached the foot
of the rocks, in spite of the efforts of the Allemanni to repel them,
pushed steadily on to the higher ground; while behind them came the main
body of the army, which following their lead over places rough with
brambles and rugged, at last, after vast exertions, reached the very
summit of the heights.
13. Then again, with great spirit on both sides, the conflict raged with
spears and swords. On our side the soldiers were more skilful in the art
of war; on the other side the barbarians, ferocious but incautious,
closed with them in the mighty fray; while our army extending itself,
outflanked them on both sides with its overlapping wings, the enemy's
alarm being increased by our shouts, the neighing of the horses, and the
clang of trumpets.
14. Nevertheless they resisted with indomitable courage, and the battle
was for some time undecided; both sides exerted themselves to the
utmost, and death was scattered almost equally.
15. At last the barbarians were beaten down by the ardour of the Romans,
and being disordered and broken, were thrown into complete confusion;
and as they began to retreat they were assailed with great effect by the
spears and javelins of their enemies. Soon the retreat became a flight,
and panting and exhausted, they exposed their backs and the back sinews
of their legs and thighs to their pursuers. After many had been slain,
those who fled fell into the ambuscade laid for them by Sebastian, who
was posted with his reserve at the back of the mountain, and who now
fell unexpectedly on their flank, and slew numbers of them, while the
rest who escaped concealed themselves in the recesses of the woods.
16. In this battle we also suffered no inconsiderable loss. Among those
who fell was Valerian, the first officer of the domestic guards, and one
of the Scutarii, named Natuspardo, a warrior of such pre-eminent courage
that he might be compared to the ancient Sicinius or Sergius.
17. After these transactions, accompanied with this diversity of
fortune, the army went into winter quarters, and the emperor returned to
Treves.
XI.
§ 1. About this time, Vulcatius Rufinus died, while filling the office
of prefect of the prætorium, and Probus was summoned from Rome to
succeed him, a man well known to the whole Roman world for the eminence
of his family, and his influence, as well as for his vast riches, for he
possessed a patrimonial inheritance which was scattered over the whole
empire; whether acquired justly or unjustly it is not for us to decide.
2. A certain good fortune, as the poets would represent it, attended him
from his birth, and bore him on her rapid wings, exhibiting him
sometimes as a man of beneficent character, promoting the interests of
his friends, though often also a formidable intriguer, and cruel and
mischievous in the gratification of his enmities. As long as he lived he
had great power, owing to the magnificence of his gifts and to his
frequent possession of office, and yet he was at times timid towards the
bold, though domineering over the timid; so that when full of
self-confidence he appeared to be spouting in the tragic buskin, and
when he was afraid he seemed more abased than the most abject character
in comedy.
3. And as fishes, when removed from their natural element, cannot live
long on the land, so he began to pine when not in some post of authority
which he was driven to be solicitous for by the squabbles of his troops
of clients, whose boundless cupidity prevented their ever being
innocent, and who thrust their patron forward into affairs of state in
order to be able to perpetrate all sorts of crimes with impunity.
4. For it must be confessed that though he was a man of such magnanimity
that he never desired any dependent or servant of his to do an unlawful
thing, yet if he found that any one of them had committed a crime, he
laid aside all consideration of justice, would not allow the case to be
inquired into, but defended the man without the slightest regard for
right or wrong. Now this is a fault expressly condemned by Cicero, who
thus speaks: "For what difference is there between one who has advised
an action, and one who approves of it after it is performed? or what
difference does it make whether I wished it be done, or am glad that it
is done?"
5. He was a man of a suspicious temper, self-relying, often wearing a
bitter smile, and sometimes caressing a man the more effectually to
injure him.
6. This vice is a very conspicuous one in dispositions of that kind, and
mostly so when it is thought possible to conceal it. He was also so
implacable and obstinate in his enmities, that if he ever resolved to
injure any one he would never be diverted from his purpose by any
entreaties, nor be led to pardon any faults, so that his ears seemed to
be stopped not with wax but with lead.
7. Even when at the very summit of wealth and dignity he was always
anxious and watchful, and therefore he was continually subject to
trifling illnesses.
8. Such was the course of events which took place in the western
provinces of the empire.
XII.
§ 1. The King of Persia, the aged Sapor, who from the very commencement
of his reign had been addicted to the love of plunder, after the death
of the Emperor Julian, and the disgraceful treaty of peace subsequently
made, for a short time seemed with his people to be friendly to us; but
presently he trampled under foot the agreement which he had made with
Jovian, and poured a body of troops into Armenia to annex that country
to his own dominions, as if the whole of the former arrangements had
been abolished.
2. At first he contented himself with various tricks, intrigues, and
deceits, inflicting some trifling injuries on the nation which
unanimously resisted him, tampering with some of the nobles and satraps,
and making sudden inroads into the districts belonging to others.
3. Afterwards by a system of artful cajolery fortified by perjury, he
got their king Arsaces into his hands, having invited him to a banquet,
when he ordered him to be seized and conducted to a secret chamber
behind, where his eyes were put out, and he was loaded with silver
chains, which in that country is looked upon as a solace under
punishment for men of rank, trifling though it be; then he removed him
from his country to a fortress called Agabana, where he applied to him
the torture, and finally put him to death.
4. After this, in order that his perfidy might leave nothing unpolluted,
having expelled Sauromaces, whom the authority of the Romans had made
governor of Hiberia, he conferred the government of that district on a
man of the name of Aspacuras, even giving him a diadem, to mark the
insult offered to the decision of our emperors.
5. And after these infamous actions he committed the charge of Armenia
to an eunuch named Cylaces, and to Artabannes, a couple of deserters
whom he had received some time before (one of them having been prefect
of that nation, and the other commander in-chief); and he enjoined them
to use every exertion to destroy the town of Artogerassa, a place
defended by strong walls and a sufficient garrison, in which were the
treasures, and the wife and son of Arsaces.
6. These generals commenced the siege as they were ordered. And as it is
a fortress placed on a very rugged mountain height, it was inaccessible
at that time, while the ground was covered with snow and frost: and so
Cylaces being an eunuch, and, as such, suited to feminine manoeuvres,
taking Artabannes with him, approached the walls; after having received
a promise of safety, and he and his companion had been admitted into the
city, he sought by a mixture of advice and threats to persuade the
garrison and the queen to pacify the wrath of the implacable Sapor by a
speedy surrender.
7. And after many arguments had been urged on both sides, the woman
bewailing the sad fortune of her husband, these men, who had been most
active in wishing to compel her to surrender, pitying her distress,
changed their views; and conceiving a hope of higher preferment, they in
secret conferences arranged that at an appointed hour of the night the
gates should be suddenly thrown open, and a strong detachment should
sally forth and fall upon the ramparts of the enemy's camp, surprising
it with sudden slaughter; the traitors promising that, to prevent any
knowledge of what was going on, they would come forward to meet them.
8. Having ratified this agreement with an oath, they quitted the town,
and led the besiegers to acquiesce in inaction by representing that the
besieged had required two days to deliberate on what course they ought
to pursue. Then in the middle of the night, when they were all soundly
asleep in fancied security, the gates of the city were thrown open, and
a strong body of young men poured forth with great speed, creeping on
with noiseless steps and drawn swords, till they entered the camp of the
unsuspecting enemy, where they slew numbers of sleeping men, without
meeting with any resistance.
8. This unexpected treachery of his officers, and the loss thus
inflicted on the Persians, caused a terrible quarrel between us and
Sapor; and another cause for his anger was added, as the Emperor Valens
received Para, the son of Arsaces, who at his mother's instigation had
quitted the fortress with a small escort, and had desired him to stay at
Neo-Cæsarea, a most celebrated city on the Black Sea, where he was
treated with great liberality and high respect. Cylaces and Artabannes,
being allured by this humanity of Valens, sent envoys to him to ask for
assistance, and to request that Para might be given them for their king.
10. However, for the moment assistance was refused them; but Para was
conducted by the general Terentius back to Armenia, where he was to rule
that nation without any of the insignia of royalty; which was a very
wise regulation, in order that we might not be accused of breaking our
treaty of peace.
11. When this arrangement became known, Sapor was enraged beyond all
bounds, and collecting a vast army, entered Armenia and ravaged it with
the most ferocious devastation. Para was terrified at his approach, as
were also Cylaces and Artabannes, and, as they saw no other resource,
fled into the recesses of the lofty mountains which separate our
frontiers from Lazica; where they hid in the depths of the woods and
among the defiles of the hills for five months, eluding the various
attempts of the king to discover them.
12. And Sapor, when he saw that he was losing his labour in the middle
of winter, burnt all the fruit trees, and all the fortified castles and
camps, of which he had become master by force or treachery, and also
burnt Artogerassa, which had long been blockaded by his whole army, and
after many battles was taken through the exhaustion of the garrison; and
he carried off from thence the wife of Arsaces and all his treasures.
13. For these reasons, Arinthæus was sent into these districts with the
rank of count, to aid the Armenians if the Persians should attempt to
harass them by a second campaign.
14. At the same time, Sapor, with extraordinary cunning, being either
humble or arrogant as best suited him, under pretence of an intended
alliance, sent secret messengers to Para to reproach him as neglectful
of his own dignity, since, with the appearance of royal majesty, he was
really the slave of Cylaces and Artabannes. On which Para, with great
precipitation, cajoled them with caresses till he got them in his power,
and slew them, sending their heads to Sapor in proof of his obedience.
15. When the death of these men became generally known, it caused such
dismay that Armenia would have been ruined without striking a blow in
its own defence, if the Persians had not been so alarmed at the approach
of Arinthæus that they forbore to invade it again, contenting themselves
with sending ambassadors to the emperor, demanding of him not to defend
that nation, according to the agreement made between them and Jovian.
16. Their ambassadors were rejected, and Sauromaces, who, as we have
said before, had been expelled from the kingdom of Hiberia, was sent
back with twelve legions under the command of Terentius; and when he
reached the river Cyrus, Aspacuras entreated him that they might both
reign as partners, being cousins; alleging that he could not withdraw
nor cross over to the side of the Romans, because his son Ultra was as a
hostage in the hands of the Persians.
17. The emperor learning this, in order by wisdom and prudence to put an
end to the difficulties arising out of this affair, acquiesced in the
division of Hiberia, allowing the Cyrus to be the boundary of the two
divisions: Sauromaces to have the portion next to the Armenians and
Lazians, and Aspacuras the districts which border on Albania and Persia.
18. Sapor, indignant at this, exclaimed that he was unworthily treated,
because we had assisted Armenia contrary to our treaty, and because the
embassy had failed which he had sent to procure redress, and because the
kingdom of Hiberia was divided without his consent or privity; and so,
shutting as it were, the gates of friendship, he sought assistance among
the neighbouring nations, and prepared his own army in order, with the
return of fine weather, to overturn all the arrangements which the
Romans had made with a view to their own interests.
[160] Cabillonum is Châlons-sur-Soane, in Burgundy; Catalauni is
Châlons-sur-Marne, in Champagne.
[161] These seem to have been a tribe of the _Batavi_; but some editors
give, as a various reading, _Hastarii_, which may be translated, a
detachment of lancers.
[162] Probably the church of Santa Maria Maggiore; but see note in
Gibbon, ch. xxv. (vol. iii. p. 91, Bohn).
[163] See Iliad, ix. 5:--
+Boreês kai zephyros tôte Thrêkêthen aêton
Elthont' exopinês.+
Thus translated by Pope:--
"As from its cloudy dungeon, issuing forth
A double tempest of the west and north
Swells o'er the sea from Thracia's frozen shore,
Heaps waves on waves, and bids th' Ægean roar."
[164] The contents of the sixty-third book of Livy record that C.
Porcius Cato lost his whole army in a campaign against the Scordisci,
who were a Pannonian tribe; but neither Livy nor any other writer,
except Ammianus, mentions that Cato himself was killed.