XXX. feldom fails to display, and even to abuse, the CHAP. advantages of a cultivated understanding, a copious fancy, an eafy, and fometimes forcible, expreffion; and a perpetual flow of harmonious verfification. To these commendations, independent of any accidents of time and place, we must add the peculiar merit which Claudian derived from the unfavourable circumftances of his birth. In the decline of arts, and of empire, a native of Egypt ", who had received the education of a Greek, affumed, in a mature age, the familiar use, and abfolute command, of the Latin language ""; foared above the heads of his feeble contemporaries; and placed himself, after an interval of three hundred years, among the poets of ancient Rome 11. 318 117 National vanity has made him a Florentine, or a Spaniard. But the first epistle of Claudian proves him a native of Alexandria (Fabricius, Bibliot. Latin. tom. iii. p. 191–202. edit. Ernest.). 118 His first Latin verfes were compofed during the confulship of Probinus, A. D. 395. Romanos bibimus priinum, te confule, fontes, Et Latiæ ceffit Graia Thalia togæ. Besides fome Greek Epigrams, which are ftill extant, the Latin poet had composed in Greek, the Antiquities of Tarfus, Anazarbus, Berytus, Nice, &c. It is more easy to supply the loss of good poetry, than of authentic history. 119 Strada (Prolusion v, vi.) allows him to contend with the five heroic poets, Lucretius, Virgil, Ovid, Lucan, and Statius. His patron is the accomplished courtier Balthazar Caftiglione. His admirers are numerous and paffionate. Yet the rigid critics reproach exotic weeds, or flowers, which spring too luxuriantly in his Latian foil. CHAP. Weakness CHAP. XXXI. Invafion of Italy by Alaric.-Manners of the Roman Senate and People.-Rome is thrice befieged, and at length pillaged by the Goths.-Death of Alaric. -The Goths evacuate Italy.-Fall of Conftantine.--Gaul and Spain are occupied by the Barbarians.-Independence of Britain. T ance, HE incapacity of a weak and diftracted government may often affume the appearand produce the effects, of a treasonable of the court correfpondence with the public enemy. If Alaric of Ravenna, himfelf had been introduced into the council of Sept. Ravenna, he would probably have advised the fame measures which were actually purfued by A. D. 408, the minifters of Honorius'. The king of the Goths would have confpired, perhaps with fome reluctance, to deftroy the formidable adversary, by whofe arms, in Italy as well as in Greece, he had been twice overthrown. Their active and interested hatred laboriously accomplished the difgrace and ruin of the great Stilicho. The valour of Sarus, his fame in arms, and his perfonal, or hereditary, influence over the confederate Barbarians, could recommend him only to the friends of their country, who defpifed, or detefted, the worthlefs characters of Turpilio, Varanes, and Vigilantius. By the preffing inftances of the new The feries of events, from the death of Stilicho, to the arrival of Alaric before Rome, can only be found in Zofimus, l. v. p. 347 350. 8 favourites, XXXI. favourites, these generals, unworthy as they had CHAP. fhewn themselves of the name of foldiers 2, were promoted to the command of the cavalry, of the infantry, and of the domestic troops. The Gothic prince would have fubfcribed with pleasure the edict which the fanaticifm of Olympius dictated to the fimple and devout emperor. Honorius excluded all perfons, who were adverfe to the catholic church, from holding any office in the state; obftinately rejected the fervice of all those who diffented from his religion; and rafhly difqualified many of his braveft and most skilful officers, who adhered to the Pagan worship, or who had imbibed the opinions of Arianifi3. These measures, fo advantageous to an enemy, Alaric would have approved, and might perhaps have suggested; but it may seem doubtful, whether the Barbarian would have promoted his interest at the expence of the inhuman and absurd cruelty, which was perpetrated by the direction, or at least with the connivance, of the Imperial minifters. The foreign auxiliaries, who had been attached to the perfon of Stilicho, lamented his death; but the defire of revenge was checked-by a natural apprehenfion for the fafety of their 2 The expreffion of Zofimus is ftrong and lively, nara@povnow εμποιήσαι τοις πολεμίοις αρκοντας, fufficient to excite the contempt of the enemy, 3 Eos qui catholicæ fectæ funt inimici, intra palatium militare prohibemus. Nullus nobis fit aliquâ ratione conjun&tus, qui a nobis fide et religione difcordat. Cod. Theodof. 1. xvi. tit. v. leg. 42. and Godefroy's Commentary, tom, vi. p. 164. This law was applied in the utmoft latitude, and rigorously executed. Zofimus, 1. v. p. 364. CHAP. wives and children; who were detained as hoft XXXI. ages in the strong cities of Italy, where they had Alaric Rome, Q. &c. likewise deposited their most valuable effects. At the fame hour, and as if by a common fignal, the cities of Italy were polluted by the fame horrid fcenes of universal massacre and pillage, which involved, in promiscuous destruction, the families and fortunes of the Barbarians. Exafperated by fuch an injury, which might have awakened the tamest and most fervile fpirit, they caft a look of indignation and hope towards the camp of Alaric, and unanimously swore to purfue, with just and implacable war, the perfidious nation, that had fo bafely violated the laws. of hofpitality. By the imprudent conduct of the minifters of Honorius, the republic loft the affistance, and deserved the enmity, of thirty thousand of her braveft foldiers and the weight of that formidable army, which alone might have determined the event of the war, was transferred from the fcale of the Romans into that of the Goths. In the arts of negociation, as well as in thofe marches to of war, the Gothic king maintained his fuperior A.D.408, afcendant over an enemy, whose seeming changes proceeded from the total want of counfel and defign. From his camp, on the confines of Italy, Alaric attentively obferved the revolutions of the palace, watched the progrefs of faction and difcontent, disguised the hostile aspect of a Barbarian invader, and affumed the more popular appearance of the friend and ally of the great Stilicho; to whose virtues, when they were no longer formidable, he could pay a juft tribute of fincere XXXI. praise and regret. The preffing invitation of the CHAP. malcontents, who urged the king of the Goths to invade Italy, was enforced by a lively fenfe of his personal injuries; and he might fpeciously complain, that the Imperial ministers still delayed and eluded the payment of the four thousand pounds of gold; which had been granted by the Roman fenate, either to reward his fervices, or to appease his fury. His decent firmness was fupported by an artful moderation, which contributed to the fuccefs of his defigns. He required a fair and reasonable fatisfaction; but he gave the strongest affurances, that, as foon as he had obtained it, he would immediately retire. He refused to trust the faith of the Romans, unless Ætiús and Jason, the fons of two great officers of state, were sent as hostages to his camp: but he offered to deliver, in exchange, feveral of the nobleft youths of the Gothic nation. The modefty of Alaric was interpreted, by the minifters of Ravenna, as a fure evidence of his weakness and fear. They difdained either to negociate a treaty, or to affemble an army; and with a rafh confidence, derived only from their ignorance of the extreme danger, irretrievably wafted the decifive moments of peace and war. While they expected, in fullen filence, that the Barbarians fhould evacuate the confines of Italy, Alaric, with bold and rapid marches, paffed the Alps and the Pò; haftily pillaged the cities of Aquileia, Altinum, Concordia, and Cremona, which yielded to his arms; increased his forces by the acceffion of thirty thousand auxiliaries 1 |