XXXI. 304 CHAP. the precarious fubfiftence of the city was continually expofed in a winter-navigation, and an open road, had fuggefted to the genius of the firft Cæfar the useful defign, which was executed under the reign of Claudius. The artificial moles, which formed the narrow entrance, advanced far into the fea, and firmly repelled the fury of the waves, while the largest veffels fecurely rode at anchor within three deep and capacious bafons, which received the northern branch of the Tyber, about two miles from the ancient colony of Oftia 88 The Roman Port infenfibly fwelled to the size of an epifcopal city 39, where 89 88 The Offia Tyberina (fee Cluver. Italia Antiq. 1. iii. p. 870$79.), in the plural number, the two mouths of the Tyber, were separated by the Holy Island, an equilateral triangle, whose fides were each of them computed at about two miles. The colony of Oftia was founded immediately beyond the left, or southern, and the Port imme diately beyond the right, or northern, branch of the river; and the distance between their remains measures fomething more than two miles on Cingolani's map. In the time of Strabo, the fand and mud depofited by the Tyber, had choked the harbour of Ostia; the progrefs of the fame cause has added much to the size of the Holy Island, and gradually left both Oftia and the Port at a confiderable distance from the fhore. The dry channels (fiumi morti), and the large eftuaries (stagno di Ponente, de Levante), mark the changes of the river, and the efforts of the fea. Confult, for the present state of this dreary and defolate tract, the excellent map of the ecclefiaftical ftate by the mathematicians of Benedict XIV.; an actual furvey of the Agro Romanos in fix fheets, by Cingolani, which contains 113,819 rubbią (about 570,000 acres); and the large topographical map of Ameti, in eight fheets. 89 As early as the third (Lardner's Credibility of the Gospel, part ii. vol. iii. p. 89-92.), or at least the fourth, century (Carol. a Sancto Paulo, Notit. Ecclef. p. 47.), the Port of Rome was an epif. copal city, which was demolished, as it should seem, in the ninth century, by pope Gregory IV. during the incurfions of the Arabs. is now reduced to an inn, a church, and the house, or palace, of the bishop, who ranks as one of fix cardinal bishops of the Roman church. See Efchinard, Descrizione di Roma et dell'Agro Romano, p. 328. It the As foon as XXXI. the corn of Africa was depofited in fpacious gra- CHAP. naries for the ufe of the capital. Alaric was in poffeffion of that important place, he fummoned the city to furrender at difcretion; and his demands were enforced by the positive declaration, that a refusal, or even a delay, should be inftantly followed by the deftruction of the magazines, on which the life of the Roman people depended. The clamours of that people, and the terror of famine, fubdued the pride of the fenate; they liftened, without reluctance, to the propofal of placing a new emperor on the throne of the unworthy Honorius; and the fuffrage of the Gothic conqueror bestowed the purple on Attalus præfect of the city. The grateful monarch immediately acknowledged his protector as master-general of the armies of the Weft; Adolphus, with the rank of count of the domestics, obtained the custody of the person of Attalus; and the two hoftile nations feemed to be united in the closeft bands of friendship and alliance". created emperor by the Goths and Roinans. The gates of the city were thrown open, and Attalus is the new emperor of the Romans, encompaffed on every fide by the Gothic arms, was conducted, in tumultuous proceffion, to the palace of Auguftus and Trajan. After he had diftributed the civil and military dignities among his favourites and followers, Attalus convened an affembly of the fenate; before whom, in a formal and florid speech, he afferted his refolution of restoring the 9° For the elevation of Attalus, confult Zofimus, 1. vi. p. 377380. Sozoinen, l. ix. c. 8, 9. Olympiodor. ap. Phot. p. 180, 181. | Philoftorg. 1. xii. c. 3. and Godefroy, Differtat. p. 470 VOL, V. X majefty XXXI. CHAP. majesty of the republic, and of uniting to the empire the provinces of Egypt and the Eaft, which had once acknowledged the fovereignty of Rome. Such extravagant promifes infpired every reasonable citizen with, a juft contempt for the character of an unwarlike ufurper; whofe elevation was the deepeft and moft ignominious wound which the republic had yet fuftained from the infolence of the Barbarians. But the populace, with their ufual levity, applauded the change of masters. The public difcontent was favourable to the rival, of Honorius; and the fectaries, oppreffed by his perfecuting edicts, expected fome degree of countenance, or at least of toleration, from a prince, who, in his native country of Ionia, had been educated in the Pagan fuperftition, and who had fince received the facrament of baptifm from the hands of an Arian bifhop ". The first days of the reign of Attalus were fair and profperous. An officer of confidence was fent with an inconfiderable body of troops to fecure the obedience of Africa; the greatest part of Italy fubmitted to the terror of the Gothic powers; and though the city of Bologna made a vigorous and effectual refiftance, the people of Milan, diffatisfied perhaps with the abfence of Honorius, accepted, with loud acclamations, the choice of the Roman fenate. At the head of a formidable army, Alaric conducted his royal cap We may admit the evidence of Sozomen for the Arian baptism, and that of Philoftorgius for the Pagan education, of Attalus. The visible joy of Zofimus, and the discontent which he imputes to the Anician family, are very unfavourable to the Christianity of the new emperor. XXXI. tive almost to the gates of Ravenna; and a fo- CHAP. lemn embaffy of the principal ministers, of Jovius, the Prætorian præfect, of Valens, mafter of the cavalry and infantry, of the quæftor Potamius, and of Julian, the first of the notaries, was introduced, with martial pomp, into the Gothic camp. In the name of their fovereign, they confented to acknowledge the lawful election of his competitor, and to divide the provinces of Italy and the Weft between the two emperors. Their propofals were rejected with difdain; and the refufal was aggravated by the infulting clemency of Attalus, who condefcended to promise, that, if Honorius would inftantly refign the purple, he should be permitted to pass the remainder of his life in the peaceful exile of fome remote iland 22. So defperate indeed did the fituation of the son of Theodofius appear, to those who were the best acquainted with his ftrength and refources, that Jovius and Valens, his minifter and his general, betrayed their truft, infamoufly deferted the finking caufe of their benefactor, and devoted their treacherous allegiance to the service of his more fortunate rival. Aftonished by fuch, examples of domeftic treafon, Honorius trembled at the approach of every fervant, at the arrival of every messenger. He dreaded the fecret ene 92 He carried his infolence fo far, as to declare, that he should mutilate Honorius before he fent him into exile. But this affertion of Zofimus is destroyed by the more impartial teftimony of Olympiodorus, who attributes the ungenerous proposal (which was absolutely rejected by Attalus) to the bafenefs, and perhaps the treachery, of Jovius. XXXI. CHAP mies, who might lurk in his capital, his palace, his bed-chamber; and fome fhips lay ready in the harbour of Ravenna, to transport the abdicated monarch to the dominions of his infant nephew, the emperor of the East. He is de graded by But there is a Providence (fuch at least was the opinion of the hiftorian Procopius ") that watches over innocence and folly; and the pretenfions of Honorius to its peculiar care cannot reasonably be difputed. At the moment when his defpair, incapable of any wife or manly refolution, meditated a fhameful flight, a feasonable reinforcement of four thousand veterans unexpectedly landed in the port of Ravenna. To these valiant ftrangers, whofe fidelity had not been corrupted by the factions of the court, he committed the walls and gates of the city; and the flumbers of the emperor were no longer difturbed by the apprehenfion of imminent and internal danger. The favourable intelligence which was received from Africa, fuddenly changed the opinions of men, and the state of public affairs. The troops and officers, whom Attalus had fent into that province, were defeated and flain; and the active zeal of Heraclian maintained his own allegiance, and that of his people. The faithful count of Africa tranfmitted a large fum of money, which fixed the attachment of the Imperial guards; and his vigilance, in preventing the exportation of corn and oil, introduced famine, tumult, and discontent, into the walls of Rome. The failure of the 93 Procop. de Bell, Vandal. 1. i. 6. 2. I African |