XXXVI.

CHAP. tual diverfion against the two empires. After the death of Attila, he renewed his alliance with the Vifigoths of Gaul; and the fons of the elder Theodoric, who fucceffively reigned over that warlike nation, were eafily perfuaded, by the sense of intereft, to forget the cruel affront which Genferic had inflicted on their fifter (91). The death of the emperor Majorian delivered Theodoric the second from the restraint of fear, and perhaps of honour; he violated his recent treaty with the Romans; and the ample territory of Narbonne, which he firmly united to his dominions, became the immediate reward of his perfidy. The selfish policy of Ricimer encouraged him to invade the provinces which were in the poffeffion of Ægidius, his rival; but the active count, by the defence of Arles, and the victory of Orleans, faved Gaul, and checked, during his lifetime, the progrefs of the Vifigoths. Their ambition was foon rekindled; and the defign of extinguishing the Roman empire in Spain and Gaul, was conceived, and almost completed, in the reign of Euric, who affaffinated his brother Theodoric, and difplayed, with a more favage temper, fuperior abilities, both in peace and war. He paffed the Pyrenees at the head of a numerous army, fubdued the cities of Sarogoffa and Pampeluna, vanquished in battle the martial nobles of the Tarragonese province, carried his victorious arms into the heart of Lufitania, and permitted the Suevi to hold the kingdom of Gallicia under the Gothic monarchy of Spain (92). The efforts of Euric were not lefs vigorous, or fuccessful, in Gaul; and throughout the country that extends from the Pyrenees to the Rhône and the Loire, Berry, and Auvergne, were the only cities or diocefes, which refused to acknowledge him as their master (93). In the defence of Clermont, their principal town, the inhabitants of Auvergne sustained, with inflexible refolution, the miferies of war, peftilence and famine; and the Vifigoths, relinquishing the fruitlefs fiege, fufpended the hopes of that important

(91) Jornandes is our befl guide through the reigns of Theodoric II. and Euric (de Rebus Geticis, c. 44, 45, 46, 47. p. 675–681.). Idatius ends too foon, and ifidore is too fparing of the information which he might have } given on the affairs of Spain. The events that relate to Gaul are laboriously illuftrated in the third book of the Abbé Dubos, Hift. Critique, tom. i. p. 424-620.

(92) See Mariana, Hift. Hifpan. tom. i. l. v. c. 5. p. 162.

(93) An imperfect, but original, picture of Gaul, more especially of Auvergne, is fhewn by Sidonius: who, as a fenator, and afterwards as a bishop, was deeply interested in the fate of his country. See 1. v. epift. 1. 5. 9,

important conqueft. The youth of the province were ani- C HA P. mated by the heroic, and almoft incredible, valour of Ecdi- XXXVI. cius, the fon of the emperor Avitus (94), who made a defperate fally with only eighteen horsemen, boldly attacked the Gothic army, and, after maintaining a flying skirmish, retired fafe and victorious within the walls of Clermont. His charity was equal to his courage: in a time of extreme fcarcity, four thoufand poor were fed at his expence; and his private influence levied an army of Burgundians for the deliverance of Auvergne. From his virtues alone the faithful citizens of Gaul derived any hopes of fafety or freedom; and even fuch virtues were infufficient to avert the impending ruin of their country, fince they were anxious to learn from his authority and example, whether they should prefer the alternative of exile, or fervitude (95). The public confidence was loft; the refources of the ftate were exhausted; and the Gauls had too much reason to believe, that Anthemius, who reigned in Italy, was incapable of protecting his diftreffed fubjects beyond the Alps. The feeble emperor could only procure for their defence the fervice of twelve thousand British auxiliaries. Riothamus, one of the independent kings, or chieftains, of the ifland, was perfuaded to transport his troops to the continent of Gaul: he failed up the Loire, and established his quarters in Berry, where the people complained of thefe oppreffive allies, till they were deftroyed, or difperfed, by the arms of the Vifigoths (96).

One of the laft acts of jurifdiction, which the Roman fe- Trial of nate exercised over their fubjects of Gaul, was the trial and Arvandus, condemnation of Arvandus, the Prætorian præfect. Sido- A. D. 468. nius, who rejoices that he lived under a reign in which he might pity and affift a state-criminal, has expreffed, with tenderness and freedom, the faults of his indiscreet and unfortunate

(94) Sidonius, 1. iii. epist. 3. p. 65-68. Greg. Turon. l. ii. c. 24. iu tom. i. p. 174. Jornandes, c. 45. p. 675. Perhaps Ecdicius was only the fon-inlaw of Avitus, his wife's fon by another husband.

(95) Si nullæ a republicâ vires, nulla præfidia, fi nullæ, quantum rumor eft, Anthemii principis opes, ftatuit, te auctore, nobilitas feu patriam dimittere feu capillos (Sidon. 1. ii, epist, i. p. 33.). The last words (Sirmond Not. P. 25) may likewife denote the clerical tonfure, which was indeed the choice of Sidonius himself.

(96) The history of thefe Britons may be traced in Jornandes (c. 45 p. 678), Sidonius (1. ii. epiftol. 9. p. 73, 74.), and Gregory of Tours (1, ii, c. 18. in tom. ii. p. 170.). Sidonius (who ftyles these mercenary troops argu. tos, armatos, tumultuofos, virtute, numero, contubernio, contumaces) addresses their general in a tone of friendship and familiarity.

1

CHA P. fortunate friend (97). From the perils which he had efXXXVI. caped, Arvandus imbibed confidence rather than wisdom; and fuch was the various, though uniform, imprudence of his behaviour, that his profperity must appear much more surprising than his downfal. The fecond præfecture, which he obtained within the term of five years, abolished the merit and popularity of his preceding adminiftration. His eafy temper was corrupted by flattery, and exafperated by oppofition; he was forced to fatisfy his importunate creditors with the fpoils of the province; his capricious infolence offended the nobles of Gaul, and he funk under the weight of the public hatred. The mandate of his difgrace fummoned him to justify his conduct before the senate; and he paffed the fea of Tuscany with a favourable wind, the prefage, as he vainly imagined, of his future fortunes. A decent respect was ftill obferved for the Prafectorian rank; and on his arrival at Rome, Arvandus was committed to the hofpitality, rather than to the cuftody, of Flavius Afellus, the count of the facred largeffes, who refided in the Capitol (98). He was eagerly pursued by his accufers, the four deputies of Gaul, who were all distinguished by their birth, their dignities, or their eloquence. In the name of a great province, and according to the forms of Roman jurifprudence, they inftituted a civil and criminal action, requiring such restitution as might compensate the loffes of individuals, and such punishment as might fatisfy the juftice of the state. Their charges of corrupt oppreffion were numerous and weighty; but they placed their fecret dependence on a letter, which they had intercepted, and which they could prove, by the evidence of his fecretary, to have been dictated by Arvandus himself. The author of this letter feemed to diffuade the king of the Goths from a peace with the Greek emperor: he suggested the attack of the Britons on the Loire; and he recommended a divifion of Gaul, according to the law of nations, between the Vifigoths and the Burgundians (99). These pernicious schemes,

(97) See Sidonius, 1. i. epift. 7. p. 15-20, with Sirmond's notes. This letter does honour to his heart, as well as to his understanding. The profe of Sidonius, however vitiated by a falfe and affected tafte, is much fuperior to his infipid verses.

(98) When the Capitol ceased to be a temple, it was appropriated to the ufe of the civil magistrate; and it is ftill the refidence of the Roman fenator. The jewellers, &c, might be allowed to expose their precious wares in the porticoes.

199) Hæc ad regem Gothorum, charta videbatur emitti, pacem cum Græce

fchemes, which a friend could only palliate by the reproaches C HA P. of vanity and indiscretion, were fufceptible of a treasonable XXXVI. interpretation; and the deputies had artfully refolved, not un to produce their most formidable weapons till the decisive moment of the conteft. But their intentions were difcovered by the zeal of Sidonius. He immediately apprised the unfufpecting criminal of his danger; and fincerely_lamented, without any mixture of anger, the haughty prefumption of Arvandus, who rejected, and even refented, the falutary advice of his friends. Ignorant of his real fituation, Arvandus fhewed himself in the Capitol in the white robe of a candidate, accepted indiscriminate falutations and offers of service, examined the fhops of the merchants, the filks and gems, fometimes with the indifference of a fpectator, and fometimes with the attention of a purchafer; and complained of the times, of the fenate, of the prince, and of the delays of juftice. His complaints were foon removed. An early day was fixed for his trial; and Arvandus appeared, with his accufers, before a numerous affembly of the Roman fenate. The mournful garb, which they affected, excited the compaffion of the judges, who were fcandalized by the gay and fplendid drefs of their adverfary; and when the præfect Arvandus, with the firft of the Gallic deputies, were directed to take their places on the senatorial benches, the fame contraft of pride and modefty was obferved in their behaviour. In this memorable judgment, which prefented a lively image of the old republic, the Gauls expofed, with force and freedom, the grievances of the province; and as foon as the minds of the audience were fufficiently inflamed, they recited the fatal epiftle. The obftinacy of Arvandus was founded on the strange fuppofition, that a subject could not be convicted of treafon, unlefs he had actually confpired to affume the purple. As the paper was read, he repeatedly, and with a loud voice, acknowledged it for his genuine compofition; and his aftonishment was equal to his difmay, when the unanimous voice of the fenate declared him guilty of a capital offence. By their decree, he was degraded from the rank of a præfect to the obfcure condition of a plebeian, and ignominioufly dragged by fervile hands to the public prifon. After a fortnight's adjournment, the fenate was again convened

Græco Imperatore diffuadens, Britannos fuper Ligerim fitos impugnari oportere demonftrans, cum Burgundioribus jure gentium Gallias dividi debere confirmans.

CHA P. Vened to pronounce the fentence of his death: but while he XXXVI. expected, in the island of Afculapius, the expiration of the

Difcord of

mer,

A. D. 471.

thirty days allowed by an ancient law to the vileft malefactors (100), his friends interpofed, the emperor Anthemius relented, and the præfect of Gaul obtained the milder punifhment of exile and confifcation. The faults of Arvandus might deserve compaffion; but the impunity of Seronatus accused the justice of the republic, till he was condemned, and executed, on the complaint of the people of Auvergne. That flagitious minifter, the Catiline of his age and country, held a fecret correfpondence with the Vifigoths, to betray the province which he oppreffed: his induftry was continually exercised in the difcovery of new taxes and obfolete offences; and his extravagant vices would have inspired contempt, if they had not excited fear and abhorrence (101).

Such criminals were not beyond the reach of juftice; but Anthemius whatever might be the guilt of Ricimer, that powerful Barand Rici- barian was able to contend or to negociate with the prince, whofe alliance he had condescended to accept. The peaceful and profperous reign which Anthemius had promised to the Weft, was foon clouded by misfortune and difcord. Ricimer, apprehenfive, or impatient, of a fuperior, retired from Rome, and fixed his refidence at Milan; an advantageous fituation, either to invite, or to repel, the warlike tribes that were feated between the Alps and the Danube (102). Italy was gradually divided into two independent and hostile kingdoms; and the nobles of Liguria, who trembled at the near approach of a civil war, fell proftrate at the feet of the patrician, and conjured him to fpare their unhappy country. "For my own part,” replied Ricimer, in a tone of infolent moderation," I am ftill inclined to embrace the friendship "of the Galatian (103); but who will undertake to appeafe "his

(100) Senatufconfultum Tiberianum (Sirmond Not. p. 17.); but that law allowed only ten days between the fentence and execution; the remaining twenty were added in the reign of Theodofius.

(for) Catilina feculi noftri. Sidonius, 1. ii. epift. i. p. 33.; 1. v. epift. 13. P. 143. vii. epift. 7. p. 185. He execrates the crimes, and applauds the punishment of Seronatus, perhaps with the indignation of a virtuous citizen, perhaps with the refentment of a perfonal enemy.

(102) Ricimer, under the reign of Anthemius, defeated and flew in battle Beorgor, king of the Alani (Jornandes, c. 45. p. 678.). His fister had married the king of the Burgundians, and he maintained an intimate connection with the Suevic colony established in Pannonia and Noricum. (193) Galatam concitatum, Sirmond (in his notes to Ennodius) applies

this