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CHAP. an invincible people, who delighted and excelled in the exercise of war. The reply of the emperor was delivered in the fame strain of haughty defiance, and he derived his confidence from the God of the Christians, the ancient glory of Rome, and the recent triumphs of Juftinian. "The empire," faid he," abounds with men and horfes, and arms "fufficient to defend our frontiers, and to chaftife "the Barbarians. You offer aid, you threaten hoftilities we defpife your enmity and your aid. The conquerors of the Avers folicit our alli66 ance; fhall we dread their fugitives and exiles' ? The bounty of our uncle was granted to your ❝ mifery, to your humble prayers. From us you fhall receive a more important obligation, the knowledge of your own weakness. Retire from our prefence; the lives of ambaffadors are safe and if you return to implore our pardon, per"haps you will tafte our benevolence "." On the report of his ambaffadors, the chagan was

s Corrippus, l. iii. 390. The unquestionable fense relates to the Turks, the conquerors of the Avars; but the word scultor has no apparent meaning, and the fole MS. of Corippus, from whence the first edition (1581, apud Plantin) was printed, is no longer vifible. The last editor, Foggini of Rome, has inferted the conjectural emendation of foldan: but the proofs of Ducange (Joinville, Differt. xvi, p. 238. -240.) for the early use of this title among the Turks and Perfians, are weak or ambiguous. And I must incline to the authority of d'Herbelot (Bibliothéque Orient. p 825.), who afcribes the word to the Arabic and Chaldæan tongues, and the date to the beginning of the xith century, when it was beftowed by the khalif of Bagdad on, Mahmud prince of Gazna, and conqueror of India.

6 For thefe characteristic speeches, compare the verse of Corippus(1. iii. 251-401,) with the profe of Menander (Excerpt. Legation. p. 102, 103.). Their diverfity proves that they did not copy each other; their refemblance, that they drew from a common.original.

awed

awed by the apparent firmness of a Roman emperor, of whofe character and refources he was ignorant. Instead of executing his threats against the eastern empire, he marched into the poor and favage countries of Germany, which were fubject to the dominion of the Franks. After two doubtful battles, he confented to retire, and the Auftràfian king relieved the distress of his camp with an immediate supply of corn and cattle. Such repeated disappointments had chilled the spirit of the Avars, and their power would have diffolved away in the Sarmatian defert, if the alliance of Alboin, king of the Lombards, had not given a new objec to their arms, and a lafting fettlement to their wearied fortunes.

While Alboin ferved under his father's ftandard, he encountered in battle, and tranfpierced with his lance, the rival prince of the Gepida. The Lombards, who applauded fuch early progrefs, requested his father with unanimous acclamations, that the heroic youth, who had shared the dangers of the field, might be admitted to the feaft of victory. "You are not unmindful," replied the inflexible Audoin," of the wife cuftoms of our ancestors. "Whatever may be his merit, a prince is incapable "of fitting at table with his father till he has re"ceived his arms from a foreign and royal hand." Alboin bowed with reverence to the inftitutions of his country; felected forty companions, and boldly visited the court of Turifund king of the Gepida,

7 For the Auftrafian war, see Menander (Excerpt. Legat. p. 110.), Gregory of Tours (Hift. Franc 1. iv. c. 29.), and Paul the deacon (de Geft. Langobard. 1. ii. c. 1o.).

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CHAP. who embraced and entertained, according to the laws of hofpitality, the murderer of his fon. At the banquet, whilft Alboin occupied the feat of the youth whom he had flain, a tender remeinbrance arose in the mind of Turifund. "How dear "is that place-how hateful is that person--" were the words that efcaped, with a figh, from the indignant father. His grief exafperated the national refentment of the Gepida; and Cunimund, his furviving fon, was provoked by wine or fraternal affection, to the defire of vengeance.

"The

Lombards," faid the rude Barbarian," refemble, in figure and in fmell, the mares of our "Sarmatian plains." And this insult was a coarse allufion to the white bands which enveloped their legs. "Add another refemblance," replied an audacious Lombard; "you have felt how strongly "they kick. Visit the plain of Asfeld, and feek "for the bones of thy brother; they are mingled "with those of the vileft animals." The Gepidæ, a nation of warriors, started from their feats, and the fearless Alboin, with his forty companions, laid their hands on their fwords. The tumult was appeased by the venerable interpofition of Turisund. He faved his own honour, and the life of his gueft; and after the folemn rites of inveftiture, difmiffed the stranger in the bloody arms of his fon; the gift of a weeping parent. Alboin returned in triumph; and the Lombards, who celebrated his matchlefs intrepidity, were compelled to praise the virtues of an enemy. In this extraor

dinary

Paul Warnefrid, the deacon of Friuli, de Geft. Langobard. 1. i. G. 23. 24. His pictures of national manners, though rudely sketched,

are

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dinary vifit he had probably feen the daughter of CHAP. Cunimund, who foon after afcended the throne of the Gepida. Her name was Rofamond, an appellation expreffive of female beauty, and which our own history or romance has confecrated to amorous tales. The king of the Lombards (the father of Alboin no longer lived) was contracted to the grand-daughter of Clovis; but the reftraints of faith and policy foon yielded to the hope of poffeffing the fair Rofamond, and of infulting her family and nation. The arts of perfuafion were tried without fuccefs; and the impatient lover, by force and ftratagem, obtained the object of his defires. War was the confequence which he forefaw and folicited'; but the Lombards could not long withstand the furious affault of the Gepida, who were fuftained by a Roman army. And as the offer of marriage was rejected with contempt, Alboin was compelled to relinquifh his prey, and to partake of the difgrace which he had inflicted on the house of Cunimund 9.

The LomAvars deftroy the king and kingdom

bards and

When a public quarrel is envenomed by private injuries, a blow that is not mortal or decifive can be productive only of a fhort truce, which allows the unfuccessful combatant to fharpen his arms for a new encounter. The ftrength of Alboin had been found unequal to the gratification of his love, A.D. 566. ambition, and revenge: he condefcended to im

are more lively and faithful than thofe of Bede, or Gregory of Tours

9 The story is told by an impoftor (Theophylact. Simocat. 1. vi. c. 10.); but he had art enough to build his fictions on public and notorious facts.

of the Gepidæ,

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CHAP. plore the formidable aid of the chagan; and the arguments that he employed are expreffive of the art and policy of the Barbarians. In the attack of the Gepida, he had been prompted by the just defire of extirpating a people whom their alliance with the Roman empire had rendered the common enemies of the nations, and the personal adverfaries of the chagan. If the forces of the Avars and the Lombards fhould unite in this glorious quarrel, the victory was fecure, and the reward ineftimable : the Danube, the Hebrus, Italy, and Conftantinople, would be expofed, without a barrier, to their invincible arms. But if they hesitated or delayed to prevent the malice of the Romans, the fame spirit which had infulted, would pursue the Avars to the extremity of the earth. These specious reasons were heard by the chagan with coldnefs and difdain: he detained the Lombard ambaffadors in his camp, protracted the negotiation, and by turns alleged his want of inclination, or his want of ability, to undertake this important enterprise. At length he fignified the ultimate price of his alliance, that the Lombards fhould immediately present him with the tithe of their cattle; that the fpoils and captives fhould be equally divided; but that the lands of the Gepida fhould become the fole patrimony of the Avars. Such hard conditions were eagerly accepted by the paffions of Alboin; and as the Romans were diffatisfied with the ingratitude and perfidy of the Gepida, Juftin abandoned that incorrigible people to their fate, and remained the tranquil fpectator of this unequal conflict. The despair of Cunimund was active and dangerous.

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