X.

tion of

Germans

flower of their youth, either from choice or compul- CHAP. sion, increased the Gothic army. The Bastarnæ dwelt, on the northern side of the Carpathian mountains; the immense tract of land that separated the Bastarna from the savages of Finland, was possessed, or rather wasted, by the Venedi24; we have some reason to believe that the first of these nations, which distinguished itself in the Macedonian war25, and was afterwards divided into the formidable tribes of the Peucini, the Borani, the Carpi, &c. derived its origin from the Germans. With better authority, a Sarmatian extraction may be assigned to the Venedi, who rendered themselves so famous in the middle ages26. But the confu- Distinc sion of blood and manners on that doubtful frontier often perplexed the most accurate observers27. As the and SarGoths advanced near the Euxine sea, they encounter- matians. ed a purer race of Sarmatians, the Jazyges, the Alani, and the Roxolani; and they were probably the first Germans who saw the mouths of the Borysthenes, and of the Tanais. If we inquire into the charaeteristic marks of the people of Germany and of Sarmatia, we shall discover that those two great portions of human kind were principally distinguished by fixed huts or moveable tents, by a close dress, or flowing garments, by the marriage of one or of several wives, by a military force, consisting, for the most part, either of infantry or cavalry; and above all by the use of the Teutonic, or of the Sclavonian language; the last of which has been diffused by conquest, from the confines of Italy to the neighbourhood of Japan.

Ukraine.

The Goths were now in possession of the Ukraine, Descripa country of considerable extent and uncommon ferti- tion of the lity, intersected with navigable rivers, which, from either side discharge themselves into the Borysthenes; and interspersed with large and lofty forests of oaks. The plenty of game and fish, the innumerable bee

24 Tacit. Germania, c. 46.

25 Cluver. Germ. Antiqua, 1. iii. c. 43.

26 The Venedi, the Slavi, and the Antes were the three great tribes of the same people: Jornandes, c. 24.

27 Tacitus most assuredly deserves that title, and even his cautious sus. pence is a proof of his diligent inquiries.

X.

CHAP. hives, deposited in the hollow of old trees, and in the cavities of rocks, and forming, even in that rude age, a valuable branch of commerce, the size of the cattle, the temperature of the air, the aptness of the soil for every species of grain, and the luxuriancy of the vegetation, all displayed the liberality of Nature, and tempted the industry of man28. But the Goths withstood all these temptations, and still adhered to a life of idleness, of poverty, and of rapine.

The Goths

Roman

The Scythian hords, which, towards the east, borinvade the dered on the new settlements of the Groths, presented provinces. nothing to their arms, except the doubtful chance of an unprofitable victory. But the prospect of the Roman territories was far more alluring; and the fields of Dacia were covered with rich harvests, sown by the hands of an industrious, and exposed to be gathered by those of a warlike, people. It is probable, that the conquests of Trajan, maintained by his successors, less for any real advantage, than for ideal dignity, had contributed to weaken the empire on that side. The new and unsettled province of Dacia, was neither strong enough to resist, nor rich enough to satiate, the rapaciousness of the barbarians. As long as the remote banks of the Niester were considered as the boundary of the Roman power, the fortifications of the Lower Danube were more carelessly guarded, and the inhabitants of Mæsia lived in supine security, fondly conceiving themselves at an inaccessible distance from any barbarian invaders, The irruptions of the Goths, under the reign of Philip, fatally convinced them of their mistake. The king, or leader, of that fierce nation, traversed with contempt the province of Dacia, and passed both the Niester and the Danube without encountering any opposition capable of retarding his progress. The relaxed discipline of the Roman troops, betrayed the most important posts, where they were stationed, and the fear of deserved punishment induced great numbers of them to inlist under

28 Genealogical History of the Tartars, p. 593. Mr. Bell (vol. ii. p. 379.) traversed the Ukraine in his journey from Petersburgh to Constantinople. The modern face of the country is a just representation of the ancient, since, in the hands of the Cossacks, it still remains in a state of nature,

X.

the Gothic standard. The various multitude of bar- CHAP. barians appeared, at length, under the walls of Marcianopolis, a city built by Trajan in honour of his sis ter, and at that time the capital of the second Mæsia". The inhabitants consented to ransom their lives and property, by the payment of a large sum of money, and the invaders retreated back into their deserts, animated rather than satisfied, with the first success of their arms against an opulent but feeble country. Intelligence was soon transmitted to the emperor Decius, that Cniva, king of the Goths, had passed the Danube a second time, with more considerable forces; that his numerous detachments scattered devastation over the province of Mæsia, whilst the main body of the army, consisting of seventy thousand Germans and Sarmatians, a force equal to the most daring achievements, required the presence of the Roman monarch, and the exertion of his military power.

the Gothic

Decius found the Goths engaged before Nicopolis, Various on the Jatrus, one of the many monuments of Trajan's events of victories 3o. On his approach they raised the siege, war. but with a design only of marching away to a con. A. D. 250. quest of greater importance, the siege of Philippopolis, a city of Thrace, founded by the father of Alexander, near the foot of mount Hæmus31. Decius followed them through a difficult country, and by forced marches; but when he imagined himself at a considerable distance from the rear of the Goths, Cniva turned with rapid fury on his pursuers. The camp of the Romans was surprised and pillaged, and, for the first time, their emperor fled in disorder before a troop of half-armed barbarians. After a long resistance, Phi

29 In the sixteenth chapter of Jornandes, instead of secundo Mæsiam, we may venture to substitute secundam, the second Masia, of which Marcianopolis was certainly the capital (see Hierocles de Provinciis, and Wesseling ad locum, p. 636. Itinerar). It is surprising how this palpable error of the scribe could escape the judicious correction of Grotius.

30 The place is still called Nicop. The little stream, on whose banks it stood, falls into the Danube. D'Anville, Geographie Ancienne, tom. i. p. 307.

31 Stephan. Byzant, de Urbibus, p. 740. Wesseling Itinerar. p. 136. Zonaras, by an odd mistake, ascribes the foundation of Philippopolis to the immediate predecessor of Decius.

CHAP. lippopolis, destitute of succour, was taken by storm. X. A hundred thousand persons are reported to have been massacred in the sack of that great city32. Many prisoners of consequence became a valuable accession to the spoil; and Priscus, a brother of the late emperor Philip, blushed not to assume the purple under the protection of the barbarous enemies of Rome. The time, however, consumed in that tedious siege, enabled Decius to revive the courage, restore the discipline, and recruit the number of his troops. He intercepted several parties of Carpi, and other Germans, who were hastening to share the victory of their country. men34, intrusted the passes of the mountains to officers of approved valour and fidelity35, repaired and strengthened the fortifications of the Danube, and exerted his utmost vigilance to oppose either the progress or the retreat of the Goths. Encouraged by the return of fortune, he anxiously waited for an opportunity to retrieve, by a great and decisive blow, his own glory, and that of the Roman arms36.

Decius re

office of

At the same time when Decius was struggling with vives the the violence of the tempest, his mind calm and delibe censor in rate amidst the tumult of war, investigated the more the person general causes, that, since the age of the Antonines, had

of Vale

rian.

so impetuously urged the decline of the Roman greatness. He soon discovered that it was impossible to replace that greatness on a permanent basis, without restoring public virtue, ancient principles and manners, and the oppressed majesty of the laws. To execute this noble but arduous design, he first resolved to revive the obsolete office of censor; an office, which, as long as it had subsisted in its pristine integrity, had so

32 Ammian. xxxi. 5.

33 Aurel. Victor. c. 29.

34 Victorie Carpica, on some medals of Decius, insinuate these advan. tages.

35 Claudius (who afterwards reigned with so much glory) was posted in the pass of Thermopyla with 200 Dardanians, 100 heavy and 160 light horse, 60 Cretan archers, and 1000 well-armed recruits. See an original letter from the emperor to his officer, in the Augustan History, p. 200.

36 Jornandes, c. 16-18. Zosimus, 1. i. p. 22. In the general account of this war, it is easy to discover the opposite prejudices of the Gothic and the Grecian writer. In carelessness alone they are alike.

X.

27th Oc

tober.

much contributed to the perpetuity of the states, till it CHAP. was usurped and gradually neglected by the Cæsars38. Conscious that the favour of the sovereign may confer power, but that the esteem of the people can alone bestow authority, he submitted the choice of the censor to the unbiassed voice of the senate. By their unani- A. D. 251. mous votes, or rather acclamations, Valerian, who was afterwards emperor, and who then served with distinction in the army of Decius, was declared the most worthy of that exalted honour. As soon as the decree of the senate was transmitted to the emperor, he assembled a great council in his camp, and, before the investiture of the censor elect, he apprized him of the difficulty and importance of his great office. "Happy "Valerian," said the prince to his distinguished subject, "happy in the general approbation of the senate

and of the Roman republic! Accept the censorship "of mankind; and judge of our manners. You will "select those who deserve to continue members of the "senate; you will restore the equestrian order to its

ancient splendour; you will improve the revenue, "yet moderate the public burdens. You will distinguish into regular classes the various and infinite "multitude of citizens, and accurately review the military strength, the wealth, the virtue, and the re66 sources of Rome. Your decisions shall obtain the "force of laws. The army, the palace, the ministers "of justice, and the great officers of the empire, are "all subject to your tribunal. None are exempted, "excepting only the ordinary consuls", the præfect of

the city, the king of the sacrifices, and (as long as "she preserves her chastity inviolate) the eldest of the "vestal virgins. Even these few, who may not dread

37 Montesquieu, Grandeur et Decadence des Romains, c. viii. He illus trates the nature and use of the censorship with his usual ingenuity, and with uncommon precision.

49.

38 Vespasian and Titus were the last censors (Pliny, Hist. Natur. vii. Censorinus de Die Natali). The modesty of Trajan refused an honour which he deserved, and his example became a law to the Antonines. See Pliny's Panegyric. c. 45 and 60.

39 Yet in spite of this exemption Pompey appeared before that tribunal during his consulship. The occasion indeed was equally singular and honourable. Plutarch. in Pomp. p. 630.