affaulted the eaftern empire; in 400 Alaric attacked the western; forcing his way through Pannonia, and the Julian Alps; befieging Aquileia, and conquering the provinces of Iftria and Venetia. Then being loft to the hiftorian for fometime.* In 403 he again appears approaching the imperial refidence of Milan; when being driven from thence he turned towards Rome, but at laft was chafed by Stilicho from Italy, Yet scarcely was he departed, when to borrow

• Profeffedly to fill up this interval in the story of Alaric, Mr. Gibbon here introduces two anecdotes. One of the learned Rufinus, and the other of an old countryman, who is represented as trembling for bis trees, his co-temporary trees, which must be deftroyed in the conflagration of the whole country. How ftrongly does this circumftance, fo particularly preferved, answer to the image of the prediction," and the third part of << the trees were burnt.”

the

the hiflorians own metaphor; a dark cloud began to collect along the coaft of the Baltic; which in 406 burst in thunder upon the banks of the upper Danube from whence the ftorm paffed on into Italy. An hoft of confederate Germans under Radagaifus invading that country, pillaging, or deftroying many of its cities, and at length laying fiege to Florence; near the walls of which an end was put by Stilicho to both the conquefts and the life of this barbarian chief.

4

A large body of the German army, however, ftill remained under Alaric, and thefe, confifting of various tribes, Suevi, Vandals, Alani, and Burgundians, defcended, indeed like hail mingled with fire, upon Gaul. And by them we are affured, "A fcene of peace "and plenty was fuddenly changed in

to a defert; and the profpect of the "fmoking ruins could alone diftinguish "the folitude of nature from the de"folations of man. The flourishing

city of Mentz was furprized and de'ftroyed; and many thoufand chriftians "were inhumanly maffacred in the

church. Worms perifhed after a long "and obftinate fiege. Strafburg, Spires, "Rheims, Tournay, Arras, Amiens, "experienced the cruel oppreffion of "the German yoke: and the consuming "flames of war fpread from the banks

of the Rhine over the greatest part of "the feventeen' provinces of Gaul. "That rich and extenfive country as far

as the Ocean, the Alps, and Pyrenees "was delivered to the barbarians, who "drove before them in a promiscuous

crowd, the bishop, the fenator, and "the virgin laden with the fpoils of "their houses and altars."

HAD

HAD we no other circumstances to adduce, these alone might feem to prove fuch a completion of what was threatened under the first trumpet, as ought most justly to excite our awful admiration. But the historic report of the tempeft proceeds yet farther. In 408, Alaric again invaded Italy, pillaged feveral cities, ravaged a large extent of country, and folemnly affirming, that he was compelled by a fecret and fupernatural impulse to direct his march to the gates of Rome, laid fiege, to that metropolis; the inhabitants of which, oppreffed by plague and famine, at length agreed to ranfom themselves, and their city. But this yielded only a fhort relief, fince on Honorius's refufal to comply with his demands, Alaric returned, and was admitted into Rome; from whence after having fet up a new emperour; he departed, But having degraded this phantom

phantom of Royalty, and being still at variance with and provoked by Honorius, he in 410 returned the third time to the capital, which was unexpectedly betrayed to him at the hour of midnight, and "delivered to the licentious fury of the "tribes of Germany and Scythia. At "their entrance they fired the adjacent "houfes to guide their march, and dif "tract the attention of the Citizens; and "the flames confumed many private and "public buildings. A cruel flaughter, "was made of the Romans, and the "streets of the City were piled with dead

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bodies, which remained without burial "during the general confternation.— "And whenever the barbarians, were

provoked by oppofition, they extend"ed the promifcuous maffacre to the "feeble, the innocent, and the helplefs."

In fix days Alaric evacuated Rome, and marched into the fouthern provinces