ATTILA. 



329 



Rome. Cffisar treated him with the greatest regard, 

 though he was known as a friend of Pompey. After 

 the death of Caesar, he lived in friendship with Bru- 

 tus, without, however, offending Antony. When 

 Brutus was obliged to flee from Italy, he sent him a 

 million of sesterces, and likewise supported Fulvia, 

 the wife of Antony, after the disastrous battles of 

 Mutina, and , therefore was spared when fortune 

 i.gain smiled on Antony, and the friends of Brutus 

 generally were the victims of his vengeance. The 

 daughter of A. was married to M. Vespasianus 

 Agrippa, and Augustus became his friend. He often 

 received letters both from Augustus and from An- 

 tony, when he wasabsentfrom Rome. He reached the 

 -age of seventy-seven years without sickness. At this 

 time, he became afflicted with a disorder which he 

 felt to be incurable. He therefore ended his life by 

 voluntary starvation, and was buried near the Appian 

 way, in the grave of his uncle. 



ATTILA (in German, Etzel) ; the son of Mandras, 

 a Hun of royal descent, who followed his uncle Roas 

 in 434, and shared the supreme authority with his 

 brother Bleda. These two leaders of the barbarians, 

 who had settled in Scythia and Hungary, threatened 

 the Eastern empire, and twice compelled the weak 

 Theodosius II. to purchase an inglorious peace. 

 Their power was feared by all the nations of Europe 

 and Asia. The Huns themselves esteemed A. their 

 bravest warrior and most skilful general. Their re- 

 gard lor his person soon amounted to superstitious 

 reverence. He gave out that he had found the 

 sword of their tutelar god, and, proud of this weapon, 

 which added dignity to his power, lie designed to 

 extend his rule over the whole earth. He caused 

 his brother Bleda to be murdered (444), and, when 

 lie announced that it was done by the command of 

 God, this murder was celebrated like a victory. Be- 

 ing now sole master of a warlike people, his un- 

 bounded ambition made him the terror of all nations ; 

 and he became, as he called himself, the scourge 

 which God had chosen to chastise the human race. 

 In a short time, he extended his dominion over all 

 the people of Germany and Scythia, and the Eastern 

 and Western emperors paid him tribute. The Van- 

 dals, the Ostrogoths, the Gepidse, and a part of the 

 Franks, united under his banners. Some historians 

 assure us, that his army amounted to 700,000 men. 

 When he had heard a rumour of the riches and 

 power of Persia, he directed his march thither. He 

 w;is defeated on the plains of Armenia, and drew 

 back to satisfy his desire of plunder in the dominions 

 of the emperor of the East. He easily found a pre- 

 text for war, for all states which promised him a 

 rich booty were his natural enemies, and all princes 

 whom lie hoped to conquer had broken alliances. 

 He therefore went over to Illyria, and laid waste all 

 the countries from the Black to the Adriatic sea. 

 The emperor Theodosius collected an army to oppose 

 his progress ; but, in three bloody battles, fortune 

 declared herself for the barbarians. Constantinople 

 \vas indebted to the strength of its walls, and to the 

 ignorance of the enemy in the art of besieging, for 

 its preservation. Thrace, Macedonia, and^ Greece, 

 all submitted to the savage robber, who destroyed 

 seventy flourishing 1 cities. Theodosius was at the 

 mercy of the victor, and was obliged to purchase a 

 peace. One of the servants of Attila, Edekon, was 

 tempted by a eunuch, Chrysaphius, to undertake the 

 assassination of his master on his return to the 

 Danube ; but, at the moment of execution, his cour- 

 age failed him ; he fell at the feet of his master, and 

 acknowledged his criminal design. Constantinople 

 trembled at the idea of Attila's revenge ; but he was 

 contented with reproaching Thecxlosius for his per- 

 fidy, and requiring the head of Chrysaphius. The 



emperor engaged to pay a new tribute. A. now 

 directed his views to Gaul. With an immense army, 

 he passed the Rhine, the Moselle, and the Seine, 

 came to the Loire, and sat down under the walls of 

 Orleans. The inhabitants of this city, encouraged 

 by their bishop, Agnan (Anianus), repelled the first 

 attack of the barbarians, and the united forces of the 

 Romans, under their general, Aetius, and of the 

 Visigoths, under their king, Theodoric, compelled 

 A. to raise the siege. He retreated to Champagne, 

 and waited for the enemy in the plains of Chalons. 

 The two armies soon approached each other. A., 

 anxious for the event of the battle, consulted the 

 soothsayers, and they assured him of a defeat. He 

 concealed his alarm, rode through the ranks of his 

 warriors, reminded them of their deeds, spoke of his 

 joy at the prospect of a battle, and at the thought 

 that their valour was to be rewarded. Inflamed by 

 this speech, and by the presence of their leader, the 

 Huns were impatient for battle. Both armies fought 

 bravely. At length, the ranks of the Romans and 

 Goths were broken through, and A. was already sure 

 of the victory, when the Gothic prince Thorismond, 

 the son of Theodoric, poured down from the neigh- 

 bouring height upon the Huns. He threw them 

 into disorder, spread death through their ranks, and 

 A., pressed on all sides, escaped with difficulty to his 

 camp. This was, perhaps, the bloodiest battle which 

 has ever been fought in Europe ; for, according to 

 contemporary historians, 106,000 dead bodies cover- 

 ed the field of battle. A. caused all his camp equi- 

 page and treasures to be brought together into a 

 heap, in order to burn himself with them, in case 

 he should be reduced to extremities. But the ene- 

 my were contented with collecting their forces during 

 the night, and, having paid the last honours to the 

 dead body of king Theodoric (Dietrich), which they 

 discovered with difficulty, they saluted his son, 

 Thorismond, king upon the field of battle. Thus A. 

 escaped destruction. But the Franks pursued him, 

 hanging on his rear, till he had passed the Rhine. 

 Rather irritated than discouraged, he sought a new 

 opportunity to seize upon Italy, and demanded Ho- 

 noria, the sister of Valentinian III., in marriage. 

 This princess had been separated from the court, and 

 confined in a monastery, on account of an intrigue 

 with Eugenius, her chamberlain. She offered her 

 hand to A. ; he accepted the proffered match, and 

 demanded, as a dowry, half the kingdom. When 

 this demand was refused, he attacked Italy with 

 dreadful fury. The emperor trembled, and his am- 

 bassadors supplicated in vain. A. conquered and 

 destroyed Aquileia, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Berga- 

 mo, and laid waste the plains of Lombardy. The 

 inhabitants fled to the Alps, to the Apennines, and 

 to the small islands in the shallows (lagoons,) of the 

 Adriatic sea, where they built Venice. The empe- 

 ror had no army to oppose him ; the Roman people 

 and senate had recourse to tears and supplications. 

 Pope Leo I. went with the Roman ambassadors to 

 the enemy's camp, and succeeded in obtaining a 

 peace. A. went back to Hungary. The Romans 

 looked upon their preservation as a miracle, and the 

 old chronicles relate, that the threats of St Peter and 

 St Paul had terrified A. a legend which the art of 

 Raphael and Alghardi has immortalized. Not having 

 obtained Honoria for a wife, A. would a second time 

 have demanded her, sword in hand, if the beautiful 

 Ildico had not been added to his numerous wives, 

 with whom he solemnly united himself. This cir- 

 cumstance hindered him from fulfilling his threats. 

 On this occasion, he gave himself up to all the ex- 

 tra v;igance of debauchery ; but, on the day after the 

 marriage, the servants and warriors, impatient to 

 salute their master, thronged into the tent : they 



