76 



A T T I L A. 



Attila. 



cording to Priscus, was distilled from barley. Ha- 

 ving met with a disaster in the night-time, in conse- 

 quence of a violent storm, they wen- kindly relieved 

 by the barbarians, who were awakened by their cries. 

 The widow of Bleda, Attila's brother, was particu- 

 larly attentive on this occasion, and added to her 

 other favours the gift, or at least the loan, of a suffi- 

 cient number of beautiful and obsequious damsels. 

 At last, after a fatiguing and harassing journey, they 

 reached the capital of an empire, which for several 

 thousand miles did not contain a single city. This 

 capital seems to have been situated in Upper Hunga- 

 ry, between the Danube, the Teyss, and the Carpa- 

 thian hills. It could not boast of a single stone 

 building, except some baths, which had been lately 

 constructed. The houses of the principal officers 

 were all built of timber ; and the palace of Attila, the 

 most magnificent building in his dominions, was com- 

 posed of the same material. This palace was enclo- 

 sed by a lofty wall, or pallisade, of smooth square 

 timber, intersected with high towers, but intended 

 for ornament rather than use. Within this wall was 

 a separate house for each of the numerous wives of 

 Attila ; and instead of the rigid confinement imposed 

 by Asiatic jealousy, they politely admitted the Ro- 

 man ambassadors to their presence, their table, and 

 even to the freedom of an innocent embrace. The 

 Huns, though meanly lodged, were fond of display- 

 ing those riches which were the fruit and evidence of 

 their victories ; accordingly the trappings of their 

 horses, their swords, and their shoes, were studded 

 with gold and precious stones ; and their tables were 

 profusely spread with plates, and goblets, and vases, 

 of gold and silver, the work of Grecian artists. At- 

 tila alone assumed the superior pride of despising 

 finery, and of adhering to the simplicity of Scythian 

 manners : his dress, his arms, and the furniture of his 

 horse, were plain, without ornament, and of a single 

 colour ; his table was served in wooden cups and plat- 

 ters ; flesh was his only food ; and he never tasted 

 the luxury of bread. 



Maximin was placed in a most perilous situation 

 by the perfidy of his countrymen. He was ignorant 

 that a conspiracy had been formed against the life of 

 Attila ; and that Vigilius, interpreter to the embassy, 

 actually carried along with him a weighty purse of 

 gold, to reward the services of the person who should 

 destroy the king of the Huns. Attila, however, was 

 fully appris n d of every particular, by the confession 

 of the person who had engaged to perform the ser- 

 vice ; and, therefore, instead of being surprised at the 

 haughtiness and rudeness with which he treated the 

 ambassadors, we have more reason to admire his mag- 

 nanimity, in respecting the rights of hospitality, and 

 in admitting into his presence the ministers of a 

 prince, who had basely conspired against his life. 

 Vigilius was instantly seized ; and was forced to make 

 a full discovery of the whole transaction. Attila 

 spared his life; and under the name of ransom, ac- 

 cepted of two hundred pounds of gold for the life of 

 a traitor, whom he disdained to punish. He imme- 

 diately dispatched ambassadors to Constantinople to 

 denounce vengeance against Theodosius, and to de- 

 mand the head of Chiysaphius the eunuch, who had 

 been the chief agent in the business. None of his 



demands could be denied. A solemn embassy was 

 again sent to deprecate his wrath ; and he conde- 

 scended to pardon the emperor, the eunuch, and the 

 interpreter. 



Upon the death of Theodosius, Marcian, his suc- 

 cessor, peremptorily refused to pay to Attila the ac- 

 customed tribute ; and instructed his ambassador 

 Apollonius to signify this refusal, in the very camp 

 of the Hung. Attila enraged, sent an equal defiance 

 to the courts of Ravenna and Constantinople : and 

 his ambassadors addressed both the emperors in the 

 same haughty language. " Attila, my lord and thy 

 lord, commands thee to provide a palace for his im- 

 mediate reception." Despising the eastern Romans, 

 whom he had so often vanquished, he directed all his 

 strength against the western empire. The nations 

 from the Wolga to the Danube obeyed his summons, 

 and poured their countless myriads on the devoted 

 country of Gaul. The Romati empire was saved, on 

 this occasion, by the policy and intrepidity of iEtius, 

 whom Gibbon calls the last of the Romans. He 

 formed a strict alliance with Theodoric, king of the 

 Visigoths, who at that time reigned at Thoulouse : 

 and, in conjunction with his warlike forces, boldly 

 proceeded to meet the terror of Europe and of Asia 

 on the plains of Chalons. Here a tremendous en- 

 gagement took place. The centre of the Visigoths 

 soon gave way, owing to the defection of some of 

 their allies ; Theodoric, their king, was slain whilst 

 animating his men to battle ; and Attila already be- 

 gan to exult in the confidence of victory. In this 

 situation, Torismond, the son of Theodoric, who had 

 occupied a rising ground, rushed down upon the 

 Huns with irresistible fury : the Visigoths soon re- 

 stored their order of battle, and Attila for the first time 

 sustained a defeat. The number of slain, on this oc- 

 casion, according to the lowest accounts, amounted 

 to 16''2,000, whilst others swell it to nearly double 

 that number. 



The policy of ^Etius probably saved the Huns 

 from utter destruction : he saw that the empire had 

 as much to fear from the victorious Goths, as from 

 the Huns whom they had vanquished : he therefore 

 persuaded Torismond, who was bent on revenging 

 the death of his father, to return to Thoulouse, that 

 he might disappoint the ambitious designs of his bro- 

 thers. By this device, Attila was permitted to re- 

 tire unmolested, and to recruit his forces for an inva- 

 sion of Italy in the ensuing spring. He scarcely met 

 with resistance but at Aquileia, which made a long 

 and obstinate defence, but was at last taken and de- 

 stroyed. Italy was completely at his mercy, when 

 the feeble Valentinian resolved to try the effect of a 

 supplicatory embassy. Avienus, a person of the 

 highest dignity, and Leo, bishop of Rome, undertook 

 the dangerous office of deprecating the wrath of the 

 enraged barbarian : and the eloquence, majestic ap- 

 pearance, and sacerdotal robes of the bishop, had the 

 same efFect on Attila, that the appearance of the 

 Jewish high priest is said to have had on the mind of 

 Alexander. The safety of Italy was procured by 

 the eloquence of the ambassadors, and the immense 

 dowry of the princess Honoria. The empire was 

 soon after freed from the fear of this formidable in> 

 vader. Having added a beautiful maid, to the list 



Attila. 



